Subject: Soapbox Magazine, Issue 2 [2/3]
From: [email-masked] (Chad Skelton)
Date: 30 Mar 93 16:40:52 EST
Newsgroups: alt.censorship

THIS FILE IS CALLED SOAP0002.TXT, PLEASE RENAME IT AS SUCH
IN ANY FURTHER DISTRIBUTION TO AVOID CONFUSION
 
a5
  
                      AMENDMENT 2 AFTERMATH
                        (press clippings)
                    Collected by Chad Skelton
 
------
 
NOTE: The following our clippings, usually of Colorado area
papers like the Denver Post.  Chances are that printing these
articles without permission is some infringement of copyright,
and if this is the case, and some member of the Denver Post is
reading this I APOLOGIZE.  However, I felt that a few of their
articles were of vital information to the readers of SOAPBOX.  As
well, the first clipping here is an update from BOYCOTT COLORADO
(which thankfully is not copyrighted).  All of these clippings
were skimmed off of the amend2-info mailing list.  If you would
like to subscribe to this mailing list send email to: 
 
[email-masked]
 
with the following lines at the top of your message:
 
subscribe amend2-info [email-masked] 
end
 
[ but, of course, replace my email address with your own ]
 
Hope you find the following informative.
 
- ed.
 
------

SMRY: LATEST BOYCOTT UPDATE
 
Contact:
Terry Schleder or Jan Williams
303-777-0560
 
                         *** UPDATES ***
                 4,000 Person Conference Cancels
            National March Co-Chair Endorses Boycott
                BOYCOTT BUMPER STICKERS RELEASED
 
(DENVER) -- A conference of 4,000 members of the American
Mathematical Society will not to be held in Denver in 1995
because of Amendment 2.  Executive Director William Jaco notified
BOYCOTT COLORADO, INC. this week of the decision by the
Massachusetts-based organization.  
 
Using conservative industry- recognized estimating techniques
(those recognized by the Colorado Convention and Visitors
Bureau), this represents another $4,000,000 loss to Colorado
because of the anti-gay law which was supported by a militant
fundamentalist group based in Colorado Springs.
 
        BOYCOTT COLORADO, INC. has been notified by at least 4
other organizations, including the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, that a definite decision has been made to
cancel plans which had included Colorado, because of passage of
Amendment 2.  Research is still underway to determine the dollar
loss.
 
                             ******
 
        Derek Livingston, one of the co-chairs of the National
March on Washington, has thrown his support behind the global
boycott of Colorado, telling BOYCOTT COLORADO, INC. "The
nightmare of Amendment 2 in Colorado is awakening the other 49
states to the fact that bigotry is alive and well and on the
march."  He said he will meet in a few days with his fellow
co-chairs to determine an organizational stand on the boycott. 
He said he believes Amendment 2 has set off a dangerous
nation-wide any-gay movement by the right-wing which must be
stopped in Colorado.   The National March on Washington is
expected to draw a million supporters of equal rights for gays
and lesbians to the Nation's Capital this Summer.
 
                        ****************
 
        In response to a nation-wide call for buttons, t-shirts
and other pro-boycott advertising, bumper stickers bearing the
trade-marked BOYCOTT COLORADO logo are being mailed out at a
rapid rate at a price of $2 each or 5 for $8.00
 
            CALL 1-800-4-BOYCOTT FOR MORE INFORMATION
                          
                              # # #
 
WHO IS BOYCOTTING?
 
The Following have officially endorsed the boycott:
 
Southern Christian Leadership Conference / Brouder County,
Florida / The City of Atlanta / The City of Chicago The City of
New York / The City of Los Angeles / The City of Austin / The
City of Seattle / The City of Boston / The City of Philadelphia /
The City of Baltimore / The City of Laguna Beach, California /
The City of Madison, Wisconsin / Minnesota State Democratic Party
/ Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays / So. Calif. ACLU /
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force / Gay & Lesbian Community /
Center of Colorado / National Organization for Women (NOW) /
Robin Tyler Prod.(Aspen Gay Ski Week) / Barbra Streisand / 
Whoopie Goldberg / Jonathan Demme / Joan Rivers / Armistead /
Maupin / Liza Minelli / The Kennedy Family / Ed Saxon / John
Landis / Nora Ephron / Michael Tolken / Sally Kirkland / Madonna
/ Angie Dickinson / La Gente Politica / The National Greens /
Ground Zero / Aids-Medicine-Miracles / The Village Voice /
Lesbian News / Lesbians in Colorado / The New York Times /
GLAAD:LA / Americans for Democratic Action / 
 
BOYCOTT COLORADO AUXILIARY GROUPS:
 
Boycott Colorado ~ New York / Boycott Colorado ~ Philadelphia /
Boycott Colorado ~ Los Angeles / Boycott Colorado ~ Chicago /
Boycott Colorado ~ San Francisco

The Following have canceled conventions or other activities in
Colorado:
 
First Affirmative Financial Network, Inc. / Lotus Development /
(software such as 1-2-3) / Microsoft Corp. Employees Ski Club /
Xchange Computers / Laurel Entertainment TV mini-series / WMMR
Radio Phila., ski trip to Breckenridge / Hispanic Journalists
Association / Land Trust Alliance / Chamber Music America /
Recording Artists Association / Nature Conservancy / American
Massage Therapy Association / United States Environmental /
Protection Agency / Assoc. of College Unions International / Gay
& Lesbian Victory Fund / American Assoc. of Law Libraries /
Coalition of Labor Union Women / California Shakespeare Festival
/ Natl. Gay & Lesbian Journalist Assoc. / Unitarian Universalists
/ Comm. for U.S. Student Association / American Assoc. of Phys.
for Human Rights / National Council for Social Studies / National
Education Association / Hotel Giorgio reports 525 lost
room-nights / Women's Sports Foundation (canceled / $1 million
dollar project) / National Mayors Conference / Greenpeace
 
Our most conservative tracking procedures place the estimated
total loss since Nov 3, 1992 at a minimum $25,000,000.  That is
"outside dollars coming in to Colorado"  When we learn of a
cancellation or endorsement, we contact that party and verify
information prior to release.
 
BOYCOTT COLORADO, INC. acts as a clearing house of this type of
information so the voters of Colorado can see an accurate picture
of the price of legalized discrimination.
 
This list constantly grows larger.  It is impossible for us to
print a new list every day.  If you are a news reporter and need
frequent updates, please call 303-777-0560.

Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Springs
January 16, 1993
 
A Timeline:
 
May l2.  Colorado for Family Values, a Colorado Springs-based
group, succeeds in getting an anti-gay rights amendment on the
November ballot.
 
Nov. 3.  Colorado voters approve Amendment 2 with 53 percent of
the vote.  In  El Paso County the measure passes by 66 percent.
 
Nov. 4.  Protests against the amendment's passage begin.  A
coalition of state and national leaders unveil plans for a
constitutional challenge.  Talk of a boycott begins when a Los
Angeles group, Coloradans & Californians for Fairness in the
Nation, asks artists, entertainers and tourists to stay
away from Colorado.
 
Nov. 12.  A lawsuit is filed challenging the amendment's
constitutionality.  Plaintiffs include gays and lesbians and
Denver, Bouder and Aspen, three Colorado cities that had
prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation.
 
Nov. 18.  The debate over Amendment 2 attracts national
attention when singer Barbra Streisand mentions it during an AIDS
benefit.
 
Nov. 17.  Atlanta approves a resolution that bans spending city
funds for travel to Colorado.
 
Nov. 23.  The group Boycott Colorado forms in Denver.
 
Nov. 30.  The National Education Association cancels a 1993
convention planned in Colorado Springs.  The Women's Sports
Foundation drops the city from a list of five possible sites for
its headquarters.
 
Dec. 2.  Denver Mayor Wellington Webb urges the national
television audience of the "Arsenio Hall Show" not to boycott
Denver or Colorado.
 
Dec. 3.  The nation's mayors announce they will reconsider
holding their annual convention in Colorado Springs in 1993.
 
Dec. 8.  New York City Mayor David Dinkins recommends a travel
boycott of Colorado.
 
Dec. 10.  Critics form Ground Zero in an attempt to shift the
budding nationwide boycott of Colorado to Colorado Springs.
 
Dec. 16.  Los Angeles becomes the sixth major city to officially
condemn Colorado and bans official travel to the state.
 
Dec. 17.  Colorado Springs Mayor Robert Isaac appeals to the U.S.
Conference of Mayors not to shift its annual convention from
Colorado Springs, but the group decides to choose another city.
 
Jan. 4.  BACK OFF Colorado Committee is formed by a Colorado
Springs resident to target cities, groups and celebrities who
endorse the boycott of Colorado.
 
Jan. 9.  Hispanic journalists vote to move their convention out
of Denver Jan. 10.  Eighty-five organizations form a coalition to
repeal Colorado's English Only and anti-gay rights protection
laws.
 
Jan. 11.  Opening arguments begin in Denver District Court on an
injunction to halt the amendment from becoming law until the
November lawsuit is settled.  And U.S. Rep. Pat Schroeder,
D-Colo., announces she has introduced a bill in Congress that
would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Bill to prohibit discrimination
against homosexuals.
 
Jan. 14.  Judge Jeff Bayless imposes a temporary restraining
order preventing Gov. Roy Romer from signing Amendment 2 into
law.
 
Jan. 15.  Bayless grants a temporary injunction order preventing
the amendment from becoming law until the courts decide on
whether the measure is constitutional.

Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Springs
January 17, 1993
 
Opponents' defiance continues
 
By Jeff Thomas
 
Just because Amendment 2 has been blocked temporarily doesn't
mean the battle over gay rights in Colorado is settled.
 
Far from it.  A Denver judge's ruling Friday that the amendent
must be deemed constitutional by the courts before it takes
effect will maintain the status quo for now.
 
But even if Amendment 2 is eventually upheld in a later trial,
pockets of resistance--even outright defiance--will remain,
creating a confusing legal patchwork across the state that could
take the courts years longer to sort out.
 
The amendent says gays can't ask the government for help if they
are denied a job or housing because of their homosexuality.
 
Many folks will never notice its presence or absence in their
lives.  Still, plenty is at stake for the homosexual community
and thosd allied against it.  To them, Colorado would be a
profoundly different place under Amendment 2.  If the amendment
is upheld, 'somebody can be terminated from their job solely 
because they are gay, and they have no recourse," said Tony
Ogden, acting director of Equality Colorado, sworn to somehow
dismantle Amendment 2.  Worse, he said, Colorado would officially
 
sanction displays of hatred toward gays.
 
To Amendment 2 supporters, the measure would take from
homosexuals a tool they've uyed to obtain protection they don't
deserve.
 
Amendment 2 "merely says homosexuals have equal rights, but they
don't get any special consdieration because of the way they have
sex," said Will Perkins of Colorado for Family Values, the
Colorado Springs group that brought Amendment 2 to the ballot in
November.
 
Whichever view prevails, it doesn't appear Amendment 2 will weave
smoothly into the state's legal fabric.
 
A handful of cites--Vail, Breckenridge, Frisco and Grand
Junction--have adopted resolutions denouncing the amendment and
hav pledged their help to repeal it.  If it goes into efect, they
will obey it, however grudgingly.  
 
Some towns, however, will behave as if Amendment 2 never
happened, even if it does become law.  Aspen will continue to
enforce its 1977 civil rights ordinance, which protects
homosexuals and 12 other groups, even though Amendment 2
specifically nullifies the language protecting gays.
 
"Until a court tells us we have to obey this amendment, we have
no intention of doing so," said Aspen Mayor John Bennett.  "We
sincerely believe that discrimination of any minority group has
no place in a civilized society."
 
Boulder and Denver hae similar ordinances, and are free to
continue enforcing them now that amendment 2 has been put on the
shelf.  Aspen, Boulder, Denver and nine individuals are suing the
state to overturn the amendment.
 
Even if Boulder and Denver were to obey Amendment 2, they could
interpret it differently.  Dani Newsum, director of Boulder's
Office of Human Rights, said the amendment would permit her to
follow up on complaints from heterosexuals that they are being
denied a job or housing because of their sexuality.  But it
would prevent her from helping gays who claim the same thing.
 
Residents in Telluride are so upset that they will vote Feb. 2 on
an Aspen-style ordinance of their own just to thumb their noses
at Amendment 2.  Supporters of the ballot measure want the town
to join the lawsuit against the amendment.
 
"We felt it was a vile addition to the constitution, and we
wanted to change that," said Zeb Landsman, a Telluride lawyer who
helped get the measure on the ballot.
 
If it passes, and the courts lataer uphold Amendment 2, Telluride
town attorney Laura Harper someday might have to perform some
tricky legal footwork: enforcing a town ordinance that violates
the state constitution.  She wouldn't predict how she'd do it,
and lawyers for other cities were also uncertain how to proceed.
 
"If we enforce our ordinance, we'll do it under the belief that
it violates the federal Constitution," said Darlene Ebert,
assistant city attorney for Denver.  "It certainly leads us into
a dilemma, because we're also sworn to obey the state
constitution."
 
Should Amendment 2 ultimately win court approval, the renegade
cities would have to try again to prove it unconstitutional, said
Gene Nichol, dean of the University of Coorado law school.
 
"If nothing else, (disagreement over Amendment 2) shows it's a
good thing that we have one, final, U.S. Supreme Court" to decide
the issue once and for all, Nichol said, adding there's a good
chance the issue will wind up there.
 
But already legal wheels are turning that could prevent a Supreme
Court showdown by making Amendment 2 academic.  U.S. Rep. Pat,
D-Colo., has  introduced a bill in Congress that would amend the
1964 Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination against
homosexuals.
 
Colorado legislators are pushing their own ideas.  State Sen.
Regis Groff, D-Denver, has drafted a proposed constitutional
amendment that would simply repeal Amendment 2.
 
Rep. Ken Chlouber, R-Leadville, is pushing a bill that would
expand privacy rights to include sexual orientation.  That would
mean employers would have no business asking whether an employee
is gay.
 
A third measure proposed by Sen. Bill Ownes, R-Aurora, and Rep.
Sam Williams, D-Breckenridge, would permit workers to sue their
employers if they were punished for any legal pursuit--including
sex--off the job.
 
Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Springs
January 16, 1993
 
Reaction to Judge Bayless' ruling:
 
"I don't think the ruling on this injunction has any bearing on
whether (the law) is unconstitutional or not.  A judge who
doesn't rule something is a possibility is ruling himself out of
a job."  Will Perkins, chairman of Colorado for Family Values.
 
"I think the judge said it very well.  This is a constitutinal
democracy so the people's vote is very important, but it has to
be in the context of the Constitution and that's what is being
tested here."  Boulder Mayor Leslie Durgin, whose city has an
ordinance protecting gays from discrimination.
 
"It's wonderful to be a lesbian today.  It's good to be a lesbian
most of the time, but it's wonderful to have the support of the
justice system.  I feel fantastic.  I think a lot of
education--the truth--about gay and lesbian people took place as
part of the hearing."  Pat Hewitt of Colorado Springs.
 
"It makes your vote useless.  It doesn't matter if you're for or
against something.  The other side will just go to court and try
to change it."  Dennis Robinson, aircraft mechanic.
 
"The amendment is unconstitutional and legalizes discrimination. 
The majority of people thought slavery was OK.  That didn't make
it right.  The majority of people thought the Earth was flat. 
That didn't make it flat." Joe Reininger, custodian.
 
"I'm not an expert on the law, but we should go with the will of
the people."  Carrie Hooper, mortgage company underwriter.
 
"I think they're going to waste a lot of money going with this." 
Debby Hammett, restaurant owner.
 
"We can't just say now, 'Well, I don't like President Clinton. 
Let's go to court and see if we can get him out.'"  Terry Brah,
Army pilot.
 
"I think legally he had to do it.  He followed the law.  I might
not agree or like it, but if the judge thinks it might be
unconstitutional, he had to stop it."  Judi Nishikawa, elementary
school teacher.
 
"This is the most incredible week of my life.  For the judge to
suggest that the expansion of civil rights and a skewed sense of
morality is not a basis for denying rights to gays and
lesbians--I've been waiting to hear that all of my life." 
Richard Evans, lead plaintiff in the case.
 
"He (the judge) said the people of Colorado don't hate
homosexuals.  He said it was a good faith effort on the voters'
part to do what they thought (was right)."  State Attorney Tim
Tymkovich.
 
"The judge made a very good (point) that nobody in Colorado wants
a bad law on the books.  This is an opportunity for the courts to
check and balance and make sure it is doing the right thing." 
Kevin Tebedo, leader of Colorado for Family Values.
 
"It's precedent-setting.  Civil rights law hasn't been used in
history to exclude someone from protection.  The eyes of the
nation are watching, and I think it's uncomfortable for Colorado
and particularly uncomfortable for Colorado Springs."  Bruce
Loeffler, Ground Zero spokesman.
 
"It is my hope that we will be able to bring people together.  We
all live in one state, and we need to respect the rights of all
people." Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, whose city is a plaintiff
in the case.
 
"This decision gives the homosexual crowd a feeling of victory
and normal people a sense of hopelessness.  Does my vote count
for anything? ... If the opponents of Amendment 2 get cocky at
this decision and start throwing it in our faces ... I think it
could turn to strong feelings of frustration and possibly
violence."  Chuck Holbrook.
 
"Judge Bayless' injunction keeps discrimination from being legal
in Colorado. I hope that people now realize that they must stand
up for civil rights of all persons ... In the '50s and '60s, many
people gave religious and moral reasons why blacks and whites
should not live, study and work together.  Again, diversity and
tolerance are America's strengths, but it takes work to overcome 
prejudice."  Lyn Akers. 
 
"I have two children and I have always taught them that the most
powerful thing you can do in this country is vote.  And now that
seems to mean nothing ... What do I tell them?  Do I tell them
the system lied?"  Kay Craig.
 
"I feel comfortable in allowing our courts, through due process,
to answer the constitutionality of the amendents and not the
self-appointed spokespersons for Colorado for Family Values to do
the interpreting for us." Conrad Robran
 
"With the help of the liberal lapdog media, the homosexual
activists have distorted Amendment 2 to fit their own agenda. 
The amendment will be upheld as constitutionally sound, which it
is."  Diane Johnson.
 
"I believe the injunction is proper, and I've always believed
Amendment 2 was unconstitutional.  I do not think God gave me the
right to judge another, to impose my values upon them.  The
amendment seems to be rooted in bigotry."  Glenn Logan.
 
"I would be all for putting Amendment 2 on hold indefinitely if
we could also do the same wiht the AIDS virus.  Let's face it:
The bottom line is the health of every American, and until a cure
is found for AIDS, we can not condone a lifestyle that promotes
it."  Tomy Romero

Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Sprints
January 16, 1993
 
Hearing on measure's constitutionality next
By Louis Aguilar
 
DENVER--Amendment 2 will not become law until the courts decide
whether it is constitutional, a Denver judge ruled Friday.
 
Denver District Judge Jeff Bayless issued a temporary injunction
that prevents the measure from taking effect and warned the state
that it must prove a compelling need to include the amendment in
the constitution.
 
The decision elated the homosexual community, but Amendment 2
supporters and critics vowed to continue the fight that began
last May when the measure made its way onto the ballot.
 
Amendment 2, authored by Springs-based Colorado for Family Values
and approved by voters in November, bars laws that protect gays,
lesbians and bisexuals from discrimination based on their sexual
orientation.
 
Gov. Roy Romer and state Attorney General Gale Norton said they
will imediately appeal the ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court. 
That action, in part, will help the state define what legal
questions it will face in the trial over the amendment's
constitutionality, Romer said.
 
"Judge Bayless has set out a fairly definitive standarad, and we
need a higher court to confirm or deny that standard," Romer said
in a written response to the ruling.
 
Bayless said he agreed to the injunction because there is a
reasonable chance that Amendment 2 will be deemed
unconstitutional for allowing discrimination toward gays.  He
cited case law that showed that "private prejudice" cannot be 
sanctioned by the state.  
 
But he warned that the granting of the injunction should not be
taken as foreshadowing that the amendment will be overturned.
 
The attorneys involved and other legal experts, however, said the
state will have a tough time meeting the legal standards outlined
by Bayless in his 50-minute discussion of his ruling.
 
State Attorney Tim Tymkovich said the Bayless ruling "puts the
government role in a difficult position" because the state must
show "what legitimate government purpose and need" Amendment 2
will carry out.
 
And since Bayless said the thrust of the amendment is really
about civil rights for gays and bisexuals, it essentially has to
prove how Colorado law becomes better and more efficient in
dealing with gay civil rights through Amendment 2.
 
"In fundamental rights issues such as equal protection, a
government always has difficulty proving that," Tymkovich said.
 
Gene Nichol, dean of the law school at the University of Colorado
at  Boulder, said the judge's ruling indicates a strong
possibility that Amendment 2 could be struck down after a trial.
 
"In this instance, I think his ruling has more significance than
just the timing," Nichol said.  'Because the theory employed ...
was that a very rigorous standard of review should be applied
under the equal-protection clause (under the 14th Amendment) to
Amendment 2.
 
"Meaning, that unless there's a compelling state interest to
justify the distinctions drawn in Amendment 2, that it should be
ruled unconstitutional.  I think it's important to note, that
test is almost never met.  And so, the likelihood that the
plaintiffs will eventually win on the merits, as well, is 
very high."  
 
Bayless said the amendment was legally put on the ballot and
legally adopted.  But that doesn't mean that it will meet the
constitutional test.
 
The people of Colorado may change the state's constitution, but
the law says the change must not be "repugnant to the
Constitution of the United States," he said.
 
The judge's ruling brought a roar of cheers from the crowd
watching the proceeding through the monitors of TV news cameras
outside the courtoom.  Richard Evans, a gay man who is the lead
plaintiff in the lawsuit, said he "felt like we won round one."
 
Eight homosexuals, a straight man with AIDS, and the cities of
Boulder, Denver and Aspen are behind the lawsuit seeking to have
the amendment ruled unconstitutional.
 
"This has been the most incredible week in my life," Evans said. 
"It's taken a judge to say that gays and bisexuals do face
tremendous discrimination, some-thing I've known for a long time.
 
I'm going to go home and have a good meal with my lover and ...
basically, feel better about our protection in society."
 
The lead plaintiff lawyer, Greg Eurich, called Bayless' ruling a
"an incredibly brave decision." 
 
"He defined the way he will look at the lawsuit, and he protected
the rights of a very unpopular minority.  It is a great day for
the state of civil rights in Colorado."
 
Eurich said he hopes the injunction sends a message to the groups
in the eight to 12 states reportedly working on Amendment 2-type
initiatives.  "This should tell them that you can't go after
civil rights without expecting a great deal of difficulty."
 
But Kevin Tebedo, executive director of Colorado for Family
Values, said the ruling was "not a setback." 
 
"The judge made a very good point that nobody in Colorado wants a
bad law.  This is an opportunity for the courts to go through the
checks and balances ... and make sure they are doing the right
thing.  I hope this tells other groups out there to don't give
up.  The fight is still going on." 
 
Ever since the public debate began over Amendment 2, critics have
contended it was about fundamental rights for gays and lesbians. 
Not about the hiring quotas or affirmative action policies that
amendment supporters told voters it was about.
 
Critics say it denies gays and bisexuals legal recourse when they
are fired or kicked out of their housing because of their sexual
orientation.  Therefore, they say, it clearly limits their
ability to fight discrimination.
 
Several of the plaintiffs testified they need that protection. 
For example, Angela Romero, a Denver police officer, tearfully
testified that she was demoted and taken out of her position of
working with inner-city kids when her boss found out she was a
lesbian.  He found out about her sexuality, she contends, by
noticing one of her expense accounts included materials bought 
from a lesbian book store.
 
Romero said she fought successfully to get some gay rights
protections in the Denver Police Departent, but they will be
wiped out because of Amendment 2.
 
The three cities involved in the lawsuit said that since local
governments can't enact ordinances to ensure gay rights, they
can't help prevent discrimination.
 
Supporters of Amendment 2 contend that since federal civil right
laws don't define homosexuals as an identifiable minority group,
the homosexuals are asking for special rights. Supporters say
they shouldn't be allowed those kinds of discriminatory
protections if the federal government hasn't really identified
them.
 
That's true, Bayless said, but he also said that courts have the
power to expand civil rights.  He quoted a U.S. Supreme Court
justice saying that American laws have "evolving standards of
decency which mark the evolution of a maturing society."

 
The Denver Post
January 24, 1993
 
By Greg Trinker, Special to The Denver Post
 
The 16th annual Aspen Gay Ski Week began yesterday with an
estimated 3,000 gays and lesbians pouring into the city.
 
Some of Aspen's 5,049 permanent residents view the event as an
outrage.  Others see it as welcome tourism business and a victory
for human rights.
 
In any case, with controvrsy over anti-gay-rights Amendment 2
swirling in the national spotlight, "the whole world will be
watching," said Robert Aikens, organizer of a massive
anti-Amendment 2 candlelight march through downtown last night.
 
The event attracted several hundred peopoe.  Roger and Mary Moyer
brought their 8-month-old daughter, Kate.  "This is not a gay
thing.  It is about equal rights for all people," Mary Moyer
said.
 
Because of Amendment 2, tension for Gay Ski Week is running
higher this year.  
 
For example:
 
*    Denver Ku Klux Klan leader Shawn Slaetr has said he will
visit Aspen during the week to hand out anti-gay material and
protest the injunction by Denver Judge Jefrey Bayless blocking
implementation of Amendment 2.  Local gay leaders say no counter
protests are planned, but they can't speak for national leaders
in town.  Police are on alert.

*    Former National League umpire Dave Pallone, who is gay, will
speak to the Aspen High School student body Thursday.  The speech
has caused bitter community debate. 
 
*    National media have set up camp in Aspen to cover the
continuing Amendment 2 story.  ABC, CBS and NBC plan to have film
crews in town for parts of the week.
 
Despite "good treatment from Aspen," San Francisco gay ski club
official John Armor said this year may be his last.  His
organization originally had 50 reservations for the trip to
Aspen, but 30 members dropped out.
 
"As you can imagine, there has been tremendous debat within the
club," Armor said.  "We'll give it one more year to change or we
won't be back.  We don't want to support a state that doesn't
support us."
 
For local pastor Bruce Porter, a vocal Amendment 2 supporter,
homosexuality is "an abomination," which he is quick to
criticize, especially with Gay Ski Week on center stage.
 
"If we truly love someone, we will confront them about their
behavior, especially if it's destructive," he said.
 
Hotel bookings for the week are projected at 60 percent of
capacity.  Last January averaged 69 percent occupancy.

 /--------------------------------------------------------------\
| Chad Skelton - "To Go Where No Message Has Gone Before"        |
|  Call THE BLUE ROOM at (519)-885-3623 / 4pm to 7am daily (EST) |
|       email address: [email-masked]       |
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