Gay-Baiting As Right-Wing Tactic Gay-Baiting Is New in Southern Politics
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Gay-baiting as Right-wing Tactic Gay-baiting is new in Southern politics. There is reason to believe that it will replace racism and anti- communism on the to p qfth TED -.• 11 The Music Teachers Sick Chickens Brought Us on Strike 0outheriaMmposure Editors: Ashaki Binta, Marc Miller, Linda Rocawich Publisher: Institute for Southern Studies/Mary Neely Eldridge, director; Paul Pooley, development coordinator Advertising: Merryl Sloane Circulation: Sharon Ugochukwu Page 17: THE Production: Southern Types/Joe Pfister, Barbara NEWEST RIGHT- Culbertson, Nancy Webster WING TACTIC Design: Jacob Roquet Special Projects-North Carolina: Bob Hall Interns: Rob Abbot, Robin Epstein, David Schwartz Front cover photos: left/photo by Elemore Morgan, Jr.; center/courtesy Trella Laughlin; right/courtesy United Food and Commercial Workers Special thanks to: Joanne Abel, Maxine Alexander, Ron Bittle, Ray Bunnage, Lamont Hart, Liz Holmes, Chris Mayfield, Page The McCullough, Marcie Pachino, Stuart Rosenfeld Music Brought The Institute for Southern Studies is a nonprofit, publicly sup- Page 28: CAJUN ported corporation working for progressive change in the region. Us .--- In addition to publishing Southern Exposure, the Institute spon- MUSIC _ sors a variety of research, education, and organizing programs. At the center of each is an emphasis on (1) building effective grass- roots organizations with strong local leadership and well-informed strategies; (2) providing the information, ideas, and historical un- derstanding of Southern social struggles necessary for long-term fundamental change; and (3) nourishing communication and un- derstanding among the diverse cultural groups in the South. Write us for a free brochure on the Institute's activities. Southern Exposure is published bimonthly by the Institute for Southern Studies. Subscription price for one year (six issues) is $16 for individuals and $20 for libraries and institutions. Southern Exposure is indexed in The Humanities Index, Alternative Press Index and Access: The Supplementary Index to Periodicals. Ad- Page 33: TEACHERS dress all editorial and subscription correspondence to: Southern ON STRIKE Exposure P.O. Box 531, Durham, NC 27702. Second class postage is paid at Durham, NC 27702 and at additional offices. Copyright © 1985, Institute for Southern Studies, 604W. Chapel Hill St., Durham, NC 27701. ISSN: 0146:809X. Post Office Publi- cation No.: 053470. Issues are mailed in January, March, May, July, September, and November of each year. POSTMASTER: Send form 35'79 with address changes to Southern Exposure, P.O. Box 531, Durham, NC 27702. To reach possible new subscribers, we occasionally exchange our mailing list with other progressive organizations and publications. We believe you will have a keen interest in what these groups are doing, but if you do not want your name given to other groups, just Page 42: FOLKLORE drop us a note asking that your name not be included in future list CONNECTIONS exchanges. That's all there is to it. Contents VOLUME XIII, NO. 5 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1985 FEATURES 17 GAY-BAITING: THE QUIET EPIDEMIC 17 GAY-BAITING IN SOUTHERN POLITICS Right- wing tactic for the '80s, by Joe Herzenberg 20 ANATOMY OF AN ELECTION Gay-baiting in a Senate race, by Mab Segrest 26 VEIL OF HURT Richmond survey reveals impact of homophobia, by Edward Peeples, Jr., Walter W. Tunstall, and Everett Eberhardt 28 THE MUSIC BROUGHT US Cajun music, by Barry Jean Ancelet 33 TEACHERS ON STRIKE 33 THE BATTLE OF ST. JOHN Upsetting a small town's plantation economy, by Lance Hill 38 THE FINAL CARD The 1985 Mississippi teachers' strike, by Trella Laughlin 40 MIXED MARRIAGE A short story, by Chap Reaver 42 HONORING THE ANCESTORS Kongo American graves, by Elizabeth Fenn 48 SICK CHICKENS Strikers win big benefits for consumers, by George Green and Jim McClellan 56 POSTCARD POEM and UNDER THE KNIFE Poetry, by Judith Ortiz Cofer DEPARTMENTS 2 LETTERS FROM OUR READERS Homing in on Homer 3 READERS CORNER Private journal, by Mary Ellen Fuess 4 SOUTHERN NEWS ROUNDUP Toxic waste dumps, terrorist training, Georgia workers organize, Boy Scout religion, and more 11 FACING SOUTH Rebels in Law, by Lincoln Bates 12 RESOURCES Films on labor, stereotypes, alternative views 13 VOICES OF OUR NEIGHBORS India: The South's Bhopal Connection 58 REVIEWS Wobbly poet, Klan people 63 BULLETIN BOARD OF THE SOUTH 64 VOICES FROM THE PAST This great profession, by Jesse Stuart LETTERS FROM OUR READERS ing conducted in early 1967 that the have the effect, whatever the intention, Homing in on Homer museum was given a copy of Mr. of obscuring the drama of the picture Goodrich's report on the painting. The and undercutting its meaning. Perhaps Dear S. E., museum decided to adopt the title, At this is why Gordon Hendricks, in The I am writing to you concerning your the Cabin Door, not to undercut the Life and Work of Winslow Homer (New commentary that accompanies the meaning of the painting but to reflect York: Abrams, 1979, p. 304) said of reproduction of Winslow Homer's At the the most reliable scholarly opinion. Lloyd Goodrich's recommendation of a Cabin Door on the cover of the The interpretation of any work of art new title, "I am not sure 1 agree that [November/December 1984] issue of the later title is the better" Southern Exposure. Certainly Mr. Goodrich has long I am not sure where you received the been a major Homer expert, indeed the information concerning the history of acknowledged authority in the sense of the painting, but there are several inac- still having sole rights to many of the curacies and misrepresentations. This artist's papers. But there are now painting was "discovered" in the attic numerous competent Homer scholars, of one of the Kellog/Corbin family and, as Mr. Reynolds points out, in- member's New Jersey house in the ear- terpretations continue to change. Only ly 1960s. At that time it apparently recently have some academics begun to bore no title and was given Captured pay closer attention to the numerous Liberators by an antiques dealer called blacks in Homer's works. See, for ex- in to appraise the painting. Before ample, Sidney Kaplan, "The Negro in donating the painting to the museum in the Art of Homer and Eakins," Mas- 1966, the Corbin family had it authen- sachusetts Review 7 (Winter 1966); ticated by Lloyd Goodrich, then direc- Michael Quick, "Homer in Virginia," tor of the Whitney Museum of Los Angeles County Museum of Art American Art and the acknowledged Bulletin 24 (1978); Mary Ann Cabo, authority on Homer's work. He ac- "Winslow Homer's Visits to Virginia cepted the painting as by Homer but During Reconstruction," American felt that Captured Liberators "seems — its meaning to the artist, his or her Art Journal 12 (Winter 1980); Peter H. strangely inappropriate for Winslow public and to present viewers — is al- Wood, "Waiting in Limbo: A Recon- Homer." At that time Mr. Goodrich ways open to change and is the kind of sideration of Winslow Homer's The noted that he had been un-able to find activity that the Newark Museum has Gulf Stream, "in Walter J. Fraser, Jr., any record of a "lost" Homer of this always encouraged. However, by mis- and Winfred B. Moore, Jr., eds. , The period with a title or description that representing the painting's history and Southern Enigma: Essays in Race, would fit the painting. (Almost 20 emphasizing a title that Homer himself Class, and Folk Culture (Westport, years later this remains true.) Mr. did not give it, Southern Exposure has Conn.: Greenwood, 1983); or the Goodrich's own suggestion was At the given a mistaken and distorted view of forthcoming volume of The Image of Cabin Door, a more generalized title this important and very meaningful the Black in Western Art by Hugh that focuses on the predominant figure work of art. Honour. in the painting. It should be empha- — Gary Reynolds, The Newark Incidentally, we were tempted to use sized that the painting had no title writ- Museum, Newark, New Jersey an unusual oil sketch entitled "The ten on it and there was no family Editors' reply: We are grateful to the Shackled Slave," signed by Homer. But tradition for calling it Captured Newark Museum for allowing us to use alas, the picture is in the private col- Liberators. Homer's painting on the cover of lection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, When the museum first received the "Liberating Our Past." With or without and we are informed that when Lloyd painting in late 1966, it was almost im- title, it proved an appropriate image for Goodrich was asked to examine the mediately put on exhibition and pub- the threshold of our history issue, and picture he pronounced it a probable lished as Captured Liberators in our we have received numerous compli- foTery. Perhaps it is, but few others press releases and the several ments. But we'll stand by our commen- have been allowed to evaluate it. With newspaper articles concerning the gift. tary and raise the ante. The name art, as with history, it is rarely easy It was only in the course of further change mentioned in our caption and to say whose views are mistaken and cataloguing and research on the paint- outlined in detail by Mr. Reynolds did distorted. 2 SEPTEMBER/OCIDBER READERS CORNER c: front, the strange silence from within, sure do miss you.) But he was always Private Journal the sensing of tragedy. handsome. From Daddy's side, though. I don't know. I don't care. I don't Casanova, even, at seven years. The — by Mary Ellen Fuess know. kids weren't named, fortunately: It only I came tripping in the side door, be- said "Surviving are his parents, Mr.