About The News : a publication of the Atlanta Gay Center. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1984-199? | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1986)
THE NEWS Page 5 Continued from page' 4 (3) An estimated 25,000 "fake" calls allegedly seeking Christian counseling for salvation and other personal needs. Telephone charges, labor costs, printed materials and other'follow-up ministry have been very cdstly. Loss to this ministry -- impossible to estimate the losses — probably scores of thousands of dollars. (4) Because our lines have been jammed by these gays and others, thousands of. persons who were seeking spiritual help could not get to us -- and thousands more who wanted to make financial pledges toward our worldwide missions ministry could not do so. Losses to this ministry — Impossible to compute the spiritual and financial losses. — but they are awesome. My friend, the bottom line is — we have almost been destroyed by this nationally organized conspiracy. Therefore, we have been forced to take drastic action. I Beginning April 5, the Old Time Gospel Hour will no longer have a toll free counseling line. Our new number as of April 5 will be 1-804-847-2000. Every caller will then be paying his own charges. This saddens me because many sincere and hurting souls may not be able to call for help. But I. have no choice. The gays would bankrupt us otherwise. And, we have also given the FBI our permission to prosecute those offenders that.have been caught. This also hurts me. But, we must defend the ministry God has given us. I did not have all these facts when I wrote you several weeks ago. EDITORIAL PAGE The News is published bp the Atlanta Gay Center, Inc. fur the people and the organizations that make up the lesbian/gay community. The Atlanta Gay Center is incoporated in the state of Georgia, as a nonprofit tax exempt corporation for the benfit of the lesbian/gay community. Asa 501c3 corporation, do not ions to the ACC are tax deductible. This newspaper reports the events and activities of our community and encourages discussion of our community concerns such as personal liberty and positive lesbian/gay lifestyles. Unsolicited contributions are welcomed and encouraged. Letters, manuscripts, drawings andphotofpapIn should be submitted to The News, 63 Twelfth Street, Atlanta, CA 30309. Unsolicited works will not be returned Opinions expressed by columnists, writers, photographers, or by any other form ofartistic expression, are those of the writers and artists and do not necessarily represent the opinion o/The News or the Atlanta Gay Center, Inc and neither claim responsibility for them. Publication ofnames, photographs, or ikenesses of any person, persons, organuetions or businesses in advert king or articles raThe News does not imply, and is not to be construed as, any indcationofthesexuat orientation of the persons or organizations. The News cannot assume responsibility for claims made by advertisers. The News reserves the right to reject any advertisement or unsolicited material for any reason. Hie News is a biweekly publication. Subscriptions are $30 per year or as part of member in the Atlanta Gay Center. The mailing list of The News is kept strictly confidential and will under no circumstances will it be sold or made available to any person or organization. The News is Copyright 1986, Atlanta Cay Center, Inc Permisson is hereby panted toail other avowedly gay crlesbixi publications which affirm freedom for sexual minorities to pufai ish excerpts from this newspaper provided proper credit is given to The News, Atlanta Gay Center, Inc. Others must obtain permission in writing. My heart aches to think of the great loss the cause of Christ has sustained. And I sincerely apologize'for bringing this bad news to you. I do not enjoy dropping my heartaches and burdens on you. That is why I almost did not send you this letter. But where can I go — if I cannot go to the Lord and to my dear friends? I have nowhere else to turn. Please don't become angry or upset with me for again appealing to you for help. We must not allow this ministry to sink. We must not allow militant gays and other enemies of the cause of Christ to destroy God's work. In my last letter, I asked you to send a financial gift to help me — and I specified a certain amount. I am not going to ask for a certain amount today. I am asking you to pray and ask God how much you should send. Staff: AGC Board of Directors Editorial Committee: Ken Bartuka Foster Corbin Carolyn Mobley Perhaps the Holy Spirit will lead you to send $1000. He may lead you to send $100 or it may be $25 or $10. ne may ieaa you to send much more than $1000. unable to send more than $5. I will leave this to you and our Lord. But please send something! We are hurting Your gift could make the difference in survival or this ministry. You may be Letters to the desperately, great loss for The News strives to give members of our Editor coramunit y an Opportunity to express their opinions. Letters to the Editor should be addressed to "The Editor." Letters may be . edited to conform to space and style. I have never prayed more fervently that God would grant a miracle than-right now. Again — I am sorry to come to you with my burden. But I simply must. Please help me. And, if you could have your gift postmarked on or before Apri1 12, it would be so helpful. We are facing some, ominous deadlines. Yours in Christ, ferry Falwell P.S. On April 12th, Macs! and I will have been married 28 years. I pray that this dark tragedy will have passed by then. Please help me. The following is a letter received by THE NEWS" entitled "A Message to Southern Baptists". Americans are free? Who, but this "Silent Majority"? They tromp on others with fearfully kind words, and cruel laws to match their kindness. The Gay soul cries with vengeance at your kind words. Faith, call your loveless religious leaders. Damn your frith. Your church, like all other encrusted traditional edifrces, has shut Jesus outside, preferring the vain Power of judging and ruling over the lives of others. All was glorious tranquility as a Southern Baptist Florida Sunshine Goddess sang from her golden pedestal. Fear was the power of her frith, and the police and job discrimination were the scourge of her moral prejudice. In her right hand was the scepter of a lying tongue, and with the cloak of traditional morality she covered her own shame. A pompous, insecure and highly vocal "Silent Majority" must protect its right to enforce its own prejudice. They grant no charter to seek the different or unorthodox experience. Every light must conform to their sex-denying interpretation of reality, or go to jail But rebellion flames hottest as minorities taste the sweet succor of victory and know where the enemy worships. Outrageous prudery cries, "We have laws to protect the conforming majority from the behavior and opinions of a minority seeking different sexual experiences." Gay people are expected to suffer silently. As children and youth seek truth in leam-by-doing sexual encounters, they ask gay people to share a struggle for personal identity. Meanwhile, "Protect the Children" crusaders, caring nothing for the real needs and interests of children and youth, camouflage their religion- directed goal of denying off homosexuals basic human rights and sexual freedom. By maneuvering public se. timent to imply that all gay people aare evil, seductive toward children, and capable of the crudeness and meanness of "labels" like "child molestation," gay people become more and more liable to be threatened, forced into prison, or otherwise ruined, blackmailed, or subjected to violence without police protection. The gossips and sex-denying religionists are then free to glory in the ruin of gay human beings. The imprisoned or otherwise ruined individual can object only in their own private dream world. How, then, can any sense be made of our American charter of freedom, when sexual practices are dictated by religious do-gooders? Why this religious establishment in America? Sex is a fundamental biological drive, not a religious dogma! Many Gay Americans live unproductive and unfalfilled lives because emotional and sexual fulfillment remain locked away in a far-off and unattainable dream world. The very base of personality growth and emotional maturity is morally-defined to be' illegal territory for individuals who, protected from sex as children, must grope theirway into a meaningful lifestyle. These sexless Americans are asked to live alienated and lonely lives in order to satisfy the whims of loud-mouthed and sex-denying Funda mentalists. "Be celibate". Unfortunately, Reagan-dominated America AIDS you. Rev. Stanley! Must you continue to say, "Believers in Jesus Christ are a Master Race?" Hitler once said the same thing. R.S. In 1983, the National Gay Task Force did a survey on anti-gay violence and asked 11 organizations in the country, including the Atlanta Gay Center, to help conduct that survey. A frighteningly high percentage of persons questioned said they had experienced some sort of anti-gay violence. Two weeks ago ABC Television's 20/20 did a special on anti gay violence and heightened homophobia because of the AIDS crisis. Atlanta very much needs a violence stopline. As another article of this issue indicates, however, the Atlanta Gay Center will not receive funds from the Fund for Southern Communities for such a line now or any time soon. We are shocked, outraged and finally deeply saddened by such actions. Who stands to gain by the withdrawal ofa grant application, we are at a loss to know. However, we certainly know who stands to lose from such actions: first, the Atlanta Gay Center and, more importantly, every lesbian and gay man who walk a little faster from a bar to her or his car on Saturday night because of the ever present possibility of violence. To those who would, say that this is just one more example of character assassination, we say that the press did not cause Watergate; a bungled break-in did. As we have said before, we have much work to do. All about us our friends are dying. There have been over 20,000 PWA's in the United States, a third as many Americans as died in the Vietnam War. Our enemies are legion. The Jerry Falwell's had better work fast however, if they want to do us in. We are lightyears ahead of them. The Editorial Committee Atlanta Gay Center
