JULY 1980 HIGH GEAR PAGE 3

FCC tells broadcasters to address needs of gays

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IGNA) The Federal Communications Commission has ordered radio and television broadcasters to listen to the concerns of homosexuals to determine which community needs should be addressed in their programming.

The FCC's action stems from a 1976 petition filed by the National Gay Task Force and 142 other homosexual organizations that complained that they were not being consulted by local radio and TV stations. even though they said they made up a significant portion--10 percent-of the nation's population.

However, the commission ruled that stations do not have to seek out these groups. But if the groups come to the stations, then broadcasters must continue to contact them to ascertain their needs. It thus behooves gays to go to the broadcasters.

The new rule should encourage broadcasters to devote more

Gay rights measures lose

SANTA CLARA, CA. (IGNA) Proving that conservative voters. in particular fundamentalist ones, can vote to repeal the rights of minorities. two measures that banned discrimination against homosexuals have been repealed here.

Measure A in Santa Clara · County went down to defeat by more than 3 to 1. Measure B in the city of San Jose did almost as badly

Church groups, heavily financed by Anita Bryant's "Save America's Children." succeeded in having gay rights put to a test of voters' acceptance after both the county Board of Supervisors and the San Jose City Council enacted the ordinances

County Supervisor Rod Diridon also lost in the 12th State Senate race. He trailed Republican Dan O'Keefe by almost the same margin as the gay rights ordinance lost by.

Earlier Diridon had been the target of an unsuccessful recall after he voted in favor of gay rights.

Gay politicians had hoped that the sensationalism of the material distributed by the anti-gay forces would annoy voters or even backfire. but this did not happen.

news and public affairs programs to the problems and interests and accurate portrayals of homosexuals.

Under commission rules. broadcasters who fail to ascertain the needs of their commun-

ity risk a challenge, to their broadcast licenses when they come up for renewal before the FCC.

Handicapped persons received the same inclusion in the FCC ruling.

IGA meets in Spain

Costa Brava, Spain. (GPU News) Over the Easter weekend some 200 gay men and women from 21 countries met for the second annual conference of the International Gay Association (IGA). The conference was sponsored by the Catalan Gay Liberation Front.

For the first time, lesbian activists from 12 countries participated in the event, having been only observers at last year's meeting in Holland. The women rejected a suggestion that the group be renamed to include the word "lesbian," much to the surprise of many of the male participants. "Gay is a word which cuts across language and gender." they said. "It stresses the common cause between gays of both sexes."

The conference was a "working" conference and here are some of the results of the work: (1) An international center for the

collection of information on gay teachers will be set up in Sweden; (2) The IGA has made an application to the United Nations for consultative status to the UN Human Rights Committee: (3) The IGA will prepare a researched case to present to the World Health Organization (WHO) and will apply pressures on WHO to delete homosexuality from their list of illnesses. The Italian group FUORI announced plans to send several of its members to Moscow to disrupt the Olympic Games to protest the treatment of gays under the Russian legal system. IGCV also announced that it will continue to pressure the World Council of Churches for a more positive attitude toward homosexuality.

The participants also found time to relax in the Spanish sunshine and were sent a telegram of welcome by the mayor of a nearby village.

British TV does gay series

LONDON (IGNA) British television has. at last, decided to investigate the existence of the gay community's life-styles, that is. apart from its traditional depiction of gays as patients who need curing, as comic jokes, as criminals, and so on.

London Weekend Television formed its Minorities Unit in 1979, which for the first time in the history of British TV. will cover such groups in special programs. Blacks had first attention, followed by gays, with an initial projected series of 11 weekly half-hour shows called Gay Life.

The decision was to screen

them late night on Sundays because the subject is "sensitive." a time when most people have retired to sleep for Monday morning work..

The series started in February, 1980 and began with a look into a

ON THE COVER job discrimination in the Civil

As the Gay Community has become better organized, our potential power has grown as well. This cover symbolizes how far we have come and also underscores the importance of using our political influence if we are truly to organize for political influence, the only place to Jobs our most a start is wit sponsibility. impod

Service with special emphasis on the security risks of employing gays. This followed a recent gay spy scandal, and so was calculated to be topical.

The next program dealt with gay stereotypes; clones in.disco clubs, men in leather, drag queens, all interviewed with an. Overyoice commenting. Then elite Hassment

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custody of children and on adoption.

According to Executive Producer Barry Cox, the ratings were typical for a late night Sunday slot.

Criticism has come from some lesbian organizations and individuals. Major complaints ranged from the predominantly male production staff and male emphasis in content to methods of presentation.

Specific complaints were that the series treated gays like "wild life" specimens and that the "impartial," invisible, authoritative commentator gave a "common sense" point of view that often cancelled out any pro-gay stance that emerged from the interviews or other information. Also criticized was the use of gay opponents to present their views, "to create a balance," when those

views often get screentime

anyway..

Take Back The Night March August 2

(CLEVELAND) On Saturday evening. August 2, 1980, the women of Cleveland will once again march together through the downtown area in the Second Annual Take Back The Night March.

They will demand an end to violence against women in all forms; rape, woman-battering, racism and sexual harassment.

A celebration after the March

2.

will feature dance music by Oven Productions and meeting space for women to gather in discussion and planning groups.

Volunteers are needed to help plan this march. Those who want to become involved should contact Barbara Louise (216-6962328), Louise (216-641-9481), or Jan (216-752-4811) for more information.

A glimmer of light in Cuba

(IGNA) The homosexuals among the current Cuban refugees will not benefit from the new information, but apparently some new ideas about homosexuality are creeping into,official Communist health guides in Cuba.

The Commission on Family Education has published a book called The Intimate Life of Man and Woman, translated from a book written in German by Dr. Siegfried Schnabl, a sexologist in the German Democratic Republic. (East Germany)

According to an analysis of Chapter 10 of this new book ("Homosexuality in Man and Woman") by Stephen J. Risch and Randolph E. Wills of Cornell University, "there is a brief review and strong condemnation of the juridical, religious, and social sanctions against homosexuality" It is also clearly stated that homosexuals "should have equal rights, respect, and recognition. and that any kind of social discrimination is reprehensible."

Some notable changes pointed out in the book are:

that homosexuality "cannot be classified as a sickness: rather, it must be seen as a variant of sexuality. Homosexuals do not "suffer" from homosexuality; they suffer from the difficulties that their condition causes them in society."

that emotional prejudices and the imposition of penalties based on grandiloquent notions such as "crime against nature" and "contrary to public sensibility" cannot be justified. What two people agree to do in private in no way damages society's moral standards, and there is no reason whatsoever totake action against them."

Unfortunately mixed in with the new enlightened attitudes are certain old-fashioned ones, namely, that homosexuality is biologically caused and can be prevented hormonally and that heterosexual role-models would contribute to the prevention of homosexuality.

The major complaint seemed to be superficiality of approach. The TV team answered objections at a meeting and admitted mistakes and faults, partly due to inexperience with this type of Professors Risch and Wills of program. They noted the critiCornell give an historical expla cisms, but added that their pronation of why Cuba's Communist. their resiste betydegan bynavigathat she me fessional ethics would make, 9overnment has been so antiopressures airt triquot niso bhena 483

homosexuals were almost exclusively associated with the privileged classes of the society. They were pimps and prostitutes, the flamboyant operators of gambling casinos and smuggling rackets, and were nearly always. associated with the very rich and materialistic lifestyle of the bourgeoisie. After the revolution, many Cubans mistakenly thought that homosexuality was itself in some way caused by these "decadent" lifestyles.

A further reason that the Cubans were concerned with homosexuality "was that they feared it would weaken the structure of the family--an institution which they saw as the foundation on which to build their new society."

The new text is intended to be used by doctors, psychologists, teachers, sociologists, and other professionals, and so it can be expected that these new views wi!! be widely disseminated.

Gay Synagogue inducted

MIAMI (IGNA) The Metropolitan Community Synagogue of Greater Miami, a congregation serving the Jewish gay community, was formally inducted into the Union of American Hebrew Congregations on June 7th.

In the midst of the Havdalah service, which marks the separation between the conclusion of

the Sabbath and the rest of the week, Rabbi Lewis Bogage presented the U.A.H.C.'s charter to the gay synagogue.

Unanimously elected to membership by 4,000 delegates at the last conference of Reformed News, the Miami synagogue became the second such synagogue to achieve membership. The first was Beth Chaim Chadashim of Los Angeles.

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