1981

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January 7th, 1981

Members of the New Right movement plan to introduce several bills that they claim will strengthen the institution of the American family. The package includes bills that will change the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to allow an employer to fire a worker for being homosexual, furthering infringement on individual freedoms.

Sanders, Steve. “Hampering Individual Freedoms in the Name of Morality.” Indiana Daily Student, Jan 7, 1981.

January 19th, 1981

Bloomington coalition (a coalition of liberal political organizations) plans to march in protest on Kirkwood to resist the rise of the New Right. About 300 people are expected to protest. Speakers from American Federation of Teachers, Committee for Democracy in Latin America, and the Bloomington Gay-Lesbian Alliance (BGLA) will address the rally with specific topics that they believed are threatened by the conservative trend in politics.

Richmond, Kyle. “Liberal Group to Protest Rise of New Right.” Indiana Daily Student, Jan 19, 1981.

January 29th, 1981

Director at the Education Exploration Center in Minneapolis, Minn., Polly Kellogg, advertises at Indiana University and universities across the nation for lesson plans for an anthology tentatively titled, “Teaching and Learning About Lesbians and Gays.” The lesson plans address the problems of students, teachers, and parents have in dealing with homosexuality.

Ross, Tina. “Anthology to Dispel Gay Myths.” Indiana Daily Student, Jan 29, 1981.

February 18th, 1981

Switchboard offers advice for local gays receives approximately 80-100 calls per day from lesbians and gays in the local Bloomington area. Many callers make inquiries about the date or time of a dance sponsored by the Bloomington Gay and Lesbian Alliance or to see whether or not a local restaurant or bar welcomes gay clientele.

Whitaker, Kimberly. “Switchboard Offers Advice for Local Gays.” Indiana Daily Student, Feb 18, 1981.

April 7th, 1981

Students express the general negative attitude towards homosexuals in Bloomington, claiming that gays “field more abuse than any other minority group on campus- abuse coming from particularly men.”

Lavin, Chris. “Labels of Homosexuality Have the Strangest Sources.” Indiana Daily Student, April 7, 1981.

April 24th, 1981

Student responds to Lavin’s article on the ignorance of Indiana University students and the overall Bloomington community in regards to homosexuality. Student fully agrees with Lavin’s speculations and expresses extreme disappointment in the professor’s ability to teach on the issue of human sexuality.

Weiner, Allan Marc. “Profs Neglect Facts on Gays.” Indiana Daily Student, April 24, 1981.

May 7th, 1981

Student reports on two local gay men who have been married for three years. Both anonymous men tell their life stories of having to constantly defend their relationship and sexuality to the public, specifically in regards of having to prove their eligibility to adopt a child together. When the couple applied for adoption, they were either denied the right to adopt because they are labeled as unfit parents or would possibly be given a child after the child had been rejected by heterosexual couples.

North, Meg. “Gay Couple Enjoys ‘Married’ Life.” Indiana Daily Student, May 7, 1981.

May 29th, 1981

Student tells his personal story of coming out of the closet and expresses how he was pleased to find that his superiors in the military force in Germany recognized his capability to keep his personal life separate from that of his professional life. He states, “it possible for a gay person to be open and be judged as an individual and not as an abnormality.”

Pomroy, Brian L. “Gay Finds Acceptance.” Indiana Daily Student, May 29, 1981.

June 19th, 1981

Bloomington Gay and Lesbian alliance sponsors the Bloomington Lesbian and Gay Freedom week from June 20-28 with help from 20 other campus and city organizations. The program features lectures, athletic events, dinners, and workshops. Although the program is nationally organized, Bloomington is one of only 20 cities in the country—and the only non-major city in the United States- to program events of this kind.

Cummiskey, Genny. “Gay Freedom Week Celebrates Strides.” Indiana Daily Student, June 19, 1981.

June 26th, 1981

The US House of Representatives majority votes to exclude homosexuals from receiving funded legal aid services, which in effect will deprive gays of the opportunity to pursue their civil rights simply because they are gay.

Ruffra, Peggy S. “House Stages Massacre of Gay Rights by Approving Taxation Without Representation.” Indiana Daily Student, June 26, 1981.

August 10th, 1981

Growing concern about equal rights for homosexuals prompts the Indiana University Student Association (IUSA) to establish a new committee, called the Gay-Lesbian Concerns Committee. The committee was established on June 23 when Lewis Ryker, IUSA town senator and former president of the Bloomington Gay/Lesbian Alliance (BGLA) introduced the bill to the IUSA senate. The purpose of the new committee is to enable gay and lesbian students to have input in student government. One function of the committee is to document any discrimination against homosexuals because as of now, no laws exist to protect homosexuals against discrimination because of sexual orientation.

Noppenberger, Alicia. “IUSA Gives Gays Voice.” Indiana Daily Student, August 10, 1981.

August 12th, 1981

Student responds to newly organized gay committee and suspects that while IUSA may establish a committee to help homosexuals, students will be reluctant to actually serve on such a committee, regardless of their sexual preference and that peer pressure may determine how deep our supposed “tolerance” goes.

Doyle, Carolyn. “The Success of the Newly Organized Gay Concerns Committee Depends on Students.” Indiana Daily Student, August 12, 1981.

August 29th, 1981

A legislative study committee wants to take sex out of the Indiana Constitution by changing references to “man” and “men” to “person” and “people.” That instead of having all men are created equal, it would state that all people are created equally.

Siantalla, Michelle. “Constitution to Drop Sexism.” Indiana Daily Student, August 29, 1981.

August 31st, 1981

Professor Hammersmith along with two other Indiana University Bloomington professors, Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg, write a book on homosexuality based on researched conducted by the professors in association with the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research at IU. The authors find little support for the traditional theories of the causes of homosexuality and leave open the possibility of a biological origin. The New York Times runs a front page article on the study on August 23. Hammersmith and Weinberg are interviewed on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Nickens, Tim. “Book on Causes of Homosexuality is Creating National Publicity.” Indiana Daily Student, August 31, 1981.

September 30th, 1981

The novel “Who Was That Masked Woman” by Noretta Koertge, professor of history and philosophy of science at Indiana University, attempts to deflate the myth of lesbians being promiscuous, sick people who hate all men.

Morical, Mike. “’Masked Woman’ Wrestles With the Troubles of Lesbian.” Indiana Daily Student, September 30, 1981.

October 13th, 1981

The newly formed Gay-Lesbian Concerns Committee of the Indiana University Student Association proposes an amendment to the constitution to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual preference.

Arthur, Michelle. “Gays: Amendment Proposed to IUSA Constitution.” Indiana Daily Student, October 13, 1981.

October 26th, 1981

The Bloomington Gay and Lesbian Alliance (BGLA) reorganizes as it reconstructs itself in to an umbrella-like structure for the homosexual community. Under the reconstruction, the organization has no officers, only members. The alliance continues to operate the Gay/Lesbian Switchboard, the Lesbian and Gay Newsletter, the Lesbian/Gay Man Speakers Bureau and the Gay Youth Group and declares itself as now more of a community resource than a programming organization.

Brazy, Betsy. “Gay/Lesbian Alliance Reorganizes.” Indiana Daily Student, October 26, 1981.

October 29th, 1981

Indiana University Student Association amends the proposed resolution of the Constitution to add the words “sexual preference” to the constitution. The constitution now reads, “(IUSA) shall protect the individual liberties of the members… of the University community and at no time shall discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, sexual preference, or national origin.”

Ferrer, Ann. “IUSA Resolution Backs IU Gay Rights.” Indiana Daily Student, October 29, 1981. <comments />