[Dallas Voice clipping: Schwab awards focus on long-term couples; AIDS volunteer killed self, authorities believe; McCranie to conduct youth HIV outreach] Part: 1 of 4

                                
METRO

Schwab awards
focus on long-
term couples
THRF cites several at
Saturday's ceremony           Former Dallasite Don
Baker received a spe-
By John McCoy                 cial award for his role
STAFF REPORTER OF DALLAS VOICE  in a THRF-sponsored
The Texas Human      Rights lawsuit challenging
Foundation honored several local the Texas sodomy
activists with its Robert Schwab
awards Saturday - a ceremony
featuring a lot of nostalgia, some good natured one-liners,
and a parade of long-term, same-gender couples, each
proudly declaring how many years they had been togeth-
er.
But it was a straight woman, State Rep. Harryette
Ehrhardt, who trumped the room, acknowledging her
husband of forty-one years, Jack, who was up and around
following his recovery from major surgery.
The evening's major award went to Don Baker, who
agreed to be the plaintiff in the first challenge to Texas'
penal code section 21.06, a Iwcv which makes consiua
sex between adults of the same sex a misdemeanor crime.
Baker, now a resident of Boston, was a school teacher
in the Dallas Independent School District when he agreed
to be part of the court case Baker v. Wade.
While introducing him, Ehrhardt recalled her days as a
member of the DISD school board when the issue of gay
teachers surfaced in the media. She called the head of per-
sonnel, she said, to find out the school's policy on the
issue and was assured that there couldn't be more than
"two or three" gay teachers in the whole district.
"Then I knew we had a problem," she said.
After meeting in secret with lawyers to discuss the
case, Baker said he strengthened his resolve that chal-
lenging the law was the right thing to do.
"As long as we were perceived as people who habitu-
ally engaged in illegal activities, society could find a way
to justify discrimination against us," he said.
Section 21.06 was struck down temporarily by U.S.
District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer, also in attendance
Saturday evening, and his decision is now featured in
legal textbooks. Recalling his court opinion in 1982,
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk and Texas Rep. Harryette Earhardt.

AIDS volunteer killed self, authorities believe
Payne initially thought murdered; friend charged with moving body

By Tammye Nash
STAFF REPORTER OF DALLAS VOICE
A 30-year-old Arlington man
has been arrested on charges of
abuse of a corpse in connection
with the Feb. 13 death of an
AIDS Resource Center volunteer,
according to police reports.
Gary Brown was arrested
Friday afternoon, Feb. 23 at
Dallas Police Department head-
quarters after giving a statement
to police. He has been released
on $1,500 bond.
William Payne, 39, of Plano
was found dead in his car short-
ly before midnight on Feb. 14.
The car was parked in an alley in
the 4000 block of Brown St.,
between the AIDS Resource
Center and an apartment com-
plex. A resident of the complex

found the body and called the
authorities.
The Dallas County medical
examiner at first classified
Payne's death as a murder, but
has since said it could have been
the result of suicide by hanging.
Police are still classifying the
cause of death as unknown.
According to police reports,
Brown gave police a written
statement in which he acknowl-
edged moving Payne's body
after finding him hanging in
Brown's garage. Police also
found evidence in the . garage
that Payne had used his own belt
to hang himself there, reports
indicated.
In his statement, Brown told
investigators that he and Payne
were former lovers, and that

Payne had come to his house on
the day of his death to see
Brown. They argued, and Brown
left shortly afterward to go to the
gym, telling Payne he could stay
at the house if he wanted,
according to police reports.
When he returned, Brown
told police, he found Payne dead
in the garage. He said he pan-
icked, and put the body in
Payne's 1995 BMW. Brown said
he then drove the car to Oak
Lawn, parked it in the alley and
arranged a ride back home.
Police  began  questioning
Brown after they found his fin-
gerprints on the car.
Abuse of a corpse is a Class A
misdemeanor, punishable by up
to one year in jail and/or a fine
of up to $4,000. V

McCranie to conduct youth HIV outreach
'We need to throw the book out and start over,' he says

By John McCoy
STAFF REPORTER OF DALLAS VOICE
Dallas  Gay  and   Lesbian
Alliance board member Bob
McCranie has stepped down to
take a newly-created part-time
staff position, overseeing AIDS
prevention   education   for
Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Young
Adults, an Alliance affiliate
group.
The job comes under contract
with the Foundation for Human
Understanding which receives
grant funding to target young
gay and bisexual men. The
grant's main objective is to pre-
sent 10 programs to members of
the group on topics of self-
esteem, substance abuse, HIV
information, safer sex and con-
dom usage.
"The Young Men's Survey
demonstrated that we need to
throw the book out and start
over," said McCranie, referring
to a recent survey which found
that young gay and bisexual men
continue to engage in unsafe sex
despite knowing the risks.
He will also help arrange peri-
odic on-site HIV testing, train
"peer educators" to talk further
about HIV and AIDS, and help
plan a yearly conference on
youth issues.

Based on member surveys,
GLBYA's meetings pull in 40-45
members per week ages 17-25,
he said, made up of about 65 per-
cent whites and 35 percent
minorities.
GLBYA meets every Thursday
at  the  Gay   and   Lesbian
Community Center, where mem-
bers participate in a program
relating to coming-out, dating or
other topics.
At last Thursday's meeting,
for example, Joann Raskin led a
discussion of health concerns
other than  HIV  and AIDS,
including breast cancer and sex-
ually transmitted diseases.
Going  around   the  room,
members each said what their
own two biggest health concerns
are - stress, not getting enough
sleep, smoking, and weight loss
topped the list -  and Raskin
offered to teach a class on relax-
ation techniques if they were
interested.
Following the meeting, many
of the members retire to an
restaurant for more social time.
McCranie said several members
drive in from outlying areas in
order to have this opportunity to
talk to other gay and lesbian
youth.
While some are "out and

,-. ,

proud," he
noted, "we
also get the
really shat-
tered kids
who   look    2     L
around the Bob McCranie
room and
say 'Oh my god. I can't believe
I'm here."'
Most members hear about
GLBYA by word of mouth, he
said, although the group does
advertise in two local weekly
newspapers.
GLYBA    co-president  Sue
Copeland expressed excitement
that McCranie would get begin
to get paid for work which he
has been currently doing as a
volunteer.
"I think it's going to be really
good," she said adding that hav-
ing McCranie in a work situation
will provide a more stable struc-
ture to the group, giving it a
"more professional edge."
On the group's "to do" list she
said, was putting out a newslet-
ter and contacting school coun-
selors to let them know about the
avenues available to gay and les-
bian youth. V
For more information about Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual Young Adults,
call 521-5342 ext. 260.

MARCH  1, 1996  7

DALLAS VOICE