BOOK TO GIVE VOICE TO GAY, LESBIAN TEACHERS

In 1994, One Teacher in Ten: Gay and Lesbian Educators Tell Their Stories was published. The book gave voice to the experience of more than 30 gay and lesbian teachers. A decade later much has changed, and Alyson Publications has asked the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to update the anthology as Two Teachers in Twenty: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Educators Tell Their Stories.  GLSEN is soliciting for inclusion in the anthology nonfiction submissions of any length by current or former LGBT educators. A modest honorarium will be paid to each accepted author. To submit a piece for consideration, send either an electronic Microsoft word file to KJennings@GLSEN.org (note Two Teachers in Twenty in the subject line) or a hard copy to GLSEN 121 W. 27 St. # 804 New York, NY 10001.  The deadline for submissions is Aug. 1, 2003.

TAXING THE INTERNET

The AFT is geared up for a battle over Internet taxation.

This spring, two measures were introduced in the 108th Congress on the issue. The first, offered by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), would "indefinitely extend the existing moratorium on new and discriminatory Internet taxes." The second, introduced by Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), would "permanently ban taxes on Internet access, as well as taxes on Internet transactions by multiple jurisdictions, and discriminatory taxes that unfairly target Internet transactions"--in other words, e-commerce.

The AFT supports efforts by states to collect a reasonable sales tax on products sold on the Internet and will oppose a federal ban on such collections. The union is keeping a close eye on a state tax compact that is trying to facilitate the sales tax collections. The challenge has been logistical--creating a system to compute each state's Internet tax and collect it. Lately, because of the dire condition of most state budgets and the need for revenue, the compact's work has progressed swiftly.

REMEMBERING BROWN v. BOARD 50 YEARS LATER

May 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's historic Brown v. Board of Education decision, which effectively ended school segregation. To commemorate the occasion, the NAACP plans a full year of meetings and other activities, culminating in the organization's Daisy Bates Education Summit in Topeka, Kan., the birthplace of the historic legal challenge.

Led by attorney Thurgood Marshall, who would later be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, it was the NAACP Legal Defense Fund that took the lead in the fight for equity in America's schools. The NAACP's commemoration is expected to include a series of five summits in the home regions of each of the plaintiffs in the Brown case--Clarendon County, N.C., Prince Edward County, Va., Washington, D.C., Wilmington, Del., and Topeka.

The NAACP is also forming a Brown v. Board commission made up of representatives from a cross section of groups, including unions, professional associations, civil rights organizations, colleges, fraternities and sororities, corporations and foundations, and youth organizations.

FUN STUFF IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Coming to Washington, D.C., for the AFT's biennial QuEST Conference or another meeting? Or planning a family visit to the nation's capital? In either case, you might want to check out the AFT Web site.

The site features helpful links to Washington museums, restaurants, newspapers and theaters. It also connects visitors to information about tours and cruises, concerts and other fun stuff.

You can visit the site at http://www.aft.org/quest2003. And enjoy your stay in Washington, D.C.

Copyright by the American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO. All rights reserved. Photographs
and illustrations, as well as text, cannot be used without permission from the AFT.