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NEWS
A Summer Camp for Lesbian and Gay Activists
Cleve Jones' brainchild creates
both action and controversy in
gay Mecca; Atlanta's Duncan
Teague talks to Andrea Brown
about the experience.
San Francisco—"Imagine living in a
gay space, getting up every morning and
going to gay school, eating at gay restau
rants. I mean everything, gay, gay, gay, gay,
gay. It was intense," confides Duncan
Teague, a self-described AIDS activist and
singer.
This summer, gay, lesbian and bisexual
youth from all over the country gathered
here for a month-long pilot program at the
New Pacific Academy (NPA). The program
which ended July 14, was held at San
Francisco State University under the aus
pices of the Critical Literacy Institute, a
non-profit educational organization. It was
the beginning of a national effort to locate,
encourage and train the next generation of
gay and lesbian leaders.
The only Georgian among the 104 par
ticipants, selected from 370 applicants,
aged 18 to 30, was Atlanta's Teague.
The New Pacific Academy, brainchild
of Cleve Jones—Names Project founder—
and Luke Adams—student organizer and
Executive Director of the Critical Literacy
Institute—featured more than 100 gay and
lesbian community leaders and activists as
faculty.
The NPA is "guided by a vision...reflec
tive of the community's diversity in her
itage, lifestyle and ideology," reads
Teague's acceptance letter to the program.
This vision involved an actual commitment
to numbers, "ensuring parity between
women and men, and a minimum 50 per
cent representation of people of color."
It also involved major fundraising. The
Academy's expenses for each student were
approximately $3200; students paid only
for their transportation to and from San
Francisco. Although NPA has already
raised over $200,000 for next year's ses
sion, there's a long way to go before the
budget is secure.
"I want to continue to be a part of the
NPA and I want to make sure it continues in
a healthy way," says Teague. He plans to
talk to groups and individuals about New
Pacific in hopes of raising money and inter
est.
In keeping with the ambitious funding
plans was New Pacific's rigorous schedule
of 60 lectures and workshops on topics
such as lesbian/gay history, diversity,
health, culture and practical skills.
Participants signed contracts to attend all of
the planned activities, but were experienc
ing "incredible levels of exhaustion" even
before the end of the first week.
According to Teague, participants initial
ly insisted that all of the issues be
addressed, but also felt they needed time to
process the information, "to sit back and
say, This is difficult, but I'll be alright.'"
"The Achilles' heel of social activists,"
says Teague, "is the attitude, 'We have to do
it all, and we have to get it all done now."'
The stress of the over-ambitious sched
ule, combined with the physical concerns of
those with HIV attending, resulted in a
reduction of the academic load.
Areas of studies that survived the cuts
included: lesbian health issues; anti
semitism; feminist philosophy; racism in
the lesbian/gay community; fat oppression;
and lectures and panels held on and by vari
ous groups within the community
—Latinos, Native Americans, Asians/
Pacific Islanders and African-Americans.
'Tve never had to sit in a lecture hall and
listen to a lecture on women’s health
issues," says Teague. "I was really apprecia
tive" of the opportunity to break down gen
der barriers.
Information was also provided on
AIDS—legal issues, drug trials, and HIV
and women. Even presentations on such
disparate topics as incest, transvestites, and
the mental health world's view of homosex
uality.
Leadership skills development was an
integral part of the program. There were
workshops on community organizing, strat
egy development, the media, donor
activism, financial systems and how to run
a community organization. Participants
were also given the opportunity to take an
active part in their own education and
develop their skills by acting as workshop
facilitators, speakers and members of panel
discussions.
Formal as all this may sound, the inten
sity of the experience made for an intimate
atmosphere. "It was like a commune,"
opines Teague.
Seminars on civil disobedience and
"what works and doesn't work" in direct
action were held. Various caucuses and
affinity groups were formed, on the partici
pants' initiative.
"It's a little difficult when everyone's a
leader," deadpans Teague.
During the second week, NPA staff
encouraged participants to attend a demon
stration in response to an offensive column
by the San Francisco Chronicle's Herb
Caen who is generally highly respected in
the gay/lesbian community. The action was
considered an "accountability session" for
Caen's "lambasting" of the theme of San
Francisco's Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day
parade, "The Future Is Ours." Says Teague,
"Caen essentially said, 'you have no
future—the future is now because you don't
have kids."'
The action was peaceful, and included a
discussion with Caen by Cleve Jones and
two NPA participants who are parents.
Interestingly, "the media thought it was
appropriate."
But demonstrations against a popular
gay bar, the Midnight Sun, received less
than positive coverage in San Francisco's
gay and non-gay press. Racism and sexism
were the issue.
This spring, Charles Nevin, a former
bartender, and three other employees of the
Midnight Sun, filed complaints against the
bar's management and owners with San
Francisco's Human Rights Commission
(HRC).
The charges were accorded credence in
incidents witnessed by NPA participants,
and in a conversation between the bar man
ager and an NPA staff member, according
to Teague. During this conversation, blacks
were referred to as "colored people." The
staff member reported this and "other con
descending language used by the manager
to the participant body." Also playing in the
bar at the time was a video "with Mae West
asking Beulah to peel her a grape."
The People of Color Caucus of the New
Pacific Academy began organizing for a
demonstration against the bar, reaching out
into the local lesbian/gay community for
support.
"We wanted complete support from New
Pacific also," says Teague, who was a
member of the Caucus. Though New
Pacific decided not to officially endorse the
action, participants were permitted use of
the Academy's office to make preparations.
On June 30, about 100 people showed
up at Harvey Milk Plaza for a rally, which
included speakers. This was followed by a
march of a few blocks to the Midnight Sun.
Marchers formed a legal picket line,
according to Teague, and did not block the
entrance.
Midnight Sun co-owner Tom Ward had a
different description of the protest, which
included phrases like "near riot" and "false
racial situation." In a letter to Castro busi
ness owners and managers, he claimed,
"We were raped and the police stood by and
watched....
"These people were not customers or
people that you normally see in the Castro.
Many of them did not even know why they
were there or that they were at a bar."
Teague comments, "The gay safe space
of the Castro was disrupted by the action.
They felt like, 'all these out-of-towners are
coming to tell us there's something wrong
with our community.' The gay/lesbian com
munity cannot afford to continue holding
on to racism and sexism the way they have.
White folks need to challenge white folks
on racism."
One of activism's major dilemmas is
that demonstrations don't always yield the
desired results—but this one did.
On July 12, there was a meeting
between a coalition of local activists and
the Midnight $un. The facilitated negotia
tions led to an official apology by the own
ers for making "false or inflammatory state
ments" as well as "a dialogue between the
owners and people of color in the commu
nity, and promises of an affirmative out
reach program and sensitivity training for
the employees and owners," according to
Larry Brinkin, Sexual Orientation
Discrimination Representative of S.F.'s
HRC.
"Racism does exist in the Castro," con
cludes Teague. "It’s still predominantly
white and male. That stuff can’t be tolerated
in any way. Castro is Mecca, and in Mecca
there cannot be racism."
Actor’s Express presents
Caryl Churchill’s
CLOUD 9
a comedy about the politics of sex
directed by Chris Coleman
(Mature subject matter, not recommended
for the faint of heart)
Friday/Saturday at 8:00
Sunday at 5:00
July 13-August 19
Tickets $ 12.00
$ 10.00 for Seniors and Students
Call 221-0831
for reservations
Actor’s Express is located in the purple warehouse complex
near the intersection of North Highland and Elizabeth
Streets in Inman Park (Take 1-85 South to Butler/Houston
Street, turn left onto Houston, go 2 miles, we are on the left)
THE ACTOR’S EXPRESS 280 ELIZABETH ST.