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ATLANTA BARB-Page 2
Community Activities
Fire Safety Or Harassment?
By BiU Smith
Recently the Gay Inform
ation Service has received
numerous telephone calls
concerning fire inspecting
frequently of Atlanta’s
newest gay lounge. After
talking with several com
munity people, some of
whom complained that if
any thing the fire inspect
ors were to lax, I visit
ed the Atlanta Fire Pre
vention Bureau.
I was greeted by two
middle age fire inspect
ors who obviously had no
idea why I was there. Aft
er requesting the fire in
spection records and the
fire inspection applications
of ten gay lounges, the
amiable gentlemen asked
why I wanted the records
on “these kind of bars’’.
I proceeded to explain the
concern, both pro and con,
in the gay community con
cerning fire inspection and.
safety. Not batting and eye
lash, so to speak, the gent
lemen pulled the fire in
spection application and
records of several well
known swinging singles
lounges and a few excl
usive lounges located in
downtown hotels.
They explained to me
that high volume disco-
lounges both hetrosexual
and homosexual had a high
frequency of inspection
during the first few mon
ths of operation. This was
due, they said, largely to
the fact that people usual
ly flock to a new bar when
it opens and the new oper
ators are reluctant to turn
first time customers away
or make them stand in long
lines. They point out that
when a npw bat opens,
many times it has just
been renovated and con
struction materials may
still be stored in and a-
round the building as final
touches are applied. The
presence of these highly
flammable materials co
upled with a jam packed
lounge, in which most of
the patrons are aware of
all fire exits, combines all
ingredients for a first class
fire disaster.
Individual fire inspect
ors may at times expres-
s their personal bias con
cern ing minority groups
while inspecting a lounge
or establishment that cat
ers to a group such as
gay lounges. It is clear,
however, from the records
that I inspected that the
Fire Prevention Bureau
is interested in fire saf
ety and not sexual orien
tation.
Lounge management has
not complained and I can
report that Atlanta’s new
est gay lounge has plans
for extensive fire pre
vention improvements.
To anyone concerned a-
bout lounge safety stand
ards, talk first witn the
lounge manages, and then
the Fire Prevention Bur
eau. I think that you will
be pleased at the concern
of both for your safety.
BE GROOVY l!
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Proposed Florida Bill
To Make Certain Straights
Legitmate Sodomites:
By Laeus liber
The sexist mentality on the
defensr e might appear only
ludicrous were it not so filled
with malice, fear, ignorance
and hostility. Simultaneously
with the defeat of the Equal
Rights Amendment(E.R.A.) in
the Florida Legislaturerecendy,
Rep. Jack Shreve (TV , Merrit
Island) has proposed a new
anti-sodomy bill (HB-2810 -
now under consderation).
Rep. Shreve’s proposed bill
defines sodomy as “. . . the
insertion of the male sex Organ
in the anus ormouthofanothei
or oral couplatiOn with the sex
organ of another.” In crim
inalizing such acts, however,
males and females who are-
legally married, or who are
living together in commonlaw
relationship, are expressly ex
cluded. In other words, they
timate sodomites. ”
This evidences the beleaguer
ed and confused state of the sex
ist mentality. Whereas the old
law considered sodomy to be
“the Abominable and Det
estable CrimeAgainst Nature,”
it would seem that that is to be
changed now. Now what mat
ters is that “who plays the
game” is a member of the
“right club.” The Grotesque
Made Image which tyrannizes
the sexists is now modified to
include hitherto “unnatural
acts,” - Apparently the sexists
have discovered it’s fun to play
with themselves!
No one would disagree with
the soundness of protecting
children, the mentally deficient,
and victims of coerced or force
ful assault But Rep. Shreve
makes sure to include within
the criminalization adult
private consensual relations.
He expressly includes Him who
“voluntarily engates in or
submits to an act of sodomy
with another, not his spouse.”
This is to be a misdemeanor
of the first degree
In creating the categories
of legitimate and illegitimate
sodomites, the proposed bill
might even bring about the
realization of the straight sex
ists’ supreme fear, the homo
sexual marriage. If sodomy is
to be licensed by the state, tnen
where is the justice in prohibit
ing members of the same sex
from being so licensed?
Apparently Rep. Shreve or
someone has finally awakened
to the fact that terming sodomy
an “unnatural act” is sheer
folly, and utterly untenable.
Any appeal to “nature” must
show that besides hetero
sexuality, there are many ex
amples of homosexuality,
transsexuality, parthenogene
sis, and even a murderous form
of heterosexuality in which the
female devours themating male
( e.g., the Praying Mantis).
Rep. Shreve’s bill differs litde
from the usual physical ass
aults aimed at homophiles. It
would seem that the samobasis
is present One man trying to
harm or destroy that which
he perceives in another man
which he either consciously or
unconsciously fears exists in
himself.
That this bill should be con
sidered'almost simultaneously
with the defeat of the E.R.A.
in Florida evidences the sick,
threatened type mentailty that
needs to reinforce and shore up
the grotesque image of what
it means to be a MAN. To
maintain the false image, it is
necessary to legislate against
any difference, to defame, to
deny the humanity of thosewho
are different, to relegate to sub
servient roles, women, and to
proscribe and brutalize those
males and females who prefer
an alternative life and
love style. Another name for it
is the “politics of rape.”
The expression and en
couragement of this type men
tality, legislation based on fear
and ignorance, breeds infection
| and violence by its repression.
It cannot acceptalternativesex-
ual love for adults in private
: even where there is mutual con
sent It breeds the very sickness
in its own mind with which it
would charge and label the
persecuted homophile. If we
could finally get down to the
business of being HUMAN
first, the problem of beingmale
or female would soon cease to
be a problem at all. It is,
furthermore, doubtful that an
acceptance of private adult-con
sensual homosexual relation
ships would lead to any mass
sexual apostasy on the part
of heterosexuals. It might even
broaden ther humanity.
That repression is created by
such laws and breeds violence
is evident in certain crimes
which we read > about in. our
newspapers. Recently five
Miami police officers where
charged with gang-raping a
young woman who happened
to be a prostitute.
One of the men was found
guilty. The others are await
ing trial in early May. Such
crimes are not unique in our
society. Without relating the
crime to the presumably inno
cent defendents, we might
simply ask if the gang-raping
of one woman by even two
or more men is much more
than using that woman as a
mere convenience foi the ex
pression of hitherto repressed
homosexuality, especially
when the rapes includecT’what
the sexist : press terms “un
natural acts. ” It is not unusual
in our society to dehumanize
a perso n by labelling him or her
a “whore,” a “nigger,” or a
“queer,” etc. and then to pro
ceed to violate that person.
What we all need is a fresh,
sane look at HumanSexuality.
It is the only way we are going
to become enlightened enough
to root outthe“politics of rape”
not only from our legislatures,
but from our everyday human
relations. It is time that right
thinking people view sexuality
openly and enter into meaning
ful dialogue with one another
in order to rid themselves of
their fear and mistrust The
seed of bigotry is nurtured by
passivity in die bed of fear
and ignorance.