
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 8, 1995                   TAG: 9510090132
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BURBANK, CALIF.                                LENGTH: Short

DISNEY TACKLES GAY ISSUE

The Walt Disney Co. will offer health insurance to live-in partners of its gay and lesbian employees, as well as the partners' dependent children.

``We made this decision because it brings our health benefits in line with our corporate non-discrimination policy,'' Disney spokesman John Dreyer said Friday.

He refused to discuss any possible impact on Disney's squeaky-clean image, saying, ``We are a family-oriented company.''

The Rev. Louis Sheldon, leader of the Traditional Values Coalition in Anaheim, sharply criticized the new policy.

``With the understanding that the homosexual agenda has penetrated Hollywood, it should come as no surprise that Disney now supports anti-family values,'' Sheldon said.

``Disney is no longer Walt Disney, it is a secular, anti-family corporation,'' he said.

The new policy, which goes into effect Jan. 1, will not cover live-in heterosexual partners. Disney's approximately 70,000 employees learned of the change in a newsletter last week.

Disney joins several entertainment giants, including Universal, Paramount Pictures, Sony and Warner Brothers, that have extended benefits in the last three years.

Capital Cities/ABC, which Disney plans to acquire, already offers benefits to domestic partners of gays and lesbians.

by CNB