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LEXINGTON GAY/LESBIAN SERVICES ORGANIZATION, p. 0.. BOX 11471, LEXINGTON, x2 40575
I
GAYS PROTEST CRACKER BARREL S HIRING POLICY
The anti-gay hiring practices of customers."
Cracker Barrel restaurants were But the company's hiring
protested at the corporation's practices continue to discriminate
eadquarters in Lebanon, Tenn. on against gay people according
August 11. About 150 people from spokespersons for the Coalition
several Southern states staged the Oppose to Cracker Barrel Policy.
non-violent protest against the The coalition includes several gay
corporation. and lesbian rights groups and many
Last year the company adopted a labor union activists.
policy that stated, "it is
inconsistent with our concepts and .
values, and is perceived to be DRUG "AZT" HELPS REDUCE
inconsistent with those of our ONSETOFFULL-BLOWNAIDS
customer base, to continue to
employ individuals in our People infected with the AIDS
operating units whose sexual virus can greatly delay their
preferences fail to demonstrate progression to full-blown AIDS if
normal heterosexual values." they take the drug AZT and other
The chain fired at least 15 gay medications to fight off a deadly
men or lesbians on the basis of pneumonia, accor ing to a study
their sexual orientation. Over done at John Hopkins University.
the past several months, gay The study was done on 2,516 gay
protesters have staged sit—ins and and bisexual men from Baltimore,
ave been arrested at restaurants Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh,
where the firings took place. Chicago, and Los Angeles. It found
The August 11 protest began with that the drugs reduced by 60
a rally in Nashville; then the percent the chances that an
protesters drove to the restaurant infected person would progress to
at the corporation headquarters in AIDS in a six-month period.
Lebanon. More than 40 picketed AZT has been widely used in
outside the restaurant and 90 treating AIDS since 1987, when it
others occupied tables inside receive federal approval. Since
between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. then, other drugs such as the
The restaurant's management made aerosol pentamadine have been
no response to the action and it used to fight an AIDS related
was we 1 covered by the media in pneumonia that claims the lives of
Nashville, said Bill Turner, a many AIDS patients.
coordinator for the sit-in. "The study demonstrated that
A press release issued by the these drugs could have a major
company in February stated, "Our effect on the community's hea th
recent position on the employment if they become readily available,"
of homosexuals in a limited number said Dr. Scott Zeger, professor of
of stores may have been a biostatistics at the John Hopkins
well-intentioned over reaction to School of Hygiene and Public
the perceived values of our Health in Baltimore. CONTINUED ON PAGE2