A rally will be held at the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow (April 25, 1999) at 12:30 PM. Hundreds of summit activists will gather in the lobby of the Capitol Hill Hyatt Regency, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW, at 12 noon. The group will then walk to the Supreme Court building. Grethe Cammermeyer, Olga Orraca Paredes, Willa Taylor, Elizabeth Birch, Kerry Lobel, Dilia Loe, Ruth Harlow, Kirsten Kingdon and Patricia Ireland are among the movement leaders expected to join the protest.
Early Saturday morning, Singleton and a friend, who are in town to attend
NOW's Lesbian Rights Summit,
were physically assaulted by two men as the women awaited a taxi.
One of the men backed Singleton against newspaper boxes and began to unzip
his pants as he walked menacingly toward her. When she defended herself,
the assailant punched her, dislocating her jaw. The man's accomplice
then knocked Singleton to the ground.
After the men fled the crime scene, Singleton realized that four people
silently witnessed the attack without offering any help. "I want
people to react to this. I want to let people know that we are not
going to tolerate this," Singleton declared as she recounted details to
Summit participants at a plenary session this morning.
"There is clearly a price . . . it is clearly at a cost that our movements move forward," Ireland said as she praised Singleton for her courage. "Every time we demand our civil rights, we are accused of wanting ‘special rights' – like the right to wait for a taxi without being attacked. We will not retreat in fear, we will be out tonight to take back the streets," Ireland said.
Singleton challenged activists to be visible. "I want you to let people know that we are not going to tolerate this. I want us to go out in full force. We are a force to be reckoned with," Singleton said.
For more information during the Lesbian Rights Summit, please contact
NOW's Press Department in the Lesbian Rights Summit at the Capitol Hill
Hyatt Regency or page us at 202-896-6870.