Newspaper Page Text
Florida Gay Liberation
News
by Joel M. Starkey , Mark
Behar, & Mark Silber
Tampa: At least a third of
'all Tampa area attorneys
favor the legalization of
sexual acts between con
senting adults. The Tampa
Tribune, a local
metropolitan newspaper,
sent questionaires to all 942
Tampa area members of
die Florida Bar, and
reported the results from
the 388 who responded.
On the question of
legalizing sexual acts
between consenting adults,
which includes homosexual
acts, 306 were in favor, 50
against and 34 had no
opinion. These findings
were published in many
Florida newspapers and
was considered good news
for the Florida Gay com-
rrunity.
Starke: A prisoner defense
fund has been setup on
behalf of William Dorman,
a prisoner within the
Horida State Prison located
in Starke, Florida. The
defense fund was named
for William Dorman who
lias been serving time for
charges of “Crimes Against
future” (Florida Statue
800.01) with consenting
partners and who has
carried on a courageous
crusade within the walls of
the Florida State Prison in
Starke to defend the rights
of prisoners who are
persecuted or taken ad
vantage because of their
gayness.
The WDDF’s projects
are going to focus on the
living conditions of
p*isoners, censorship of
incoming mail, parde board
procedures and all things
that deal with the con
finement of gay prisoners.
In one case of inhumane
treatment toward the gay
imprisoned population,
which was brought to the
attention of the funds’
organizers, a prisoner
accused of ‘deviant
behavior’ was sedated
heavily, tied up and bound
to a bed and left unat
tended for hours.
For more information of
this project write to:
William J. Dorman Defense
Fund, P.O. BOX 215, East
Brunswick, New Jersey
08816 or call (201) 249-
4134.
Gainesville: ‘Mirror Image’
is a new monthly
publication and is being
published by the
Gainesville Community
Service Center. In the first
issue Liz Williams
discussed the lack of female
visibility in the gay
movement after it was
noted that she is the only
woman on the board of
directors of the Florida
Coalition of Gay
Organizations. She stated
that “one of the greatest
cbstacles to visible women
working with the gay
movement was lesbian
separatism.”
However, concerning the
men she has worked with
within the gay movement
she noted, “the emotional
support and psychological
strength that I receive from
openly gay males is a
tremendous source of in
spiration, energy and love.
I sincerely wish 1 could
receive the same from my
sisters.”
Miami- The Dade County
Coalition of Humanistic
Rights for Gays was formed
recently with the sole
purpose of interviewing
candidates for the various
political offices within Dade
County. This group
received 40 written replies
and endorsed a slate of
favorable candidates for the
recent primary election.
The candidates which were
endorsed had indicated
their support of consenting
adult laws, equal em
ployment, fair housing and
other gay rights legislation
at the local and state level.
For more information on
this ' group write: Dade
County Coalition for
Humanistic Rights for
Gays, P.O. BOX 1976,
_Mami Beach, Florida 33139
Jacksonville: In a letter to'
F.G.L.N., Marty Hicks, the
Resident of the Gay
Alliance for Political Action
reports that G.A.P.A, has
established good repoire
(rapport) with the
Jacksonville area media and
that three radio shows have
been done by gays within
the past few months,
In the same letter,
Marty informs us that Bob
Kunst and the “Show On
the Road” committee plans
to ‘zap’ Jacksonville
sometime in October.
Gainesville: For the first
time in the newspapers 70
jear history, an openly gay
person heads the University
of Florida student
newspaper, The Florida
Alligator. Brian Jones
“came out” to his staff
recently after being named
editor of the sixth largest
circulation college
newspaper in the country
with a circulation of 28,000.
“I decided at this point
that there was no longer
nger
that
any reason to believe
my homosexuality could be
an impediment to me since
I achieved what I wanted to
achieve in college,” Jones
told the Advocate
newspaper. “I was sur
prised now well the staff
took it. They respected me
as a journalist and my sex
life was amply something
that didn’t phase, them.
(Reprinted from Gay
Community News - Boston,
Massachusetts)
Ft. Lauderdale: Two
months ago Florida Gay
liberation News reported
that the Upstairs Bar of the
Tangerine Disco had
reversed it’s discriminatory
policy of excluding women.
In a telephone conversation
with the President of the
Gay Academic Union of
Horida Atlantic University,
the Manager of the
Tangerine stated that
women would be allowed in
the Upstairs Bar.
It has now been learned
that the Upstairs Ba.r is
prohibiting women again.
Members of G.A.U. are
opposed to this policy
because they feel it is a
blatant and outrageous
form of the social disease
known as ‘sexism’. It was
also noted that the only
pool table and pinball
machine are in this area of
the Disco. Members of the
GA.U. are now considering
taking more militant action
to bring an end to this
manifestation of sexism.
Hally wood: Letters were
recently sent to all Florida
State legislators located in
South Broward County by
the Stonewall Committee, a
gay liberation organization
active in this area of the
state. The letters were
brief and to the point in
asking legislators their
positions on: (a) legalizing
sexual acts between con
senting adults, and; (b) the
inclusion of the term
‘sexual / af feet ion al
preference’ in ril state laws
in order to provide anti-
discriminatory protection for
gays.
One Representative,
David Lehman, responded
quite favorably and took the
initiative to bring the
matter to three important
state legislative com
mittees... the Rehabilitative
Gbmmittee of both houses,
the Judiciary-Criminal
Cbmmittee, and the
Criminal Justice Com-
nittee.
“The LIBERATION OF
HOMOSEXUALS CAN
ONLY BE THE WORK OF
HOMOSEXUALS
THEMSELVES”
Disconnection
from page 10
continued
to our readers. Remember
“Tommy Dorsey”? Add a
disco beat to his style of
music, and you have “Dr.
Buzzard’s Original
Savannah Band”. He’s
really pushing a couple of
cuts from the recording:
“Sour & Sweet”, and “I’ll
Play the Fool”, Buster
also recommends Carol
Douglas’ new release
‘ ‘ Midnight Love Affair’ ’.
We want to thank everyone
at the Zodiac Lounge for
their hospitality and
especially Jerry Jones their
manager. From SKIP & T.C.
“It’s been fun!”
EQUIPMENT NEWS
In the area of Disco
equipment, not many new
products have been an
nounced since this sum
mer’s Consumer Electronics
Show, but rumors and
promises of new items still
nrn high. GLI will soon be
shipping their new mixer
will be as inexpensive, easy
to use and reliable as its
predecessor. Informed
sources say the new 3880
s* C”7uide 1976
The World’s Most Widely
Circulated Lesbian Guide To
Women’s Lounges and
Organizations
Only $5.00
Send your name r address and check
or money order to
Oscar Wilde South Bookstore,
40 Peachtree Place NW Atl,GA.30309
11 >■ THE BARB, October 1976
Coalition forms
actually sounds good, which
is far more than anyone can
say about a new high
quality super-power am
plifier due from ESS, using
revolutionary design called
“current source”.
A new product to
American markets is the
Ditton 66 loudspeaker from
the renown company
Celestion of England. This
^stem, first sold in the
early seventies in Europe,
is being pushed for the Hi-
Fi Market, but is really
hcredible for its intended
use as a professional
nrmitor system. One. noted
Atlanta Based disco
designer has plans to install
eight of these beauties in a
rery popular South * Florida
Resort Hotel’s Disco. That
diould be some sound!
Randy Tomlinson,
mother fine Atlanta audio
designer, has told us of
[Ians to replace speakers in
Joe’s/Backstreet Lounge
with some highly
customized units he
designed using JBL
components. Randy feels
these units will end the
reliability problems he has
foced with the old GLI
speakers and will give Joe’s
©me of the finest sound in
the country.
The Sweet Gum Head
has recently spent
Bbaucoup dollars getting
their sound together...and
is it ever together now!
Steve Park of Advanced
Tech Services had the cast
serving pirouettes Ala’
Chrte after he installed the
Gumhead’s new Dyna
Stereo 400, soundcrafts
man 20-12A Equalizer,
Stanton 680 EL disco duty
cartridges and sensational
hybrid Altec/JBL speaker
systems. D.J. Michael
Dbllins reports hot audience
response to the improved
reund. See, good sound
does make a difference!
MIAMI: A group of
political gays from nine
different organizations of
the Miami area met as an
adhoc group to form a gay
viable - voting bloc for the
September 7 primaries in
their county.
This adhoc group, Dade
County Coalition of
Humanistic Rights for
Gays, sent a humanistic
and rights for gays
questionare with an ac-
companing letter an
nouncing a screening in
terview to over 200 can
didates.
The response far sur
passed any members ex
pectations. Twenty two
candidates came to the
screening interview with 36
more returning
questionare, total
favorable.
Frank Powell opened his
febulous new County Seat
Disco Lounge recently with
Mblntosh Amplifiers and
speakers.,.But not for long!
Frank found out the hard
way not to believe Hi-Fi
manufacturer's claims about
their products suitability for
dsco useage. Now County
Seat jumps to a system
made up of Sony Tables,
Stanton Cartridges, a sound
workshop mixer, a TEAC
tape deck, a Riaselinear
430 amplifier ana JBL 1-
200B loudspeakers. Now
Hank, if you’s just add an
equalizer to take that Mid-
li range “rasp” out of
those L-200’s.., D.J. Greg
Gawson mixes well on this
fine system, so if you’ve
not been, check it out!
It’s too bad that since
Mrthers closed, no gay
Atlanta area dsco has any
spectacular lighting system.
From all of this input
and hours of debates and
discusions the DCCHRG
formulated an endorsed
candidate list for the Dade
County primaries to be
hand distributed in all gay
establishments in the
M ami area.
The DCCHRG is_ com
prised of representatives
from Alliance for Individual
Rights, Transperience
Center, Center for Dialog,
lambda 76, Dade NOW
Lesbian Task Force,
Dignit^Miami,
Evangelical sConcerned-
Miami, and Thebans M.C.-
Miami.
The caolition plans an
extensive awareness
campaign to get the gay
community to vote as a
bloc.
We’ve heard that
Raleigh’s Capital Corral is
soon opening a new back
room disco called “Glitter
Gulch” which will feature
the hottest lighting around
anywhere in addition to a
dynomite sound system
using equalized Klipschoms
powered by Crown Amps,
dso designed by Advanced
Tech Services. We’ll be
gping up' for the grand
opening, so well let you
Inow more, about this one
next month! We’ll soon
dart test reviews on new
equipment arid be able to
report on both “The
Winners” and “The Dogs”
as new items become
available. Got any
technical questions you’d
like to see answered in this
column? Just drop us a
line to “Disconnection”,
ofo THE BARB, P.O.BOX
7922, Atlanta, Georgia
30357
the
56
410 North Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, Florida /
Phone (305) 425-7571
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