Union to Review Tape
Allege Guild Officer Used Anti-Gay Slur

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

A group of Civil Service Technical Guild activists has urged union President Claude Fort to take action against an executive board member for allegedly making homophobic comments at a union meeting.

CLAUDE FORT: Reserving judgment.

The members assert that Sergeant at Arms David Grant used the word "faggot" at a meeting of the Guild - which is Local 375 of District Council 37 - and then passed out passages from the Bible at a September executive board meeting that refer to homosexuality as an "abomination" and "detestable." They believe that as a grievance representative, Mr. Grant cannot properly service lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender members if he holds biased opinions towards them.

Grant: Never Said It

Mr. Grant has denied using the word "faggot" and has asked the executive board at its next meeting Nov. 7 to review a tape recording of the original meeting to bolster his claim.

"As far as responding to any accusations," Mr. Grant said, "I don't have a response; the discussion was supposed to have stayed in our meeting."

When asked about the Leviticus quotations that he passed around at the executive board meeting, he said, "I should apologize for doing something in my defense

Don't people pass out flyers from the opposition to show what they have to say?"

The Leviticus quotations read, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is an abomination" and "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." There were also definitions of "faggot" and "homophobia" from the Oxford Dictionary included in the handouts.

Denies Bias

In a letter written to Mr. Fort, Mr. Grant asserted that it was he who was owed an apology, and denied that he was biased against gays. "I'm a Christian, I love mankind and I'm commanded to love everyone regardless of their preference," he wrote. "I'm not commanded to love or accept everyone's preferences; I've chosen not to accept the homosexual or lesbian lifestyle for myself."

Members of the local demanding action are convinced that Mr. Grant has a bigoted attitude towards gays and lesbians. "Our gay and lesbian members are furious," said Fred Newton, chair of the local's lesbian and gay caucus. "Any agency's Equal Employment Opportunity unit would crucify him for what he said."

Mr. Newton and Jeffrey Oshin, co-chair of the committee and secretary of the local's Chapter 10, wrote a letter to Mr. Fort stating that "We trust you will take swift action to undo the harm caused by Brother Grant."

Mr. Fort said that Mr. Grant had denied making the comments and asked the board to listen to the tape. He said the board will do so on Nov. 7 and make a decision about what to do after it has reviewed it. "We do not accept any form of bigotry or discrimination in the union," Mr. Fort said. "We are a diverse union and that is our strength."