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Date:         Thu, 17 Dec 1992 17:16:00 CDT
From:         "Love does not subtract, it multiplies." <HOLZMAN@FNAL.BITNET>
Subject:      Colorado

From:   edu%"amend2-discuss@cs.colorado.edu" 17-DEC-1992 09:53:22.08
To:     "DANIEL B. HOLZMAN" <HOLZMAN@FNAL.BITNET>
CC:
Subj:   CFV imposes a cynical brand of discrimination (opinion)

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Subject:      CFV imposes a cynical brand of discrimination (opinion)
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To:           "DANIEL B. HOLZMAN" <HOLZMAN@FNAL.BITNET>

Reprinted without permission from Colorado Daily (12/11/92):

CFV imposes a cynical brand of discrimination (opinion)

By Illana Zhenya Gallon

Colorado Family Values (CFV), a group with ties to national
far-right fundamentalist organizations, claims that it is
not motivated by hate, bigotry, homophobia or religious
prejudice.

Yet, two days prior to the election, CFV canvassed the state
with an eight-page tabloid replete with misinformation, dis-
credited studies by discredited "experts," repugnant innu-
endo, and outright lies. Prof. Charles King and other
supporters of CFV claim that lesbian, gay and bisexual peo-
ple do not constitute a minority group and therefore cannot
be discriminated against. At the same time, CFV's strategy
is to inflame societal fears of gays and lesbians.

Fact: The Colorado Anti-violence Project has reported a
four-fold increase in anti-gay violence since the November
election.

Fact: Since the passage of Amendment 2, the Regional Trans-
portation District has received more than 100 reports of
verbal and physical violence against individuals perceived
to be lesbian or gay.

Fact: A landlord, when asked if a man who has AIDS was his
tenant replied, "Yes, but not after the 20th of next month,
because Amendment 2 passed."

In an editorial in The New York Times (Aug. 17, 1992), Peter
J. Gomes, an American Baptist minister and professor of
Christian morals at Harvard, focused on the misuse of the
Bible to justify hatred and persecution of lesbian, bisexual
and gay people. He reported that "gay-bashers generally saw
nothing wrong in what they did, and more often than not, said
their religious leader and traditions sanctioned their
behavior ... Religious fundamentalism is dangerous because
it cannot accept ambiguity and diversity and is therefore
inherently intolerant. Such intolerance, in the name of vir-
tue, is ruthless and uses political power to destroy what it
cannot convert."

The campaign CFV and its fundamentalist allies are waging is
deceitful and manipulative. It appeals to religious preju-
dice, pits minorities against each other, and exploits fears
of employment quotas. The wording of CFV's now famous amend-
ment is so contorted it even confused defenders of equal
rights when they went to the polls. Lost in the muck of a
contentious debate are the following issues:

Anti-discrimination laws. These laws speak to the "ground
rules" of equality. They are not the same as affirmative
action regulations (as CFV tries to imply). Protected
classes are based on genetic traits (sex, race, color, age)
and choices (religion, creed, political affiliation) that
society recognizes as being so basic to our individuality -
what makes us who we are - that they cannot be the basis for
persecution. Whom you love is as basic and intimate a compo-
nent of your personality as is the God you worship or the
candidate you support. CFV claims that non-genetic
attributes are not a legitimate basis for protection from
discrimination. If CFV really believes this, then religion
and political affiliation should also be barred from anti-
discrimination protection. CFV's "logic" also ignores the
mounting scientific evidence that sexual orientation has a
major genetic component.

Special rights. Just what does CFV mean by "special rights?"
We have yet to see a definition that elevates their phrase
above the level of meaningless buzz words. No one in "Colo-
rado voted for or against "special rights" - the phrase does
not appear anywhere in Amendment 2. The news media should
insist that CFV spell out these alleged "special rights" or
cease using the phrase.

"Sexual orientation" includes everyone. The laws of Aspen,
Boulder, and Denver were not repealed by Amendment 2, but
specifically invalidated for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals
only. The heterosexual majority (the remaining segment of
"sexual orientation") is still protected. Indeed, CFV's cam-
paign has successfully conferred upon heterosexuals the
"special right" of anti-discrimination protection in those
cities, while specifically preventing a group of citizens
and taxpayers from seeking legal redress of grievances - a
fundamental right of citizenship.

Quotas. By including the words "quota" and "affirmative
action" in Amendment 2, CFV implied that these measures are
part of what they call the "homosexual agenda." Once again,
CFV deliberately blurred the distinction between anti-dis-
crimination laws and affirmative action regulations. There
never have been and never will be quotas to hire homosexuals,
just as there never have been and never will be quotas to
hire Christians or Republicans. As with Christians, homosex-
uals face discrimination primarily after they have been
hired and their sexual orientation or religious beliefs
become known.

Democracy. Our guiding principles of Liberty and Justice for
all citizens should not be vulnerable to the whimsy of popu-
lar vote. That the "will of the majority" can be immoral and
tyrannical is evident in our history of slavery, "Jim Crow"
laws, and forced segregation. Under Amendment 2, employment
and housing discrimination against non-heterosexuals is
legalized, hate-motivated violence is legitimized, and use
of intimidation to put gays "in their place" is condoned.
(The night of the election, CU-Lambda received this phone
call: "We passed Amendment 2, now you people should get out
of here.")

What purpose has Amendment 2 fulfilled? Empowered by the
"will of the people," CFV has stated that it intends to mon-
itor what they call the "homosexual agenda." What CFV is
really monitoring has been reported in newspapers around the
state. CFV sympathizers have requested lists of unmarried
public school teachers, demanded that sex-education materi-
als be purged from schools and public libraries, and decried
any media attention to gay and lesbian issues. The foul
stench of McCarthyism pollutes Colorado's air.

A recent front page article in The New York Times (Oct. 27,
1992) reveals more details of the far-right fundamentalist
agenda: "In Washington state, fundamentalists won adoption
of an uncompromising Republican Party platform that would
ban all abortions, abolish the NEA, institute Bible readings
and the teaching of creationism and corporal punishment in
schools."

Now that it is legal to discriminate against homosexuals,
will clever employers use an accusation of homosexuality to
terminate a female employee? A Jew? A Latino? After all, the
charge does not have to be proved. Who can fight for justice
for gays and lesbians when, by mere association with the
issue, one's sexuality is questioned? The loss of home or job
with no recourse is a powerful suppressor of free speech.

Amendment 2 is a clear violation of freedom of speech, free-
dom of association, and equal protection guaranteed under
the U.S. Constitution. Amendment 2 bans the right of les-
bian, gay and bisexual people to claim discrimination based
on sexual orientation while preserving the same right for
heterosexual people. It elevates prejudice and superstition
to the level of the law of the land. Amendment 2 must be
overturned.

(Chuck Bullard and Illana Zhenya Gallon are spokespeople for
Campus Lambda, the organization for lesbian, gay, and bisex-
ual faculty and staff. This was written with two anonymous
Lambda members who cannot risk jeopardizing their jobs.)

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