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ABOUT

By JOHN NOSEK

PINKOS

Nearly half of the world's population is ruled under the economic system of communism, and many of the world's nations are drifting Left. Within these Marxist countries reside millions of Our gay comrades. What is their status and what does communism mean to the homosexual?

Some three months ago, as part of this project, the author sent letters to Communist' diplomats stationed here in the U.S. Correspondence requesting official governmental policy on gays were mailed to representative of The Soviet Union, China, Cuba and Poland. Not one response was received. We do, however, have second-hand information on treatment of gays in Communist countries, and reports indicate the situation is far from encouraging.

deed, there presently governs no Communist state which is tolerant or even gives recognition to gay people.

In the past, Communists have viewed homosexuality as a decadent reaction to capitalism, a perversion of "normal" sexuality, or simply non-existent. But on the West Coast and purportedly in other regions of our country, gay organizations are beginning to retaliate, and within "the revolutionary struggle." Based in Hollywood, The Lavender and Red Union is one such gay liberation Communist organization. The LRU takes its task quite seriously; "Ours is a grave responsibility; indeed, for without a strong Gay voice within the Communist movement, it is possible that the revolution will leave us in chains against which to struggle anew. Obviously, the anti-gayness of Cuba, China and the left is not encouraging; but it is only by the struggling a within revolutionary movement that we have any hope of reversing this trend. In reality, anti-gayness is not in the long-term interests of non-gay people, because it divides us all."

Chairman Mao of the People's Republic of China has gone on record as saying, "There exists no such person as homosexual." In Cuba, under Fidel Castro's tight regime, not only is there a fervent anti-gay feeling; but a general sexist policy as well. The environment in The Soviet Union shows little difference. Outside of a brief Leninist interlude after the Russian Revolution, The Soviet Union has consistently branded gays "sick" and shuffled them off to mental institutions. In-

Although the LRU subscribes to the Marxist historical analysis of dialectical materalism and internal contradictions, it feels that Marx did not go far enough, for he included no reference to

HIGH GEAR sexism: "Sexism is the material, ideological and psychological oppression of women and gay people. Marxists have neglected to make a complete analysis of sexism and seen one as unimportant. The revolutionary movement has been woefully lacking in supporting the demands of women for control over their own bodies, for equality in their relationships with men, and in the smashing of sex role stereotyping."

"There has been no analysis of why gay people are oppressed and in place of that many revolutionaries have put forth science bourgeois myths. Gay people exist in all classes. Gay people are a people with a common identity, a culture, institutions, and a host of internal contradictions. Ours is not a movement to 'do it' with whomever we want but rather to be who we are, to smash sex roles and to live our lives according to our own needs to win our freedom."

In their argument to fellow Communists and the public-atlarge, LRU states that: "Gayness/non-gayness is determined by external material conditions and socialization which have different effects on different individuals. Gayness or non-gayness is not a matter of individual choice... The term we use to describe sexuality that is not defined by gender is nondefined sexuality. When no privileges are given to men or to heterosexuals, a sexuality will develop which does not accord a certain role to women and a certain role to men, and whether one relates to people of the same sex or the opposite sex would have no particular significance. It is impossible to have non-defined sexuality in a class society." "Capitalist society is anti-sex.

We believe that the socialist movement should come to be identified as supporting sexual liberation."

To be sure, some of what the Lavender Red Union says makes sense. Problems arise, however, in their strategical application, Convinced that they possess the only practical answers for gay liberation. The LRU refuses to co-operate with any other organizations gay or non-gay who strive for gay rights: "There is presently no national organization that considers gay liberation a priority where this position is consistently borne out in practice. Most groups that take a pro-gay position are opportunists. They take this position in order to snare the support of gays. No predominantly non-gay organization we have countered has a genuinely diligent revolutionary position. As such, for the time being, we must work autonomously."

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The LRU attitude fellow gay groups runs in a similiar direction, Displaying disdain for the "reactionary" forces of the G.C.S.C., M.C.C., and formerly G.L.F. and G.A.A., the Lavender Red Union does not conceal its passionate desire to wrest virtual control of the Gay Liberation Movement. The LRU considers such alternate organizations as weak and merely service-oriented:

"Service is not a strategy for Gay Liberation or social change. All other gay groups have systemtically drifted to the right and either have dissolved or become ineffective. We cannot replace revolutionary education and action with medical care, psychological treatment, or crash pads. We cannot replace moving people in their own interests with social workers who move for them."

I'M GETTING TIRED OF

OCTOBER 1975

"The greatest service one can do for our gay sisters and brothers is to fight with them for their legitimate rights and needs (fair employment and housing, the right to custody of their children, the freedom to conduct their lives as equals with heterosexuals, etc), to align with the worker's movement and perhaps most importantly at this time to help people to see the class nature of society and their true position in that society..."

"To call for an end to sexism or racism that are essential to the maintenance of capitalism and the class system is utopian and idealistic. Only socialism can provide the basis for liberation and freedom."

It is this author's opinion that there is a viable slot for the Lavender Red Union in the Gay Movement. Unfortunately, the LRU sees no room for anyone else; and this is discomforting. The Gay Movement has been especially active and effective since the Stonewall Riots of 1969. In that short span of seven years, we have realized significant changes that in the entire history of the gay been populace have never known before.

To suddenly claim that these changes are not valid because they do not reflect the socialist state of mind is absurd, and, in fact, reactionary. Whatever his political beliefs, a gay person's first loyalty lies with his people. Whether one resides in Communist China or in capitalist America, the fact is that gay people are cruelly oppressed. Liberation lies in co-operation among all gay activist groups, wherever we are, for CHANGES AT HOME.

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