P, ANTHONY

RIDDER

LARRYJINKS

President and Publisha

ROB ELDER

RoBERTJ.

Editor of the Editorial Pages

Managing Editor

JOHN HAMMETT

Production Director

& Marketing

Editorials

Vice President

Ernploye/Community Relations

Thursday, May 29,1980

6B

Yes on Measures A and B

homosexual who is denied a job orhousingbeeause he or she is homoI Isexuaf presently has no legal recourse in this community.
Ordinahces prohibiting discrimination
based on sexual preference were passed
last August by the Santa Clara County
Board of Supervisors and the San Jose
City Council, but the measures never beceme law. Petition campaigns by citizens
opposing the gay rights measures forced
them onto the June ballot, where they are
designated as Measure A, for the county,
and Measure B, for San Jose.
San Joseans will vote on both measures; voters in unincorporated areas and

the

eounty' s '14
other cities only

on Measure

A-

Those who wish to
put the ordinances

into effect will
votg "yesr" and
those who want to
repeal
them will
ttno.t'
votg

JOHN K. BAKER

GENE FALK

Vice President

A
Al

coinNnn

AsSciate Editor

DEAN BARTEE
Sales

vice President and Editor

If thq

ordi-

ELECTTON
****,******

**********

nances,are upheld, persons who are denied commercial goods and services, jobs,
credit, union membership, or housing because they are, or are assume.d to be, homosexual, will be able to sue for damages. Plaintiffs will have to prove in
court that sueh discrimination oc-curred.
Both ordinances exempt religious organizations, arid the county measure.also
exempts child care and domestic wo.rk in
private homes.

councom-

successful re-

peal campaigns; Dade County (Miami)

Fla. is the most famous example.
As in Dade County, the campaign here
has been highly emotional, especially on
the part of fundamentalist Christians op-

passage of the county measure would des-

ignate the commission as a mediation
agency in disputes over alleged diserimi-

nation on the basis of sexual orientation.
Supporters of the ordinances point to a
year-long study conducted in Oregon by a
task force appointed by then-Gov. Robert
Straub. The Oreton study.gfoup found
that "hom.osexual men and women . . .
eonstitute about 10 -no
perient of our adult
poputation. There is
particular 'homosexual' lifestyle. Citizens.who are homosexual are found on our ranches and in
towns and cities of every size."
As to whether homosexuals: suffer diserimination, the Oregon study eoncluded
that "Sometimes (there) is a very direct
!-Vne 9f discrimination, such as being
fired from a job - . . Most often because
thiy Iive in secrecy, homosexual rnen and
women do not actually experience discrimination, but instead hv6 in fear that
their sexual orientation will be diseovered and that they might be penalized because of other people's feelings about homosexuality."
In the absence of non-partisan local evidence either way, we suspect the same
g-eneral sitqation exists here. Certainly
the Human Relations Commission says ii
receives dozens of complaints frorri hornosexuals who perceitse that they are
discriminated against.
It is just as true tfiat many opponents
of A and B Xterceiue the ordinances as
governmental endorsement of a lifestyle
which they find reprehensible, degenerate
and immoral.
We'think that view of the ordinances'
purpose is distorted, if sincere.
endum is
is not

law should

'

We had mixed feelings about the ordinances when they were proposed last
summer, because we Jeared that debate
over their passage would evoke bias, big-

posing the ordinances. But religious

grorips also are on the other side. A and B
have the support, for example, of the Santa Clara County Council of Churches,
which includes 80 of the county's 600 congregations, and of the Commiision on Social Justice of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Some opponents of the iay rights laws
argue that there's no need for them because there's no eviden0e of discrimina-

.

prohibited by present laws from investigating complaints from homosexuals;

otry and hostility. But the laws weie

passed, petition drives to take them to
the voters were successful, and they are
now on the ballot, despite our misgivings.,

explicitly, that

tion- In fact, little documentation exists
locally, but that may be because the
county Human Relati'ons Commission is Measures A and B.
,

Copyrighted material reprinted with permission. For educational use only.

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