0 Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Thursday, October 17,1991 20 Maynard Street Arbor, Michigan 48109 ANDREW GOTTESMAN 747-2814.- Editor in Chief 4 Ann f N Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan STEPHEN HENDERSON Opinion Editor - __ unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. S" .:. "rrr. rvrn :.4." "rrr " "rJ.Y: rxr.". ": rn r.:r :"r." "x. :.Y::: :. .,.. r . .r ........................... :::: r.Y "r {" .l F... ---- --- ----- :tit:' X .} ": LV .:{". .": x:.Y.".Y.".Y:::."::."::: ::".":::." :"."::: :":::.":.Y::.":.-:::. ::. :":4 'J}.. }f %'r':: Ho, " 1 x Ann Arbor domestic partnership -legislation is long. overdue MLLY swNEQ EVEZ/ E:KT?,MF- 1, F- Jup'clA y R C r !N c Vt W COU EE VAE'5 Ep tN E L 5T D pcy T N ? TEN YE4W5- ! Q 4 NAF Aa ee - eeee V ' T ? E h 01 Federal legislation provides forprotection against discrimination on the basis gender, race, reli- gion,- age, national origin, .or physical handicap. The one criterion conspicuously absent from this list is sexual orientation. In a country that passively condones discrimi- nation against gay men and lesbians, theAnnArbor* City Council deserves commendation for its ap- proval of an ordinance recognizing as domestic partners two cohabitating homosexual adults. The ordinance's sponsor, Councilmember Ann Marie Coleman (D-1st Ward) deserves special praise. She pointed out that "families exist across all kinds of lines, and people that care for one another have the right to be named as a family." The ordinance, though significant, is only a. small step in the long process of achieving equal rights for gay men and lesbians. Advocates for suchchange can draw encouragement from Mayor. Liz Brater's assertion that, "this'will send a mes- sage to the country and the-state that this kind of legislation is needed..." Recent events have demonstrated that legisla- tion like, this . domestic partnership ordinance is necessary and long overdue. . Earlier this month, the California legislature passed a bill that would have outlawed employ- ment discrimination on the basis of sexual.orien- tation. This encouraging legislation, unfortunately, was vetoed by Gov. Pete Wilson. In an ironic display of the, prevalence of this kind of discrmination, the Georgia state attorney general recently fired the new state prosecutor when he learned that she was married to another woman. Such marriages are -not illegal in Georgia, but the state does not recognize them. The former prosecutor,; with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, has filed a discrimination suit against the attorney general. Locally, our own University has demonstrated its insensitivity regarding sexual orientation dis-' crimination' by refusing to give gay and lesbian couples the same right to married housing that heterosexuals enjoy. Contrary to assertions rooted in ignorance and intolerance, homosexuals are not abnormal; they are not inherently promiscuous; they are not de-. manding "special privileges." Psychologists long ago discredited the theory that homosexuality was a mental illness, and now understand that sexual orientation is something with which one is born, such as hair or eye color. Furthermore, there are volumes of.evidence showing employment and. housing discrimination as well as. violent hate crimes specifically against gay men and lesbians.- This proves the need for sexual orientation to be added in the categories ofpotected classes included. in anti-discrimination law. Lesbians and gay men have a long way to go before they receive all the privileges and immunities afforded .to other Americans. -But only if bodies such as the.Ann Arbor City Council and the Cali- fornia state legislature continue to set a positive example, will that change ever come. 4:{4r:":"r+: 4rv-": vrr};. "}}r r rrv:":{ {" ":"YJ XR: 'ti":4T:"::ti. }." +}:+or+ '"+: +: Jh XS "}:ti^+Y :h ..\......A ":":"}i: .:....:v}:::"}:"}:"::1Yrn".':r:{"r:{"}:{'}R}:.h:ti{":J".11VJ."M11i": Jrr:'J:..... ". "r' 14". .h "::"A1 4 'Tli ~. ..i.......".".v."."........ .. r.: ". tit} {"}:":: ::h": r"}}::."::'"r: r?...h; .,yr,..t$}, yRh}yfih..+.'d+... .h. .". ..h.".". :. :.: :.":::.h'::.V::v:.i'::~J:::::::::a"."..... ~Y:t .. .(:{":':{{....:::...,..,.i ....,ih.y. .1t...1 ,L..h1... .1".i^J .h".".1.. . rv: r v:: : A". v ". :11'M1. :"{"}:":::'::{'}i:'... ."~. "FM1" " ".1"::.vr:: J:: " : :.Y: tV: a :" "::.Li"~~:: ':': r "~. VJ.1.........h"} }:..... . ~'.i v.$i: ' :.,r:::: ".".":.v}.v... . M1 ? "> 4. R: 4 . 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": }:": . h1 M1: :":hY .":4":" J.14 .{ ,i";n h":.} .r".;: "::.{:.4:F.. "":ti ""}...L:{"}:1... }:{h M1 . {":.. :.1........ ..1+.ti ::v:{"""a":C":{ti': ":Y M1 { i 1.1 ..{::. h,..tvi.. r:{{" ..{:::;:a r:1 :" :.1': h1": :":{":" ..L. :,111. JM1Y :M1"~ ..Y :'}:\"{:" :"}'J:'":S .1 . ..may. y.n.yn {:r: ~~nti::"::}:"::}':..: {":{: ": ."{":::.: :: :J~:.:: is "i : { }::: ."i1 t{ a R. ::tt.n.,.i. M11 .1 .1.....1 ...t{. .1 .L .1"rA41Y: v: V: "14'{ti"1 {1 ''{" . .h :.1 S1 M1. 1. i N. .111 '1 ":L "'{' ":{":~: iL{ihti "::.1 : J: J. J..."..........11.. J...1.......1............1:.'.n:. :...,1. r.:~rn"."J: ~:{"i..4.....:h ........................1.,...:iY..4. A' .........i. J: ...14. J....1. t .h1.::4. ti...i.:';...t.:1.{M1. }:4. "4..{4 n1.:14.{1.:11"Y..:th. hY:.1L s.... .:14.. 01 Warren doesn't speak for all law students : To the.Daily: I- wish to respond to the unbelievable exaggerations made' by Michael Warren in the Daily (10/9/91). Mr. Warren is quoted as saying, "The general feeling at the law school is that (Justice)- *Scalia is the brightest, most- intellectually honest justice on the Court." Mr. Warren was further quoted as saying, "We consider him the godhead of legal reason- ing." I do not know upon what data Mr. Warren bases these-asser- tions. I do know, however, that' they are not reflective of the general attitudes.at the University of Michigan Law School I attend. Admittedly many at the law school.do hold Justice Scalia in high regard, but clearly Mr. Warren.must b' aware that a substantial number of students do not share this opinion. Very many, in fact, believe that Justice Scalia embodies a judicial philosophy that is the antithesis of cherished American values. The cavalier -manner in which Mr. . Warren disregards this significant portion of the law school raises serious questions about his ability. to represent the entire law school in the MSA. With' any group as large and as diverse in opinion as -the law school, it is "intellectually dishonest" to make broad state- ments as to the feelings of the school in general. However, at. the. risk of ignoring my own. advice, I'll close with this final comment. In my opinion, the general feeling at the law school is that Warren- does not speak for the rest of us. William Evans Law Student University housing for homosexuals? To the Daily: What is a family? Who is married? The legal definition is now open to argument. (For some, it may not constitute a definite statement of permanent commit- ment.) Does a sexual bond constitute a family? What about people who choose to live together as friends and roommates who feel close and deeply bonded? Friends can be family. Married student housing is quite a lovely environment. It was created for students considered to have special needs because they belong to families. But does a committed sexual relationship necessarily create such a need? Does this discriminate against other "family groups" and- individuals who may also want nice, affordable housing? Hon- estly committed couples do have special challenges. But there is no. way, possibly not even, a marriage certificate, to measure or prove a couple's level of commitment. However, there is one type of family group at the University- with needs that are very concrete:. individuals and couples with children. Students who are paying the ungodly University expenses, and are single or married parents, or unmarried heterosexual and . - homosexual couples with depen- dents; need low cost housing in an environment suitable for kids:' If there is to be any "family" or married housing at all, maybe that should be the basis. Anything else might discriminate against. one family or another. Irena Nagler University staff member Utilize caution in judging committee To the Daily: One must be extremely careful in evaluating the Senate Judiciary Committee's behavior with respect to Prof. Anita Hill's allegations of sexual harassment on the part of Judge Clarence Thomas. The Daily's statement that "Members of the committee chose to brush the incident aside" (10/ 10/91) seems based upon the common assumption that the committee's silence until last weekend's public revelations was motivated by disregard of Hill's claims. One must remember that Hill's initial complaints to the commit- tee were made under condition of anonymity, thus forbidding the committee to take any public action on those charges. One may criticize 'the confidential FBI report if it treated Hill's allega- tions lightly, but even a vigorous investigation by the FBI would not have been made public had the charges not been leaked to the press. 'If members of the committee had questioned Thomas publicly about Hill's claims, the committee would have been soundly criti- cized from all quarters for violating Hill's request to remain anonymous. Their public silence at that time was the only action that circumstances would allow. This is a moot point at best, since now the public hearings into Hill's claims are over, giving this issue thorough (if belated) scrutiny. But let us be careful not to ascribe motives to the Judiciary Committee because of their prior silence: silence does not always mean inaction. Jobless benefits Presidential veto once again shafts unemployment p3resident Bush's disinterest.in domestic issues grows more and more apparent as the 1992 race approaches. Six days ago, the President ve- toed a $6.5 billion bill to extend welfare benefits to 3 million unemployed Americans. The bill was sent to the White House with 300 votes from the House and 65 votes from the Senate. Last night, Congress was unable to override the President's callous and inexcusable rejection of the bill. The-bill would provide 20 additional weeks of benefits for those in states whose unemployment rate has averaged 8 percent or more during the past six months. Those states where the average rate is 7 percent would receive 13 additional weeks of benefits. All remaining states would receive 7. weeks of benefits. The President claimed that this bill, "could slow reemployment and would result in. benefit delays, payment inaccuracies and esca- lating' administrative costs." None of those trivial. reasons excuses the President's move to condemn 3 million Americans to months of unncecssary suffering. President Bush also claims that such a 'bill would bust the budget agreement and increase the deficit. It may well do that. But Bush himself was willing to declare emergency changes forexpenses that he considered priorities of his cold-war and conservative agenda. The president is willing to spend $800 million on each of 75 B-2 bombers, whose only mission is' to drop nuclear bombs on Soviet.cities. Last year,- the President spent $75 billion to save the sinking savings and loans. The impractical Strategic De- fense Initiative will drain multiples of what the welfare bill will cost from theTreasury. Despite the conservatives' belief that too much revenue is going to butter, rather than guns, much more rev- enue needs to be directed towards helping the unemployed back onto their feet.' The Democrats are wise to emphasize this as a partisan issue central to the 1992 presidential. campaign. President Bush has declared emergen- .cies to help the Kurds, Turks, and Israelis, but claims that helping American citizens is not worth the drain on the Treasury. Why the President is so willing to help foreign nations, while ignoring his own, is perplexing. Two Republican' bills now in the Senate, intro- duced by Senators David Durenburger (R-Minn.) and- Bob Dole (R-Kan.) are under consideration: One of them will probably receive the President's support. The Durenburger bill would cost $3.9 billion and provide a maximum of. 15 additional weeks of benef ts. Dole's proposal would cost $3.3 billion and provide benefits for onl 0 weeks at most. Neitherbill provides nearly enough assistance for unemployed persons to pay their bills and make arrangements to look for, a job. If the United States were fully recovered from' the recession, as President Bush and Federal Re- serve chair Alan Greenspan have claimed, perhaps 10 weeks of benefits would suffice. At this point, however, it seems that the recession and shrunken job market may last well into next spring. In that. case, even 20 weeks may not be enough for the' unemployed to get back on their feet. This legis- lation was an important opportunity 'for the Presi- dent to have stood by the American working class, by supporting extended unemployment benefits., Instead, he abandoned them. Jim Huggins. Rackham Graduate Student '{11;1i[{« {. .'{.;{.}}1}',.}:'} :{"} l; y {. "Y h' Wh" WhN Y JJ.". rh'r .Y: hWh ' Yf "hWJA" 1"J 1 f.1 Yr .1 .:v:: ..Y.:{"'r:4 :" Y" re""..u , r. n. W."."."h{"J .,v,"f"rr.1. '"Y" d"'"."":. 14", r' ..L ........ Y :% S." ." v:.Whv S xrhvr.l"J." "}},.Jr. .KE^ r v :{$+ r . :.4. }d": :":{::.4. . r'.%:,:. ..'}:"Jrs r . ". {{ ':{":'}}}}::.":'}:":":"}}'":".. 4 Y.h"- f4:'"" l.V."..N.. ,ri 4 {"}J:{"}:{".". .14WJ". ":.V ."hW"Vh«..":.": 4 ., ".L : :h., :;.}., .~}"} '."}:{ {''l}: :{ . } .Y. r . h: , {. r 'r.' }:{W V} 1}: ." h{y.".N YL".': " h. .;..,. r r : +>: r _ v~- "v h. "."hN:o: 'rr.S ," h" r:" "Jr." rr. r' ":" J""f ' :M'" " !hy . ff' .f . . J JJ. h.}:V V ."h J J :{:$: .}$:} "Jh... r. .r .r. $: } .W"": r. r 1. }'" .4: {V:. " '-K .:V .J +l ""h r,. .4-'" 1. ":" :': }.:L" { ": r.: ". fr.":f."f: Jh. . h. 4"Jr.. } lh"h" . ..1': "::{ . '"'{ J. ?:C:{":N:.:W.:1"r. . f:. . JJ}r L " r 1. .L .L .ti.:: h ~. r:. } h.. h... N. $'r ":1 . " "r5 }r. l ~r.l } ..{hWl""J. 1. .A .r :"} .J. Y.. .4....4...."...r..Y.':.'«........,.}'.."........ .. L"n . .Nh'Jr}:{' ..'}}'!l:':J}: ":"}L::{";" "}:ti1'ti .fr" ~}"". N f" . ......... x .................{ .. - ....':..., .. .. }.4 .r... ~. :.k......:.}txa.,..r...,:1.... ...fa}.«:e:::: ..:a¢J..x. xx{d: :<:d: k.: .;"}'; :.:.};?,. :;"s:.:: ":r,.:4"t .a :.:k'<:::: '".r' .r: {retc'r.'J.;e :;:}:2r':tr co used about ha rassment Boys will be boys. In: the. past this has been the general attitude toward sexual harassment held by both men and women. A man who' was making lewd comments or_ German neoNazis Christian democrats should target racism, not immigrants sexual. ad- v a.n c e s upon his fe- male co-. workers was "being aguy." This type of ac- tion was ac- cepted as n o r m a '1 male be- havior. Un- fortunately, it does not Yael Citro R esentment toward foreigners has been grow- ing steadily in Germany, especially since reunification. A strengthening xenophobic move- ment, characterized by Nazi slogans and skinhead. propaganda, has committed over 200.hate crimes against Jews and immigrants from Turkey, Mozambique, India, Vietnam and other countries' in the last few months. In response to this animosity toward foreigners, . Chancellor Helmut Kohl's Christian Democrat party moved to change-German immigration law in order to decrease the number of new immi- grants. Rather than fight the intolerance at the root of the unrest, the Christian Democrats chose to give in to racist pressure and violence by restrict-. ing immigration opportunities. The resurgence of the Nazi movement is not isolated to Germany. Lithuania, a hotbed of Nazi' support during World War.II, recently pardoned dozens of Nazi war criminals imprisoned by the Soviets. In the Soviet Union, Communism, which is often associated with Jewish intellectuals, is now openly discredited. Public animosity toward' the Communist system, along with increased freedom of expression, has led' to many Soviets venting their resentment toward Jews. Yielding so quickly to racist sentiments not only evokes disturbing memories ofNazi Germany, it is ineffective. Restricting immigration will not address Germany's problems. Cracking down on violent Nazi rallies will. The Social Democrats. should vigorously 'condemn racist behavior and philosophies in order to stem the growing ihtoler- ance and unrest. seem that as a society, we are mov- ing toward abandoning this idea. The hearings that lead to the confirmation of Judge Clarence Thomas to the position' of Supreme Court Justice were an insult to the issues. They exemplify how con- fused this nation is on what sexual harassment is and who has the right. to make that distinction. It seems that wheneverawoman' accuses a man of a crime it is be- cause 'somewhere deep down she wants' to avenge the fact that she herself is not a man.: After all, it is' commonly accepted that all women lie; all women are. manipulative; and all women are out to get all men..Granted, this is not said out. loud; however, it can be seen 'in the' Committee blasted Anita Hill with questions like, "Why did you not report this sooner? Why did you not resign? Why did you transfer with Thomas to the Equal Employment Opportunity - Commission (EEOC)?" Any woman could have answered these questions. A study released by Working Woman magazine in November of 1988, states that 90 percent of large corporations in the United 'States have received sexual harassment complaints. Only 2 percent of the women who are sexually harassed ever report it. This shows that Anita Hill's experience and her reluctance to report it are common ' among American women. Why do women remain silent?. Any woman knows the answer. Studies show that victims. of sexual harassment are not out for revenge. Ninety-six percent of women who are sexually harassed simply want the behavior stopped.. Of these women,45 percentofthem. want protection from retaliation. This last statistic shows how afraid women are that there will be nega- tive repercussions for accusing' someone of sexual harassment. This fear is based on the fact that. the judicial process is less than favor- able to women. What makes a woman silent is the likelihood that she will be. dragged through the mud trying to prove that she'is not a liar. She will have to invest time, money and her tive, these men, will. search vigor- ously for a fault in her character. Like rape,-sexual harassment is committed overwhelmingly against women. It is easier for men to iden- tify with the perpetrator and for women to identify with the victim. Sexual harassment should be de- fined by'who is on the receiving end and by how it is experienced. In 1980, sexual harassment be- came a civil offense. Until then it received no attention in the courts. In 1986, verbal abuse was recog* nized as a form of sexual harass- ment along with sexual advances and physical touching. Eventually, sexual harassment became anything that creates a hostile environment for women. Although society 'has only re- cently recognized sexual harass- mentas aproblem, the reality is that women have been sexually harassed since the beginning of time. Sexual harassment is more than the obvi- ous "sleep with me or you'll be fired." It is pinching a woman's behind, looking down her shirt when she bends over, calling her babe...toots...sweetheart, and mak- ing teasing sexual comments. It is any behavior that makes a woman uncomfortable and undermines her position of authority. One positive outcome of the Clarence Thomas hearings can be a raised awareness to the issue of sexual harassment. Thousands of women are sexually harassed every Nuts and Bolts - ' ... AAA A N 1A1.+1l by Judd Winick ' lQZE.5 A CHNICI \/!al MAP I