Brooklyn’s only Republican member of Congress has aligned herself with the radical right on the most regressive piece of HIV legislation introduced in the 105th Congress.
Rep. Susan Molinari, who represents Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Gravesend and Dyker Heights, has signed on as a sponsor of the inappropriately named “HIV Prevention Act of 1997” (HR.1062/S.503). The legislation threatens states with a cutoff of their Medicaid funding unless they report the names of all people with HIV to the federal government. The names would be used to create a federal partner notification program.
Among the measures more draconian elements, it allows medical professionals to refuse treatment to any individual who has not been tested for HIV and allows states to violate current requirements of the Ryan White CARE Act without forfeiting CARE funds, thus rendering the law's confidentiality requirements meaningless.
Similar legislation has died in the previous Congress, but this bill has attracted 88 cosponsors and, frighteningly, the endorsement of the American Medical Association. It is urgent that you take immediate action and contact your Representative and our U.S. Senators voicing your opposition to this legislation.
You'll find a sample message here and letters, calls and e-mails are particularly important if you live in Congresswoman Molinari’s district. Check the LID web site for more information and the addresses you need. For Congresswoman Molinari, here are the vitals:
The assault on the confidentiality of HIV testing doesn't stop in Washington, D.C. It has spread to New York State as well, where Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn – who successfully crusaded for legislation requiring HIV testing of newborns – has introduced a bill requiring physicians, upon determining that a person is infected with HIV, to report such cases to the local health commissioner.
This would obviously have a chilling effect on HIV prevention and treatment efforts by discouraging individuals from being tested for HIV. Similar legislation died in the Assembly Health Committee last year, however Assemblywoman Mayersohn has made this a top priority now that her newborn testing bill is state law.
The only Brooklyn Assemblymember to sponsor A.6629 is Dov Hikind, however we can take nothing for granted. Take the time to contact your Assemblymember voicing opposition to this legislation. A sample message appears at the LID web site, or call or e-mail us for further information.
Brooklyn Pride Slated
for June 14
The first Brooklyn Pride lesbian and gay parade and multicultural festival will be held Saturday, June 14, with a parade kicking off at noon and an all day festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell until 6 pm.
Organizers expect as many as 7,000 participants and spectators for Brooklyn's first ever Pride celebration. Among the grand marshals will be L.I.D. member and District 15 School Board President Jill Harris.
The parade will include a neighborhood pride section, where Brooklyn residents will demonstrate their neighborhood pride through banners and posters. Also in the works are sporting events, such as a Pride Run thorough Prospect Park.
A commemorative guide is planned, and persons, groups, or businesses interested in placing an ad should contact Bill at (718) 622-1535. Vendors for the festival should call Jerry at (718) 836-9535.
The Brooklyn Pride Planning Committee meets the first and third Monday of the month at 7:30 pm at Luna Park Ice Cream Parlor (5th Avenue and Garfield Place). If you'd like to learn more about Brooklyn Pride, you can call them at 670-3337 or email them at BRKLYNPRIDE@aol.com.
Endorsements on 13th & 28th
We've slated two meetings for May to consider endorsement of candidates for the September pri- mary. On May 13 we'll hear from judicial candidates. We've also invited District Attorney Charles Hynes, who is seeking reelection. On May 28th we'll consider endorsements for mayor, city comptroller, public advocate and Brooklyn City Council races. See the enclosed flyer for details.
Fisher Backs Full Domestic Partnership
We reported last month on the fight for Intro.30, the domestic partnership bill offering full benefits to New York City employees, which has been languishing in the City Council for seven years. Now comes the good news that Councilman Ken Fisher, whose council district covers the largest concentration of lesbians and gay men in the borough, has signed on as a sponsor of Intro.30. Fisher joins Councilmembers Sal Albanese, Una Clarke, Steve DiBrienza, Joan Griffin McCabe, Mary Pinkett and Annette Robinson as the seventh Brooklyn sponsor of the legislation.
Unlike Intro.884A, a competing, weak alternative that would merely establish a city registry for domestic partners, Intro. 30 bans discrimination against domestic partners of city employees any time marriage is used to extend benefits or privileges. Currently there is no domestic partnership law on the books in New York City.
Councilmember Fisher has expressed an understanding of the importance of tangible benefits to non-traditional families and agrees that a hearing must be held on Intro. 30. We thank all the Brooklyn sponsors of Intro.30 for their support. We are also grateful to Councilmember Tom Duane, who has been instrumental in securing broad support for Intro. 30 among his colleagues.
On a related note, we have enclosed another postcard addressed to Council Speaker Peter Vallone with this month’s newsletter. If you haven’t already done so, please send this card to the speaker’s office as soon as possible. If you've already sent one, share this card with a friend or family member. It is critical that a weak bill like Intro. 884A not take the place of a comprehensive bill like Intro. 30, which fully addresses the concerns of domestic partners in our city.
Enoch Williams Retires!
Bedford Styvesant/Brownsville Councilman Enoch Williams -- a long time opponent of lesbians and gays -- will not be seeking reelection this year. Williams, who was a vocal foe of city anti-discrimination legislation, made headlines in 1992 by declaring that people were dieing of AIDS because the city was too tolerant of gays, prompting L.I.D. and other to call for Williams's ouster as council Health Committee chairman.
L.I.D. aided two strong challengers to Williams: Annette Robinson in 1985 and Atchudta Barkr in 1993. Both lost narrowly. Williams is the third Brooklyn councilmember to vacate his seat this year, following Joan Griffin McCabe and Sal Albanese, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor.
At the LID Website
Last month we urged you to visit the LID web site, and click on Informed Sources to find the skinny on your state Assemblymember. Try it again, and you'll find it packed with information and links about your state Senator and member of Congress. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find out where your elected officials stand on the issue you care about. Join the hundreds of lesbians and gays who are visiting L.I.D. On-Line every month: http://www.nycnet.com/LID.
News In Brief