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THE VOICE OF THE GAY COMMUNITY - SERVING THE SOUTHEAST AND THE NATION”
VOL. 1 NO. 5
PUBLISHED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA
25 CENTS
★★★ NATIONAL NOTES ★★★
JACK CAMPBELL VIES FOR
MIAMI CITY COMMISSION
Club Miami Owner,Jack Campbell
Jack Campbell, president
of the Business Owner’s-
Association in South Florida
and owner of the Club Miami,
has announced his candidacy
for the Miami City Com
mission. Campbell will op
pose Miami Vice Mayor J. L.
Plummer.
Campbell, in announcing
his candidacy, said, “The
history of city government in
Miami, with few exceptions,
has been one where so-called
‘First Class’ Americans have
ruled like kings over what they
considered to be ‘Second Class
Cubans,’ ‘Second Class'
Blacks,’ ‘Second Class
Women’ and ‘Second Class
Gays.’ ”
Campbell’s entry into the
Miami municipal scene is the
first time an openly gay
person has made a bid for
elected political office in the
South. The successful Miami
businessman enters the race
with impressive credentials
in both the public and private
sectors of the community.
Campbell as president of
the Business Owners
Association (BOA) in Miami
has broadened the outreach
of the organization,» opening
the BOA to all businesses and
individuals willing to support
the community in a unified
and responsible manner. He
was instrumental in the
creation of the BOA hot line
and has organized an ex
tensive effort to register gay
voters in the Miami area.
Campbell’s work in
organizing effective and
responsible political action jn
the gay community has not
been without opposition. In
February his club Miami
Baths was raided by Miami
Vice Officers. Sixty-four
people were arrested and
jailed. Two Florida statutes
over a century old were used
to arrest the club patrons.
Campbell, upon being in
formed of the raid, went to
the Maimi jail and remained
there until all 64 people had
been released. Campbell
posted over $30,000 in bail for
those arrested and pledged
that he would post bail for
anyone arrested in a raid on
his club.
On May 8th forty-three of
the people arrested in the
February raid had their
charges dismissed. Campbell
vowed to continue the legal
battle for the remaining
twenty-one. An injunction is
now being sought to prohibit
the Miami Police Department
from engaging in such
harrassing practices. ACLljJ
attorney Phillip Carlton
stated at the May BOA
meeting that “It is highly
unlikely that the Miami
Police will try such a raid
again.” Campbell, however
has Indicated his intention of
seeking through the courts a
permanent injunction against
the Miami Police Department.
The voter registration
project organized by Campbell
is a continuing effort — and
the political reprisal ex
perienced by Campbell has
apparently not daunted his
resolve.
The city primary will be
held on November 4th and the
election on November 11th.
All registered citizens of
Miami will be eligible to vote
in this election.
St Pnl - The Minnesota
House of Representatives
defeated a gay-rights bill, 68-
50. Some gay right activists
blame the bill’s defeat on a
gay group called the
“coalition” who insisted that
the bill include transv*- tites
and transsexuals.
Boston - The Massachusetts
senate defeated a bill to
protect the jobs of gay state
civil service workers in a 17 to
14 vote. It had been previously
passed by the State house of
representatives.
Los Angeles ‘‘Mere
homosexuality” should not
disqualify anyone from
becoming a policeman in Los
Angeles, the city attorney said
in an opinion released May 9.
That 'advice, contained in a
statement on police recruit
ment standards was addressed
to the city’s Board of Civil
Service Commissioners, which
controls the employment
policies of city jobs. If the
commission adopts the city
attorney’s recommendation,
the police will be prohibited
from disqualifying any
recruit because of
homosexuality.*
Langley AJb'.B., Va. - In a
move that has received
national newspaper and
television coverage, and
airforce sgt. is fighting a
discharge on the basis of his
homosexuality. Sgt. Leonard
P. Matlovich, who teaches
classes in race relations says
he no longer feels like a
hypocrite because his students
know now that he is gay.
Matlovich who has served
three tours of duty in Viet Nam
and won medals for each tour
of duty , including the purple
heart, has been told that his
homosexuality would preclude
him from commanding respect
as an officer or noncom and
that he would be prey to black
mailers.
Miami - A county judge here
has ruled unconstitutional the
sole remaining Florida law
against priyate sex acts
between consenting gay
adults. In an opinion issued
May 8, the Judge called the
law against “Unnatural and
lascivious behavior” unac
ceptably vague.
New York - The .National
Organization for Women and
the American Civil Liberties
Union have agreed to work
actively for gay-rights
legislation in Congress. Both
will send letters to every
member of the house and the
senate urging adoption of the
Abzug-Fraser gay-rights bill
(H.R. 5452). The ACLU
decision is significantifor the
group concentrates only on
three or four issues during
every session of congress.
Richmond - Hie Gay Alliance
of Students (GAS) at Virginia
Commonwealth University has
filed a suit in U.S. District
Court here charging that its
constitutional rights were
violated when the university
refused to recognize it as an
official student organization.
Fort Valley, Ga. - Integrity,
the gay Episcopal
organization, is planning for
its first annual conference in
August. The tentative date set
for the meeting is the weekend
of Aug. 8-10 ip Chicago. For
more details write to the
national Integrity office at 701
Orange St. No. 6, Fort Valley,
Ga. 31030.
Hollywood - A best selling
book about homosexual love is
going to become a movie;
United Artists and a film
company ‘Projections
Unlimited, owned by Paul
Newman, have picked up the
film rights to Patricia Nell
Warrens, The Front Rawer.
Newman has been mentioned
for a leading role in die movie.
ATLANTA FORMS GAY COALITION
A series of articles in The
Atlanta Journal cjn
homosexual lifestyles was the
spark that set off the formation
of the Atlanta Gay Coalition.
The three-day, front-page
series by Ron Taylor purported
to give an overview of gay life
in Atlanta. Community people
and leaders were aroused by
its general omission of the
positive and constructive work
being done by the gay people
and gay organizations in
Atlanta while employing the
more irascible stereotypes iri
the community.
Rev. Elder John Gill of MGC
Atlanta was the moving force
in the formation of the
organization. Gill, felt the
articles were biased and
grossly unfair to the com
munity as a whole. He con
tacted other gay organizations
and arranged for them to mejet
together to prepare an ap
propriate response.
Gill was joined by Martha
Smith of the Atlanta Lesbian.
Feminist Alliance, Marty
Atlanta, Dr. Stuart Stringer,
Chief Psychologist Emory
Hospital, Bill Smith, editor of
The Barb, Rev. Jim Snow,
assistant pastor MCC Atlanta*
and individuals active in the
community whose names we
cannot print because it would
endanger their jobs.
The group set three major
goals: 1, to give an appropriate
response to the Journal series;
2, to meet with the major
media in Atlanta to formulate
policy; and 3, to organize a
forum where the gay
organizations and leadership
could work together on issues
of common interest.
Continued on Page 11
COVER MODEL:
David Thompson was born in
Riga, Latvia — a small Baltic
country — and came to the
USA at the age of ten. With his
parents he lived in New York
and moved to Orlando in 1960.
David joined the Army in 1961
and served in West Germany
until 1965. During that time he
became a physical culture
enthusaist and excelleed in
running and jumping. Back
home he took a job with NASA
and was really thrilled at his
work on Apollo Pad 39, the
first launch to the moon. Flight
504, all aboard. Working with
the Space program as flight
technician and fietd coordintor
until the program was cut back
in 1970 will always be
will always be remembered.
Later he joined the staff at
Disney World and was on the
security staff — not as a
muscle man, but as field
coordinator. After wjnning
many AAU power lifting
contests in Florida, Georgia,
New York, and North Carolina
. . . ALL STRAIGHT, if you
will pardon the expression,
and taking the Mr. Daytona,
Mr. Hollywood Bar and the
Yum Yum Tree too ... he
moved to Atlanta and is now
working at the Club South
Baths. As MAE WEST said.
“If you got it, flaunt it.” . . .
David sometimes does in the
park riding his bike or at work.
. . . Come over and see him
sometime.
