Newspaper Page Text
September 1976, THE BARB 4
Florida Gay Liberation
News
by Joel M. Starkey, Mark
Behar, & Mark Silber
GAINESVILLE: A group of
Gainesville gay activists are
now engaged in a struggle to
start a campuis gay liberation
organization at the State’s
largest University, the
University of Florida. The
Gay Community Service
C ENTER ORGANIZED IN
Gainesville since 1974,
survives off campus but its
supporters hope to branch
out mto a recognized campus
group as well]
In a related ejvent a series of
articles on gay liberation and
homosexuality has been
appearing in| the Alligator,
an independent off-campus
student orienjted publication.
In an article titled “Out of
the Closets”;, Liz Williams
responded to a question on
sexual orientation in the
following manner, “It’s not a
question of homosexuality or
heterosexuality but one of
sexuality period. We all feel
the need for sexuality period,
but there are; many different
ways to satisfy that need..”
Local Gay Counselor
Perkins added, “I have this
fantasy where a room full of
gay people are questioning a
panel of heterosexuals and I
stand .up and j ask them when
they first noticed they were
straight.”
At the moment the
organizers are obtaining
required signatures on a
petition to achieve campus
group status. In the
meantime a small but vocal
group of non-gays sent an
open letter to the Alligator
accusing that newspaper of
becoming a ‘Gay Puppet’ for
allowing homosexual in
fringement by a supposedly
unbiased newspaper. In a
statement presented in the
form of an open letter the
group of non-gays
outrageously asserted, “It is
our belief even though the
gays do have the right to
solicit for equal rights, they
do not have the right to be
pretentious in their asser
tions and flood the student
newspaper with ludicrous
articles that affront our sense
of propriety. ’
WEST PALM BEACH: A
benefit held by Le Cabaret, a
popular gay disco, for the
Florida Atlantic University
GAY ACADEMIC UNION
was a fantastik success.
Well over 400 gay and non
gay people crowded into this
popular gay disco for the July
4tn benefit to experience a
Trip To The Moon which was
the theme of an extremely
well-performed floor show
performed on behalf of the
Gay Academic Union. The
benefit also achieved good
local media coverage of the
event, in the Palm Beach
Post, a newspaper serving
much of Palm Beach County.
BOCA RATON: At a recent
meeting of the F.A.U.
Chapter of the GAY
ACADEMIC UNION a
request was made by a
Young Socialist Alliance
organizer for tentative
sponsorship of his group on
the F.A.U. campus by the
G.A.U. The membership
took the request under co
nsideration and decided to
sponsor the group in its early
phases of organization. It
was agreed sponsorship
would be offered on a ten
tative basis as long as all
placards, posters, leaflets
mentioning the fact of
G.A.U. sponsorship also
made mention of the fact that
G.A.U. sponsorship does not
necessarily mean an en
dorsement of the socialist
ideology. During the
discussion on sponsorship it
was pointed out that G.A.U.
should maintain its in
dependence as a single issue
organization. That single
issue being based around the
realities of gay liberation.
During the discussion light
was made of the fact that the
Y.S.A. has given support to
the gay liberation movement.
The basic Y.S.A. position is
that the central core of gay
liberation is the fight for full
dignity for all human beings
without regard to their
sexual orientation and this
fight is supported by the
Y.S.A.
MIAMI: The Miami chapter
of Dignity, a gay catholic
organization, has reported
that a four part series on
homosexuality appeared in
the National Catholic
Reporter, a major publication
of the catholic ideology
within the United States.
Reprints of the article are
available from Dignity
International for a small
donation of $ .25 to cover
mailing fees. (Dignity
International, 755 Boylston
St., Room 413, Boston,
Mass. 02116) *
It was stated in the Dignity
Miami Newsletter that the
National Catholic Reporter is
getting a i good supply of
‘hate’ mail! as a result of the
series of: articles which
portrayed j the concept of
homosexuality with a
positive hue. It was urged
that individuals write to the
Catholic Reporter to thank
them for this timely and
courageous presentation.
(Catholic Reporter, P. O.
box 281, Kansas City,
Missouri 64141)
In an unrelated event it was
reported that the Miami
chapter of Dignity has
started a prison ministry and
hopes to coordinate a letter
writing program between
gay prisoners and those
individuals who would like to
correspond: with our brothers
and sisters so confined. For
more info contact: Prison
Ministry c/o Dignity Miami,
P. 0. Box 381736, Miami,
Florida 33138
NGTF Tea Dance Goes
Nation Wide
Well show you a good time and do it
in style-70 beautiful rooms to choose
from, a heated pool, restaurant,
four bars (including world famous
Stonewall Too), and rates everyone
can afford (a weekend for two costs
only $69.69).
8000 CLUKRESORT
MIAMI. FLORIDA
(306) 761-0831 (24 hour service)
FREE BAR GUIDE FOR
ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA
8000 CLUI/RESORT
8000 Biscayno Mvd., Miami, Fla. 33138
□ Yes, send me free guide and color brochures.
I am of legal age.
Name ,
Address.
City.
State.
NGTF News Release
NEW YORK - H Wayne
Bardy Entertainment, Inc.,
on behalf of the National Gay
Task Force, has announced
plans for the kick-off of
National Tea Dance, a
nationwide network of
simultaneous gay disco
dances which will benefit
NGTF Benefits, Inc. The
National Gay Task Force is
the leading institution
working for gay civil rights in
the U.S.A. The Gay Rights
National Lobby, Inc., in
Washington, D.C., will share
in the revenue from National
Tea Dance. Local Gay
community organizations
throughout the country also
have special opportunities to
participate in local revenue
sharing while unifying the
national community by
joining in National Tea
Dance on designated
“benefit nights”. Opening
night link-up is to occur on
September 12th, with several
cities starting preview
benefits in mid-August.
The idea for the am
bitious project was sparked
by the recent U.S. Supreme
Court case in which state
laws which prosecute and
imprison people for com
mitting certain consensual
adult sex acts were not
challenged. A portion of the
funds raised through the
weekly National Tea Dance
will be used to finance
further court confrontations.
Bruce Voeller, Co-Executive
Director of NGTF, explained
his support for the project:
“The gay population has a
continuing important in
fluence on the creative arts in
this country, especially
visible in the field of popular
music; and, in particular, in
the disco phenomenon, gay
tastes in music are being
picked up by the rest of the
community. Coming on the
heels of the Supreme Court
decision, which nas outraged
thinking people in and out of
the gay community, National
Tea Dance is one ideal way of
utilizing the energies of the
gay world to support gay
causes.”
The plan for a national,
simultaneous event has its
roots in the successful
Sunday Evening tea dance
being held at the Eagle bar in
New York each Sunday for
the past year which has
benefited the National Gay
Task Force. It was an instant
success and continues to
draw hundreds of people and
make hundreds of dollars for
NGTF’s many gay civil rights
projects each week. Now',
the tea dance (named for the
5:00 p.m. dances held each
Sunday on Fire Island) will
go national, with music by
New York’s D.J., Roy Thode.
Each Sunday evening,
beginning September I2th,
participating bars and discos
around the country will go
“boogie” and play,
simultaneously, the coun
try’s top disco sounds.
Participating locations in
Boston, Miami, New
Orleans, Chicago, Los
Angeles, and San Francisco
are scheduled for kick-off
with additional sites in
Washington, D.C., Atlanta,
Chattanooga, and Houston
expressing interest in the
project. The tea dance,
scheduled to be held on
subsequent Sundays, after
link-up will increase its
network of cities to include
university and college
campuses that are
represented by .gay com
munity organizations.
Guests will contribute $2.00
at the door to dance, party,
and support a leading gay
rights organization, one of
the most effective in
changing attitudes and laws
in America today. NGTF
also serves as an information
clearing house for over 1,100
lesbian and gay groups.
Southeastern cities will
be participating in the Tea
Dance Program. Tea Dance
lounges in Atlanta, Bir
mingham, Chattanooga,
Baker Supports Gay Rights
ATLANTA - Elizabeth M.
(Betty) Baker, candidate for
Fulton County Probate
Judge, believes in the rights
of lesbian mothers to retain
custody of their children.
Among other duties the
Judge of the Probate Court
appoints guardians for
children. Ms. Baker, who is
Gay Pride continued from
page 1,
It is widely believed that
these exclusively white (with
one exception) businessmen
and church men are as in
terested in attacking Mayor
Jackson as in supressirig
gayness in Atlanta.
It is interesting to note
that during the Middle Ages
gay men were first called
“faggots” from the custom
of burning them with the
wood that was used to burn
witches and dissenters from
church doctrine. The church
itself never executed anyone
at that time, and it does not
execute people today;
however, it did condemn
them and turn them over to
file civil authorities, who
killed them. In these more
enlightened times the
government does not execute
people for their sexuality,
out the established churches’
condemnation seems to be
unchanged.
The Atlanta Jour
nal/Constitution was invited
said to be the only candidate
to participate in the Gay
Pride Parade, has stated that
whether or not a woman is a
lesbian has nothing to do
with her fitness as a mother.
Ms. Baker is running in the
August 31st run-off election
against Probst, and is
Number 9 on the ballot.
to but did not attend the
press conference kicking off
Gay Pride Week. Their only
story on the week’s events
was a colorful and somewhat
slanted article on the parade,
which was buried on the
seventh page of the second
section. The papers found
space on their front and
second pages to report
Citizens for a Decent
Atlanta’s attacks on Mayor
Jackson and on gay people.
A group of concerned
individuals made plans to
attend Wieuca Road Baptist
Church the following Sun
day, which was the 200th
anniversary of the Fourth of
July, and to bring to Rev.
Self’s attention how his
thoughtless actions were
hurting gay people.
However, the mayor’s office,
upon learning of this, asked,
through gay Community
Relations Commission/
member, Bill Smith, that no
action be taken against Rev.
Self or CDA.
Although much possible
action was difiised by this, a
Houston, Knoxville, and
Nashville will be announced
soon. Barb editor, and
NGTF board member, Bill
Smith is currently finalizing
plans for National Tea
Dances in Atlanta, Bir
mingham, and Chattanooga.
Negotiations with lounges in
Knoxville and Nashville are
also under discussion.
National Tea Dance has
its headquarters in New York
with regional and local
representatives throughout
the nation.: Additional
representation is presently
being sought;, any individual,
or organizations interested in
promoting the goals of
National Tea and NGTF are
urged to contact H. Wayne
Bardy Entertainment, Inc.,
at 200 Central Park South,
New York. N. Y, 10019. The
telephone number is: (212)
582-5240. This information
updates a preliminary
release which indicated that
the Islanders’ Club would be
a participant in this effort.
The Islanders’ Club is not
presently associated with the
National Tea Dance project.
H. Wayne Bardy, legally
trained, formerly in talent
management, formed a
consultancy firm after five
years with the William
Morris Agency, where he
headed the Special Services
Department with later moves
into commercial casting and
television packaging. His
organization: has branched
from freelance consultancy
work with a shipping line and
packager of talent tours for
South East Asian hotels, to
production and consultancy
in recreational packaging.
As a creative consultant, he
has advised on matters of
conceptual planning,
national coordination and
development of en
tertainment related projects,
such as the Islanders’
Renaissance Cruise of 1975,
and the Connecticut State
Trade Show. Mr. Bardy is
also consultant to the
Grapevine, a new travel
magazine.
solitary gay man found
himself unexpectedly alone
at Wieuca Rd. Baptist that
Sunday. He sat through yet
another of Rev. Self’s anti
gay harangues and a Fourth
of July sermon on Godliness
as reflected in the American
way of life. As he waited in *
the receiving line after the
sermon, he saw the good
Baptists of suburban Atlanta
standing in lines five and six
deep and over 20 feet long in
the not and muggy vestibule,
waiting to sign CDA’s
petition. Well dressed
elderly, middle aged, teem
agers and younger WASP’s
were obeying their minister’s
advice and applying the age
old Biblical injunctions to a
time and a place that prided
itself on being too busy to
hate. As the visitor ap-
g roached him, he saw^ that
ev. Self was a surprisingly
sophisticated man wno
showed a diplomatic, if
superficial, interest in each
of his parishioners and
visitors’ brief conversations.
Dr. Self turned his ruddy
face, and behind his black
rimmed glasses his eyes did
not blink as the solitary
visitor said, “Rev. Self, I
want to tell you that your !
actions against Gay Pride
Week are totally devoid of
Christian Clarify and un
derstanding, and that your
actions are nurting many gay
people.”
Continued oa page 14.