The Michigan Daily - Saturday, July 9, 1983 - Page 5
Lesbians
may
prosecute
PanTree
By JACKIE YOUNG
Three women who lost their jobs at a
local restaurant last February have
charged that the management violated
their human rights, firing them
because they are lesbians.
A city attorney is scheduled to decide
Monday whether the women have
enough evidence to prosecute the Pan-
Tree Restaurant on East Liberty
Street for violating an Ann Arbor
human rights ordinance.
THE STATUTE, passed in July 1972,
prohibits discrimination in housing,
employment, and public accomodation
on the basis of marital and educational
status or sexual preference. Violations
of the ordinance can result in a fine of
up to $500.
Backed by local gay rights groups,
the three women took their case to the
Mayor's Human Rights Commission.
The women and the restaurant
management then tried to resolve the
matter out of court, said Raymond
Chauncey, a commission staff member
who has acted as an intermediary in the
case.
THE PANTREE management,
however, "refused to accept con-
ciliation," Chauncey said, and the
women have moved to take legal ac-
tion.
But the PanTree management has
denied that the women were fired
because they are lesbians. Paul Kacer,
president of the PanTree Corporation
and its three restaurants in Ann Arbor,
East Lansing, and California, said he
was unaware the three women were
lesbians when two of them were fired
for poor job performance.
Kacer said the third woman lost her
job when she took a leave of absence
from the restaurant. PanTree only
allows leaves for militry service or
pregnancy, he said, and her job was
filled while she was away.
THE RESTAURANT changed
management last December, Kacer
said, and about twenty employees were
later fired because they did not live up
to the new management's standards.
If we discriminated, we wouldn't be
in business,' said Kacer, who
estimated that some of his customers
and 30 percent of the employees in the
East Lansing and Ann Arbor restauran-
ts are gay or lesbian.
"We don't discriminate, we never
have, and never will," he said.
KACER SAID the three women wan-
ted $9,000 in damages from PanTree as
. an out-of-court settlement.
The women refused comment on the
case. If they city attorney determines
there is sufficient evidence to prosecute
the restaurant, the case will be heard in
15th District Court.
During Gay Pride week last month,
area gay rights advocates gathered
twice in front of the restaurant "to
make the community aware of the
discrimination going on at the
restaurant," according to one demon-
strator. The protestors urged passers-
by not to patronize the restaurant
because of its biases, she said.
Two Red Cross volunteers, Carol Weber and Jayne Munsel prepare their equipment during a blood drive in the Union
Thursday. The blood drive was held to alleviate the severe shortage of blood in Michigan this summer.
AIDS scare hurts blood drive
By CLAIRE CONRAD
Fears of contracting AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome, a mysterious blood disease may have scared
donors away from the campus Red Cross blood drive, Thur-
sday at the Michigan Union, Red Cross officials said.
Red Cross officials nationwide are reporting critical shor-
tages of the most common blood type, "O," and donations at
Thursday's drive reached only 155 pints - 36 pints less than
were collected at a similar one-day drive last year.
A BLOOD SHORTAGE usually occurs during the summer
months, when students and factory workers are vacationing,
said Neal Fry, the Red Cross's regional representative.
But donations in southeastern Michigan were 20 percent
lower than expected, because donors were scared off by
reports that they could contract AIDS from giving blood.
AIDS is a recently discovered illness that reduces a per-
son's defenses against disease, although the cause of illness
is unknown researchers believe AIDS may be spread through
intimate personal contact or by blood transfusion.
BUT WIDESPREAD misunderstanding of the illness has
lead some people to believe they could contract AIDS through
the equipment used to draw a donor's blood, said Dr. William
Shafer, director Red Cross blood services for southeastern
Michigan.
Shafer said it is impossible to transmit AIDS through the
equipment, because tools used to draw blood are disposable.
Needles and collection bags are only used on one person, so
no blood can be transferred from one donor to another, she
said.
Red Cross officials have mailed information to regular
blood donors explaining that they cannot get AIDS through
donating blood, which Shafer said has helped dispell the
rumors.
"Donations are picking up as of Tuesday with Mail-O-
Grams to regular donors," Fry said.
Thursday's drive was sponsored by the Washtenaw Coun-
ty headquarters of the American Red Cross, which helps
provide blood for six area hospitals using a total of 180 pints
of blood per day.
Qliiurxl r ,i3iIlI1Ip r'Et E
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH AND
AMERICAN BAPTIST CAMPUS
FOUNDATION
502 East Huron, 663-9376
10:00 a m. Sunday worship. Child
care is provided.
11:15 a.m. Adult Class: ARTIFACTS
FROM THE HOLY LAND.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
1432 Washtenaw Ave., 662-4466
(between S. University and Hill)
Campus/Career Fellowship Coor-
dinator: Steve Spina.
Sunday 9:30.
Wednesday p.m.
8:00 - French Room.
8:30-Study/Discussion Groups
9:30-Holy Communion, sanctuary.
FIRST UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
120 S. State St.
(Corner of State and Huron)
Worship Schedule:
PERFECTION by Dr. Gerald R.
Parker.
Church School for all ages-9:30 a.m.
and 11:00 a.m.
Choir Rehearsal-Thursday at 7:15
p.m.
Ministers:
Dr. Donald B. Strobe
Rev. Fred B. Maitland
Dr. Gerald R. Parker
Education Directors:
Rose McLean and Carol Bennington.
LORD OF LIGHT LUTHERAN
(The Campus Ministry
of the LCA-ALC-AELC)
Galen Hora, Pastor
801 S. Forest at Hill St. 668-7622
Worship Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
NEW GRACE APOSTOLIC CHURCH
632 N. Fourth Ave.
Rev. Avery Dumas Jr., Pastor
9:45 a.m. Sunday School.
11:45 Morning Worship.
7:00 p.m. Evening service.
Bible Study-Wed. & Fri. 7p.m.
For rides call 761-1530.
UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHAPEL
1511 Washtenaw between Hill and South
University
Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.
Sunday morning Bible Study
following service.
Wednesdays: Volleyball at 7 p.m. and
Bible Study at 9 p.m.