By now you’ve probably heard all you want to hear, and read all you want to read, about the President’s support and betrayal of our community. The bottom line is he is the best President ever on lesbian and gay issues. In his next term he will have the power to appoint two or more Supreme Court justices and maybe even the next Chief Justice. Would you rather have Bill Clinton appointing Ruth Bader Ginsberg Chief Justice or Bob Dole, appointing a homophobe like Antonin Scalia?
Locally, at our last meeting we endorsed two additional candidates for state Senate: Vincent Gentile for the 23rd District which covers Bay Ridge and John Sampson for the 19th District which covers East New York and Canarsie. Both favor the statewide lesbian and gay civil rights legislation. Gentile is locked in a close three way race with incumbent Sen. Robert DiCarlo, a gay civil rights opponent on the Conservative line, and Republican John Gengemi. If you have any time and would like to volunteer for the Gentile campaign call Alan Fleishman at 638-4404.
Other endorse candidates are listed on our palm card, which you can read here. Please get out and vote!
What’s New at LID’s Web Site
More than 200 people visited the LID web site in October, the most ever! Those that did saw the site’s more elegant look, faster loading
home page and easier navigation.
Our B(rooklyn) Q(ueer) E(vents) page continues to grow by leaps and bounds and is well on its way to fulfilling our goal of listing every
lesbian and gay event happening in the borough of Brooklyn. You can also find a sample letter to protest the rescheduling of Dyke-TV and a
list of our endorsed candidates with links to their home pages (where available). Also information from proponents and opponents of the Environmental Bond Act which will be on the ballot when you vote on November 5th!
This month’s Cool and Brooklyn site is a new ezine called Catch-A-Fire, produced in our borough . And through November 5 you can participate in the national presidential cyber poll from our home page.
Remember our address: http://www.nycnet.com/LID
LID Mourns Loss of Clyde Moss
It is with great sadness that we report the tragic and untimely death of LID Board member Clyde Moss. Clyde, an avid bicyclist, was killed in a bicycle/truck accident on his way to work on Wednesday, October 16.
An LID board member since 1994, Clyde was one of the board’s hardest workers, most recently playing an active role in the re-election campaign of District 15 School Board member Jill Harris. We will all miss our friend Clyde’s warmth, energy and good humor. Our thoughts are with Clyde’s companion, LID treasurer Mithcell Rothlein, and with Clyde’s family. A memorial service was held near Clyde’s home in Cobble Hill and burial was in South Carolina. Donations can be made in Clyde’s name to Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC).
Dyke-TV Shuffle Prompts
LID Response
Dyke-TV, a fixture on Brooklyn Community Access Television (BCAT) since1993, was moved from a prime time slot to midnight on the first Friday of the month beginning in October, prompting LID to take BCAT to task. BCAT had previously been airing at 10:30 pm on Tuesday.
In a strongly worded letter, LID President George Waffle questioned the motivation of the move. "This recent scheduling decision calls into
questions your commitment to reaching out to our community," said Waffle. He went on to point out that Dyke-TV is "the only BCAT
programming targeted to the borough’s sizable lesbian and gay community" and urged BCAT to "reschedule Dyke-TV at an earlier time
slot during the week when viewers will have an easier time viewing this extraordinary program. "
Dyke-TV airs more frequently and in better time slots in each of New York’s other boroughs and is seen on 61 public access stations
throughout the country. Express your anger to BCAT by writing: Ms. Onida Coward, BCAT, 30 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217. For a sample letter, visit the LID web site at http://www.nycnet.com/LID and click on "Take Action!" from the homepage.
Brooklyn Historical Chief Moves On
L.I.D. bids a fond farewell to longtime member and friend David Kahn,
who has left his post as executive director of the Brooklyn Historical
Society after many years to head the Connecticut Historical Society.
The Society benefited greatly from David's leadership and exhibited a
true interest in the rich history of the borough's lesbian and gay
community, culminating in several exhibitions including "AIDS
Brooklyn." This attention to our heritage earned the Historical Society
L.I.D.'s Brooklyn Lambda Award in 1994 and moved the L.I.D. board to
decide to house its archives at the Society.