The Michigan Daily -Tuesday, September 11, 1990 --Page3
ACT-UP memi
protest anti-ga,
by Sarah Schweitzer
Approximately 50 activists gath-
ered on the steps of the Union last
night for a rally in response to anti-
gay messages written on chalkboards
in Angell and Mason Halls.
The messages, written sometime
on or before Saturday by an anony-
mous author, invited people who
agreed with the statement,
"Homosexuals are not people, but
abominations," to attend a meeting
last night in Angell Hall.
When alerted to the presence of
the "anti-gay" meeting announce-
ments, the AIDS Coalition to Un-
leash Power (ACT-UP) quickly or-
ganized its members and planned a
disruption of the meeting followed
by a workshop on homophobia.
A local chapter of the national
organization ACT-UP was founded
last spring in Ann Arbor to fight in-
stitutional racism and discrimina-
tion against homosexuals in the
University and community.
When the anonymous authors did
not arrive at Angell Hall by 7:15
p.m., the 50 people - members of
ACT-UP and other gay male and
lesbian rights activists - marched
to the steps of the Union.
As they made their way, the
group chanted, "Hey hey ho ho, ho-
mophobia has got to go," and
"Racist, sexist, anti-gay, born again
bigots go away."
Upon arriving at the Union, the
group held a "victory rally" to pro-
claim their success in scaring off the
anonymous authors.
"This mobilization shows any-
time bigots organize, we will be
there and not allow it to happen,"
said LSA senior and ACT-UP mem-
ber Paul Carnouche.
Following the rally, organizers
ceremoniously burned a copy of the
Michigan Review, a campus con-
servative publication which attacked
ACT-UP in its September issue.
bers "
y. event
The assembled group also held a
speakout, a forum in which gar
males and lesbians were encouraggd
to tell of the difficulties they en.
counter because of their sexual prt
erence.
LSA senior Jim Cotant told the
group of the pain he experiences
when he is hassled by people on the
street of Ann Arbor.
Cotant added, "I've been lucZ
with my friends, they have been t~e
epitome of loving and caring...
rather be physically assaulted t*l:i
have my friends turn on me."
Ann Arbor Community H;
School junior and ACT-UP memb4
Valerie Park called the protest aOd
rally "a powerful moment."
"Whoever put that (announce-
ment) up on the board will really
have to think before they put
something like that up again," Park
said.
t
JOSE JUAREZ/Daily
-ACT-UP members and student acitivists look on as as the Michigan Review is burned in reaction to a story in
.the September issue which attacked ACT-UP, a gay male and lesbian rights group.
r"
Couple protests abortion laws for young women
by Amanda Neuman
Bill and Karen Bell will be at the
Michigan League tonight to tell the
fatal story of their daughter Becky,
who died of an illegal abortion two
years ago.
The Indiana couple, in conjunc-
tion with the Fund for the Feminist
;Majority (FFM), are launching a na-
tionwide campaign to fight laws that
restrict young womens' access to
abortions.
The campaign, entitled, "The
Becky Bell-Rosie Jimenez Cam-
paign," seeks to enlist one million
college and high school women to
speak out against parental consent
and notification laws in the United
States.
On September 16, 1988, Becky
Bell died from an illegal abortion
with pneumonia as a contributing
factor. Becky had just turned 17 and
was subject to an Indiana law which
requires young women under 18 to
obtain parental permission before
getting an abortion.
Becky was afraid to tell her par-
ents about her pregnancy because she
didn't want to disappoint them. She
feared she would not be granted a
"judicial bypass" - a waiver from
parental consent - from an Indiana
judge and decided to get an illegal
abortion.
Of the 35 states that have
parental consent or notification laws,
only 14 states enforce them. Though
Michigan has no such laws, the state
legislature will begin considering a
parental consent initiative during
its three week session that begins
today.
The initiative, started by the
Right to Life of Michigan, needs a
majority vote to pass in the Michi-
gan Legislature.
Pat Rose, former chair and re-
source coordinator for the Right to
Life of Washtenaw County believes
the bill is mandatory to protect the
lives of young women.
"If she [Becky] had confided in
her parents, she could have probably
been alive today because they could
have gotten her the help she needed,"
she said.
Margy Long, public affairs coor-
dinator for Planned Parenthood of
Michigan, disagrees with the Right
to Life position.
"Their initiative will endanger the
lives of Michigan teenagers by forc-
ing the teens who can't involve their
parents because of fear of abuse or
family crisis," she said.
Darleen Straub, director of coun-
seling at a pregnancy counseling
center in Ann Arbor, said that if
passed, the law would open the lines
of communication in the home. *}
Tamar Raphael, press secretary.
for FFM, said that the law didnpt
improve family communication. s,
evidenced by a note Becky wrote.to
her parents saying, "I wish I copld
tell you everything, but I can'. i)
have to deal with it myself. I ca%4o't
it, and I love you."
If the initiative fails, it w illo
on the 1992 election ballot. -
The Bells will be speaking.i
Room C of the Michigan Lea$ .
tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Union members pi
y Heather Fee Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
*Daily Staff Reporter president Patricia Darden.
Approximately 12 local union The AFSCME executive board
members picketed in front of their - a governing body which acts for
union office near the corner of the union between meetings -
Packard and Platt yesterday to protest suspended Darden on July 19, 1990,
the suspension of their elected during contract negotiations.
president and the reinstatement of the In a letter to John Seferian, chair
former president of the union. of the AFSCME International
Opposing union members sat on Judicial Panel, members of the
the front porch of the office executive board said Darden was
*occasionally throwing rocks, calling suspended for "willful violation" of
out names and spraying water at the union laws, preventing fellow union
picketers, who were mainly workers from doing their jobs, and
,niversity service and maintenance attempting to undermine executive
vyorkers. board authority.
The protesters were concerned Specifically, the executive board
about the suspension of American, members objected to Darden's
Federation, State, County, discharge of office secretary Deborah
cket their own headquarters
Carmen.
The board suspended Darden and
reinstated Leroy Carter, the former
president of the union with a vote of
three for, two against and two
abstentions.
Union members, in protesting
the move, said they felt their vote
was undermined, and the board used
powers to which it was unentitled.
"They're taking away our right
to vote. I don't think the executive
board should have that kind of
power," said Mattie Jordan who
helped organize the protest.
Another member agreed. "The
people elected should be in there (the
union office). Pat Darden was
elected. They should give her a
chance to do her job," said Stanley
Johnson, a member who ran for
president but lost. Darden won her
seat 473 to 388; the union represents
approximately 2400 University
workers.
The three members of the
executive board who voted to
suspend Darden and office secretary
Deborah Carmen sat on the steps of
the union building and refused to
comment on why Darden was
suspended. Union Sergeant at Arms
Steven Hunter said, "It would hurt
our members to put our internal
affairs in the paper."
Darden and union bargaining
chair Judy Levy explained that
Darden's suspension related to the
firing of Carmen.
Carmen, who was hired by the
former president, was fired by
Darden. Darden said Carmen refused
to unlock desks and cabinets for her
and do ordinary office tasks such as
operate the photocopier.
A fight ensued over the keys to
the cabinets and desks. Levy, who
witnessed the fight said Carmen
dangled the keys in front of Darden
and Darden grabbed for them.
Darden called the police to arrest
Carmen for trespassing. After calling
a state union representative, Carmen
left.
Union members complained
about other issues. Picket signs read
"Stop the petty games and bad
treatment of employees," and "Take
our union out of the toilet. Flush
Carter and company out."
NOw
&portA
o 'lon
Join the Dail
call fi
764CO~
US still seeks contributions for d
WASHINGTON (AP) - The,
oil-rich Middle Eastern countries are
coming forward quickly with multi-
billion dollar pledges of support for
the campaign against Saddam Hus-
sein, but the United States is having
a tougher time with its European and
Asian allies, a fact that has not gone
unnoticed in Congress.
Secretary of State James Baker
*announced yesterday that Saudi Ara-
bia, the United Arab Emirates and
the exiled government of Kuwait had
pledged $12 billion to help pay for
the U.S. defense of the Persian Gulf
and to assist poor nations hurt by
their adherence tb the trade embargo
against Iraq.
But Treasury Secretary Nicholas
Brady had far less success in obtain-
ing additional support from France,
*Britain, South Korea and Japan.
The European Community voted
Friday to supply $2 billion in eco-
'nomic aid to Egypt, Turkey, and
Jordan - the three states hardest hit
by the crisis. However, they said
they would not pay to support the
U.S. military presence in the region.
With the exception of Britain and
France, which already involved in
the military efforts, European na-
tions have been wary of making mil-
itary contributions, preferring the
less confrontational approach of
supporting poor nations hurt by the
embargo.
Brady also came away essentially
empty-handed following stops in
South Korea and Japan.
South Korea, which has benefited
from U.S. military backing for more
than four decades, pledged only a few
transport flights while Japan said it
needed further time to decide how
much it can do beyond the $1 billion
in assistance it has already offered.
Some members of Congress ex-
pressed displeasure Monday at the
tepid responses, especially from
Japan.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
called Japan's $1 billion pledge only
a "few token shillings." He con-
tended a more adequate response
given Japan's economic standing
would be an $8 billion pledge. -
In a related incident, Rep.
William Ford (D-Mich.) has intro-
duced legislation which would enable
eployment
U.S. troops in the Middle East to
send letters to relatives and friends
for no charge. The bill is scheduled
for a hearing tomorrow, and Ford
hopes for a House vote early next
week.
Lawmakers who visited the
troops in Saudi Arabia last month
heard frequent pleas for less red tape
in sending mail, Ford said.
I'
t
DOES SEXUALITY HAVE A HISTORY?
CATHARINE MACKINNON
Professor of Law
University of Michigan
Wednesday, September 12, 1990
4:00 P.M.
Amphitheater, Fourth Floor
Rackham Building
Cosponsored by the Institute for the Humanities and the Law School
t
3
Business
(7~
dow careers
U.. r.J y ..
C
Cr1-11-
Nci'
Correction
The Daily incorrectly identified the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity in a page
one photo in yesterday's paper. The Daily apologizes for this error.
I
THE LIS.T
What's happening in Ann Arbor today4
Campus Visits
THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
Presents
RALPH W. BOEKER
VP, CORPORATE INFORMATION SYSTEMS
University of Michigan Alumnus
"THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN GLOBAIZATION"
Tuesday, September 11, 1990
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
MichigansUion -- Kuenuel Room
1'i3*i.l
II
ir~~t
c .. '1
Meetings
Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee (ADC) - Mass
Meeting. MUG, 7:30. For more
information, call Dina Khaury, 663-
1567.
C r.e -n - e
Building.
"Socialism: Future or Fan-
tasy?" - SPARK Revolutionary
History Series. 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., B
122 MLB.
Other
Mic Q rer,'*uTrvouuts -- 5:00
I
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- IV
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