Queers read this: I hate straights

an

During the New York City Pride Parade, a group of lesbians and gay men distributed Queers Read This, anonymously authored series of essays and graphics, to participants and spectators. Within 24 hours, a ferocious debate had begun in the community over the uncompromising position of the broadsheet, particularly the final essay, reprinted below.

I have friends. Some of them are straight.

Year after year, I see my straight friends. I want to see them, to see how they are doing, to add newness to our long and complicated histories, to experience some continuity.

Year after year I continue to realize that the facts of my life are irrelevant to them and that I am only half listened to, that I am an appendage to the doings of a greater world, a world of power and privilege, of the laws of installation, a world of exclusion. "That's not true," argue my straight friends. There is the one certainty in the politics of power: those left out of it beg for inclusion, while the insiders claim that they already are. Men do it to women, whites do it to blacks, and everyone does it to queers.

The main dividing line, both conscious and unconscious, is procreation... and that magic word-Family. Frequently, the ones we are born into disown us when they find out who we really are, and to make matters worse, we are prevented from having our own. We are punished, insulted, cut off, and treated like seditionaries in terms of child rearing, both damned if we try and damned if we abstain. It's as if the propagation of the species is such a fragile directive that without enforcing it as if it were an agen-

Gayla

Continued from Page 3

group was divided into smaller “check in circles" which met every morning for an hour to allow individuals, especially newcomers, to feel more at home and in control of the many personal emotions that would affect them during the week.

A particularly powerful evening was Gayla's traditional Grieving Circle, where anyone could come to express his own emotions, or to grieve with others, over the loss of loved ones. Following the Grieving Circle, there was a session called Living with AIDS which allowed HIV challenged individuals to share information, frustrations and hopes among themselves and interested caregivers.

From the social perspective, Gayla has developed a reputation at Ferry Beach for fun and frivolity, and this year was better than ever. A western dance, called by Lynn Dilworth and Dennis McMahon of the Cleveland City Country Dancers, was the ice-breaking social event. Monday was the premier cabaret night, featuring troubadour and healer John Calvi, followed by elaborately staged songs from "Cabaret" and other performances which enraptured the audience. On Tuesday, the traditional afternoon tea dance was an occasion for people to wear dresses and costumes of exquisite beauty, clever invention, and downright bad taste. The talent show was another popular evening event where latent performers could command center stage.

Cleveland resident Doug Fagan, who was the facilitator of the sound and Reiki workshops, was crowned Queen of Gayla. Interestingly, the winners for the past two years Andy Shea, the leader of the makeup workshop, and John Savagealso consider Cleveland their home.

The strong Ohio presence has existed for several years. The close Cleveland community seems to be an ideal atmosphere for each Gayla veteran to talk about the experience and convince others to sign up. Conferees from the New England and New York areas made up another third of the total, with the rest coming from areas as diverse as Atlanta,

da, humankind would melt back into the primeval ooze.

I hate having to convince straight people that lesbians and gays live in a war zone, that we're surrounded by bomb blasts only we seem to hear, that our bodies and souls are heaped high, dead from fright or bashed or raped, dying of grief or disease, stripped of our personhood.

I hate straight people who can't listen to queer anger without saying, “hey, all straight people aren't like that. I'm straight too, you know," as if their egos don't get enough stroking or protection in this arrogant, heterosexist world. Why must we take care of them, in the midst of our just anger brought on by their fucked up society?! Why add the reassurance of "Of course, I don't mean you. You don't act that way." Let them figure out for themselves whether they deserve to be included in our anger.

But of course that would mean listening to our anger, which they almost never do. They deflect it, by saying "I'm not like that," or "now look who's generalizing," or "You'll catch more flies with honey...," or "If you focus on the negative you just give out more power," or "you're not the only one in the world who's suffering.” They say “Don't yell at me, I'm on your side,” or “I think you're overreacting," or "BOY, YOU'RE BITTER."

September, 1990 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE Page 5

Western Union

gets the

angry queers carry banners or signs that message

say BASH BACK. For the last decade they let us die in droves and still we thank President Bush for planting a fucking tree, applaud him for likening PWAs to car accident victims who refuse to wear seatbelts. Let yourself be angry. Let yourself be angry that the price of our visibility is the constant threat of violence, anti-queer violence to which practically every segment of this society contributes. Let yourself feel angry that there is no place in this country where we are safe, no place where we are not targeted for hatred and attack, the selfhatred, the suicide of the closet. The next time some straight person comes down on you for being angry, tell them that until things change, you don't need any more evidence that the world turns at your expense. You don't need to see only hetero couples grocery shopping on your TV... You don't want any more baby pictures shoved in your face until you can have or keep your own. No more weddings, showers, anniversaries, please, unless they are our own brothers and sisters celebrating. And tell them not to dismiss you by saying "You have rights,” “You have privileges," "You're overreacting," or "You have a victim's mentality." Tell them "Go away from me, until you can change." Go away and try on a world without the brave, strong queers that are its backbone, that are its guts and brains and souls. Go tell them go away until they have spent a month walking hand in hand in public with someone of the same sex. After they survive that, then you'll hear what they have to say about queer anger. Otherwise, tell them to shut up and lis-

They've taught us that good queers don't get mad. They've taught us so well that we not only hide our anger from them, we hide it from each other. We even hide it from ourselves. We hide it with substance abuse and suicide and overachieving in the hope of proving our worth. They bash us and stab us and shoot us and bomb us in ever increasing Reprinted from OutWeek, August 15, numbers and still we freak out when

Seattle, Toronto (Canada), and London (England).

It takes long months of planning and shopping to make a diverse conference such as Gayla a success. Six coordinators, elected by the group, are in charge of all planning and budgeting. For Gayla XII, three of them were Clevelanders: Kevin Beaney, Lynn Dilworth and Roger White. The coordinators select a committee which oversees the many details leading up to and occurring during the week. Talented individuals are needed for artistry, videos, music, preparing food for the social events, organizing cheerleaders, and generating enthusiasm. Again, the Cleveland presence was strong in these staff positions.

As the conferees were leaving Ferry Beach on Friday, the coordinators were already at work reviewing the success of Gayla XII and planning for next year. Although Roger White's term has ended, Clevelanders Dilworth and Beaney continue as coordinators of Gayla XIII. They plan to host the other four leaders in October during the first of the weekend planning sessions needed to organize the next conference.

With such a variety of events and sense of community, Gayla generates powerful feelings of love and strength. As Beaney commented to the group during the closing ceremony in the grove, "You heard us talk about the 'Spirit of Gayla' and the 'Magic of Ferry Beach' as we started the week. Now, I think, you all know what we meant. I've heard from so many of you about how your lives have been affected-sometimes in little ways, but with a lot of meaning to you. I know the week was a success since we have all shared our lives. Take time now to breathe in the air, the spirit of this place and take it with you for the rest of the year."

155 men took their memories of emotion, friendships, fun, self-love, and pride with them as they left the magical space

created for a week on the shores of Maine. Many plan to return next year. In the meantime there are pictures to show

ten. ▼

1990

and trade, stories to tell, and remembrances to cherish. A weekend reunion is planned for mid-January in western Massachusetts. It is expected

Western Union Corporation, which earlier this year was sharply criticized by lesbian and gay rights advocates for its attempts to overturn the San Francisco lesbian and gay rights ordinance, has issued a revised non-discrimination policy which specifically includes sexual orientation.

In a statement signed by Western Union's president and chief executive officer, Robert J. Amman, the company asserts that its policy of equal opportunity "is founded on sound business judgment and our belief in respect for the individual. We depend on the full and effective employment and development of qualified persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental handicap or veteran status."

Earlier this year, Western Union's attorneys had sought to have the San Francisco Human Rights Ordinance overturned as unconstitutional, rather than address the merits of an anti-discrimination suit which had been brought against the company by a former employee.

Amman explained that the decision to challenge the constitutionality of the San Francisco ordinance was made by locally retained legal counsel in the case. “When I became aware of this, I directed our law department to instruct our local counsel to withdraw his challenge of the law and try the case. We have no interest in overturning civil rights ordinances,”. Tim McFeeley, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, noted, "Western Union is sending a clear message that discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans is counter-productive and wrong. I hope many other companies follow this example of responsible corporate citizenship."

that specific information about the 1991 conference will be announced at that time. ▼

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