| Transcript |
"'·"·
Volume 1 Issue 10 June 1977: Art Calvin, Louis Maurice Rob Wa de, and Wood~
HOUSTON RALLY JUNE 16
Since ( s ) ne couJ.dn 't be ·.ri th us this
year, Anita BryB.l1t, her Save Our Children,
Inc. , and various fund.2mentalist.
8.!ld conserrative groups have vent.;.ired -.;o
speak for God. T:U.s ::aost unholy alliance
of Bapt.ists and Ca-.;holics aas spread
totally un::'ounded propaganda ar:d used
B:qants national reput.ation as an orange
juice pusher and second ninner-up in the
195 ( Miss America Pageant to gi·re an air
of ~tioleso~ness to t~ei r per secution of
the gay community and misinterpretat.ion
of the Dade County re:erendum.Tne fr~its
of their efforts are now seen: the civil
rights ordinances to :i:irotect. gay :peo-.,ile
from discriJJination have been repealed--
out. not without the oost. int.ense and
w:i!'ied !'ight. of gay people t~l"Oughout
\:his countr/. ~-le 've lost tue :irst bout.,
but the fight is hardly over. Gay :;iecple
are comi.ri~ out s-;;ronger than ever to
fig~t this af!'ront. to 15% of Ame=icans:
Gay Americans .
Anita's forces nave already :pro:nised
to "go nat.ional" but t.r.ey have evidently
forgotten tnat we are already nationw~de.
The night of the Dade County referendum,
gays in New York held a vigil in Greenwich
Vi~lage.In San Francisco the number
of peop~e who came out t.o demunstrat.e
their displeasure was estl.!:12..t.ed to oe
close to 10,000 . Gays in New Orleans,
~.uneapolis, and other cities have all
visibly expressed t .....e ir a..riger . Over !LOO
gay peopLe rai.J.ied together -co prates-;;
tne appearance of Anita Bryant on aer
crusaue .;,n Fairfax, Virgiuia.
In Houston, there is a demonstration
planned on Thursday,June 16th -.;o prot.est
the actions undertaken by Bryant against.
the gays of this count.ry . She is to
entertain at the Texas State Bar Association
meeting there . The demonst.ration
will be in the for.:i of a march and rally.
The o.arch >Jill st.a::-:. at 7 :00 pm :rom the
Depository II bar on :.fcGowa.n St. and ·,,rill
end "'1.th a rally at the City !:I.all.
Now is not the time -co stl"ike oreas-;;s,
to gnash teeth, or to ha.;g heads low in
disappointment . We need to be heard acd
(continued on page ~ )
SQUEEZE A!ITTA NIGnT A SUCCESS
Thl"Ou.gh the ini tia-ci ve of local bar
owners, t.he volunt.eer effor-;;s o: gay
service and political organizations, ar:d
t.he support; of t!le !JUblic, Aust.in :raised
approximately ~1,150.00 fo::- ~he suppo:-:.
of the Dade Coun-cy Coalition caopaig:i.
for h~ rights . ~"aile -;;he elec-;;oral
effort.s in Miami :ailed, the public
respo~se of gay Aust.init.es has been
successf;;.l in demonst::-ating ~hat. Aust.in
is concerned and ce.n uni :;e for ~om:non
goals.
In a meet.ing of the O"..mers of ?earl
Street. i-lare!louse ,Aust.in Coun-c:r/, .?::i. vate
Cellar, and New Apa.:-...:nent. Loun.;e, the
managers of ifolly-.;ood, and a rep re sen"tati
ve of ?riends ar:d Lovers and \:·.;o
gay activist organizations, an ag::-ee:nent
was reached to sponsor a Sq~eeze .~ta
~ight. on ~fay 31st. where volunt.eers of
Gay ConmJ.unity Services and. the Gay ?olitical
Coalition ( si;:ce rena'iled 3.A.?.E. )
would solicit door donations of $1 or
::ao!'e :or the fuami campaign. ':.;o aduJ. c
books-cores, Mr. Peepers anci. .Ul. -~ric~
News, plus the Club 3at.hs of Aus-;;in also
volunteered to help raise funds on the
same nig!:J.t.
The two volu:it.ee::- organizations
contributed posters \:O publicize the
event and notified local :r.ed.ia. 'I'hey
also got. volunteers t.o ~urk at each business
aski..~g for t!le donations and expla:
ini:ig the i:npor:;ance of the ca.:npa:'..;::i
to those who were ;:ot already !'amiliar
"'1.th the issues. Support ¥as broad ~ased
and charitable frc::i the patrons of all
the businesses . ':'he discos, t::e women's
bar, and low key and west.em bars, the
bookstores, a."ld tb.e baths eac..'-1 :raised
between $50- $300 in a COnmJ.unity e!'for:; .
The entire a.mount. raised was oailed
special delivery to mami the next day
to help with their campaign. All of the
work was vol'.l!lteered a..~d p.i.blicity costs
were covered by those same vol'.l!lt.eers
t.hrou.gh add.it.ional contnoutions . Gay
Austin -cha..n..ks eve!"'/One who cont.::-ibut.ed,
t he workers, and the par-cicipa-.;ing businesses
for showi!l6 that Aust.in cares.
DIRECTORY
AUSTIN GAY BUSINESSES Ai'ID SERVICES
NOTS: C-ay Coimm.uri.ty Services is sponsored by the University Y. Gay Austin has contacted
eacn business in the comcunity which derives its pri::ary support fro= 6ay
clients or which welcor:ces gay custo~rs. The following have ?ledged their ~ir.a-~cial
support to Gay Co::imunity Services:
222 E. 6th
~
rnl[ND~
AND
LOVt:RS
~
4 78-5661
Disco 7 days a week free 9 - 2
.l.FTSR nCU?.S til 4 on Friday and
Saturday
n.AFFY nOU?. 8 - 10
iii - balls 75rf.
8 til 2am
4 77- 2218
Austin 1 s Only Nightclub
For Women
AUSTJN COUNTRY
7C5 Red ai ve:C-: _ 472-0418
Ttiesd.8¥, Wednesd.8¥ free tap beer, 10 - 11
::alf pr ice dril:'..ks a!'ld beer all nigh~ ',;ed nesday.
Euf~et and beer bl.Wt 7 - 9 Sur.day
Shows every Thursday, ~1 during show only
'Pe~r l St. , VJoreh.ouse
1720 Lavaca 478-0176
Hours: 9:pm-2em (closeQ on Monday)
Af'terhours : 2am- 4am. Friday and Sa-curC.ay
WELCOME HOME!
THE NEW APARTMENT
2828 Rio Grande 478-0224
AFTERNOON E_l_q open 2p1Il
H..A.PPY HCUR 2 - 7 daily
and . ALL DAY SUNDAY
Beer 45¢ 'lfell 95¢
11 ~E.'!\ A COV'z:t CH.A.-::iGE"
ALL AMERICAN NEWS
" (;/ tk !£~ /Jut;/_t/ w $_~')
M•Ul~tNH · fRHftUCl<S \ Mo .. r A.-.<1\o«·Ne'fu.11 is
Fi\ ~$ ".\r \ \.J,!_KL'L?!~' ~ '"s
~ llt.e adiYe ~ -
2532 Guadalupe 478- 0222
CLUB AUSTIN
308 't{. 16th
between Lavaca / Guadalupe
Xow open 24 !-.ours
476 - 7986
Cpen 7 days a ·14eek 11 ai:i - 18..lll
705 'n'est 24th
CONT:u3UTION FROM A ?~TD.
"r1'E ~JlK YOU;
at: The Congrebatior.al Church
408 West 23rd 477- 7747
Sundays 2p::i
Thursdays 7:30po
·,>fE DO :iOT DISCRI:.U....'L,!,,T.S
SECAU;E CF :l.ACE, C::t.::.::D, S:::X,
SEX'JAL CR11..'lj"TAT IOi~, Ort :i.GJICA.?
JB.SCTO •.• :l.ATE.3: Cr..ly ~10 ?er ::!On~h to :Jay Cci:=.1.4:li 7-y Services !'or the su::;oort of .:._us ti:
i 1s :-ay i-:otline, ?eer cou:-.seling;, i!'lfo::-::a'tion and refer:-als, ii::-ary, ~?e~ers :u:eau,
and rap group .
TEXAS GAY CONFERENCE IN AUSTIN THIS WEEKEND
The Fourth Annual Texas Gay Conference
is being held in Austin this weekend,
June 18 and 19. Sponsored by the
Texas Gay Task Force, this year's conference
will offer awl.de range of workshops,
speeches by lesbian and gay male leaders,
a business meeting, vorship services,
and recreational activities.
Speakers for the conference will be
Ken Cyr and Janna Zumbrun, both Texas
activists, and Bob Kunst, one of the
spokespersons of the Dade County Coalition
for the Humanistic Rights of Gays.
Cyr, one of' the founders of the Texas
Gay Task Force and presently active with
the Texas Gay Archives in nouston will
deliveri:he keynote address at 10 o'clock
Saturday morning to start the conference .
Zumb:run will address the final session
of the conference at ll: 30Sunday morning
concerning our needs and goals for the
coming yea.r.Zumbrun serves on the Human
Relations Commission for the City of
Austin, and is active with the Austin
Lesbian Feminist Organization, Texas
Women's Political Caucus, and the Texas
Gay Task Force.
Kunst will speak Saturday evening in
a. session open to the general public .
One of the leaders of the Dade County
Coalition, Kunst appeared frequently on
news programs and intervieY shows during
the Miami campaign representing the Coalition's
position before the r..a.tional
media.. He also atte!llpted to debate Anita
Bryant beforethe Miami Ki:.ranis Club •.;hen
she cotintered '•"ith the Battle Hymn
of the Republic =ather than subs~antive
argue!llents .
The speci~ic time and place of his
address have not been finalized at this
time as his appearance was only recent.ly
arranged through the efforts of' the Gay
People of dest Texas. The Lubbock group
and the conference committee will make
further announcements 'When plans a.re confir:
ned.
The conference also offers sixteen
workshops exploring the needs, goals, and
expe:-iences of lesbians and gay men.
Sc:ieduled for three separate periods on
Saturday, workshops from ~hich to c.~oose
include topics related to politics, religion,
literature, feminism, the :nedia,
community services, and personal relationships.
Three workshops on political involvment
have been prepared by Nick Schul.er
of San Antonio . The various asnects to
be explored are (l)Gaysin the P;lit.ical
Arena,(2) Political Organizations in the
Gay Community, and (3) Political Friends
and Enemies of the Gay Community. Those
who have followed the recent session of
the Texas legislature and t.l::e Mia!:li campaign
will find these encounters helpful
in shaping future political efforts .
Two of the workshops will explore
religious issues . One session w"ill examine
the essence of Gay Spirituality and
Gay Theology with a panel made up of the
Reverend Rob Shivers of the Austin MCC,
Chris Broadhurst of Dignity in San Antonio,
and Gene Leggett from Gay United
Methodists. The other session will
consider issues that arise between Feminism
and the Church. A. K. Campbell,
( 3)
Nina Wouk,and Reverend Shivers will lead
the latter discussion.
Consideration of the creative aspects
of our culture will be provided in workshops
entitled Lesbians and Literature
and Gay Male PoetrJ. The _first, led by
Diane Draper of' Austin, will explore the
treatment of' lesbians in literature as
well as the contributions of lesbians to
writing. Randy Conner, a University of
Texas teaching assistant in the English
Department, will lead the vorAshop that
examines the the!Iles of' gay :nale poetry
in relation to the liberation ·!llOVement.
Besides the feminist ·workshops already
;iientioned, four other sessions are
planned for lesbians to explore areas of
unique interest to women. There will be
separate "how- to" workshops on Setting
Up a Peer Counseling Service for domen
and Setting Up a Feminist Booksi:ore.
The first w"ill be led by Malorie Tolles
who will draw from her experiences with
the Austin Women/Space peer counselling
center. The Common Woman Bookstore Collective
which has been in operation in
Austin for over a year is sponsori:i:g t.he
second session.
Also for vomen will be a dixcussion
of' LesbianParticipation in Internat.ional
Women's Year which w~ll focus on the
Texas IWY conference the following weekend
in Austin andi:he :iationaJ. conference
later this year in Housi:on. Leaders in
the discussion will be Pokey Anderson of
Houston and Nina Wouk and Janna Zumbrun
of Austin. A separate session w"ill be
devot.ad to developing Lesbian Corm::ru.nication
Networks so that. matters relevant
to the feminist move!llen<: can be dissel!li=
nated to all who are interested.
Also focusing on communication will
be a workshop on Gay ~edia by Allen ~-ii:iter
which ~"ill look at. gay accesz
to the general "straight. ":::iedia as ·,.;ell as
examine t.he use and :'ocus of' t.he rapidly
expanding gay :nedia. T::e session •..rill
begin with an im:roduction by Winte:::- ·.rho
studied bot.h topics as par: of his :nast.
er' s thesis in the UT School of' Journalism.
The session will t.hen proceed wi-.;h
a panel discussion t.hen a group dialogue.
Transgenerational nelat.ionships ·.rill
be the topic of a workshop led by J::.:i
Eggling of the Forward Foundation of San
Antonio. The session will excmine the
difficulties couples encoun<:er w~en
there is a generations dif~erence in age
accompanied by di:fe:-ing values and experiences
that are almos-v as di:ferent.
as cross- cultural values and !"elationships.
Finally, the goals and ope rat.ion of
Gay Switchboards and Service Organizations
will offer an oppor:;unity for the
volunteers in such groups a.round t.he
state to share their experiences and to
help new communities start such groups .
Dan Puckett, Off:ce Coordinai:or of Aus tin's
Gay Communi t.y Services will mode:::-a.
te the session.
Afte:::- a busy schedule of w-orkshops
and speeches on Saturday, the conference
will focus on worship and recreation on
Sunday.The Metropolitan Community Church
will conduct services at 9 o'clock in
the Universit.y Y auditorium followed by
(continued on page 4)
BOOK REVIEW: TENNESSEE WILLIAMS MEMOIRS
(Bantam; 320pp. ~1.95)
What goes on inside the dead of an
acclaimed playwrite? What inner agonies
does a famous personality experience
regarding his homosexuality, personal
life, career, talent, et.? Tennessee
Williams probably did not set out to
specifically answer such questions in
his memoirs, but he does achieve this
for himself as well as giving a very
candid insight in-co the life and loves
of his checkered career .
Here is an honest expression of himself
as he feels and remembers it, digging
deep into his heart, and consciousness,
his struggl es, his defeats and
victories .
Williams' memoirs are at times funDy,
offensive, or sad---but always frank and
apparently hones-c. ae has displayed his
private life with no holds barred, afact
which may actually help the rest of us
to see our life struggles in a different
light .
(There is a copy of this book in the
GCS librazy. )
Rob Shivers
HOUSTON RALLY (conclusion)
seen now as ever. We have civil righ-cs
ordinances, but gays in Austin are to
have to be prepared to fight to maintain
those ordinances . The fight for guarantees
of civil rights :'or gay people
throughou-c the countr; is the concern of
the Austin gay community and of every
other community . T!:le an-ci -gay movement
can easily gain momentum, especially
since they are dealing with scare tactics
, ~sensationalism,and unsubstantiated
myths. We need to keep up out momentum
to preserve our rights,just as any other
minority group does .
Art
TEXAS GP..Y CONF'E.."qENCE (conclusion)
a :'rtendship period. T!:le final Gene::-al
Session w~ll then consider resolutions
f:::-om the various workshops or from individuals
and will offer par-cicipants an
opportunity to assess the success of the
conference . The session will close with
the address on future goals and directions
by Janna Zw:ibrun.
Sunday afternoon ··~ll be spent for
enjoyment at various parks around town or
at the lake. A volleyball toUr:lanen-c is
being sponsored by Gay Community Services
with teams from Lubbock, S:ouston, and
Austin already entered. Ramsey Park a--c
44th and Rosedale ~~ll be tr~ site of
the tournament as well as frisbee and
s..,,'ioming in the pool there. Other options
include Zilk.er Park and Barton
Springs or Lake Travis where activists
may make friends with other workers .
Anyone interested in the conference
is invited -co participate . Registration
is just $10(·..rith a $5 discount for ~hose
whose income is under $5,000) . Registration
is from 9-10 o'clock Saturday morning
at the Unitarian Church, 4700 Grover
(one block west of Lamar) . For more infonnation,
contact Gay Communi-cy Services
at 477-6699 .
( 4)
I hear the men
always the men
whispering at corners
and inthe offices
and in the ma.rke-c places
and in their congresses and courts
and in the schools
and in their books
and in the church
shout that no god or deity
female or ma.le 'JJ2.Y
cut across tbe way
of their word
or speak any o-cher way
than wi -ch their sword.
I hear the women, often,
say this, -coo.
What I would say
if they'd hear
~•ould be:
You don't know Jesus as lover
or Orphus as queer,
don't see Jesus cr~ise St . Matthew,
as Caravaggio did,
don't k..~ow John the Beloved
nor Buddha's .A..nanda.,
nor what the :Derdache do
that :nen like ce :n.a.ke some gods
-co pro--cec-c cen like ce from you.
Our defenses are s-crong,
and impene--c:::able.
As Borobudor or Cha:::-tes or :C::sse
collect cosmic energy,
ma.lte non-A A,
so we are guardians of
another way
other tools
beyond the men I hear
always -.;he :n.en
whempering a-c corners
with their :iar.-made ruJ.es .
Calvi~ Douce-:
TEXAS G:XY CONFE..~CE SCBEDULE
Saturday, June 18
9:00 Registra--cion
10 :00 Keynote Address --Ken Cyr
ll:OO Workshop Session One
1 :00 Lu:ich
2 :00 Workshop Session T-.;o
4:00 Workshop Session Three
6:00 Dinner
7:30 Texas Gay Task Force 3usiness ~ee-Ci:lg
9:00 GUEST SPSA.KER--:i3ob K:i.nst
Sunday,
9:00
10 : 30
ll:30
12 :15
June 19
C~urch Se!"'rice by Austin MCC
Closing Session o~ Conference
Closing Speaker--Ja."l!la Zu.::ibrun
Adjouni to Recreational Ac--civities
Conference Site
Satu=da.y- -Unitarian Church, 4700 Grover
Sunda.y- -University Y, 2330 Guadalupe
Registration
$10 ($5 discou:t--c if earning under $5,000)
GAYS WALK OUT AND THE BISHOP RESPONDS
Gay activism in the fonn of lobbying
the United Methodist Church for changes
in its official atti tued toward gay
people, has been going on in the AustinSan
Antonio e.rea since 1971.
About 20 people wore anobands with
pink triangles and sat together at the
ordination services o:fthe Southwest Texas
Annual Conference on June 1, 1977· This
group of 20 was made up of :nembers of
the Southwest Texas United Methodist Gay
Caucus and their friends, mel!l.bers of the
Metropolitan Col!Dllunity Chur ch in San Antonio,
and members of Integrity, the
Episcopal gay organization.
Following the ser.non, r:i.ost of the
gay group walked out of the se:t"'rice in
protest just before the ordination ceremony
began. After the ordination of
deacons and elders, Bishop J . C!less
Lovern responded tothe walkout by ma.king
a few impromptu rem.arks and leading the
conference in prayer.
Bishop Love:-n state that he felt
that the group had walked out because it
felt it was not wanted by the cb.urch.
The bishop affirmed that all of us in
the church have weaknesses and failings,
that all of us need to grow and change,
and that all of us are welcome at the
table of the Lord. He requested tha~
the group ;neet with him personaJ.ly again
in the near future .
The annual conference level gay
activist effort has been concentrated on
the ordination service because open, outof-
the- closet lesbians and gay men are
denied ordination i::ito the ministry of
the United Methodist Church.
Bishop Lavern's genuine offer of
fellowship ~"ith the Gay Caucus is an act
of Christian leadership on his .r:art.
However,the voting members of the a.'1!lual
conference, lay and clergy, are ano~her
matter. They are no~ bow:d to follow
their bishop's example of war.:n com_-ra.de ship
and acceptance of gay churc~ people .
Even if the conference members do choose
to "acce~ " gay ac~i 'fists as fellow
Christians, they probably w"ill not feel
like pushing for the acceptance of lesbians
and gay ment in~o i:he ordained
Methodis~ minis~ry . Acce~ance in~o the
menistI"'/ is the sign gay activists look
for to signal them that the c~urch does
indeed W'2.nt and r-espect t teo.
Sitti.:ig on the other end of the pew
from the Gay Caucus was Don Hand, a lay
delegate from the Southwest Texas Annual
Conference to the General Conference in
Portland, Oregon, in 1976. It '.las Mr.
Hand who proposed the legislation that
was incorporated in~o the 1976Disci Pli:le
which states that United Me~hodists
regard homosexuality as "incompatible
with Christian teaching"--Anita Bryant's
viewpoint exactly.
It is t!:le General Conference o~ the
United Me~hodist C!:lurch which makes the
laws and policies for this particular
denomination, jus~ as the Congress does
for the United States . Until Ge~eral
Conference declares that sexual or affectional
preference shall not disquali1"y a
candid.ate for ordination, the individual
annual conferences cannot legally ordain
out-front lesbians and gay ment i nto t he
Methodists cinis~:y.
;·iayde Frey ( 5)
NAME CHANGE FOR POLITICAL ORGANIZATION
For approximately the pas't three
months the Gay Political Coalition has
been active in the C2I!lpaign on protecting
human rights locally as well as
nationaJ.ly. The Coalition first surfaced
in response to the Clay Smothers House
Bill 1902 which attempted to regula~e
gay students on state- supported campuses.
The mos~ visible actions o:fthe political
group have been gathering signatures on
a petition protes~ing this bill. Lobbying
both representatives and sena~ors at
the capitol on Yarious pieces of legislation
and most recen~lY . in helping w"ith
the collection of donations for the
struggle of the Dade County Coaltion were
also pan of their activities during the
first few months of its existence.
In order to take a more progressive
stand the Coalition has changed i~s nace
to the Society for the Advancei::ent of
Freedom and Equality: S.A.F.E.
The the fUtU-""'e the organiza~ion w"ill
be lobbyingthe new mayor and city co1mcil
regarding this city's housing ordinance
. S.A.F.E. meets twice a oon-ch on
Sunday evenir.gs at the M. C. C. ?or !'urthur
infor.:iation regarding the ti:ne, contact
Gay Comz:runity Ser.fices at 477-6699.
OPINION ( ?rom San Diego acti 'ris~ groups
newsletter)
"Yes, I like to cee~ gay people, but
GCS is not ~or ce. '!'he place is ::-eally
cliquish and most people jus-: go ~here
to drink."
"GCS is not even a cr..i.isy place, ·..rhy
should I go ~o see i:te s~e people over
and over again. "
"The good old days '..rere neat . We
used to get :'i~ty or six'.;y people eve!"'/
Wednesday, and had dances and progrems.
I went ~here ~wo weeks ago and i:here was
nothing going on. "
I've heard these co=ents -:i.i:le a:~er
time; :nost of thee. are probably ~l"Ue . ~ve
come here wi~h expectations, ·.;e ·.rant i:o
::ieet :lew people, star.; love ~~airs o::~
or.n accep~able social g::-oups •... 3u~
no~hing happens and 1.-e e.::i.d up ge~~i::lg
the well kllown "C-CS Depressions " . '.·!aybe
C-CS should di.sappear and ·,;e si.'.:.ould aL.
stan goir:.g to the bars i~s'tead . -~"ter
all, who •.rants to put ene::-g-.r in~o an
organization ·..rhicl:l doesn't gi·re anythi.::lg
back.
;.Tell, it is ver/ easy to put GCS
dow-n, toge-: ~ed up a.:ld stop cor:ti:Jg. Bu'C
that's the easy ·,;ay ou~ . I ~ir.:nly '::ielieYe
that ~·IE A.~. GCS----a:nd ·~·hen I say ·,;e I
don't :nea.'l the six people who a.J:~-ays
come. GCS is ~o-:- all of us and ',;e ::ia.ke
out of it wha~ w-e "'Wl'C. There a::e no
rules '.ihic~ say "Cha~ GCS shouldn't be
cruisy or an intellec~ual - poli~ i cal group.
We can actually become any of ~ hese
i:hings, bu"C ·,;e need YOU to do it. ·,;e
need ~o get people who ;..-ant to have a gay
environment in which to in~eract, people
who wan~ to m.e.ke this place a coo:'or:able
one to all gay people. WE NEED ~OU- -- -Gi
ve us a chance ~o prove t ha'C we can
make some~hi.ng good out of this .
REMEMBER TES F~ VD CL:::NIC ON FR::l.~,
JUNE 17, AT THE AUSTIN CLUB 3ATSS,
308 W. 16th STREET, 8-10 :pm. LIB Sk"""E ! !
..
|
