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THE BARB-3 Editor’s Notebook Tha Barb The Barb is published monthly by Wbsjir Enterprises. Application to mail at Second-class postage rates is pending at Atlanta, Georgia. Sub* scriptions 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. necessarily reflect the opinion of the Barb management. Editor Bill Smith Associate-Editor .. Richard Evans Lee Telephone (404)874-3232 Advertising Representatives' Atlanta: Billy Jones ROB 7922 Atlanta, Ga. 30309 (404) 872-6068 Ft. Lauderdale: Peter Thomas 3801 N. Ocean Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 33308 (305)566-4376 National Advertising Agent: Christopher Young Post Office Box 7922 Atlanta, Georgia9Q309 (404)874-3232 Barb Staff: Gibson Higgins BobSalo Kathy Peter Thomas Phyllis Killer Steven Wbnren Sarah Coven tree Annie 'Peter Hough July 4th seems like a long time ago, we move from the heat of August tb the changing colors of Sep-, tember. The 4th has been fori me a special celebration. A time of vacation with family, and a myriad number of other good activities that, as a child, seemed to center around the fourth. Being a suburban child with an avid interest in history and politics the 4th grew through high school and college days to mark a point in time to remember all the good things in life and in America. The good feelings of family that grew together with a closeness that did not smother. A closeness that allowed for diversity, growth, arguments, seperation, togetherness and love. And' understanding that through our growth together and time of seperation, that nothing could prevent us from being together in mind and spirit. A sense of pride in a suc cessful revolutionary government is what provided the basis for the growth of a diversified and free country. A country without Dress censorship, a country of laws, of Justice and hope for every single citizen. A hope that included the e ventual end of all legal sanctions against being gay. More, than a hope, a feeling that' if the situation was properly handled by the responsible majority of gay people in all walks of life and professions the solution would occur in society and in the law. It was a naive growth in that symbolism that made a warm euphoric sense cross my mind. The fourth of July that fully turned into a sourness of reality 1 occured (a long time ago) in 1971. A month after Atlanta’s fcrst gay‘pride march. Over 100 people had marched in that parade. Over 100,000 gay people lived and work in the Atlanta area. We were growing as wit nessed by the parade’s existence but only a fraction of our community supported the first open demonstration of the gay community’s presence. The political and police pressure to harrass the openess of Georgia Gay Liberation Front, the spon sors of the parade, were the first hard realities on the long and difficult road to political and social equality. After five years of organized and semi- organized struggle, gains have been made but precious few they are. We are still faced with the solicitation for sodomy law that entails a one year prison term and a sodomy law that calls for one to twenty years imprisonment. The prison system is apt to retain “sexual” offenders the maximum time allowable. The same prison system that releases theives and murderers in less time than a consensual sodomist. Continued on Page 14 Southern Cooking is the Winner .... Emotional Virginity Gibson W. Higgins YOU FIND the CAR I’ll make the 1 HOLIDAY AUTO SALES Motoicycl.s A American CARS BUYor »ELL LEE STANTON 241-9135 Write for Free Illustrated Brochure. Over 21 Only IRVING, INC. 850 Seventh Ave. / Suite 204 / New York City, 10019 NELL COFER'S HOME PLATE RESTURANT LUNCH and DINNER SERVED 11 am TILL 12 pm • OPEN 11 AM • SOUTHERN COOKED ENTREES • FRESH VEGETABLES SOUTHERN STYLE • BEER FOR YOUR PLEASURE •, ALL AT REASONABLE PRICES 9’BREAKFAST served around the dock served] Late THURSDAY FRIDA Y AND SA TURDA Y • YaJI Come, Ya Hear, and see NELL formerly with MRS AS Do you remember when you had your very first one? For most of us it was OK, although not feeling nearly as good as what you could do and had done repeatedly, alone. Even the fantasies were much better than the real thing. No great changes, except for the realization that you had actually done IT. No ringing bells, no exploding fireworks, not rocketships into space. If you were like many of us, you were responding as much to social pressure to have sex as you were to your own nature. A cultural writes scripts for members. Not literal in structions, but roles nonetheless are set cir cumstantially for the time and place in which each person finds him or herself. Because most people desire to have a lot of their time organized for them, they are susceptible to having others dictate how they live. Par ticipation in sex then, for many people, is a mixture of biological drives and social expectations. Heterosexual roles have tended to direct; people into monogamous marriages, and the trend continues in spite of ten dencies toward sexual ex perimentation on the part of some people. Certainly the reinforcement of social ac ceptance at all levels ac comodates the desire for pairing. The “appropriate” script for each person is set by social mores and going counter to it requires determination by an in dividual. “Going to college” is an acceptable script growing long hair and working odd jobs is a much less acceptable one. Getting married is a more acceptable script than shacking up or living together. The heterosexual person has one distinct advantage- regardless of which scripts are chosen, the person is accepted „by society. By constrast, the homosexual is always faced with the fact that revelation of sexuality is likely to bring censure, regardless of the inherent goodness and worth of the person. Seperatism, in visibility, revolt, and in tegration are a few of the methods of dealing with this problem, all of which have been scripted for us by oiir Wakefield Poole's MOVING CASEY DONOVAN BURT EDOUARDS BIJOU BILL HARRISON BOYS IN THE SAND CASEY DONOVAN ‘8MM COLOR EACH REEL 400 FT. (25 MIN.) $25. COMPLETE 3 PARTS EACH FILM $70. ALL MALE / UNCENSCTRED culture. Separatism is the least detailed script, since there aren’t many Lesbos Islands where homosexuals can isolate themselves. Invisibility has worked for generations and continues to for all of those who are content to deny themselves toi their environment. Revolt, and integration have been attempted almost equally rarely, which leaves the bulk of us in invisibility. Our scripts cause us to be one thing to ourselves, another to jour surroundings. Although most gays would deny it, the script also call for us to keep to ourselves. “Who me? I have lots of friends and some good sex, and I go out almost every night.” Sure but have your ever given yourself away? Not your body to that good-looking hunk (or woman) you recently met, but your mind, your soul, your spirit, your being- your love? Losing your cherry is easy, gay or not, but the script for gays calls for it to) go no further. Invisibility, remember? Society tolerates us only so long as we stay out of sight, and in withholding ourselves from most, we isolate ourselves emotionally from everyone. Our inevitable humanity requires each of us to make sacrifices and commitment to reach our potential. The true crimes against homosexuals aren’t harrassment, en trapment, or even jail sen tences. They are the forces that virtually require us to deny our humanity. To remain invisible we withhold commitments to people. We avoid true intimacy, we refuse ourselves the op-; portunity to give and receive love. NOT sex- love. In refusing to exchange human emotions - love, fear, com passion, sympathy, rein forcement - we doom our- Continued on Page 14