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r ' 2 Editor’s Notebook Athens, Georgia. Frank Kammeny, long time gay rights! activist, was on the campus of the Uni versity of Georgia in - Athens as a part of Gay Awa£enes& Week. : i^lfeg^ffiE^saat crowd of U@A students gathered Jfi the fourth floor ball room of the University $ Center as a fiery , red sun set below a closed balcony veranda marred by a tarpaper extension roof and a creaky air? conditioning unit. Georgia’s sprawling; campus like so many other; university earn-? puses are littered with architectural and land scaping atrocities. The II ornated grace of cb- lumned buildings tie beingj supplanted by con^ lH crete blocks and gleam ing glass eyesores that gives the? campus a , visual style for which the only appropriate apellation is K-Mart V. eclectic?. ■: The university, has shut out the logic of harmonious landscape design, and each school ^competes for the prestige of an ostentasi- ously modernistic new building disregarding the ugliness :§ it will create. '/ ; Into my mind scramble the long numbers of gay students £ who - have emerged I to be heard. Led by Bill Green and Julie Stanley/ the com - mittee on Gay Educa tion appeared as the 60’s became the 70’s. In the name of pre serving the elected disorder (of which the perfect symbol is the distateful, profligate, hash of buildings), the university refused to allow the CGE to hold a dance. The school claimed that such a dance might foster the commission of afellony, namely, sodomy. They said they could not per mit that. / < Frink Kammeny aided the budding CGE as he has aided so many groups artd -Individuals in his long career." Kam meny researched the Georgia statutes and ^ asked the administra tion a question: Does that mean the school will not allow any dance? Dr. Kammeny pointed / out that Georgia also had a fornication statute which ..prohibited sexual acts!! bitween unmarried people; if sodomy might occur after a gay dance might not fornication occup after a straight dance? Kammeny, formerly an astronomer employ ed by the federal g o v e r n m e n t has brought cool scientific logic to bear upon the legal nuances that are used to entrap gay people. In number of years his age easily doubled that of anyone in his Athens audience. Yet his eyes radiated Such energetic youth, and his speech had a . pace and style that it is doubtful any in his audience 4 could match /His message for them was clear. They could remain hidden in the few Secure nooks of the world hoping for a little beauty or a breath of freedom. But if they wanted to exercise their rights as people, as gay women and men, they must work, they must take, they must do. When Dr. Kammeny , first became involved x in gay rights in the fifties he and his friend did not expect solutions within/- the next decade, ancT doubted they would be found during their lifetimes. He said that today we can see the problem in themor^ng, work on it in the after noon, and have it solved by bedtime. For me that seemed too optimistic a statement. However, for a man who has been working for gay rights for nearly two decades it must seem almost overnight when National Gay Task Force pro tests a television show and within a week the network agrees not to re - run the program. Not quick enough for me nor Kanpneny, but much faster than the re sponses of the past. Kammeny is not ful-u filled by crumbs from the table. He told his youthful audience not to become satisfied with the crumbs from the politicians table be-..... > cause they are ours < hJ by rights, that in fact CHECK OUR CLASSIFIED ADS : MCC Church 800 N. Highland Atlanta, Georgia {404} 872-2246 the table is ours and we should sit at it. How we get what is justly ours? We take it. Noth ing will get done unless we as gay people get out and do it, “If we in Washington D. G. can do it, you can’ do it in Athens,” Kam meny booined at his au dience. The statement holds true in every city and county in the south, If you. want the equal protection of the law, if you want a law that protects your ablity to maintain a job, housing and public accomoda tions you must ask for it, work for it. No one gives a share of the table to anyone, it must be taken with the dignity and pride of personhood. ? i / BILL SMITH The Barb is published monthly by Wesjir Enterprises. Application to mail at second-class postage rates is pend ing at Atlanta, Georgia. Subscriptions are $4.00 for one year (12 issues). Letters and manuscripts are welcomed. Please enclose stamped, self-addressed envelope for return of manuscripts,, photos, etc. Opinions expressed by our columnists do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Barb management. Editor u . . . ... . .. Editorial Assistant . . . Barb Staff: Gibson Higgins Kathy Phyllis Killei Glen Long Advertising Representatives: Atlanta: Billy Jones POB 7922 Atlanta, GA. 30309 (404) 872-6068 .......... Bill Smith . . . . .Richard Evans Lee Telephone (404) 874-3232 Bob Salo Peter Thomas Steve Warren Michael Young Ft. Lauderdale: Peter Thomas 3801 N. Ocean Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 33308 (305) 566-4376 “THE VOICE OF THE GAY COMMUNITY’’ The Right To Love Gibson W. Higgins Being gay opens avenues undreamed of by others. As a person comes out, : he blinks incredulous ly at the choices available, not only of warm , bodies and things to do, but of ways to be. With experience the person simply is gay without an ideology. Occasionally, one looks around, stops and thinks for a moment, and says, “is this me?’’ Yes, and it is not big deal. How could you be satisfied as any other person? It is a place not reached quickly, or at once,/or ever com pletely, but it is there. Liberation is a complex complicated process that plucks you from your upbringing, your conditioned behavior •, your self - excuses transports you through dark forests of disbelief and stormy seas of self conflicts, and finally deposits you on a new shore of consciousness. Unfortunately, being gay also closes doors. That is the role '* * society’ ’ .plays. Survival has always depended on pro- propagating, The evil attributed to homo sexuality arose in the minds of people who associated it with failing to promote the general welfare by procreating. Only, in societies where independent excellence was practiced has it been accepted. Cen turies of reinforcement have brought people to revile it as evil, filthy sinful, immoral, or, make your own list. The price in homo sexual suffering has been enormous, for society denies the right to be a full human being. The ultimate irony is that, being a member of society, the homosexual accepts that as his “lot.” The word is, “be what you want to be, if you have to be.” This is repeated often enought that eventually obedient homosexuals stand Up and reply, “see how good we are, we’re doing what we’re supposed to do.” No one can say “nigger” as one black person to another, and no one can say faggot, or queen, or dyke, as one homosexual to another. Society doesn’t need an . enforcement agency to keep queers in their place, because it has too many homo sexuals doing the work for it! “We’re all in this together.” “Shape up, fag.” “Girl, you never learn.” Bullshit! In a recent issue of an Atlanta newspaper and advice columnist replied to a homosexual to “love and let love.” In straight talk that means, f ‘You let us Love and you go mess around all you want.” Another lie. Straight society doesn’t accept the pre mise that a homosexual has the ability to love (read that as enter into a serious relationship with another person). We will allow you your orgasms but don’t, go getting serious. Live together ? “We’re roomates for twenty years, and we don’t go out with women.” Why is there so much deception?? To love another person, to care for their happi ness and wellbeing and have these feelings returned, is what makes continued on Page 10. CAY NAVYMAN COMES OUT « Wes Fortner told media reporters iii Jackson ville of his intention~to remain in the navy de spite his homosexua lity. Navy regulations insist upon the “prompt seperatiOn” of navy “members involved in homosexual -acts.” The naval regulation states that homosexuals “are military liabilities who cannot be tolerated.” Wes Fortner is a homosexual navy man whose record, appears to be anything but a liability. In bootcamp Wes’s abilities were recognized by his being named Recruit Chief Petty Officer. and being chosen Honorman. Re cently Wes was chosen Serviceman of the Quar ter for the hospital group at which he is station. Both of Wes’s supervisors in the hospital stood with Wes before the Navy Admihi - strative Board. Both testified that Mr. Fortner was a credit rather than a discredit to the Navy. The Navy regulation does not take into ac count anything more than Wes’s homosexua lity. The Navy’s admini strative Board system is virtually devoid of constitutional preee* dures. The time and cost / of defending himself against the Navy’s antiquated and dis criminatory p o li c y against homosexuals will be great. The Jacksonville Metropo litan Community Church of which Wes is a mem ber has established a legal defence fund for Wes. Your contributions are needed if Wes Fort ner is to make even an attempt to seek justice in his case. Tax exempt donations can be sent to: Metropolitan Commu nity Church - c/o Wes Fortner Fund - P.O. Box 291 - Jacksonville, FL. 322101 tVi; ‘ ^