VALENTINE PANEL EXPLORES GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF SEX RICHMOND, VA=96The Valentine Museum=92s =93=91Illegitimate=92 Un ions,=94= at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, brings together national activist Urvashi Vaid, Virginia ACLU executive director Kent Willis and John Howard of Emory University to consider the little-known history of regulated sexuality, from interracial marriage bans to custody rulings against lesbian mothers. =93Family values,=94 gay marriage, and the government=92s role in the li ves= of Americans are hot topics during this election year. The history of these topics in the South spans both legal and social aspects of relationships. In this program, experts will provide an overview of current events in light of Southern history and national civil rights issues. The sixth discussion in the Controversy/History series examining how history illuminates contemporary issues, this forum is free and open to the public. On the fourth Thursday of each month, the museum=92s galleries= remain open beyond the usual 5 p.m. closing time, so guests who attend these free evening programs may also tour the museum before the forum begins. Controversy/History will resume September 25, moving to fourth Wednesdays. Vaid, author of Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay & Lesbian Liberation, is a graduate of Vassar College and Northeastern University School of Law. From 1986 to 1992 she served as public information director and executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In 1994, Time magazine named her as one of =93Fifty for the Future=94 in its list of America=92s most promising leaders under forty. Hampton native Willis, a William and Mary graduate, directs the state=92 s most frequent, aggressive and successful advocate of free expression. The ACLU has actively promoted the rights of prisoners, group homes for the disabled, and most notably, has represented lesbian mother Sharon Bottoms in her custody battle. The Virginia chapter also brought to the Supreme Court in 1967 the Loving case which eliminated legal barriers to interracial= marriage. Howard, who will complete his Ph.D. in American Studies at Emory next ye ar, is the editor of the forthcoming Carryin=92 On: An Anthology of Southern Lesbian and Gay History. He also holds masters degrees in American Studies and Management from the University of Alabama and the University of Mississippi, respectively, and graduated from the University of Virginia. He is director of faculty recruitment and development for The National Faculty in Atlanta. =96more=96 The Controversy/History series is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, in conjunction with the exhibition Creating History: The Valentine Family and Museum. =20 The Valentine, the Museum of the Life and History of Richmond, operates from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. at 1015 E. Clay St. in Richmond=92s historic Court End neighborhood. =20 For more information, call (804) 649-0711. # # # Farar Elliott Director of Public Programs Valentine Museum 1015 East Clay Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 804/649-0711, extension 317 [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]