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MORE NEWS & VIEWS

Working With Gay Men

By Diana Owens

Recently an article in WSW (April/May issue) prompted me to develop certain thoughts. The article was titled "Second Annual Gay/Lesbian Conference" and generally stated that part of the emphasis of the conference was that we as women

LOP

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BUSING AL IMA

Protest Black Velvet

At its March 30 meeting, the Media Task Force of Cleveland NOW composed a letter to Heublein, Inc. about their billboards featuring prone women in slinky black gowns. The letter is reprinted below, along with Heublein's reply. Although they state that the ads are not intended to be offensive, they cannot -seen to see that they are in fact offensive. This treatment of woulen as sex objects to sell products has been fostered by these very ads. Therefore, the Media Task Force is calling for a boycott of Black Velvet whiskey.

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Heublein, Inc.

330 New Park Avenue Hartford, Conn. 06101 Arm L.

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We find your "Touchin Velvet" ad campaign for Black Velvet whiskey extremely de meaning to women. Offensive billboards assault the eye on every major access to Cleveland,

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Prompting the unsubtle message that liquor fulfills the male sexual fantasy of woman's passive availability is not only degrading but dangerous. This kind of advertising inspires. violence against women, Abuse and rape ghing

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should get involved with our Gay brothers to work for Gay issues". This is a good idea theoretically, but I wonder how practical it is.

I have done work in the Gay Community with the Gear Foundation; I am also in contact now with a straight environment. No longer can I say that "they" are keeping "us" from working together. I

STOP RAPE

Photo by Louise Luczak females of all ages is rising at an alarming rate. Your billboards contribute to the violent landscape of mind/body rape.

It is time to civilize your advertising. Until then we actively promote the boycotting of Black Velvet whiskey.

Sally Winans, Chairperson Cleveland NOW Media Task Force

Dear Ms. Winans:

Thank you for your recent letter commenting on our advertisements for Black Velvet Canadian Whisky.

For many years, Black Velvet Whisky has been represented by a series of attractive women dressed in black outfits. The Black Velvet women (sic) was devised as a way of suggesting the smoothness of Black Velvet in a manner that differentiates our product from those of our competitors. The consumer probably would know that Black Velvet is being advertised even if we left out its name.

The Black Velvet model is simply a symbol of our product and one, that is in no way intended to be offensive to women. In fact, women constitute a major portion of the consumers who purchase Black Velvet.

We appreciate your taking the time to write and hope you will reconsider your opinion about our advertisements for Black Velvet.

Sincerely,

Louise Benson Supervisor, Consumer Affairs

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would have to say that the problem is the way society

is set up--to further the oppression of women.

In this country, men are fed superiority from the minute they are born. People are happy when a boy child is born and usually comment, "How happy you must be". When a girl child is born, it is something of a disappointment, with comments such as "Well, she's cute. But keep trying; you'll get your boy eventually!”—as though she were a birth defect!

As "she" grows up, it soon becomes evident that "he" is superior and must be treated as such. Girls give in to boys on the playground; boy hits girl and she cries instead of hitting him back, because she's brought up to be more "fragile" and "delicate".

As she gets older and begins to assert herself (especially if she is a lesbian), doesn't let men walk on her, doesn't get out of the way when a man walks down the street, and ignores all the social "niceties" given to men, she's "too masculine," a "lezzie," or a feminist.

Because of the way women are suppressed by men in general, it is impossible for them to work together. We should not stop trying, but certain attitudes will have to change-not necessarily attitudes towards gay or lesbian issues, but attitudes of men to women. Recently, watching men generally, I find they relate to women in one of two ways: either you are a "piece of meat," or you are invisible. Women are constantly under men's scrutiny, gay or straight. Walking down the street you are assessed. In bars, at work, whether you are lesbian or straight, whether men are gay or straight, they look at you and make comments. "How Butch!" "Take a look at that!" "I'd like to get my hands on that!"-all comments made by men, referring to women.

Women have no rights when it comes to their own space:

Rape: Many men feel that a woman's body or her mind should be taken. She has no say in the matter. Terrorize her, because she's weaker. She's supposed to give in.

Women's bars: In the city of Cleveland where there is only one women's bar, men are allowed in. Why? "Because the owners are men"? Or because certain women bring their “friends” in who are men, and not enough women protest it? Why don't they protest? Why do men feel they must violate these spaces?

Men only bars: A woman walks in "with (continued on page 15)

Lesbian Lives

Denslow Brown will be in Cleveland June 20-21 to give workshops on "Lesbians Changing Lesbian Lives" and "Conflict Resolution for Lesbians." The workshops are sponsored by the Women's Wholistic Center.

Brown brings with her a myriad of skills as a lesbian activist and professional business consultant. She works in a New York women's community as a crisis counsellor and advocate, women's center coordinator, and c-r.group facilitator. Her consulting business, The Organizer, deals with time use analysis and counselling, office reorganization, and financial and record-keeping systems..In addition, she is doing * research and writing on conflict resolution for a collective Lesbian Ethics project. "The inside stories of the changes in our personal and working relationships have been dismissed or condemned as gossip," says Brown. “However, they are the fabric and truth of our lives, our community, our ethics and justice, and our most personal concerns. These stories deserve conscientious, informed attention in retrospect and, especially, as we are living them." For more information on these workshops, call the Women's Wholistic Center at 321-8582 weekdays. SIUM S