Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

SO CENTS the news monthly for southern gays HOLIDAY ISSUE VoL2No.11 HOMOSEXUAL POLICE? Atlanta Police CommIssloner A. Reginald Eaves ATLANTA-Homosexuals will be hired as police officers “and I have no problem with .that” was Atlanta Public Safety Commissioner A. Reginald Eaves’ response to questions of whether lie would object to homosexuals being hired as police officers. Eaves’ statement came at a Sexual Privacy Project Panel Discussion sponsored by the State Bar of Georg ia. The discussion centered arou nd homosexuality. prostitution and Georgia’s sodomy aide. Eaves agreed that several Georgia laws were in great need of revision, especially in the area of sexual privacy. He announced the quiet im plementation of sensitivity training for police officers. Atlanta Commutity Relations Commissioner, Bill Smith, in conjunction with Boston's Homosexual Community Center subriiittcd a police sensitivity training pmgrani over a year ago. Com missioner Smith told The Barb that “The implementation of sensitivity training is a significant step forward for the Atlanta gay community." The Atlanta Community Relations Commission . called for an im plementation of the sensitivity program after two lengthy meetings with gay. citizens and the police department. Eaves refused to backaway from his position that there are “Victimless crimes”. Citing the connection of organized crime to prostitution as well as drugs, robbery and assault related to both homosexuality and prostitution. Eaves stated that laws against homosexuality and prostitution must be enforced to reduce the number of assaults and robberies. Haves restated that while these laws must lie enforced, the emphasis in the vice section is on gambling and lot teries. Prostitution arrests number = in 1975 and most of these, acairding to Eaves were made after local hotel and motel managers complained of prostitution. Atlanta attorney. Margie Homes, charged that some 2 to 3 thousand prostitutes were handled each year under Atlanta’s idling and loitering ordinance. Police entrap prostitutes and arrest them and then reduce the charges in exchange for cooperation and guilty pleas. Gay people are also harassed bv this exchange. Arrested for solicitation ti*r sodomy they arc convinced by police officers to plead guilty in ex change for a fine under Atlanta’s idling and loitering ordinance and contend with continued police harassment. Rev. Jim Snow stated that “the gay community in Atlanta numbers at least 100,000...our major problem is to get police officers sensitive to'gay people" as a first step toward ending police harassment of gay people and gay business establishments. HOFHIENZ WINS By Scott Tillinghost HOUSTON—Mayor Fred Hofheinz won his bid for reelection. pulling56.7 percent of the vote in the December 2nd run-off between himself and his conservative opponent Frank Briscoe. The total vote was: Hofheinz 137,456 and Frank Briscoe 104,650. Mayor Hofheinz. carried all of the precincts except one, precinct 200. 33, 34, and 123. Prcciirct 30 is almost entirely Black: 33 has substantial Black and Chicano populations in addition io young people and Gays. Precincts 34 and 123 have substantial Gay populations and Hofheinz carried 34 by almost 73 percent. - MATLOVICH FOUNDATION IN THE WORKS “It’s not just gay people but straight people too Who are affected by the sexu&l laws of this country." Ex-A ir Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, Atlanta, December5, 1975. Individual rights is the medium and gay rights the. central message of Leonard Matlovich. Riding an un- precendented wave of straight media publicity, ex-Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich spoke to an Atlanta audience of over 200 at the Atlanta Cabana Motor Hotel on December 5tH. In the gurgling and raspy voice developed in over 12 years of military service Matlovich charmed, cap tivated and manipulated a rapt group of listeners. Matlovich’s transformation from army brat, white racist to America’s' most well-known homosexual has been conceded in everything from Time Magazine and the New York Times to the Carboridale Illinois Herald. Matlovich’s precedent setting case will be heard in Federal district court in early January. Judge Gerhardt Gesell has put the burden of proof on the Air Force to justify its ban against homosexuals. In his Atlanta address Matlovich expressed extreme confidence in his case against the Air Force. He called on Atlantans of all sexual preferences to join the struggle for individual rights and the right to privacy. Matlovich’s speech has touches of Frank Kameny and Bruce Voeller. Kameny, long time gay activist, was an early mentor of Matlovich’s and guided him during the early stages of his protracted struggle. Matlovich had begun a tour on behalf of the National Gay Task Force (NGTF) under the direction of Bruce Voeller. Plans for an NGTF tour have ap- parently been dismantled in favor of a separate Matbvich Foundation. The foundation, acairding to Matlovich aide A1 Sevier, is to be set up im mediately. Local organizers will be solicited in a short time prior to the January court date and will continue following the hearing. The basic purpose of the foundation according to Sevier will be to build a national network of local organizations to keep the Matlovich case well publicized and to wrork for right to privacy legislation. Sevier note that “at this time there is no national gay organization." When “Sgt” Lenard Matlovich questioned about the early Matlovich, NGTF arrangement, Sevier charged that NGTF had failed to follow through with the Matlovich case and had failed to provide, the necessary funding. 'He stated that the New' York based organization was limited in scope and hoped that the Matlovich Foundation could build a truly national gay organization. Matlovich reiterated his concern for all sexual minorities, the physically NATIONAL NOTES LOS ANGELES-A decision by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to deport the Australian'male spouse of a U. S. homosexual because "a bonafide marital relationship cannot exist between faggots” has drawn sharp protests from gay organizations. The agency then with drew its original order containing the word “faggots” and issued another deportation order that only referred to marriage between two males as not being lawTul. “I am not prepared to say whether there has been an insult at this time”, said an official of the service. “The word is in the dic tionary." PHILADELPHIA-Philadelphia police have called in many persons from the city’s gay aimmunity for questioning in connection with the death of millionaire newspaper heir JohnS. Knight. Police, Relieving the 30-year-old heir knew his killers, said that homosexuals were questioned because of various items found in Knight’s apartment. Officers said the hems included nude photographs of young men, tape recordings that included accounts of sexual activities in the apartment and diaries that included accounts of various sexual activities. MOSCOW ID-The Moscow City Council has amended the city’s personnel code to ban discrimination ’ against gay municipal employees. The new' ordinance makes this town of 15,000 the tenth American city to approve gay rights guaranteed this year. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.-It’s traditional for this state’s governor to crowm the homecoming queen at the University of New Mexico but Governor Gerry Apodaca, despite having been extended an invitation, bow'ed out at the last minute. The homeaiming queen this year was T. M. Duffey-Ingrassia, a woman wf i has made no bones about her g y affectional preference. LOS ANGELES-A superior ce 1 t judge arrested for lewd conduct • t,h another man in a sex movie the ter. has retired on a $29,000 a ./ear pension. Judge Sherman W. Smith and another man were arrested August 1 on charges Of sex perv 'rsion and w'ere allowed toj plead guilty to trespassing charges. Smith applied for a disability retireiinent submitting medical reairds to show he suffers from hypertension. ; handicapped and the aged and his desire that the Foundation be broad based and inclusive of all those denied their individual rights. He said that what gay rights wifi always be the main thrust of the Foundation. He is concerned with the basic rights among all people especially gay people and the handicapped. Sevier noted the tremendous news that the inclusion of handicapped persons rights had received in Car- bondale, Illinois. No official statement, however, has been released by Matlovich, on the Matlovich Foundation, on its actual purpose and its programs. Sevier did state that the Foundation would not fund Matlovich’s legal expenses. Such expenses are apparently being carried by the American Civil Liberties Union. The Foundation has opened an office in Chicago and hired im office manager. Sevier, however, that the Foundation would bejincorporated in Ohio and probably open an office in Columbus. Donations are currently being solicited for the Matlovich Foun dation. Sevier told us!that donations are not presently tax pxempt at this WASHINGTON* D. C,-Three starting quarterbacks in the National Football League, none identified, are homosexual or bisexual, the Washington Star said Monday. The Star said it conducted interviews with more than sixty athletes, coaches, sports pfficials and members of the gay community and found that the percentage of male gays in sports is probably close to the estimated five precent rate of homosexuality at large and that the percentage of lesbians in professional sports is close to twenty percent. The paper also concluded that only 10 percent of gays fit the stereotype of effimin ate “queens” while many of the remaining 90 percent are virile masculine looking individuals who have interests in sports. PHiLADELPHIA-Gay rights activist Mark S egal says he will begin a hunger strike and sit-in in, a city councilman’s office to try to force a vote on a homosexual rights bill. The legislation whiclj would guarantee equal rights for gays in essential areas has been bottled; up in the law and government committee for a year and the committee chairman has said he will not release it during the current session. COPENHAGEN--Playwright Eugene Ionesco angrily quit a panel here on conditions irTth^Soviet Union when one of the witne^sesIteftreetTtdTesfi^/- about the persecutions of gays. The /it ness said that he would not discuss the problems of criminals. Ionesco later referred to some of the witnesses who were Soviet exiles as “intolerant and ignorant of what freedom, means.” . WASHINGTON* D.C.-The Big Brothers in theD.C. area has adopted a policy requiring prospective big brothers as well as staff members to sign a sworn statement that they “are not and never have been .homosexuals.” The local Human Rights' Commission is investigating the situation. NEW YORK-Leonard P. Matlovich had been scheduled to appear on a production of ABC-TV’s Saturday night with Howard Cosell, but the invitation was rescinded. A spokesman for Matlovich said the network officials cancelled because the Cosell program aired during the “family viewing hour”, but network officials denied making the statement. time. The Foundation itself will be incorporated a!s a tax exempt foun dation. Checks should be made payable to Leonard Matlovich until the- Foundation is officially in corporated. In summary, the Matlovich Foun dation is considering a national fund raising effort without incorporation, organization, charter, statement of purpose, tax exemption or national office. Exactly how the donations will be utilized is presently not known. Matlovich’s speech received city wide attention. All three major networks gave him extensive coverage. The straight media followed the story. Matlovich’s strong media attention has many political benefits. His quick delivery and spotless Air Force record makes him an ideal media figure for the gay rights movement. Local activists in Atlanta while pleased with the favorable publicity are increasingly concerned over his general lack of knowledge of what his advisors are doing. The • Barb’s editor, Bill Smith, along with other local gay leaders, urged Matlovich to give a great deal of thought to his organizational set-up.