Because many organizations misunderstand the needs of homosexuals and bisexuals, gay and lesbian social services, medical, political, entertainment, and even religious organizations have formed. For example, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) and its associated Policy Institute advocate for gay civil rights, lobbying Congress for such things as a Federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Act, health care reform, AIDS policy reform, and hate-crime laws. In 1978 they successfully lobbied the Public Health Service to stop certifying all gay immigrants as “psychopathic personalities,” and they helped establish the Hate Crimes Statistics Act in 1987, which identifies and records hate crimes. Also well known are the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (for more information see the Web Resources at the end of this chapter) which pursues test — case litigation of concern to the gay and lesbian community, and the Human Rights Campaign Fund, which lobbies Capitol Hill on gay and lesbian rights, AIDS, and privacy issues.
Since the advent of the AIDS epidemic, many organizations have formed to help homosexuals and bisexuals obtain medical, social, and legal services. Local gay, lesbian, and bisexual organizations—including counseling centers, hotlines, legal aid, and AIDS information—have been established in almost every reasonably sized city in the United States.
The Harvey Milk School in New York City is the first and largest accredited public school in the world devoted to the educational needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youths. The school was named after a gay San Francisco elected official who was murdered in 1978. Fourteen — to eighteen — year-old students from across the country come to the Harvey Milk School to study in an environment where their sexual orientation is accepted and where they will not be ridiculed, ostracized, or assaulted, as many were in the schools they came from. Universities and colleges have also begun to offer gay and lesbian students separate housing, and many high schools provide Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) that help encourage tolerance and provide a place for students to meet.
Gay and lesbian media, including countless magazines and newspapers across the country, have also developed over the last 30 years. The largest and best — known magazine, The Advocate, is a national publication that covers news of interest, entertainment reviews, commentaries, gay — and lesbian-oriented products and services, and hundreds of personal ads. Other publications include Instinct magazine for gay men, QV for gay Latino men, BLK for gay African American men, and Noodle for gay Asian and Pacific Islander men. The Lesbian News and Off Our Backs are two of the biggest lesbian newspapers; BlackLace is specifically for African American lesbians.
Many gay, lesbian, and bisexual magazines are also available online, and some, such as the Triangle Journal News, are published only on the web. Bisexual magazines, such as Anything That Moves, are also popular and help connect bisexuals with one another. Popular magazines for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered parents, Gay Parent and Proud Parenting Magazine, have both done well. Finally, travel magazines, such as Out and About, are also available for gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons.
Review Question Most major cities have their own gay newspaper, some of which get national expo
sure; some noteworthy examples are New York’s Next, Philadelphia’s Gay News,
Explain why many gay, lesbian, and Chicago’s Free Press, and the Seattle Gay News. These papers are often the best first
bisexual groups have set up their own r 1 1 1 1 1 r i 1111
organizations, and give one example of sources for the young gay man or lesbian who is looking for the resources available in his
such an organization. or her community.