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EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
Continued from Page 2
the news the other day that the
major networks i’ New York
agreed to a nondiscrimination
policy with regards to gays in
hiring.
Smith: There are efforts being
made nationally, by the National
Gay Task Force. There was the
controversy »; over the Marcus
Welby show, “Cry Rape,” which
depicted a homosexual involved
in child molestation, is actually
done by heterosexuals. We got
most major advertisers to pull
their support from that show ~
they had no commercial ad more
than 30 second in length.
Bird: Aside from the biased
attitude of the local press, how do
you rate Atlanta as a place for
gays to live? f
Smith: In some ways gays have
livable situation in Atlanta,
There.are no raids on the gay bars
'CfcBftifefr here as in other cities.
•Tffefe also is no entrapment in
the gay bars here as in other
cities. (Detroit for example has an
average of two entrapment arrest
a day.) I have never heard of an
entrapment arrest in an Atlanta
bar. Public Safety Commissioner
Eaves has made especially sure
that the vice squad has kept out of
these areas.
There is .still some vice-squad
entrapment activity in the parks.
This is not justifiable, but
sometimes the complaints Atlanta
citizens have about the parks
have some legitmacy. The parks
are for the use of all the people,
not just a dominant gay scene.
The situation in Winn Park (near
Ansley Forest in northeast
Atlanta) was out of hand about
two years ago, with numerous 1
citizens complaints about noise
and traffic late at night. But the
poiice dealt with it wrong: they
didn’t have to bring in a paddy
wagon and arrest about 20 gays.
Eventually they hit upon a
better solution: removing the
•undercover officers they had in
the park and putting in a few
uniformed officers. Also, now
, there is no parking on the streets
around the park, and the park
closes after 2 a.m. The compliants
from citizens have stopped.
Bird: Atlanta may be a
relatively safe and pleasant place
for gays to live, but they still do
not have legal equality here, as
guaranteed by the equal rights
laws in Detroit and Toronto
forbidding discrimination in jobs,
housing and public ac
comodations because of sexual
orientation.
Smith: But in Detroit and
Toronto those laws are not en
forced, they’re blocked on
technicalities by anti-gay forces in
the city governments. It is im
portant that gay rights legislation
be enacted, but it is also im
portant to have a sympathetic city
government that will enforce such
legislation.
Bird: The Metropolitan Com
munity Church is thedominant
institution among male gays
Atlanta. Some of the events I
have attended there- lately have
seemed little different from the
bar scene in their intellectual or
social content. For example, there
jvas a drag show featuring mainly
people from the Onyx bar, and
the MCC will hold the Miss Gay
Atlanta contest next year. There
does not seem much of a con
sistent emphasis on raising gays’
consciousness of their economic
and sexual oppression. The Red
Dyke Theatre, which appeared at
the MCC recently and was
produced by the Atlanta Lesbian
Feminist Alliance, has seeded,
superior to any event sponsored
by the males in this regard. [
Smith: Regarding the MCC,
you have to remember that you,
need a program that will pay for
itself. Some of the shows j you
didn't like were iery/D^pular andf
brought in from $5.to'i$jj.O a tjcket.
Running an. ideologic** m^sage
at people is not always attractive to
them. The* Red Dyke Theatre, at
$2 a ticket, would have a!hard
time paying for itself unless it had
i place like the MCC to ido its
shows, at a tow icharge <j>r no
charge for the use of the buil'iding.
Bird: I’m not ignoring the fact
that the MCC has had manyjgood
events, such as the movie, “A
very Natural Thing , ” and the play
“And PuppySD^g Tails,“ which
dealt reaHs&dflly with 1 gay
problems.
Smith: The MCC serves an
important function in Atlanta. It
is important to remember that the
South is the Bible Belt-most
Southerners had a deep religious
background'in their youths, with
Sunday schools and church talken
very seriously. : The church| at
mosphere, the acceptance, jthe
sense of important to gays here
and fill a great need in our livens.
Bird: With regard to the jbar
scene here, it seems that in qoth
ownership and attendance it is
dominated heavily by males. [The
results is that lesbians have (hat
many fewer places to gather, j
Smith: There is some
discrimination
by
>ar
campaigning for well-kndW
blacks liberals, and not active
the gay movement, and I can’ i
fault them on their priorities.
At least in this city male and
female gay sit down at the same
table and talk.
Bird: Do you believe the
liberation of gays is attached to
general economic ,5K °r»tion,
including the end of capitalism,'
and do you think gays should join
socialist efforts toward this end?
Smith: I’ll give you the example
of Chile. Before 1970, there was
Frei’s social democratic regime,
with harsh anti-gay laws. Then
came the Allende government, a
socialist party in power, and still
there were anti-gay laws. Now
you have a fascist government
with harsh anti-gay laws. There is
similar homophobia among left-
wing parties in the U. S.
Bird: On the other hand, you
find tendencies developing like a
gay Nazi party on the West Coast-
-what can b > done about that?
Smithy** i example, point out
that the Na.-,\s put pink armbands
on gays ,nd sent them to their
deaths along with Jews and many
other people who didn’t fit the
Nazi image.
Most gays tend to be con
servative... they work at middle-
class occupations or own their
pWn business enterprises.
They’re working for the general
advancement of the community.
And many of them are afraid of
the radical left.
I think the answer is to change
people’s consciousness about the
society they live in, but you have
to do this first by stressing gay
,rights, then moving on-to other
matters. I will work within the
system under which I live. If rural
Republicans who believe the
government should not interfere
in ! the private lives of citizens
want to protect my rights, then
good.
There is no salvation for gays in
aniy political program or party.
You should organize a gay caucus
wherever you live or work and
make your interest known.
ACTION
Continued from Page 3
themselves. Negative aspects of
the bars, baths, and bookstores
mentality must be transformed
into positiveness brought about
nirketing and police raids, but
by social consciousness orought
about the interest, love, and
sharing of each of us with others J
We must also put energy into
community participation in
whatever forms are appropriate.
Getting the act together means
that retreat into the “gay com
munity” is no longer sufficient,
rather we must move into the real
community as fulfilled gay human
being’s.
The Baibhas loyal staff of
volunteers. If yon have a desire
work with us, give ns a call at 874-
3232.
GAY
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874-4400
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THREE
managements against blacks jand
women. This is well-known, jbut
there are few actual complaints to
the city agency which deals with
discrimination, the Community
Relations Commission. There
were a series of six complaints
against the Bayou Landing Bar,
but it closed because of lack jof a
license before any action couljl be
taken. •
There are two gays bar4 in
Atlanta that are predominantly
female; another is .predominantly
black. In the male dominated bars
there are usually a good per
centage of women and blafcks.
The discrimination against
women and blacks in Atlantajgay
bars will be dealt with w«hen
women and blacks stand up jand
demand that it must be ended,
the mechanisms, the Community
Relations Commission and the
1964 Civil Rights jAct, are there
and must be utilized.
Bird: It seems that the two
wings of the gay movement, male
and female, often have a hard
time working with each other, and
sometimes don’t even try. How
would you explain that?
Smith: Gays who are female or
black are first oppressed because
or sexual gender or race, not'
because of gayness. So theV
generally have a tijrst commitment
to the feminist or black
movements. Whjite gay males) 2
have their j. oppression) 2
specifically as gjays as a first j 2
priority. The groips ao not have 2
similar agendas-il know several 2
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