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Litany Against Fear
/ must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little death
that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass
over me and through me.
And when it has gone past,
I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone,
there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
-from Dune, by Frank Herbert
Fear of physical violence. Fear of ostracism. Fear of oppression. Fear of public ridicule.
Fear of being ourselves.
A stream of unsettling fears that too many lesbians and gay men allow to flood their dreams and
suffocate their lives.
It is appropriate to be afraid - at certain times, in certain places. Common sense dictates caution
in dangerous places. Locking one's house while gone, driving only when sober, and practicing safe
sex are all cautionary techniques for living a fulfilling life in today's world. But never leaving
home, going near a highway, or having sex are examples of allowing fear to control, rather than
caution to guide, one's life.
It is never healthy to lead a fearful life. Fear transcends all boundaries and becomes
destructively addictive. It is deceptive.
The ultimate Catch-22 of allowing fear to "safeguard" and control one's life is the ultimate loss
of a life-time of opportunities and love. Parents, family and friends kept at a distance are denied the
opportunity to know their gay and lesbian loved one; we lose by unfairly pre-judging and
condemning them.
A life controlled by fear is always hollow and superficial.
Fear feeds upon itself and grows at an exponential rate. The fear of other people's reaction to
"coming out" is often misplaced and unnecessary. Many gay men and lesbians tell stories of days
of tension-filled expectation as the dreaded confrontation approaches. The dialogue will run...
Homo: 'Tm queer (or gay or lesbian)." Hetero: "Yeah, I figured that out a while back. What's on
TV tonight?"
Fear drains energy from its victim. It leaves its owner at the mercy of the world; it defies a
positive, constructive solution to a problematic situation.
Sometimes our worst fears do come true. Sometimes we do lose the comfort of the people we
love. But the relief of not hiding overcomes the sense of loss, with time.
Lesbians and gay men must learn to face their fears and recognize them as an invalid remnant of
' the fight vs. flight phenomenon. Caution is the proper attitude; it is life-promoting and life-
sustaining. Caution is sensitive to a changing world. Our collective fear as a community must be
conquered before we will ever truly be free.
SOUTHERN
VOCE
Managing Editor Art Director
Chris Cash Stebbo Hill
STAFF
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Karl Boyce, Chris Duncan, Patricia Jackson, John Kappers, Martin Keefer,
Michael McMillan, Elena Rutter, Leigh VanderEls
General Policy
Southern Voice is published by SAME (Southeastern Arts, Media and Education Project,
Inc.) which is a non-profit corporation with offices at 1083 Euclid Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307.
All material in Southern Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be
reproduced without the written consent of the Managing Editor.
The views of Southern Voice are expressed only in the editorial columns or in the editor's
notes. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the
opinion of Southern Voice or the publisher.
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herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictoral representations
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the right to edit or reject any material submitted. All rights revert to authors upon
publication. Unsolicited manuscripts not accompanied by a self -addressed stamped
envelope cannot be returned. Address all correspondence to: Southern Voice, P.O. Box
54719, Atlanta, GA 30308. f
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lUL.
JUST SAY
NO...
TO TESTING
The Omnibus AIDS Bill underwent its
final changes, and was passed by the
Legislature on Monday, March 7. The bill
now awaits Gov. Harris' signature.
Nothing can be done to change or stop the
bill. What we must do is learn to live
within the constraints which it imposes on
our community.
Several victories were won regarding
issues such as the level of confidentiality of
HIV testing results and the legal
ramifications for persons charged with
"AIDS transmitting crimes". The
confidentiality of test results mandated by
this bill, is similar to the confidentiality
given to psychiatric information, the most
closely guarded type of medical record.
Few types of behavior now can be
construed as "AIDS transmitting crimes".
Previous forms of the bill included
solicitation of sodomy, very loosely
interpreted, as one such crime.
More important in this piece of
legislation is the issue of patient consent
prior to testing. Members of the Medical
Association of Georgia, together with third
party payers (various types of medical
insurance providers) insisted that patients
need only be informed of the testing, with
no mention of patient consent to have such
tests performed. As the bill stands, anyone
seen by their private physician or admitted
to a hospital for any reason can be tested
for HIV anti-bodies if they are told that the
test is going to be performed, and they are
issued a brochure which discusses the
interpretation of test results.
This aspect of the bill directly affects a
tremendous number of people, since it is
very likely that everyone will see a doctor
or be admitted to a hospital. The key to
defeating the system is DO NOT AGREE
TO ROUTINE TESTING. Once the
results are a matter of medical record, they
can possibly be subpoeaned into court in
matters other than "AIDS transmitting
crimes", such as drunk driving charges,
possession of drugs and even child custody
disputes. Insurance companies are not
required to continue medical coverage of
individuals who have been tested. In
addition, there is some evidence to suggest
that insurance companies will discontinue
coverage of individuals even if their test is
negative. Without understanding that
individuals are tested as a routine part of
preadmission hospital tests, these
companies assume that if an individual has
had an HIV anti-bodies test, he/she must
consider themselves at risk of contracting
AIDS.
It is important that we, as a community,
do two things. First, contact your private
physician and discuss his/her policy of HIV
testing. Physicians need to understand the
social as well as economic issues associated
with the test. Make it clear to your
physician that unless there is evidence to
suggest HIV infection, you do not want the
test performed as part of a routine battery of
blood tests. Second, should you be
informed of such a policy, probably at a
hospital or emergency room, DO NOT
accept the brochure. By accepting the
brochure, you have complied with the
stipulations in the AIDS bill, and offered
your consent to be tested. The anonymous
test sites continue to be the best place to
obtain HIV testing.
It is important that we understand the
legal, social and economic ramifications of
this legislation. Neither the Legislature as a
whole, nor the Medical Association of
Georgia had the interest of our community
in mind when the bill was written.
Working within the constraints of the bill,
we can take steps to ensure confidentiality
through our own initiatives.
- Linda Meredith
Letters
Gay Prisoner
Speaks Out
To the Editor:
I recieved your wonderful letter and the
issue of Southern Voice. I must say that
from the look of your first issue of the
Voice, it will last a long time. I enjoyed it
very much and have already passed it along
to a gay friend of mine in here.
I tried to compare this issue with Gay
Community News out of Boston, and I
must say, I like the Voice much better. I
very much appreciate the free subscription.
I'm hoping you can print my letter in the
next issue as I feel a need to share what is
happening with me inside prison simply
because I'm gay.
First of all, I am in this dump for
receiving and concealing stolen property. I
am doing a two- and- a -half to five- year
sentence. I should have gone to a camp
or a minimumor medium security facility,
but because I'm gay, I was sent inside. If I
was not gay, I would have been paroled
within a year of being sentenced. But
because I'm gay, I was placed here, in a
closed maximum-security walled prison.
I am treated like scum by everyone
simply because I am gay and have a lot of
feminity about me. Here's an example: I
have been in segregation, "the hole", for
fourteen months because a guard said I
grabbed his hand, which is considered
assault and battery. I never touched the
guy. But, because he said I did, I've been in
this hole for fourteen months. There is no
exercise, no yard, no phone calls, no
personal property, no television, no radio,
and only two showers per week, if you're
lucky. It's very lonely and boring. My
family has long since abandoned me and I
never get any mail.
That should give you an idea of what
gays go through in the prison system. I'll be
leaving in ten months so I must get myself
together, make some plans, etc. At this
point in time, I have nobody and no plans.
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