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CIVIL SERVICE BANS ANTI-GAY DISCRIMINATION THE civil service is to ban discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, becoming one of the first employers in the State to do so. The move comes as part of a significant agreement on people with AIDS working in the civil service, drawn up by the Union of Professional and Technical Civil Servants (UPTCS). The agreement states that "discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or medical condition (e.g. haemophilia) will not be tolerated in the Civil Service". It also says that "nothing in this policy state­ment is to be interpreted as constituting a waiver of man­ agement’s reponsability to maintain discipline or its right to take disciplinary measures under normal disciplinary pro­cedures." The backbone of the agree­ment is that civil servants who have AIDS or are HIV positive will be kept on "for as long as they can perform their duties to an acceptable standard." The normal sick leave regula­tions apply. This is normally six months on full pay fol­lowed by six months on half pay, after which there is a review. The policy is being distri­buted to all civil servants as Circular 12/88. It also men­tions that medical records must remain confidential. A spokesman for the UPTCS, which negotiated the agree­ment, said they were having talks with An Post and Tele­com Eireann about introducing the same policy.

IRISH AIDS CONFERENCE A major conference on AIDS is scheduled for All Hallows College at Drumcondra, Dublin on the weekend of 26-28 August. The organisers of the conference, AIDS Action Alliance in Dublin and AIDS Helpline in Belfast, aim to bring together over 100 people with a high level of AIDS awareness and experience who will implement an effective strategy to "ensure that everyone who is affected by the (HIV) virus has access to the support and service provision they need, and that people in Ireland receive the education necessary to prevent the spread of the disease". Both organisations have joined forces to run the conference as Irish AIDS Initiative (IAI). IAI's aims, among other things, are to devise action plans covering AIDS on social, political, medical and personal levels and to produce a Charter of Rights for people with AIDS/HIV. The conference will be workshop based and IAI intend it to represent the full range of experience of AIDS in Ireland.

Lesbian and Gay Youth Group Outing It has now become standard practice that the Youth Group goes on an outing every bank holiday Monday. This particular holiday saw us going on an outing to "The Scalp", a big hill/small mountain just outside Enniskerry. We had arranged to meet outside the Central Bank at 11.00, to catch the 11.30 bus to Enniskerry. Due to the occurrence of a birthday party the night before, some people were a bit under the weather, but prepared to give it a try anyway. Fifteen people boarded the bus and were subsequently given a guided tour of Dublin, with night clubs etc. indicated to newer members of the group. Also pointed out was "the window" where the people on the last outing beheld a wonderful sight. At roughly 12.30, we alighted from the bus and proceeded to begin the climb, undaunted by the rain. After a little uncertainty as to where to go when we hit the top, we eventually found ourselves eating lunch under the shelter of a large pine tree. Suitably nourished, and after more debating as to which direction to take, we proceeded on to "the tower", where we played a sort of rugby, much to the amusement of some local children! (They learned something about love anyway). Some of us then proceeded to climb the tower, while others panicked quietly (or not!) with their feet firmly planted par terre. The privileged few took the short way back to Enniskerry (and by car too), while the rest of us had to plod along the 5 mile back-road, to eventually meet them at the pub an hour later. We got our strength back there before getting the bus back home at 5.30, by which time we could only manage to collapse into each other's arms. So tired was the group that we all went to bed VERY early, not even having the energy for a night in the pub! Tony Murphy

NO RINGING TONE FOR TAF Tel-A-Friend, Dublin's Gay Switchboard and more commonly known as TAF, has been off the air since late June. The Switchboard, which has been operating with considerable hassle since the fire at the Hirschfeld Centre last year, normally operates 2 telephone lines for three hours every evening. For the past two weeks it has been piggy-back riding on the three-night-a -week AIDS Helpline phone number (Dublin 307888). TAF was formed in 1974, making it Ireland's oldest gay organisation. In 1979 it moved into the Hirschfeld Centre with the National Gay Federation,which financially supported the befriending and information telephone service up until last year's fire. The Switchboard has excellent relations with The Samaritans and other help agencies. It handles about 5.000 calls per year from gay people throughout the island. TAF also organises the very successful ICEBREAKERS meetings in Dublin for gay people "coming out of their closet" and others feeling isolated or lonely. The National Gay Federation has been helping the Switchboard to find suitable, short-term accommodation. Postal enquiries to TAF are still being accepted at the old address, i.e. 10 Fownes Street, Dublin 2. Letters for answering by Dear Dorothy should be sent to GCN at PO.BOX 931, Dublin 4.

WE ARE EVERYWHERE A video detailing the work of International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) is available from the National Gay Federation offices for a small hiring charge. The video is entitled, "We are Everywhere" and has some good images of the lesbian and gay community worldwide. VHS only. Telephone (01)732693 [2-5pm] for details.

AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT GOES WORLDWIDE The Names Project, a US AIDS Memorial based in San Fransicso, taking the form of a huge quilt with individual 90cmx180cm panels bearing the name of a single person lost to AIDS, has recently made the decision to launch the Quilt worldwide. Eighty panels-from the Quilt were displayed at the 4th International Conference on AIDS in Stockholm on June 16. The Quilt, already consisting of nearly 5,000 panels, was first displayed in the United States on the Capitol Mall in Washington, DC in October 1987 (see photo). The memorial is an ongoing project and panels continue to be added as an example of a compassionate response to the AIDS situation. According to Cleve Jones, Executive Director of The NAMES Project, the goals of the Quilt are : "To illustrate the impact of the AIDS epidemic by showing the humanity behind the statistics, to provide a positive and creative means of expression for those whose lives have been touched by the epidemic and to raise vital funds and encourage support for people with AIDS and their loved ones". Jones, who presented the selection of panels at the Stockholm Conference, told delegates that "AIDS is a global issue and the Quilt is a symbol of unity in the global struggle against the disease".Readers of GCN who wish to create a panel for the Quilt should send a request for further information to the National Gay Federation enclosing an SAE, at PO Box 931, Dublin 4.

BRITISH DAY CENTRE FOR HIV PATIENTS OPENS The Kobler Centre, the first day centre of its kind in Britain offering advice, assessment and treatment for HIV positive patients, opened its doors at St Stephen's Hospital in Fulham, London on July 4. The aim of the centre is to enable HIV positive people to stay in the community for as long as possible, through the provision of outpatient monitoring, treatment and investigations on a day care basis. It will also relieve some of the extra inpatient demands which have been placed on the hospital in recent years as the country's leading centre for the treatment of people with AIDS. Up to 18 patients will be seen each day at the centre, which is part of a six storey development at the hospital. Over 12,000 patients will be seen each year in the outpatients clinic and 4,500 a year in the day centre.The £4 million cost of the centre has been funded jointly by Riverside Health Authority and the Charity CRUSAID, whose original offer of funding provided the stimulus for the scheme. CRUSAID have appointed interior designers, Derek Frost Associates to assist in the design of the main waiting areas and local artists have been commissioned to design windows to enhance the appearance of the centre so that it provides a warm and relaxed environment for patients, their friends and relatives.

QUANTAS O.K. In the last three years, Australia has allowed 149 gay men to settle in the country, because of their relationships with Australian lovers. In a similar enlighened approach, Qantas, the Australian airline, has publicly announced its policy of giving positive assistance to employees who have AIDS. They are keeping on flight crew members with AIDS when they are fit to work; and paying 70% of their normal salaries when they are sick, as well as paying medical insurance and superannuation. PWA's are being allowed to return to work after periods of sickness. This policy strongly contrasts with that of British Airways, who recently announced their decision to screen all potential employees for HIV.

WOMEN GATHERING The International Lesbian Information Service (ILIS) will be holding a four-day workshop in Amsterdam from 19 August. The workshop is designed to appeal to committed activists who will consider among other things, the role of the lesbian network in Europe and its relationship to groups in North America and the Third World.The weekend meeting will also focus its attention on how lesbian activists can best face the challenge of the New Right in Europe. Meanwhile, plans are well advance for the women's international Summercamp at Denmark's KVINDEHOJSKOLEN (The Women's Highschool). The first camp takes place from 31 July to 6 August and costs 25 Dkr. per day (about IR£4.00). This one week long gathering is entitled "Tame the Planets" and according to the press release involves "working in our well nurtured fields - feel the earth under your feet, soil under your nails, sun on your back...supply the kitchen with vegetables during the Summer courses, where appetites grow wild...cut the grass, so no women disappear in the long green blades.."The second gathering at the Women's Highschool will be from 7-20 August and will consist of an international period with three different courses: Ritual and Ceremonial Healing, Creativity, Bodyconsciousness, Relating and Sensuality. This Summercamp will be run in Danish and English and costs 1950 Dkr, (about IR£250) per course, each course running concurrently. Places are still available and may be booked by phoning the Kvindehojskolen at Bredebro, 04 763493.

YOUTH CONGRESS The International Lesbian and Gay Youth Organisation, a world wide network, will be hosting its 5th annual congress in Berlin from 30 July to 7 August. Several hundred young men and women between the ages of 15 and 25 are expected to attend what has become a highly successful annual exchange of information and ideas. In 1985 the annual congress was held in Dublin.

1st July The Dublin Gay Collective, now defunct, was formed on this day in 1982. 7th July George Bermingham, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, refused to officially open the 2nd International Gay Youth Congress in Dublin's Hirschfeld Centre (NGF'S Youth Group contribution to International Youth Year) 1985. 8th July The Department of Justice confirms that it has banned the London newspaper, Gay News, 1982. 11th July Film historian, Vito Russo, whose "Celluloid Closet" is justly famous as a critical documentary on homosexuality in cinema, born in New York city, 1946. 13th July American anarchist Amelda Sperry, who in love letters addressed Emma Goldman as "my one dear, my cherry blossom, my moonbeam, my mountain, my drop of dew", born 1879. 18th July Playwright/novelist Laurence Housman, the gay brother of gay poet A.E. Housman (their sister Clemence, a wood engraver, was lesbian) and one of Oscar Wilde's circle in the 1890's, born in England, 1865. 20th July Sex between consenting male adults in Scotland is made legal by the UK Government, 1980. 21st July Former Italian M.P., Enzo Francone, attempted to chain himself to the railings of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow as part of the International Gay Association's protest against the imprisonment (for 'homosexual offences") of Soviet citizens Viktoras Piatkus and Galery Trifonov, 1980. Also on this day...Pope Sixtus IV, who was so openly gay that a group of his cardinals safely petitioned for "permission to practice sodomy during the warm months", born 1614. 23rd July Mystery writer Raymond Chandler, who once uttered the classically ambiguous line-"In the artistic society of London about one man in three is homosexual, which is very bad on the ladies but not at all bad on me"- born, 1888. 27th July Rev. Troy Perry, gay activist and founder of the United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, bom in 1940. Gertrude Stein, the celebrated author, dies in Paris, 1946. 31st July David Norris, Senator, Joycean scholar, wit and leading gay rights activist, born in Leopoldville, Belgian Congo (now Zaire), 1946. 2nd August Author James Baldwin, whose "Giovanni's Room" (1956) remains a breath-taking work of fiction, bom in New York City, 1924. 7th August Catherine Glendon, co-founder of Gay Community News, General Secretary of the National Gay Federation, one-time Divine impersonator, and spiritual "mother" to many, dies in Dublin, 1987.

LEO (July 22 - August 23) Leo, if you're working then things are going to get a major boost. You've got a very sound judgement which makes others trust you and this combined with your general good behaviour will not go unnoticed. If any problems arise don't be afraid to look for help; you're the type of person who has no difficulty in getting out of a tight spot. VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Virgo, your self-esteem and confidence get a big kick when you decide to break old habits and spring clean your life a little here and there. Keep an eye on your finances though as you can be a bit of a spend-thrift. LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Libra, no matter what happens in your life during the next four weeks you must make every effort to keep a grip on reality and above all set your priorities. If the need arises I think you should help out in situations outside work, for instance, a voluntary group or cleaning up your local park. There's a host of things that need doing in the community and I can tell you, you'll feel a better person afterwards. SCORPIO (October 24 - November 21) Scorpio, there are times when your life is an utter mess and I mean MESS! During our lazy Summer you should cut off all the dead growth in your life. Don't be afraid to simplify things. And remember that inner satisfaction comes from you know where...? Do I have to overstate it?!! SAGGITARIUS (November 22 - December 21) I feel romance is going to happen to you in a big way. Show off your best side to strangers and keep on your tippy-toes. Money matters should also settle out to your advantage so you've every reason to be smiling during July. CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Capricorn, you often have the habit of putting work and success before friends and lovers. If you've neglected a loved one, then isn't it about time you did something about it? There are others around you who also need a bit of affection and appreciation. Open up, will you? AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Aquarius, I feel that you can too often hide your many talents; Don't be afraid to use them to impress influential people. You could find yourself in a position of making decisions that will affect you for a long time to come. PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Pisces, if you are your usual generous self you're in for a handsome reward. If you're looking for work you can expect it to happen any day now. Watch yourself with other people - that bit of flirting could get quite serious. ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Well, well, Aries, isn't it about time you sorted out your relationship problems? Spend more time listening to honest advice when it's offered. You'll have to open up a bit more - you will find it can do wonders to your heart and your head! TAURUS (April 21 - May 20) Taurus, I told you last month your love life would be on the upsurge. Things should be happening now in this area and will continue during this wonderful Summer. If you're going away on holiday before August 8 you should make sure that absolutely everything has been properly organised. GEMINI (May 21 - June 20) Gemini, you may be finding it difficult to make certain decisions which will have major consequences on your life; think carefully before making that move and if possible get the support of your lover or best friend. CANCER (June 21 - July 21) Cancer, you're a bit of a dreamer and sometimes this will hinder you in business. When you put your mind to it you can achieve great things, so put the dreams aside for the next month and be a bit ruthless! Who knows what a little bit of assertiveness will bring?

Starved of serious street fashion and culture I decided to take a peek at the Leather and Lace Night in SIDES Dance Club, Dublin, on Sunday 3 July. Down I descended into the murky depths of this trendy night club. I'm referring here to the punters' morals more than the actual club environment - although that could also be worked on. At the bar stood Kate, Manager and Side(s)-kick to John, The Owner, the Blessed One, he of the Easter Sunday Tequila Resurrection. I sometimes wonder as I wander about Sides which one of these august Denizens of Dublin nightlife does the actual kicking, but that's another story. Anyway, I beheld a wonderous vision. The bold Kate was dressed a la Millenium in Viking-long, golden tresses and wrapped fetchingly in what could only once have been some poor clone's black handkerchief. Being a seasoned leather queen- mes cheres, believe me when I say I've lived the life many of you can only dream of - I sniffed my way through the throng and thongs to the packed and sweaty dancefloor. I had to remind myself it was 1988 and not 1978. There were leather clones everywhere, no doubt orchestrated by leather supremo Oliver - he of Oliver's Kitchen, where the chips resemble assertive moustaches and the bunburgers . . . .well, enough said. As I was thinking these evil (and very unsafe) thoughts Oliver actually materialised in front of me with an inscrutable grin on his face. Strange, I've only ever seen that grin before on the moving Madonna of Ballinaspittle. The Supremo was adorning a brick wall - which is the closest one will find to a grotto in a Dublin disco. The same stretch of wall also sported the most wonderfully psychedelic projection I've seen since my seminal, drug-hazed adolescent days. There were hi-hats everywhere: leather, peaked ones on many a clone's skull and umpteen in the music which was surreptitiously segued by DJ Tony M. Fashionwise? Well, my siblings, with the gutter style so hip in certain quarters I expected to see more debauched mannequins strutting about. Sadly, it was not to be. The disco brats were no doubt stumped by the 'lace' requirement. Bravo to all involved in hosting what was an enjoyable and outrageous night. Next time though someone should work on getting the S&M/Leather dykes out. A few were in evidence on the night, which set my heart alight, but others must have been put out by the ubiquitous lace code. I left early as a tooth was killing me and all the ethyl in the world wouldn't have eased the pain. On reflection, maybe I should have stayed and got one of Oliver's leather boys to work on it.... Next month I've got a wonderful story abut Dublin's Street Carnival which I hope I can share with you. In solidarity with fashion victims everywhere, I remain yours ever faithfully, Blondie Bombshell.

HELLO AGAIN Starring Shelly Long and Judith Ivey. Dir. Frank Perry. Yet another Fairy Tale, or to be more precise another re-working of Sleeping Beauty. There is I regret to say a case of amnesia also involved in Hello Again. However don't let that put you off, it is once again a very enjoyable and funny film. Lucy Chadman (Shelly Long) is a happily married upper middle class suburban lady. She has a grown up son, who wants to be a chef, works part time in a day care centre, has a beautiful home and a lovely life. She is also unbelievably clumsy and somewhat gauche. Her husband (Corbin Bersen) is beginning to attain dizzy heights, both socially and at work, and whilst she's the woman he fell in love with, she's obviously not the woman to help him scale the sophisticated heights of Manhattan. Neat solution number 203 is obviously called for. Lucy dies, thus leaving the way clear for Jason to look for a new climbing partner. However - Zelda, Lucy's sister (Judith Ivey) is a white witch and brings her back to life again. The medical and media world are ecstatic, her plastic surgeon husband, less so, his second wife and her former best friend is most definitely not amused and she herself is somewhat bemused. To say any more would totally spoil the plot, how she overcomes the obstacles put in the path of her new life with the help of a new doctor (Gabriel Byrne) and old friends is extremely entertaining. Her gaucheness will strike a cord in all of us who've ever spilt wine over the guest of honour and other horrors too dreadful to repeat. The script is witty and well paced, the acting from all concerned good, it's the type of film that enables one to leave the cinema smiling. Anne Marie McCarthy

BISEXUAL LIVES Written to fill a gap in available literature on bisexuality, this book contains profiles of seven women and five men with a lot of information to boot on a myriad number of subjects. From OFF Pink Publishing, price £3.75.

EN ROUTE A vibrant youth However uncouth, Without any fuss At the back of the bus. Oh mercy me What ecstasy! The sensation of him Limb to limb! Such moments erotic: The elected narcotic Of a fastidious queen On the number fifteen. RICHARD RIORDAN.

LYN: A STORY OF A PROSTITUTE by June Levine and Lyn Madden. Published last year Lyn is the real-life story of one woman's life as a prostitute in Dublin. Spanning some twenty years, much of Lyn's life will be known to readers from the newspapers' reports about her former lover and pimp and his psychopathic behaviour. However, this is one courageous woman's viewpoint, recounted painfully and with honesty. Attic Press 1987, 267 pp. pb. £5.40.

SOUTH RIDING by Winifred Holtby. A memorable evocation of a Yorkshire landscape, originally published in 1936 and reissued as a Virago Modern Classic last January. Winifred Holtby was a prolific writer, critic, feminist and pacifist and South Riding remains her best remembered work. A fascinating indictment of social injustice. Virago Modern Classics 1988, pb. £4.30.

THE CELLULOID CLOSET by Vito Russo. Russo was honoured last month by the Hetrick-Martin Institute (formerly the Institute for the Protection of Lesbian and Gay Youth) in New York for his work as a film historian and social activist. The Celluloid Closet was revised last year with over 100 new entries added. More than just a chronology of gay characters in film, this book remains the only one of its kind to date spanning 80 years of mainstream film-making. Harper and Row 1987 (Revised edition), pb. £9.40.

THE SWIMMING POOL LIBRARY by Alan Hollinghurst. A novel set in pre-AIDS London. At times grimly realistic, Gay's the Word Review described it as "a world in which a golden age gives way to corruption and men (there are no women in this novel) become more cynical with age. . . For all the differences between then and now, the characters behave in similar ways whatever time they live in. .. The differences are only a matter of style." Chatto and Windus, hb. £12.95.