G SO
NEWSLETTER a.“
LEXINGTON GAY SERVICES ORGANIZATION .
POST OFFICE BOX 11471
" TOGETHER —-
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY 40511 GAY AND PROUD"
DECEMBER 1984
”W —
GA? BASHINE ElLL SPERH RESEARCH TIELDS CLUES TU AIDS
SIGNED IN CALIFORNIA
Five years before the first American was
California Governor George Deukmejian has signed stricken with RIBS, researchers at the University
a bill which will enable gay and lesbian victims of of Cincinnati Medical Center began a study of sperm
anti-gay violence to sue their attackers, and that is now yielding intriguing clues about the
harassers who threaten then with violence, for a mysterious disease.
$10a000 penalty plus an; damages. The work began in 1976 in the lab of Dr. Evelyn
l have signed this ill because I don’t believe Hess, the director of the division of ianunology
anyone should be singled out for violent attack for and a national authority in the field. Hess was
any reason,‘ the governor wrote in a letter interested in exploring the consequences a
distributed to assembl" oenbers on September 26, vasectoay has on the male immune system.
the day he signed the bill. After this operation, in which a physician
The new law takes effect on New Year’s Day. severe the sperm-carrying duct in the scro on, many
Earlier. Deuklejian had vetoed a gay civil gen begin to absorb components of sperm into their
rights bill, claiming that there was no evidence own bloodstreaa. Not onl“ that, but a significant
that anti-gay job discrimination existed. percentage also develop antibodies to the luid.
--The fi_yggate Hess watched this unusual occurrence and
demonstrated in a test tube that seminal plasaa-one
of the iain ingredients in sperm-could interfere
with the intricate defense system the body lounts
« arainst disease.
HttENtIUN READERS 4 Normally sperm doesn’t find its way into the
We’ve received numerous letters over the ast hthhh ht gen ht ”hhhh' h feeale’s reproductive
several aonths from eople interested in seehing organs apparently have_ protective mechanisgs ht
more information about EBB. Some want to becoae therr . own. H955 531d! "htth flake tt “I‘DSt
more involved in hel ing the gay coalunity. and ththSlhle for thhh to absorb Sperm 1hth.th9 hthhh-
others just want to poet a few new friends... For hht ‘ vasectomy htthhES a unique Ctrthhhtahth
these people and others who have wanted to become tht hEh' htth the hhtt tht! some ht the tthth can
more involved in 850, we are encouraging you to hht get hht‘..th9 hth Shat5.1t ”P thsthhh- .
cone to Decenber’s general business oeetin . You I 959 tthhthhs as’thh a ttESh Sighttttahte wnen
can just sit and listen and find out what 350 is thb began to spread through gay cooounities on the
all about. or iust stop by and meet a few nice East an _hest coasts a few years ago. Although the
folks. ‘ ' devastating syndrome has also been contrac ed by
The general business meetings are held at the Haitians, hhhhhhtttatss the thtthtEhtS ht hthhd
Coaprehensive Care Center on the corner of Upper transquIOns, intravenous drug users and the1r
and hechanic Streets. Heetingg start at BF“ and hetersezual mates, male homosexuals have still been
last abnut an hour. He usually “adjourn“ to the the hardest hit. More than 702 of nIDS patients
Bungalow afterwards for a little pleasant are gay. . . .
conversation. He loot forward to seeing YD! this as the blood of these Victims was scrutinized,
Monday, December 3rd! ‘ data. began to accumulate from around the country
‘ showin‘ that many gay patients were carrying sperm
RM“ antiboiiies in their blood. Hess explained that the
"‘ sperm probably seeps thrOU‘h the walls of the
rectum after repea ed eoisollec of anal infarrourse
A PF OLI D 5 and then undergoes chages in the Hood.
. icont. on pg. 5*