Newspaper Page Text
Who We Are
With this story, Southern Voice introduces a new column -
Who We Are. Often our readers approach us with stories of very
personal interest and concern. We believe these stories should be
printed because they speak in an authentic and intimate voice -
because they truly reflect who we are.
If you would like to submit to this column
write to: Southern Voice, PO Box 54719,
Atlanta, Ga. 30308.
Today I admired my fat body dressed in a blue
striped shirt reflected in a restaurant mirror at
breakfast
Today I decided to see the movie "Bagdad
Cafe", which stars a fat woman I had seen in
"Sugarbaby" and I invited three other fat
women friends to go with me.
Today I ogled "Bagdad"’s fat star and moaned
aloud as she revealed her sumptuous breasts
on screen.
Today I complemented my ex-lover's fat body
dressed in a thin white undershirt that allowed her
nipples to show positioned low on her full breasts
Today I searched through a gay card shop for i
lesbian image to send to my fat lover in
Wisconsin and joyfully purchased two
postcards that featured solitary fat women.
Today I wrote a message of passim and lust to
my fat girlfriend on one of the postcards and
wished that the mail would get it to her quickly.
Today I dressed in a loose cotton shirt that fell
from my shoulders and soft cotton pants that
gathered at my calves with no bra or panties, no
make-up or contacts, but wore globe earrings and
Nancy Oswall at the 13th Michigan
Womyn's Music Festival where she
lead a workshop entitled " Belly
jDancing for Fat Womyn Only".
a button that read, "FAT WOMEN HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE".
Today I felt sexy and comfortable in my soft fabric outfit that
revealed my fat body as I went to the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist
Alliance poetry reading.
Today I told a thin poet that I would not climb a ladder to fix a fan
light because the ladder would not hold my 250 lbs, my real weight.
Today I selected a comfortably side and padded chair to sit upon
and marked it as mine with my jacket before the poetry reading.
Today I chose to buy Coke instead of Diet Coke because the word
Diet offended me and I was not afraid of the sugar in Coke.
Today I heard a fat dyke read her poem about her breast operation,
of how the surgeon's knife had cut her and his needle had sewn her
and how her body had scarred her and how it had not worked-how
she still was fat and misshapen, how she
wanted to take an axe to her body and cut off
the remaining offending parts, like her big fat
ass, how she wanted a body that was graceful
and taller and she repeated the operation
phrases of cut, stitch, scar, heal, cut, stitch,
scar, heal, cut stitch, scar, heal.
Today I sucked in my air and started to cry in
horror at her words of self-hatred, at her
attack on fat.
Today I did not confront her, or talk to her,
or get close to her fat body because I could
not be supportive and I knew not what I felt.
Today I looked into the face of a fat liberated
friend, one who has had her stomach stapled,
one who watched "Bagdad" with me and
before I could speak my horror she had
turned away and I thought, do not add to her
pain.
Today I called my fat ex-lover and asked her
to come over and spend the night and she
said no and finally asked what’s wrong.
Today I felt what's wrong and told what's
wrong and cried what's wrong. She oppressed
me. She attacked me. There was no safe space
for me. I am sad for her and mad at her and I
am scared and ashamed about being fat, about
accepting my fat in front of so many thin women who heard
her, who clapped for her, while I sat in shock and pain.
Today I wrote about my life and feelings and pain and fat.
Today will happen again.
-Nancy Oswall
LYNN LEVYJ
Charles Haver, L.M.T.
Therapeutic Massage
LITTLE FIVE POINTS
(404) 524-8221
By appointment onty
Did You Forget to Buy
Someone a Present?
Tell them it's in the Mail!
Southern Voice Subscriptions at
$28/year are the best last-minute
bargain in Atlanta. See coupon p. 13.
&
Edward O. Nix, M.D.
General Adult Psychiatry,
Group Therapy,
Hypnosis,
Imagery,
PsychoanalyticaUy Oriented
Psychotherapy
3756 La Vista Road
suitelOO
Tucker, Georgia 30084
Telephone 634-0672
, --
NBC TV Program
Dubbed "Revolting”
By AIDS Activists
AIDS and gay/lesbian activists who
monitored the December 13th showing of a
controversial episode of the NBC television
program Midnight Caller, called the show
"revolting" and a "gross misrepresentation of
reality." They fear that the episode will increase
violence and discrimination against persons with
AIDS (PWAs) and gays and lesbians.
Entitled "After It Happened," the program
vividly depicts the search for a bisexual man
who intentionally infects others with the human
immunodeficiency virus (HTV). Referred to as
an "AIDS carrier," the character is shown to be
in denial about his anti-body status.
NBC officials in Los Angeles and New York
reported a total of 136 phone calls in response to
the show, 48 approving and 88 disapproving.
Produced by Lorimar, the original script
ended with the bisexual character being shot by
a woman whom he had infected. The scene
culminated with his corpse being carried away
in a body bag labeled "Biohazardous Material."
Lorimar changed the ending after weeks of
protests that disrupted shooting on location in
San Francisco. The protests were organized by
the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power/San
Francisco (ACT UP/SF) the AIDS Foundation
and Mobilization Against AIDS.
Kevin Berrill, director of Anti-Violence
Project at the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force (NGLTF), praised the work of ACT
UP/SF for getting the program changed to show
the bisexual character's life being saved.
Even with the changes, however, Berrill
charged that the show was "pure exploitation,
badly written and damaging to the efforts of so
many thousands of persons (working on AIDS )
across the country."
Dr. Rosalyn Weinman, director of
Community Affairs for NBC, responded to the
criticisms after the show aired by pointing out
that Midnight Caller "is not a program that was
ever designed to (discuss) social issues.”
"This is a good guys/bad guys show.. .the
bad guys may be cops, criminals or mothers,"
she added.
Weinman said that the show made it very
clear that "Mike Barnes (the bisexual character)
is atypical, an aberrant."
Although the show contained numerous
portrayals of gay men that were'at least neutral
in content, Berrill referred to those scenes as
"throw-away lines, with little or no dramatic
impact.
'The clear message (of the show) is we need
to start locking these people up," Berrill said.
"What's wrong with the show is the context in
which it appears.
People who were offended by the show are
urged to call local NBC affiliated and corporate
sponsors, which include Mazda Cars. Anyone
witnessing an increase in violence or
discrimination should call the ACLlTs Lesbian
and Gay Rights Chapter and NGLTF.
-Chris Duncan
. U
Brenda L. Hawkins |
. ... .■_ . ■ • ■v , " . ,tp
EL). D., Licensed Psychologist |
’ .. ■ . i
■ Counseling |
' ’ - . fp
. - p
: ■ ■ ' ' . 73
■ ’ . ■ ' . IP
■ ■ Psychotherapy 1
Hypnosis
1518 Monroe Drive, Suite 600 |
Atlanta, GA 30324
By Appointment Only I
' (404) 872-9016 j:
- y
LIGHT UP YOUR LOVED ONE’S LIFE
H A UNIQUE GIFT!
Wi I
TUhNhGii
JCOM&NY
ANNOIJNCLS MIL OPENING
OF THE NEW
GALLERY AND SHOWROOM
617 N. HIGHLAND - ACROSS FROM MANUEL’S TAVERN
GALLERY - SHOWROOM 404-873-1026
COMMERCIAL - SIGNAGE 404 - 873-6366
HOLIDAY SPECIAL • $10 OFF SELECTED SCULPTURES & CLOCKS IN STOCK*
Page 6