Baltimore Alternative, March 1991

BALTWMORE March 1991 ▼ Volume 6, Number 3 ▼ Serving The Baltimore /Washington Community Since 1986 Group Trying to See Both Sides GAY, LESBIAN LEADERS HAVE DENOUNCED ANTI-BUSH STAND BY REX WOCKNER THE ALTERNATIVE The National Gay and Les¬ bian Task Force position paper opposing President Bush's decision to take mili¬ tary action in the Persian Gulf has been denounced by several les¬ bian and gay leaders. Among those criticizing the nation’s second largest gay rights organization are gay Jews, gay Republicans and activists who are fighting the military’s ban on homosexuals. NGLTF’s six-page, single-spaced statement called for a diplomatic reso¬ lution to the Persian Gulf conflict, charging that the war solution is divert¬ ing public attention and money from domestic matters. Among those crucial issues: AIDS, gay rights, hate crimes, sexism, health care, homelessness, racism and poverty, NGLTF said. “In a matter of days, the military operations in the gulf cost the equiva¬ lent of the entire 1991 federal appropri¬ ations for AIDS,” the group said. “In a matter of hours, the U.S. spent the same amount as the 1991 appropria¬ tions for the Ryan White AIDS Emergency Resources Act. "When we lobby for AIDS funding or funding for any of our domestic objectives,” NGLTF continued, “we are CUFF O'NEILiyTHE ALTERNATIVE Urvathi Vaid, NGLTF Executive Director um our ^position to war that we See BUSH, page 9 are propose a particular solution...” GAY REPUBLICAN TO REPLACE CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT HEAD BY REX WOCKNER THE ALTERNATIVE CHICAGO— The National Gay Rights Task Force has hired a gay Republican to replace NGLTF Privacy and Civil Rights Project Director Sue Hyde, who retired from the group late last year. Chicagoan Tim Drake will oversee the Task Force’s work on sodomy law reform, local gay rights legislation and military discrimination. Drake is one of Chicago’s most well- known activists and also one of its most criticized. The criticism has not been over Drake’s gay rights work — which has been extensive, successful, and appreciated — but rather, his overt opposition to the common notion that gay activists should align themselves with Democratic, progressive and left¬ ist political movements. Drake was founder of the Chicago Area Republican Gay Organization and has steadfastly attempted to steer the local dialogue on gay issues away from the framework of progressive political presuppositions. One sample of Drake’s many ire- inducing statements came at an August 1990 forum on racism in Chicago’s gay/lesbian community. He charged that “anyone who doesn’t tow the politically correct agen- See REPUBLICAN, page 8 Plumbers’ AIDS Ploy Goes Down Legal Drain BY JOHN ZEH _ THE ALTERNATIVE ROCKVILLE— KSA Plumbing and Heating, Inc. has been sued in Montgomery County Circuit Court after allegedly charging fees for “AIDS control” measures that workers told cus¬ tomers were required by law. The county’s Office of Consumer Affairs seeks an injunction against KSA’s “unconscionable acts,” reimbursement and punitive payments to victimized clients, and a $500 fine for each violation of the law. At least 15 people filed complaints, including Carol Berkley of Bethesda. The drain of her kitchen sink clogged on the morning of a dinner party she was hosting that night. A KSA plumber fixed the problem quickly, she said, but insisted county regu¬ lations aimed at preventing AIDS required him to sanitize a drop cloth and cable “snake” used to clear the drain. “I was so offended at the story they had concoct¬ ed.” she told Washington Times reporter Arlo Wagner. Montgomery County has no law requiring anyone to practice AIDS control, said George Rose of the county Consumer Affairs Office. The firm is charged with refusing to provide writ¬ ten estimates, billing exorbitant fees, unnecessarily delaying work time, performing inferior repairs, and misrepresenting county laws, according to Assistant County Attorney Judith L. Hightower. A KSA spokesperson would not comment. PROJECT FACE TO FACE is an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industry Building. Story page 30.