Page 18

Letting Straights

In

By Rudi Hakken

Since the establishment of free enterprise, bar managers and the gay community have had to deal with the question of permitting straights entrance to their secluded oasis. Given the current wave of interest among the non-gay public in homosexuality, this issue is once again at the doorstep of our community. Many of us remain divided on its subsequent resolution.

Because Northern Ohio is not a New York where gays and straights freely mix at either the latest "chic" bar or at the entertainment hot-spots of the baths, Ohioans face a real dilemma when it comes to "letting straights in." Those who are against mixing with non-gays present relatively reasonable arguments for their stand. Some justifiably resent the occasional gawky stares and muffled laughter. Others are angered by the fact that they are unable to patronize straight bars and behave in the same open manner they are accustomed to, while straights can partake in the best of both worlds. There is also the oft-voiced claim that because gays are forced to spend their entire day with straight counterparts, they wish only to relax with "our own kind" after dark.

on a

These and other arguments may be legitimate concerns; however, there emerges numerous problems from their implementation. Take the bar owners for example. They tread on shaky legal ground if any admission is denied discriminatory. basis. Some, surely, would prefer to operate as private clubs; but since their doors are open to the public, they are bound by state laws. Memberships are impractical, as well as latently illegal. Many local gays are not regular bargoers, and the constant flux of out-of-towners would be turned away in droves, just because they were unable to produce membership cards. From the bar owner's perspective, that is just not good business.

Flipping the coin to its other side, it becomes apparent that there are positive effects of granting non-gays entrance to gay clubs. Certainly, none can argue that gay stereotypes have developed over the years because of ignorance and the aggregation of misconceptions. What better way to educate the mass non-gay public than to welcome them into our entertainment circles. There, they can see first hand, that gay people

are not the sick perverts or sinful creatures straights have always envisioned. Indeed, the Empire State city may have sparked a trend by creating the mixed formula of straights and gays as a nightly dose. Such ventures may rapidly become a two way street where gays can attend straight establishments and act in a manner which is natural for them.

Just as gays are undetectable by any marks on their foreheads, straights, too, are often indistinguishable from the mass of gay bar-goers. And, perhaps, that's not bad. Closeted individuals who are petrified of visiting a gay bar on their own take comfort in the protective shield of a straight group who say, "Let's try a gay bar tonight for a change." Likewise, family members and friends of an openly gay person might feel a little more at ease at a bar knowing there are other straights in attendance.

There are no definitive answers to the question of "letting straights in." Arguments can be rationally sustained for both the pro and con; however even those so politically motivated in the movement to demand open admissions for all would have to concede that once a gay bar becomes more than 50% straight, it's lost its appeal. The only positive means of avoiding such a predicament is for gays to continue to full community support for gay business endeavors. Flocking to the newest "in" bar in town, local crowds. have often been accused of a lack of loyalty; perhaps understandably so; however if gay businesses truly are interested in maintaining their image as a "gay establishment" they too must in turn produce features to encourage the community to patronize their enterprises.

On a broader scale, the core of the future direction of the gay movement may in fact partially manifest itself in our places of entertainment. Do we opt for traditionally secure isolation? Or do we attempt to make a functional go of integration with some sacrifice? There is much to be said for isolation as our lesbian sisters have shown us. Consciousness-raising, identification/exploration of self, and a "pure" spirit of community are but a few of the advantages of withdrawal for reasons of selfinterest. However, can such a separation be a practical end in itself? I think not. Certainly, blacks and many whites press for integration on a racial level

HIGH GEAR

not so much to gain equal education (whatever that might be) but to provide a foundation for a cultural exchange that will dissolve the misguided rationale that leads to bigotry and discrimination. This, in fact, is the very reason why gays need to establish some contact with the other side on more than just a political level. Even if we ever cultivate full civil rights, they will signify little, if the general populace remains ignorant.

As in any other facet of life, the answer to this dilemma may lie in compromise. Gay people have the strength to maintain control over their personal lives, as well as their entertainment centers, and still permit a significant number of straights to share in the festivities. The question now is, are we as individuals and group enterprises willing to exercise the power to see beyond ourselves and make our subsequent actions constructive?

Gay

Visions

He; naked in the chilly pool Brought no more thrill to the greedy eyes

Of he who watched him splashing in the pool

Than did my glimpse of a man-

unaware

Washing his hair, the wind blowing

His lovely and unruly golden hair.

Although the sun burns hot above,

I shake and shiver in a storm of love.

P.D.M.

Garden of Love

January 1976

(The title of Father Richard Ginder's book, Binding with Briars, reviewed here, is taken from a nineteenth century poem by William Blake entitled, "The Garden of Love.")

I went to the Garden of Love, And saw what I never had seen; A Chapel was built in the midst, Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut, And "Thou shalt not" writ over the door; So I turn'd to the Garden of Love

That so many sweet flowers bore;

And I saw it was filled with graves,

And tomb-stones where flowers should be; And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds, And binding with briars my joys and desires.

GREENERY TR

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