HIGH GEAR/NOVEMBER 1977

Page 3

ODDS&ENDS

Robert MacKenzie, writing in TV Guide about the homosexual as a comic figure says, "...the gags remind me of old-style ethnic jokes that used to confirm our notions about what "they" were like. Maybe it's time for a gay detective a guy who can out-fight, outshoot, and out-run the Crooks and play the violin to boot,"...

...It seems that Anita Bryant's anti-gay stance has affected her credibility as an orange juice salesperson. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has reported that a

Florida citrus official has said that she will eventually have to be replaced. A new marketResearch study shows that Ms. Bryant's standing, especially among young people, has been slipping badly. in recent months.......

National Gay Task Force announced that an attempt is being made to form a network of gay-related radio and TV programs, coordinated by Gay Electronic Media Services, P.O. Box 18566, Denver, Colo., 80218.

Write Roar Poliac of GEMS for

details.......

...After several weeks of anti-

gay conversations on a local Springfield, Ohio, radio call-in talk program, a few patrons from the Gaslite Inn decided to ask for equal time on the station. On October 25, Bill Brogan and Liz Rosenblatt of the Antioch Gay Center in Yellow Springs were chosen to be representatives for the gay community and were on WBLY radio to answer all questions from the listeners. The program was well received and was the first gay program for the Springfield area in several years ......

... The Eugene, Oregon City Council has recently passed an ordinance that makes it illegal to discriminate against any person in employment, housing, or public accommodations "on the basis of sexual orientation."......

The national Gay Task Force reports that Champaign, Illinois and Wichita, Kansas became the 36th and 37th American cities to enact ordinances protecting lesbians and gay men from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Both took this action after the repeal of a similar ordinance in Dade County, Florida, which shows according to NGTF that "Hurricane Anita" and her allies may have won a battle but are still losing the war. They exhort us not to give up and work to make our hometown the next victory site!!!

Meanwhile the New York Times reports that a bill prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals in a large number of state jobs was rejected in October by the Massachusetts House. The measure drawn up by Rep. Elaine Noble lost by a vote of 120 to 101. The bill had the support of House Speaker Thomas McGee and three other Democratic leaders.

On a recent showing of the Hollywood Squares, Paul Lynde was asked the question... "Anita Bryant has a new book out, what is the title of it? Well after the crowd was finished laughing he answered, "Sailor in Bondage," then he said that he could care less what the title was and if he did know he sure wouldn't tell it.

Also when Paul was asked the question on the Nov. 1 showing ... "According to the song, what's breaking up that old gang of mine? he replied "Anita Bryant", The audience went into a raving laugh, the camera

showed all of the star's faces.

oh, and by the way, the answer's WEDDING, and Paul got it

right.

The Jackson Journal (between North Carton and Akron) contains the following comment by one Harold O. Gosh: "While being gay is not something to laugh at or be persecuted for, it is also not something to be proud of. Like alcoholism or mental illness, it should fall in a category of an ailment that is in

need of a cure."...

Oven Productions will be presenting an evening of poetry, music, and drama by Big Mama on November 26. The Clevelandbased poetry troupe of six women will be releasing their second book of poems soon. For more information, contact June Adams at 321-0692...

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that a Franklin County probate judge has denied two men a license for marriage. However, he said that he would reconsider the decision if one of them underwent a sex-change operation. One of the partners told the judge he has a female mind in a male body. The judge advised him to return to the court when his mind "catches up" with his body...

In the same vein, Oklahoma Southern Baptist leaders have banned sex-change operations at the Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. One doctor at the hospital, who has performed more than 50 such operations in the past four years, said the decision will cause the public to view the Baptist leaders "as being bigoted buffoons."...

Speaking on the controversy of the teacher and

homosexuality, Ruth Kendel in the Cleveland Press says, "Every competent teacher has the right to a job and that job should be protected. The criteria for evaluation should be the teacher's effectiveness and proficiency-knowledge of their subject, ability to transmit information and skills, dedication to their duties and respect for their students and peers. Unless brought into the classroom, sexual preference should not be a cause for dismissal."...

M.C.C. Cleveland reminds us that it is still open, and meetings are held each Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Church on Lan-

Compiled by Anthony Scafaro

cashire Road in Cleveland Heights. For further information please call 951-6705...

In Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2000 people, including the mayor, paid $10 to $40 to attend a gay-rights rally called "The Miami Nightmare." The gathering raised $40,000 to pay for an advertisement in Time magazine critical of Anita Bryant's Save Our Children campaign...

Gay Community News reports that the Gay Athletes Union of

Long Beach State University

said that its members have been

patrolling rest rooms along city beaches in order to "clean up" public sexual activity. Tom Clark, a group spokesman, said that

the GAU finds such sexual activity "sickening to the vast majority of gay men and women... We've put a number of jocks on patrol, mainly to tell these people to take their sex life home where it belongs."...

Metro Gay News (Michigan) reports that the national membership of the National Gay Task Force increased by 75% during the Miami/Dade County gay rights battle. The membership increased from 3517 in May of this year, to 6220 three months later, according to

Media Director Ginny Vida...

The Advocate says that The Body Politic, the Torontobased gay newsmagazine, has filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications

Com-

mission because of the refusal of a Toronto radio station to carry previously contracted advertising. The paper says that radio station Q107 unfairly discriminated against the paper by cancelling a scheduled twoweek series of advertising on that station. The general manager of the station said, "Public sensitivity to gayoriented advertising would be negative and not in the best in-

terests of either the advertiser or the radio station."...

The Sentinel religiously greets us with this message: Father Desmond O'Connor, 68, a senior tutor in law at Melbourne University's Newman College proposed the adoption by homosexuals of a patron saint, a 12th century abbot known for his homosexuality.

According to O'Connor, Roman Catholic homosexuals trying to fend off temptations would do well to have a special saint to whom they would pray.

The abbot in question, Saint

Relred of Rievruix in Northern England, was "one of those clean-cut, handsome, blue-eyed, blond youths whom novelists like to portray and exemplify as portraying the perfect Englishman," said Father O'Connor. But because of the saint's courageous resistance, his homosexual friendships and love affairs never were consumated.

Seems that was what Pope Paul VI was trying to tell us. (See article, Facts Are After All Facts).

The Empty Closet openly advises us that the country's newest Gay Rights Law, recently passed by the city commissioners of Wichita, is already facing stiff opposition. Bishop David Maloney of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita has announced that the diocese will not obey the ordinance. His statement read in part, "We shall not hire, and we shall readily discharge, any person in our employ who practices or advocates sexual contact contrary to the clearly established teachings of the Roman Catholic Church." Bishop

(CONT'D ON PAGE 5)

pot luck

CON SUNDAY, at 7pm. дес,4,

A DINNER...

Bring A Dish, OR A DOLLAR, and a friend. CALL 321-2664

Let us know if you're Bringing Food BY DEC,1

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