The Washington Blade, August 29, 1986

              August 29 1986 • VoL 17, No. 35 750 Outside of D.C./Baltimore Areas
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THE GAY WEEKLY OF THE NATION'S CAPITAL
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Insurance
investigator
'weeding out'
lifestyles
by Lou Chilibaro Jr.
An internal memorandum obtained from
the nation's largest insurance investigative
agency shows that the agency is using
"personal lifestyle" factors to help deny
insurance to Gay men, the National Gay
Rights Advocates, a San Francisco based
litigatioa-group, said this week.
NGRA released the memorandum from
Equifax, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia, along
with a letter to an Equifax official charging
the agency with helping the country's
insurance companies use such factors as
marital status, occupation, and living
arrangements in a "thinly veiled attempt to
weed out Gay applicants."
The memorandum, dated July 18, is
entitled "Reports—Lifetyle—AIDS," and
was written by Lynne Crowe, product
manager for Equifax's life and health
insurance underwriting division.
The memorandum states that several
insurance company customers, including
Mutual of New York Life, have complained
that Equifax has ignored requests for
additional information about an insurance
applicant's personal lifestyle.
"Life customers have been assured that
we will provide them with full details to any
request for special attention to lifestyle," the
memorandum states.
"Life underwriters use a number of non-medical
criteria in their attempt to verify
individuals at high risk for AIDS," the
memorandum continues. "These criteria
may include age, sex, marital status,
occupation, beneficiary, and living
arrangements," the memorandum states.
Contoued on page 11
Schaefer's the favorite, but not with Gays in Md.,
by Lisa M. Keen
Gay organizations in Maryland have
stacked all their chips' and many of their
hopes behind Stephen Sachs in his bid to
win the Democratic nomination for
governor from front-runner Donald
Schaefer. —
Activists are ignoring the two-to-one
favorite in the all important September 9
primary because, they say, Baltimore
Mayor Schaefer just doesn't stack up
when it comes to Gay rights.
Gay groups in Baltimore are still angry
at Schaefer's refusal to support last year's
attempt to pass a Gay rights ordinance in
Baltimore City Council. Schaefer had
pledged to sigiathe bill, if passed; but City
Council dodged voting on the matter for
months while Gays pleaded with the
mayor to throw his .considerable
Influence behind the push for passage.
The mayor kept quiet, and after nine
months of mounting demonstrations by
Gays inside and outside city hall, the
Council finally split 11 to 7 to defeat the
measure.
"Many of us believe the mayor was
the major proponent behind the failure
of the civil rights bill," explains Kurt
Kugelbeig, co-chairman of the Baltimore
Gay Democratic Club which endorsed
Sachs. But that's not the only gripe about
Schaefer.
"He wouldn't find a proclamation for
Gay Pride Day," notes ICugelberg.
"He's never appeared before a Gay
organization, his liaison to the Gay
community has been "ineffectual," he's
"not comfortable with" Gays, and he
"doesn't understand the issues," adds
Curt Decker, chairman of the Anti-
Discrimination Fund, a new Gay
political action committee in Maryland.
Decker's group has given its largest
donation—$250—to the - Sachs
campaign.
The mayor's not all bad, however.
Continued on page 7 Mayor Donald Schaefer
Gays urged to be choosy about therapists
by Rick Harding
A Lesbian or Gay man seeking psycho-therapy
should not choose a therapist
simply because the therapist is Gay, says
Lesbian psychotherapist Dr. Laura Brown.
Brown, who spoke at a symposium on
the subject at the annual convention of the
American Psychological Association in
D.C. this week, said that it is essential for
anyone seeking therapy to be a "good
consumer" and to choose a therapist with
whom he or she feels comfortable. And the
best choice for a Gay person in need of help,
she said, is not necessarily a Gay therapist.
Very few therapists have any formal
training in Gay issues, Brown said, including
therapists who are Gay. She said that while
most Gay therapists are "well-meaning,"
that "cannot make up for impoverished
training."
Brown, who is president-elect of the 458-
member APA divisinn on Gay and Lesbian
issues, warned that some Gay therapists
may even prove detrimental to their clients.
"There's an old adage that you can't take
your client any further than you've gone
yourself," Brown said, noting that a Gay
therapist who is wrestling with internal
homophobia cannot be effective in helping
a Gay client to accept his or her own sexual
orientation.
Brown told of a Lesbian colleague who is
uncomfortable with her own orientation
and who, in lectures before gioups of
Hung Jury goes for title; Mr. P's holds on in NYC
a>.
by Lisa M. Keen
The Hung Jury Pub's women's
softball team won its semi-final round
against the State Farm 'Premiums"
Tuesday night and will go into the D.C.
Recreation league's championship game
tonight against the Blue Jay's.
Meanwhile, in the 10th annual Gay
World Series in New York's Central
Park, Mr. P's team represen;ng D.C. is 1
and 1 in the double-elimination
tournament after losing yesterday to the
Los Angeles Stammers, 8 to 6. (See
related story on page 9.)
In the Hung Jury's semifinal game
Tuesday night, the Premiums were the
first to score and held onto a tight lead
going into the 5th inning. They tagged
another three runs onto their lead in the
top of the 5th before turning the bat over
to the home team
But it was in the bottom of the 5th that
Continued on page 8
I echia.ns, routinely warns the women
always to "maintain a tight closet door."
"That's just not a healthy attitude,"
rown said, adding that when safe, it is
better for Gays and Lesbians to lead open
lives.
Brown stressed that when seeking help, it
is essential for a Gay person to find a
theiopist. Gay 07 not, who is "non-homophobic."
She said that through a
therapist's actions, it is usually easy to tell
whether he or she is "homophobic."
Brown 5,71:,S "Ehopp.ing, an-311:nd" for
therapist and said that a client should not be
afraid to leave a therapist if the cant feels
uncomfortable.
"If you find that your problems are just
getting deeper over a period of time," she
said. "don't be afraid to tell the therapist that
you feel on are not suited for each other
and that you would like to tra another
therapist." The best advice, he said.
your instincts."
Brown also said not to he afraid to !=top
seeina a therapist if his or her callas eerie
into question.
"Et is never ethical" and is "always a
mistake" for a themaist to line a personal
or sexual relationship whit a client, she said.
Cannanneicnpage
Research on homosexuality;
from cause to cure? 3
Nearly 400 register
for Statehood Party 4
Two more anti-Gay referenda
bite the dust 15
Sunday's downtown festival
features local talent 19
Hung Jury's Patty Lewis takes second at the start °fa winning rally Tuesday night.