OPINIONS
EDITORIAL
This issue we're diverging from our usual editorial style by printing a fairy tale about the gay rights struggle in Minnesota. Unfortunately, the fairy tale is all too real-see the news story on page 4.
If this fairy tale is going to have a happy ending, the half-million or so gay people in Minnesota will have to get off their asses and do two things-one of them is easy, and the other is difficult.
The easy thing to do, something that can be done with a flash of the pen, is to write or wire state legislators and urge them to vote in favor of the gay rights bill. HF 536. Wavering votes are claiming that constituency mail is running against the bill. Don't give legislators that ex-
cuse.
The difficult thing to do, and it must be done, is for responsible gay citizens, those who know that rights aren't obtained by making fools out of ourselves, to restrain the "lunatic fringe." This may take pounds of persuasion, Solomon-like diplomacy and a good dose of public censure: still, it must be done before these crazies succeed in embarrassing the movement throughout the nation.
In dramatic contrast to the Minnesota fiasco, we're happy to report on how California got the Foran employment bill and the Brown consenting sex bill out of committee (also reported on page 4).
Onc
nce upon a time, in the state with 10,000 lakes (which really had 15,291), a group of dyke and fairy persons went to their law-givers seeking equality with non-dyke and non-fairy persons in their state.
They thought that since the sheiks of shrinkdom and the lords of goddom had finally decided that they could be responsible citizens and were entitled to the rights of citizens, they would have a good case to present. Even one of the law-givers, Nalla Screaps, had told all the people of the 15,291-lake state that he was a fairy person, too, and promised to help all the other dyke and fairy persons get their rights.
Meanwhile, another fairy person, Neadne, had been quietly talking to the other law-givers about these rights.
And, the two big "twin" cities had already given rights to their 40,000 dyke and fairy person residents.
So, a law was proposed that would give these people all of the rights the rest of the people had.
The law-givers meditated on it. They consulted and nodded. They looked into their political futures and wondered if they would still be law-givers if they voted for this new law.
Finally, impressed by the responsible and sane nature of this queer minority, most of the law-givers decided it might be a good idea-the more sagacious told themselves they might even be more appreciated if they passed the law.
Public hearings were scheduled so that all sides, could be heard.
But, on the day of the first hearing, some fairy crazies-Sniggih and his friends-came and told the law-givers that law-givers were prostitutes. They also said that all the schools teaching young children would have to teach dyke and fairy person sex classes. The fairy crazies said that the law would have to be changed so that men could dress like ladies-all the time, if that's what men who wanted to dress like ladies wanted.
The law-givers listened and squirmed. They tried to hide in their big chairs after all, they'd been told that these queer people were sane and responsible. Some of the law-givers concluded that the sheiks of shrinkdom and the lords of god-dom were wrong (just as they'd always suspected) and decided they'd better kill this queer new law.
The fairy person lobbyist Neadne met with the reluctant law-givers and made a bargain with them. They agreed that they'd vote some rights for the queer minority-the right to jobs, homes, credit and education. Then maybe next year they could pass some other rights.
Everything was patched up and another hearing was held.
But before the second hearing, the fairy crazies decided to play some pranks, and did silly things like calling press conferences in the lawgivers' bathrooms. They thought it was pretty funny to catch one with his pants down.
Then, the fairy crazies went to the hearing and, claiming they were big-city people, said they didn't like the new law. They called it a "compromise" and said they wanted all the rights they could dream up along with cake, frosting and ice cream, too-right now, thank you.
They got up at the hearing and tried to steal the podium. The fairy crazies were hauled out of the hearing room and the law-givers squeamishly settled down to vote.
They decided to pass the new law in their committee so that all the other law-givers would have a chance to vote on it.
And then the law-givers went back to their homes in the suburbs, prairies and iron-ore towns, shaking their heads, thinking that the new law wasn't such a good idea after all.
Meanwhile, the 300,000 dyke and fairy persons who didn't live in the two big cities (they lived in the suburbs, prairies and iron-ore towns) and didn't have any rights at all, wondered what went wrong.
Sasha Gregory-Lewis
The official views of this newspaper are expressed in the editorial column above. Opinions expressed in by-lined columns, letters and cartoons are those of the writers and artists and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the ADVOCATE.
Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in the ADVOCATE is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.
Page 30
THE ADVOCATE
May 7, 1975
LETTERS
Laguna Taken
Poor little Hollywood reporter doesn't get cruised enough when he gets to Laguna, so his ego gets all bent out of shape. Too, too bad.
Ask yourself: Can a town with that heavy a concentration of gays have no couples breaking up or no cheating on the side? Laguna swings year around.
a
And one other note. There could be a dance bar anytime certain gay bar wants it, 'cause one bar has that license hanging on its wall.
I lived in L.A. and San Francisco. I'll take Laguna... the city that doesn't need a gay movement 'cause all the big hassles were won a few years ago.
Name Withheld Laguna Beach
Stick Together
There are more lesbians who regularly read your paper than you might have thought at least among the women that I know. And while we generally consider ourselves socially radical, this does not mean any separation from gay men. On the contrary, I think we can all have more social clout if we stick together.
Good luck with the paper. And we really appreciate the new stuff being done by and about women. Rachel Lyons Whittier, CA
Less Nudity Please
May I suggest that you make less of a show of nudity in your tabloid? True, I am a lover of pornography, and nothing turns me on like a picture of a beautiful guy in the nude. However, it is a little difficult to take my copy to work and to write comments on because every page (or every other page) has a picture of a nude guy. Is it possible to so structure the paper that the nude shots could be put in one of the pages further back?
Rev. G. Scott Gleffe North Hollywood, CA
Question
Why does it always seem that everyone must be physically perfect, and (so-called) "faultlessly" youthful in every line and symmetry, with no admitted physical defects? In other words, where does the physically handicapped person fit into the picture? The "appeal" seems to be nil in the minds and lives of 99%--they look the other way and there is no admission of any attractiveness of heart, spirit, emotions, sexual longings, desire for affection and the policy of "walking by on the other side" is cruelly rampant at every turn. Why?
On the other hand, are we being privileged and specially blessed in being freed from some of the
heartaches that many so-called physically perfect (?) complain of in their frank and sincere moments? The handicapped cannot walk or stand in the competitive field that is so cruel. They must be content with staying at home and using hand-power and live silently and unclaimed in affection and love and release that is only shared together.
There must be many handicapped who bat their heads against a stone wall and say, helplessly "Why?" and "Why not me, too?" How does one answer this question in the lonely night?
Name Withheld Los Angeles, CA [The question is difficult, and we cannot presume to prescribe from our perspective. However, perhaps there are readers who have answered the question for themselves, or know of someone who has.-Ed.]
Homophobic Fiction
As a male I hesitate to object to Jeanne Cordova's "One Woman's Viewpoint" (Issue 158), but in this column Cordova repeats one of the most foolish of homophobic fictions. She writes that Sappho was "a musician, artist and politician," associated with "an aristocratic school of fine arts for women." This "school" she claims was "internationally known for training young women in the arts of poetry, painting, music, grooming and lovemaking."
The classical literature knows of no such school for women anywhere in ancient Greece. For a gay to make Sappho involved with such a "school" is, simply, absurd. No serious (non-homophobic) contemporary Greek scholar would support Ms. Cordova's no-
tion.
Sappho "the school-mistress" was the creation of homophobic scholars sanitizing "Sappho the degenerate" in the last century when the bulk of her poems became available. The "school" is not justified. The idea came about to deny Sappho her gayness; it makes her something she never
was.
The historical evidence for her gayness has recently become incontrovertible; the poems speak for themselves. Notions of a "school" have been given to us by Victorian homophobes. Sappho "school-mistress" is inaccurate clutter we shouldn't need, misinformation from up-tight straights we shouldn't repeat.
Sappho was a "right-on woman." Ms. Cordova does her disservice.
Thomas Dotton Boston, MA
"Mr. Right" Found
In response to all those people who gripe about the personals column because it exploits the individual for purely sexual ends: I agree to a point, but also point out that there are exceptions.
I sing hosannas to the sky for the same column which brought
me my "Mr. Right"-I was, in response to a personal ad, able to meet and get it "all together" with someone really special. Your paper has brought love and beauty into my life, and I will never forget it. Peace and gay love.
Bill Coplon Middletown, CT
300 Responses
I recently ran an ad in your Trader Dick column and it had a caption "Cowboys Need Lovin' Too." I would like to say that I had over 300 responses from that ad and I did find my lover I was looking for. Many thanks for a truly wonderful paper. I was just accepted by my family for being gay and it was such a load off my mind to be accepted. I hope you will run articles from us gays in Montana.
Eri de Caresson Billings, MT
The ADVOCATE welcomes expressions of opinion from its readers. Please keep letters as short as possible. We reserve the right to edit all letters as necessary. Letters must be signed, but the writer's name will be withheld if the writer specifically requests. Send to: The South ADVOCATE, 2121 ΕΙ Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94403.
Blacks Spurned?
Your publication spurns blacks as though they were the plague, except when they can be used to further sales, such as your recent exploitation of Labelle. Gay people will never unite, for there is no unity in color separation. I'm not asking to sleep with my white brothers. I'm just hoping you'd free their minds of the "big bad wolf" syndrome. We're not just music makers, for the mere release. of your tensions and anxiety, we're people, loving warm, and OH! so real.
Larry V. Matthews Los Angeles, CA
It's been four issues now, and still the ADVOCATE has refused to open itself to its black supporters. There is nothing within the ADVOCATE, even with its new look, that I as a young Black gay can fully relate to. From just looking at the ADVOCATE, you wouldn't know if Black gays existed!
As the ADVOCATE is the only major publication for and by gay people, you have a duty to insure that the ADVOCATE does not center solely on one group within the gay community. Let's see more articles by and about outspoken Black gays. We do exist, and we refuse to be treated as though we were invisible, within the gay community as without.
Wesley H. Smith Goleta, CA [We rely on our readers to supply us with information and leads for stories, features, articles, etc. Our ignorance is no excuse, but please do send us your ideas.-Ed.]