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Daily Nebraskan
Thursday, April 29, 1982
On the May 1 1 primary election ballot,
Lincoln voters will answer the following
question concerning the rights of homosex
uals: "Shall Article X. Section I of the
Charter be amended to include Sexual
Orientation under the Nondiscrimination
Provisions of the Charter? Vote FOR or
AGAINST."
If passed by city voters, the sexual
orientation amendment will be added to
the city's human rights ordinance.
' "T
n.
i i v v y
EST-
CL JTJ
Discrimination case
prompts proposed changes in ordinance
By Leslie Kcndrick
n 1981, Debbie Alicen of Lincoln told her boss
she was a lesbian.
Alicen revealed her sexual preference be
cause the woman she was living with was about
to have life-threatening surgery. Knowing her boss
might not let her off unless an immediate family
member was ill, Alicen chose to tell her boss the truth.
Two weeks later, Alicen was fired without explanat
ion. She later learned that she lost her job because she
revealed she was a lesbian.
Cases such as Alicen 's have prompted the Lincoln
Human Rights Commission to conduct an investigation
into local discrimination against gay men and lesbians,
said Scott Stebclman, co-chairperson of the Lincoln
Coalition for Gay and Lcsiban Civil Rights.
The commission then decided to have a public hear
ing Nov. 17, 1981, at which homosexual members of
the community and those in favor of and opposing gay
rights testified, Stebclman said.
As a result of the testimony, the commission made a
recommendation to the Lincoln City Council that an
amendment be made to the Lincoln Human Rights
Ordinance to include homosexuals under the non
discrimination provisions. The city council voted, after
several public hearings, to put the sexual orientation
amendment on the ballot May 1 1 .
If passed, the amendment would revise the non
discrimination provisions to include sexual orientation
as a protective provision against discrimination. The
provisions currently protect a person from discriminat
ion against him or her because of race, color, religion,
sex or national origin.
Stebelman said many other communities have enact
ed similar legislation to protect gay rights. Last Febru
ary, Wisconsin became the first state to protect its gay
citizens, he said.
The Lincoln Coalition for Gay and Lesiban Rights
formed because of the need for a gay lobbying group,
Stebelman said. It is involved in community action,
education and lobbying for the amendment, he said.
Other gay groups in the community have formed to
support their members, rather than for political
reasons. One such group, the Gay Student Group at
UNL, was established in 1970 by UNL undergraduates
to provide a social group for gay students, faculty
adviser Lou Crompton said.
The group, which meets weekly, averages about 25
to 30 members, Jim Holloway, president of the group,
said.
Not many people arc willing to show up at the
meetings or dances which are sponsored by the group,
Holloway said, out of fear of being labeled gay by
others.
Opposition to the amendment has come from such
groups as the Committee to Oppose Special Rights for
Homosexuals, led by Paul Cameron, a Lincoln social
psychologist, and Nels Fordc, a UNL history professor.
Cameron said he became interested "as a person" in
the subject of homosexuality in 1975. Cameron said he
conducted an investigation about homosexuality in a
random probability survey, a considerably larger study
than the second Kinsey study. The Kinsey study inter
viewed homosexuals and heterosexuals about their
sexual practices.
Cameron said he found that 1 percent of both men
and women in the survey said they were exclusively
homosexual.
However, Stebelman said the Kinsey study revealed
that 10 percent of the national population is homosexual.
Cameron's committee opposes the amendment be
cause, Cameron said, Lincoln would be, in effect,
"giving a signal" that the city "celebrates" homosexual
acts.
Stebelman said the amendment has the support of
the Human Rights Commission as well as the League of
Women Voters, the Nebraska Civil Liberties Union, the
American Association of University Professors, the
UNL Human Rights Committee, the ASUN Senate, and
the American Psychological Association and 30 local
mental health practitioners.
"There is only one local psychologist that has come
out against the amendment, and that is Paul Cameron,"
Stebelman said.
Cameron said he objects to the amendment because
he thinks homosexuals have an unstable lifestyle, that
homosexual relationships arc not within a marital love
context, that homosexuality would endanger children
and students and it would give the wrong signal to
other communities.
Stebclman said in talking to various groups, such as
the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and the Sertoma
Club, the coalition tries to show legitimate reasons for
voting in favor of the amendment.
Stebclman said the major reason the amendment is
needed is because discrimination exists. Employers
need to ask themselves, he said, if a person is a
productive worker or a good tenant.
"Personal prejudice should not interfere with kee
ping competent employees," Stebelman said.
In regard to religious questions, Stebelman said that
although the Bible condemns homosexuality, it also
condemns usury, breaking the Sabbath, eating shellfish
and having premarital sex. If people want to discrimin
ate on the basis of the Bible, Stebelman asks why single
out homosexuality?
Reaction to amendment
varies among mayor, council members
By Eric Peterson
mhe sexual orientation amend
man U 1 1 L -11 a 1
iiitui uii uic may 1 1 uauoi nas
received varied reactions from
Lincoln's mayor and members of
the Lincoln City Council.
The council voted unanimously to
place the amendment on the ballot.
Three council members have endorsed
passage of the amendment, which would
prevent people from being evicted or
fired because of their sexual preference.
Council members Margrethe Ahlsch
wede, Eric Youngberg and Mike Stein
man favor the amendment. Council
member Joe Hampton was absent from
the meeting at which the vote took
place. Other city council members are
Bill Danley, Lou Shackelford and
Donna Frohardt.
Lincoln Mayor Helen Boosalis said
she favors the amendment.
"It's just very simple. I'm appalled
and very disturbed by discrimination in
any form. This issue is a matter of civil
rights."
Boosalis says her position comes
from a long involvement in civil rights
issues. .
"I just believe in equality," she said.
Hampton said the gay rights issue is
so contentious that all council members
felt the issue should be placed on the
ballot.
"It was of enough significance that
we felt seven people shouldn't decide
the issue by themselves."
Hampton is not sure if the amend
ment is necessary.
"In my opinion, gay rights are
protected under the current civil rights
act," he said. Hampton said the amend
ment is a means of gaining social
approval of homosexuality as well as
protecting homosexual civil rights.
"Certainly, I'm in favor of individual
rights, but I'm not in favor of protecting
the (homosexual) lifestyle."
Council member Mike Steinman said
proponents of the amendment are not
necessarily seeking social approval of
homosexuality.
'That's not true at all. If you look at
the part of the (city) charter that this
ordinance would affect, you find that it
covers minorities, people who take out
bankruptcy and many more types of
people." Steinman said the city was not,
for example, trying to recommend
bankruptcy by protecting the civil rights
of bankrupt people.
"It's not a recommendation of any
particular lifestyle," he said.
When asked if passage of the amend
ment could affect the image of Lincoln,
Steinman said it could.
"Other cities have passed similar pro
visions, like Houston. I think they come
off looking like tolerant, open-minded
communities. I'm not saying Lincoln
would be stigmatized by voting it down,
but that certainly would be unfortun
ate." Council member Bill Danely said he
is unsure how effective the amendment
attempt will be in changing public
attitudes about discrimination against
homosexuals.
"I think they (proponents of the
amendment) have raised a lot of pood
questions, but I fear they've created a
lot of problems for themselves by bring
ing such a controversial issue up. It's
created a lot of resentment among
people who have deeply religiour feel
ings about the issue."
Danley said homosexuals have made
substantial social progress in
Lincoln during the last few years, but
are endangering this progress by ignor
ing "the reality of the political environ
ment." Ahlschwede emphasized that the
ordinance would guarantee basic rights
of living and working to all lincolnites.
"I believe that it's important to pro
tect the civil rights of all persons."
Ahlschwede said differing views
about the amendment arise from differ
ent ideas of what a better Lincoln
would be.
"Among those of us who are con
cerned with civil rights issues, the pass
age of this will ensure fairer treatment
of all persons. For those who oppose
the ordinance, I suppose they think
Lincoln will somehow be a purer and
finer place if it's voted down," she said.