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NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY
TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP
Lesbian and gay groups nationwide are
mobilizing for the first-ever National Coming
Out Day on October 11th. Scheduled to
coincide with the first anniversary of the
historic National March on Washington for
Lesbian and Gay Rights, National Coming
Out Day will attempt to refocus the energy
from the March back into the local
communities.
National Coming Out Day is coordinated
and sponsored by The Experience Weekend
and National Gay Rights Advocates (NGRA)
to increase the visibility of the gay and lesbian
community. The concept was quickly ratified
by every major gay and lesbian group across
the country.
The theme for National Coming Out Day
is "Take the Next Step." Co-chair Jean
O'Leary explained: "Some people may
acknowledge to themselves for the first time
that they are gay or lesbian, while others may
come out to a friend or family members.
"One thing is certain," she continued, "No
matter how far in the closet, or out of the
closet, we are, we all have a next step."
Rob Eichberg, co-chair with O'Leary,
called National Coming Out Day "an idea
whose time has come." Both O'Leary and
Eichberg acknowledged the extremely
personal nature of decisions surrounding
coming out, and urged all of the nation's
eptember 11th
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Friday, October 7th
Bon Votjage! Back To
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estimated 20 million lesbians and gay men to
participate as much as they could.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Council of Gay
& Lesbian Organizations (MACGLO) will
sponsor an advertisement in the Atlanta
Joumal/Constitution on October 11th which
will include personal statements from
individuals and endorsements by local
groups. The price to place a name or phrase
is $15, with larger donations encouraged due
to the high price of the ad.
National Coming Out Day is being
promoted by a large-scale campaign that
includes kits which list different ways to
"come out"-from acknowledging that "those
roses are not from your mother," to
organizing demonstrations on the local level.
The national headquarters reported that "the
phones have been ringing off the hook" with
people calling for information.
For more information about National
Coming Out Day, contact MACGLO at 242
2342, or National Gay Rights Advocates at
(213)650-6200.
Please see Page 4 for more information
on how you can be a part of National
Coming Out Day in Atlanta.
Call for free brochure and application.
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You Do Have a Choice .
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health management poses significant challenges for most of us.
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1375 Peachtree Street,
Suite 187, Atlanta
872-5260
STOSH OSTROW, M.D.
General Practice
GOP Platform Downplays AIDS;
Activists Strike a Nerve with Party
New Orleans-Approximatcly 75
gay/lesbian Republicans and a contingent of
AIDS and gay/lesbian activists attended the
Republican National Convention held here
August 15th-18th. Both groups had as their
stated goal changing the party's position on
AIDS and gay/lesbian issues, but their
methods varied markedly. The Republican
faithful, most of whom declined to identify
themselves, held functions throughout the city
in support of Vice-President George Bush and
his running-mate Senator Dan Quayle
(R-Ind) while the activists demonstrated their
displeasure with the Republican response to
their demands. At week's end, neither group
seemed to have succeeded in their attempt to
draw the party toward a more moderate
position.
The activists in New Orleans, who freely
and openly identified themselves as gay or
lesbian, took their demands to the streets
rather than the back rooms, where they
encountered "rabid" anti-gay/lesbian violence,
according to Neil Broome of the AIDS
Coalition to Unleash Power/New York
(ACT UP/NY). One protest held during a
farewell rally for President Ronald Reagan
drew a mob of screaming Republicans
shouting "Kill the fags!" Pointing to ACT
UP's prominent "Silence=Death" buttons,
many shouted, "That's the fag badge." At
least one of the assailants was seen wearing a
Bush campaign staff badge.
Activist Donna Minkowitz, who witnessed
the melee, said afterwards, "We saw the
enemy today and it's running this country.
Now I understand this on a visceral level."
Added Broome, "We’re in their territory and
they feel they can kick the shit out of us."
Five of the gay/lcsbian protesters were
arrested. They eventually pleaded guilty to
disorderly conduct and each paid a $100 fine.
A similar protest held during Bush's
announcement of Quayle as his choice as
running-mate stopped just short of another
violent confrontation when the police stepped
in to protect the demonstrators from the
crowd. The charges against the one protester
arrested during the Bush "zap" were dropped
after he agreed to pay $75 in court fees.
The gay/lesbian Republicans in attendance,
none of whom were delegates or alternates to
the convention, were organized loosely under
the umbrella group United Republicans for
Equality and Privacy (UREP). UREP
represents 11 gay/lesbian Republican clubs
across the United States, with three new
groups being formed in Tampa, Florida,
Phoenix, Arizona, and Madison, Wisconsin.
One UREP board member, who declined
to be identified, urged gay and lesbian
Republicans to remain active in party affairs
despite the continued attacks of "far-right"
members of the party. Explaining the lack of
public support given to issues of importance
to the group, he said, "The Vice-President has
to be cautious on issues important to us
because he needs the far-right to win. He
knows what needs to be done on our issues,
and I'm convinced hell do it (once elected to
office).”
If the Bush/Quayle campaign was
following such a surreptitious plan, they
played their parts to perfection. A reception
for Republican members of Congress by the
Human Rights Campaign Fund, a gay/lesbian
political action committee ranked ninth in size
in the nation, was cancelled because of a lack
of interest.
Th<j adopted Republican party campaign
platform contained only minimal statements
about ADDS. The platform committee
Senator Quayle at work in 1971
refused to adopt or endorse the findings of the
AIDS commission report, which called for
anti-discrimination legislation and called for
more funds for research, treatment and
education. Included in the AIDS plank,
however, were calls for sexual contact tracing
and a renewed dedication to the traditions of
monogamous heterosexual marriage.
Eric Rosenthal, an HRCF official, said
"(the platform) is a clear signal that the party
is catering to the far right and not the
moderates. UREP members, who had
supported a more moderate version of the
AIDS plank were reportedly disappointed
with the final version of the AIDS statements.
Ex-presidential candidate Pat Robertson
characterized the Democratic Party as being
filled with "disease carriers" and "special
interest minorities" in his televised speech at
the convention. Although he did not mention
gay men specifically, he said that "disease
carriers are protected and the healthy are
placed at great risk" by the Democrats.
Many of those present chuckled when they
heard that Bush had characterized the
Republican party as dedicated to the
principles of inclusivity, and a home for
disenfranchis d minorities.
-Chris Duncan
TIM MILLER
in
SOME GOLDEN STATES
I "Miller is the James Dean of contemporary dance" -The L.A. Times
"...compresses the energy of a rock band into one body" -The Village Voice
"...like a cross between Pee Wee Herman and a game show contestant
...Other times he vamps like an erotic stripteaser" -Daily News
"...A riveting, witty blend of movement, spoken text and music...A
powerful piece of theater"-San Francisvco Chronicle
A Benefit for S.A.M.E.
Wednesday, October 5, 8:30pm, Seven Stages Collective Theater
584-2104 for tickets and information
Southeastern
Arts, Media &
Education Project