Newspaper Page Text
Page 4
VIEWPOINTS
Guest Editorial
Missing Elements
Over the past few months, something's been
happening in Atlanta of particular interest to
lesbians and gay men: the accelerating
maturity and splashy emergence of our
community on the straight and political scene.
We've been there for some time, of course; but
never before have I seen the energy, the
impetus, that seems to be breaking out now.
MACGLO moves closer and closer to
coming into its own, after months of defining
and redefining its role as the organization of
organizations. LEGAL burst upon the scene,
riding the crest of a tidal wave of its organizers'
energies, and swamped the Democratic
caucuses. The March Committee looked in the
mirror, saw a good thing, and decided not to
disband (thank heavens). GAPAC put out its
own newspaper to cover the political scene,
vigorously applauded the newborn Southern
Voice, and began discussions of mutual
cooperation and benefit between the two
publications. And then of course there's
SAME, pumping out seemingly unending
calendars of arts productions relevant to our
lifestyle; a sensational Southeastern Conference
coming in April; the work being done to make
Pride Week the proud party it can and will be...
Whew! It's enough to make you dizzy, and
that's a very incomplete list. And the
temptation is strong to sit back with a grin, feet
up, and believe that all's-well-or-it-soon-will-
be. But to do that would be a little like the
immortal Moms Mabley's routine of the two
women walking along, passing the time of day
until one stopped short and said, "I smell hair
burning!" "Do you think we're walking too
fast?" her friend asked.
It's good to be encouraged by all this
activity. But anyone satisfied with where we
are now - even, with the framework of our
community - may as well be walking around
with their head afire. There are two crucial
elements still missing in the formula fa- our
success: the active participation of much of the
community, and an existing framework in
which volunteers can work whenever they
have time.
Leader burnout is endemic and epidemic in
the gay community, because of these two
missing elements. A need is perceived, a
group forms with a core of enthusiastic
individuals, participation flares, then falters;
and the few left do as much as they can
unassisted, before withdrawing in shellshock.
This is as much the responsibility of the
leaders as it is the uninvolved community's.
We seem to focus so strongly on what needs
to be done that we ignore the necessity of a
framework, an organizational structure
independent of the original founders, within
which the work can be done ad infinitum. We
in GAPAC are as guilty of this as any other
organization. But if s a helluva challenge to
tend to the brushfires under your feet and still
attend the one 01 your head.
I know for certain that there are hundreds of
people out there who will gladly give an hour
or two now and then to advance our cause.
But how do we utilize this motherlode of
talent without the needed staffing to make the
calls to ask for help? The organizational
structure that can capitalize 01 that kind of
scattered blessing is missing, missing,
missing.
The answer? People. I'll bet there's not an
organization in town that wouldn't grovel just
a little bit to snare the services of a volunteer
business manager and/or administrator and/or
super secretary to tend to the "tending" itself.
I know I would.
We in GAPAC are W0king 01 that. But we
need HELP!, from the Board level 01 down.
We need people who will accept responsibility
- just a little - to be the team captains* working
with the more experienced generals:? We need
a continuous line of leadership developing
administrative skills and procedures, so that
we don't waste precious time reinventing the
wheel. And then at last we will be able to
offer a structure capable of using that spare
hour 0 two, so that everyone can do their little
bit to accomplish that whole I0.
And I know for sure that we're not alone in
this need. So I’ll say it again: are you bored,
lonely, angry, frustrated, or just generally
locking for something fun and different to do?
Then call us at 888-0510 - or call any
MACGLO organization - because we sure need
YOU. You'll meet interesting, nice people, and
the world will become a much more fascinating
place when you see firsthand how it's being run.
So live a little! Take a chance. Grab the
phone and call, or come to Focus Atlanta,
MACGLO's party for the community to meet
its own organizations. Get involved; you'll be
glad you did.
I gua-ron-tee it.
- Marie Murray
Marie Murray is Chairperson of GAPAC
(that's like gay'-pack), our local political
action committee. With an election year upon
us, she's getting her grovelling fine-tuned to
lure more people into the interesting and
exciting world of (there's that p-word again)
politics.
Clarification
In a guest editorial for"Southern Voice, Vol. 1,
No.2, Linda Meredith discussed the recently passed
Omnibus AIDS Bill. Entitled "Just Say N0...T0
Testing," her editorial advised readers of some of
the consequences of taking an HIV-antibody test.
After publication, several community members
telephoned Southern Voice and questioned the
accuracy of two of her statements. At question were
her assertions that: "Insurance companies are not
required to continue medical coverage of
individuals who hae been tested"; "By accepting the
brochure (published by the Department of Human
Resources and describing the HIV-antibody test),
you have complied with the stipulations in the
AIDS Bill, and offered your consent to be tested."
According to Gil Robison, lobbyist for the
Georgia AIDS Coalition, the intricacies of the
Omnibus AIDS Bill prohibit issuing blanket
statements. "Unfortunately," he said, "the Bill does
not cover the issue of allowing or denying insurance
companies the right to discriminate on whether or
not someone has taken the test."
It does allow insurance companies to continue
questioning and screening applicants on the basis of
HIV-antibody status. "In states that have attempted
to prevent antibody-status discrimination, the
insurance companies have used the past infection
with hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases or
marital status as markers of insurability," he said.
In regard to consent to testing, there are many
instances wherein a physician is not required to
advise a patient of the testing being done. Those
instances include "a person who is a
minor,...unconscious,...temporarily incompetent,
comatose,...in an emergency or life-threatening
situation," or in a physician’s opinion "in such an
emotional state that disclosure of the test would be
injurious to the person's health."
In most normal circumstances, however, a person
"shall have the right to refuse the test," after having
read the brochure prepared by the DHR to explain
the important result of taking an HIV-antibody test.
Robison's adamant advice for individuals is to
consult their attorney regarding any questions about
HIV-antibody status and/or taking an HTV-antibody
test
"The Bill will have an overall positive effect,"
said Robison, "with the confidentiality and consent
clauses in place. There is a great deal of room for
discrimination to take place, however, and the
unclear language in parts of the bill means that there
are some issues that only the courts will be able to
decide."
Southern Voice apologizes if information
presented misled or caused distress to any readers.
We thank Ms. Meredith and Mr. Robison for the
time and effort they have spent trying to educate the
gay and lesbian community on the intricacies of this
piece of legislation.
SOUTHERN
M
DJ
O
E
Managing Editor
Chris Cash
Art Director
Stebbo Hill
STAFF
Karl Boyce, Chris Duncan, Mark duPont, Patricia Jackson, John Kappers, Martin
Keefer, Michael McMillan, Rhonda Mensen, 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.
The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, cartoonists, and writers published
herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representations
does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons.
Advertising is subject to the approval of Southern Voice and the publisher. Although
Southern Voice appreciates its advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made.
Services and products are not tested and appearance of advertising does not imply, nor does it
constitute, endorsement by Southern Voice. Advertising rates and conditions are available
upon request.
Southern Voice welcomes unsolicited material, including letters to the editor, but reserves
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. , >.
LETTERS
Different More than
Emotional Baggage
To the Editor
In resp0ise to Terry Francis' review of
Different, I would like to say that I think he
missed the point. When 1 go to the theater, I do
not go looking f0 the perfectly turned phrase
or the perfectly executed dance step. I look f0
a deeply-moving experience, a message that
will change the way I look at life or how I act.
From the standpoint of what I expect at the
theater, Different is remarkably successful for
me. I'm sure I do bring "emotional baggage"
with me to the theater; we all do. But I don't
just sit and cry at the drop of a hat or stand and
applaude because I need to stretch my legs. I
cry at Different because something I feel the
need strongly to say has just been said for me
and that moves me. The idea that childhood
humiliations are "superficial" or that allowing
the realty of ADS to intrude on the plot of a
musical is "pandering" are sentiments I would
expect to hear from a straight, even
homophobic, reviewer-certainly not from a
gay man.
With respect to theatrical expectations,
SAME'S theater projects, in my mind, have
never sought to be successful on a traditional
theatrical level. They have always sought to
speak directly to the condition of lives by
people who could be me, like the protagonists
of Jerker or Annie in The Incarceration of
Annie. Indeed, one of Mr. Francis' criticisms,
that Different seems conventional, is what I see
as one of the play's most important and most
radical points. No other Atlanta theater (with
the exception of Seven Stages) allows us the
dignity of seeing our lives portrayed on the
stage in a realistic and "conventional" manner.
Dan Hulbert in his review in The Atlanta
JournallConstitution thought what he saw in
Different was a plea for acceptance from the
mainstream. But our issues are treated so
unsympathetically elswhere that depicting our
lives and loves simply as they are without
apology seems to a straight reviewer as begging
f0 acceptance. Perhaps Different's message is
that our "differences" were bestowed upon us
by society's refusal to acknowledge
alternatives, and that, though not of our
creation, our "differences" are our strengths.
Whatever its message, Different's voice is an
important one for Atlanta, and I think its minor
flaws are more than compensated fw by its
successes of spirit The two audiences I have
been in seemed enthusiastically to agree.
That said, as a board member of SAME, I
would like to thank Chris Cash for printing
what her reviewer wrote. When SAME decided
to sponsor a newspaper project it was because
a strong, independent voice was needed for
Atlanta's lesbian and gay male community.
There was never the expectation that the paper
would sycophantically endorse all other SAME
projects, and I am glad that point was made so
clearly this early in the paper's existence. If
Southern Voice were ever to become an
organizational newsletter rather than an
independent organ for the voicing of our
community's issues and concerns, my pride in it
and involvement with it would decrease
dramatically. As it is, I am extremely proud for
the small part I have played in its existence.
Sincerely,
A1 Cotton
Terry Francis responds: "Mr. Cotton is entitled
to his opinion, but to label me ’homophobic’
seems unfair."