Newspaper Page Text
F E AT U R E
Coming Out In Cobb
(Continued from page 1)
Jon and David at an HRCF dinner; both are active in the
Cobb County Group and were recently elected delegates to
the Georgia Democratic Convention.
What's Cobb Like for Queers?
Calvin told me that he is sometimes afraid he
will come home and find the word "queer" or worse
painted on his house. So far his neighbors have
been friendly, but Calvin is careful not to kiss his
lover in the doorway as he leaves for work.
David is equally careful not to wear his gay
t-shirts in the gym when he works out.
And where does a fellow go for dinner when he
gets all dressed up? When Kent does himself up as
Vicki Blake, he and Luke usually (but not always)
go into Midtown to eat. But, Calvin complains,
there aren't really any nice restaurants in Austell
anyway.
Apparently, one doesn't wear one's leather para
phernalia from the front door to the car in Cobb
either. Bruce and Tony remember that Greg
Scroggins and Paul Murray were decked out in
their leather when they were arrested, so when they
want to strut their stuff, they find a place to change
on the way to town.
On the other hand, Cobb queers don't have to get
all dressed up to go to the grocery store. Admit it!
How many of you would go to the Ansley Kroger
without changing out of that old t-shirt you only
wear around the house. Cobb residents say they feel liber
ated from the Midtown fashion police.
And Donna does have a pink triangle and a gay flag
sticker on the back window of her truck.
For the most part, the advantages of living in Cobb
have nothing to do with being gay. Remember what it
was like to visit your grandparents in the country as a
kid? To get away from constant traffic? To be in a place
where you could talk to strangers without being afraid?
And to even be able to leave the car unlocked?
Straight people who live in the suburbs have always
told me they were trying to establish a safe, wholesome
space for themselves and their children. Though I didn't
talk to any gay Cobb residents with kids, everyone
expressed the desire for a safe, tranquil space in which to
live.
What Are Your Politics?
Most of the folks I interviewed didn't often vote.
When they did cast a ballot, however, gay issues were
very important to their decision-making process.
"If you had a choice, would you choose lower
property taxes or repeal of the sodomy law?"
received the resounding, unanimous response of
"repeal the sodomy law." Well, of course.
How's Your Social Life?
By far, the most often heard complaint of Cobb
lesbians and gay men was the lack of opportunities
to get together with other gays. Midtown is only 20
minutes away, but that's not the same as living on a
street that's 30 or 50 percent gay.
So far the answer to this problem has come from
individual efforts like those who managed to find
each other and get together at the restaurant in
Marietta.
The Cobb County Group, however, is trying to
provide a more broad-based solution to this prob
lem. They encourage anyone interested to attend a
meeting or party—emphasizing that it is a safe place
for meeting other gay men and lesbians and that pri
vacy is respected. It seems to be a flexible social
option for anyone interested in meeting other Cobb
County gays and lesbians—singles or couples. And,
I am told, that at the last meeting there were close to
50 people.
So let's review what we've learned. There are middle
class, suburban queers in Cobb County who are as out as
any Midtown guppies. There are also biker dykes and
leather queens north of the Chattahoochee.
And there are Cobb residents who remember when
Cobb County used to be more country and less urban.
Some of them are thinking about moving even further out,
say to Cherokee County. My Goddess, we are every
where!
Back From
the'Burbs
Not every gay man or lesbian in Cobb
County is happy there.
Bruce and Tony, for example, plan to
move into town in September—to be clos
er to gay businesses and activities, to be
more involved in the intown gay commu
nity.
Samantha moved to Little Five Points
several weeks ago. She wanted to be near
the political activities that are so important
to her and share in the strong sense of
community she feels in town.
Bruce and Tony have lived in Cobb
County for a year and complain of a feel
ing of negativity and racism there.
Although they enjoy the suburban envi
rons, they are concerned about the politi
cally conservative attitudes of many Cobb
residents.
Samantha, who is active with the
National Organization for Women, had
lived in Cobb for two decades. What
bugged her the most is the "Dunwoody
housewife circle" of East Cobb. She was
frustrated that these women ignored and
ostracized women who didn't fit their
expectations. And concerned about the
level of animosity she found toward "out"
gays and lesbians. Samantha felt that—
though she didn't consciously hide while
living in Cobb—she unconsciously mod
erated herself.
Another woman (one of the few who
asked that her name not be mentioned) left
Cobb recently—primarily because her
relationship broke up, but she would prob
ably have left Cobb soon anyway for a
home base more convenient to work. She
was also frustrated that what was country
ten years ago has become a boring subur
ban neighborhood. One reason she is
afraid seems connected to her experiences
Evett Bennett
Samantha (R) moved to L5P
after twenty years in Cobb; the
"Dunwoody housewife circle" in
East Cobb was too much for her.
Lynne (L) remains a contented Cobb
resident, active in organizing the
Cobb County Group.
in Cobb. She wanted to be sure that read
ers knew that the Ku Klux Klan still
marches regularly in Kennesaw.
The fact that Lynne wanted to empha
size the Cobb County Group's respect for
everyone's privacy reminded me that there
are still lots of Cobb gays and lesbians in
the closet. And these folks make it clear
that Cobb County is certainly not a haven
for queers. But if you're in Cobb and you
want to stay, you don't have to feel alone.
For more information about the Cobb
County Group call 434-7826 or write:
Cobb County Group, P.O. Box 675556,
Marietta, GA 30067-0017.
—Debbie Fraker
Close, But No
Midtown
A look at gay politics,
media and business in Cobb
"Anyone is welcome to live in Cobb
County," echoes the sentiments expressed
by both Smyrna Mayor Arthur Max Bacon
and his Marietta counterpart, Joe Mack
Wilson. "But," Mayor Bacon adds, "I think
living in Cobb would probably take more
of an adjustment for homosexuals than, say,
living in Midtown."
Exactly what adjustments is Mayor
Bacon referring to? Does he mean adjust
ing to the ignorance of most Cobb County
politicians concerning gay and lesbian
issues? Or could he be speaking of dealing
with the dearth of gay-owned business and
organizations in Cobb. But then his honor
might be talking about adjusting to the the
"non-existent" policy enforced by Cobb
County's media toward gay and lesbian res
idents.
Both Mayor Bacon and Mayor Wilson
state that they are really not familiar with
the lifestyles of homosexuals. In fact, dur
ing their terms in offices, both say they
have never been confronted by any gay or
lesbian issue.
(Three gay Cobbites did recently get
themselves elected as delegates to the
Georgia Democratic Convention.
See page 2.)
"Of course I know that homosexuals do
live in Cobb County, but they pretty much
keep to themselves," says Mayor Bacon.
Mayor Wilson adds, "Cobb County is a
quiet community with a lot to offer all resi
dents. Gays will probably be attracted to
Cobb County because we do have many
different kinds of entertainment establish
ments here, such as malls and theaters."
But do these malls, theaters, and other
businesses in Cobb County happily accept
gay and lesbian customers?
A majority of the gay and lesbian resi
dents in Cobb County interviewed for this
article felt that businesses generally treated
them no differently from other residents.
But according to one anonymous lesbian,
"Gays and lesbians in Cobb County usually
don't publicly display their sexual orienta
tion."
Gay-owned businesses in Cobb? Few
are publicly known. The owners wish to
keep their homosexuality anonymous.
"Being gay has nothing to do with my
business. For the sake of my business, I do
not advertise my homosexuality," says one
business owner whose clientele is about 95
percent straight.
What about the media in Cobb County?
Are gay and lesbian issues being accurately
covered?
The general feeling of the Cobb County
media toward gay and lesbian residents
seems to be that homosexuals do not exist.
As a matter of fact, the only recent gay- or
lesbian-themed article to appear in The
Marietta Journal was a brief write-up of
the Greg Scroggins rally held in July.
"Basically, The Marietta Journal and its
affiliates cover stories that are relevant to
residents of Cobb County. Since gay and
lesbian residents of Cobb County do not
vocally or visually identify themselves as
an important percentage of the population,
homosexual issues tend to go unreported,"
says Melanie Moore, a staff writer for the
Kennesaw and Acworth Neighbor.
Finding a gay and lesbian newspaper or
magazine in Cobb County is almost impos
sible; Southern Voice has only one drop
point in Cobb. That's not because business
es are unwilling to have the paper, accord
ing to SV's circulation manager Jana
Tyson. The problem is a combination of the
difficulty of serving the widely spread drop
points that are available and the fact that
gay and lesbian residents of Cobb are reti
cent to pick the paper up in public places
on their home turf.
Living in Cobb—where you can breathe
a little fresher air and revel about how low
those mortgage payments are—is definitely
not for every lesbian or gay man. On the
other hand, Intown Atlanta is only a 20-
minute drive away.
—K.D. Childers
Southern Voice/August 30. 1990
5