DECEMBER 1980-HIGH GEAR Page

Be prepared for tough times, 2 leading sex ed experts warn

By John Zeh

CINCINNATI-Two advocates of improved parent-child communication about sexuality warned that people who want adequate sex education for their children and those who seek increased liberation for homosexuals together face ominous times ahead.

Dr. Peter Scales

Dr. Peter Scales, a nationally recognized authority on sex education, adolescent sexuality, and sexual politics, told a Woman's City Club forum here that he fears increasing censorship in public schools.

Dr. Scales spoke during enhanced self-esteem, a better "National Family Sex Education Week" here, which came to the Queen City a few years later than less-conservative areas.

The first part of his talk carefully "celebrated the freedom to talk about sexuality in the family. and pursue knowledge, amd make choices outside the family."

He referred to evidence that most parents do not talk with their childreh about intercourse, creating a "value vacuum."

He argued that people who have had sex education become more tolerant of people's differences. Other benefits are

understanding of physical and emotional attraction, acceptance of their being lifelong sexual beings, and learning to discriminate or make distinctions in relationships since not every one that involves touching is sexual.

"We want children to think, be thoughtful and know how to communicate, and realize that their parents have faith in their being responsible." he said.

New Right groups that are antiERA, pro-military spending, and anti-Panama Canal treaty and recognition of China "don't want people to think with minds of their own" after study and

Weakened anti-gay amendment passes

News flash from Gay Rights National Lobby (November 21, 1980):

WASHINGTON, D.C. -In a surprising and completely unpredicted development, the House-Senate Conference Committee of the Legal Services Appropriations Bill has included an anti-gay amendment in the final report of the bill. The amendment is narrower and probably weaker than the initial "McDonald Amendment" in the House of Representatives. But the Gay Rights National Lobby indicated that they will urge Members of the House and

Senate to oppose the Conference Report. GRNL Executive Director Steve Endean also stated that the Lobby had telegrammed President Carter to

GEAR helping the needy

By Thom David

CLEVELAND For the second

year in a row, the Gay Community Center is collecting food to donate to persons or families in need during the holiday season. Canned goods, especially those suitable for a holiday meal, may be dropped off at the G.C.C.. 2641 W. 14th Street, where there are boxes waiting to be filled.

Cash donations made specifically for the Food Collection will be used to purchase turkeys and hams to go with the food baskets. Donations by check should be made out to the GEAR Founda-

urge him to veto the bill.

Just a few days ago, the "best wisdom" on Capitol Hill was that the dagger of an anti-gay amendment passing Congress had been mimimized if not eliminated when the Senate finally completed action on the Legal Servi-

ces Bill, H.R. 7584, without including an anti-gay amendment. Wisdom had it that there would be no problem in the resulting "Conference Committee" of both Senators and Representatives, created to iron out differences on the House and Senate bills. Senate "conferees". could be expected to oppose the House amendment, which the Senate had dropped in Sub-

committee and not re-inserted on the floor. And although the House had indeed passed the McDonald Amendment the word-

ing did not originate in commit tee. Informed sources predicted

that the House conferees would happily let it fall by the wayside

but basic fair play.

However, it quickly became clear that the House conferees would not back down. With the House conferees present and many Senators who had supported deleting the amendment from the Senate version absent, it

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discussion.

He singled out Rev. Jerry Falwell of Moral Majority and said censorship of school texts is just the "tip of the iceberg." "On their agenda is packing the courts. with (conservative) judges, legalizing discrimination against homosexuals in employment, and eliminating funding for gays."

Dr. Scales' advice to thwart the threat of the New Right was for people to become "more assertive and active in the community." voting in school Board and other elections against "reactionary repressive causes. Let the decision makers know that we favor freedom of speech, and that we are the majority.

"We need to take every opportunity to preserve our freedoms and our First Amendment rights because they're being attacked now as never before," he warned.

"The greatest gift we give to the coming generation is freedom to think, to inquire, to choose. Rather than let the self-

proclaimed saviors of our children burn books that threaten their rose-colored conformist view of the world, let's have faith and respect in our children's ability to love, work and learn. Let us charge the schools with exposing children to the widest range

Womens Conference

CLEVELAND A group of women loosely representing the feminist organizations in Cleveland have been meeting since June to plan a "Conference of Radical Women" to be held in the spring of 1981.

During this conference they will be exploring the fantasies needs, and dreams of women with the goal of formulating a 5year plan for the survival their

community.

They would like interested

sies of life in the year 2000 and end a copy for use in the opening session of the conference. There is no limit on the number of words or on the types of fantasies

Send ideas to "Conference." PO Box 18175. Cleveland Hts... OH 4118 by January 1, 1981

For more information, write to Melinda McGeorge. c/o GEAR Foundation PO Box 6177 Cleveland, OH 44101 or call the

of views possible.

"The New Right is full of old wrongs," Dr. Scales concluded. "We must reassert our conviction that we're all threatened by this smothering attempt at salvation."

Betty Fairchild

Betty Fairchild, a founder of Parents of Gays and co-author of Now That You Know: What Every Parent Should Know About Homosexuality, acknowledged recent successes of the lesbian and gay struggles.

"My point." Fairchild said across town at the University of Cincinnati, "is not doom and gloom, but that now more than ever it is important that we continue with all our abilities to develop our own self-image, our sense of personal identity in the most positive manner possible. That's why this particular conference and subject, at this particular time in history and in our own lives, is especially significant."

The Denver resident gave the keynote address at a seminar on "Developing A Positive Lesbian/Gay Identity" sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Gay Academic Union and the WhitmanBrooks Foundation.

Fairchild went on to offer a prescription for achieving an. improved self-image to survive backlash.

"In our society, the potential for damage to lesbians and gay men is incalculable. If our sense of self comes from what we see. hear and experience from others; we who are gay have a lot more than three strikes against us! We get it from our parents, our friends, churches, jokes and jibes, the media, literature and lectures on the pathology and evils of homosexuality, from political views and legislation and overall from societal attitudes. Fairchild suggested disengag-

as they had in 1977 under similar women to write down their fanta Gay Hotline at (216) 621-3380 ing oneself from people who will

circumstances.

and leave a message

But that happy scenari changed literally overnight. Wit virtually no notice of the Conference Committee meeting, the Gay Rights National Lobby. learned that, without explanation, the House conferees. spurred on by ranking minority member Rep. George O'Brien (R-IL), would remain adamant about retaining the McDonald amendment. As the Committee began its proceedings, the conservative sweep an November 4 was clearly on the minds of the conferees. Republican and/or

literaly overnight Wer Youngstown

tion, with a note indicating that conservative positions seemed

the donation is for the Food Collection, and may be sent to the Foundation care of: P.O. Box 6177, Cleveland, Ohio 44101.

In 1979, two hefty boxes filled with canned goods, a turkey and a cash donation were given to the Near West Side Ecumenical Food Center. A letter inside for the family receiving the basket indicated that it was from the Gay Community Center of Cleveland. The Food Center responded with a pleasant letter of thanks. Last year, one family. This year, we have set a goal of ten families! Let's do it. Get your canned 'gadas down' to the new Center Chilson)

to prevail on most matters.

get together

YOUNGSTOWN-The Youngstown area gays and lesbians welcome other gays from all regions to meet with them the second Saturday of each month for an informal dinner and rap session.

For more than a year, gay people in the area have been meeting

gays

encourage social interaction rather than accomplish political organizing, the group still supports the growing nation-wide movement to establish equal civil rights and liberties for gays. As an example, the group discussed at its last meeting the most recent

monthly for these informal pot-...effort by Congress to pass anti-

luck dinners. An increasing Therefore, when the Commitnumber of individuals have tee deliberations reached the joined and made contributions to McDonald Amendment, Gay these very helpful and relaxing Rights National Lobby's close get-togethers. Their support cooperation with ranking minorsuggests that the group represity members and soon-to-be-ents a kind of landmark in the Subcommittee chair, Sen. Lowell Weicker (R-CT), was critical. Both Weicker and Sen. "Fritz" Hollings (D-SC) argued forcefully that the anti-gay amendment would constitute an abridgementof civil rights and a denial of justice. They stressed that the issue, wasn't approval or bi-w disapproval of homosexuality. YMWg hot gritsam broses od

development of the local gay community. Except for the few gay religious and political groups that have existed previously, few gay men or women in the area have had access to an organized group that encourages open and free social contacts you quizika miw

Although, the groue, exists,

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gay legislation in the form of the Legal Services bill, H.R. 7584, which included an amendment providing for withholding legal services from gay persons. The group discussed approaches such as letters to congressmen, to urge opposition to an anti-gay amendment being included in the final version of the bill.

For more information about the group, write P.O: Box 1742, Youngstown, Ohio 44501, or call Gil (216-743-3833), Bob (216747-3624), or Tom (216un793-5.154) inkos „zinon esit too só hogque to emmot tertio

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never give their approval of a gay lifestyle.

And she warned of the dangers in having that "blessing" of a one-on-one relationship.

"I'm not proposing that we should not want, we and value intimate relationshipsly that we need to be ready for them, in order for them to succeed."

She urged, "Do something for someone else, with no strings attached..."...

Fairchild concluded, "I believe that you, as lesbians and gay men, have a special purpose among the rest of us. To me, you and your, sisters and brothers everywhere, have great gifts to offer. For through you, I have learned much more about myse!! and about living that I never found elsewhere. In you, I see living proof that we can all triumph over adversity, with the greater knowledge and wholeness of self that follows.".:

Two hundred men and women attended an afternoon of workshops at the seminar, cosponsored by the Ohio Gay Rights Coalition and supported by several local groups. auditav (20tis lendo mi nuged: vibalegger among sver absen o been s aw-09]T :ດອາຍqqs