Lesbians and Gay Men Were Tracked Down
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ffiMU,1 I I ~ Restrained, Comic Robin Tyler Costanza Spying On .Jesus Freaks Resigns Teachers to Class or to Court? ~'EsaIAN PUBLICATlON,·WRITTEN BY AND FOR TH.E RISING TIDE OF wo.. APATHY IS A KILLER In Nazi Germany. lesbians and gay men were tracked down. arrested and marked with pink triangles. In Cetitornie. the Briggs tnitietive (Proposition 6) would ioenutv homosexuals and their supporters and evict them from teacher. teacher's euie. counselor and administrative positions In the public schools. In Nazi Germany. the first major book burning was the library of homosexual advocate Magnus Hirschfield's Institute of Social Science. In Cetiiornie. wittiin the last two months. over 20 businesses and homes of gay leaders have been firebombed. In Nazi Germany. over 220.000 gay men and women were executed In the ovens In San Francisco. a young gay man was shot and «itted In the steet: and In Tucson. AT/zona. a judge sentenced four convicted killers of a young homosexual to SIX months probetion and praised them for their service to the commurutv, Decent Germans did not believe that the holocaust was happening during the thirties What do you betieve today In the seventies? BRIGGS CAN BE DEFEATED The apathetic response of many members of the community IS the greatest ally of the Briggs Initiative. The tactics of pro-Briggs supporters are desrqned to scare us. to keep us quiet. and thus allow their victory on November 7th A recent survey has shown that Proposition 6 can be defeated If everyone who cares takes a minimum of action New AGE is ready to act now' WITH YOUR SUPPORT New AGE IS raising money for a major campaign being conducted to educate Caufor nias voters about the serious consequences of Proposition 6. The campaign will be expensive because radio. television. magazine and newspaper advertisinq are expensive Your contribution of any amount IS needed Please help us Win trus Important battle for human rights Send your contribution with the coupon below New AGE 8235 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 307, Los Angeles, CA 90046 Enclosed is my contribution of State Zip _ For contributions of $50 or more, the following information is re- quired by law: name Employ~r's address \ Political ID No. 771368 Treasur;r:Rev~JamesSandmire (working in conjunction with the NO ON 6 COMMITTEE) A Lesbian Feminist Publication written by and for The Rising Tide of Women Today TIDE PUBLICATIONS 8706 Cadillac Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90034 VOL. 8 No.2 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1978 (213) 839-7254 (Correction: The last issue, July/August 1978, was Vol. 8 No.1, not Vol. 8 No.5 as The Lesbian Tide is a radical feminist publication published by Tide Publica- incorrectly published) tions, a division of The Women's Center, PERSPECTIVES Inc., a California state non-profit corpor- ation. It is financially supported by the 4 Toward A Feminist Ethic: community it serves: The publication The One, True, Right & Only Way receives it's 'political direction from the On Enemies And Allies Publishers (Barbara Gehrke, Sharon . 6 Tide Spies On Gay Jesus Freaks McDonald, Jeanne Cordova), a collective 8 Profile: Robin Tyler, Born Again Woman of lesbian feminists. The Editorial Board 10 (see staff box) is responsible for editorial Columns: direction. Nina Goodbye The Lesbian Tide is produced by the Make 'Urn An Offer They Can't Refuse pride and energies of a staff who are RIGHTS & REFERENDUMS ' commited to one or more departments within the magazine. The staff is open 12 Seattle Dykes Give Blood For Ri~!S to women who wish to become involved 13 November Vote Due in Seattle & California in journalism or who see media as a 14 Teachers To Class Or To Court? vehicle for activism. NATIONAL NEWS EDITORIAL POLICY 15 Costanza Cites "Approach Differences" In the interest of fostering open commun- 16· More Problems For Diana Press ications and progressive theoretical devel- 17 EJ3..AExtension Before Senate opment, The Lesbian Tide prints a wide variety of views from the lesbian, feminist 18 Sniper Strikes At Conference and gay communities. Our editorial per: '18 Noble Fighting Odds. spective also includes coverage of other 19 Gay Donors Seek Secrecy social change movements as they relate to women. The views expressed in this SHORTCURRENTS publication are not necessarily those of 20 ARCO & Briggs. Harvard Says - Gays Smarter. Festival Excludes Holly Near. Tide Publications or The Editorial Board Vaginal Reconstruction .unless specifically by-lined as such. STAFF EDITORIAL " 24 Boys In The Tide? • 58 Years Of Suffrage .Editorial Board: Cheri Lesh, Jeanne Cordova, Bridget Overton, Sharon LETTERS McDonald 25 Regionalism Art & Design: Susan Rowe Advertising: Jeanne Cordova MOTHERS Circulation 26 Do It Yourself Artificial Insemination Subscriptions: Starlyn Howard National Sales: Barbara Gehrke SPORTS Production: Barbara Gehrke 28 Dykes In The Gym. Muscling In At Muscle Beach· Layout Crew: Barbara Gehrke, Susan Rowe, Jeanne Cordova,Janine Baer, REVIEWS Jamie Jamison . 30 Piercy's "Lesbian Novel". Dyke Shorts. Boston Ride. Jane Olivor Second class postage paid at Los Angeles, COMMUNITY FOCUS CA. SUBSCRIBERS: If you move, we are 36 How To Fight Briggs. GCSC Strike S9ttled not forwardable; send us your address change. ' Cover Photo by Aloma Ichinose • Cover Design by Susan Rowe Subscribe! Name Address Subscribe! City State, _ ZIP_~ Subscribe! Subscribe! One year subscription (6 issues); $6 individuals $8 overseas & Canada $10 institutions Mailed in Plain Brown Wrapper The Tide 8706 Cadillac Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034 PersRectives· SHARON MCDONALD, EDITOR to be in danger, as in the case where the Editor's Note: In pursuing our dialogue on Feminist Ethics we here present the Fe~inist Women's Heaith Center shut thoughts of two women who responded to our questionnaire in the Julyf August down Harvey Karman's abortion clinic issue. Judy Freespirit is a long time Los Angeles lesbian feminist who helped temporarily because they believed that found The Radical Feminist Therapy Collective. She is currently living near' unsafe abortion procedures were being Santa Rosa in Northern California and working with SCRAP 6, Sonoma County practiced there. To make a decision that Residents Against Prop. 6 (The Briggs Initiative). Cheri Lesh is a veteran Tide a group or business is philosophically or editor and our witch in residence on the Editorial Board. We invite further politically 'dangerous' to women, how- reader response or.debate on this topic. ever, is paternalistic and condescending; it assumes that other women are not sufficiently intelligent or politically astute to develop their own philosophy. What do radical feminists mean when Toward A they say that Gloria Steinem or Rita Mae Brown is 'dangerous' to the movement? What they mean is that other women are Feminist too dumb to perceive what ideas are in their own best interests and that they should therefore be 'protected' from Ethic politically incorrect notions. Sound familiar? Sort of like Anita Bryant want- ing to protect innocent children from homosexual influence. My attitude is that TheOne, True,Right&.OnlyWay if an individual or group is as wrong- By Cheri Lesh' , headed, fucked-up or dangerous as I think It is my belief that the most radical nothing particularly radical in the notions it is, chances are other women will dis- ethical system includes tolerance. OTROW of conformity and social control. Any cover this fact for themselves without me (One True Right and Only Way) Belief follower of Hitler or Anita Bryant can throwing a bomb through anybody's systems spell death for coalitions and tell you that. 'window. I respect other feminists' judge- cooperation between feminists. By sepa- The result of monolithic politics is ment enough to give them the space to rating ourselves into small angry splinter trashing. Trashing of individuals, and, explore various viewpoints. groups, as alienated from each other as trashing of institutions such as the assault This doesn't mean we should all give we are from patriarchal society, feminists on Diana Press. The first decimates our OU{ active support to those individuals acquiesce to a situation of permanent ranks; the second results in cultural and and organizations which we distrust or powerlessness. Since it is virtually impos- political impoverishment of our move- feel politically opposed to. If you don't sible to get any group of more than six ment. "One Way" or monolithic attitudes like an organization's politics/policies/ people to agree about which OTROW is are characteristic of every patriarchal practices, simply withdraw support. Let the real OTROW, only tolerance for or oppressive society. The four deadly it die a natural death. There is no reason variant viewpoints and a capacity for Monos of Monotheism, Monopoly, Mo- why mothers of male children should compromise can transform radical femi- nogamy, and Monosexuali ty all lead to support a child care center which rejects nism from an expression of private anger Monotony ... not to men tion in tolerance their children. It would also be inappro- to a political force potent enough to alter and a lack of trust. priate for them to actively seek to destroy society. I don't think it's any more ethical to the center, which might be filling a need The conviction that there is butone 'sabotage a business or group than it is for other feminists and their children. appropriate set of ethics, one acceptable ethical to assassinate an individual femi- They can simply withdraw their energies. philosophy, one 'politically perfect' life- nist whom one doesn't like. The only Let it die. Or let the women who are style which should be mandatory for all, exceptional situation I can think of is one reaping personal or political benefits from is simply recycled xenophobia.