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Late Breaking News |
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| Date: July 21, 1998 12:01 pm Contact: NOW Press Office 202-331-0066/202-785-8576 fax CONTACT: MIRA WEINSTEIN ext 705; ELLEN EARDLEY or REBECCA FARMER |
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Latest News Releases
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NOW Counters Onslaught Of Attacks On Lesbians And Gays; Protests Hefley Amendment | ||
| WASHINGTON - July 21 - Activists from NOW and other organizations will
picket outside of the Longworth House Office Building on Wednesday to protest the Hefley
Amendment, which would overturn President Clinton's executive order banning discrimination
against lesbians and gays in the federal workplace. Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO)
attached the amendment to an unrelated bill--the Commerce, State, Justice
Appropriations Bill. "The Hefley Amendment is a step backward in government policy," said NOW President Patricia Ireland. "The overwhelming majority of people in this country have come to believe that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation is simply wrong. Discrimination unfairly denies jobs to lesbians and gay men and denies all of us the skills and intelligence of a significant portion of our population." Last week a coalition of radical right-wing organizations launched a misleading and inaccurate ad campaign in prominent national newspapers which argues that homosexuality is a sin that can be overcome through Christian faith. "The nature and timing of these ads and this amendment reveal their purpose. They have little to do with homosexuality or Christianity and everything to do with politics," Ireland said. "We know an election-year wedge issue when we see it." WHAT: Protest against Hefley Amendment and Homophobic Attacks on Lesbians & Gays WHERE: Longworth House Office Building (Independence Ave between New Jersey Ave & South Capitol St.) WHEN: Wednesday, July 22, 1998; 12:00 noon ### |
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