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=«== January 3rd Vol. 1 No. 3 The folks at AID Atlanta and the ACHR tell us that they stil^have good seats for the opening night performance of "La Cage Aux Folles" available but suggest that you call soon to be sure to get the best ones available. Plans are now final ized for an opening night party with the cast members at a pri vate mid-town penthouse near the theatre. Call 262-6748 for ticket and.party reservations. ’’HELPLINE” Challenges "HOPELINE" Three Atlanta Gay Helpline volunteers have taken on the "HOPELINE" ad in "Creative Loafing" that weekly advertises an "alternative" to the gay lifestyle. The recorded "HOPE LINE" message offers "hope" by changing ones ways and adopting a straight lifestyle. The help line volunteers stress that there are numerous alternatives available to gay men and les bians that are healthy and af firmative of their sexuality. They also want to let the pub lic knew that the answer to be ing a happy gay person is not to try to be straight. They have placed an ad in "Creative Loafing" that offers the services of the Helpline to gay people who feel they need alternatives. parents in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. He plans to interview on the West Coast and in the Midwest next summer. Streitmatter began his gay parenting project after realiz ing that many men and women all over the country are facing numerous problems because they are gay and parents. Gay fathers in Toronto wrote an anecdotal book several years ago by compiling their own stories, Streitmatter said, but a more analytical book could be written by looking at the spe cific issues involved in gay parenting and by looking at how gay parents have dealt with those issues. The issue of most concern to gay parents is if and when they should talk to their children about being gay, Streitmatter said. "Most people I have inter viewed seem to believe that gay Gay Parenting Gay fathers living in Atlan ta will be well represented in a forthcoming book cn gay par enting. The author of the book, a journalism professor from Wash ington, D.C., was in Atlanta last week to interview gay fa thers who live in and near the city. "Often projects like this : one claim to have a broad per spective but, in reality, are written from the limited per spective of New York or Wash ington or Los Angeles," said author Rodger Streitmatter. In an attempt to capture a broader point of view, Streit matter came to Atlanta at the beginning of an interviewing trip that also is taking him to Birmingham, Montgomery, New Or leans, Dallas, Austin, San An tonio and Houston. Streitmatter already has in terviewed several dozen gay parents should have that first, direct talk with their children before a child readies puberty — at the age of 10 or 11," Streitmatter said. Parents gen erally think it is best to tell their children before they be gin dealing with their own sex uality, Streitmatter has found. "But, then again, there cer tainly is no 'right* age for every child and every situation Streitmatter said. Other issues Streitmatter plans to include in his book include what the children of gay parents can tell their friends, hew being a gay parent affects that parent's romantic life, what is involved in lov ers of gay parents who become gay stepparents and how gay pa rents are treated in the court room. Streitmatter said he is not trying to promote a specific approach to the subject of gay con't p.6