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VIEWPOINTS
Guest Editorial
Time Is Not Right to March on Washington
There has been much gossip, suggestion
and general anticipation of late concerning
the possibility of another March on
Washington in October, 1989. At a meeting
in Chicago this fall, Names Project founder
Cleve Jones issued a challenge to national
lesbian and gay organizations to fund and
staff the effort to re-organize an event
similar to the undeniably successful week of
activities held in 1987. As a board member
of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
and a Steering Committee member of the
last March on Washington, I'd like to offer
my opinion on this call to march.
The 1987 March on Washington took
fifteen months of organizing by a grassroots
network of individuals and groups around
the country. In the course of that time,
meetings were held in various locations to
create a highly representative steering
committee (despite criticism to the
contrary), to closely explore the issues that
would be presented to the nation and our
government in what we knew would be an
historic occasion. We also had to iron out all
of the logistics and financial issues before
an extremely large, diverse and frequently
contentious supervisory body. We can all
offer suggestions, with hindsight, as to what
cpuld have made the task easier or
performed the job better. But I will always
contend that we did the best possible job at
pleasing and including the most people we
could at the largest civil rights
demonstration in the history of this country.
With all of this in mind, it is my opinion
that to attempt to duplicate this effort in less
than one year's time is a foolish attempt to
create a sequel to an unduplicatible
experience. The March on Washington
Steering Committee and its creation was
what gave the unique flavor of that March.
And we did not empower ourselves (or
anyone else) to continue that process on a
permanent basis. To eliminate that process
would be to eliminate the inclusion and
input that we struggled so hard to create.
And experience should point out that a
hastily conceived sequel is never equal to
the primary event
Our greatest hope for the March was to
begin a grassroots network of newly
empowered activists who could carry the
enthusiasm home, and begin work in their
own communities in the same way that we
created our ad hoc national community.
That new activity is just beginning to come
into its own power and local recognition.
Witness the outburst of activity right here in
Atlanta. Many of our groups are now
known nationally and respected as
organizations that can get the job done. To
build another March would require an
outpouring of local energy and finances that
these fledgling organizations can ill afford and
which would be detrimental to our local
political goals. It is better to spend our tens of
thousands of dollars at home to educate city
and state politicians about local issues than to
spend it on a weekend in Washington.
Suggestions have been made regarding a
tie-in to the next Presidential election that I
consider constructive. Perhaps a March in
the fall of 1992, a month prior to the
election with a goal of 1 million
participants, all of whom have been
registered to vote in the prior four years.
That would be a show of power with some
teeth behind it!
If we cannot come to the planning table
with an attainable and desirable political
outcome, a colossal Gay and Lesbian Pride
Parade is not a suitable alternative nor is it
in order at this time. I challenge our
community to stop looking wistfully behind
at what was a brilliant piece of organizing
and instead, to look ahead at what we can do
to surpass that ideal and take ourselves to
the next level of political power in the
struggle for civil rights for all people.
- Cathy Woolard
Cathy Woolard is the President of the
Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter of the
ACLJJ of Georgia and Coordinator of the
Atlanta March Committee.
Reader Encouraged
By Teen f s Editorial
To the Editor:
1988 was a very tough year for me. I
suffered an eating disorder and spent almost
three weeks in a mental hospital for
depression. I gave up my teaching job of
six years, sold my home, and moved away
from my hometown of twenty-eight years. I
told my family and friends about my
homosexuality.
I'm in therapy now, trying to learn to
accept myself and those around me. I'm
redeveloping my concept of what it means
to be happy in an unhappy world. "Gay" is
such an inappropriate term for what I feel.
I was touched by the editorial you
published which was written by fourteen-
year-old Brian. If only I had his courage 14
years ago, maybe 1988 wouldn't have been
so bad. Thank you for his letter. I wish him
the best in the new year!
Sincerely,
David
Athens, GA
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r
Torch Song Reviewer Misses the Point
To the Editor
I read Terry Francis' review of Torch Song Trilogy in the last issue of Southern Voice,
and I must say that I was not pleased.
I realize that every film critic must have a point of view, but Mr. Francis' view was
inconsistent with the film's intent, and was oblivious to the film's style. First of all, both the
film and the play are period pieces for American Gay life. The homosexual community was
very much like what we saw in the film during the 1970's. You have to give the film that
much. Also, the sentimentality that Mr. Francis criticizes so much is a part of the character
of Arnold. Arnold is a sentimental character and he likes melodrama - that's what his life is
all about - being a drag queen. We've all seen it before and that's the way a large segment of
the community was at that time. A point of view that Mr. Francis misses is that a gay period
piece is not necessarily a pre-AIDS or post-AIDS story.
Ed (Brian Kerwin, in a good performance I might add) says, "I don't want to live my life
in bars and a ghetto." He, like Arnold, is searching for some rhyme or reason to the whole
"gay scene". The 70's were like that The exposure of the 70's brought about the partial
acceptance of the 80's which hopefully will bring home the total acceptance of the 90's.
Being gay in 1972 was different than it is in 1988, and for reasons other than AIDS.
Torch Song Trilogy as a film was not presented in the "Hollywood formula" style. This
project was approached in the real tradition of a screenplay. The film is just that - a film -
not a movie. Torch Song is much more of a New York art film than some Hollywood
commercial movie.
Harvey Fierstein made sure that the artistic integrity was not compromised when he
brought his work to the screen. If you will examine the film technically, you will see that
there are many theater techniques that are used. The address to the audience by Arnold in
the first scene is very much like a prologue to an act. Also, Arnold's address to the audience
after Ed's return is much like a soliloquy. You will also see that there are lighting cue
changes in this segment and a slow fade to black, much like the end of a scene or act in
theater. This technique signals the end of the first of the Trilogy. We see this used again
after Alan's death scene with a sharp cut to black signifying the end of the second segment
in the Trilogy. This may have confused Mr. Francis if he is not familiar with New York art
films. He criticizes director Paul Bogart for his "mediocre direction". However, Bogart
should be praised for taking unconventional cinematic techniques and blending them into
the film.
While Torch Song is not flawless, it is a better film than Mr. Francis makes it out to be. It
is an indication of how far gays in America have come. In the film community this picture
is indicative of the future of the industry. A motion picture company can still take a chance
on a higher quality, more sophisticated film and still survive in a competitive industry.
Harvey Fierstein should be applauded for his efforts to bring this to the screen. He has
shown us his pain and tells us a story of human loving and giving and that's not something
you can get with a formula.
Sincerely,
John R. Williams
John Williams is a designer and producer for film and theatre. He is currently working on
a video project with AIDS survivors and a narrative film based on the life of Joan of Arc.