'Straights' protest first gay comic strip character

by M. David Stein

When Time magazine did their recent cover story on Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury" comic. strip, they probably had no idea. what the irreverent and iconoclastic cartoonist was about to spring next. It's one thing to lay waste the political landscape with needling satires on the Vietnam War, the New Left, Watergate, detente, the Imperial Presidency, and other such Isitting ducks. That's good "clean" fun.

But on February 10 Trudeau stepped over the bounds of "common" decency. He had an intelligent, handsome, healthy and altogether sympathetic male character (introduced more than a week earlier as an apparent love interest for "Joanie Caucus," one of the earliest members of the "Doonesbury" zoo) matter-of-factly announce: "I'm gay." And he wasn't even named "Bruce."

pared to that of readers who regularly follow the strip in more. than 400 newspapers. Gays howled with delight, homophobie "straights" with anguish, and editors for at least five major papers blanched, grabbed their phones, and ordered the series killed for the rest of the week.

Lee Salem, managing editor of the Universal Press Syndicate (which distributes "Doonesbury"), told Boston's Gay Community News that there has been "an incredible response" to the cartoons featuring "Andy" and discussing his being gay. Unfortnately, nearly all of it has been negative. Salem isn't surprised at this, since people who like something that is published write in much less often than do people who hate something. Nevertheless, he would clearly like to get some positive reaction from gays, and to encourage this we herewith give the syndicate's address: 6700 Squibb

'Doonesbury' censored in Cleveland, Columbus; KGLF mounts protest

by Donald Moore

CLEVELAND-Two of the that cancelled papers the "Doonesbury" gay episodes were in Ohio: the Cleveland Press and the Columbus Citizen-Journal, both Scripps-Howard papers. In both cases the decision to cancel generated more protests than the decision to run the controversial strips generated in other cities. The Press was forced to offer free copies of the deleted cartoons to any readers who wished to write in for them, and the Citizen-Journal filled its letters-to-the-editor columns with outraged letters from gays and others criticizing its heavy-handed censorship action.

Press editor Tom Boardman. tried to defend his decision in an editorial, saying: "Maybe my concern is a little old-fashioned, but I have a special sensitivity about homosexuality appearing in the comic pages. These pages have high readership among young people and I feel the less said about the subject there, the better."

women

Both the decision itself and Boardman's explanation of it became the target of an organized protest when more than 30 gay men and picketed the newspaper's offices for an hour on the afternoon of February 16. The demonstration (which was covered by three TV stations, though ignored by the Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer) was organized by the Kent Gay Liberation Front (KGLF) of Kent State University.

KGLF co-chairperson Bill Hoover said in response to Boardman's editorial: "The idea that the comic section should uphold a certain value system doesn't even have any surface validity. 'Doonesbury'-. was advocating honesty, openness, and a realistic approach to life. (In contrast), on the same comic page you

see Dick Tracy murdering people, the military glorified in "Beetle Bailey," and various other "good" Amerikan values offered. What (it) is important for children to know is that homosexuality is a part of life and therefore should not be hidden away-which has been the

tactic of Amerikan parents for too long."

Picketer Wendy Gaylord explained the demonstration thus: "We're here to tell the press that area gays are upset over this and will not sit by and let it happen." Another KGLF member simply repeated the Scripps-Howard motto, inscribed over the doorway of the Cleveland Press building; "Give the people light and they will find their own way."

'Blondie' comes out

by Donald Moore

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. In an interview with the national entertainment, magazine Afterglow, comic-page star "Blondie" announced to the world that she is a lesbian. "Blondie's" revelation closely follows the historic coming-out of "Andy" in widely read Doonesbury strip.. "Blondie" said that she had been considering the step for many years, but needed "Andy's" courageous example "to throw me out of the closet, out of this tired old house, and with my sisters where I belong."

"Blondie" emphasized that she was not following "Andy" merely because he is a man, but because he is "another gay person attempting to live his own life." She said that she plans to sue for divorce from her husband, "Dagwood," and to demand custody of her perpetually adolescent children.

"Dagwood" was unavailable for comment since he was taking a bath.

KGLF sources indicate that further actions against the Press will be mounted if the newspaper again censors "Doonesbury" next time "Andy," the gay law student, appears in it. Meanwhile, they urge area gays whether or not they happen to be faithful fans of this particular strip-to protest by letter or telephone the newspaper's "in the closet" policy on homosexuality.

Rd., Mission, Kan. 66202.

Below are some of the cartoons that have stirred up the fuss.

DOONESBURY

JOANIE, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ASK ME-WHETHER I LOVE YOU? IF YOU ARE, THE ANSWER'S YES...

2-11

Though Trudeau has since shifted to. another of his continuing story lines. signs are that "Andy" may be a

regular character. We look forward

to seeing more of him.

by Garry Trudeau

OH.. NO, ANDY, I'M NOT TRYING TO PIN YOU DOWN.. I..

BUT, JOANIE, THERE'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO KNOW...I GUESS I SHOULD

HAVE TOLD YOU A

YOU'RE MARRIED, AREN'T

NO, JOANIE, I'M GAY.

WELL, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? I'M USUALLY CHEERFUL, TOO!

NO, I MEAN..

OH, MY GOD..

WHILE AGO..

YOU?

2-10

YOU'RE

I'M GAY,

WHAT,

JOANIE,

OH..ANDY..

ANDY?

GAY.

ARE THEY SURE?

I'M SURE, JOANIE.

GINNY... I TALKED TO ANDY. IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK...

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO REACT, GINNY-I'VE NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE..

BLONDIE! I DID IT! I FINALLY MADE UP MY MIND!

2-12

HI, LADIES! WHAT'S NEW?

2-13

EXCUSE ME-THE LIBRARIAN TELLS ME YOU'VE GOT THE CLOSED RESERVE COPY OF "TOP TORTS...

1-277

THE AMAZING THING ABOUT THE WHITTIER RULING WAS THAT IT WAS SO AHEAD OF ITS TIME! I MEAN, IN 1949, WHO CARED ABOUT SEX DISCRIMINATION?

OH, Wow..

HE'S GAY, GINNY.

JOANIE, IM GOING TO RUN FOR CONGRESS!

WHAT?!

I MEAN, I KNOW I STILL HAVE A GOOD FRIEND IN ANDY, BUT IT'S KIND OF A SETBACK WHEN YOUR BOYFRIEND TELLS YOU HE'S GAY.

OH, HEY, I'M SORRY-I GUESS I LOST TRACK

OF THE TIME.. I FOUND WHOA..

A FASCINATING SUIT WHO IS HERE, AN EARLY SEX THIS?! DISCRIMINATION CASE..

I'VE BEEN DOING A STUDY OF SOME OF THE

EARLY SEX DISCRIMINATION RULINGS. THERE'S A FASCINATING PRECEDENT THAT WAS SET WAY BACK

I'M SO SORRY, JOANIEMY REJOICING OVER DECIDING TO RUN FOR CONGRESS COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE SILL-TIMED!

UM..SAY... I'M ALMOST THROUGH..I WONDER IF I COULD TALK YOU INTO LETTING ME KEEP THE BOOK FOR A FEW MINUTES MORE..

OH..UH.. SURE-I CAN WAIT! PLEASETAKE YOUR TIME!

WHY.. THAT'S TERRIFIC, GINNY!

OH, I'M SO SORRY, BLONDIE..

YOU KNOW, YOU GIRLS LEAD REAL INTERESTING LIVES.

GO AWAY, WOODY.

HEY.. YOU'RE NICE.. ..REALLY. 1

TINGLES TINGLE!

I THINK YOU'RE

OH..UM..

DOWN, JOAN DOWN!

OH, HEY... LISTEN TO ME BABBLE AWAYYOU PROBABLY BEAUTIFUL. THINK I'M...

GBTrudeaic

OHIO EAST GAY NEWS-Saturday, March 6, 1976-Page A5