Men And Lesbians

WASHINGTON -- Five years after the Clinton administration adopted its "don't ask, don't tell" policy for homosexuals in the military, incidents of anti-homosexual harassment have increased in each of the armed services, according to a legal group that represents gay men and lesbians.In a report to be released today, the group, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, says that persistent harassment has created a climate of fear in some units so severe that many gay men and lesbians have been forced to abandon military service, in contradiction of the policy's aims.

WASHINGTON - -The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it would be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District of Columbia if the city won't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care. Under the bill, headed for a D.C. Council vote next month, religious organizations would not be required to perform or make space available for same-sex weddings.

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- Every Friday and Saturday night, scores of off-duty Marines flock to a Jacksonville bar to shoot a game of pool, cure a bout of loneliness or dance until the wee hours.By the book, they are risking stiff fines or even jail time, since Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast, has declared the bar, Friends Lounge, off limits to the installation's 43,000 Marines and sailors. It is a gay bar and conflicts with the military's ban on homosexual behavior.

NEW YORK -- The young gay men and lesbians stream from subway stops dressed in their flashiest gear: rainbow sunglasses, 6-inch-high gold wedge sandals, a fatigue-printed hoodie, a rhinestone-studded pink Playboy bunny bag. Hundreds of them make their way through the West Village - home of the gay liberation movement of the 1960s and '70s - toward the pier overlooking the Hudson River, where a drag queen in a platinum-blond wig and gold bamboo-style earrings...

WASHINGTON -- A Pentagon panel appointed to devise ways to allow homosexuals to serve in the military has proposed two plans, one of which would keep many parts of the current ban, senior Defense Department officials said yesterday.The second option presented by the panel, which is composed of 50 military officers and enlisted personnel, would allow declared homosexuals to serve in the armed forces but would ban homosexual conduct.The fact that the panel is considering preserving much of the ban indicates the difficulties the Clinton administration is having in carrying out its promise to end discrimination in the armed forces based on sexual orientation.

When Ann Geddes called 911 for help with a teenage relative suffering a medical emergency, she worried that she would have to waste precious minutes explaining to officers his struggles with trans- gender issues. To her surprise, Howard County police quickly responded without shock or confusion over the teenager's sexual orientation. The county's gay residents and their supporters, such as Geddes, hope that officers' brief diversity training is changing a male-dominated profession that they say historically has lacked empathy for - and in some cases sanctioned humiliation of - homosexuals.

NOW we have the numbers game. How many gay people are there in the nation? Ten percent? One percent? Four percent? It depends upon whom you ask, what survey you read, how statisticians and sex experts crunch the numbers, which respondents tell the truth and which don't. How many marched in Washington a week ago for the civil rights of gay men and lesbians? Three hundred thousand? Half a million? A million or more? It depends on whether you ask the Park Police or the march organizers.But at some level none of it matters at all.I know that gay men and lesbians have ample reason to believe their political clout in America, the most quantifying of countries, will be measured by their numbers.

Leaders of Conservative Judaism will consider interpretations of Jewish law tomorrow that could render homosexual acts acceptable. If approved, the decision would open the door for the ordination of gay men and lesbians and recognition of same-sex relationships within America's second-largest branch of Judaism.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- President Clinton said yesterday that he agreed with his wife that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy in dealing with homosexuals had been a failure, and he accused military leaders of not enforcing it properly."

In a precedent-setting decision on child visitation, a Maryland appeals court ruled yesterday that an ex-partner in a lesbian relationship can have similar legal standing to a stepparent. Advocates for gay legal rights said the ruling was a big stride forward for gay men and lesbians who assume the role of parents to their partners' biological children. But they noted that it did not equate the legal status of a same-sex couple with that of a heterosexual couple. "The key thing is finding that she had standing.

Leaders of Conservative Judaism will consider interpretations of Jewish law tomorrow that could render homosexual acts acceptable. If approved, the decision would open the door for the ordination of gay men and lesbians and recognition of same-sex relationships within America's second-largest branch of Judaism.

When Ann Geddes called 911 for help with a teenage relative suffering a medical emergency, she worried that she would have to waste precious minutes explaining to officers his struggles with trans- gender issues. To her surprise, Howard County police quickly responded without shock or confusion over the teenager's sexual orientation. The county's gay residents and their supporters, such as Geddes, hope that officers' brief diversity training is changing a male-dominated profession that they say historically has lacked empathy for - and in some cases sanctioned humiliation of - homosexuals.

In recent years, America's culture wars have pivoted significantly on queers. Sept. 11 found Rev. Jerry Falwell, and his compatriot Rev. Pat Robertson, leader of the Christian Coalition, lamenting on the nationally televised 700 Club that God's wrath over lesbians and gays and their "alternative lifestyle" had brought about the attacks. Gay men and lesbians may be here and queer, but it's clear from the rise in hate crimes and rush to pass legislation outlawing queer marriages, adoptions and induction into the military, that most Americans simply can't get used to it. A spate of recent books examine the roots of homophobia, explore the queer civil rights movement and elucidate just how much U.S. popular culture has a decidedly queer edge.

In a precedent-setting decision on child visitation, a Maryland appeals court ruled yesterday that an ex-partner in a lesbian relationship can have similar legal standing to a stepparent. Advocates for gay legal rights said the ruling was a big stride forward for gay men and lesbians who assume the role of parents to their partners' biological children. But they noted that it did not equate the legal status of a same-sex couple with that of a heterosexual couple. "The key thing is finding that she had standing.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- President Clinton said yesterday that he agreed with his wife that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy in dealing with homosexuals had been a failure, and he accused military leaders of not enforcing it properly."

WASHINGTON -- Five years after the Clinton administration adopted its "don't ask, don't tell" policy for homosexuals in the military, incidents of anti-homosexual harassment have increased in each of the armed services, according to a legal group that represents gay men and lesbians.In a report to be released today, the group, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, says that persistent harassment has created a climate of fear in some units so severe that many gay men and lesbians have been forced to abandon military service, in contradiction of the policy's aims.

DALLAS -- Reversing a position that has made him the focal point of protests from groups representing homosexuals, Ross Perot said this week that he would not necessarily exclude someone from a Cabinet position on the basis of sexual orientation.At the same time, Mr. Perot did not change his stance on homosexuals serving in the military.In a statement sent to representatives of gay-rights organizations, Mr. Perot said that he has always opposed discrimination based on race, sex, religion or sexual preference and that he would adopt the same position as president.

WILMINGTON, Del. -- An Episcopal court dismissed yesterday heresy charges against a bishop who ordained a gay priest, allowing gay men and lesbians a victory in their campaign for full acceptance in the church.In its 27-page decision, the court of eight bishops found there is no doctrine that prohibits sexually active gay men and lesbians from serving as priests. Therefore, the court found, there are no grounds for the heresy charges against retired Bishop Walter Righter, 73, of New Hampshire.

The furor caused by a recent series of newspaper ads placed by conservative religious groups raises a fundamental question: Is it possible to be gay and a good, practicing Christian?The answer is an unequivocal yes, according to some Baltimore-area clergy who have formed a coalition to advocate the acceptance of gay men and lesbians in their congregations.The Baltimore Interfaith Coalition of Religious Leaders for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Concerns includes about two dozen pastors and rabbis who began meeting last yearto share ideas, offer mutual support and get out the message that gay men and lesbians can be people of faith.