The Gayly Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, August 15, 1997 Page: 1 of 32
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Vol. 15, NUMBER 16
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Changing The Face Of Oklahoma
The GAYLY
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AUGUST 15, 1997
OCAF LAUNCHES ATTACK ON LIBRARY SYSTEM
by Paula Brown
The Oklahoma City Metro Library Sys-
tem is under attack once more as Oklaho-
mans tor Children and Families (OCAF) has
launched the second round in a legislative
battle over first amendment rights.
State Representative Bill Graves (R-OKC)
has asked House Speaker Ix>yd Benson (D-
Poteau) to authorize an interim legislative
study to find ways to restrict children's ac-
cess to sexually explicit and other controver-
sial materials. The study, numbered 97-108
and titled “Identification and Separation of
Public Library Materials,” has been assigned
to the Rules Committee of the house and will
be conducted this summer.
Speaker Benson is expected to an-
nounced the full list of interim studies in the
next few weeks. Traditionally, Representa-
tives spend the summer and fall months
conducting in-depth investigations to help
crystallize specific issues for the next legisla-
tive session.
This new round of attacks through the
legislature mirrors similar activities taking
place in other states, such as North Carolina
and Virginia, where first amendment rights
are under siege from a network of national
organizations, including Family Friendly Li-
braries (FFL), Focus on the Family, and the
Christian Coalition.
Earlier this year, a similar effort in Okla-
homa failed, but free speech activists ex-
pected OCAF to try again. It appears that this
interim study could be the preface of what
lies ahead for next year.
OCAF and FFL have made numerous
attempts over the past two years to get the
public libraries to remove or segregate mate-
rial these groups deem “objectionable." Their
attempts have not been particularly success-
ful, although they did get the backing of city
council persons in Warr Acres and The Vil-
lage. Council persons in both of these metro
areas passed a resolution earlier this year
calling on library officials to reexamine their
existing policies.
But library officials stood firm on the
issue of open shelving, saying to do anything
less would infringe on the first amendment
rights of others. However, they did strike a
compromise, whereby a model program was
developed which would allow parents and
guardians the ability to restrict information
their own children could check out of the
library. To date, only a small number of
parents have used the free service.
Undaunted in their efforts to censor the
public libraries, OCAF and FFL have changed
their tactics and are now taking the battle to
the legislature, where lawmakers will decide
whether or not to censor the libraries by
cutting off government funding. However,
while these measures have passed quietly in
other states, free speech supporters in Okla-
homa are fully prepared to put up a fight.
Several grassroots organizations, such as
Citizens Against Censorship, have emerged
as a result of these attacks and are network-
ing with similar groups nationwide.
PRESIDENT CLINTON TO ATTEND HRC DINNER
by Paula Brown
For the first time ever, a United States
president — sitting or otherwise — will be
attending a gay and lesbian event in person
and this history-making news is spreading
among gav communities nationwide lik'- vilcl
fire, generating a huge amount of interest
and excitement.
The 1 luman Rights Campaign (HRC). the
country's largest and most influential gay
and lesbian political action committee, will
hold its annual Black Tie Dinner on Novern
her 8 in the nation’s capitol. Topping the list
of special honorees for this prestigious fund-
raising event is President Bill Clinton, who
will attend this year's event in person. In
previous years, he has made his appearance
via videotaped presentations.
Joining the President as another guest
of honor is comedienne Ellen Degeneres, who
received tremendous support from the HRC
as she came out publicly on national televi-
sion earlier this year.
Scott Wilson, a well-known Oklahoma
City businessman and member of HRC's
Governing Board, could barely suppress his
enthusiasm when speaking of President
Clinton's appearance before a crowd of his
most dedicated gay and lesbian supporters.
"President Clinton has always been our
friend and his appearance at the Black Tie
Dinner is indicative of the success HRC has
achieved for our community in breaking new
ground towards equal rights and equal par-
ticipation in our country's future." said Wil
son, adding, ‘This is a very exciting time for
all of us."
Wilson's choice of “exciting" to describe
the event is more than likely an understate-
ment. Tickets are already on sale and it is
expected many people will be disappointed at
not being able to purchase one. Only a
limited number of them are available and
those will be offered first to members of HRC’s
Federation Club. These members are the
major financial contributors, and are largely
responsible for meeting the PAC’s ongoing
monetary needs.
This event will be so oversubscribed
that the only way to be assured of tickets will
be to join tbc Federal Club, and even those
members are only allowed two tickets each,”
Wilson said. As a Federal Club member, the
first ticket is $250 and the second ticket is
$ 150.
Membership to the Federal Club begins
at $1,200 a year and goes up to $100,000 a
year for what is called the "presidential" level.
The price is pretty steep for most people, but
Wilson said it takes this kind of money to help
finance the ongoing battles for gay and les-
bian equality, beginning with the Employ-
ment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). It
passed. ENDA would provide discrimination
protection for all federal workers.
In addition to the work on ENDA. the
HRC devotes a majority of its time to lobbying
Congress and the President on HIV/AIDS
and lesbian health issues, as well as helping
openly gay and lesbian candidates win their
political campaigns. During the 1996 gen-
eral election, the HRC reported an 86 percent
success rate in getting the candidates it
endorsed elected to office.
Because of its success in these areas,
the HRC's membership is growing nation-
wide. In Oklahoma, membership has in-
creased over the past six months from around
500 to well over 700.
As an HRC governor, Wilson is charged
with providing oversight in the areas of fi-
nances and fund-raising, and also in promot-
ing membership growth in Oklahoma and
northern Texas. He attributes the increase in
Oklahoma membership to the work of the
Cimarron Alliance, a local gay and lesbian
PAC that is working closing with the HRC.
To raise national awareness and focus
attention on a specific area of concern, the
HRC produced a commercial called “Shoes."
and over 200 men and women joined t he HRC
after seeing the commercial during an Ellen
Coming Out Party at Angles.
To find out more about the HRC, the
Black Tie Dinner in November, or the Federal
Club, call Wilson at (405) 943-8000, or write
to: 1335 S. Meridian. OKC, OK 73108.
LUCENT AWARDS
PARTNER BENEFITS
by Paula Brown
Lucent Technologies, formerly a division
of AT&T, announced earlier this week that it
would be joining the growing number of com-
panies nationwide in providing same-sex part-
ner benefits to its employees. The benefits
package will in-
clude medical,
dental, and vision,
just as it does for
Lucent’s non-gay
employees.
According to
Ed Belt ram, public
relations manager
for the Lucent
plant in Oklahoma
City, the company
"has a long tradi-
tion of providing
the best benefits
package" to its em-
ployees. and ex-
tending those ben-
efits t o t he partners
of its same-sex em-
ployees was just
part of that tradi-
tion. The benefits
package will go into
effect in January of 1998.
Karen Parsons, chair of the OKC gay,
lesbian and bisexual employee group called
Equal! at Lucent, was excited about the an-
nouncement, saying same-sex partner ben-
efit plans had been in the works for some
time. “We are very excited that we can now
cover my partner of five years on my insur-
ance." she said, adding, “We had been hoping
and praying for this for a long time."
Neither Parsons nor Belt ram expect any
serious backlash over the announcement, at
least not from outside the Oklahoma City
plant.
"Since Lucent is not in the longdistance
business anymore, and since many AT&T
competitors provide same-sex partner ben-
efits, we are not expecting any backlash from
outside." Belt ram said, although he indicated
there may be some problems with employees
in the Oklahoma City Lucent plant.
While Beltram said he did not expect to
lose any employees over the announcement,
Parsons indicated some employees had threat-
ened to quit. Just as there are religious
fundamentalists on the outside who are at-
“If people are out to their coworkers and
supervisors, overt discrimination in any form
is not tolerated. If they are not out, there's
really not much anyone can do to help them,"
she said.
While many
gay and lesbian
employees remain
skeptical of com-
ing out, Parsons
said she could
vouch for the pro-
cess based on per-
sonal experience.
After coming out as
an openly gay per-
son. Parsons was
promoted from su-
pervisor oft he Ma-
terials Planning
Department to
manager last No-
vember. She has
been with the com-
pany for 20 years.
"The rumor
was that 1 had
committed politi-
cal suicide and
would never get promoted. Then, when I
formed Equal, they said all I had done was
add nails to my coffin. But I decided it was
more important to be who I am and continue
to do a good job. I knew the company would
do the right thing and eventually I would be
promoted, which is exactly what happened.
The company knows I have become an expert
in my field," she said.
The group Parsons founded in the local
plant began when the company was still part
of AT&T. After the split. AT&T retained the
LEAGUE group and Lucent employees be-
came Equal! at Lucent. In the beginning, the
group met with some resistance, with em-
ployees vandalizing meeting not ices and other
announcements or displays. But Lucent
management remained committed to their
ideals of a safe, equal workplace for all em-
ployees and endorsed a "Safe Space" program
created bv an Equal! member.
continued on pcige 3.
INSIDE:
lacking Disney for providing same-sex em-
ployee benefits, those same fundamentalists
exist inside the Lucent plant, she said.
"We have more than 5,000 people in this
factory, which makes it a society unto itself
and it includes a wide diversity of people,"
Parsons said, adding. "Whether the reason is
religion or narrow-minded bigotry, there are
some employees here at Lucent Technologies
who don’t believe in total equality for all
people — and gays and lesbians are at the top
of this list.”
Parsons went on to explain that the
majority of people who fall into this category
are still respectful of their coworkers when
they are inside the factory because overt
discrimination simply will not be tolerated at
Lucent Technologies.
Those who choose to demonstrate their
displeasure with management decisions face
swift and firm punishment, including termi-
nation. However, it has been my experience
that, as people are educated, they become
much more tolerant and accepting of their
fellow employees." she said.
On an interesting note. Parsons also
explained that gays and lesbians who do
come out at work are actually safer from
discrimination than those who do not.
i
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Hawkins, Don. The Gayly Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, August 15, 1997, newspaper, August 15, 1997; Oklahoma City, Okla.. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc825222/m1/1/: accessed March 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.