Legislature backs down on ban against homosexual groups

"This is a great victory for the gay community in Arizona and we will continue to promote activism to prevent these things from surprising us in the future," said Jason Cianciotto, co-director of the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Association at the University of Arizona.

Last month Rep. Dan Schottel, R-Tucson, announced he would sponsor legislation denying access to university resources and facilities by homosexual student groups.

But Schottel, chairman of the House Education Committee, said yesterday he has abandoned support for the bill.

Without Schottel pushing the issue, groups like BGALA face no immediate threats.

Yet Cianciotto said the proposed legislation was a wake-up call for gay students throughout Arizona.

"The bill provided a lot of motivation for gay students to get up and get involved," Cianciotto said.

He said BGALA is working with gay student groups at Arizona State and Northern Arizona universities to form an intercollegiate gay council. He said the council would lobby the legislature to remove discriminatory statutes like the law against sodomy, which is a misdemeanor in Arizona.

"Historically the politicians who have opposed us the most have had the sodomy law in their back pocket to use against us," Cianciotto said.

With 500 members from ASU, and 100 each from the UA and NAU, the council would be the largest homosexual lobbying group in the state, he said.

Despite a lack of support among lawmakers, Cianciotto said Schottel's bill could still be tacked onto other education bills later in the legislative session.

"We are keeping our eyes and ears open to make sure they don't try to sneak this legislation in somewhere else down the road," he said.

By withdrawing his support from the proposed legislation, Schottel did not rule out the possibility of introducing similar legislation in the future.

"Maybe next year," Schottel said.

He originally sponsored the bill on behalf of Frank Meliti, head of the Arizona chapter of the Traditional Values Coalition.

Meliti said he was surprised and disappointed by Schottel's retraction.

"I don't know what happened. We had a bill drawn up and everything," Meliti said. "It's dead now because people like Dan Schottel did a complete turnaround."

Meliti said he has already started planning an anti-gay bill to be introduced next year. He said he is confident the measure will eventually pass through the legislature.

"We have a lot of support and a lot of members," he said.

Aside from planing for the intercollegiate gay council, Cianciotto said BGALA members are busy organizing activities for Gay Awareness Week, March 24-28.

He said the events will promote awareness and support for gay students at the UA.

"As BGALA continues to grow, we will feel more confident as an organization," he said. "This will enable us to form strong unions with gay groups at the other universities."

Reporter Tom Collins contributed to this report.