JULY 1976

HIGH GEAR

TRANSPERIENCING MARY HARTMAN

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In Coconut Grove, Florida, a new organization called the Transperience Center is perimenting with group rap sessions held after the nightly broadcast of the Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, series. According to Dr. Allan Rockway, clinical psychologist and Robert P. Kunst, program director, Mary Hartman is a psychologist's dream, because it reflects: roleplaying, the ironic and often humorous ways in which all of us are conditioned to react to each other; the jealousies and expectations we make, and the uncanny capacity we have to complicate our lives, despite our inner desires for simplicity and love.

The TV series, they claim, is also helping people not to take themselves too seriously; and at the same time is taking the first stumbling and bumbling steps toward some very beautiful alternative love styles and humane interpersonal communications.

The Transperience Center which focuses on Mary Hartman, is a growth center uniquely based upon the reality that ALL people have the capacity of intimate love with both women and men, alternately and/or simultaneously. In their weekly workshop program of: Gay Consciousness, bisexuality, men's and women's groups, high school raps and the Direct Love Transperience Workshop, they have time and time again come upon the very same conflicts, decisions, and disillusionments consistently

portrayed on the imaginative Mary Hartman series.

They complete the process by integrating into our lives, the 'foolish and fabulous facets' of the show, and the expansion of "Love-Consciousness" presented by the Transperience Center.

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The following are some examples:

Scenario No. 1: Mary and Tom are married. Dennis, a police officer, also loves Mary and is willing not to marry Cathy (Mary's sister), if Mary will make love to him once. In time, Mary admits to wanting a "beautiful moment of transgression."

Analysis: Mary's religion-conditioned guilt over family obligations and neighbor's attitudes, conflicts with her need for romantic love. Is love, then, beyond her reach? Tom's male image (sexist roles, possessiveness) blocks his love to Mary. Can Dennis give what she needs? Can any one person? The Eternal Triangle will it end in a duel? In despair? or in the Direct Love Transperience?ls there a new direction for loving two people at once? Can all three people love each other? overcoming jealousy, possessiveness, and same-sex anxieties?

Scenario No. 2: Tom leaves Mary and stays with "two brothers" down the block. They're really lovers; one scared of being discovered, the other in Liberation, and wanting to "come-out" to the world.

Analysis: Tom seeks male companionship and comfort, in

refuge from the torments of marriage. Can he accept the support and affection (which he really seeks his own organic bisexuality), and is he exposed to the new range of possibilities in this "even" couple's relationship? Will Tom panic? or try proving himself a "man" by

aggressing against the gays (himself)? or in Gay Consciousness Raising?

The Transperience Center raps explore: loving self as a man in a man's body (or a woman in a woman's body), emotionally, sensually, sexually, means already having a same

sex lover (SELF). Loving others of the same sex is a flowering of SELF-LOVE, and a relief from the sexism of orchestrated. gender-roles.

Scenario No. 3: Dennis, flat on his back, in the hospital, after a heart attack, says to Mary when she visits him, "Mary I

love you" Mary answers, "Yes, I know, Cathy (Mary's sister) told me."

Analysis: Dennis' clarity in his love finally materializes after many overtures, as he takes a chance, opens up and finally says it: " love you." Mary avoids/ignores his present love

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feelings. She, in a state of confusion fears the expectations, the possible loss of herself thru getting "too close" and for the vulnerability of involvement. She avoids responsibility for being in the HERE & NOW. Will she continue into obsessions of the past? or Be Here Now, in the moment, clearing sexual and love feelings?

Transperience Center raps develop: total commitment (100%) of SELF to each experience; being all together, totally with. someone in the Here and Now whether it lasts 30 minutes or 30 30 years; overcoming stagnant possessiveness, jealousy, and manipulations that only destroy relationships. In a safe space, we can tell each other, "I love you," "I feel sexual toward you," without ever having to do anything about it, or without "setting-up" the future, or "wanting more" than the Here and Now. ARE ALL OF OUR LIVES A SOAP OPERA?

These are only a few examples of the many issues the Center deals with Monday thru Friday in The Transperience Center's "STET Abandonment Room," preceding the regularly scheduled events and groups. These new heights of spirituality taking place, they say, would even make Dorelda Doremus blush.

For those wishing further information on the Transperience Center, write 3041 Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133 or call (305) 4444412.

PROTEST CHRISTOPHER STREET MARCH

On Sunday afternoon June 27, while the much publicized Christopher Street Liberation Day (CSLD) Parade went up the Avenue of the Americas, a smaller protesting group staged a "GAYWALK FOR FREEDOM" up Fifth Avenue.

The Gaywalk was created to protest several aspects of the CSLD celebrations.

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The Gaywalk originated because some people were dissatisfied with the leadership of the traditional CSLD festivities and accused them of "selling out" to establishment and forgetting the original spirit of Stonewall. According to the handout they distributed, "The gay people's GAYWALK FOR FREEDOM are fed up and have had it up to here with mafia, police, and organizational manipulations and ripoff of the gay movement. ... Up till now we gays have never gaywalked off 5th Avenue before, even though every other national and ethnic group has used 5th Avenue for their

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respective parades. Why then not us? In so doing, these gaycrats do not serve the true gay movement, but serve the homophobic city officials and racist police who want gays to remain closested and be isolated, lest we become the spectacle and offend all the tourists coming here to the democratic convention and bicentennial activities."

In addition, the walkers felt the officials did not adequately represent drags, gay poor, gay youth, gay prisoners, and gays committed to institutions because they are gay. One of the protesters, Jon Jon, adds "The Gaycrats don't deal with the issues... they are selling out our rights when they should be relating to people."

The Gaywalk festivities started at noon on Sheridan Square with the placing of a plaque commerating the Stonewall Rebellion in a storefront near the original site. (see photo) Then the walk proceded to Fifth Avenue and then north to Central Park. The protesters

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stopped at the Cathedral and delivered a letter to be forwarded to the Pope complaining about the Pope's attitude toward gays.

Once at the Central Park bandshell where the larger rally was planned, several protesters mounted the stage with their banner. After a brief "discussion" with CSLD marshalls and committee members (see photo) the protesters retired from the stage.

Later, after further talks with CSLD representatives, the GAYWALK FOR FREEDOM banner was added to others displayed inside the bandshell. Also, Vito Russo, co-moderator of the rally, announced that while most of the people present had marched down the Avenue of the Americas, another group had walked openly and proudly gay people down Fifth Avenue and delivered the protest letter for the Pope. To this the crowd responded with a round of applause.

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AYLANE GAY PEOWERS 5TH AVENUE

WALK

GAYLANE SUNDAYKFREEDOM JUN