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Response Good to inside/OUT
Dear Al&aDat&wtten Voice:
Thanks so much for (he article about inside/OLT. I've sent Greg
aitf Lucia copies of (he issue; I'm sire they'll be pleased, too. One
collection, however, Lucia and Greg produce (he show; Pacifica
only distributes it
Response to the show has been good so far. Tm certain your
article will he^) tune in more listenere. We're very excited hoe
about the possibilities of (his project, and am hoping to have bits
from Atlanta on soon
Please let me know ifl can help you in any way-and thanks
again
In cooperation,
KCWildmoon
Tune into mddOUT, the international gcry and lesbian radio
magazine, on WRFG-FM ($3) every Thursday at 6:00 pm.
"Maybe They Just Don’t
Give a Damn"
The story in the May 12th issue of Southern
Voice said that "more than 100 supporters" were on
hand for the AIDS Vigil at the state capilol. MORE
than 100?? There are roughly 300,000 gays and
lesbians in Atlanta. There are 1,300 diagnosed cases
of ADS in this state. There were more people in the
soup line at St. Mark's than at the capital on Sunday.
I know because I saw the soup line as I walked to the
capital.
The headline of the Southern Voice story read
"ADS Vigil Sends Message to Gov. Harris." What
message do you think Gov. Harris got from this pitiful
representation?
The message was clear. The message was apathy,
fear, and denial.
The only reason I went to the capital Saturday
morning was to take pictures for Southern Voice.
Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been there either.
But I was shocked and embarrassed at the low
turnout, and learned a nasty lesson about myself and
my own laziness. I learned that I desperately feel that
somebody has to do something, and I desperately
want it to be somebody else-not me.
I listened with respect to three women who spoke
at the ADS Vigil; Jane Carr, B&barbara Chamness,
and Linda McSwain. I don’t presume to know their
sexual orientation, but they didn't dress in "flannel
shirts and blue jeans," Charlie Brown.
Jane Carr of the Department of Human Resources
got up Saturday morning and came to speak to a
group of hostile homosexuals who didn’t believe a
word she said. When the heckling began, she put her
hand on her hip in her best Bette Davis pose, and
turned the other cheek She continued her speech
offering the support of the Department of Human
Resources.
Barbara Chamness is the foster mother of three
babies with ADS. Imagine the agony. She was there
Saturday morning well-dressed, well-versed, and
incensed at ADS. Where did she find a babysitter for
babies with ADS?
Linda McSwain showed up in nurse's whites, and
proclaimed that the Georgia Nurses Association
believes that "ADS is not a moral issue or a legal
issue-it's a health issue."
The Vigil was an impressive effort, well-planned,
with all the right ideals. Hurray for the few, the
proud, and the straights who showed up. But the
other story here is about the people who stayed at
home. The Southern Voice headline could have read
"Thousands of Gays Stay Away From Vigil; Joe
Frank Laughs Out Loud." Maybe they had a
hangover, maybe they didn't know about the Vigil.
Maybe they just don't give a damn
There will be other opportunities for you to show
support in the very near future. The Names Project
will be in town on Memorial Day weekend and Gay
Pride Week is the third week in June. I don't have to
cany banners, or yell slogans, or raise money, or give
speeches. All I have to do is be there, stand there,
take up space.
I can do that.
Can you?
-Pamela J.Cole
Thanks to Koop, Americans
Will Get The Facts
To the Editor
In the next few days, Dr. C. Everett Koop, the
Surgeon General of the United States, is sending a
pamphlet (in a sealed envelope) to every home in
America regarding the ADS epidemic. While I have
yet to read one, they are reported to be very factual
and not anti-homosexual. His past stances on this
issue have always been for education, for PWAs
rights to work, and never anti-homosexual. This
leads me to believe that this pamphlet will be no
different.
So why bring up a pamphlet if it is "not harming
the cause"? Not surprisingly, there is a rather loud
faction of the populous who does not want the.
pamphlet distributed. They "do not want such
explicit sexual material" mailed to their homes. They
do not want their tax dollar spent on such
"homosexual propaganda". They do not want their
children exposed to such language and vulgarity.
They do not want the American public informed for
then no one would pay these self-proclaimed saints
any attention
In the middle ages, illiteracy was the standard
throughout the world. The average person had no
education of any kind. People were dependent on the
church to tell them how to live and to keep them
informed of any issues, which the church deemed
relevant to their lives. The church gladly fulfilled this
role and controlled the lives of the masses, solely due
to their ignorance. The church was the focal point of
the community and the priests were as kings. As
education became more common, the church found
that it had much less say in the lives of the
parishioners. The Priests, though still respected, were
no longer treated as God himself.
Communists learned from this technique of
exploiting ignorance. Historically, when they invade
a country the first thing they do is to take over the
radio and TV stations. Likewise, through extremely
strong censorship they control the lives of their
citizens. The citizens don't revolt because they are
ignorant of a better way to live.
Isn't it ironic that those who scream their patriotism
are the ones immolating the Communist invaders?
The truth of the matter is that these people want
Americans to be ignoranL They don't want people to
know that ADS is not a gay disease, for if the people
know, the "righteous" could not incarcerate us. If the
American people knew, they wouldn't need the
million-dollar-a-year televangelist to tell us "the way
it is". If the people knew then they would jail the
saints for attempting to defraud the public and for
treasonous acts against the first amendment to the
Constitution
We are becoming the silent minority, whose
silence may be our undoing. We have the facts, the
truth about ADS, and our NOT so precarious
lifestyle. It is now time we support our friend, Dr. C.
Everett Koop, by writing and commending him on a
job well done and expressing our support of the ADS
Pamphlet. It is time we write our Members of
Congress and Senators and likewise express these
sentiments, not as queers, but as American citizens,
who like all others pay taxes and (more importantly)
vote. It is time we express our concerns at the polls.
Join with me in this endeavor for as President
Roosevelt said, "The pen" (and the vote) "is mightier
than the sword".
Sincerely,
L. Jeffrey Davis
March Committee Plans
Prom, Needs YOU!
Dear Editor
Congratulations from the Atlanta March
Committee and myself on a job well done for the
lesbian and gay community of Atlanta! I’m not
certain that we realized how desperately we needed a
newspaper until we got one. And 1 hope that
everyone who feels the same way will find a reason to
advertise regularly in Southern Voice in order to
ensure your continued success.
The Atlanta March Committee would like to thank
everyone who helped make our 26-hour ADS Rally
at the State Capitol on May 6-7 a success. In
particular we would like to thank Michelle Martin for
lending us her valuable sound equipment (Catch her
her at the L5P Pub sometime), Ken and Tim at the
Subway Sandwich store at Piedmont and 10th for
feeding us, the Atlanta Chapter of NAPWA, AD
Atlanta, Jim Knoll and the Buddy Program, Lesbians
in Fun Endeavors (Dale one today!), the Friday Night
Support Group, Atlanta Venture Sports. Jan Riley,
Angela Motter, Carolyn Mobley, Lambda Chorale,
Rebecca Ranson and Johnny Walsh, all the speakers,
our women in blue from the Atlanta Police
Department and anyone else I may have forgotten.
Let's hope that the Rally was only the beginning of
committed ADS activism in the State!
As you know, the Atlanta March Committee is
planning Pride Prom ’88/Your Fantasy Prom Come
True! (see ad in this edition) as the Kick-off event for
Lesbian and Gay Pride Week this year. The Prom
will be another unforgettable party filled with
Atlanta's most attractive and intelligent political
activists and activists-to-be. It will also be a major
fund raiser that will finance the bulk of our activities
for the remainder of the year. Just so you know
where some of the money goes, this is what AMC has
done since the March on Washington:
1. Raised $1,700.00 for the Leigh VanderEls Legal
Defense Fund (Nov.)
2. Underwritten the Casselberry-Dupree concert at
the Academy Theatre (Jam)
3. Committed to 1 year of paid advertising for
Southern Voice as a contribution to it's establishment
and growth (April)
4. Organized and financed the Spring ADS Action
'88 (May)
5. Pride Prom'88-Lesbian and Gay Pride Kick-off
party (June)
6. Our free monthly newsletter to over 300 people
(ongoing)
We are proud of our accomplishments and enjoy
our activist work in the community. Unfortunately,
after two years of working very hard at these good
works, many of the members are nearing the total
bum-out stage and we, like other organizations in
town, need your help. If you've ever thought about
getting involved, come and join us. Give us a 6-
monih commitment or just commit to our next event
to see if you like us. But do it now. We simply
cannot continue without new people! It takes people
and time to plan events that help make our
community vibrant, desirable and exciting. We meet
every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the
Highland Brandi Library. Or you can call me at 377
8312 to find out more. We need at least 10 new
members to come take an active role in upcoming
events or yet another organization will be the victim
of burnout. Don't let it happen again-one person
really can make the difference! See you at our next
meeting. And buy your Prom Tickets early!!!
Sincerely,
Cathy Woolard
Atlanta March Committee
Viewpoints is part of a continuing effort to provide a forum for our community.
We invite your ideas, comments and feelings and your responses to ideas expressed
in this space.
The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent the views of Southern Voice. Submissions should be typed, double
spaced and no longer than four pages. Mail to:
Southern Voice/Viewpoints
PO Box 54719
Atlanta, Georgia
30308