Articles From Our October, 2000 Newsletter

Volunteers Being Sought For Possible Forum

Dan Hawes, of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C., would like to come to Kansas City in October to help organize and promote an "Election Issues Forum" for KC's LGBT community and its allies.

The Forum would consist of a panel of local persons addressing the question: "What are the issues facing our community in this election?" This would not be a partisan panel, rather it would be an issues panel. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, like P-FLAG, is a 501 (c)3 corporation. It does not -- and cannot -- endorse specific candidates, but it can examine issues as they relate to an election.

For P-FLAG to be a cosponsor for this Forum (and I hope that it will be), P-FLAG must agree to:

1. Provide someone to be on the planning committee
2. Help identify and secure panelists for the discussion
3. Help encourage turnout for the event.

The Planning Committee will do most of its work via conference calls with Dan (NGLTF will pay for this).

Right now, we're looking at a date sometime the week of October 16th. This is a great opportunity for our community. I hope P-FLAG will participate.

Tim Degnan

Latest "Don't Ask..." "Idiocy"
LOS ANGELES TIMES, September 20, 2000 Editorial:

The Army's tawdry pursuit of Reserve Lt. Steve May should put to rest any remaining doubts about the idiocy and unworkability of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. May, an Arizona state lawmaker who as a Reserve officer has an unblemished record and an exceptional rating, has been open about his homosexuality since he first campaigned for elected office in 1996. But, May says, he never spoke of his sexual orientation while serving as an Army reservist.

Legally, he couldn't under the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" directive, which permits gays and lesbians to serve in the military so long as they do not engage in homosexual acts or disclose their sexual orientation. The policy was a flimsy compromise forged by the Clinton administration to quiet the fierce debate over whether gays should be allowed to serve. But "don't ask, don't tell" has, tragically, done little to end the legal witch hunts, the humiliation and harassment of gay service personnel or the dismissal of hundreds each year.

Steve May is just the latest victim. Sunday, a panel of three Army colonels recommended that May be discharged -- albeit honorably -- despite his stellar record. Why? Because the lawmaker spoke out last year on the floor of the Arizona Statehouse -- not as a reservist on base -- against a bill that would have barred government benefits for employees' gay partners.

May identified himself as a gay man in the course of his remarks. Do Army officials truly believe that military regulations constrain legislative debate or personal choices by reservists -- men and women who usually serve part-time? May's discharge recommendation awaits review by Army and Department of Defense officials. It should be reversed. And Congress and the president should eliminate the odious rule that gives rise to it.

Ex-Gay Poster Boy Caught In Gay Bar
by Joel Lawson (excerpted)

A prominent ex-gay leader once featured as "going straight" on the cover of Newsweek magazine was confronted and photographed by activists recently patronizing a gay bar in Washington, D.C.

John Paulk, board chair for the umbrella ex-gay group Exodus International (and an employee of Focus on the Family), admitted in an interview with Southern Voice that he was in Mr. P's, a gay bar in Washington's DuPont Circle neighborhood, but said his only intention was to use the bathroom...

"I was walking around DuPont [Circle], and I needed to use the bathroom, so I walked in, but I did not know Mr. P's was a gay bar," Paulk said. "Once I was inside, I thought, 'Oh, this is a gay bar, and I probably shouldn't be in here.'" 
Mr. P's is well known to Washingtonians as the city's longest standing gay bar, operating in the same location since 1976. The bar is located in a block with several establishments offering public restrooms, including two major hotels, a coffee shop, and a number of restaurants...

Paulk said he was in the gay bar "only 20 minutes," primarily to use a bathroom. Yet Herschaft (an HRC staff member who recognized Paulk) said Paulk was in the bar "at least 40 minutes" and socialized with a number of men during that time, including "speaking intimately with one man."

"Until I tried to photograph him, I would say he was having a gay old time," Besen (of HRC, who was called to the bar to photograph Paulk after Herschaft recognized him) said. "I didn't know that using the bathroom involved 40 minutes of socializing in a bar and offering drinks to strangers." ...

"I want to make it clear that there was no sexual, homosexual intention of any kind," Paulk said of his experience in Mr. P's. "That was not my intention. Focus on the Family is supportive of me and I have the support of my wife Anne, who I love very much." 

MEMBERSHIP NOTES

The PFLAG/KC membership year coincides with the fiscal year of national PFLAG. It runs from October 1 to September 30. It's time to renew for 2000-2001. Dues are: $32.00 for a household; $22.00, individual; $12.00 for Newsletter subscription only. (Membership includes Newsletter.) We pay $10.00 dues per year to National PFLAG for each member. If you have questions regarding your membership status, call Sue Edwards, 816-737-2749.

We need your support to continue our programs. Please renew your membership now. Thank you for being a part of this great organization.

2000-2001 Membership Renewal Form

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