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Wallace Peterson.
U. S. Senate.
.to seek
Peterson bids
Wallace Peterson, chairman
of the University's department
of economics, is again prepared
to seek the Democratic
nomination for the U. S.
Senate.
Although his decision has not
yet been formally announced,
Peterson wrote in a letter to
Ncbraskans who supported him
in his initial bid for the
nomination in 1970: "It is my
personal desire to try again for
a seat in the United States
Senate."
Gay marriage partners discuss
by Bill Smithernun
The country's first married
same-sex couple Friday told a
Nebraska Union crowd of over
800 about their marriage and
the ensuing legal hassles.
Jack Baker and Mike
McConnel said they were
married because "we care
about each other. We wanted
to get married because we love
each other."
BAKER SAID another
reason for the marriage and the
court fight to give it legal status
was an attempt to establish
alternatives to the "nuclear
family" of today. He called
this reason "a matter of
survival of the race.
Noting that the world is
quickly becoming
overpopulated. Baker said. "We
must not have every woman
producing children." He added
that now a woman cannot be a
full member of society unless
she is married with children.
To change this social
attitude it will first be
necessary to have an
atmosphere where alternatives
to two sex marriage and child
bearing can be discussed
rationally.
BAKER SAID that his and
McConnc I's case to legalie
ame-cx marriages is intended
to cause a cultural shock and
an issue around which
alternative can he discussed.
There ts also sonic money
involved, he said. This is the
lav and properly benefit
which are available to niarried
couple.
In the future. Baker aid. he
thinks society will be forced
not to subsidize marriage
across the board. Then only
those couple who arc raising
or have ratted children will be
subsidized, he said.
Democratic nomination for
for Senate
Peterson ran second to
former Gov. Frank Morrison in
the 1970 primary. Declared
candidates for the 1972
Democratic race include state
senator Terry Carpenter of
Scottsbluff, Donald Ferguson
of Lincoln and Phillys Person
Lyons of McCook.
Another NU professor, Bert
Evans, an agricultural
economist, is also mentioned as
a possible Democratic
candidate for the seat currently
held by Republican Sen. Carl
Curtis.
IN AN OPEN situation,
where only women who want
children will have them. Baker
estimated that only about 25
per cent would become
mothers. This would greatly
reduce the number of children
being born, he said.
Baker and McConnel have
been fighting their legal case
for 18 months. Baker described
the events to the overflow
crowd .
In May of 1970 the two
applied for a marriage license
in Minneapolis citing a
Minnesota statute which did
not prohibit same-sex
marriages. Their application
was denied because of an
opinion by the county
attorney. His reason was that
granting them a license would
destroy the nuclear family.
BAKER DESCRIBED this
as a case of "upholding God's
law rather than the law of the
legislature." The denial was
appealed and is still in the
courts. Baker said it will be
appealed to the U.S. Supreme
Court if necessary.
But then the two look
another tack. Using an
adoption and legal name
change a well as a quirk i"
MiiWlCsul.1 Li s.h a!0 v
one person to apply lor a
marriage license, the Siei
was granted in a small town 0
miles from Minneapolis
The two were married in
early September by a
Methodist minister.
The case for allotting
same -sex marriage is based on
several constitutional point.
Baker The strongest of
these arguments i based on the
14th amendment which
provides for due process of taw
for all ciuien. he said.
"UNDER THIS amendment
the state cannot give rights to
fflDME
MONDAY, OCTOBER 11,
Chicano centers open in Nebraska
Two Chicano Cultural
Centers have been opened in
Nebraska in an effort to expose
teachers and teacher trainees to
the problems of ethnic
minorities and offer services to
the Mexican-American
community.
Erwin H. Goldenstein, UNL
Teachers College faculty
member who coordinates the
University's Training Teachers
of Teachers (TTT) program,
said centers have been opened
in Omaha and Scottsbluff.
Plans call for a third to be
opened soon in Grand Island.
"The centers are a place
where people who want to
learn more about
Mexican-American culture can
come." Goldenstein said. He
acknowledged that the success
of the centers will largely be
determined by how well the
Mexican-American community
supports them.
The TTT Project at UNL is
one of 32 similar
federally-funded programs
throughout the nation which
attempt to offer additional
training to teachers and
student teachers.
one group which it denies to
another," he said. "It has
historically never been a
requirement that married
couples have or raise children."
Baker said even though
these people don't raise
children they are given the
same tax and property benefits
by the state as those couples
which do. This is not true for
childless same-sex couples, he
said, and is a violation of the
14th amendment.
Baker, a law student and
president of the University of
Minnesota student body, said
that the students at Minnesota
have seen that a person's
personal life is irrelevant to his
Jack Baker and Mike McCoiinel...MWe wanted to get married because we love each
other."
1971
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA VOL 95, NO. 21
Goldenstein said the centers
would be a place "where a
youngster could go to get
help" for a problem, he may
face. He stressed however that
no age restriction on center
activities is anticipated.
"These center locations
have been determined by the
Mexican-American
community," the program
coordinator said. Goldenstein
noted that they will also be
staffed by Mexican-Americans.
YAF proposes fees bill
The University's
conservative Young Americans
for Freedom (YAF) group is
proposing a legislative bill to
control the use of student fees
at UNL.
The fees are now often used
for "the projects of small
interest groups," according to
YAF State Chairman Terry
Cannon.
L T . Col. William
Matschullat, YAF attorney,
said the bill will be drafted by
the time the Legislature
convenes in January.
"We are engaged in defining
what constitutes the furthering
legal problems
ability to do a job. The issue of
homosexuality was never
brought up in his campaign, he
said.
MCCONNEL. a professional
librarian, was denied a job by
the Minnesota Board of
Regents. He appealed the case
to the Federal courts and won.
However, the Regents have
appealed the case to a higher
court.
McConnel is currently the
executive director of the
Youth Service Coalition in
Minneapolis.
Answering questions. Baker
said he feels sexual fidelity is a
phenomenon of heterosexual
marriage. There are some
The idea of Chicano centers
came out of discussions last
January with spokesmen from
the Mexican- American
community.
Future plans call for
collections of Mexican
American art and literature.
Ralph Grajeda, a Ph. L.
candidate in English at UNL,
was recently hired to
coordinate the project centers.
of a moral or political
philosophy," Matschullat said.
"Some question remains as to
exactly who should determine
when a violation occurs."
The bill will insist that no
student will be required to
finance "a philosophy he
abhors" through student fee.;,
Cannon said.
"The Daily Nebraskan has
shown us just how many
improvements may be made in
one year," Cannon said. "We
see no reason why such
improvements should not be
continued, and extended, into
other areas supported by
student fees."
reasons for such fidelity in a
heterosexual relationship, but
none in a same sex one, he
said.
BAKER ADDED he feels
gay couples should be
"emotionally faithful," but not
necessarily sexually faithful.
Both gay liberation and
women's liberation are
attacking the stereotype of the
"Marlboro Man", Baker said.
It is necessary to realize that
people should not be
stereotyped just because of
their sex. he added.
McConnel said gay couples
are rejecting the model of
heterosexual relationships
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