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SOUTHERN VOICE OCTOBER7/1993
Ten yeans when
Be forewarned—this column is a mess.
Part theater review, part restaurant critique,
part maudlin reminiscence, part aimless intro
spection, part political rumination, part real
estate kvetching. And all about change. Such
is my life on my tenth anniversary of moving
to Atlanta.
It is Sept. 26,1983, and the combination of
forces required to set me in motion—job dis
tress, roommate distress, money distress, an
aching need to get out of Montgomery, Ala.,
and the presence of the Atlanta Constitution in
a newsstand near the Trailways bus station—
have finally hit critical mass. Resumes went
out in June, were responded to in July, offers
made and accepted in August.
I resigned from my paralegal job, and now
the moving van is packed, the cat is in my
1972 Dodge Dart Swinger and nothing is left
to do but surrender myself to adventure, start
the engine and head northeast. Atlanta had
called, and somehow, I had found the courage
to answer. .
Ten years later, to quote Yeats, “all has
changed, changed utterly.” My tenth summer
saw me engaged in activities unfathomable to
the person I was in 1983. Co-existing side-by
side in my life were a successful and reward
ing effort in organizing a gay male spirituality
conference and a fitful and frustrating
househunting experience. Now that the con
ference is over, I am waiting to see if my
fourth real estate contract of the summer will
be the first one accepted by a seller.
Sept. 26,1993 is also about trying to catch
up on things undone. Yesterday, I visited my
“faux” nephews—offspring of friends from
Montgomery who had twins on the day after
my birthday three years ago—for the first time
since May. My 10 1/2 year old cat, done in by
his flea allergies and my clueless response to
his distress, has run away, an instinctive re
sponse to imminent death that I hope I have
the grace and courage to emulate when my
time comes. And a friend and I, finally, have
tickets to see Falsettos at the Alliance Theatre.
First stop, though, is brunch at The Coun
try Place, a gay landmark that just underwent
the Stan Topol Makeover Maneuver. Our ador
able waiter brings the old, reliable yeast rolls,
and I flash back to other occasions celebrated
here—at least three various birthdays and a
wonderful roommate reunion/Sunday brunch.
But today, things are different. Low energy,
no bustle, only a few gaggles of gay men
enlivening the staid Sunday afternoon Colony
all has changed,
Square atmosphere.
The redone menu doesn’t have my favorite
dessert (apple, lemon and honeydew sorbets in
a pool of blackberry cassis sauce), and I won
der if my brunch ennui is more than simple
menu disappointment. I fleetingly envision the
ghosts of gay men who’ve brunched and waited
here in times past hovering overhead, none too
happy with the changes. Perhaps this is just
the way a landmark slips toward the mundane,
becomes just another brunch stop.
The Alliance is a landmark I’ve long
avoided, last darkening its door in 1986, when
John Cullum was touring as Cyrano. Since
then, the various musicals and Shakespeares
that were their hallmark have not persuaded
me that my time and money would be well
spent there. “When will my truth be up there
on the stage?” I’ve wondered over the years.
The answer is September, 1993. Falsettos
is the play with the gay content that Gordon
Wysong thought he was yelling about in Cobb
County, a play where gay families loudly dem
onstrate family values, clearly recognizable to
straight audience members. And there are
plenty of straight audience members today.
Tons of little old Jewish ladies, any one of
whom could be one of William Finn’s
character’s grandmothers.
I find the experience of watching a “gay”
play in a “straight” audience—looking for vali
dation, fearing derision or incompetent pro
duction—surprisingly stressful. “How will they
react to the ‘blatant’ gay content of the play?”
my co-dependent reflexes make me wonder,
changed utterly
as though I’m personally responsible if a play
I’m watching hurts a grandmother’s feelings
about her potential gay grandson.
And at first, our fears seemed confirmed,
as a large chunk of the audience sits stonily
through the hilarious “Four Jews Bitching”
opening number. But as Finn unfurls song af
ter song that depict his characters’ innate hu
manity, from slimy Marvin to his ill-treated
lovers Trina and Whizzer, I can feel the audi
ence moving. We began in stony silence and
ended standing and applauding with tear-
streaked cheeks, proving that one good play
can do the job of 1,000 propagandists and do it
far better.
That the Alliance is even doing Falsettos is
a testament to the changes 10 years have
wrought. Artistic director Kenny Leon deserves
credit for taking a theater where “Julius Cae
sar” and “Annie, Get Your Gun” once paid the
bills and turning into a home for August Wil
son and Bill Finn. And let’s not forget the
context. The Alliance is the most heavily grant-
supported theater in Georgia, and Mr. Leon
scheduled a gay play at a time when one hot
potato can cost you a bundle of money. That’s
courage, folks, even without a gay kiss onstage.
This underscores to me our role, in the
only Deep South city larger than Chapel Hill
with gay rights legislation, on the front lines in
the Family Values Wars. We are the pacesetter,
the model, the audition spot. You can be sure
that if referendums were easy to start in Geor
gia, we’d be staring one in the face this No
vember. Instead, we have the lovely and tal
ented Nancy Schaefer in random, drive-by TV
commercials for the next two months. Can’t
wait, can you?
But seeing common cause made between
us and Kenny Leon, or Bill Campbell, to name
two, reminds me that something special is oc
curring here. Seeing a portion of my truth on
the Alliance stage is yet another reward for a
well-chosen 10-year-old risk. And seeing our
community’s depth and breadth of talent and
commitment makes me ferociously glad to have
chosen Atlanta over the “safer” choices such
as Charlotte or Birmingham or Montgomery.
And Sunday night at approximately 6 p.m.,
a very nice woman in unincorporated DeKalb
County decided to sell me her townhouse. The
Country Place can slide, the Alliance can soar
and its audiences transform, and I can even
move closer to—but absolutely not outside
of—the Perimeter. Isn’t change, in a horrify
ing sort of way, delightful?
LETT
Divided into incomplete halves
E R S
Staying in Cobb
“Brava” to Tonya who had the courage to
step forward as an African-American lesbian
[SoVo, Sept. 2] As a loud, proud African dyke,
SWITCH eP AT BIRTH
I too have felt the sting of disapproval I often
receive from heterosexual African Americans.
We are asked to choose sides, to divide our
selves into two incomplete halves, all in the
name of solidarity. My queemess is as much a
part of me as my blackness, and I am equally
proud to be a card-carrying member of both
groups.
The pressure to conform to heterosexist
standards bears heavy on the consciences of
lesbians and gays of African descent. Unlike
non-black gays and lesbians, we bear the cross
of racism and depend on our people for solace
and refuge. It is understandable why so many
of us choose to remain silent; however, it is no
longer acceptable. Being in the closet gives
the impression that you have something to be
ashamed of. Just as you are proud of your
race, be proud of your sexual orientation. Don’t
shy away from political action groups. Do not
be afraid to say who you really are. Being “in
the life” means more than going out to clubs.
It means living openly and honestly, without
shame.
Cecily C. Walker
Atlanta
Kudos to Ken Pauli for his letter [SoVo,
Sept. 29). I, too, agree that Cobb is a viable
alternative to noisier, costly areas. As an ex
tremely out and vocal dyke, I too feel some
embarrassment in acknowledging where I live.
You can imagine how I felt when my brother
(who is also gay) from Tulsa questioned me
about my safety. Not a pretty picture, indeed.
Frankly, I’m tired of people telling me that
I should move. Sure, it would be convenient
for my lover Angie and I to uproot and move
to “gayer” pastures. I considered it for a while,
but why should we sacrifice our lives over
someone else’s stupidity?
Like Ken, we’re staying to vote those nar
row-minded bigots out of office. We’re sup
porting gay-friendly businesses and boycott
ing those who cringe when asked how they
feel about gays and lesbians. The more we
demand our rights and realize that prejudice
abounds virtually everywhere, the more we
are empowered as a community and as “fam
ily,” regardless of residence.
Tracey R. Davis
Marietta
:v CARL LANGE
Sour note in Cobb
Adding to the list of organizations chal
lenging the Cobb County commissioners’
condemnation of lesbian and gay citizens
is the Atlanta Federation of Musicians. The
1,100 member union expressed “extreme
disfavor regarding the Cobb County
Commission’s irresponsible singling out
and condemning a group of dedicated, cre
ative and talented, tax-paying citizens...”
The union, whose membership includes
60 counties in Georgia (Cobb included)
and three in South Carolina, has asked the
Cobb Commission to rescind the anti-gay
resolution and restore funding to the arts.
The AFM deserves applause. Write
John Head, president, The Atlanta Federa
tion of Musicians, 551 Dutch Valley Road
NE, Atlanta GA 30324. The phone num
ber is (404) 873-2033.
Johnson Wax is “CLeaRed”
Johnson Wax Company has apparently
bowed to the forces of bigotry launched
by Christian Leaders for Responsible Tele
vision (CLeaR-TV). According to John
son Wax spokesperson Thomas Conrardy,
“CLeaR-TV has lifted the national boy
cott against SC Johnson, following a meet
ing [the company] had with representa
tives of CLeaR-TV. We are confident that
the mutual understanding will strengthen
our ability to avoid programs that are not
in good taste or inconsistent with our own
values.”
CLeaR-TV’s boycott against Johnson
Wax was for its sponsorship of “pro-ho
mosexual” television programs that fea
tured “lesbian innuendo.” Johnson Wax’s
“mutual understanding” with a hate group
that attempts to censor lesbians, gays or
bisexuals from television is alarming. John
son Wax needs to define “good taste” and
“values” and explain which groups of citi
zens they feel should be excluded from
that list. Write Thomas R. Conrardy, di
rector, Consumer Resource Center, SC
Johnson Wax, 1525 Howe Street, Racine
W1 53403-5011. The phone number is
(414) 631-2000.
Putting spin on hate
In the August issue of the music maga
zine Spin, Farad Chidcya examines the
use of homophobic lyrics in his hip-hop,
rap and dance hall reggae music. Chideya
concludes that blatantly homophobic lyr
ics are an attempt to deny the existence of
homosexuality within the African Ameri
can community and that more performers
need to come back with their own response,
using rap as the format.
Send compliments to Bob Guccione,.
Jr., editor, Spin, 6 West 18th Street, New
York, NY 10011. .
Upcoming events: GLAAD Meet the
Press, Oct. 18, 7 p.m. at the Peachtree
Library across from the High Museum.
All are invited to attend this panel discus
sion by local journalists. GLAAD/Atlanta
Naming Names, Oct. 18, 10:30 p.m. First
television version of GLAAD/News on
“Out in Atlanta” on Cable 12 TV.
This column is a product of the Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation!At
lanta, Inc. For more information, or to
report an instance of defamation, contact
GLAAD/Atlanta at PO Box 55111, Atlanta
GA 30308 or call (404) 605-7477.
Al Kielwasser of GLAADISFBA con
tributed to this column.