ABSTRACT
For the thirteenth time, a New York City Gay Rights Bill that would have guaranteed equal protection in housing, jobs, and public accommodation, went down to crushing defeat at the hands of the City Council General Welfare Committee. Over two hundred speakers testified for fifteen hours as speeches ranged from the boring to the bizarre. All the anti-gay speakers, except for one, represented religious organizations. Support came from gay organizations and from city officials. The National Organization for Women and the Reproductive Rights National Network were the only mixed women's organizations to speak in favor of the bill. The debate frequently became a battle between orthodox antigay groups and gay Jews. The visible presence of religious Jews in beards and long coats also provoked a significant amount of anti-Semitism from gay activists. Dov Lerner of Jews for a Moral America claimed that gays supported the bill so they could go on the streets and procure boys.
