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THE BARB Y~ ,<$/, /* r JZ tt'^j-• f*. ^i,,^ ytor-*'’' Disco DaiiciiM lil liuwii / 813 S.E. 1ST AVE., HALLANDALE FLORIDA 920 - 3404 Editor’s Notebook IN MANY CASES WE’RE THE ONLY GAY PUBLICATION OUR REAPERS SEE. Wakefield Poole's lift If I Ilf CASEY DONOVAN IHVwlim 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 / UNCENSORED Write for Free illustrated Brochure Over 21 Only IRVING, INC. 850 Seventh Ave / Suite 204 / New York City, 10019 LEATHER Leather 1 Forever Lends A Helping Hand. A Novel - Realistic Loving Hand. Crafted of Soft, Yet Firm Latex. Life Size for "Those Who Care Tq Dare". Only $23.95 NOW AVAILABLE: OUR NEW GIANT CATALOGUE NO. THREE $2.50 (Outside U.S. and Canada: $3.50) I (Refunded on 1st purchase over $25.) 1702 Washington Street San Francisco 94109 (415) 885-5773 Please include 10% for postage and handling. BankAmericard, Master Charge, American Express, Diners, Carte Blanche: please give account number & expiration date. Phone orders welcome. My notebook is filled with names and telephone num bers of people arrested under Atlanta’s idling and loitering law over the past few weeks. Many have called to relate horror stories about the Police Department to me. I swore that I would never go back into Atlanta Municipal Court to watch inep and unethical judges listen to perjured testimony and follow it up robbing gay citizens of Atlanta of their hard-earned money under the guise of justice. i did go back. There was that same sense of anger and injustice as I watched the “judges” go through their juridical con game. Two things were different on this particular Monday in court. Gay people were present in large numbers. Not as defendents but as speeators watching the working of this kangaroo court. Their presence rattled the court and its bunko-game par ticipants. A cheer went up when the first defendant was found not guilty. The vice- squad officers blanched. The judge looked quizzically at these people who dared show their face in his fantasy world of justice. As the procedings ended another difference evidenced itself. The comments of those people concerning the non gay defendants and what had happened to them. Then it stuck in my mind. I’ve sat in that court so many times watching drunks, prostitutes, rapists, murderers, shoplifters and gay people marched through this travesty of justice.. As we went about mar shaling what forces we could to fight this newest anti-gay' law that concern haunted me. Gay people constantly cannot afford to dilute their em bryonic strength by fighting for other folks causes until out own civil rights are won. In this particular case our compliants concerning the bunko racket called the Municipal Court of Atlanta is shared by others. From knowledgeable lawyers to struggling southside civic and Identification By Gibson W. Higgins Are we brothers and sisters? What bond ties us together other than the obivous one? Why do I, or can I, or should I, identify with you, and you with me? What (to we have in common other than what we share with the masses everywhere? Suppose we were to divide people into arbitrary categories, in an either or situation. For example, consider us as either women or men. If I am one and you the other, does that totally separate us? Based on overwhelming majority evidence, no. By the same token, does being a male automatically put me in allegiance with all other males? Only superficially, I can deal with any person I meet* male or female, provided that we both are receptive. I can buy mer chandise, obtain information, share a greeting, whatever is appropriate to a given situation. Whether I will ally myself with any particular male person (given that commonality between us) will be determined by the nature and worth of the person, not his sheer maleness. My relationship with any female would be on the same basis. Personal value is not determined physically, but by those internal characteristics that we label as virtue, morality, intelligence, sen sitivity, honesty, knowledge, etc., etc. The unique creature that we call a human being is a peculiar combination of each of these characteristics. We should be perfect, then, but for other traits such as selfishness, vanity, greed, indifferencej.i:What each of us is includes these, and more. We are what we are. We may become something different by accepting what we are (good' and bad)„ deciding what we wish to become, and taking it from there. A human being has marvelous potential for becoming; both better and worse. . Some believe that ac cepting one’s present self is the catalyst for personal improvement. N Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It isn’t. Recognizing beauty is sim pler than recognizing ugliness, especially within ourselves. We tend to recall our own generosity, magnanimity, kindness, etc., while we quickly forget that we can also be stingy, short, selfish, yes even bitchy at times. If I portray myself to others falsely, most will see through me quickly, and I will be the only one deluded by my mask. It is unpleasant for most of us to see withing ourselves those charac- The Barb is published monthly by Wesjir Enterprises. Application to maii 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 Ad vertisi ng Representatives: Atlanta: Billy Jones POB 7922 Atlanta, Ga. 30309 (404) 872-6068 Ft. Lauderdale: Peter Tho mas 3801 N. Ocean Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale, Fia. 33306 (3051566-4376 National Advertising Agent: Christopher Young Post Office Box 7922 Atlanta, Georgia 30309 (404)874-3232 Gibson Higgins Kathy • Phyllis Killer \Sarah Coventree Bob Salo- Peter Thomas Steven VUarren political organizations. No court with three judges and three part-time judges judiciously dispose of the 50,000 plus cases that our Atlanta Municipal Court muddles through each year. Gay communities across the South are on the move from Charlotte to Miami. People and events are moving gay citizens to speak out. Each time with increased vigor, unity and numbers- In Continued on page 13 teristics which are not “nice,” so we evade them, we ignore them, we deny them, but in so doing we deny ourselves. We are what we are. What does all of this have to do with homosexuality? I suspect that many of us place physicalness far out of proportion to personal worth. The responsibility rests on everyone’s shoulders Society has condemned and discounted us so long and often that we do not believe ourselves priviliged to full personal value. Consider our refuges, where we say that we can be ourselves. I argue that nothing could be further from the truth. We permit ourselves one or two modes of expression there, and carefully avoid a whole spectrum of love, warmth, onennesjy&rinestv, to name a few. Competition for attention is the dominatnt theme, based mostly on appearance. What feelings are aroused within you by the following expressions we all have heard: “I would like to get to know you better.” “I’m too tired to dance with you.” “Why don’t you call me next week.” “I can’t give you my number because my roomate is straight.” “Boy, I’d sure like to meet him.” “Why don’t you leave me alone for a while.” “I have to get up and go home to my lover.” “OK, I guess I will go home with you anyway.” I am not just a body -1 am a living, breathing, loving, Continued on page 14