EDITORIAL HIGH GEAR/FEBRUARY 1977 HIGH

CEAR

1976 GEAR

Vol.3 A Publication of the GEAR Foundation Issue

HIGH GEAR journal is a publication of the Gay Educational and Awareness Resources (G.E.A.R.) Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio. It is distributed free of charge in any establishment and with any organization that will permit distribution. We are a non-profit publication, and all proceeds not used to pay printing costs and service fees are set aside for the Gay Hotline-Switchboard, (216) 3216632 and the G.E.A.R. Foundation which sponsors rap groups, a Speaker's Bureau, and other services to the Northeastern Ohio gay community.

The presence of the name or picture or other representation of an organization, place of business or person(s) in HIGH GEAR is not necessarily indicative of the sexual orientation of such organizations, businesses or persons, and may not be used as evidence of the sexual orientation of any contributors.

We welcome all contributions of written materials, art work, or photography by members of the gay community. All materials submitted for publication are subject to editorialization. We cannot guarantee the return of materials submitted for publication, whether used by HIGH GEAR or not, unless it is accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

All HIGH GEAR staff are volunteers. Anyone interested in working on the staff of HIGH GEAR should inquire by calling (216) 321-6632 or write to HIGH GEAR STAFF, P.O. Box 6177, Cleveland, Ohio 44101.

Businesses or organizations wishing to advertise in HIGH GEAR may obtain advertising rate sheets and other information by writing to the above address.

The deadline for HIGH GEAR publication dates is as follows: Advertising by the 30th of every month, camera ready and composition ads. Written material by the 5th of every month. News Items until publication.

HIGH GEAR is printed the second Thursday of every month and available at bars, baths, universities, businesses and elsewhere thereafter.

HIGH GEAR is copyrighted under federal law. Reproduction is granted to all other gay publications so long as credit is given to HIGH GEAR. All others must obtain written permission.

Coordinating Editors

Business Manager

John Nosek, Leon Stevens Dan McGuire

Advertising Collective. Neil Caldwell, Tom Crouch, Michael Dubleki, John Kelsey, Danny Mack, Matt Phillips, John Wagenhals

Art Director

News

Rudi Haaken Neil Caldwell,

David Holleb, Jerry Juszczyk, Dan McGuire, Matt Phillips, Martha Watson

Features and Reviews David Akers, Van Ault, George Brown, Marc Lewis, Mitchell Menigue, Donna Minkler, Aaron Ross, Eva Szabo and others

Circulation Distribution

12,000 plus Akron, Barberton, Berea, Brooklyn, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleveland Hts., Columbus, Dayton, Fairview Park, Lakewood, Lima, Lorain, Mansfield, Middleburgh Hts., Painsville, Parma, Parma Hts., Piqua, Rockbridge, Rocky River, Sandusky, Shaker Hts., Springfield, Steubenville, Toledo, Warren, Youngstown and points beyond.

OK

APPROVED by CUPID

GAY AMERICA'S NO. 1 PSYCHOLOGICAL KILLER

Last summer a crisis arose among the staffers of The Body Politic, Canada's largest gay newspaper, concerning the inclusion of a stylized illustration depicting a winged male nude with an enormous erect penis. Two of the women in The Politic collective objected to the illustration, branding it sexist. When asked to explain why the figure was sexist, one of the women blurted, "It's just sexist, that's all."

In an article explaining the debacle The Body Politic concluded editorially that it could not define sexism. This conclusion on the part of The Politic is tragic because it is symtomatic of the general ignorance of the phenomenon of sexism on the part of the

S.Blevins

Western hemisphere's gay intelligensia.

Admittedly, it is unfair to single out The Body Politic as myopic to sexism when after two years of propogandizing against discrimination on the basis of "beauty," we at High Gear were shocked by how many of our readers (in fact, our very own staff) have not the slightest awareness of the mechanics of sexism.

DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX APPEAL IS THE NUMBER ONE PSYCHOLOGICAL KILLER AMONG GAY MALES! Most gay men, though sexually free, are sexually starved. The promotion of a sexual monolith in publications ranging from papers like The Advocate to magazines like

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Blueboy serves only to accele-

rate sexual competition among gay men and robs the majority of fulfilling sexual release.

Casting gigantic muscles and cocks as positive values makes it impossible for a non-muscular "poorly" hung gay male to expiate his suffering. Gay men who fail to meet the standards of good looks are compelled to internalize their discontent as their own personal failure. If Joe Szmulewicz is pockmarked and hunchbacked, he is a "slob, an oaf, or an ape," and unless he has a well-publicized heart of an angel, he is regarded as "evil" simply on the basis of his looks. Most people are honest with themselves in evaluating their own looks. That is to say, most are aware that they are either "stunning," "average," or "ghastly." Our social environment teaches us to equate good looks with goodness and ugliness with evil. We've rarely seen an ugly hero or gorgeous villain. Consequently, if we are rejected at a bar we cannot blame Blueboy which is filled with "sacred people" and is therefore itself "sacred," nor can we blame society which is basically "good" or "right," so we can only blame ourselves. We can only conclude that we are ugly and therefore "bad."

Confessing that we are "bad" is perhaps a little too strong. Instead, we transcribe this negative self-assessment into self-denial, self-denigration and self-destruction.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ABSOLUTE OR UNIVERSAL BEAUTY. Our standard of good looks is purely arbitrary. The appearance of a large number of gay publications featuring "hunky" nudes or semi-nudes is historically recent; but the effects of promoting these idealized sex models will be both drastic and lasting on the gay community.

If gay citizens are taught to hunger for a type of physique which is scarce, they are sure to go hungry in large numbers for a long time. PUBLICATIONS WHICH FEATURE IDEAL NUDES DO NOT ENCOURAGE FREE SEX. On the contrary, they restrict the sexual options available to gay society!

Yes, Body Politic, there is such a thing as sexism, and man, does it hurt!

GAYS RIGHTS BILL REINTRODUCED

WASHINGTON Rep. Ed Koch has introduced the national gay civil rights bill. The New York City Democrat introduced the bill, identical to the one Rep. Bella Abzug had introduced in the last Congress,. on the first day of the 95th Congress, January 4, 1977.

The bill, H.R. 451, would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by adding the words "affectional or sexual preference" to each list of human conditions for which people cannot be discriminated against. The bill goes to the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.

Rep. Koch, had gotten nine other Members of Congress to sign with him as prime sponsors of this bill when it was introduced, and four others have asked to be on the bill already. They are Reps. Jonathan Bingham, New York; John Burton, California; Ron Dellums, California; Don Fraser, Minnesota; Michael Harrington, Massachusetts; Elizabeth Holtzman, New York; Paul N. (Pete) McCloskie, California; George Miller, California; Gerry Studds, Massachusetts; Theodore Weiss, New York; Parren Mitchell, Maryland; Frederick Richmond, New York; Charles Rangel, New York; and Stephen

J. Solarz, New York.

Koch is sending a letter to all Members of Congress the last week of January, explaining what the bill does and inviting additional co-sponsors. He plans to introduce the bill again with more co-sponsors in midFebruary.

"Gays on the Hill" claim it is absolutely imperative that people write to their Congresspeople urging them to co-sponsor H.R. 451. Please send copies of any letters you write to Members of Congress to the Congressional File, UFMCC Washington Office, Suite 210, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 2002.2018