Outcome on gay rights vote expected to ripple across United States

••• 3B

Sanjose Mercury. Wednesday. May 21, 1980

Gay rights ballot measure seen
as one battle of political war
Continued from Page lB

Dean Wycoff, right, execu­
tive director of Moral �a­
jority, wants to "stop the
cancer". On the other side,
Charlie Brydon, left, says
Measures A and B are op­
posed by "the radical
right."

The coming referendums in San
Jose and Santa Clara County have
long been billed by those on both
sides of the issue as the first gay
right_s battle of the '80s.
Activists in the gay and funda­
mentalist Christian communities here and across the nation - be­
lieve the election's outcome will be
a sign of things to come.
"What happens here will ripple
all the way across the U.S.," said
Dean Wycoff, e1'ecutive director of
Moral Majority of Sarita Clara
County, Inc. "If homosexuals walk
away with a victory in Santa Clara
County, they'll have a foothold ...
the cancer will spread."
Said Charlie Brydon, co-director
of the 10,000-member National Gay
Task Force, which is based in New
York City, "The issues involved (in
Santa Clara County) are national is­
sues. What we're seeing is an effort
by the radical rignt, in the guise of
religious fundattient�
, .. to assert
control ii:i local poli:tics. .
Concerned Citizens and Moral
Majority are t�e two committees
opposing the measurE:sRick Harrington, a 28-year-old
mortgage banker and housewares
distributor, formed Concerned Citi2ens two years ago. The organiza­
tion is run by Harrington, his wife,
Jeri, and J. Clifford Harris, director
of missions for 38 Baptist churches
in the county. The group's cam­
paign consulting firm is B.F.B. of
San Francisco.
As of April 22, the most recent
campaign disclosure deadline, Con­
cerned Citizens had raised $16,656.
The group is relying on direct mail
campaigns and precinct walking to
reach voters, Harrington said.
Wycoff� a 29-year�ld .forml!r su­
pervisor for an air conditioning and
refrigeration firm, is the executive
director of Moral Majority a politi­
cally active Christian fundamental­
.ist group. The group was formed in
January to make morality an issue
in the gay rights referendums and
to involve the Christian community
in the battle against the proposed
laws, Wycoff said.
It's aligned with Californians for

Biblical Morality, a statewide
group of 1,000 ministers that
formed last year to publicize the
Biblical view on current issues.
Moral Majority has raised $42, 160 to fight the gay rights mea­
sures, with $30,000 coming from
Anita Bryant's Protect America's
Children, Inc., of Miami Beach.
\ Moral Majority plans to reach
voters through newspaper, radio
and TV ads, and direct mail �am­
paigns.
The Santa Clara Valley Coalition
for Human Rights, known also as
the Live and Let Live Committee
and the Yes on Measures A and B
Committee, is the main campaign
committee supporting the proposed
ordinances. The committee is local­
ly run, but has received financial
and other assistance from gay
rights groups from various parts of
the country.
The coalition expects . to spend
upwards of $200,000 on its cam­
paign and as of April 22 had raised
$78,896. It has received endorse­
ments from numerous human
rights, labor, women's and_ labor or­
ganizations. Its efforts have also
been endorsed by the Santa Clara
County Council of Churches, which
represents 80 of the county's 600
churches.
Supporters and opponents of the
June 3 referendums have a multi­
tude of arguments defending their
stands.
Among other things, opponents
contend that the ordinances are un­
necessary, that they wil! encourage
homosexuals to flaunt and advocate
their lifestyle, and that the mea­
sures will take away an individual's
right to decide whether to associate

with homosexuals.
"I don't see where government
has any right to tell me . .. I have
to accept homosexuality," Wycoff
said. "That's taking away my right
to use discretion."
Discretion, he adds, differs from
discrimination.
"This is not a question of my
rights vs. your rights," he said.
"For me, and lots of other people,
homosexuality is an immoral act."
Opponents also say that neither
the city council nor the board of su­
pervisors prove� that hQmosexuals
are discriminated ag-ainst and
therefore need legal protection.
James McEntee, director of the
county Human Relations Commis­
sion, which intr.oduced the gay
ri_gbts meas.w:e here, $aid bis agen­
cy is probibitea by law from in!es­
tigating disctimin�tion complaints·
based on sexual orientatien. But in
recent years the commission has
received dozens of calls from ho­
mosexuals alleging they've been
discriminated agaj.nst because of
their sexual preference, he said.
An attorney for-San Jose said the
city did not attempt to prove or dis­
prove homosexuals are discriminat­
ed against, but that council mem­
bers heard testimony from many
homosexuals who said they've been
discriminated against.
Supporters of the measur�s claim
hom!)seXllality is not an issue in the
June 3 election.
"The issue is a person's right - to
privacy," said Johnie Staggs, chair­
man of the Valley Coalition.
"What it all boils down to is hav­
ing every person judged on individ­
ual merit," Ms. Nichols said.

What's in
proposed
gay laws
Q. What are the so-called gay
rights ordinances?
A. They are Measures A and B
on the June 3 ballot and would
bar discrimination based on sex­
ual orientation in employment,
real estate transactions, and ac­
cess to government services.
Neither measure applies to reli­
gious organizations, except if
the group receives county or
city funding.
Q. What is meant hy sexual
orientation?
A. The county's proposal,
Measure A, defines sexual orien­
tation as homosexuality, hetero­
sexuality and bisexuality. The
city's proposal, Measure B, de­
fines it as a person's sexual
practice or preference.
Q. If the measures are ap­
proved, who would they eff�t?
A. Measure A would effect
only those people who live in the
unincorporated areas of the
county, while Measure B would
only effect San Jose residents.
Q. Can an- employer discrimi­
nate for job-related reasons?
A. Empl9yers must prove the
discrimination is �ased upon
"bona fide ocupat-toilal qualifica­
tion." Furthermore, the county
measure exempts domestic ser­
vices to be performed within a
residential unit occupied by the
employer.
Q. Are all real estate transac­
tions covered by the proposed
law?
A. No. The measures general­
ly exempts persons who rent or
lease rooms in the house- they
occupy.
Q. How are complaints handled?
A. The city proposal relies on
civil remedies, or lawsuits. The
county proposal provides civil
remedies, but also establlines a
mediation panel thr�Hu­
man Relations Com · 'ii!' •c�

·

()utcome on gay r · ghts vote e�pected to ripple across U.S.<
By Barbara French
Staff Writer

Supporters and opponents of
so-called gay rights mea­
sures, which San Jose and San­
ta Clara County voters will de­
cide on Jone 3, are convinced
the election is just one battle in
a Jong-term political war.
the

"We know absolutely that
these laws are just the begin­
ning. Soon they (gays) will be
making demands for all kinds
of services," said Rick Har­
rington, the leader of Con­
cerned Citizens Against the
Sexual Orientation Ordinances.
On the other side:
"It isn't just gay rights they

are after," Rosalie Nichols,
treasurer of the Santa Clara
Valley Coalition for Human
Rights, said of those opposing
the proposed laws. "They want
prayers back in schools, and
are against abortion and sex
education."
At issue are two ordinances
that prohibit discrimination
based on sexual preference.
The county's proposed gay
rights ordinance i� Measure A;
the city's is Measure B. San
Jose voters will cast ballots for
both measures, while voters in
unincorporated areas and other
cities will vote only on Mea­
sure A.
Although all county residents

]

e. _ Campaign
'80
. 7A

vote on Measure A, if approved
it will only become law in un­
ineQrperated areas of the coun­
ty. So, for example, it will not
affect residents of the city of
Santa Clara.
The proposed ordinances,
patterned after similar laws in
Berkeley, San Francisco and 44
other cities and counties across
the nation, were adopted by the
San Jose City Council and

county Board of �u.pervisors
last summer folldwing more
than · 30 hours of heated public
hearings.
Proponents claimed the laws
were needed to protect people
from being denied employment
or ho�sing solely because they
are gay.
Opponents countered with
two arguments: that the laws
are unnecessary and that they
force s�iety to accept a life­
style that offends many people.
Neither ordinance, however,
became law. They were forced
to the ballot by a signature­
gathering campaign mounted
by Concer_ned Citizens. The vol­
unteer organization, which

Copyrighted material reprinted with permission. For educational use only.

claims to draw supporters'
from 365 churches across the:
county, collected 84,000 signa-:
tores.
- Four cities and one county
have held similar referendums-,
beginning with Dade County
(Miami) Fla., in 1977, but Mea-.
sores A and B are the first gay.
rights referendums in Califor- _
nia.
In 1978, however, California.·
voters defeated Proposition 6,;
a statewide initiative allowing�
school boards to fire or refuse ·
to hire homosexuals. Santa.
Clara County overwhelmingly-·
opposed the proposal.
Continued on Page 3BL

••• 3B

Sanjose Mercury. Wednesday. May 21, 1980

Gay rights ballot measure seen
as one battle of political war
Continued from Page lB

Dean Wycoff, right, execu­
tive director of Moral �a­
jority, wants to "stop the
cancer". On the other side,
Charlie Brydon, left, says
Measures A and B are op­
posed by "the radical
right."

The coming referendums in San
Jose and Santa Clara County have
long been billed by those on both
sides of the issue as the first gay
right_s battle of the '80s.
Activists in the gay and funda­
mentalist Christian communities here and across the nation - be­
lieve the election's outcome will be
a sign of things to come.
"What happens here will ripple
all the way across the U.S.," said
Dean Wycoff, e1'ecutive director of
Moral Majority of Sarita Clara
County, Inc. "If homosexuals walk
away with a victory in Santa Clara
County, they'll have a foothold ...
the cancer will spread."
Said Charlie Brydon, co-director
of the 10,000-member National Gay
Task Force, which is based in New
York City, "The issues involved (in
Santa Clara County) are national is­
sues. What we're seeing is an effort
by the radical rignt, in the guise of
religious fundattient�
, .. to assert
control ii:i local poli:tics. .
Concerned Citizens and Moral
Majority are t�e two committees
opposing the measurE:sRick Harrington, a 28-year-old
mortgage banker and housewares
distributor, formed Concerned Citi2ens two years ago. The organiza­
tion is run by Harrington, his wife,
Jeri, and J. Clifford Harris, director
of missions for 38 Baptist churches
in the county. The group's cam­
paign consulting firm is B.F.B. of
San Francisco.
As of April 22, the most recent
campaign disclosure deadline, Con­
cerned Citizens had raised $16,656.
The group is relying on direct mail
campaigns and precinct walking to
reach voters, Harrington said.
Wycoff� a 29-year�ld .forml!r su­
pervisor for an air conditioning and
refrigeration firm, is the executive
director of Moral Majority a politi­
cally active Christian fundamental­
.ist group. The group was formed in
January to make morality an issue
in the gay rights referendums and
to involve the Christian community
in the battle against the proposed
laws, Wycoff said.
It's aligned with Californians for

Biblical Morality, a statewide
group of 1,000 ministers that
formed last year to publicize the
Biblical view on current issues.
Moral Majority has raised $42, 160 to fight the gay rights mea­
sures, with $30,000 coming from
Anita Bryant's Protect America's
Children, Inc., of Miami Beach.
\ Moral Majority plans to reach
voters through newspaper, radio
and TV ads, and direct mail �am­
paigns.
The Santa Clara Valley Coalition
for Human Rights, known also as
the Live and Let Live Committee
and the Yes on Measures A and B
Committee, is the main campaign
committee supporting the proposed
ordinances. The committee is local­
ly run, but has received financial
and other assistance from gay
rights groups from various parts of
the country.
The coalition expects . to spend
upwards of $200,000 on its cam­
paign and as of April 22 had raised
$78,896. It has received endorse­
ments from numerous human
rights, labor, women's and_ labor or­
ganizations. Its efforts have also
been endorsed by the Santa Clara
County Council of Churches, which
represents 80 of the county's 600
churches.
Supporters and opponents of the
June 3 referendums have a multi­
tude of arguments defending their
stands.
Among other things, opponents
contend that the ordinances are un­
necessary, that they wil! encourage
homosexuals to flaunt and advocate
their lifestyle, and that the mea­
sures will take away an individual's
right to decide whether to associate

with homosexuals.
"I don't see where government
has any right to tell me . .. I have
to accept homosexuality," Wycoff
said. "That's taking away my right
to use discretion."
Discretion, he adds, differs from
discrimination.
"This is not a question of my
rights vs. your rights," he said.
"For me, and lots of other people,
homosexuality is an immoral act."
Opponents also say that neither
the city council nor the board of su­
pervisors prove� that hQmosexuals
are discriminated ag-ainst and
therefore need legal protection.
James McEntee, director of the
county Human Relations Commis­
sion, which intr.oduced the gay
ri_gbts meas.w:e here, $aid bis agen­
cy is probibitea by law from in!es­
tigating disctimin�tion complaints·
based on sexual orientatien. But in
recent years the commission has
received dozens of calls from ho­
mosexuals alleging they've been
discriminated agaj.nst because of
their sexual preference, he said.
An attorney for-San Jose said the
city did not attempt to prove or dis­
prove homosexuals are discriminat­
ed against, but that council mem­
bers heard testimony from many
homosexuals who said they've been
discriminated against.
Supporters of the measur�s claim
hom!)seXllality is not an issue in the
June 3 election.
"The issue is a person's right - to
privacy," said Johnie Staggs, chair­
man of the Valley Coalition.
"What it all boils down to is hav­
ing every person judged on individ­
ual merit," Ms. Nichols said.

What's in
proposed
gay laws
Q. What are the so-called gay
rights ordinances?
A. They are Measures A and B
on the June 3 ballot and would
bar discrimination based on sex­
ual orientation in employment,
real estate transactions, and ac­
cess to government services.
Neither measure applies to reli­
gious organizations, except if
the group receives county or
city funding.
Q. What is meant hy sexual
orientation?
A. The county's proposal,
Measure A, defines sexual orien­
tation as homosexuality, hetero­
sexuality and bisexuality. The
city's proposal, Measure B, de­
fines it as a person's sexual
practice or preference.
Q. If the measures are ap­
proved, who would they eff�t?
A. Measure A would effect
only those people who live in the
unincorporated areas of the
county, while Measure B would
only effect San Jose residents.
Q. Can an- employer discrimi­
nate for job-related reasons?
A. Empl9yers must prove the
discrimination is �ased upon
"bona fide ocupat-toilal qualifica­
tion." Furthermore, the county
measure exempts domestic ser­
vices to be performed within a
residential unit occupied by the
employer.
Q. Are all real estate transac­
tions covered by the proposed
law?
A. No. The measures general­
ly exempts persons who rent or
lease rooms in the house- they
occupy.
Q. How are complaints handled?
A. The city proposal relies on
civil remedies, or lawsuits. The
county proposal provides civil
remedies, but also establlines a
mediation panel thr�Hu­
man Relations Com · 'ii!' •c�

·

Copyrighted material reprinted with permission. For educational use only.

()utcome on gay r · ghts vote e�pected to ripple across U.S.<
By Barbara French
Staff Writer

Supporters and opponents of
so-called gay rights mea­
sures, which San Jose and San­
ta Clara County voters will de­
cide on Jone 3, are convinced
the election is just one battle in
a Jong-term political war.
the

"We know absolutely that
these laws are just the begin­
ning. Soon they (gays) will be
making demands for all kinds
of services," said Rick Har­
rington, the leader of Con­
cerned Citizens Against the
Sexual Orientation Ordinances.
On the other side:
"It isn't just gay rights they

are after," Rosalie Nichols,
treasurer of the Santa Clara
Valley Coalition for Human
Rights, said of those opposing
the proposed laws. "They want
prayers back in schools, and
are against abortion and sex
education."
At issue are two ordinances
that prohibit discrimination
based on sexual preference.
The county's proposed gay
rights ordinance i� Measure A;
the city's is Measure B. San
Jose voters will cast ballots for
both measures, while voters in
unincorporated areas and other
cities will vote only on Mea­
sure A.
Although all county residents

]

e. _ Campaign
'80
. 7A

vote on Measure A, if approved
it will only become law in un­
ineQrperated areas of the coun­
ty. So, for example, it will not
affect residents of the city of
Santa Clara.
The proposed ordinances,
patterned after similar laws in
Berkeley, San Francisco and 44
other cities and counties across
the nation, were adopted by the
San Jose City Council and

county Board of �u.pervisors
last summer folldwing more
than · 30 hours of heated public
hearings.
Proponents claimed the laws
were needed to protect people
from being denied employment
or ho�sing solely because they
are gay.
Opponents countered with
two arguments: that the laws
are unnecessary and that they
force s�iety to accept a life­
style that offends many people.
Neither ordinance, however,
became law. They were forced
to the ballot by a signature­
gathering campaign mounted
by Concer_ned Citizens. The vol­
unteer organization, which

claims to draw supporters'
from 365 churches across the:
county, collected 84,000 signa-:
tores.
- Four cities and one county
have held similar referendums-,
beginning with Dade County
(Miami) Fla., in 1977, but Mea-.
sores A and B are the first gay.
rights referendums in Califor- _
nia.
In 1978, however, California.·
voters defeated Proposition 6,;
a statewide initiative allowing�
school boards to fire or refuse ·
to hire homosexuals. Santa.
Clara County overwhelmingly-·
opposed the proposal.
Continued on Page 3BL
Document

San Jose Mercury published the articles regarding a gay rights ordinance was put on ballot Measures A and B.

Collection

Dominic L. Cortese

Content Type

Newspaper Article

Resource Type

Document

Date

05/21/1980

Decade

1980

District

District 2

Creator

Barbara French

Language

English

Rights

No Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/