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Backlash a Product of Visibility Lesbian and gay issues are receiving more attention in local and national politics and in the media than ever before since we recognized ourselves as a community some twenty years ago. It took the rest of the world quite a bit longer to acknowledge us, and many are still fighting it. It's easy to attribute the lack of attention to homophobia - if you try hard enough you can attribute virtually every ill we suffer to homophobia. But the world is more complicated than that We must move beyond that simple explanation, and any other simple explanations, and begin to prepare for the attention that will inevitably come our way as we continue to become more visible. One reason we have been ignored is simply because we are just now coming into our own strength. With the AIDS epidemic taking thousands of lives and our government's complete insensitivity to it, we have been forced to grow up. We are now in the "young adulthood" of our movement in many ways. We have begun to forge an identity for ourselves, are beginning to leant to accept responsibility, and have gotten a taste of what it means to live in the "real world." Now, the world is paying attention. And that attention both helps and hurts us. It helps us because it educates people, not only straight society but ourselves as well. It brings us allies. But for every piece of ground we gain, another seems to be taken away. With every step we take toward more visibility, there is backlash. Consider the following: 1. The National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Oct., 1987 drew 650,000 and was the largest demonstration for civil rights in the history of this country. That same month, SenJesse Helms introduced an amendment that prohibited the federal government from funding educational materials that "promote a homosexual lifestyle". Only two senators had the sense or the guts to vote against it. 2. As our activism around AIDS and civil rights issues has increased we stand to lose gay rights ordinances in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, and have lost proposed ordinances in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and violence against lesbians and gays doubled in 1987 with the rate in San Francisco leading the nation. 3. Locally, we have a mayor who stated that he didn't care if we "baked ourselves to medium rare" during protests scheduled for the week of the Democratic Convention, and stated he saw no reason for anybody to be protesting anything. Short memory, huh? Young had signed a proclamation less than a month ago declaring "Lesbian and Gay Rights Week". But with the eyes of the nation on Atlanta, either his true colors came forth or he felt he had to take an unsympathetic stance.lt is not politically smart, yet, to appear to be supportive of lesbian/gay rights or AIDS activists. We are in a precarious position in American society, and we need to begin to prepare ourselves for both the best and the worst of the attention we will receive. In our effort to make ourselves and our needs more visible, we must also have a unified agenda to present. We need to figure out who we are, who we want to be and how we intend to present ourselves.With a solid agenda, a visible presence and time, it will be politically smart to be allied with us. Increased visibility has and will continue to bring increased threats, violence and backlash. How do we ready ourselves for that? The same way we prepare for the good. We find out who our friends are, vote for them and hold them accountable. We also hold individuals and institutions accountable. We do not hide. Wedo not run. "...If they want to lay down in the street, they can lay there till the sun cooks them medium rare," said Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young in the July 10th edition of the Atlanta Journal/Constitution when asked about protesters during the Democratic National Convention. He was obviously referring to the people planning to participate in the "Die-In," an AIDS demonstration held Monday in which people symbolically die when the names of people who have died from AIDS are read aloud. A chalk outline is then drawn around the body. Guest Editorial The Way It Was Managing Editor Christina Cash Assistant Managing Editor Advertising/Classifieds Chris Duncan Joe Vindich STAFF Sharon Blalock, Mark duPont, John Frame, Jr.,Terry Francis, F.G.,Andrea Getty, Dave Hayward, John Kappers, Rhonda Mensen, Terry Moffett, Jeannine Quintana, David Strawn, David Tucker, 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 Austin 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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Box 54719, Atlanta, GA 30308. 4" S - + - inlEj I came out in 1956, when being a lesbian was very shameful. We were called the trash of the gutter, the psychopaths, the sick ones, the filth, the depraved, the sluts. Since we had no self-esteem, we agreed with the rest of the world, that we had no place on this earth. Consequently, we lived our lives accordingly. Because I was a blatant lesbian, even during those times, the police and others in authority hated me. Every weekend, I could expect to be arrested and dragged down to the police station to be harassed. I would be forced to empty my personal belongings onto the table for each of them to see and then I would have to strip down to nakedness, so that they could check how many articles of women's clothing I was wearing. Having met the requirement of at least three pieces, I was released out into the darkness of the early morning to make my way back to wherever my car might have been left hours before. The charge? Suspicion of sodomy. Mental health counseling was always available to help us try to find our way back to heterosexual living. I spent thirteen years with my lover praying that I would fall out of love with her, meet a man, have children, and become a decent human being. At one point, not altogether by choice, I entered a hospital to be cured of this LESBIAN disease. Shock treatment and heavy medication were prescribed. Somehow, I don't remember how or why, I was spared the agony of the shock treatment. My gay friends were not as lucky. One wonderful young girl, who was an excellent athlete and had high hopes of becoming a nun, could not stand another moment. She hung herself and we all admired her courage. Two thousand proud, happy, wonderful, loving lesbians-walking hand in hand, looking into each other’s eyes, hugging, loving, supporting-free to be who they are, thirty-three years later. How happy they are! Do they know the pain and suffering of the women who came before them? I want to take each one aside and tell her what it was like years before. So, that she can understand how much she has to be thankful for. It is important for me to reach out to each one of you, hold you, and let you know that today we have so much to be thankful for. Everyone, hold hands. And in your pride, never let another lesbian be ashamed of loving. -Marcia Zeimer Editor's note: Marcia wrote this autobiography during a workshop at the 1988 Womanwrites conference. This is her first writing creation. The "two thousand" mentioned refers to the Southern Womens Music and Comedy Festival. Marcia resides in Florida. Page 4