June, 1989

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Page 7

Gay hams fighting bias

An aggressive lesbian and gay rights campaign is raging within a little-known community among us: radio hobbyists known as amateur radio operators or "hamis." In May, the campaign took to the airwaves when almost 230 international shortwave broadcasts promoting lesbian and gay rights were transmitted worldwide.

The amateur radio community exists largely unseen among us until natural or man-made disasters erupt. In times of earthquakes, tornados or chemical spills, we then hear about the hams providing essential communications when regular channels break down or are overloaded.

Dayton, Ohio knows the hams well, as each spring 30,000 converge on that city for the world's largest annual gathering. This year, 35 openly gay hams also attended the Dayton Hamvention, April 28-30, as members of the Lambda Amateur Radio Club (LARC).

Established in 1975, LARC is an international organization of lesbian and gay hams with over 125 members in the U.S., Canada and England. LARC's membership grew by 60 percent last year.

Their numbers were small in the crowd at Dayton, but the LARC members made their presence known. They distributed 500 special copies of their newsletter attacking continuing prejudice and discrimination against the club by the straight amateur radio community. The newsletter received wide and mostly positive attention which resulted in the club and gay rights being featured for two weeks on the regular shortwave broadcasts of the International Amateur Radio Network (IARN). The speaker on the broadcasts was LARC Secretary Bob Laycock, a Cleveland gay ham also known by his station call letters KA8UHL.

LARC's problems with the straight amateurs began in 1985, shortly after the club began developing a more formal

structure and initiated a membership recruitment drive. That November, LARC submitted a membership ad to QST, a monthly journal published by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), an educational and lobbying organization for the hobby.

QST ran the ad for one month and then abruptly canceled it. A new advertising policy was conveniently added the first issue after the cancelation, stating the ARRL's "right to decline or discontinue advertising for any reason." David Sumner, ARRL Executive Vice President, wrote LARC stating the ads were "issue-oriented" and "advocacy" and thus unacceptable.LARC members protested. They asked why ads for the International Mission Radio Association, a religious radio organization, were routinely run in QST, even though these could be called issue oriented and advocacy by the same logic. No clear answer was offered.

LARC protested other inconsistencies in the ARRL position. ARRL official George Wilson wrote, "[W]hile I see the commonality of interest in your I am having trouble relating that group, to ham radio."

LARC has repeatedly pointed out that other groups with interests seemingly unrelated to amateur radio regularly receive coverage in QST. These have included recently: Mensa members, Midas Muffler employees, and spelunkers. Again, LARC says, the ARRL has been unable to answer.

In 1986, LARC talked to another straight ham publication, 73 Amateur Radio. LARC believed the initial response from publisher Wayne Green was very positive compared to the ARRL. When asked by LARC President Jim Kelly, of Philadelphia, Green said immediately that he would run an ad, after many liberal assurances that he has gay friends and "knows it's not con-

tagious." But when put to the test, 73 Amateur Radio likewise refused the ad and returned LARC's checks.

Wayne Green delivers a well-attended speech each year in Dayton, and so last year LARC challenged him during the question-and-answer period of his talk. He explained the failure of 73 Amateur Radio to run the ad on his "hands-off management style" which permits his staff a large degree of independence. He really couldn't tell his staff what to print. "But," he said, "I'll write about this in my editorial."

LARC left somewhat satisfied, but was puzzled by one statement: When asked why he hadn't responded to letters sent to his home, he said, "I have no home address."

A year later, LARC believed that no editorial would appear, but finally, in the May 1989 issue distributed in Dayton, the topic of gay hams was addressed. In a rambling and cautious piece, Wayne Green suggested that straight hams need to be more accepting. "It isn't as if a gay-lesbian ham group is going to convert someone to the gay life," he wrote, "so what's the beef?"

Within days of publishing his magazine, Green told LARC he had already begun receiving responses to the editorial, both positive and negative.

"The jury is still out on whether the magazine will reverse its discriminatory advertising policy," said LARC Secretary Bob Laycock, “but we feel that Wayne's editorial was good. Considering the source and its audience, it was a real step forward."

This year's trip to Dayton and the broadcasts on the International Amateur Radio Network have LARC's members excited about the club's advances and opportunities for continued growth. The newsletter distribution in Dayton, the editorial in 73 Amateur Radio and IARN broadcasts could swell

LARC's membership. The single ad in QST in November 1985 brought 33 responses and 11 new members to the club.

LARC's excitement also comes from the new understanding about lesbians and gays they feel is resulting from their personal contacts with straight hams and the shortwave broadcasts in May. These broadcasts may well have been the first of their kind in history, with hams and other shortwave listeners hearing them regardless of where they live or the political systems or religions of their

countries.

LARC's members also enjoyed simple good times in Dayton, as the club is first and foremost a recreational organization of lesbian and gay radio enthusiasts. The annual gathering is a time to see each other in person, but LARC members naturally converse throughout the year on the airwaves.

LARC members meet up to ten times throughout each week at regularly scheduled frequencies and times. These meetings include voice communications, Morse code and computer or digital communications. The international quality of shortwave signals allows all LARC members in the U.S. and abroad to join in.

"LARC will continue its efforts to advance the hobby of amateur radio, the club and the rights of lesbians and gays everywhere," said LARC President Jim Kelly. "We're moving forward!"

Nationally, there are almost 500,000 amateur radio operators. At 10 to 15 percent, some 75,000 of these hams could be lesbian or gay. With 125 members, LARC has barely scratched the surface of potential members, but they are on their way.

LARC is awaiting reactions from the shortwave broadcasts and is hoping for a Continued on Page 9

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