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South Needs to Sing A New Song July 15,1988 Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus P.O. Box 77114 Atlanta, Ga 30357 Dear Gentlemen, One of my first memories of a gay bar occurred during happy hour at an old established bar in Kansas City. Having just turned twenty-one, I thought that in a gay bar everyone would be welcomed from our community. More quickly titan I had expected, that bit of naivete was smashed to hell when a middle-aged man proceeded to tell racist bad joke after racist bad joke. This man's humor was intentionally racist It was a painful lesson, but one I am glad I learned early on in my attempt at a gay life. I am writing the following letter to address another form of racism that I feel occurred, not intentionally, but due to a lack of understanding and a certain amount of insensitivity. Be assured that it is with respect for Atlanta's only openly gay male choral group that I am submitting this letter. I will be up front about my motives lest some perceive this as an act of separatism. It is my hope dial our fragmented community come together, if only occasionally. Our coming together will happen much sooner if we become aware of some painful historical truths and try not to gloss over dicir effects. I am quesdoning the choice of a particular set of music performed by the AGMC in hopes that at some future point, consideration and sensitivity for our community's diversity will be made a factor when selccdng music. I am questioning the medley of Southern songs performed at the Southeastern Conference of Lesbians and Gay Men and also this year at Pride '88 during the celebration at Piedmont Park. My question is simply why was that music chosen? The songs are peppy, familiar and somewhat entertaining. The trouble I have with the songs is they romanucize the "ole South" during its pre-Civil War days. For members of my paternal family, that reminds them of a time when my grandfather's grandfather was considered another man's property. Nationally, the same period of history is shamefully characterized as a time when the South engaged in, promoted and endorsed the practice of human slavery. Historically, this is also a period when the South those songs glorify chose secession over unity and human liberty, and chose to grasp to an outdated feudal society rather than integrating with the progress of the nation. I will not critique the quality of the performance. I will, however, say that Atlanta is nationally known among minority lesbians and gays as a southeastern haven for our culture. I am sure you are aware of the huge African-American lesbian and gay community here. It is then very noticeable that there arc no Black men in a chorus singing songs which praise the South during one of the most oppressive times in African-American history. It is a struggle to bring Atlanta's people of color out and involved in such activities as Pride '88 and the Southeastern Conference. I make this comment based on the terrible percentages of people from my side of the tracks seen at any function. And I don't believe we will ever come in proportionate numbers to hear songs like "Dixie". In the "Land of Cotton” many American families were severed, destroyed, and massacred. As a society, we all still suffer from racism and its ill effects even in the attitudes and practices of our lesbian and gay community. yr w c OM. OOHO ttvanOS floods o"fck" i ' / ' E? reject Sincerely, Duncan a.k.a. Amethyst Pryde /-lyP.y'ndE.RE.'S /A&OUTj k O ^ | OS P * u)TLl_ mv MAYP>£_ _ r cam l BE. ,)UAT _ HE.LP^ C AM l cZm^L' oaqtz/o i s ^ £2 I <301/06 AiavW CA i so ALo/oe.- ■ : V • A - 1 ! vm W.:: V- .V ' ■ . LET THE-Cti/LOteEN £>E FREE 7 THANK W3C NATIONAL „ />f EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION* l Uia^r &****&&- My last point is a rather simple fact Not only is the South of the past (and often present) illustrated with ignorance, insolence and racism but homophobia as well. Our very Chorus singing those songs would be as oppressed for being openly gay as the millions of people of color were for being bom some race other than Caucasian. As a fellow vocalist and performing artist, I encourage the AGMC to sing, but to sing a new song. cc: Southern Voice Voter Mobilization A Key Task To the Editor I am writing in response to the article entitled "Lesbian and Gay Pride Week ’88: Images to Remember" which appeared in the July 7th edition of Southern Voice. Among the variety of activities at Piedmont Park which were reported, your paper listed a voter registration drive sponsored by GAP AC. The voter registration activity actually was sponsored by the "Pride Committee". In particular, Dale Biggers and Gary Cox were instrumental in the organization of that drive. Mr. Biggers donated the canopy which was used for the drive, and deputy registrars volunteered to staff the voter registration table. In addition, it is important to note that regulations in the State of Georgia prohibit sponsorship of voter registration drives by any organization with direct political affiliations (either bipartisan or otherwise). Mobilization of potential gay and lesbian voters is an important task. I would encourage interested individuals in Fulton, DeKalb and other counties to contact the office of Voter Registration, become deputized and help register people to vote. Our votes do make a difference! Sincerely, Linda Meredith Deputy Registrar Editor's Note: Our apologies to all those involved with the voter registration drive and GAP AC for the mistake. The work involved in registering voters is hard and thankless, but it is perhaps the most patriotic and "American" job around. If you are not registered to vote, then do so. Your vote does count! There's More to Pride Than Beer and Wet T-Shirts To the Editor: I would like to congratulate you on Southern Voice. It is informative and enjoyable to read. I feel that you make an excellent attempt to cover the issues that are important to our diverse community. However, I was very disturbed by the picture you ran on your last front page of a woman holding a beer bottle as representative of the Lesbian and Gay Pride Celebration. I do not feel that it wa an accurate indicator of the day’s events. There was no alcohol sold that day and there was a true sense of family. The overwhelming number of people there were not drinking alcohol, and many brought along their children and other family members. It was a wonderful and peaceful day. I was touched by our ability to enjoy each other's company - despite the heat and the absence of alcohol and drugs. People danced and laughed all day, hugged each other and mourned together at times. I would have liked to see a picture that reflected that spirit instead. Unfortunately, our community has always been closely associated with alcohol and bars. You lose some of what is good about us when you show a wet t- shirt and a bottle of beer. Alcoholism has devastated our community. Many of us arc working very hard to rid alcohol and other dependencies from our lives. This is made especially difficult in a society where alcohol and drugs are so accepted as a way of life. Your picture adds to the difficulty as it equates "Pride" with a bottle of beer. Why not show us celebrating the loving, sharing and politically aware people we are? Full of pride... and alcohol-free. Sincerely, Sharon Cooper Editor's Note: I must admit that when we chose the photo that I did not even see the bottle of beer in the woman's hand. I think that is a strong example of what you mentioned in your letter... it is such an accepted way of life in our society that we don't even see it on most occasions. We apologize and will be more conscious in the future. Grizzard Is An Embarrassment to City Atlanta Joumal/Constitution P.O. Box 4689 Atlanta, GA 30302 The Editors: In regards to the comment by Lewis Grizzard in the Friday July 8th Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Feeling sorry for IRAN is like feeling sorry for AIDS." Rhetoric of this nature serves no purpose other than to propagate unsubstantiated fear, intolerance, and ignorance. L along with an extremely large cross section of this planet, have been cut and scarred too deeply by this indiscriminate and unconstrained killer. In a city struggling to emerge as an international city, and who will be in the limelight of America during the Democratic National Convention, the voice of the community should not be that of a backwoods, derogitorial bigot So until that time, in which Lewis Grizzard is served with his long overdue pink slip, I will neither patronize nor advertise in your publication. I also call on all others who feel as I do, to use alternative media. Clay Miller Atlanta, GA cc: Southern Voice 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