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Springfield-Piqua

"A tale of two cities"

By Carl Howard When traveling in rural southwest Ohio, one does not expect to have all the conveniences found in the big city. Particularly on weekends it is assumed that partying and colorful socializing are not possible. Wrong!!

The Gaslight Inn, owned and operated by John H. Campbell at 638 West Main Street in Springfield, Ohio,is an unexpected and pleasant find. Located in the heart of this conservative, fundamentalist territory, it serves as a much needed meeting place for

Gay activism: Our first 10 years

By George Painter Thursday, June 28, 1979 is our day. On that day, the Gay and Lesbian liberation movement will celebrate its tenth birthday. Although these past ten years have been a struggle, clearly no single civil rights movement has moved so far or so fast in such a short span of history.

To put everything in perspective let's go back one decade to the wee hours of the morning of Saturday, June 28, 1969. Richard Nixon was in his first year as President of the United States, the peak of our involvement in Indochina had just passed and we were looking forward to the launching of Apollo 11 for the moon in July. At the Stonewall Inn in Greenwhich Village in New York City, police officers conducted a raid-not the first in their history, and assuredly not their last, either-for no justifiable reason. However, for some reason the Lesbians and Gay men fought back and a full-scale riot developed as resistance to police harassment of Lesbians and Gay men first occurred. That event lit a fuse in the United States and the Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Movement began.

What a necessity there was for such a movement! In June, 1969, there were no civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of "affectional or sexual preference" or "sexual orientation" in any city of the nation; 49 states and the District of Columbia had consensual sodomy laws on the books, with penalties up to life imprisonment possible in four states; The American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a mental disorder;

The most recent public opinion survey revealed 63% of the public believed that homosexuality was "harmful to family life": The armed forces had a policy of automatic less-than-honorable discharge for all members who were homosexually-oriented; The U.S. Civil Service Commission, operating under an old Eisenhower executive order, prohibited the employment of "sexual perverts"; no radio or television talks show discussed the issue; and if you said to someone that you were "Gay," that person probably thought you were saying you were "happily excited" or "keenly alive and exuberant."

The Stonewall Riots began a consciousness-raising in the nation, striking first those who needed it most-Lesbians and

Gay men. For all of this nation's history we had been secondclass citizens and we put up with it. The Stonewail Riots made us think. And they made us move into action.

As with any movement, it took a while for action, to produce results, but once they started, they continued to build, just as a snowball rolling downhill.

as though despite four referenda defeats. that the number in 1979 will past 50. including the representatives from Eugene, Ore., St. Paul, Minn., and one of the three represer atives from Dade County, Fia: In addition, for the first time a similar bill will be introduced into the United States Senate.

One of the biggest sources of .the oppression of Lesbians and Gay men was the fact that the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a mental disorder. It was largely on that grounds that the United States Supreme Court in 1967 ruled that aliens convicted of sodomy charges could be deported as "psychopathic per-

In June, 1969 the Connecticut General Assembly passed a revised criminal code, becoming the second state to repeal its consensual sodomy law. In the 1971-72 legislative session, the number of repeal states grew from two to seven. On our tenth anniversary, that number stands at a remarkable 22, and it may be in this year that we pass the half-sonalities" under the Immigraway mark of 25.

In February, 1972 the nation's first civil rights ordinance which prohibited discrimination on the basis of "sexual orientation" was enacted by the city council of East Lansing, Michigan. Seven years later, there are more than 40 cities and counties with some provision in their civil rights laws covering "sexual orientation" or the more preferred "affectional or sexual preference," including three in Ohio-Columbus, Yellow Springs and Cleveland Heights.

In 1969 a civil rights bill in a state legislature dealing with affectional or sexual preference was unthinkable. In 1972, how ever, a number of states dealt with some provision on just that subject. In 1977, the number of states with such civil rights bills pending rose to a record high of 1 1979 looks as though that record will be broken. This may even be the year that one passes.

Ten years ago there was no national organization speaking out for the rights of Gay men and Lesbians. In 1973 the National Gay Task Force was established and in less than six years has done a phenomenal job of dealing with the federal bureaucracy, including arranging a heavilypublicized meeting at the White House in 1977 to discuss issues of concern to Gay men and Lesbians as they affect (or are affected by) the bureaucracy. In 1976 the Gay Rights National Lobby (GRNL) was established in Washington to be a lobbying group for a federal civil rights bill to include "affectional or sexual preference". The number of sponsors of such legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives grew from four in 1974 to 27 in 1975 to 39 in 1977. and it looks

tion and Naturalization Act of 1952. Even when Illinois took the unprecedented step of repealing its consensual sodomy law in its 1961 general criminal code revision, it did so on the recommendation of psychiatrists who said such laws do not aid "sexual deviants" in "normal development." Many cities and states refused to deal with civil rights legislation on that ground. Finally, in December, 1973, after only eight states had passed civil rights legislation, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders and stated that it in no way was a mental disorder. That was a spark which helped us considerably. Since then, the number of cities with civil rights legislaton has quadrupled and the number of sodomy repeal states has nearly tripled.

centering on the issue of whether or not a Lesbian mother or Gay father should have custody of her/his children. As more and more people come out of their closet and attitudes continue to change, the number of cases reported, and more importantly, the number of victories is increasing. In 1976 the District of Columbia passed the nation's first law specifically prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in adoption and child custody. Shortly after that, the American Psychological Association adopted a resolution stating that a person's sex, marital status or sexual orientation should not be a factor in determining fitness for adoption or child custody. In 1977 a bill was introduced into the New York Legislature to prohibit discrimination in that state and even though the bill did not pass, its introduction alone was remarkable, something that was unthinkable in 1969. In January, 1979 the Michigan Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of a Lesbian mother's right to keep custody of her teenage daughter.

One continuing source of success for civil rights is the federal government. President Nixon rescinded and executive order of President Eisenhower prohibiting employment of "sexual perverts" in the federal government. This led to the 1975 decision of the U.S. Civil Service Commission to grant equal employment status in "non-sensitive" federal positions without regard to affectional or sexual preference. Soon after that the U.S. Job Corps deleted a restriction against "sexual deviants" from participating. On the eve of the United States' two hundredth birthday,

Immigration and Naturalization Service revised its policies on aliens and immigrants, so that homosexuality was no longer an automatic requirement for deportation or denial of admission.

Clearly one of the biggest gains has been with the media. Particularly since the 1977 Dade County controversy, homosexu-e ality has become a favorite theme for radio and television talk shows, as well as printed matter, editorials and features. A major victory for us came in 1978 when the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) ruled in favor of a National Gay Task Force petition for inclusion in the FCC's primer of groups in communities which must be ascertained by broadcast media for issues of concern and activities of interest to the community.

Undoubtedly one of the hottest issues of thelast decade, particularly the last few years, has been adoption and child custody. There were sporadic cases in the United States of court challenges

Since the Carter Administration opened its doors to the National Gay Task Force in 1977, success has been more rapid. Two of the "sensitive" federal agencies which were excluded from the 1975 Civil Service ruling, the U.S. State Department and the Agency for International Development, revised their employment policies, with equal opportunity regardless of affectional or sexual preference. The

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local lesbian/gay people. The bar is basic and uncluttered in decor but has a warm and appealing atmosphere that is both night club and disco oriented. The congregation area is dotted with tables and chairs and facilitates

meeting other people. The dance floor is small but seems to be adequate even on crowded on a juke box which has a good nights. Disco music is provided speaker system. The action is lively and the effect stimulating. Generous drinks are served by Ken, Jocko and John and are reasonably priced. Shows are offered at approximately six to eight week intervals and draw on both local and out-of-town talent.

It is only a short drive from Springfield to Piqua (approximately equi-distance between Dayton and Springfield) where one finds THE WATER Main. This bar is located in the heart of downtown Piqua at 202 North Main Street and also serves as the focal point of gay activities for this area. Operated by coowners, Lowell Armstrong and Fred Werling, this place reflects both the hard work and the personalities of its owners. It is amazing to find such a highenergy dynamic spot in an otherwise very staid, uptight town. From the time one walks into it, the bar's atmosphere catches you and assures a fun time.

The elevated two-level dance floor/stage is roomy and large and is constantly showered with prismic beams from an elaborate and intoxicating light show. The lights were designed and put together by Lowell and Fred as was the sound system. The main feature of the light show is a large "starbust" which radiates out of small satellite-like orbs. The result has been to produce one of the best disco systems in the entire state. Six sets of speakers capable of delivering up to 1,600 watts of power produce the sound which bombards the dance floor and adjacent areas. However, it is very easy to move to the front area of the bar and talk with friends or new acquaintances.

Bobbie Baklund, the dj, works very hard and effectively at keeping the music pulsating, playing special requests and in general operating the large and complex systems smoothly. He is "hot" and adds yet another dimension to the bar.

Shows are a frequent event in the bar on weekends and draw large crowds from all over Ohio and nearby Indiana. The talent is both local and out-of-state and produces very entertaining evenings. A cover is charged on these nights.

Seating is available near the dance floor at this time, however, future plans for remodeling call for their removal to make room for an even larger dance floor/stage. A pull-down bleacher effect is planned to provide increased seating on show nights.

The clientele is friendly, hot and interesting and combines well with the exciting atmosphere to make for a tremendous evening.

Drinks are good and cruising is excellent. Parking is no problem.