Page 4-Thursday, May 18, 1978-The Michigan Daily
mkYhigan DALY
Eighty-eight Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Maynard St., Ann Ar-bor, M1. 48109
Vol. LXXXVIII, No. 12-S News Phone: 764-0552
Thursday, May 18, 1978
Edited and managed by students
at the University of Michigan
Court must stand
up for gays
G"AY RIGHTS received another setback this
week.'
The Supreme Court again refused to address
the question of how far a state may go in
regulating private sexual conduct of consenting
adults.
The court, which has not granted full review to a
case involving gay rights since 1967, let stand the
conviction of a Jacksonville, N.C., man for par-
ticipating in oral sex with another male.
In refusing to hear the case, the court tacitly
gave its approval of a North Carolina law which
called such an act an "abominable and detestable
crime against nature."
An affectionate act between two consenting
adults, however, is certainly not a "crime against
nature." More important, it is outrageous that a
harmless encounter would be interpreted as a
crime against the state.
North Carolina Attorney General Rufus Ed-,
misten argued:/"The determination of decency if
a crime for the citizens of the state through their
elected representatives." His argument,
however, completely disregards first amendment
guarantees of freedom of expression. Edmisten
would outlaw anything which the voters of his
state find offensive in any way, despite the fact
that harmless acts should not be regulated.,
When a state legislates a code of sexual conduct
for its citizens, it is overstepping its authority to
govern. And when the state singles out a specific
minority group on which to impose its own
peculiar brand of ethics, then that certainly is an
abuse of power.
It is shocking that the Supreme Court has once
again turned its back on a case which blatantly-
exemplifies discrimination against a group of
people for their sexual .preference. The inex-
cusable apathy is a significant setback for defen-
ders of civil liberties who have urged the court-to
reach a decision on the rights of sexual privacy.
Security deposits:
By Bll tep-by-step
By Bill Becker deductions from the deposit and a fail to sue you by the deadline to
When you first moved into your check or money order for the win the right to keep the withheld
apartment, your landlord balance. If any of the money was amount. If the landlord keeps
probably required you to put withheld for damage to the apar- your money but does not sue you,
down a security deposit. When tment, the estimated cost of each you may after the 45-day limit
the term of-your lease ends, you'll repair must be noted. If the 30- sue the landlord for up to double
want to make sure you get that day deadline passes and the Ian- the withheld amount.
deposit back. dlord has not sent you either the When you sign a new lease, you
After you move out, the law entire security deposit or a com- should know that your landlord is
permits your landlord to keep plete list of deductions aldsng with permitted to require a security
part or all of your security the balance, then the landlord has depost amounting to no more
deposit if you still owe him or forfeited the legal right to claim than one-and-a-half times the
her money for any of these items: deductions for damages. monthly rent. Landlords are in
past due rent, utility bills, or "ac- Notifying your landlord that he addition allowed to collect the fir-
tual damages to the rental unit must refund the money deducted st month's rent in advance. Any
... that are the direct result of for damages may not be enough pre-payment of rent other than
conduct not reasonably expected to persuade him or her to send the first month's rent is by law
in the normal course of habitation you your money; if the landlord considered part of the security
of a dwelling." So, if you refuses, call the Tenants Union at deposit. Thus, in terms of the
legitimately owe some back rent, 761-1225, or Campus Legal Aid at dollar amount you put down
or if you failed to pay some utility 763-9920. before moving in, the landlord
bills and the bills were passed on Step 3. When you receive the may not legally require more
to the landlord, it's the landlord's itemized list of deposit deduc- than two-and-a-half times the
right to take that money out of the tions from your landlord, you amount of the monthly rent.
security deposit and refund to may feel that some of the deduc-
you whatever is left. But the lan- tions are unfair. If so, you have SOME LANDLORDS, however,
dlord may not keep any of your seven days to notify the landlord do ask for more than the legally
security deposit to pay for nor- of this in writing. If you do not permitted amount for security
mal wear and tear on the apar- respond within seven days, you deposits. If your landlord asks
tment; as the law states, the only may be giving up your right to you for more than the per-
damages for which you may be dispute the amount withheld for missible amount, you have the
held responsible are damages damages. right to demand that you be
which resulted from "conduct not If your landlord refuses to allowed to put down a deposit
reasonably expected." refund the ,money you feel was small enough to fall within the
THERE ARE FIVE basic steps unfairly withheld for damages, legal limits. But if you make such
you should take in order to insure the landlord must prove in court a demand, you will be taking the
thatyougetbac asmuc of ourAPAr LtltJC.risk that the landlord will decide
thatr yougetbc as much oyour APMurAB.WLlI toren tsomeoneelse istead
security deposit as is coming to t ett oen leised
you: If your landlord wants too high
Step 1. Within four days after a security deposit and you want
the expiration of your lease you to rent the place but don't want to
should write a letter to your lan- pay the high deposit, the most
dlord giving notice of your for- prudent thing to do is the
warding address. You should following: pay the full amount
keep a carbon copy (not a Xerox) requested before moving in, but
of this letter and any other letters deduct the excess from the first
you send to your landlord. rent check you pay once you're
If you don't give the landlord that he or she was justified in living in the place. If you choose
written notice of your forwarding withholding the money, by to do this, you should explain to
address, this will be the result: initiating a lawsuit within 45 days the landlord why you're doing it,
the landlord will have the right to of the end of your lease term, and it's a good idea to write on
keep some or all of your security Such a lawsuit is nothing to fear; your check something like this:
deposit to pay for damages, it offers you, the tenant, the October's rent, less one half
without having to go through the chance to explain to a judge how month's excess security deposit
regular ,procedures to let you you think the landlord is acting collected.
you hin th ladlod i acing For more information about
know what the alleged damages unfairly in trying to charge you Forimoernin abeut
are. Those procedures protect for the alleged damages. This your rights concerning security
you; don't let your landlord avoid kind of trial cannot leave anyone deposits and ways to defend those
them by your failure to give him with a criminal record. The most Cghts, call the Tenants Union or
orher your forwarding address. the landlord can win is the right Campus Legal Aid. If you want a
Step 2. Once you've given to kepthe money ardydetailed guide to your rights asa
Ste 2 Oceyouvegien tokeepth moe already tenant, pick up a copy of How is
notice of your forwarding ad- withheld. E icup adopy at Howota
dress, your landlord must, within Step 4. If you send a letter to Evit Your Lanelord at a local
30 days of the end of your lease your landlord on time giving book store.
term, send you a check or money notice that you dispute his or her
order for your entire damage damage claims, the landlord may Bill Becker is a member of
deposit or an itemized list of , choose to ignore your letter and the Ann Arbor Tenants Union.
1aJ iMf i
OALPI~
ER 1yp -
A iN~~ G l '
41
Letters to The Daily
woman who is leading the believe that in the end the truth
To The Daily: crusade against gay people and shall overcome and there will
It is not surprising that equal in the name of Christ. It is not come a time when all will live in
rights for gay citizens suffered surprising that the same peace, where acts of love will be
another defeat in the "liberal" "Christians" who are scornful honored and acts of war and
city of St. Paul as it did in the towards gays are the ones who hatred will come to an end.
"liberal" Dade County. We live in think it right to have capital Adolph Hitler rounded ujp
a society that gives high honors to punishment and war - they 250,000 openly gay people and
those young men who "serve" would legislate violence and sent them off to concentration
their country in military service murder and criminalize acts of camps, but he did not succeed in
and offer their lives to fight for love - all in the name of Jesus, exterminating those innocent
"freedom." , the Prince of Peace and Lord of people any more than the other
Christ prophesied that evil Love. minorities he persecuted - in the
people would 'use his name for I would say that there i' reason end Iam sure the forces of reason
its not sur- to be disheartened b the recent 1hrrevail.