COMMUNITY VOICE HIGH GEAR/MARCH 1978

OPEN LETTER TO ANITA

This open letter to Anita Bryant was read by Francie Wyland of Wages Due Lesbians at the rally to stop Anita Bryant's crusade, January 14, 1978, Toronto.

Dear Anita Bryant,

We are speaking out tonight as lesbian women because we want you and the rest of society to know who you are attacking. Though we number in our millions, we are forced to be invisible, and crusades like yours only fill us with more anguish and fury. We are not criminals, we are not depraved. We are women, like you.

Though you may think that lesbians are all single and POOR ANITA

childless, the truth if that many of us are mothers. When our children are taken away from us we fight back, just as you would.

We are school teachers, child care workers, nurses and social service workers. We give of our selves to nurture society's children, but in return we risk losing our jobs if anyone discovers that we are gay.

We are women on welfare struggling daily to feed and clothe our families on incomes far below official poverty levels.

We are immigrant women from the Third World. We work here scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets, thousands of miles from our children. For

AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

War on gays hurts Anita in pocketbook

Dear High Gear:

You have probably seen the enclosed front page article from the Akron Beacon Journal of February 21. If not, please read it carefully. It's a real tear jerker! It even took precedence over Akron's abortion battle for prime position right under the masthead! Could the ABJ be prejudiced!?!

Poor, poor Anita lost half her income! Poor, poor Anita now CHARGES religious groups for her services. Poor, poor Anita is still on her "Queer Hunt"!

It is apparent that poor, poor Anita needs to be a little poorer! It's up to all of us to keep ham-

mering away at the Florida Citrus Commission so that poor, poor Anita loses the rest of her income. Maybe then she'll get off our case!

All of your screwdriver drinkers, find something else. There are several bars still serving OJ. How many of you bought citrus fruits at the grocery this week? It's not just OJ-it's also lemons and grapefruit. Even though poor, poor Anita only hawks OJ, the Florida Citrus Commission has other items that we must boycott.

Dale Webb Box 543 Canal Fulton, Ohio 44614

years we scrimp and save to bring them here, never knowing when we'll lose it all through arbitrary deportations.

We are prostitutes because it pays us enough to provide for our children, and live with whom we wish. When we are thrown in jail, we have to leave them behind, sometimes forever.

We are full-time housewives caring for our families' needs, with little time left for ourselves.

suffered, as women. We stand with our children against all 'sexual assault by their fathers, uncles, friends, teachers or strangers, whether straight or gay. We want our children to be able to decide for themselves in everything that matters to them. Because you also oppose abortion, we want you to know that many of us have been forced to abort because we can't afford to give our children the life we think they deserve. Until we can, we defend the right of all women to free, safe and legal abortions.

Page 17

straight women and alot of men stand with us against your crusade, because they too want sexual choices, and a better future for all the children, whose fight begins with our comments of triumph.

Sincerely,

Wages Due Lesbians--Toronto Box 38, Stn. E, Toronto, Canada Endorsed by:

Wages Due Lesbians-New York

Wages Due Lesbians-Philadelphia

As mothers, we want our children to have better lives than we have had, with more freedom and less prejudice. And we are fighting harder than anyone else to protect them from the sexual coercion that we ourselves have lives as we choose. Many for Housework Campaign--

COMMITTEES: Chairperson:

URBAN AND

CONSUMER AFFAIRS Vice Chairperson:

STREETS AND TRANSPORTATION

Member:

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Our invisibility and isolation are coming to an end, because we are determined to lead our

Wages Due Lesbians-London, England

Lesbian Women from the Wages Winnipeg

Telephone:

558-2145

CITY AND COUNTY

OF SAN FRANCISCO

District 5

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

CITY HALL, SAN FRANCISCO 94102

SUPERVISOR HARVEY MILK

February 24, 1978

Dear Friends:

This week articles and news reports appeared across Canada about a boycott of Canadian tourism by gay women and men.

This boycott was called during a demonstration at the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco in January. It was held in response to the raid by Toronto Police on the Body Politic, Canada's largest gay newspaper and in response to other recents acts of harassment of gay people by Canadian authorities.

I strongly support a boycott of tourism in the English-speaking Canadian provinces in order to get those governments to recognize the rights of their gay citizens.

I've enclosed a copy of a news release on the subject which was released to the Canadian press this week. If you have any questions, please write or call.

Warmly,

arvey Milk

Mull

TAX HIKE?

written by Steve Jobe

Gay singles, like straight singles, are now carrying a tremendous tax burden. This fall, an even greater burden may be placed on all of us unless we are kept informed of tax proposals in our state house in Columbus.

A proposed constitutional amendment to finance the state's public education by raising taxes of Ohio wage earners will be up before voters in the November, 1978 general election. H.J.R. 61 (The Johnson Amendment) would generate

1977 PERSONAL INCOME TAX TABLE $0 to $5,000

$5,000 to $10,000

1/2% of taxable income

more tax money for Ohio's public schools by increasing personal and corporate income taxes and possibly utility excise taxes, while reducing most property tax. A few years ago, a state lottery was formed and was widely advertised that funds $5,000 to $10,000 $10,000 to $15,000 $15,000 to $20,000 $20,000 to $25,000 $25,000 to $30,000 $30,000 to $35,000 $35,000 to $40,000 $40,000 to $45,000

$10,000 to $15,000

$15,000 to $20,000

$25 plus 2% of excess over $5,000 $75 plus 2% of excess over $10,000 $175 plus 2 1/2% of excess over $15,000

$20,000 to $40,000 Over $40,000

$300 plus 3% of excess over $20,000 $900 plus 3 1/2% of excess over $40,000

JOHNSON PROPOSED PERSONAL INCOME TAX TABLE

-$0 to $5,000ccess

www 1% of taxable earning of incomes over $45,000

generated by the lottery would help finance education. The funds generated were used for areas other than education. The Johnson would hurt Ohio wage earners even more drastically by sharply increasing, and in many cases

Amendment

$50 plus 2% of excess over $5,000 $150 plus 3% of excess over 10,000 $300 plus 4% of excess over $15,000 $500 plus 5% of excess over $20,000 $750 plus 6% of excess over $25,000 1050 plus 7% of excess over $30,000 $1400 plus 8% of excess over $35,000 $1800 plus 9% of excess over $40,000 $2250 lys 10% of orgess over $415. gor

doubling, personal income taxes. Compare 1977's tax table with Johnson's proposed schedule.

For example, if your taxable earnings in 1977 were $10,000, your state taxes totaled $75.00. Under the proposed rate, you would owe $150.000. Income tax would more than double for person with taxable earnings of more than $40,000 annually.

The Johnson Amendment is highly unfavorable to gay tax payers or any tax payers for that matter. I urge all gays to write to their state representatives opposing H.J.J.61 as a discriminatory and misguided tax bill.