| Transcript |
free!
summer 1979 vol. 3 , no. 9
Verdict against Driskill
Gay victory r• n court
J,,'IJJTOR'.'i SOTF.'. As this issu, oj
(;ay Austin u·as qmnq 1,, pri .,s. thf'
Ca/mr.-t disco 11,,s found guilty of twlat•
111.Q lht nt11 s ord/nm,cc and fi,u d $200.
Th, m uuirtpal court Jury rmnposed of
thr,,,, tronu·u (111d thret men took fr.1ts
Ihm, half"" h1111r to ri·arh its 1·,-rdict
that //1, d1srn ·s h1111.si rul1 aqain.,t same~,
J da11n11q 11ofoff.s th, .. pubhr ucrom •
mmlotious .. urdi11nt1n.
Thi· romplaint against the Cabaret bar
nt th,• Driskill Hotel for discriminating
against patrons on the basis of sexual
oriental ion 1s 1•xp1·rl!•d to tw heard in
mumripnl ,·uurt Jul} 10.
Thi• spc·r1f1t· s,•tt1ng oft h1• trial is st ill
pt'ndmg," explained Woody Egger, who
has clos1•ly monitored the complaint's
progress. "In any case, 11 is expected to
go hc•fore a iurv trial.'"
The manngement of the Cabaret is
charged with expelling two couples for
mg m ame x d nrini: a the
club floor ,n Fehruarv 1978. An ord1
nanc1· passed by the city council before
that time prohibits discrimination
against gays in public places. If found in
violation of the ordinance, the club faces
a maximum fint> of $200.
Tht• elub had rhallenged the validity
of the ordinanee and the case was
srht•duled to be heard in district court
last month. However, at the beginning of
Jun,•, the Cabaret dropped its injunction
against the rity and opened the way for a
trial on the farts of the ease in muniripal
rourt.
Matthew Coles, a San Francisro at
torney who has worhd with Gay Rights
Advocates in helping draft similar ordi
Math, u Cole.,, the qa!I rigl.ts acti n st
from Sari Fm, cisco ,m hand 111 .4ustm
for th, lrinl, ca/1,•d th, ens, the first ,,,-
1l.1 kind in th, rmrnlr1/ u ·h,r1 th, ts s11e
of" thscn m uullion ro11~rr1u d a person\
·" ;ru,,I pr,/1 rt nc,•
lJrt•k1/I atlor111 y Mark L, 1·barg said
hi 11·011/d u , k 11 11 app1 al ,m th, grounds
that the ordwrrnce ts ""lmJ mgue tu
t'U/orn . "
nances in other cities, was scheduled to
come lo Austin in June for the trial.
Coles is primarily concerned with
defending the ordinance from any con
•titutional challenges, such as the
Cabaret's injunction
"This is one of the first test casf's of
surh an ordinance anywhere." Egger
said. "It's certainly the first ofits kind in
T1•xns." Neither Houston nor Dallas
havr similar laws to protect the rights of
gays. Austin b th<' only citv with ordi-n
V> u rant th, r , ii
rights in the areas of employment and
publir accommodations.
"At the time (the alleged offense was
committed), the Cabaret officials were
told that there was an ordinance and
there would be a complaint filed," Egger
added. Three of the four complainants
11lan to he present when the case is
heard in court.
The Cabhret's defense, Egger ex•
plained, is that sexual orientation, as
defined in the ordinance, is ''am
biguous." "'They claim that they are not
disrriminatmg against gays, since het1·r
osexuals rannot engag1• in same·st•x dan
ring 1•ith1•r."
Celebrants on Town Lake tor all-day festivities May 26.
Marchers convene
NEW YORK - Organizers for the
National March on Washington for
Lesbian and Gav Rights are convening
in Heu lo. Ju · for ati I con
fereuce to finalize plans for the October
14 event.
Delegates from all regions of the
country, representing the ethnic com
position of their areas, will attend the
conference, said Ray Hill. co-chair of the
national logistics committee. "Such a
nationally representative body can
guarantee the March on Washington
s11eaks from the heart of the American
lesbian and gay population," Hill said.
A national transportation network has
alri·ady b1•1•n announr('d by march or
ganizt•rs. A press release from the :,.;e"
York offire outlines 11lans for a 24 hour
toll free information line, as well as
po ters and other informative materials
to be distributed nationan,. A logast1i,s
office will soon be ·et up in Washington
torna e the publit1t) effort.
A support staff wdl monitor ma.tth
transportation arrangements for some
50 locales. A computer system will keep
the office up to date In arranging rides
and c rpools. The office will also assist in
arranging transportation by air, bus and
rail, but warns that from many locales
comtnl'rcial services are already booked
solid.
Persons interested tn helping organ•
1ze the transportation effort should con
tact the :>,;ew York office, which is coordinallng
the effort until the office m
Washington is •et up. The ?\·ew York of
fice phone number is !2121924-29i0.
Delegates to gather here in August
Organizers for the sixth annual state
wide gay ronferi·nre are expecting a
largn turnout than ev!'r before and are
scheduling an ambitious program for the
400 delegates 1•xp('rted here next month.
Texas Gay Conff'ri•nce \'I. sponsored
by the Texas Ga) Task Force. is slated
for th1• wrt·kend of August 17 19 at the
Sheraton Crest Hotel in downtown
Austin. A wide varil'ly of workshops
havl' been srheduled and two nationallv
rt>cogniz!'d gay, spokesp!'rsons plan to
att,•nd. The featured speakers for this
year's ronference include Leonard
Matlovi<-h, "ho has worked lo reverse
discrimination against gays in the armed
forrl's and is presently a eandidate for
dty su1wrvisor from San Frannsro',
P11t 811nd 111 one ofh, r s tagc roles
11rcdominantly gay district; and Pat
Bond, a Bay Art>a actress and comedian
who is hest known nationally among the
gay community for her appearance in
the film, "Word Is Out." Recently, Bond
has gained rerognition for her one•
woman inter11retations of Gert rude
Stein and Colette.
''We're organizing our workshops into
three pniods with five to six workshops
per 111·riod," Woody Egger, coordinator
for the conference, said. The workshops
will rover diverse topics, ranging from
leg-al questions ,ind child custody to
physical h1•alth rare and a report on the
lobbying effort at thi, state legislature.
Olht•r ,ubjerts in,·lude sessions on "'lifestyles,"
fund raising, prohlPms of adolesrt•
nt gays, historv and roots of gays in
Tex.is, and "'transpeopl,•."
Two additional "orkshops will deal
with how gays have been depicted in
puhh\'. life and on stag<', srreen and tele
vision, and how gay organizations and
individuals can devl"lop elfecti\•e work
ing relationships with the mass media
and ensure the most favorable treat•
ment possible.
Io addition lo the "orkshop sessions,
Egger hopes to schedule a caucus period
-.. h1cb will not connict "ith the ,. ork
shops. "It will be a sort of coalition building
session," Egger explained. Bond and
:11atlovich will address conference delegates
at Saturday night's banquet. A
short busines, mel'tmg for the confer•
ence is also planned for Sunday morning.
The pre registration fee for delegates is
$20, which include the co l of the ban
quet and a get acquainted party at the
Sheraton Friday evening. Registrations
at the door will be $25.
Inquiril's may be addre sed to the
Texas Gay Task Force, P 0 . Box 91,
Austin, TX 78767, or intere,ted persons
can rail Gay Community Sen ices at 477-
6699.
2 gay austin ______________ _
Gallup polls teens on gays
Attitudes toward ga) s have not
changed a great deal among the younger
generation. according lo a recent Gallup
poll survey.
The Institute for Public Opin10~
polled 1,115 teenagers on a variety ol
topics and found that their opinions ol
gays did not differ s11:nificantly from
those of lhe,r parents. Only 39% ap
pro, ed of gays as preachers and min
isters and 38% ,.ere sympathetic toga,
doctors.
But. 73% of the teenager· said they
,. ould rather see a gay behind a sales
counter or in the armed forces. the
survey d scovcred
A maJor1t, of the teenagers polled
55% thought t all right for gays
servmg n the armed forces. l1S% for
tearhmg college student . 12% for
teach, h h hool students and 37%
chool •e ching positions.
n o, erall more tn eranl
w th n bo , and st er.ts v.1th a
higher a adem stand.ng expressed
more fa> orab e .i t1tude owards ga vs.
0 n e uoled , he pol fr, m
a s1xtee e r d g1r from El zabeth
o" n KY· I t d see whal differ
ence a persons sex I .fe has to do w th
the r b p enc . Of c ur e, 1 he
paraded their homosexuahtJ you
know. made a big dea of 1t publicly I'd
Just as soo no have them teaching
httle ktds · In other words, the teens
hke the r parents - don't mmd what we
do m our bedrooms bi,t .
Look who's
:S:ot that tt surprises anyone, but na
tionally syndicated columnist Ann
Landers still refuses to budge from her
position that homosexuality is a pathological
disorder.
Quotmg her column of June 4: "My
position is unchanged and I shall repeat
1t, I believe homosexuality is a dysfunction
- a deviation from the normal. In
mv opm1on, given a choice, the 'normal'
quotes are hersl person will select as the
obJect of his ts1cl sexual expression a
member of the opposite sex."
Mmng herself even further, Landers
contmued, "Those who prefer as sexual
partners members of their OWN sex
ha, ea psychological problem . . Many
homo xuals. hoY.ever, are Y.eli ad
Ju••td prod c•1, e membl'rs of society
Th• v art• r.irel mo esters of ch1ldr ,
dnd shoulr. r. be denied cmp,oyment c
b s1 of their scxi:.il prefcn•nce"
Th nks. but O thanKs,Ann.
On the other side of the coin, Masters
and Johnson have been making the talk
show circuit recently, plugging their
new book, Homoaexualtty in Perapec
It e.
l ..,'TIN • pub •shed monthly by r.a Comm•Jn,ty Serv crs o ·
Y\IC A YV. C-\ 2330 r.aad Jpt,, Austin. Texas 78705.
" '(, y C mmun v ~erv.ce! Inc ude:
General Coordinator
P hhrat on C'•JOrdinator
Offce •~d Peer ( o "SP 1ng C'oord,nat, r
Med a cnord n tor
F ,a er ( nordinator
p,,aker fl re ('oordinalor
nsexpres edinGAYAlSTINarethose r1hewr1erored1tor
t ~• es r I those or Gav Comm unity Serv re<. the l "" erS1t v
Y'wl( A Y\\ ( A or the advert• ers Thr pubhrat on herein or any
per n • ame, portrait or photograph ,. not an 1nd1ca1 on or that
per on sex,31 or entat,on. All rontent• copvright 1979 bv r. A Y
Al ST!'- Materia mav he reprinted without prior perm1Ssion ,r
red,t g ven to GAY A l'STl!II
GAY Al Tl'- staff,
Gar Ree e
Gary Reese
(arr r g
Mana~•ng Ed11or
Nrv., Editor
Ad er11 g Manager
C'O TR!Rl'TOR \'IDCOl.l \I'll TS
rrrash, Be•t e Na lor, Tm O nger Rona d ~a,.ev
Reese
b <"a· on "ere, ~,d ':1 <"Omp 1n'° '1a 1onal and 1nttr
r h•is eofGA\Al Tl',
rHE Al ~TIN AMERIC'All< STATF. MAN Au•l ~ Hnuston
\I n rose ~ ar l Pl New ~nv1re
talking .
Dick Cavett devoted two 30·minute
programs to the sex researchers and
asked them what they considered to be
the most startling aspect of their study.
"The most important finding is that
there's absolutely no difference in the
facility to respond sexually," William
Masters remarked. "This is not unique
to heterosexuals, nor to men instead of
women."
Virginia Masters added that they had
found nothing to indicate that sexual
preference ts biologically determined.
"We don't think tthat there are born
homosexuals). We are all born sexual
beings, and we have to stop there. We
learn sexuality - homosexuality as well
as heterosexuality."
Cavett asked ironically how anyone
cou d have a doubt about someone like
I Truman Capote Masters retorted that
"usmg body style, pitch of voice, or
areas of interest as n means of deter
mmmg llOmosexuaht) 1s a cultural rn·s
lake"
Donahue also hosted Masters and
Johnson for two consecutive programs.
staging the second before a predomi
nantly gay audience ID Chicago. This
proved to be a more heated exchange
than the Cavett programs, since the
audience was able to query the sex re
searchers with Donahue moderating and
interJect1Dg his own views.
While one gay wondered if the study's
overall positive view on homosexuality
would prompt an anti·gay backlash,
another straight woman was concerned
that the book's findings would encour•
age youngsters to "go the easy way."
There seemed to be little consensus
about the book's reception or its after•
effects. Johnson reiterated their contention
that homosexuality is nol pathological.
"Gays come from loving families.
There is no reason to presume that
repression at home inevitably results in
homosexuality," she added. "What we
have been attempting to do over the
years is to understand sexual function·
Ing m order to learn how to treat sexual
dysfunctioning. On the topic of sexual
functioning, Masters commented,
"There I~ no question that, in compari
son to heterosexual couples, committed
homosexual couples spend more lime
and care ID effective sexual approach.''
Johnson added, however, that "we
express our sexuality infinitely and to a
greater degree outside the bedroom
than in 1t."
When asked whether th y feared
their research would be m•sun<lerstood
and, that bcmg the case "hether such
research should even be publicized,
Masters defended h1msC'lf and his col
league and wife, saying, "The media" ill
always go after the lo" est common de
nominator I couldn't care less. We have
to report research whethrr it is misunderstood
or not."
\\{)I-L ~ l+,' ()()
Austin's ONLY Women's Bar it)
WE ARE NOW OPEN TUES · FRI
FROM 4 PM UNTIL 2 AM
SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS FROM 2PM UNTIL 2AM
for your afternoon enjoyment
Disco Dancing
HAPPY HOUR
TUES.-FRI. 4 to7
• Backgammon
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· Pool
· Pinball
·Cards
KEG PARTY at 2:00
EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON
AVAILABLE MONDAYS FOR PRIVATE PARTIES
Reports Statewide __ surnmer 1979 ___ 3~
TV evangelist back
DALLAS - An area evangelist whost• tell'vision
program was cancelled February 25 wht•n hi' airl'd a
program critical of gay "lifestyles" may bt• hark on
t ht• air within a week.
Jamt•s Robinson's program was ranrl'lled by
WFAA TV in Dallas after tht• station had rer,•iv.-d
num,•rous protests about lhl' Februarv 25 teh•,·asl.
The station cited the Fairnl'ss Doclrin,• as grounds
for th,• ranrellation.
"Wl' nl'vn objected lo his being on lht• a,r," said
Louis<' Young. president of the Dallas Gay Political
Caurus. "We objerted to his derogatory us<' of homosexuality
in a political context." For his part. Rohm
son said he would ht• sensitive to anv hroadt"aster's
position in the "hotseat of publir skepticism,"
WFAA TV Gl'neral Manager Dave Lant• said that an
agrt•t•m!'nt had been rearhed. but that the dall• of
Robinson's return to the airwaves was not yet
finaliz!'d, The agreement allows the station lo pre
view Robinson's shows prior lo airing.
Robinson said that he doubted the February 25
program would be broadcast 'again. "I would never
ht• so unkind as to try lo make a reque~l like that,"
ht• said.
Perry visits Austin
AlXrI~ The Rev. Elder Trov Il. Perrv ad
drt•sst·d a rrowd of 80 people' at th
0
t' Metropolitan
Communilv Churrh of Austin Junt• 1. l'errv is thl'
fnundl'r a~d moderator of 1h1• l'niversal Fl'llowship
nf !\IPtropolitan Communit v Churcht•s and rt•r•·ntlv
rt·n•i\'t·d t ht• Humanitarian ·Award of th!' Gay H1ghi°s
C'hapt1•r nf the American Civil Lih1•rt1t•s Union.
"H1·,. P,•rry's message• was r1•nll'rl'll on 'For Surh
a T1m1• As This' and romhiOl•d th,• histor.v of gavs
"'it h t h1•1r nt•{'(l to unit!' in Christ and Christian
pfforls," said Candant'l' ;'la"hilt. pastor nf tht• loe·al
1CC. "HPv. Perry ralh•d p<'opll' not only out of thl'
do~wts of s(•xualit,. hut also out of tht·ir c·losc•ts of
Christian lwlil'fs a~d hat'kgrounds tn fight the• hat t 1,·
to vidory as whole human ht.'ings and as matun\
('hrostians."
2828 RIO GRANDE/AUSTIN
478 0??4
I NTRANU IN 11f AR
Stet·e Shiflett and Larry Bagn, ris t.sti•
f!(ing before the US. Civil Rights Com•
mission. Photo courtesy Houston PosL
Assault bill killed
In House committee
Al'STIN A rontroversial bill lo change the
definition of rape in the Texas Penal Code died in
House committee in May when the state legislature
adjourned.
The bill would have allowed rharges lo be filed in
ease of homosexual assault. -..hich is not covered bv
lht• present la" . The bill had already won approv~I
of the Senate in April. passing with a vote of 19 7 on
its serond reading and finally adopted with a voice
vote.
"The real thrust of the hill is that it would make ,t
t•as11•r for jurors to convirt." said Kath, Bonner of
the• Texas Woml'n's Politiral ('aurus. Tht· hill would
have eliminated the word "rape" from the slate
r.-nal code and suhstilutrd th!' word "assault." hut
-..ould ha,e retained tht' sam,• 1wnaltit•s for the
offense.
Controversy has renlered on a provision allowing
spouses and ro-habilanls lo be charged under the
Houston GPC before
Civil rights hearing
HOlJSTO:'li Gay Po t.ca Ca 1cus President
Steve Shiflett told a U.S. Civil Rights Commission
June 12 that he had proof of at least 100 harass•
ments of gays by police.
Shiflett submitted a list of the alleged violations
during the hearings on the Univt>rsity of Houston
rampus. The cases. all occurring within the past
eight months, involve exressive police forre. verbal
harassment, perjured lestimon)' and one alleged
murder cover-up. The commission's June meeting is
a prelude lo full sealed public hearings September
10-12 in response lo rharges of alleged p, ,· ice misron
duct.
Shiflett said fe" of the ra,es had ever been
referred to the police department"s Internal Affairs
Di"ision because files ha\!' had a habit of disappear
ing or officers have ,·hanged their reports.
Police Chief Harn- Caldwell and other officers
also presented evidence before the commission.
involving officers as far back as 1970. Representatives
of the Mexican-American rommunitv also
appeared at the hearings. ·
proposed law. In the Senate. the sponsor of the
measure, Gene Jones of Houston. agreed to amend
ments which eliminated the special provision. The
present law also precludes spouses and live-in males
from filing rape charges against one another.
"Every body has lost their enthusiasm since the
special provision has been taken out," Bonner explained.
Several state·. among them Pennsylvania
and ~tichigan, have already changed their defini·
lions to "sexual assault," but none lo Massault.'" as
the proposed bill would haH done.
"The reasoning behind the bill was that by
changing the name lo 'assault' more women would
have reported it," Bell\ :,.;aylor, lobb~ist for the
Texas Gay Task Force, explarned. She added that
the Task Force did not take a stand on the bill.
"Ont> of the oldest argum,•nt, "e've heard since
the movement was begun lo revise the rape laws is
that women are -.. illing until they change their
mmds, and tht•n theJ'll hnllt>r rape," Naylor said.
"They (the legislalorsl wanlt•d lo separate the
stranger who rapes or assaults."
~\\':)TIN.id,~~
~ ~'JJll.i3~f..~ ~~ . ~~cou\\\" . nd . . . .
LoI GHTn eSwH0e\s1t1 ·· ·• .· •· '. ·. · .• .· ~ I . •, ·•. • . • •
--.. .. ., . ..,,.,_..: .~ '.::- :.?: :!) :_\:::_-: :=.: \··. ....
. · .· ::·. ·.: ·•. . ·"\ . , .. ··· N€W ·
: : •• •·., ·. QNuoietw Be~r ·_•"!'., -- · -·· ·
472-04. .~.:..·.·
705 RED RM lt
705 RED RIVER 471-0418
4 ga>· austin _____ _
Viewpoints
Legislative overv•i ew
Compiled from Texas Gay Task Force lobby reports
As the 66th session of the Texas Legislature adjourned, Texas gays
felt success and pride that for the first time wt• maintained an advocate
in the Capitol during one of the worst sessions in legislature history.
Our advocate. Bettie :--;'aylor, found a willingness on the part of law
maker, to talk openly and hom•stly about matters of concern to gays in
Texas. I.a" makers are giving us an ear as they come to know more
about u, Having an active and e\'er present lobby in the recent
session clearly establishes our gro" ing strength and ability to raise
the funds that will ensure us a, oice int he future.
Our goal during the 66th session "as to ward off anti gay legislation
and to lay groundwork for protectivP IPgislation in future sessions. We
were "ell aware that lawmakers and Capitol observers had many
questions and our intent was always lo put forth a professional e££ort
that would causP them to question their ill conceived myths about us.
For instance, the right-wingers havt• suggPsted we would amend the
Equal Rights Amendment to include st•xual prPference.
During this session, bills were introduced to ban poppers, raise the
state's drinking age from 18 to 19 years, and put an outright ban on
bars which permit ''sexually oriented conduct." The bill to ban pop
pers, sponsored by Rep. Polumbo of Houston, £ailed, in part because
Naylor picked up on the legislation when first introduced. The Human
Rights Advocates alerted manufacturers, distnbutors and retailers.
"ho in turn contacted members of the subcommittee on drug-related
legislation. Naylor talked with Polumbo and found he lacked know!
edge about the actual effects of poppers. The bill finally died in sub
committee and never reached the House floor.
The bill to raise the state's drinking age, sponsored by .Senator
Mengden of Houston, passed the ~ en ate easily, but died in the Housp
Liquor Regulation subcommittee. Since gay bars and clubs are often
the first spot for younger gays and le bians to ocalize, the Human
Rights Advocates monitored the legislation closely. There seems to h,·
a movement afoot nationally to raise the age in other states. Although
the bill to ban "sexually oriented conduct" was aimed at all bars selling
alcoholic beverages. gay establishments would have had the respon
s1b1hty of prohibiting drag attire and same-sex dancing. The bill was
also inclusive enough to have affected dinner theaters. theater groups,
and non gay disco,. The efforts of the state' club owners and the
Advocate, helpl·d ensure that the bill ne\er had a hearing.
The Advocates successfully worked with coalition supporters to get
the Family and Domestic Violence bill on the House floor. The twelve
state centers already in existence accept gay and lesbian victims of
family violence. Attention was not drawn to this fact, since an amend
ment would surely have been added restricting acceptance of these
victims.
TGTF l,ohbyist Bettie .Va1Jlor.
Our greatest victory came April 23 when the Speakt•r of the House
sustained a point or order against further consideration of a section of
the budget which denied gay organizations on college campuses use of
meeting facilities and other campus services. Rep. Lalor of Houston
and Sl'n. Schwartz of Galveston carried thl' points or ordl'r and helped
us rpmove the discriminatory and unconstitutional addition to the
state's General Appropriations Bill.
Adding initiative and referendum powers to the state's Constitution
was opposed by the Human Rights Advocates and £aill'd final passage.
Since the Governor supports this l(•gislation, it will probably be in
<•ludt·d in his sp(•cial session call.
Early in the session, our Legislative Commitlt'l' d(•tl'rmin(•d to sel'k
active ponsorship and introduction of a bill to rl'peal Spc•tion 21.06 of
the Tt•xas l'Pnal Code. the "sodomy" statutt•, Lobbyist Naylor sear•
ched £or II sponsor, but found much unwillingn<•ss among fril'ndly law
makl'rs to do so. Rep. Sam Hudson of D,lllas would havt• introduct'd the
ml'a un• and worked with us in any "ay. llowevt'r, RPp. Washington of
Houston, who had introduced similar ll'gislation in the last two
sl'ssions. thought it futile. Rt'p. Ron Waters of Houston agn•ed and
advi ed us to hold of£ until we as a {'()mmunity and as a lobby lay the
necessary groundwork to se<"ure enough vnt,·s to pass such a mt•,1sure.
Tht• I.egi lat1"e Committee met again March B and decided
unanimously not to spek repeal in any form during tht> last session.
UltimatPlf our goal is to repeal 21.06 and l'VCnlually to pass prol1•c-tive
lcg1slat1on that guarantees e11ual opportunitil's and rights under thl·
law for gays and (pshians. Howl'ver, we must rt•illiZ<' that prt'paration
must come bpforp our big push to repPal. Rural law makPrs still havP a
lot lo say about what is done in tht• legislaturi•:'l'hrough interim work
nnd subsl'quent political campaigns, we ean substantially in<·rt•ast> our
chanrPs £or success in the £utun'. Education is the kt•y. among law
makers and our community. The test will romp whpn w(• must show
our numbers and overwhelmingly convinct• legislators that it is time to
protect the rights of all Texas citizens.
We urge you to join the Texas Gay Task Forrl' and support the
lobbying effort during this important interim period. Basic member
ships are $10 yearly. contributing ml'mh!'rships $25. Business mPmber•
ships are available upon request. Address all inquiri(•s to: P. 0. Box
2036, Universal City, TX 78148.
MEDIA WATCH initiated
By Jim Olinger
In response to the recent upswing in media use of terms such as
"homosexual torture ring" and "homosexual murderer," Gay Com
mumty. er vices is starting a .MEDIA WATCH campaign.
Although Elmer Wayne Henley has been convicted in his second
"Houston 'homosexual' torture-(feath plot" trial, his lawyers are
already promising a third. "Chicago 'gav' mass murderer" John Wayne
Gacy's trial will be coming up soon, too: Unless we fight it now. we can
look forward to a nearly unending stream of "murderous homosexual
child molester" images from the media.
We have the power to prevent this. Thanks to the efforts of the
.National Gay Task Force, the national media are now being
scrupulously careful to report the news in ways that don't feed
prejudice against gays. However, local news coverage, which does
much more to shape a community's attitudes. is rife with anti-gay
references.
We are calling on you to help encourage responsible reporting
towards gays in the Austin area. There are two things you can do when
you encounter anti-gay programming. First, call the station and
protest. I£ a radio or television or a newspaper receivt's several calls or
letters about offensive programming. they will usually try to stop it. A
phone call is a great method of curing an ignorant or careless an
nouncer. A letter takes more work and is lt•ss imml'diate, but pven·
tually reaches more people. Both are important.
After contacting the media. call us. The Gay Community Services
MEDIA WATCH program is now collecting evidence of anti-gay
reporting. I£ you see or hear any "homosexual killer" rpferences, or
any other material prejudicial to g~s. such as the routine denuncia•
tions on some of the religious broadcasts, tell us. We would like to
know the date, time, station or nl'wspapPr, program, announcer or
reporter, what the offensive material was, and any response to complaints.
Stations showing a pattern of consistl'nt anti homosexual
broadcasting will be monitored for Fairness Doctrint• and public
service violations. I£ such violations are found, MEDIA WATCH will
reciurst equal time to counter these distortions. We may also register
complaints against specific stations at FCC license renewal harings.
con tan ued rm page 5
,,
Reports National
__ sun1mer 1979 _____ 5_
Marchers turned down
By White House aide
WASHING TON - A request that President
Carter endorse the October March on Washington
was turned down by the White House June 5.
Thirteen gays, including blacks, Asian
Am(•ricans, and Indians, met with Jane Wales, a
public liaison officer for the White House, for more
than an hour. "I told them I would not recommend
thl' prpsident endorse the march," Wells said. "That
would cntainly indicate a break from precedent
to rPcommend or not recomm1>nd a march."
Wells said that the time was spent mostly "with
civil rights and human rights concerns." "Their
ret'ling was that minority, low-incoml' women have
not heen made aware of the benefits ERA wO'Jld
hring to them," she said.
Although Wells stated that the met•ting "doesn't
imply support or non·support" of gay demands. a
New York based alliance of fundamental clergymen
urged the president to cancel the meeting. The Rev.
Rog1•r Fulton of the Neighborhood Church in Green
wi1·h Village accused th,• governml'nl of (•ncourag
ing immorality and homosexuality - specifically
through a federal grant from the National Endow
m(•nl for the Arts for a display or homos(•xual art in
N1•w York City "with definite Sodomite qualities."
S,•nator Gordon Humphrey (R N.ll.l said hi' had
st•nt Carter a telegram "expn•ssing my indignation
that th(• president is lending n•speclabilily to th(•
hrl'.ikdown of moral values."
W(•lls said. "We try to bA abh• lo meet with any
organized interest group. (The clergym(•nl would h,•
givl'n the same opportunity."
Media subpoenaed
Authorities have subpol'nal'd fift1•1'n n1•ws organ
izations in the San Francisco Bay an•a lo producl'
material they believe may assist in prosecuting par•
il<·ipanls 1n thf" riot on May 21.
Charl1•s Br<'yer, chief assistant district attorn(•y,
said th(• materials included photographs. videotap(•s
and tape recordings made during the riot when
tw1•lve police cars were set on fire. The subpoenas
wnl' i5'ut•d with the approval or a San Francisco
grand jurv on May 23. Brl'y<'r added.
N1•ws organiztions which havl' had thl'ir mat1•rials
subpo(•naed include the Ba11 Area Rrp,irt, rand tht•
San Francisco Sentinel (both gay nl'wspapt•rsl, arpa
daily n(•wspapers. seven television stations, and thl'
nt•ws wire services.
JI.favor Diani' Feinstein indicatl'd on May 29 that
sht• _;,ould appoint an indept•ndent commit!('(' to
studv th1• riot which caused an ('stima!(•d SI million
in d,;magt•s and injurl'd 160 pPople. The demonstra
tors W('rl' pro!(•sting the verdict of involuntarv man
slaughter against former Supervisor Dan White.
charged in the killings of Mayor George :',foscone
and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Whit<' admitted he had
killed Moscone and Milk on November 27.
A plea to investigate the conduct of the jury
during the trial was rejected by State Attorney
General George Deukmejian. District Attorney
Joseph Freitas made the request. He said he could
not the probe the case himself because he has
already sharply criticized the jury's verdict.
'Pride Day' in Ohio
Political hot potato
CI:,,'CINNATI - "L(•shian Gay Pride Day" will
be drug through the political mud of this city's
mayoral race, a political foe of Mayor Bobbie Sterne
promised.
James J. Condit, Jr., a candidate for the citv
council on the slate of a new anti-abortion party, said
he will make the mayor's decision to proclaim June
30 "Lesbian Gay Pride Day" an issue in the Novem
ber election.
"I have been sympathl'tie to homosexuals and
ll'shians," Ms. Sterne said in h<'r defense. "I think
they have a very difficult time in this world and that
peopl<' should be sympathetic to thl'ir plight."
Gay leader 'tested'
NEW JERSEY The president of the New
Jersey Gay Activist Alliance has agret•d to undergo
psychiatric testing to deh•rmine his fitness as a
teacher after seven years or legal appeals.
"I am still firm in my beliefs on the right of human
differences, and approach this examination accord
rngly," John Gish said. Thi' 11 y<'ar old alliance
l(•ader said he will consult with hi· attornev before
he is examined by a school board appointed psychi•
atrisl on June 25. Gish wa~ removt'd from the dass~
room and appointed assistant din•ctor of curriculum
in 1972 when he was elected president or the gay
alliance in New Jersey.
Gish had fought the school board's decision to
l'Xamine his mental competency all the way to the
Supreme Court. which refused to hear his appeal in
October 1977. He subsei1ut•ntly agreed to testing,
but insisted on choosing his own psychiatrist.
Although his doctor conduded that there was no
indication of pathology, the school board has in sist1•
d on having Gish examined by their own psychi
atrist.
Gish has never publicly proclaimed himself gay
and said he considers the charges a violation of his
f'irst Amendment rights.
'Sexless' gays okay
:',!I:",NEAPOLIS - The American Lutherar
Church plans to circulate a policy statement that
gays are not in violation of church teachings so long
as they abstain from all sexual behavior.
The statement will be submitted to the church's
4,850 congregations for comment and will be revised
on the basis of those evaluations. The final draft will
be offered to the 1980 church convention.
The propos<'d statement, as drafted bv the
church's Standing Committee for the Office of
Research and Analysis, ,ays in part, "Homosexually
oriented persons who do not practice their erotic
preference in no way , iolate our understanding or
Christian sexual beha,ior . ... IBut, the church)
regards homosexually erotic behavior as contrary to
God's intent for his children ."
One has to •"onder "hat "Christian sexual
behavior'' must entail. So, t'Yerything would he
peachy keen it we all b<'came practicing eunuchs
overnight?
Ammesty results in
Discharge upgrade
LOS A!\IGELES Gav mtn and women with less
than honorable discharg._:, may have them upgraded
to honorable as part or the amnesty accorded Vietnam
war resi,;;t<'rs.
The American Civil Lib<'rtie. Union or Southern
California - Gay Rights Chapter is distributing a
brochure to th_ousands or organizations nationally in
an effort to reach all gays affectl'd by the amnesty .
The chapter estimates that between three and four
thousand gays ma) be imolved.
The provision will last only until the end or 1979.
After that time, it "ill be extremelv difficult to
upgrade one's discharge. •
Copies of the brochure which describes the
procedure may be obtained through the Am<>riran
Friends Service Committee, Inc., 600 West 26th t.,
Austin. TX 7870~. phone - (5121 474-2399: or, by
calling Gay Community S<>rvice . 477-6699.
Anita on TV?!
MIAMI Wonder what Anita Brvant has been
doing lately? Why. working on her television special
- what else!
Gay Austin has b<'en unable to discover if the
program L~ syndicated or going to be aired on a
national network. A notice in the "Personal Mention"
section of the Houston Chronicle, May 23.
quotes Bryant as saying the special will be aired
sometime this fall and is being financed by con
tributors sympathetic to hrr views.
:-:ow. what would that mean . .. ? ....
rn11t111u1·d from pag, 4 aaa•aaa8a-
Aft<'r making your complaint, call th<' Austin Gay Community
Services help line at 477-6699, and give the phone counselor the in·
formation for MEDIA WATCH. Please send copies of any letters you
send or receive to GCS Media Watch, 2330 Guadalup<' #7, Austin, TX
78705.
This effort depends on you. We must have those complaints of false
reporting before we can act on them. We also need you to contact the
offending station or newspaper immediately when you encounter
objectionable coverage. This immediate feedback is very importan_t in
stopping prejudicial r1>porling. We also m•e~ volunt~ers to momt_or
stations and prepare complaints. For further informat10n, contact Jim
Olinger or Troy Stokes through GCS. . .
If we all work together, we can (•liminat(• anti-gay preJud1ce from the
media.
--•• 2532 Guaclalup•
''6ot 1/,e acli11e man''
the ltest selection In aclult
11N1terlal •••
Anywhere I
_6 ______ gay austin __ ________ ____ _
New bar I• D town •
For those around town who haven't caught on yet, the management
of the Prirate Cellar has opened an upstairs bar and dance floor - The
Waller Creek Salo011. The Saloon plans to be Austin's first gay establishment
with a genuine Western atmosphere, which shouldn't be hard
considering the surroundings. The building itself used to be a cotton
storage firm during the '30s. The dance floor still has the original wood
planks. It and the brick walls in the "new" facilities are at least 100
years old. The 18-foot-high exposed beam ceilings and rusty sheet
metal igns advertising Pearl beer and other brews add to the rustic
atmosphere.
City survey reveals
Anti-gay attitudes
A survey of housing patterns in
Austin has revealed prevalent atlltudPs
among gays that they have been discrim
inated against and denied housing on the
basis ofthe1r sexual preference.
The city's Human Relations Depart
ment conducted the survey, which was
primarily focused on racial and ethnic
discriminations. Two questionnaires
were mailed out - one to lesbians and
gay tnen, another to the 11:e·neral public.
The lesbian and gay survey used mailing
lists from local 11:ay or11:anizat10ns.
Of the 242 questionnaires mailed out. a
significant number were returned (62%1.
although surveyors do not consider it a
representative sample of the gay com
munlty in Austin. Because of the difficul
ties involved in identifying members or
the gay community. they concede that a
truly representative sample cannot be
determined now or in the near future.
However, although the results have
not yet been publicized, the newsletter
of the Austin Lesbian,Gay Political
Caucus has summarized them. One third
of the respondents felt they had been
denied the same choice as straights in
choosing. housing because of their sexual
preference. and slightly over half felt
they had been discriminated against
because of their marital status. In addition.
28% felt they had not suffered dis•
crimination because they have remained
successfully closeted.
A poll was also conducted among 1,432
voter• as to whether they favored a city
ordinance to protect people from dis
crimination in housing on the basis of
sexual preference. Sixty-three percent
favored such a law, those with annual
10comes below S30,000 tendin11: to favor
it and those with incomes aboYe tending
to oppose it. Significantly, blacks who
were ·urveyed favored such a law as
much as the lesbian and gay sample!
These results should answer the argu
ment of Mayor Carole McClellan and
Council members Himmelblau, Cooke,
and Mullen, who struck the "sexual
orientation" provision from the city'!
Fair Housing Ordinance two year ago.
"Of cour e," the newsletter points out,
"the reuom they had for opposjllg it
were different and unstated. bot the
study will give us good ammunition in
future battles with homophobic public
officials."
• •
'WALLE\
__/ CREEK _
CATERING CO.
707 E. 6TH. ST
The game room accommodates two pool tables and the Saloon is
hosting tournaments every Tuesday evening at 10 p.m. Other weekly
highlights are free draft beer for anyone wearing a Western hat on
Mondays and Happy Hour well drinks on Tuesdays for everyone
bearing their chests. (That u•as bad, wasn't it?)
And the records in the jukebox on the dance floor? You guessed it -
nothing but the West!
Moving to AUSTIN?
3, · ~ Congress / a port of Austin's growing gay community
GAY AUSTIN needs you!
GAY AUSTIN needs PEOPLE to:
•WRITE
• PHOTOGRAPH
•PASTEUP
•SELL ADS
•DISTRIBUTE
Share your talent! Call us at 477-6699 or write
us care of GC$. 2330 Guadalupe, Austin, Texas
78705.
Do it today!
________________ summer 1979 ____ 7_
AUSTIN l30TANICAL NOTES
As early summer comes to Austin, a large number of flowers will
start to bloom. People who want to develop their botanical eye should
look cardully at the various flowers and make comparisons of how
they are different and whJt intuitively se(•med related to what.
Botanists take similarity in floral struct un• to bet he basis for saying
plants are related. Thus, a particular shrub and a particular vine which
ha\e similar flowers may be more closely related than two shrubs with
unlike flow('rs. The next few columns will describ(• som(• of the plant
families commonly found in Central Texas. Howev(•r, for learning the
plants of our area. there is no substitutP for getting outdoors and carefully
looking at and making sketcht·s of plants as they flower.
THE ASTERACEAE
This family, also called the Compositae, is one of the largest plant
families and is among the easiest to recognize. It is the family to which
daisies, sunflowers ands chrysanthemums belong and is quite promi·
nent in Austin in the early summer.
In the Asteraceae, what superficially looks like a single "daisy"
flower is not a single flower at all, but rather many small flowers
packed tightly together into a head. The heads usually consist of two
kinds of flowers: those at the periphery which have large corollas and
superficially make the "pet11ls" of the "daisy"; and those at the center
which usually have greatly reduced carollas. Look carefully at the next
"daisy" you encounter and this will be perfectly clear. A magnifying
glass might be helpful, but is probably not necessary.
CHIAN"'
Books on . ..
film,
music,
a11d
Cochron's8001(8
foreig11 fashio11 rm,gazines
perso1u,/ individw,/ attentio11
Monday thru Friday I am until 10pm
aturday 10 am until 10 pm & Sunday Noon til
d,u_jr-a.rn. of t5~)lC..ct l fls!'!.ntee.ae ~
ra_j f\owe..r-
~
~p,cc, l d,s~ ~ lower
__,;;;8;..,..__ __ gay austin. __________ _
Human Rights Festival II
i-----------------summer 1979 _____ 9,;,_
_1o_ ___g ay' austin_ _________
4th OF JUL YI!!
______________s ummer 1979,__ ___11 _
Fourth of July festiuities at Avstin's
Metropolitan Park.
---------------------------}.
12 gay austin, ________ _ drama
Mass murders backdrop of drama
By Ronald !\1. Sawt>y
Wolfman Faries by Michat>I Wertin is a sincere and largely suc•
cessful attempt to examine homophobia, fear of the unknown, and
small town family dynamics through the lens of the Houston mass
murders. "Little Doug" is the 18-year-old artist who has just fallen in
love for the first time and who fears that his being gay must also mean
that he is inclined to butcher his lover. Bert is Doug's older brother,
head of the household, and manager of the family-owned drilling
company. Deborah is Bert's wife. John (not a blood relative\ works for
the drilling company, has been Deborah's lover, and is now Doug's
lover. A reader (designated in the program as the chorus) reads accounts
of the mass murders adapted from the Houston Post.
The play is most compelling in those instances in which it shows us
how a shocking event such as the murders can change our lives and
cause us to grow. After being arrested in a bar brawl, Bert is drafted
by the Houston police to help exhume the bodies of t he murder vie·
tims. This experience, in combination with a verbal encounter with a
man who likes to be fist fucked, causes Bert to begin to consider the
erotic in a broader light than before. Seen as alternatives to stultifying
small town mores, t hese experiences liberate Bert's thinking. By their
extreme nature, they give Bert permission to think and dream beyond
the narrow confines of conventional sexuality and sex-roles.
Douglas must come to terms with the murders, too. His first step in
d'o.ing this is simply to be afraid and to imagine that homosexuality and
violence are somehow necessarily connected. The next step is to
represent his feelings on canvas. He paints a huge portrait of John, his
lover, gashed and cut, but standing and clearly alive. Deborah is
shocked. John is protective and loving. Doug i. embarassed and Bert is
impressed, realizing that Doug has pictured the intersection of
eroticism and violence. The audience tends to side with Bert - largely
out of relief that the latest work is not yet another dull, vapid picture
of a pink horse. What begins as fear and self-hate ends as insight,
artistic expression and recognition from others for those accomplish
ments.
SHAKESPEARE ·s
THE Tlllllllllll aF THE SH•EU
MY11-A~st4
Wed.- Sat. Bp.m.
Sunday 6p.111.
Actor's Benefit
July '1.9
Air ·Conditioned
Tickets: $4 adults,
$3.50 students
Children _11nder
12-- :)_2.50
on Sundays $1.50
f-o.- -VOIIOOS 476·4536
These are related, but secondary elements to the story. Both Bert
and Douglas grow emotionally as their overbearing and autocratic
father recedes (offstage) into coma and finally death. Deborah remains
the most static character. She never seems to be phobic or resentful of
the new relationship between Doug and John even though it necessarily
displaces her. When she learns that the two are planning to
move to Houston, she objects principally by repeatedly stating her
opinion of Houston as a decadent and corrupt city. Her actions can be
best understood as manipulative attempts to keep the boys at home.
The play has two central defects. It is overly complex it is easy to
imagine that Wertin will write another play which attempts lo cover
less territory. Second, the author indulges in wishful thinking,
weakening the play as a consequence. For examplt>, thought frightened
at first, both Bert and Doug come to positive resolutions of the anxiety
caused by their reactions to the mass murders. Also, Doug is n«.>ver
hassled or ridiculed by his family for being different, artistic or later a
homo~exual. This kind of enlightenment is mighty hard to find in a
"small oil town seventy miles from Houston". These weaknesses,
however, are weaknesses born of ambitious goals. Why shouldn't
someone write about how human b«.>ings grow from encounters with
dreadful events'? Why shouldn't someone write about how a family
should love and support one of its members who is gay'? Also, except
for the readings by the "chorus" (which may, after all. be int«.>nded to
mirror popular sentiment) the play is remarkably lacking in sensation•
alism.
The author deserves credit for working with a subject that mo~t gay
liberationists try to run away from. It is also fortunat«.> that the
premiere was held at Southwest Texas State University, an institution
hardly saturated by liberationist thinking. Criminal Justice is a
popular major at SWT. Maybe the future police offic«.>rs have had a
look at something other than conventional perspectives. I must confess
that it is difficult for me to review t his play h«.>cause of personal
reactions of mine. I grew up in a s mall South Texas town, and am in·
timately familiar with matriarchs and patriarchs who are successful in
cramping .and constraining the lives of their childr(•n, Also, I teach
these children every day in my classes at Southwest T(•xas Stale Uni
versity.
Ronald Sawey has been a member of Gay Community Services since
1976.
~ Cafe
French Cuisine, Courtyard, & Bar.
Open 11 a.m. until midnight
Bakery open Fridays &
Saturdays until 2 a.m.
31 ~ Eosr 6rh St.
religion ______ surumer 1979 ___ _
Reform i• n the Methodist church
By Troy Stokes
The week of Memorial Day was my ninth time to attend the yearly
session of the Southwest Texas Annual Conference of the United
Methodist Church. The first time I attended was in May 1971. That
year we went to lend moral support to Gene Leggett, a former
associate pastor of University United Methodist Church, who had
made public the fact that he was gay. The response of the annual
Conference was to take away his ministerial orders. Dismal as that
destestable show of homophobia was, I learned two valuable lessons:
(1) Participation in historic events is a good way to make friends, and
(2) Gay people frighten straight institutions. Assertive gays are even
more potent. Just because we were willing to interrupt and label
heterosexist humbug for what it was, we became the subject of the
conference both in the mind of th!' delegates as well as in the
coverage by press and broadcast journalists. I was delighted to see
proper and decorous Methodists having to read about themselves in
the San Antonio press as they "struggl(•d" with the issue of the church
and homosexuality. (Struggle is a favorite Methodist buzz word. The
struggle, or course, is a headlong rush to he first in line to avoid
('()Uragc, commitment, or Christian Witn(•ss.)
Out of some personal bias whi1·h probably has its roots in some
murky neurosis, I have usuallv, even in 1971, tended to shv awav from
ronfrontation tactics -, favoring instead th(• conventionai appr~achl's
of urging deh•gates to read thl' rl'port, vol(• in committee. sign th(•
1wtition. This approach has not bt•(•n ov(•rly su1·1·essful. Lesbians and
gay m<•n are still umn•lromr in most positions of public trust in the
llnit(•d !\frthodist Church. As !alt• as April of this vear. Joan Clark, an
l'Xl'rutiv(• with thl' \\/omen's Division of the Board of Global :.1inistries
"as fir!'d from her post h(•(·aust• sh(• rame out as a lt-sbian. Worth
noting is tht• fa<'l that shl' caml' out on purposP hy writing a papt•r on
homophobia and the church in which sht• rclat<•d personal experiences.
Thi' unfair and arbitrary tn•atml'nt of Ms. Clari< was one itt•m on our
agPnda as thl' United Ml'lhodist Gay Caucus made plans for the 1979
st•ss1on of the Southw!'sl T<•xas Annual Conferl'nce. The other main
ih•m "'as to approach d<•legall'S and ask(•d th1•m to join us in a drive to
pt•tition th(• Gl'm•ral Confl'n•n(·(•, a quadrrnnial mt'elrng which srts
policy on a national ll'vPI, to change somt• of th(• official statements on
homosexuality at the nrxt mretrng which will he hPld in April 1980 in
Indianapolis. Two st'parate paragraphs of the Book of Discipline (!l
were at issue. Paragraph 71-D makes some generally positive state
ml•nts about gays and then t'nds with the disclaimer that the practice
of homosexuality is regarded as "incompatible with Christian
teaching". Paragraph 906.13 forbids funding on a national level for any
gay caucus or any project which "might promote the acceptance ~f
homosexuality." Our petitions call for the deletion of the negative
language in 71-D and of all of906.13.
We were forced into a posture of confrontation by the Resident
Bishop, J • Chess Lovern, who is widely regarded by pastors in this
l'Onference a.< a bigot and a fool. A routine request to have display
space in which to exhibit the petitions as w(•ll as educational material
about homosex_ulity was routinely approved only to be later with
drawn by the bishop. The justification for this was that displays were
to he germane to the business of the conference. When the Caucus
discovered that outside groups having nothing at all to do with the
official agenda had been given display spare, we decided to simply
disregard the instructions of the Bishop and let him defend his
unr(•ason and falsehood to the press if hl• chose to. He, in turn, decided
to not have us arrested, but to ignor(• us. He was not able to success•
fully pretend that we were not there. At the first press conference of
the session, all of the questions dealt with homosexuality or the Gay
Caucus. Mos~ news coverage concentrated on the gay issue, giving
only superf1c1al treatment of other conference business.
The summary dismissal of Joan Clark was the focus of a demonstra•
lion at the ceremony of Ordination of D<•acons and Elders. As
d(>legates left the service on their way to a reception for the ordinands,
they had to walk past a Methodist passion play which likened the treat•
ment of Clark to the crucifixion of Christ.
The resul~s of all this activity are somewhat hard to measure.
Clearly, lesbians and gay men are not available as role models in the
churrh. Wear!' there, of cours<•, but we are seen as straight. This ripoff
of the reputation of homosexual church members has to stop before the
Methodist church can be said to be a friend of the gay community. On
the other hand, there is some evidence of social change. Paul Abels is
an openly gay Methodist minister serving the admittedly liberal Wash·
ington Square United Methodist Church in New York. The Board of
Discipleship has put out a resource packet designed to aid the parents
and families of gay people. The Affirmation Class, established to
provide Christian fellowship and nurture, is an ongoing program of
University United Methodist Church here in Austin.
Also, the United Methodist Gay Caucus is in good shape. There is a
growing realization that radical and moderate, open and closeted gay
people can work together to change things for the helter. "Burn it
down" radicals like Ron Martinez and Pat Bro" n wen• able to work in
concert with moderates like Gay Austin's tan Bear and me. We have
com<• to the conclusion that rage and reconciliation in fact augment
each other. Before the deadline in !\1arch 1980, the Gay Caucus will be
circulating our petitions to Methodists in the gay community. In the
meantime, the United Methodist Gay Caucus can be reachl'd by calling
Gay Community Services from 6 to 10 every evening.
706L6 ........
AUSTIX,TZXAS
•
14 gay clusrin _____ ______ _
music
Tom Robinson Band 1• n town
B} Jim OlinKtr
Ga,· militancv Y.as alivt• and w,•11 ,1t th,• \rmadilln Thursdav night.
Mav 10, dt•sp1tt' an almost tnt,1I la<'k of puhli<'1t, Tht• Tom Rohinson
Rand. acliYl' rn ga, politic, sin,·t' 1977. plavl'd to a prt•dominat\'l_v ga_v
croy, d of ,n er tOO.
Although tre ,1udienn• "'asn't largt' h, \rm,ultllo standards, it was
astronomical comparC'd to th<' I~ the, plav .. d tn in Tulsa thl' night
before. But a, Tom ,aid, "ThPr<' an• gn•,1t nights. and thl'n tht•re an•
FA ·T ASTIC nights." Th 1, thrl't' month tour. t·ovt'ring tht• Pntirt'
U n:tPd State,. i, intentled tn hu1lrl an \mencan folloY. mg. The onlv
rea,on thev rect>hed a recording contr,1ct in Britain was tht• hoard of
loyal fans pal'krng their g1g,. On th,, tour the hanrl ha, P heen playing
mostlv medium sized cluhs ,u<"h a, Toronto', El :\1ot·amho.
The Au,trn pubhcit) eonsistPd mainh· of a spt of standard Armadillo
radio spots, y, hich hailed thP TRB as "onP of tht• most important hands
for human rights in the l'. K." Thi' aud1PnCP would have heen murh
largt'r if mort' gays had ever h,•ard of the hand. Larger turnouts are
expected in cities with largt'. Y.t•llorganiz1•d gav groups. Two nights
.-arh have heen scheduled in Boston ,tnrl Washington.
The TRB are frequently asso.-1att>d with punk rol'k. due to their
rebellious stance, hut thP1r roots arc closer to thl' Engli,h musi1· hall
tradition of shoY. manship. catchy melorlies, and clevn lyrics whi.-h
bitingly at1rize the events of thr day. Tht• a.-tual mus1.- is straight for
ward English rock and roll. Tht> me~sag1• 1s human. and gay, right
Tom Robinson's dedil'ation to individual rights and frredom is rasy
to understand. He spent most of his youth. until agP 2:3. t·ommittrd to a
succession of institutions, as his parrnts tried to t·urP him of being gav.
Somehoy,, hr survived. :\layhP it y,ns the• musil' he hrgan playing that
saved him. Possiblv it wns the friendship of Danny Kustown, his com
pan ion of "the refo;m school da vs," and noy, his guitarist, who he intro
duced as "my ov. n Martin," after a song about growing up with a frii·nd
and lover. Maybe it was simply his ov, n trength and determination
Anyway, he survived.
It's not urprising that his songs arc full of violence and rage. But
the rage 1s justified ,rnd the, wiener 1s against oppression His mu,1e ts
nothing le s than the dt•clarat1on of a n•volut1on agamst tvrannv,
h1gotrv prejudice, fear, and ignorance•. Tht• maJoritv of the violrnc1•
isn't on his side. e1thrr. :-.or are his con<·Prn merely English. It\ not a
long Jump from a handcuffed drunk kickc•d to d1·ath in an English jail to
a handcuffed Chicano "sw1mmrng" rn a Hou ton havou. Qurc·r hashrrs
aren't confined to London strt'ets. Mary \\'hil\•houst• and Anita Bryant
arr pintual isters, anrl our nt'\\ ly founded anti ga v lohhv, Christian
Voice. 1 1kely to get just as ,carv ns the fasr1 t National Front.
When your back's against the"' all, you fight or die. Tom Robinson is
f1ghtmg with everv "'eapon he l'an find fists, clubs. rocks. politit·s.
economics, songs. gay pr1dl', and solld.1r1ty. And hr isn't just fighting
for ga, ,; no one 1s free until nil are frpc.
The amazing thing ,1bout Tom Robinson 1,n't his rightt-ous in
d1gnallon and rage, his dcd1cat1on. his shre\\ d sen st• of political
rc.1ht1t's, or rH•n his con,iderahlr talents. It is h1 JOV in tht• st rugglc.
He proJects an energy and rnten 1tv that galvamzPd thl' aurl1rncr rven
before hr started playing.
In I y,orld grown bored with thr campv antics of aging hetcro t>xual
drag t1ul'cns Ike Rod StPY.art, 1t' almost h0<·king to ,1•t• an oprnlv
gav rngPr performmg "'nhout posmg and affpt•tat1on. ,Just standing
on stagP hr !'an make an ,1urlirnl'P fet-1 a song in a wav no dozen stngr
struttrrs could t-ver manage Sincrr1tv 1s a big p,1rt oft has, hut it 1s also
mu cal and al'ting tal!•nt. v, 1th nn un£nlt1•ring spnse of rlrama.
Tom appeared in a mask of nn old. real'tionary. country gt·ntlt•man
during "Power in the Darkm•ss" to give a rousing defpnse of th1• ST:-;"!'
nnd nuclear power in general before calhng for a rrturn to the
trad1t1onal American v,1lues of di c1phnc, ohedienct>, moralitv and
freedom. 'Freedom from the Reds. black , criminals. pro t1tutes,
pan 1e • punks, foot hall hooligan . Juvenile delinquents, lt>sh1ans. and
left y, mg cum. Freedom from the niggers, Pakkirs, unions. gypsies
and tht' Jpws. Freedom from tht> longhairpd layabouts on scooters.
FrPl'dom from the likes of YOl1!" (And me," h1• sa_vs as he remoH'S thr
m,1,k and hPgins singing to it.l
Tht• most pow1•rful song of the rvPning was "(Sing if You'rrl Glad to
ht> (;av," a <·t>lehration of surviving thl· oppression of poliCl', prrss, anti
oh,1·t•nity crusaders. gangs of qu1•er hashrrs. and thl' homophobic
qUPl'n who think "Gay Lib's ridiculous" and rontinul' to cowPr in their
do,,•ts. ln spitr of all this and morr, "Sing if you'rp glad to ht• gay'Sing
1f\lH1°rl' happy that way."
:-ing and fight hark.
Tht• Tom Robinson Band is thr polar opposite of tcasy'closet_v
groups like tht• \'illage People. You can danc1• to it. hut John Travolta
probably couldn't. You sure can't gt·t up anrl mindlessly Hoogir Oogie
Oog1t• to it. In fa\'l, you'll probably get mad. But if _vou don't. you prob•
ably don't mind watching your frirnds grt their teeth kicked in or
having your lifestyle. and even your own humanity. squasht>d.
Thr TRB isn't any strobelighted dancrfloor fantasy. They art:> as rt:>al
as tht• plain white stage lights they play undt:>r. As real as the people
and rvents in their songs. And their affirmation of the gay lifestyle is
real, too. Tht:>rl• are no "Macho ~1anll'm a Cruist•r" posturings. There
are songs of oppression. pain and rage, violence and rehrllion. But
there is also pridr and courage and hope and lovt•. Wt· finally have a
ga_v hand that's r1•ally concerned with gay pl'Opl1•. It's about timP.
This was intrnded to he a concert revirw. It isn't one. Tom Robinson
"'ill ht> bark and you can go write your own. So go. You owt:> it to
voursrlf. Find out "'by I was one• of four hundrPd <tUl'Pns shouting
"Sing if vou're glad to he gay. Sing if rnu'r1• happv this way."
t awn ~ay lhf'U I r iddl' 4 PIil tH 2 am
w t uf'ddl' -" Swlddl' l attn lil .I dm
musi• c summer 1979 ___ 1_5_··
'Village People' should stay ho01e
By Dan Carcrash
We got a music scene of our own and it's really neat and flash and it
goes by the name of disco! Look at the Village People; they're gay and
they get hit singles and it's all liberated as hell, right?
Wrong. "Gay" disco music is a shuck and I hope you like getting
fucked because t hat's what those charming Village People are doing to
you right now.
I've never liked disco but I remember when the V. People got
started; they put out a record and got on Saturday Night Live. Boy, it
was campy and I even liked it. We all knew what "village" the People
were from. we all had seen the outfits at leather bars and the guys
were hunky and the lyrics were semi explicitly gay. No one needed an
interpreter for "Macho Man" and the only reason they didn't get more
explicit was that they'd never get on the radio. We knew what the
Village People were all about.
We thought we did. Jacques !Vlorali. the creep behind the band,
wanted us to think we did because, at the time, the discos that broke
big records were mainly gay discos. Ht• saw that the gay disco market
was big and influential. so he look a walk in Greenwich Village and saw
the way to big hits and bucks. So he assembled a crew of good looking
men, put some vocals (not necessarily their own) in front of a disco
band and made the boys dance pn stage in costume.
Mr. !Vlorali was not sat1sfit>d; th<' greedy n£Ver are. So he thought to
himself, "If a band with gay overtones can sell X million albums, why
!'Ouldn't the same band minus these pervy overtones sell even more?"
This year the band started doing interviews everywhere: Rolhng
Stonl', Creem, New Musical Express, Melody !Vlaker. Rend them
tht•y've all been published in thl• Inst fl•w month, and they're very
revealing.
My favorite is New Musical Express of England's February 17th
issue of this year. Randy Jon<"s (The Cowhoyl: "Look, this band has
nt•vcr claimed to be a gay band ... Village People is a disco band ...
Wha possible gay overtonPs does a cowboy have? . .. We just want to
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reach as many people as possible and that is the key concept of this
group." (Carcrash note - In the music business, "reaching as many
people as possible" is a euphemism for "selling as many units and
concert tickets as possible" & THAT is the key concept behind Village
People.) David Hodo (The Construction Worker): "No, I don't think
we're a gay band." Glen Hughes (The Leather Man): "If you're talking
of Village People as a gay group, no we are not."
From Creem, July 1979: Glenn Hughes, on "In the Navy": "It's real,
it's basic, it's clean-cut, it's All·American."
All this from a band which two years ago was trying very hard to
maintain an image that was anything but "clean-cut" or "All·
American."
No. the song isn't a campy put-down qf the Navy as a place for lots of
maritime sex. No, we never meant any of those things you queers read
into "YMCA ... No, say the People, we'te not gay and if we came on that
way when we started out, well, forget it and bug off. We don't need you
homosexuals.
That's what gay disco is today a launching ground for people who
will deny that they ever catered to us in a few years. Whenever
they've reached success. all we can expect 1s a not so fond farewell.
Listen to the new Village People album, GO WEST. How much homo
innuendo do you hear there? How many ong that could be read as
gay anthems, like some of the earlier st.iff including all of the first
album - remember what those ong were about)? I didn·t hear any
gay references, and don't expect to hear any more rn the future. The
Navy dropped its plans to u~e "In the Navy" for a recrmting comm<"r
cial when they heard of the band' rq\tltntion. You can be sure that
Jacques Morali doesn't want that kind of thing to happen aglin. I bet
the Village People clean themselve, up even further this year and
next.
Yeah, we've been screwed again, sow hat?
Meanwhile, Tom Robinson and Tubeway Army, among others, are
making honest gay music, but they don't play that krnd of mu•ic at the
Country, so let's go back inside and dance and get exploited ome
more. Yum yum, sure ao like ge t ing fuclce , e pee ally liy the o a1!red
music establishment ...
!Editor's note: D scophiles u ill have their chance to respond in the
next ISSUC.I
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Events
Juh 1;; Metropolitan Community Church, 614 E.
6th St .• 477-774i, Services: 12 p.m. and
7:30 p.m.
Jul) 16 Lambda Alroholics Anonymous, 209 W.
27th.
Jul) I~ General Meeting, Gay Community Ser
vires, 2330 Guadalupe, 8 p.m .
Jul) 19 CJ1p1tol C1tv Dc,Plopmcnt Mcet,ng, 7:30
p.m. For info: call 154 7187
Jul) 20 Bo-. ling for gay,, Ca pitol I.an .. s, 5700
Grover, For info: call 4517187
GCA rap group. Gay Community Ser
vices,~ pm.
Jul) 22 Metropolitan Community Church, 12 p.m.
8: 7:30 p.m.
Jul) 2:1 Lambda A.A, 20!1 W. 27th
Jul) 27 Rowling, 5700 (:rovt>r
GCS rap group, 8 p.m,
Jul) 29 Metropolitan Community Church, 12 p.m.
& 7:30p.m.
Jul> :10 LambdaA.A .. 209W.27th
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Protestant 11 a.m .. Liturgical - I
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