EDITORIAL

Officialdom's Logic

WITH THE SAME LOGIC HE DISPLAYED DURING AND AFTER LAST YEAR'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN, MAYOR GEORGE CHRISTOPHER CAME TO GRIPS WITH THE "GAY BAR" SCANDALS IN SAN FRANCISCO. HE CALLED FOR A TOPLEVEL MEETING OF CITY AND STATE OFFICIALS TO COORDINATE PLANS FOR CRACKING DOWN ON BARS FREQUENTED BY HOMOSEXUALS. THE HONORABLE MAYOR'S CONCERN WAS THE INDICTMENT OF SEVEN POLICEMEN FOR BRIBERY AND OBVIOUSLY, TO HIM, THE VICTIM WAS THE GUILTY PARTY. FOR HE REASONED, AND QUITE LOGICALLY, THAT IF GAY BARS ARE ELIMINATED, TEMPTATION TO THE POLICE TO HARRASS THESE ESTABLISHMENTS AND TO TAKE PAYOFFS WILL ALSO BE ERASED.

HOWEVER, THE MAN WHO LAST YEAR COULD NOT BRING HIMSELF TO MENTION THAT EVIL WORD EVEN THOUGH HIS POLITICAL OPPONENT HAD ATTACKED HIM ON THE GROUNDS THAT "ORGANIZED HOMOSEXUALS” WERE FLOURISHING BENEATH HIS NOSE, STILL CANNOT FACE THE ISSUE SQUARE-

LY.

WE ADMIRED MAYOR CHRISTOPHER WHEN HE FACED THE PROBLEM OF CRIME IN THE FILLMORE DISTRICT BY CALLING A MEETING OF POLICE AUTHORITIES AND NEGRO LEADERS OF THAT COMMUNITY TO DISCUSS THE MATTER. WE ADMIRED MAYOR CHRISTOPHER TOO WHEN HE FACED THE PROBLEM OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY BY CALLING A SIMILAR SESSION BETWEEN AUTHORITIES AND JUVENILE GANG LEADERS. BUT OUR ADMIRATION DOES NOT EXTEND TO THE MANNER IN WHICH THE "GAY BAR" SITUATION IS BEING HANDLED. HOW CAN ANY DISCUSSION OF THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM REAP ANY CONCRETE RESULTS WITHOUT REPRESENTATION FROM THE BAR MANAGEMENT OR THE HOMOSEXUAL MINORITY ITSELF?

AS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT TO HIS HONOR THROUGH SCREAMING HEADLINES, THERE EXISTS IN HIS CITY TWO ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED WITH THE PROBLEMS OF THE HOMOSEXUAL MINORITY AND ITS RELATION TO SOCIETY THE DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS AND THE MATTACHINE