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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.