Page 8

BAY 9813

HIGH GEAR

DIGNITY FLAILS ROME

Editor's Note

The following excerpts are from the January 15th 1976 Press Release of DIGNITY National in response to the Vatican's statement.

The most recent statement on sexual ethics from the Vatican continues to reflect a lack of appreciation for the broad range of human sexual expression among those who follow Christ and live responsible love.

DIGNITY, an international organization of gay and concerned Catholics, has been challenging the Catholic Church to a more sensitive pastoral care of the homosexual community, flowing from a more enlightened understanding of contemporary psychological, scriptural, and theological data homosexuality.

The present Vatican document, while urging a "sensitive pastoral approach to the homosexual" does little more than repeat the traditional enlightened condemnation of homosexual expression based

un-

the presupposition that human sexuality is Godgiven and moral only in heterosexual marriage for the purpose of procreation. Such a narrow understanding of human sexuality has been seriously challenged by a large number of American Catholic theologians who recognize the broad purpose of human sexuality as an expression of unselfish love between two people, as a responsible communication of their love and shared life.

To speak of homosexuality as "intrinsically disordered" i is to neglect current biological and psychological data on homosexuality and the life experience of gay people themselves who find their sexual orientation not a disordered curse but a God-given gift, not a freely chosen rejection of God, but the very context for their living the Gospel of responsible love.

DIGNITY continues to maintain that, in the light of recent findings by both Church and scientific scholars and in the light of the gay person's own experience,

constitutional

homosexuality is a natural, irreversible variation of sexual behavior, evidenced consistently throughout history and in every species of mammal. We maintain, further, with many competent theologians and scripture scholars, that it is intrinsically good when it is expressed in an ethically responsible, unselfish, and Christian manner, as all sexuality must be.

The Vatican document, in citing Scripture as clearly condemnatory of all homosexual expression, fails to take into account the most recent studies of scripture scholars (for example, D.S. Bailey, John McNeill, S.J.) who find, to the contrary, that the so-called scriptural condemnations are based on serious misinterpretations, and a simple lack of understanding of the existence and reality of constitutional homosexuality.

DIGNITY reaffirms its call to

A HELL OF A GOOD PLACE TO COME:

SATAN'S DEN GO-GO's Mondays

Open 7-2:30 Daily, 11:30-2:30 Sun. 839 S. Arlington, Akron South of 1-76

Troubadour Lounge

OPEN 92:30 7 DAYS A WEEK (216) 788-0872

2010 Market Street Youngstown

the Church and the U.S. Bishops to appoint a committee of theologians, social scientists, and gay persons to more adequately study the question of homosexuality, its implications for Church and society. We repeat our call for a more sensitive and enlightened pastoral care, based not on continuing misconceptions and myopic repetition or tradition, but on a careful listening to theologians, social scientists, and gay people themselves, who are already living responsible Christian lives as both gay and Catholic.

DIGNITY trusts that this latest statement from the Vatican will be extremely disappointing to all responsible theologians and pastors who are crying out to the Church to listen attentively to the life expreiences of it people who are living Christ's love and sharing that love in responsible sexual expression.

High

Gear

MARCH 1976

PRETZELS

JIZEL

The much-acclaimed comedy revue, "Pretzels," directed and choreographed by Fran Soeder, is an event none of us would want to miss. When GEAR entertainment reporters were invited to the premier performance of this troupe at Pickle Bills in the Flats, they were skeptical because although the form (choreography, etc.) represents Soeder's masterful craftsmanship, the content (humor and lyrics) is straight. To our surprise, the humor and satire were bath progressive and universal enough to be relevant to gays.

The production incorporates considerable 50's nostalgia and is aimed at the contemporary post-collegiate. It opens with the theme "Pretzels" in which a love-lorn teenager laments losing her man to a "pretzel twist of fate" and a clever skit about unemployment introduced by a player who announces "ladies" (pointing to a man) and "gentlemen" (points tc a woman.)

Those of us who are New York fetishists could easily sympathize with the ensuing number called "Take Me Back to New York" in which an urbanite pines for the city from his rural captivity. But a better and probably one of the best in the series is the skit on cosmetology. It is an excellent satire on Madison Avenue's fanatic promotion of the cosmetics industry and the distorted sense of values impressed upon us by sales and advertising. "How long can you get by on Woolworth's makeup?"

The nuclear family takes a beating in the spoof "Sing and Dance" in which a suburban housewife heartily advises her husband to send out for pizza for himself and his important

business associates, because she would rather sing and dance than prepare dinner. Much to the shock of her spouse, she performs a highly comical dance routine, oblivious to his "critical" situation. Anyone who has been at one time or another a self-martyred loner will discover that the song "My Fish and I" cuts hilariously close to home. The musical loner enjoins, "I've got no friends except my dad and my fish. People say, 'God, she's odd.' We're not as normal as we seem."

Equally effective is "The Cockroach Song" to those who have taken high school biology or have shared an inexpensive apartment.

Class society and Budweiser "nobility" take a humorous lashing in which a ragsproletarian figure attempts to reconcile his "failure" with his sense of pride, concluding finally, "I'm not upwardly mobile, I'm downwardly mobile. Deep down inside, I'm a punk."

Various other songs clarify other aspects of our current collective human experience, culminating finally in two women recognizing an old school chum, not by his face or demeanor but by his genitalia!

"Pretzels" is reminiscent of the musical "Hair" in the way it blends song, humour, and contemporaneity. Since there are only four skilled members in the troupe, and excessive make up and costuming is avoided, the performance is intimate, homey, and therefore perfect in a cabaret setting.

"Pretzels" is intelligent without seeming "heavy" or pretentious. It is progressive without appearing bombastic, and lastly, it is helplessly and pleasantly thematic to our style of living. So, if you have drag shows coming out of your ears, try "Pretzels" at Pickle Bills.

THE FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD BAR IN THE HEART

OF CLEVELAND'S SLOVENIAN DISTRICT

GODMOTHER'S E

1014 E. 63rd Street

One block north of St. Clair just east of E. 55th.

Send $5.00 check or money order to

HIGH GEAR P.O. Box 6177 Cleveland, Ohio

44101