Newspaper Page Text
2-THE BARB* April 1977
| Editor’s Notebook
John Lewis
Mar ge Thurmon received over 1500 votes in her race
for’ congr ess placing her a distant fifth in a field of
twelve candidates, the smallest gay lounge in Atlanta
has more than 1500 patrons on any given weekend and
the lar ger ones on any given day of the week.
We wer e fortunate in that eight of those candidates
were supportive of gay rights. Hopefully Ms. Thur-
mon’s vote total is not indicative of either gay voting
strength or the labor force which also endorsed her
campaign.
Now there are only two candidates and the choice is
clear John Lewis will represent us in congress. Wyche
Fowler will not just ask him.
Your vote is a must. Fowler is in the lead with wide
name represenatives and a well organized company.
Your vote is crucial to the election of John Lewis. One
of the men will vote on an important ammendment of
the 1964 civil rights act extending protection to gay
people. Wyche Fowler will vote NO and John Lewis
will vote YES.
Your’ vote on April 5th will decide who will get to
cast that very important vote.
White House ;
On Saturday, March 26, an historic meeting will take
place. Thirteen gay men and women will begin a
series of discussions with the Carter Administration
on issues vital to gay people. The delegation will be
headed by National Gay Task Force ( NGTF ) co
executive directors, Jean O’Leary and Bruce Voeller.
The gay men and women in this delegation ( see story
on page ) are professionals chosen for their skills in
dealing with the specific issues that will be discussed
with various federal officials and agencies.
If you have ever considered joining NGTF or
donating money to gay civil rights - this project could
be as crucial to gay people as President Truman’s
decision to desegregate the Armed Service. Think
about it... Would it be a shame to let $20 or $10 stand
between you and the security of your job?
Mail your check to; White House Conference c-o
National Gay Task Force, 80 5th Ave., Room 506, New
York, New York 10011.
Discrimination
No fats, girls, drags, niggers, etc. That’s the
subject of David Aiken’s excellent article in the
Advocate Issue 212. Atlanta and much of the South can
be relatively proud of its record on non
discrimination. Gay people discriminating against
other gay people is a futile self discrimination that can
not help us in our drive toward political equality. I
hope you will read the article and weep.
Discriminatory door checks of black patrons in
Atlanta do not exist in Atlanta today. This has not
always been the case. Our political alliance with
blacks and other minorities (even the Republican
minority) is a stepping stone to our success. Let’s
remain mindful of that fact.
Letters
Editor:
I find I can no longer
remain i lent on the issue
of Miss Anita Bryant and
her campaign against
gay people. It seems to
me that she as well as her
followers are over
reacting to a lot of
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misinformation. As a
man who happens to be
homosexual I think I
understand my life style
better than she.
Myself nor any of the
hundreds of homosexual
people I know have any
ctesire ; to recruit her
children or anyone else’s
to the gay life. I, like she,
believe- s ‘in God> She
constantly quotes the
Bible but seems to forget
about “love thy fellow
man” and “thou shalt not
bear falseyvitness”.
There is good and bad
in all factions of society.
I’m sure that there are
homosexual men who
prey on the young, but
I’m also sure that there
are heterosexual men
who prey on young girls
and turn them into
prostitutes and junkies.
Isn’t it the same thing, no
matter what the sexual
preferance of the in
dividual?
Homosexuals do not
produce other
homosexuals, parents
and society do. No one yet
khows what makes us the
way we are, except for
Miss Bryant. To her it’s
quite obvious that we
were recruited as
children by those of our
kind. She’s ignorant of
the facts and uses a very
effective kind of poison.
We defile the nations
children.
It’s a proven fact
(which can be verified
through psychological
studies and records) thgt
most child molesters are*
hetreosexual and not the
other way around. I
would no more steer a
child toward
homosexuality than I
would push him in front of
a truck. I would suggest
that all anyone should do
for children is instill good
moral values, 1 proper
pareptal. examples, tjhe
concept of right and
wrong, and hope for. the
bested ?
Most children have
homosexual experiences
sometime in their
-childhood. It’s part of the
natural process called
growing up. Of course
most children grow out of
these periods and becoirie
heterosexual adults. The
few of us who do not are
subjected to ridicule;
misunderstanding, hate;
and discrimination at all
levels of human existance
for the rest of our lives. In
employment, housings
personal liberties, and
almost every other right
our birth gives us, we as a
group or individually,
lose out. ; I
What I want are the
rights and priviledges my
country and my con
stitution guarantee me.
Specifically, I want the
right to live out my life as
I see fit and with relative
freedom as long as I hurt
no one else or infringe
upon the rights of others?
. If‘Miss Bryant wants
to start a campaign to
prosecute, through the
law and the courts,
.anyone, homosexual $r
;heterosexual, ' .wh(J
;molests or recruits
children into sexual act£,
I will be strongly on hf*r
:Side. But she lumps us all
together as the
destroyers of children. I
object.
Please Miss Bryant,
redirect your campaign
toward the people who do
- defile children, straight
* and gay, not against
* homosexuals as a group,
I before we as %elf as yjlu
, inflict any more wounds
H upon one another.
May God judge us on
„ our individual.meri,t,s and
not as you have done.
May we also learn to live
Continued on page 5
Join the People of NGIF
• W 9u TaKi n
photo: Kay Tobin
Barbara Gittings
HOME: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
PROFESSION: Gay speaker, Bibliographer, Editor.
OTHER INTERESTS: Singing, Hiking, Canoeing,
Mystery and Detective Stories, Old Movies.
MOST RECENT ACHIEVEMENT: Appointed to
Pennsylvania Governor’s Council for Sexual Minorities.
PROFILE: Still smiling after after 17 years of battle for
the cause, this dynamic and versatile woman rejoices
especially in haying sparked gay groups in the :
professions, and in reaching out to isolated gay people.;
QUOTE: "Those of us who can afford to be visible have'
a special message for the millions who can't be: . - -
Courage, folks, because those of us who are out are
oiling the closet door hinges as fast as we can!"
MEMBER: The National Gay Task Force
REASON: "If we gay people don’t work together to end
prejudice and discrimination directed against us, no one
else is going to do it for us."
NGIF
National Gay Task Force, Rm. 506, 80 Fifth Ave.,
New York, N.Y. 10011, Tel.: (212) 741-1010
Yes, I would like to join NGTF. Enclosed is my contribution, fbr:
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