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VIEWPOINTS
EDITORIAL
They're Here. They're
Queer. Get Used To Them.
Two weekends ago Atlanta's infant
Queer Nation Chapter held its first action,
a "Queer Night Out" at Jock's and Jill's in
Midtown. (See page 2.)
Everything went swimmingly until a
frightened bar employee's buttons got
pushed a mite too hard. The man—who
had previously ignored several female cou
ples kissing—freaked when two men
engaged in some equally intense lip lock.
Nothing unexpected here; we know that
many hetero men get turned on at the sight
or idea of two women being amorous. And
we know that the sight of two men doing
the same thing makes these same straight
men's toenails curl.
Then one of the cops called to quell the
fun got offended when a participant asked
him for his name and badge number.
But A.P.D. Officer Lear went beyond
simple poor response when he arrested Bob
Briggs and in doing so he changed the tone
of QN's first Night Out from playful to
frightening. The idea that we can be arrest
ed for asking a city employee to identify
himself is frightening stuff. If this is a
warning of how Eldrin Bell intends for his
officers to interact with the lesbian and gay
community, we're in for one chilly winter.
The Mayor's Senior Advisors from the
Lesbian and Gay Community have a meet
ing scheduled with Bell next week. Maybe
we'll know more about the severity of this
problem after that confab.
Meanwhile there are some problems
of attitude and understanding in our own
community that deserve attention.
First, there is the rumbling discontent
that we're hearing about Queer Nation. It's
the same kind of belly-aching that ACT UP
has had to contend with.
Distilled and edited the complaints go
something like this: "Queer Nation is just
too, well, queer. That's a terrible word any
way, they don't represent me when they go
around calling themselves that and calling
attention to themselves in public. What I do
in bed in my own business; straight people
don't advertise that in public, why should
I? The only way we'll ever get people to
like us is to be nice, work with them, not
against them."
You may well subscribe to this and
other rhetoric like it. We do not and an
increasingly large number of lesbians and
gay men appear to be of a similar mindset.
Queer Nation's message to those who
would deny our existence or abuse
us—We're here, we're queer, get used to
it—applies equally to those lesbians and
gay men who are so threatened by the idea
that queers might actually have the temeri
ty to be who they are—in public.The con
cept of a homogeneous homosexual com
munity—one everyone with a same-sex
attraction can call his or her very own—is a
fantasy. It always has been. And those who
believe otherwise are living in a dangerous
and delusional place.
Early this month at a conference on gay
spirituality Andrew Ramer— one of our
community's true visionaries—proffered an
elegant, totally reasonable, explanation of
the tremendous diversity within the active
part of our community. He likened us to a
bucket brigade carrying water from the
pure well-spring of our spirituality—a
place occupied by our visionaries and radi
cal activists—over a long and torturous
path to our intersection with mainstream,
hetero reality—where those who are happi
ly identified as mainstreamers, or even
assimilationists, reside.
If groups like Queer Nation don't stick
their necks out and, in the process, find and
document repositories of homohatred, then
the mainstreamers don't have much basis
on which to demand that their proposed
laws get enacted.
What happened at Jock's and Jill's is a
good case in point. No one seems to know
whether Atlanta's somewhat arcane and
limited gays rights legislation makes it ille
gal for bars to exclude people based on
their sexual orientation. As a result of this
action we'll probably find out. If the answer
is "no," the political types have a new dish
on their plate. If the answer is "yes,"
straight bars can be called to task for the
kind of abuse dished out at J's & J's.
Next there are the rumors that say
QN members actions were confrontational,
that they were rubbing up against each
other and exposing their genitals during
their visit to J's & J's. Not so.
Two men were standing upright and
kissing passionately; the manager's
response to that action was completely out
of reason. If he was uncomfortable with
such public displays of affection—as are
many, gay and straight—he could have
asked the men to stop, or to move to a less
conspicuous place in the bar. Instead he
began screaming and using abusive lan
guage.
It is important to understand that QN
members did nothing illegal, confrontation
al, or abusive; they made no demands other
than acceptance. And they did that with
affection, not aggression.
And there are questions about whether
QN members were being good customers;
some were drinking only mineral water.
We are aware of no minimum charge at J's
& J's and we assume that if the proprietors
offer a product they mark it up sufficiently
to cover overhead. The bar was not full,
QN's members were not taking up space
that heavier drinkers would have gladly
occupied. We applaud the choice of these
activists to stay sober while enjoying them
selves.
Then there are those lesbians and gay
men who say that queers don't belong in
straight bars and vice-versa. Several people
have even told us that they harass and
intimidate non-gay people when they see
them in lesbian and gay bars. If there are
readers who wish to try to argue the validi
ty of this kind of bigoted thinking and
behavior, we'd be happy to engage them.
QN's first action was not without
flaw; the group has taken it upon them
selves to do some fact finding and ask for
some advice before it does future actions
on private property. We applaud that sensi
ble move.
But even more strongly we applaud all
the brave, creative and honest men and
women in our community who are willing
to engage in the very important kinds of
direct action that are the lifeblood of Queer
Nation and ACT UP. They are an indispen-
sible part of the bucket brigade that will
eventually douse the fires of homohatred
and we're damn lucky to have them.
Miscellany
Last weekend someone or some group took
it upon themselves to stuff 50-60 mail boxes in
Jonesboro with copies of Southern Voice
—into which copies of Hot Shots had been
inserted. We're not sure whether this is some
one's idea of guerrilla activism or whether
some kook is trying to stir up homophobia.
Unfortunately the motive here isn't the issue,
legality is. Putting unsolicited material in peo
ple's mail boxes is a federal crime.
Regular readers know that we encourage
and support activism of all sorts—especially
when it's new and creative—and that we are
not opposed to breaking laws which oppress us
in order to demonstrate their unfairness. We
can, however, see no way in which the law
being violated here seems to be a threat to any
one's freedom.
There is little doubt that the citizens of
Jonesboro need education on lesbian and gay
issues. If there are activists interested in doing
that kind of outreach, we would be happy to
work with them and supply copies of
Southern Voice to distribute in the area—legal
ly-
Several regular features—Outlines, our
ongoing series on Partners and Treble Yell's
column—are missing from this issue because
of a last minute influx of holiday advertising.
We apologize to readers who were expecting
these articles.. .look for them in Issue 21.
GUEST EDITORIAL
Our Lives
Are at Risk
I am no longer angry. I am somewhat
puzzled. Over and over I try to figure out
how so many women contract the AIDS
virus. I am puzzled as to how there are so
many children bom with the disease. When
I listen to friends or sit in on workshops, I
listen to women who have not been IV
drug users. I listen to women who are mar
ried or have been in a monogamous rela
tionship for a lengthy period of time, and I
am puzzled as to how these women end up
HIV+.
So I back up my memory bank. I look
for another way of this vims to enter the
female body. Then I say, "no, he could not
be that insensitive." He would not be so
insensitive to bring this vims to a dedicated
female partner who is oblivious to her part
ner’s promiscuity. And once again, I am
puzzled. I listen to these females who have
been involved with these males, and I real
ize that these males have not used drugs
intravenously. These males have not had a
blood transfusion. So I remain puzzled.
Looking further, my anger resurges
when I see my female friend's husband at a
local gay bar. I am angered when my gay
male friend tells me he dates my girl
friend's "boyfriend." I am upset, so I must
now ask, "Why?"
Why not be honest? Why not be truthful
to your dedicated spouse or partner? Do
you feel that it is a privilege to have the
best of both worlds at the expense of every
one who is involved? Or do you feel that it
is a female problem? That it is she who
should protect herself? But tell me this:
how does a wife ask her husband to use a
condom?
Bisexual men hear this: too many are
becoming diseased and dying because of
your insensitivity. Why not become secure
with your sexuality and ego by being hon
est with all parties who are involved?
Bisexual men, do you not realize that
there are some females who do not mind
dating you, and males who would love to
be with you? However, there are those of
us who are not able to deal with the risks
that are involved, mentally or sexually.
Bisexual men, be up-front, be honest. It
is our lives that are at risk.
-Vee Burns
EDITORIAL
Is Health
Care a Right?
The article on page 5 of this issue sug
gests that corporate America and this coun
try judicial system sure think the answer to
that question is a resounding "no."
Equally frightening to us is the way the
Atlanta Journal Constitution covered
Owens v. Storehouse. The paper seems to
think the core issue is the economic sur
vival of Storehouse. And it seems to have
accepted as true that company's contention
that continuing to pay for Owens' health
care would have sent it down the tubes.
Spare us, please.
The simple fact of the matter is that our
country's health care system is in a sham
bles and its getting worse by the minute. Is
AIDS the cause? No. The epidemic has
exacerbated the problem, but is by no
means at its roots.
May we suggest that lesbians and gay
man—along with the organizations they
support—add health-care reform to their
political agendas? And may we suggest
that it be done quickly?
Viewpoints is intended to provide a continuing forum for the lesbian and gay community. We encourage
you to share your ideas, comments and feelings on these pages.
Submissions should be typed, double-spaced and no longer than two pages. We are happy to offer
anonymity when letters are printed, but all submissions must be signed. Please also give us your phone
number in case we have questions. We reserve the right to edit for space. Mail your letters to:
Southern Voice/Viewpoints
P.O. Box 18215
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Southern Voice.
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Southern Voice/November 22, 1990 9