MARCH 25, 1994 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

ON THE AIR ▪ OFF THE PRESS CABARET AN THE CAFÉ IMPROMPTU

Where we draw the line

by John DuAne Graves Reaction to the "lesbian kiss" episode of the sitcom Roseanne was light. ABC reported about 100 calls with 75 percent of them favorable. According to the Nielsen ratings, the episode was seen by 19.9 million homes, about 30 percent of the available audience, and beat all of the other networks including CBS' Grammy Awards telecast.

Harry Stein, in his "Our Times" TV Guide column about values and TV, comes up with another complaint about why do we have to see a lesbian kiss on TV and what happened to traditional values? After all, lesbians and gays were considered deviant and kinky in the old days. I am not trying to single out Stein, there are others out there, ostensibly liberal, who voice the same complaint.

Well, my "liberal" friends, racial and religious bigotry were considered traditional values in the old days when polite people didn't have to deal with other races on TV because they weren't shown. Even today, expressions of romance in interracial relationships are considered too controversial for TV by some. When was the last time you saw interracial participants on the Love Connection or the Dating Game? Just because catering to bigotry in this country is traditional is no reason to continue the practice. However, lesbian, gay and interracial expressions of romance still test the limits of self-proclaimed civil rights liberals in this country.

The next question asked is usually: “Where do we draw the line?” We're telling you right now that the line is somewhere on the other side of lesbians, gays and bisexuals. And yes, our lives and relationships do have value on a par with straight relationships. We refuse to qualify our marriages with quotation marks or words such as "mock," "sham" or "so-called."

Contrary to popular belief, in this country we do have a right to express our love and affection for our partners openly. We form our own families and they deserve the same rights, protections and responsibilities as straight relationships. Whether you like it or not our families interact and live in the same world as you.

Straight families give birth to gay children and gay parents give birth to straight children. If a person, child or adult, is straight when they first see us as real people, they will be straight afterward just as gay people are still gay even when brought up away from any awareness of other gay people. Our relationships are normal for us. To ask anything else of us is as abnormal as asking a straight person to become gay. And that's the opinion of this proud, mixed-blood Af-

Civil rights

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textual clarity, asking things like "Why Vietnam? Why not Desert Storm too?" He says that he has no problem with the part pertaining to sexual orientation. "As it pertains to definitions, I think those things are clear. Right now there are some sections that I don't understand, that aren't clear." Rick Horvath of the city's law department says he's "leery of rendering any legal opinions" about hypothetical applications of the new law. Each case is different. "Every law that contains a prohibition against discrimination has been reviewed," said Horvath. He says that standard antidiscrimination laws would have to be checked to determine whether an activity falls under protection. "We haven't added any new discrimination laws," said Horvath. "It's more a comprehensive review of current discrimination laws."

rican-American, Catholic bisexual who, along with my colleague Scott and with no disrespect to the many gay and straight African-Americans who have made a difference in the world we live in, is making black history right now.

Have access to a Hi-8 video camera, a mike and headphones? Are you itching to increase dyke visibility and power, examine the lesbian community and the world at large and subvert the mainstream blackout on lesbian lives? Then Dyke TV, a Manhattan cable access program aimed at lesbians in the New York area is looking for you. Dyke TV is organizing a nationwide network of volunteer video correspondents that will report on issues vital to lesbians. Dyke TV is trailblazing activist television to incite, subvert, organize and provoke through a weekly half-hour program of news, arts, sports, political commentary, music videos and anything else that strikes the dyke eye and mind. To get involved, contact Ana Simo or Janet Baus at Dyke TV, P.O. Box 88, 128 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002-9998. Their fax number is 212-343-9337 or you can call them at 212343-9335. Let them know if you want to sponsor Dyke TV on a local cable access channel. ✓

John DuAne Graves is a coproducer of GayWaves, on WRUW 91.1 FM.

The Eagle Presents:

The Van Sweringen Arcade

101 Prospect Ave. (The Midland Building) at W. 2nd St. Adjacent to Tower City

GARY BRIGGLE & WENDY LEHR

"Please Bring Me A Trout"

An Evening With Noel Coward and Beatrice Lillie The brilliant clowning of Beatrice Lillie is recreated along with the delicious songs and sketches of Noel Coward, England's most idolized songwriter.

Presented by

Friday, March 25

6:30 pm

Saturday, March 26 7 pm and 9:30 pm

Tickets $15.00 Call 231-2910

Food and drinks available from Piperade Restaurant

LYRIC

OPERA

Cleveland

GIFTS OF ATHENA

A Feminist Bookstore

2199 Lee Rd., Cleveland Hts., Ohio 44118

(216) 371-1937

Hours

M, W, Th, F, 10-8 pm Sat. 10-6 pm Sun. 12 5 pm Closed on Tuesday

Chi Chi La Rue

Friday April 8th

Marco Rosse

and

Derek Cruise

"The audience watched spellbound as LaRue graped the boys by the hair and 'made' them French-kiss each other for three minutes-making the straight boys flee to the back to get much needed drinks" The Advocate