[Letter: To members from Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund] Page: 2 of 4
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JERRY BIRDWELL FOR TEXAS
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE
When Texas Governor Ann Richards
appointed attorney and activist Jerry
Birdwell to the 195th District Court, the
chair of Dallas County Republican Party
called a press conference to protest the
appointment of a "known" homosexual.
The Far Right immediately followed with
a storm of protests claiming that Birdwell
was not fit to serve. Already known as the
"gay judge," due to the extensive media
attention which followed his swearing in,
Judge Birdwell must stand for election in
November against an opponent with no
judicial experience, and who was
handpicked for his perceived ability toraise the issue
of sexual orientation.
Right-wing extremists
have already defaced
some of Birdwell's
campaign signs by
spray painting them
with the letters F-A-G.As an attorney,
Jerry Birdwell was an
outstanding counselor
with an impeccable
reputation. His colleagues know him as
fair-minded, compassionate and
knowledgeable. Indeed, much of his
support comes from his peers in the legal
community. His oft-demonstrated
professional integrity and extensive
courtroom experience qualify him highly
as a jurist.
Judge Birdwell has been a frequent
supporter of gay and lesbian causes.
While practicing law, he defended clients
who were accused of violating public
decency standards, including two gay men
who had been dancing together in a bar.
When the infamous anti-gay Judge Jack
Hampton gave a reduced sentence to the
murderer of two gay men (because the
victims "were queers, and I don't think
much of queers"), Jerry Birdwell was in
the Dallas County courthouse within
hours, raising concerns about Hampton's
statements. When a crowd gathered
outside to protest Hampton's statements,
Birdwell packed up his briefcase and
joined them. He then put his legal career
on the line by being the first attorney to
sign the petition to remove Judge
Hampton from the bench. This act of
courage convinced others to sign.CLEVE JONES FOR SAN FRANCISCO
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Known world-wide as a founder
of the San Francisco AIDS Project and the
NAMES Project Memorial quilt, Cleve
Jones has been involved in gay and lesbian
politics and AIDS activism for over
twenty years. He is one of a score of
candidates vying for the six available seats
on the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors.
Jones has extensive experience in San
Francisco politics. Soon after his arrival
to the city, he worked to help electpioneering gay rights
activist Harvey Milk
to the San Francisco
Board of Supervisors.
After serving as a
student intern with
Supervisor Milk,
Cleve joined the
legislative staff offormer California Assembly Speaker, and
current Lieutenant Governor, Leo T.
McCarthy. After two years in the state
capitol, Cleve returned to San Francisco as
an administrative aide to former State
Assembly Member Art Agnos. Cleve has
also served on the State Advisory
Committee on Juvenile Justice, the San
Francisco Delinquency Prevention
Commission, the Mental Health
Community Advisory Board, and was
elected to three terms on the San Francisco
Democratic County Central Committee.
For over two decades, Cleve Jones has
been committed to serving the lesbian/gay
and AIDS/HIV communities through
community action, public service and
grassroots organizing. Because he is HIV-
positive, Cleve knows firsthand the
realities of the epidemic and the
importance of increased funding for AIDS
research, treatment, education and care.
Cleve's campaign is endorsed by
former mayors Art Agnos and Dianne
Feinstein, and four current supervisors.
Because Harvey Milk's successor on the
board, openly gay supervisor Harry Britt,
has decided not to seek re-election, it is
especially important that the openly gay
Jones win this election. At a time when
progressive values are under constant
attack, his victory will help ensure that
San Francisco remains a leader in
protecting the rights of gays and lesbians.GAIL SHIBLEY FOR OREGON
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
When Gail Shibley became the first
openly gay member of the Oregon House
of Representatives in January 1991, she
also became the target of Far Right
ignorance in the form of the virulently
anti-gay Oregon Citizens Alliance.
Gail's freshman term clearly illustrates
the importance of electing openly gay
legislators. Gail is an outspoken opponent
of the OCA and a lead supporter of Senate
Bill 708, a gay and lesbian rights bill
supported by Gov Barbara Roberts. When
the House Judiciary Committee refused to
schedule hearings on the bill, Gail
persuaded several colleagues to join her in
conducting unofficial hearings, thereby
drawing widespread media attention to the
bill and its merits. She testified against
and helped defeat two draconian AIDS
measures brought before the legislature
last year.
Gail Shibley had established herself as a
champion of civil liberties, tax reform,
health care, and environmental issues. As
a member of the Housing Committee, she
helped craft the state's new $25 million
Housing Trust Fund, and pushed for
expanded rental assistance programs for
low-income Oregonians. Shibley's
legislative performance has been
outstanding and she has earned high marks
from Republicans and Democrats alike for
her diligence, intellect, and ability to forgecreative solutions to
-o the challenges facing
Oregon.
A win for Gail
would be a major
blow to the bigotry of
the Oregon Citizens
Alliance. A force to
be reckoned with, the
OCA has already
passed a ballotmeasure rescinding Oregon's executive
order which prohibits discrimination
against lesbian and gay state employees.
They have added a referendum to the
November ballot to amend the state
constitution by classifying homosexuality
as "abnormal and perverse," and
prohibiting "any public funds from
promoting, endorsing, or facilitating such
behavior." Another OCA campaign is
aimed at repealing three Portland
ordinances protecting the civil rights of
lesbians and gay men.-r
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Gay and Lesbian. [Letter: To members from Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund], thesis or dissertation, October 1992; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc916929/m1/2/: accessed June 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.