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Her principal, who had once been supportive, told her that she could not have three books with gay and lesbian characters on the English department's reading list. You know what's going to happen next week, next month, next year is it will be your book, it will be your class, and it will be your job. It's turning to straight -on since we think of the largest group of straight viewers who will be interested by this series as what we call understanding people who don't understand. Coming out, I don't know, it just doesn't seem as serious, you know, and it's kind of like debutants come out and children come out and play, you know, it's very frivolous, but I think outing yourself is affirming and empowering. Welcome to This Way Out, the International lesbian and gay radio magazine, I'm Greg Gordon, and I'm Lucia Chappelle, Romanian sotami reform condoned sex but punishes politics. Sartin and Forster flunk English in New Hampshire, and Senarelli's steps for the self -outing Samba. All that and more, because you've discovered this way out.

I'm Brian Nune, and I'm Cindy Friedman with News Wrap, a summary of some of the news in or affecting the lesbian and gay community for the weekend in September 30, 1995. In Romania, the recent reform of the national sotami law is drawing fire, both from homophobes and from gay and lesbian activists. A group called Christian Orthodox students has already reportedly gathered 200 ,000 of the 500 ,000 signatures needed to place a repeal measure before Romanian voters. Meanwhile, the gay and lesbian Bucharest acceptance group notes that the amended sotami law now punishes proselytizing associations or any form of propaganda for homosexuality with a prison term, thereby criminalizing any public expression of gay and lesbian identity or any gay and lesbian community organizing. In Zimbabwe, a member of parliament

suggested that anti -homosexual materials should be taught in schools, as members of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu -PF party lined up this week behind his homophobic position. Another Zanu -PF member of parliament, Anius Shigwedere, said, like tuberculosis patients, they should be hibernated in an isolation hospital until they are treated. In the Netherlands, where major family law reform is underway, a government position paper issued in early September opposed full marriage and adoption rights for gay and lesbian couples. While the government supports giving registered gay and lesbian domestic partners most of the rights of married couples, it prefers to restrict actual marriages to heterosexuals. According to recent polls, a substantial majority of the Dutch public supports equal or near equal marriage rights for gay and lesbians. With a possible exception of parental rights where a gay or lesbian has a child from a

previous heterosexual relationship, a majority of the parliament is also believed to support equal marriage rights and may be able to change the government position. With respect to adoption, the government does not advocate opening adoption to single parents or to gay and lesbian couples, fearing negative reactions from the foreign countries that provide 95 % of Holland's adoptees. While COC, the Netherlands' leading national gay and lesbian activist group was disappointed by the government statement, the Vatican was also quick to respond with sharp criticism of its potential to undermine what it called the natural traditional family model. Most employers in the Netherlands do not extend spousal benefits to the partners of their gay and lesbian employees, according to a recent report by a Dutch labor union. A survey of gay, blue -collar workers found that half of them felt intimidated by their fellow workers, while 15 % felt their sexual orientation limited their career advancement. Not surprisingly, a quarter of the respondents said they were

closeted at work. Canada's largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, is continuing the struggle for recognition of same gender couples there. The union has been seeking to extend its pension benefits to the partners of its gay and lesbian members, but has been blocked by Canadian tax authorities. In September, Ontario Justice Louise Charone ruled against the union. Her decision relied on this year's Canadian Supreme Court decision that denied government old age security benefits to a gay couple, even though the union's pension benefits are paid out of its private funds. The union has announced it would appeal that decision. In Denmark, the gay male president and lesbian vice president of the National Gay and Lesbian Organization LBL got married to each other. While Denmark has established registered partnerships for same gender couples, those partnerships are less than equal to heterosexual marriages with regard to adoption and artificial insemination. The late September wedding was

a demonstration of the difference between the rights of this queer couple and the rights of registered partners. Strangely, it was the very day of that wedding that one member of the first gay couple to register their partnership in Denmark after a lifetime crusading for the right to do so died. Agile Axgill was 71. He survived by his partner Axal Axgill. They created their last name by combining their first names. Together they founded Denmark's National Homosexual Association in 1948. Germany's ruling coalition in mid -September finalized a bill to criminalize marital rape that would also apply to gay and lesbian couples. The bill says that the right to sexual self -determination must be valid regardless of marital status, and it's written in gender -neutral language. The factions of the coalition are expected to confirm the proposal shortly. There's another delay for the US congressional hearing called parental

involvement in social issues in education. The hearing that professional homophob Lou Sheldon hoped to use as his platform to end the school programs for and about gay and lesbians was first scheduled for September 12th and rescheduled for October 13th. This week congressional staff announced yet another delay without setting a new date. The gay and lesbian lobby group Human Rights Campaign Fund continues to call for letters to cancel a hearing altogether in the belief that it cannot be made fair. In Japan, the Prime Minister's office released results of a public opinion survey that found 82 % of respondents disapproved of discrimination against gays and lesbians. The poll also found that 84 % believed people with HIV should be allowed to keep their jobs while half said their relationship would not be affected if a partner or friend were diagnosed with AIDS. The survey was released at the end of August immediately following Tokyo's second annual gay and lesbian pride march, 2 ,200 gays and

lesbians participated in that event. In Australia, New South Wales Hunter Region celebrated pride for the first time with a festival in Newcastle. The events held daily from September 2nd through September 10th by the Hunter Gay and Lesbian Interagency included a children's day, a family picnic, art exhibits, gardening competitions, and an awards dinner. In Spain, more than 1 ,000 gay men participated in a dance and sit -guess to raise funds for the financially strapped International Gay and Lesbian Association on the occasion of Ilga's 17th anniversary. In Buenos Aires, the new organization, Lesbianist Alavista or Lesbians on site, on September 16th, organized a protest of their government's part in eliminating references to sexual orientation from the Declaration of the 4th United Nations World Conference on Women. Along with members of the group Convocatoria Lesbiana and others, they marched down a main street wearing white face paint and dressed in black to mourn the loss of their rights.

Lesbiana's Alavista is one of three Lesbian groups to form recently in Buenos Aires, in addition to staging public arts performances to increase Lesbian visibility, they offer workshops and coming out groups and they plan to set up a hotline for Lesbians abused by their partners. A related organization, Escrito Anel Cuerpo, or written on the body, is building an archive of materials about Lesbians personal and political lives and publishes a news bulletin. Grupo de integración lesbica, the Lesbian integration group, is devoted to discussion groups and political activism. If you heard news wrap last week, then you're familiar with Brolio, the talking penis starring in the Brazilian health ministry's $5 million AIDS Prevention campaign. The ministry is continuing the campaign, despite protests from a number of people, but they've backed off from using the name Brolio. Instead, he'll just be referred to

in neutral terms, such as partner, buddy, and ditto. National AIDS campaign coordinator Laier Gaira de Mercedes Rodriguez said, the object of this campaign is not to come up with a name for the male genitalia, but to bring attention to the prevention and control of AIDS. And finally, this item from Chuck Shepard's syndicated U .S. column News of the Weird puts a new angle on the old line about how you don't know what you've got till it's gone. Bruce Jensen is a devout Mormon. Maybe that's why he married his wife, Lisa, in 1991, after they had just one sexual encounter in which she kept her clothes on. It wasn't until after almost four years of marriage, when Lisa disappeared and Bruce filed a missing persons report earlier this year that he learned his wife is a man. Felix Rheoste, Bruce told the press, there's no way to describe the feeling. That's News

Wrap, but a week ending September 30th, 1995, compiled and written by Cindy Friedman, follow the news in your area, and informed community is a strong community. For this way out, I'm Cindy Friedman, and I'm Brian Ninnis. The success of this year's national coming out day could make a big difference as the movement prepares for another round of presidential politics. Michelangelo Signorilli has some valuable tips for outing yourself. After a story that demonstrates what the queer community will be up against in the coming months. In the dawning hours of the U .S. campaign season, right -wing Christian conservatism in the first presidential primary state has already made dramatic advances with its academic censorship agenda. Recently, the school board in the small town of Mary Mack New Hampshire voted to prohibit the implementation of any program that affirms homosexuality. Now, an English teacher in nearby New Ipswich has been fired in a classic book -burning debate involving world -renowned gay and lesbian authors. Susan Gage reports, Penny Colitan has been

teaching English for 11 years, the last five at Messinic Regional High School in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, a town just north of the Massachusetts border of a little more than 4 ,000 people. A couple of years ago, she attended a state conference called Respect for All Youth. The day -long program was designed to educate school personnel about the importance of creating a safe environment for kids who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or who are questioning their sexuality. Following that conference, Colitan traveled to Washington, D .C. for a national education association workshop dealing with students in the sexual minority. Her principal encouraged her to use what she had learned to organize a training session for the teachers at her school. And everything that I gave out at the workshop once through my principal. There were a lot of suggestions came from both the Washington training and the Respect for All Youth conference. Things like, you know, including concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual, students, and students who have gay, lesbian, family members, and loved ones, including those concerns in

all school programs, in curriculums recognizing gay, lesbian contributions. As a way of having a more inclusive atmosphere, which is really the only effective way of cutting down on things like harassment and name calling. Almost all of the school's teachers attended and everything seemed to be going fine, but one new whipswitch parent called Colitan's efforts a threat to the moral fiber of the nation. A review of Colitan's curriculum showed that she taught works by Henry David Thoreau, Stephen Crane, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Emily Dickinson, and the like. But what upset some parents was that Colitan included in her lectures

that some of these men and women had had same sex relationships. And her principal, who had once been supportive, told her that she could not have three books with gay and lesbian characters on the English department's reading list. Those books where EM Forrester's Maurice may sartons the education of Harriet Hatfield and Betty Greens the drowning of Stefan Jones. Colitan ignored that directive and the school board has fired her for insubordination. During her hearing before the Messinic Regional School Board, Colitan told the members that in her opinion the order to remove the books was unethical. But the attorney for the school district likened Colitan's actions to pouring gasoline on an already burning fire. Colitan says the school board's ruling could cause other teachers to back away from controversial topics, which she says will only encourage more censorship. And she says the fight against banning books with gay characters cannot be hers alone. People have got to stop sitting back and saying, well, it's not my class defecting. They're not censoring my book. My job isn't at risk because you know what's going to happen next week, next month, next year is it will be your book, it will be your class and it will be your job. Colitan

says she's going to continue her fight to keep her job by taking the case into labor arbitration. And although the school board has fired Colitan, the books, bought with a grant worth $800, remain at Messinic Regional High School until the board figures out what to do with them. For this way out, this is Susan Gage. The battle's not over in the live free or die state. About 40 of Penny Colitan's students have been suspended following a walk out in protest of her dismissal. We'll continue to follow the story as events warrant. This is Dorothy

Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina and numerous trashy pieces. You're listening to this way out, the International Lesbian and Gay Radio magazine. The eighth annual national coming out day will be observed in a variety of personal and public ways on October 11th. Appropriately enough, later in the program, we'll begin a compelling conversation with Michelangelo Cinelli, columnist and bestselling author of Queer in America about his latest book, Outing Yourself. First, though, we want to alert our North American listeners to an upcoming series about lesbian and gay rights, airing throughout the month of October on U .S. public television. The four -part series called A Question of Equality has segments titled Outrage, Culture Wars, Hollow Liberty, and Generation Q, and is the product of award -winning documentary filmmakers, including Arthur Dong and Isaac Julian. Carol Selman has previewed A Question of Equality and spoke with series executive producer David Myron. Viewing the documentary, I have to tell you, I was really shocked

at many of the things that had transpired over the years because I was so caught up in my own struggle as an African -American woman and as a heterosexual, I didn't realize the oppression, how much the gay and lesbian community has had to withstand over the years. It's appalling. We see a little bit on the mainstream media, but none of the depth without any of the personal stories and the real complexity that exists in the lives of lesbian and gay men on an everyday basis. With this series, we really wanted to show that complexity that it was more than just a few scam headlines that appear, but there was a lot of detail. Now the question of Equality is important viewing for all Americans, gay or straight? Well, we designed it really with three audiences in mind. The first audience is really

less means the gay men themselves because we were exploring stories and issues that many lesbians and gay men do not have access to and we were exploring them in the kind of depth with the kind of analysis that was critical for lesbians and gay viewers. The most important thing was for lesbians and gay men to understand the nature of our own differences, so to strengthen our common claims to equality. And also in making this for the independent television services, mission is to support audiences underserved historically by public television. We recognize and we were encouraged by the advisors who helped us shape the vision for the series that it was very important to target lesbians and gay viewers. So really, I have no qualms about saying there are first and most important audience. However, at the same time, we strive to make the series with the kind of production values and to some extent, the kind of entertainment value that would appeal to broad audiences. So in turning to straight audiences, we think of the largest group of straight viewers who will be affected or interested by the series as what we call

understanding people who don't understand. And this consists of family members, friends or co -workers who are not by nature homophobic or intolerant. Yet at the same time, they may ask, you know, why must you fund it? They may question why there's a need for so many demonstrations when it comes to the issue of lesbian and gay equality. You know, what's the fuss about? And then moving outwards from there, we also know that there's a, by virtue of the fact that there are so many headlines and so many news stories and sometimes even cover stories about lesbian and gay issues that mainstream American large is now interested in lesbian and gay issues. They want to know this has been such a closeted issue for so many, many years. And now, with the AIDS epidemic in the past five years, you know, there's much more interest in it. So we wanted to tap into that curiosity and sort of show the insider view of the movement and tell it in a way which hopefully is

interesting and entertaining and engaging for all viewers. That was David Myron, executive producer of a four part series airing on PBS this month called a question of equality talking with Carol Selman. North American viewers should check their local TV listings or call their nearby US public television station to ask if and when they'll be able to watch a question of equality in their area. Hi, I'm Amanda Burst, Marcy Darcy from Marywood Children. And you're listening to this way out, the International Gay and Lesbian Radio Magazine. Stay tuned. It's all right. You may all come out. Michelangelo, senior really columnist and author of Queer in America has turned the controversial topic of outing inward in his latest book, Outing Yourself. This way out's Josie Katogio talked with him about this new step -by -step manual for that most critical right of passage. First of all, let's ask the most obvious questions. Why another book on coming out? Well, I had gotten so many letters from people who'd

read Queer in America, really hundreds of letters. And when Queer in America came out, it was at the time of the March on Washington and the galvanizing time. And they just ran to a bookstore and said, I've got to do something about my sexuality. And they found Queer in America. And they read it and they said, okay, you've made your case. The closet is a terrible place. And they wrote me letters saying, okay, how do I do it? How do I come out? And when I went to the bookstores to find books for them, and there are some great books on coming out, and many of which I refer to in outing yourself, I found mostly first -person experiential kind of books or academic books. And what these people seem to be asking for, in fact, I then corresponded with many of them, was a step -by -step process. They felt that coming out seemed like one huge monumental task and something they couldn't face, but they felt if someone could just break it down into a series of steps, it would make it a lot easier. And why outing yourself as opposed to coming out? Well, you know, I had been so

much at the center of the controversy over outing, the word outing had been taken on to mean, you know, dragging people out of the closet, kicking and screaming or something like that, which was a real distortion on the media's part, but they certainly were making, they had made it into such a negative word. And I thought, on some level, this would be a way of making it more of a positive word, but also, I think coming out, I don't know, it just doesn't seem as serious, you know, and it's kind of like debutants come out, children come out and play, you know, it's very frivolous, but I think outing yourself is affirming and empowering. You talk a little bit about what you see as the order that people should come out in. Why do you find it to be that particular order? And talk about what the steps are. Sure, the steps, I mean, it's broken down into six parts, part one outing yourself to yourself, part two outing yourself to other gay people, part three outing yourself to your straight friends, part four outing yourself to your family, part five outing yourself to your co -workers and part six coming out every day. And those six parts are in 14

steps, the steps are in each part. And of course, many of us have come out not in that order. Many people have come out to their co -workers first and then come out to other gay people, some people have come out to their family before coming out to gay friends or straight friends. What I found though, after interviewing scores and scores of people, the people who had written me the letters, many of whose testimonies are in this book, I kept finding patterns. And I thought, okay, let's use those patterns. We're really the experts on coming out. We've all been through it. And so I would find patterns among them of what worked best and what didn't work and what I found was that people who tended to build a gay support group first to come out to other gay people. After first, of course, dealing with their own sexuality themselves, coming out to themselves in a full way and not and being getting past the self -loathing. And then going on to coming out to other gay people. And then going on to coming out to a straight group of friends and building that gay support group and straight support group, those people tended to fair best when they

finally came out to their parents, which is really what most people said was the hardest thing to do. And no matter how negatively their parents may have reacted, they still they still fair best because they had that gay support group to go to and some straight friends to go to and they had a lot of input. And they could also, by then, answer a lot of their parents questions about homosexuality. And they had a lot of practice by then in coming out. You also recommend that people do some homework and some research and kind of find out what gayness is all about first. Yes, I think again, this is one of the things in life that we do, we just do have hazardly. We wait until it controls us. We wait until somebody finds out we're gay and then suddenly we're in a dilemma. And we don't create a plan. And this book is really all about creating a plan. And we plan everything, you know, our education, our careers, how we're going to buy a new house or a new car. And yet we don't plan this. And so this is about a plan. And in the beginning

of that plan, it is about all the preparation. You can't possibly come out to other people and be confident and self assured. If you're still feeling uneasy about it yourself, if you still have a lot of self -loathing in yourself because society does tell us that homosexuality is terrible. And then of course, we internalize that. So I talk about early on about reading a lot of books, doing a lot of exercises that I have in the book that help you to overcome self -loathing, how to understand that your parents and your church can be anti -gay and what that's all about and how you can get past that. And learning the history of gay people in America and around the world, because another thing that people have are so many myths about what gay people are about. And again, you can't possibly come out to other people and feel confident unless you know the truth. So step three is actually learning the truth about being gay. You'd better get started on those first three steps to outing yourself before the next this way out. When Michelangelo Signorelli will tell Josie Cotogio how to proceed from there. Here's someone to tell you

why you'll want to know. I'm a man diverse. I'm not a straight woman, although I play one on TV. But acting belongs in television or in the movies, not in real life. I decided to come out as a lesbian. And this year on National Coming Out Day, you come out. Stop acting. Make the step that's right for you. Thanks for tuning into this way out the International Lesbian and Gay Radio Magazine. This week, Cindy Friedman, Brian Nunes, Jason Lynn, Bill Stocksign, Rex Walkner, Ron Buckmeyer, Bjorn Skollander, Susan Gage, Carol Selman, and Josie Cotogio contributed program material. Thanks also to Madeline Schwab. Myron McCormick performed, you've got to be carefully taught from South Pacific and Kim Wilson composed and performed our theme music. This way out is produced each week by a small staff of community volunteers and is sustained by financial support from the community.

Some of our operating expenses are funded by grants from the CPSS Watalupe Foundation and the Advocate, the award -winning National Gay and Lesbian News Magazine and through individual donations from listeners worldwide. So please write to this way out at post office box 38327 Los Angeles, California 90038 USA or email us at TWOradioatall .com and please be sure to include the call letters of this station. This way out is produced by Greg Gordon and Lucia Chappelle. And we thank you for listening on KUMD Duluth, Minnesota, W -O -B -C Oberlin, Ohio, K -R -C -L Salt Lake City, Utah, and over 85 other stations in eight countries. Including this community radio station. Now you all stay tuned.