Gay Community Takes Sides on Terrigno Defense Fund

‘This does not immediately qualify as a gay cause.’ --Bob Craig, publisher

West Hollywood City Councilwoman Valerie Terrigno, indicted last week on federal embezzlement charges, is confronted with the formidable task of rallying public support in coming months and raising money for her costly legal defense.

As allies of the former mayor, an avowed lesbian, began working on her behalf after her 14-count indictment by a federal grand jury last Wednesday, they found West Hollywood’s gay community deeply divided over whether to come to her aid.

‘Taking Sides’

“People in this city have been taking sides ever since they heard that Valerie was under investigation,” said George Garren, recording secretary of the Stonewall Democratic Club, a gay political club that has been the nucleus of Terrigno’s support. “Their minds are pretty much made up.”

Terrigno’s own council colleagues have been cautious in their public comments, stressing their continuing desire to work with her but avoiding any unqualified statements of support. “This has nothing to do with the city or city monies and we’ll continue to work with her,” said Mayor John Heilman.

Terrigno found more public sympathy from state Assemblywoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who expressed confidence in Terrigno’s innocence and pledged financial and political aid.

Intent on forming a legal defense fund for Terrigno, her supporters are also learning that financial help will not come automatically from local homosexuals who have been preoccupied in recent months with fund-raising events for AIDS research and relief.

“Gays and lesbians have been inundated with all sorts of demands for money,” said Sallie Maranda Fiske, a longtime Terrigno friend and publisher of the West Hollywood Paper, a 2-month-old community weekly newspaper. “The need for AIDS funding is so great and there is only so much money people can give. Those of us who believe in Valerie will have to emphasize how critical her defense is.”

Fiske and other Terrigno partisans echoed the former mayor’s own comments that the government had singled her out for prosecution in part because of her sexual orientation.

‘More of a Feeling’

Although Terrigno has declined to comment further on her indictment on charges that she embezzled nearly $11,000 in federal funds until she is arraigned Nov. 4 in U.S. District Court, Fiske said that the impression that Terrigno is being singled out is “more of a feeling that the attitude exists. You can’t put your finger on it, but you can feel the political climate.”

“I think there is a quality of a witch hunt,” Fiske said. “She has been a highly visible lesbian mayor of a highly visible city and I think what we’re seeing is the result of a backlash against gays and lesbians.”

But other homosexual activists stressed that Terrigno’s support in the gay community was hardly unanimous and cautioned that any attempt to portray her as a “gay martyr,” as one activist commented, might backfire.

“If she is making a serious charge that she is being persecuted because she is a lesbian, she ought to substantiate it,” said Steven Weltman, a gay activist and longtime Terrigno political foe.

“This does not immediately qualify as a gay cause,” said Bob Craig, publisher of Frontiers, a gay-oriented weekly. “She’s pulled the wool over all our eyes,”

Craig said he had written an editorial for his next issue criticizing Terrigno’s attempts to organize a defense fund. “You’ll forgive us if we pass on the Terrigno defense fund efforts,” Craig said.

Discussions about ways to raise money for Terrigno’s legal costs began in early August, about the time Terrigno tried to extend her term as West Hollywood mayor. Terrigno had tried to scuttle a political arrangement under which Heilman was supposed to succeed her as mayor, but could not persuade her council colleagues to back her plans. Heilman is now the city’s mayor.

Retained Attorney

By that point, Terrigno had retained Howard Weitzman, the flamboyant defense attorney who successfully defended John DeLorean on narcotics charges. The auto maker took out full-page newspaper ads soliciting help in defraying legal expenses.

According to West Hollywood political observers, the defense fund effort reportedly did not gather steam until several weeks ago, when political observers said influential gay banker Sheldon Andelson and Duke Comegys, president of the board of directors of the Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, quietly initiated efforts to build a legal defense fund for Terrigno.

Andelson denied any involvement, saying, “I have never contributed to any defense funds in the past, but other gay community leaders may feel differently.”

Comegys acknowledged his involvement in fund-raising efforts for Terrigno. “I’m going to be as much help as I can,” he said. “I think it’s important that the community speak up for one of its own who did well by us. It’s important that we provide her with the best defense possible.”

‘Conventional Pattern’

Comegys, Fiske and other gay business leaders began meeting late last week to discuss specific ways to build Terrigno’s defense fund. Fiske said she expects the effort to follow “the conventional pattern” of other legal defense efforts, including fund-raising dinners and events in West Hollywood and other cities.

Fiske said Terrigno’s prominence as the country’s first avowed lesbian mayor would probably be useful in a national gay and lesbian fund-raising drive. “That kind of national outreach could be helpful,” Fiske said.

And Fiske added that Terrigno’s supporters would also try to make inroads among feminist groups. “I’d certainly hope that women’s groups would see that the attack on Valerie is an attack on all of us,” she said.

To that end, Terrigno received a boost Thursday, when Waters pledged her financial and political support. “I believe she’s innocent,” Waters said. “I can’t help but be suspicious when I see an openly gay woman attacked. I would certainly hope the feminist community would come to her aid.”

Feminist financial aid may prove especially crucial if gay financial support, already spread thin because of the frequency of AIDS fund-raisers, is hard to come by.

“If it comes down to contributing to AIDS and contributing to Valerie, Valerie is going to end up in second place,” Steve Weltman said. “There’s money in the gay community, but it’s not going to come automatically.”