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"Promiscuity" Still Popular
Confidentiality of PWAs a Must
To the Editor:
Your publication of the names of persons who attended the Tuesdays at the Shrine dinner
for persons with AIDS on November 1 (or any other date) demonstrates a callousness and
insensitivity to AIDS patients and a journalistic irresponsibility which makes me wish
deeply that your paper did not exist.
You have ruined a very worthwhile and uniquely beneficial event for many people.
If publishing the names of persons in such sensitive situations without so much as
consultation, much less permission, is your idea of "Taking Pride in Our Culture," I submit
that "Our Culture" doesn't need your Pride.
Sincerely,
George W. Armbrister, Jr.
Editor's Note: We apologize for our oversight and insensitivity in this matter. If the
publication of anyone's name attending the Shrine dinner has caused any harm to anyone,
we want to know about it. Our intention was certainly not to "ruin" the Shrine dinner; it
was to let people know what a wonderful event it is. Unfortunately, in our zeal to inform
people of the dinner, we lost sight of the importance of confidentiality for PWAs, PWARCs
and HIV-positive persons. In the future we will be more aware of this.
Pull the Plug on "Power 99"
To the Editor:
On election day morning, while listening to "Power 99" (WAPW) radio's "Steve McCoy
Morning Show," I heard several slurs leveled against gay and lesbian persons. These were
lumped in with regular sexist, ageist, etc. dialogues. "So what else is new?" you might ask.
My response is NOTHING! and I am sick and tired of it
This case may be somewhat unique however. I have written and spoken both to the
station manager, William Phippen and to Mr. McCoy. Mr. Phippen has assured me that he
will not tolerate such behavior by his employees. He even read me a memo directed to the
"McCoy morning crew" stating that further slurs would result in possible suspension and
disciplinary action not excluding termination. So why does this crap continue if the boss
says he is so hard on such behavior? It obviously has not hit them where it matters the most
... the RATINGS and the BANK ACCOUNT.
This morning Steve and the gang referred to Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis as a
fruit. My blood pressure rose because I felt helpless to do anything. I gave myself a
frequent line, "I am only one person, what difference can I make?" I found myself thinking,
as I often do, that too many gay and lesbian Atlantans are too content, complacent or fearful
to stand up, together and say "NO MORE!"
How about it folks? A boycott, you pick the level of involvement that touches you. The
important message we need to send is that their behavior will cost them.
So here it is. Boycott "Power 99!" I know other radio stations are abusive. Why don't
we start here and see what happens. Please decide to do something. Then, write it on a card
and send it to me and/or the radio station manager. If it is sent to me I will see that it makes
it to the station. Following are some suggestions for action at a variety of levels of personal
involvement:
1. Decide to not listen to Power 99 radio totally or at least to the "Steve McCoy Morning
Show."
2. Remove Power 99 from your "preset" stations on your radio.
3. Do not buy products or use services advertised during the "Steve McCoy Morning
Show."
4. Boycott all services/products advertised on WAPW.
5. Write a letter to station manager Bill Phippen(see address below) to explain how
offensive and irresponsible this behavior is. Carbon copy it to Steve McCoy and me.
6. Call Mr. Phippen and keep calling until you talk with him. Tell him that you are
displeased with Mr. McCoy's slurs and what action you will take as a result.
7. Call the offices of the sponsors and send the message that WAPW overtly and
covertly endorses ageism, racism, homophobia and sexism. Tell them you are offended and
that you are boycotting their product because they advertise on WAPW.
8. Tell others to give up Power 99 as a statement of PRIDE in themselves. One does not
have to be gay to be insulted by this poor broadcast behavior. Decide to do something!
Sincerely,
David J. MacDonald, M.S.W., C.A.C.
Mr. Bill Phippen, Station Manager
Power 99 Radio
3405 Piedmont Rd.
Suite 500
Atlanta, GA 30305
To the Editor:
"Congress shall make no law.... abridging the freedom of speech.... or of the right of
people to peaceably assemble..." This, the first amendment of the Bill of Rights, is the
hallmark of democracy and it will find no stronger supporter than myself. This amendment
has been interpreted to give Americans the "right to privacy" which one Supreme Court
justice further defined as the right to be left alone, i.e. freedom from governmental intrusion
in certain areas of our private lives. The Supreme Court decision in Bowers v. Hardwick,
upholding Georgia's sodomy statute as constitutional, makes it all too < i«^r that we gays and
lesbians are not allowed to enjoy OUR "right to privacy" and express the love we feel for
our lovers, even in the privacy of our own bedroom. Our battle to secure this right should
never abate and we should fight for all that is justly ours, as Americans, not just as gays or
lesbians. It is true that we have made some inroads to securing our rights, but we have a
long way yet to go. Every day it becomes more apparent to me that our biggest, and
strongest enemy is not the Republicans, or the Democrats, or even the heterosexual society
as a whole, it is OURSELVES!
We as members of the gay and lesbian community, and as members of the American
community, face the biggest threat of our time... AIDS. It is a crisis that we must all face
and fight. The main obstacle hindering our fight against AIDS is not the lack of
governmental funding for AZT, or for education on AIDS prevention, or the cost of health
care, though it cannot be denied that these are all issues that must be addressed and
remedied; our main obstacle is our own self-righteousness, arrogance and apathy.
While it is true that there has been bom a new awareness in our community, and many of
us realize that monogamy is not a dirty word, and we have adopted safer lifestyles,
notwithstanding this enlightenment, promiscuity is still ubiquitous. Go to any bar, any "tree
trail" and in abundance you will find the very activity that we know promotes the spread of
AIDS!
I recently read an article in Et Cetera magazine that the Lambda organization is fighting
to keep the bath houses open! Are they doing us a favor? I agree, wholeheartedly, that the
government should not force the bath houses (book stores, etc/) to close based on tenuous
health care rationales. The question I put to my "community" is, why is this an issue at all?
These enterprises should have closed down long ago, not because of governmental action,
but because WE stopped patronizing these businesses, because WE stopped allowing them
to exploit our sexuality for their profit.
In early 1983 members of the gay community, as well as members of the health care
community, approached the owners of several of the bath houses such as the Club Baths,
the Sutro Baths, and others. As Randy Shilts points out in his book AndThe Band Played
On, the owners of these establishments were informed of the risks involved in the activities
that went on at the baths, yet their only concern was for their potential loss of profits! Jack
Campbell, owner of the Club Bath chain, responded by insisting that this was not a problem
for the gays as most of Florida's cases were Haitians. A Washington, D.C. bath house's
response was to cancel an AIDS fundraiser because a local organization issued a brochure
advising gay men to "eliminate or decrease sexual activity in places where multiple sexual
contact is frequent, such as the baths, the bookstores, the bushes, and the backrooms of
bars." An advertisement at the Liberty Baths in San Francisco asked "If AIDS is indeed
sexually transmitted, why have there been so few cases?" Clearly these entrepreneurs were
concerned, not with the interests of the "community" they served, but only with the threat to
their bank roles! It may be argued that at the time, since very little was known, their
position was defensible. Even if such a callous attitude could have been defended THEN,
as surely it could not, such an argument can no longer be sustained. It is no longer mere
conjecture that the risk of being exposed to, and contracting, AIDS is drastically increased
with an increase in the number of multiple sexual contacts. What is their defense now?
More importantly, what is OUR excuse?! Is Lambda defending our right to live our lives
the way we see fit, or to kill ourselves the way we see fit?
I may be criticized for being too inclusive by blaming my "community" for the continued
operation of these businesses, since there are many, such as myself, who have never stepped
foot inside a bath house. Surely, we tell ourselves, WE are not to blame, after all WE don't
support these place. To this I say that by our silent tolerance, we are in effect condoning
this activity. What we must realize is that by refusing to govern ourselves, and allowing this
evil to flourish in our community, our strength as a group is weakened, and we give power
to those who oppress us.
We have cried for the government to allocate more funds for education on AIDS and
AIDS prevention, yet we ourselves ignore what we KNOW to be the facts! The parks are
still busy, the "health clubs" still full on a Saturday night How can we expect John Q.
Citizen to sympathize with us in the face of this crisis when we ourselves promote that
which is destroying us? As the old saying goes, "God helps those who help themselves!"
It is time for the gay community to accept responsibility for its own actions and to stop
blaming everybody else for their inaction. If we want to be accepted for who we are, and
have our lifestyles legitimized, maybe we should begin by living legitimate lifestyles!
Josh Kendrick
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
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