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Stories Covering The DC Metro Area Law
Extends Benefits To Same-Sex Couples By
Mike Allen President Bush has signed a bill allowing death benefits to be paid to the domestic partners of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty, permanently extending a federal death benefit to same-sex couples for the first time. The new law allows a $250,000 federal benefit for survivors of public safety officers to be paid to any beneficiary listed on the victim's life insurance policy. The money has been available only to spouses, children and parents. Gay activists had lobbied for the bill, and the Justice Department had objected to it, saying in a letter to Congress that the benefit had been designed for immediate survivors with pressing needs and that the bill was "likely to create unintended and unfortunate results." The White House revealed the decision with a minimum of fanfare, sending a one-sentence e-mail Monday night, shortly after Bush had delivered a long-delayed speech outlining a new framework for Middle East peace. David Smith of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay organization, said he hopes the new law will be "the beginning of government recognition that gay families deserve the same rights and privileges that non-gay families have." Domestic partners are not included in other federal death benefits. Members of the military may leave the proceeds of their life insurance to anyone they wish, but government benefits -- including monthly survivor payments and burial assistance -- can go only to a surviving spouse or child. The new law is named for the Rev. Mychal F. Judge, the New York Fire Department's chaplain for nine years, who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center. Judge, who ministered to gay Catholics and has been described in news reports as gay, had directed that the benefits go to his two sisters. It is retroactive to Sept. 11 and will apply in future cases. The fire department has told lawmakers at least eight other Sept. 11 victims had designated beneficiaries who did not qualify, including several domestic partners. The White House e-mail said the new law "adds chaplains to the list of individuals eligible for the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program and allows life insurance beneficiaries to qualify as eligible survivors for death benefits if a public safety officer has no surviving spouse or child." Scott McClellan, a White House spokesman, said the law honors the wishes of victims. "It is not a determination of legal status," he said. White House officials also pointed out that the law is similar to the government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which gives administrators discretion that could result in the awarding of benefits to domestic partners. The announcement represented a rare case in which Bush was willing to take on the Republican Party's right wing. Indeed, the decision incited some conservative leaders, who already were displeased with Bush about issues that include his approval of campaign finance reform and support for a Palestinian state. "Homosexual folks see this as a first step toward recognizing homosexuality on the same level as marriage, and that's what it will be used for," said the Rev. Lou Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition. Gay activists said that although the Bush administration has been surprisingly non-hostile to their issues, it also has avoided provoking conservatives by appearing too accommodating. White House officials held an unannounced briefing in April for the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay group. The White House said it has recently provided similar sessions for groups including Jews and grocers. Throughout June, gay federal employees have been allowed to use government buildings, and in some cases official time and e-mail, for events celebrating Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. At the Commerce Department, gay employees took a 100-minute weekday lunch break to watch "The Laramie Project," an HBO film about a theater company's exploration of the beating death of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student. At the same time, Bush declined for the second year in a row to follow the lead of President Bill Clinton and sign a proclamation designating Pride Month. Some agencies cited that in refusing to allow their civil rights offices to sponsor events. Partly for that reason, a group representing gay Commerce Department employees has filed a complaint with the department alleging it has not followed internal regulations that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, said gay activists had feared Bush would roll back executive orders signed by Clinton that ban discrimination in the federal workplace on the basis of sexual orientation and bar the use of sexual orientation as a criterion for determining security clearance. The White House has made no move in that direction. "This administration has remained studiously neutral on the issue of gay Americans," Birch said. "They realize they made some inroads in the last election. On the other hand, they're constantly monitoring their right flank." Exit polls show Bush took 25 percent of the gay vote, a statistically insignificant increase from Robert J. Dole's 23 percent in 1996. Conservatives had a mixed reaction to the new law. Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation said it sets a potentially expensive precedent. "Putting the stamp of approval on a deviant lifestyle should not be the mark of a conservative administration," he said. However, Michael Schwartz of Concerned Women for America noted that the new law does not say anything specific about domestic partners. He said the only way to avoid having them benefit would be to single out such arrangements. © 2002 The Washington Post Company Printed without permission from the Washington Post website. Read the story at the Washington Post website
Domestic
Partner Plan A Go After 10-Year Wait By Avram Goldstein The District government is preparing to launch one of the nation's broadest domestic partnership programs next month, a move that was delayed for 10 years by Congress and nearly watered down recently by Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D). But after Williams upset some gay activists last week by fretting about the unknown cost of extending partnership benefits to a wide range of couples, including unmarried relatives, he let it go forward in the form passed by the D.C. Council in 1992. Until September, Congress had consistently blocked the legislation from taking effect. The program is often associated with gay couples, but the majority of people expected to sign up are heterosexual, officials say. The law will immediately make thousands of unmarried people who live with District government workers eligible to purchase membership in a city health plan and provide coverage to their own children. The health care benefit has no effect on any private employer. Those with domestic partner certificates will have the right to visit a partner in a nursing home or hospital despite objections from relatives, and they will have authority over the remains of partners after death. The law authorizes the city to register adults as domestic partners if they present evidence that they are unmarried, living together in the same domicile, over 18 years of age and mentally competent. There is no residency requirement, but the rights of partners are enforceable only within the District, said Ronald Lewis, deputy director of the D.C. Health Department. If the partnership ends, either partner can terminate the registration after a six-month wait. The department's vital-records office plans to issue certificates beginning July 8, Lewis said, and they will be suitable for framing. "It is a way for people to get insurance coverage," Lewis said. "It fits well with the goal of getting people access to health care." City officials expect to issue 5,000 to 8,000 certificates in the first year. Each will cost $45. "I think the gay community is excited," said Wanda Alston, special assistant to the mayor for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered affairs. "We believe it's long overdue." Still, the administration remains wary about the financial impact, even though domestic partners of city employees will pay the entire cost of joining the city's health plans. For a city employee who belongs to the Aetna health maintenance organization, taxpayers pay about $150 a month and the worker has about $50 a month deducted from his or her paycheck. A domestic partner who joins the same plan would pay the full $200 a month, deducted from the worker's paycheck. Three of the city's four health plans -- Cigna PPO, Aetna HMO and Kaiser Permanente HMO -- have agreed to enroll additional employees this year without a rate increase. But Williams and Milou Carolan, the District's personnel director, say actuaries predicted that domestic partnership could drive up premiums for everyone next year. As a result, the administration had considered limiting the program to partners unrelated by blood to keep the system's cost in check. Bob Summersgill, president of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, said that when Williams testified before Congress on Wednesday, the mayor said it was not the intention of the D.C. Council to have the broad eligibility. "I don't want to say what his motives were," Summersgill said. "He was certainly incorrect. [Council Chairman] Linda Cropp corrected him in front of Congress." Alston said the discussion focused on fears that high medical costs among domestic partners could push health plan premiums up sharply for all employees, not just the domestic partners who would pay 100 percent of their premiums. "We want a benefit, not a penalty," she said. But council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (D-Ward 5) rejected the idea and the administration backed off, she said. "Orange liked that the law was more inclusive," Alston said. Staff writer Craig Timberg contributed to this report. © 2002 The Washington Post Company Printed without permission from the Washington Post website. Read the story at the Washington Post website
On
the Sheer Joy of Playing Tennis and Singing With a Chorus in Washington Washington, D.C., has many different faces. The historical, the political and the international get a lot of attention. The city is also a cultural center, home of everything from hip-hop music to the Smithsonian. But after living here off and on in my childhood and continuously since 1977, my unique hometown presents a different face to me that is more personal and accessible. Washington, D.C., is a tennis town, with courts tucked in nooks and crannies throughout the city where the cost of court time is free or extremely reasonable. Drivers entering the Southeast/Southwest Freeway off Third or I streets SE can quickly, very quickly, glimpse two courts by the ramp. Sometimes, the courts are full and people are waiting to play. Sometimes, dogs relentlessly exercise, pursuing a derivative form of tennis by retrieving yellow balls for as long as their human companions are willing to throw them. Washington, D.C., is a choral town. On any given Friday in the Weekend listings of The Post, you can find at least five choral concerts featuring a broad spectrum of repertoire and artistry. You can attend a concert in a variety of churches and performance venues. Take your pick. There is something for every ear. For close to 25 years, I've been pursuing an amateur career in tennis. I play at the public courts at Hains Point, also called East Potomac Park. For many delightful years, the administrative office for the courts was a run-down shack that housed two very small changing rooms. A tired player or a player just looking for an excuse could sit at a little table with checkered tablecloths, reminiscent of an Italian restaurant, drink a beer or two and enjoy the cheery personality of Vernon Fenwick, who was almost always working the counter. In those days, a hot dog was also available. In the name of progress, the hut was upgraded to the current building. Fortunately for us, officials kept the efficient, reliable and pleasant Vernon and more or less eliminated the unpleasant smell that the older building emitted after a heavy rain. Sadly, the beer was replaced with a vending machine that dispenses only bottled water. The organizing principle of my tennis group, which has no name, is that six players divide and share the cost of two weekly hours of seasonal time. It amounts to about $225 per person from April through October. Each spring, one of us reserves the court for the next season, and each fall, one of us compiles a playing schedule. Somewhere in there, the money is collected. All of these logistics are handled without undue stress. The personality of my tennis group is actually reflected in another aspect of my life, in which I pursue my amateur career as a choral singer. I sing in the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C. (LGCW) and in Not What You Think (NWYT), a smaller, affiliated a cappella ensemble. Like my tennis group, these two are non-auditioned groups and operate as consensus-based organizations. I often think that my tennis group should adopt the same name as my ensemble, and here's why. From the moment that our tennis schedule is released (via e-mail, of course!), we begin to trade dates. This is to be expected in a busy world. We do, however, seem to suffer from a fair amount of miscommunication and confusion, a condition that I am amused to call "not what you think." We often arrive at the court not knowing who will also be appearing. On my short drive to the courts, I always hope for three others because if there are only two others, we must consider opting for the dreaded exercise of two playing one. Sometimes, we have two no-shows, which results in singles, but with all due respect to my tennis partners, we aren't getting any younger. On more than one occasion, five players have turned up, a situation best addressed with laughter. However, most often, four eager people are there, and we enjoy almost two hours of reasonably competitive doubles. At chorus rehearsal on Tuesday evenings on Capitol Hill, where 50 or so people come together, we reaffirm the purpose of our gathering on a weekly basis. Rehearsals are a serious commitment of time, but they are fun. Our concerts result from hours of rehearsal, and we also have sectionals and independent study. Singing together, we come to appreciate that each person brings an important voice to the overall sound that the chorus creates, a testament to the concept that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We believe that every voice matters. In my pursuit of tennis balls and high notes, I am intrigued by the similarities of the two endeavors. Both require immense amounts of discipline, repetition and concentration in order to achieve anything approaching satisfying execution. In tennis, as in singing, the breath is profound. Tennis and singing use my whole body. Tennis and singing reveal important life lessons. They have bolstered my self-esteem. They have given me an appreciation for the different ways that people get through life. They have been there for me in tough and good times. Amateurs are those who love what they are doing. I cherish my amateur life lessons. They have increased my profound love of this diverse city. Jill Strachan, an arts activist, freelances primarily in arts administration and lives in Southeast Washington.
Printed without permission from the Washington Post website. Read the story at the Washington Post website
Gay
Bias Charged In Deaths A federal grand jury has charged a Maryland man with capital murder in the 1996 slayings of two women at a secluded campsite in Shenandoah National Park and said he singled out his victims because of their gender and sexual orientation, the Justice Department announced yesterday. Darrell D. Rice has long been suspected in the deaths of Julianne M. Williams and Laura S. "Lollie" Winans, and now faces the death penalty based in part on general statements he made about women and the crime, authorities said. Williams, 24, and Winans, 26, were found June 1, 1996, at their tent about a half-mile from the Skyland Lodge on Skyline Drive. Their throats were slashed and their hands were bound. The federal grand jury in Charlottesville said Rice, 34, of Columbia, selected Williams and Winans because of his hatred of women and gay people. The case marks the first time that prosecutors have invoked a 1994 law that allows the government to seek harsher penalties for crimes motivated by bias against gay people, Justice Department officials said. "Just as the United States will pursue, prosecute and punish terrorists who attack America out of hatred for what we believe, we will pursue, prosecute and punish those who attack law-abiding Americans out of hatred for who they are," Attorney General John D. Ashcroft said at a news conference. "Hatred is the enemy of justice, regardless of its source. We will not rest until justice is done for Julianne Marie Williams and for Lollie Winans." Ashcroft said the toughened penalties for gender and anti-gay crimes "are key to our ability to request the death penalty in cases like this." The 1994 law means prosecutors can seek to use evidence showing Rice's alleged biases, including a 1997 attack on a female bicyclist in the same national park, legal analysts said. Rice has been jailed in the Petersburg, Va., federal prison since he pleaded guilty to attempted abduction for that crime in 1998, said U.S. Attorney John Brownlee of the Western District of Virginia. The cases are in federal court because the attacks occurred in a national park. Winans and Williams were last seen May 23 while on a five-day hike through the popular park. Their deaths terrified hikers, and the National Park Service came under fire for waiting 36 hours to tell visitors that a killer was at large. Williams's father, Tom, 55, praised authorities for sticking with the case: "We are very thankful for today, that the indictment did come down and the accused is off the streets. . . . We hope he will never be on the streets again and never see a waterfall again." Williams came with Julianne's mother, Patsy Williams, from Saint Cloud, Minn., to meet with Ashcroft before the announcement.
Prosecutors said in a court filing that they will seek the death penalty because of "the defendant's stated intent that he intentionally selected women to intimidate and assault because 'they are more vulnerable than men.' " They also quoted Rice as saying he "hates gays" and that Winans and Williams "deserved to die because they were lesbian whores." Prosecutors also wrote that they plan to prove that the "killing of the two women was part of an ongoing plan . . . to assault, intimidate, injure and kill women because of their gender." No arraignment date has been set. Former U.S. attorney Robert P. Crouch Jr., who oversaw the case before stepping down last year, said investigators began looking for a connection to the 1996 slayings shortly after Rice was arrested in the 1997 attack. In that assault, Ashcroft said, Rice "accosted the woman, angrily screamed sexual references towards her and attempted to force her into his truck." Rice "was the major focus of the investigation for quite some time," Crouch said, adding that investigators built their case carefully because they knew Rice already was jailed. Sources familiar with the investigation said the federal grand jury has been hearing testimony for at least several months. Rice does not yet have an attorney in this case. Lloyd Snook, who handled the 1997 case for Rice, said his former client was questioned extensively about the 1996 killings but that Rice has said he has witnesses who would give him an alibi. At the time, FBI and National Park Service investigators "had a lot of questions, but they didn't have answers," Snook said. "I don't know what has changed." Ashcroft and Brownlee would not say whether investigators believe Rice is connected to the still-unsolved 1996 string of about 20 stalkings of female drivers on U.S. Route 29 in the same part of Virginia. Authorities have long believed the stalkings culminated in the March 1996 abduction and slaying of Alicia Showalter Reynolds, a pharmacology student. Gay rights groups hailed the indictment and the use of the gay bias law. "This is a giant step forward," said David Smith, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign. But both Smith and Betsy Gressler of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said the 1994 law does not go far enough because it toughens penalties only for people already charged in federal crimes -- in Rice's case, capital murder on U.S. lands. Federal prosecutors can charge a separate hate crime only for targeting a victim's race, religion or national origin. A bill that would allow broader federal prosecution for crimes based on gender, sexual orientation or disability is pending in Congress. Ashcroft said yesterday that the Justice Department is reviewing that bill and has not taken a position. At the time of her death, Winans was finishing a degree at Unity College in Maine. Williams received a geology degree summa cum laude from Carleton College in Minnesota in 1994. She was about to start work with young people at the Lake Champlain Project, her father said. Both women had worked as interns for Woodswomen Inc., a Minneapolis-based group that provides outdoor education programs for women. "Julie was reaching out to young people and teaching them about the outdoors," Tom Williams said. "She had an innate sense about justice." He said the Williams family had talked about the death penalty and have concluded that they would respect the decisions of prosecutors and a jury on whether Rice should be executed if convicted. The possibility that his daughter was the victim of a bias crime "is so overwhelming. It's so terrifying for any woman to know that they can be targeted because they appear to be vulnerable," he said. "Whatever is learned, whether it be new laws, new prosecutions, new awareness . . . what little good can come from this, we would welcome." © 2002 The Washington Post Company Printed without permission from the Washington Post website. Read the story at the Washington Post website Related Links: Department of Justice John Ashcroft Press Conference |
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