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ODDS&ENDS

The Blade reports that one of the 105 hostages held by Hanafi Moslem gunmen in March at the B'nai Birith Bldg. in Washington D.C. was gay. Apparently when a group of the hostages was waiting to use the bathroom, one of the gunmen asked Billy Pat Clamp to empty his pockets. When Clamp did, he disclosed a tube of lipstick which he uses to make his cheeks rosy. The gunman then slapped Clamp around and asked him if he was a "faggot." After admitting he was, Clamp was yanked about again and forced to lean his head on the wall with his body at a steep slant. The abusive gunman then suddenly walked away and a second gunman untied Clamp and said, "He won't hurt you. We're only teasing you. Everybody's born to be different and to be what they want to be." Clamp told The Blade he was surprised that after the "faggot" incident he was treated with respect by the gunmen. Clamp also indicated his fellow hostages were very supportive.....

Karla Jay and Allen Young who have previously collaborated on Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation, After You're Out, and Lavender Culture (in preparation), have announced they will undertake the first comprehensive "grass roots" survey of lesbians and gay male sexuality and lifestyles. Jay and Young plan to distribute 500,000 questionnaires to the gay and lesbian communities through the gay and lesbian/feminist press, radio and TV shows, organizations, group and task forces, churches, campuses and bars. Different questionnaires have been prepared for men and women and no attempt will be I made to correlate the two. All Ohio gay groups and/or individuals wishing to participate may write Survey, Box 98, Orange, Massachussetts 01364...

The state of Arkansas has become the second state to reinstitute its laws against private, consenting sexual behavior. The other state is Idaho which reinstated penalties for sodomy after its repeal of such laws in 1972 was met with a public outcry. According to Gay Community News (GCN) the Arkansas State House of Representatives approved the sodomy law (a misdemeanor) by a 66-2 vote and the State Senate followed suit, 25-0. The main Senate sponsor of the bill, Sen. Milt Earnhard of Fort Smith, told the Senate, "This bill is aimed at weirdos and queers who live in a fairyland world and are trying to wreck family life.".....

Robbio Appel, publishereditor of the Pacific Coast Times, has been selected as one of six upfront gay members of the California Republican State Central Committee. Two gay appointees apiece come from San

Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego and will be among 1000 plus selected delegates from around the state who will decide the GOP gubernatorial candidate, party platform, etc. The appointments are especially significant in lieu of the fact that anti-gay L.A. Police Chief Ed Davis may make a serious bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination...

Gay Life reports that the national governing body of the American Medical Student Association recently passed an expanded pro-gay policy resolution during its April national convention in Chicago. Highlights of the AMSA resolution include: 1) Opposition to all public

By John Nosek

men and women is sometimes a projection by persons who are quite anxious about their own homosexual feelings, their waning sexual functioning or their lack of confidence in their masculinity or femininity....'

The National Gay Task Force took a study by the National Institute for Sex Research to their recent White House Meeting which sported the following tabulations: 13.95% of the total population have had either extensive (21 or more partners or 51 or more experiences) or more than incidental (5-20 partners or 21-50 experiences) homosexual contact. This, of course, does not account for closeted individuals, but indicates convicingly

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and private discrimination against homosexuals in all levels of medical education. 2) Support for the enactment of gay civil rights legislation at local, state and federal levels. 3) Support for the repeal of antigay laws, 4) Encouragement for the study of problems encountered by homosexuals both receiving and providing health

care....

Also from Gay Life: Barry Manilow in a letter to the Chicago Gay/Lesbian Pride Week Committee, regretted that he could not perform at one of the planned functions this June because of other commitments, but did, however, include a monetary donation for the committee...

The Oregon Tast Force on Sexual Preference states in a report to the Oregon State Legislature that "the fear that homosexual men and women will try to recruit heterosexual

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the language. Its appropriation by a notably morose group is an act of piracy."

Isaac Asimov, author,: "I bitterly resent the manner in which 'gay' has been forced out of speech. I can no longer say, 'I feel gay' or speak of a 'gay spirit.""

Russell Baker, columnist: "The current acceptance of 'gay' reflects a modern tendency of educated folk to oblige vociferously aggrieved minorities too readily,sometimes with odious results." (Reprinted as presented in The New York Times) Note: Do these selfrighteous "experts" really think we'll stop using a word for ourselves that they don't like?... In its April 15 issue The Universe Bulletin summarized the Catholic Church's two basic positions regarding homosecuality: "It holds that homosexual activity is wrong and not the norm, but it

IT WASN'T SODOMY YOUR HONOR, IT WAS GOMORRAMY

that gay people comprise a significant percentage of the American population...

Surveyed via mailed ballot, the "usage panel" of the American Heritage Dictionary considered the following questions in relation to usage of the word, "gay."....

Is "gay" (homosexual) as an adjective and as a noun appropriate to formal speech and writing? How about "gays" as in "The gays were among small groups of protestors"?

Annie Dillard, author, voting yes for "gay": "If that's what they want, let them have it as an adjective..."

Den McCormick, editor, voting yes for "gay:" "Inconsistently, I don't like 'gays'."

Sheridan Baker English Professor, "Yes even though I must register as a morose."

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., historian: "Gay' used to the one of the most agreeable words in

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Dade County Coalition for the Humanistic Rights of Gays who are working for voter approval of the Miami Gay Rights ordinance which will be submitted voters on June 7....

Meanwhile Bob Kunst and Dr. Aian Rockway, co-directors of the Miami Victory Campaign recently toured the East Coast to gain funds...

Gay Scene reports Ms. Mary Cavanagh who is the chairperson of "Save Our Children," an organization which has been in existence since 1973 has sent a letter to Anita Bryant informing her that her usage of their title has the group's members outraged. The original S.O.C. is an anti-abortion group committed to "saving the lives of unborn children." In the letter Ms. Cavanagh writes, "We wish to be associated only with antiabortion. We feel that you have compromised our position in taking our name."...

Also from Gay Scene: A scientific random phone sampling of 536 adults in NYC, northern N.J. and Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland counties revealed that 52% of the respondents favored women becoming priests, preachers or rabbis. Asked also, "Should acknowledged homosexuals be allowed to bcome priests, preachers or rabbis?" results showed Yes 35%, No 51%, Don't Know 14%. Admission of gays to the ministry was favored by 49% of Jews, 27% of the Protestants and 31% of the Catholics polled. The survey was conducted by The Daily News Opinion Poll....

The New York Times reports the U.S. Navy has decided to upgrade to honorable the discharge of Vernon E. Berg 3d, an acknowledged gay person, and says it will upgrade all similar discharges. Berg, however, plans to continue to press his Federal suit seeking to get back into the Navy. Navy officicals claim they will not reconsider their policy banning homosexuals from serving in the Navy. The decision to upgrade all such discharges was made by W. Graham Clayton Jr., the new secretary of the Navy and follows within a month a White House meeting between Carter Administration officials and the National Gay Task Force, in which the Berg case was discussed...

recognizes that homsexuals are persons entitled to basic human rights. There is far from widespread agreement within the Church, however, on how those twin beliefs should be handled in civil law." .... The arFormer Senator Sam Ervin ticle noted that the New York, recently spoke in opposition to Philadelphia, Miami and St. the Equal Rights Amendment at Paul-Minneapolis archdioceses Lakeland Community College. expressed opposition to During a question and answer proposed city ordinances to period, a young man asked how prohibit discrimination in emhe felt about the rights of ployment, housing and public homosexuals. Responded Irvin, accomodations on the basis of "I'm unsympathetic and I don't sexual orientation. But there care whether they have rights or have been at least two cases of not." Turkey.... studied neutrality by the Special note of thanks to After Massachussetts Catholic ConMidnight, Cleveland's biggest ference, which represents the after hours club, for its monetary Boston archdiocese and the and moral support to area gay Worcester, Fall River and activist efforts. Watch for a Springfield dioceses, and the community center benefit at AfBrooklyn Diocese in New York. ter Midnight scheduled for Air Force veteran Sgt. sometime in late June... In the Leonard Matlovich, a Florida meantime, see you at the club native, has taken on the full-time every Friday and Saturday mortask as spokesperson for the nings from 12 6 A.M.