5 Of r’s Open Vbooco&eVolume 2, Number 17/Thursday, October 28, 1971 / Wi Hi omstown, Massachusetts up and Quod Dixi, Dixi that things aren’t on the straight and idy narrow, ostracism, at best, is the result. I of say A.H. ihe Williams Faculty Minutes for The lumber-jacket, macho reputation of led September 24,1934, report newly installed the fraternity days still fits.” by Andrea Axelrod President Tyler Dennett’s concern with He hesitated, then qualified his “the value of contact with the students response. Creating a myth in their own rites, the and his desire to do preventive work to the “I guess it’s a product of the San Francisco Dancers’ Workshop under end that queer boys, and maladjustments, Williamstown environment. If we were in Ann Halprin spent a week in residence at which come to the attention of the or near a metropolitan area, things would Williams. Their $8,000 fee was paid by the Faculty, be reported at once to the be a lot different. First, you can get some National Endowment'of the Arts, the Assistant Dean.” (What happened to such degree of anonymity in a city to help you Massachusetts Council on the Arts and persons after their discovery is anyone’s come out.” Humanities, the Williams Lecture guess.) Come out? Committee, and the Margaret Bundy That brief, ambiguous entry is the only “That’s a gay slang term. A Scott Fund. recorded incident concerning homosexual can have clandestine sexual Many who encountered the group in homosexuality at Williams. But lack of experiences without ever having to come performance, in workshop, or in passing recognition has little to do with actual to grips with being a member of an op- called their art life form “the mopt ex- numbers. Statistics compel the existence pressed, socially unorthodox minority. citing thing I’ve ever seen”; but more of a gay population in any community. That’s because he’s not readily visible to tagged it “bullshit.” Kinsey reports that at least 4 percent of the community like, say, a black person himself is the To expose reality and stimulate any population is exclusively homosexual is; the homosexual only awareness of self and community, Mrs. throughout adult life while 46 percent person who can show his neighbors that gay minority. ‘Coming but Halprin’s dance company has freed itself “engages in both heterosexual and he belongs to the led all and social taboos. The homosexual activities, or reacts to per- out of the closet’ refers to the person who of physical with that •ge irony of it is that they never quite come off sons of both sexes, in the course of their consciously identifies himself as at on stage and off they adult lives.” (Sexual Behavior in the group. It’s like developing a black con- as authentic all; or carry with them a nimbus of undistilled Human Male, p. 656.) sciousness or a Jewish consciousness theatricality. The question is how has the College’s what have you.” rly gay population been able to develop an He turned his watch around and played of identity? with its band. Getting back ’to the sen Satan and the Zookeeper ... Black cape, “Well, some write graffiti on bathroom problems of Williamstown, he went on. Tarzan leotard, purple and orange walls,”, answers Roy (a pseudonym). “So, a city can provide the anonymity a crocheted helmet, red patent high heeled “The men’s room in the basement of 1500-student campus cannot. Second, a boots, multi-colored starred boots ... Stetson Hall, for instance, has had a good place like Boston or New York or even Daisy Mae shorts and midriff on a former one for some time: ‘Gay, young, and Albany has gay bars - wretched, North Carolina football player. These are goodlooking’ I think it says, plus a name deplorable places for the most part, to be streetclothes. and telephone number. One of the stalls in sure, but at least you know everybody Above all else members of the a Bronfman lavatory is also a reliable there is gay or possibly bisexual. Look, in Workshop seek authenticity in life and place for choice tidbits of local gay news the northern Berkshires the homosexual art. Dance, life, and art are equal terms and propositions.” has no outlet for socializing with other brought into balance by the “R.S.V.P. Roy is a senior at Williams, a con- gays. Hell, for that matter, he doesn’t cycle,’” radical dancer rhetoric created scientious, no-nonsense sort, who hopes to know who they are since there’s no way to by Mrs. Halprin’s husband Lawrence to enter law school next year. He has a express that gayness - except the meet the “conflicts, confusions and nervous habit of playing with his watch to bathroom walls, that is.” chaos” of the commune the group founded occupy his hands if he’s studying or in He attempted a weak smile and in the summer of 1969. The cycle defines class or talking to someone. Asked about snapped his watch back on his wrist. A the four holy aspects of the dancer’s his sexual preference, he unhesitantly sullen expression came over his face. entire lifestyle, “a collective approach to replies that he finds men more erotically “It’s funny,” he continued, “about all creativity”: stimulating than women. the games there are which enable you to R Resources, the base of all art “I don’t want to define myself too pretend you’re straight. A guy leading on S Scoring, the process of art narrowly though,” he quickly adds. “In some poor girl at Bennington or Smith, - The V Valuation the moment of Gestalt saying I’m either hetero- or homosexual, I say, just to be able to show the Bros ‘his awareness of art immediately exclude about half of all my woman.’ P Performance - life as art potential for erotic pleasure. Andrew “I remember in my freshman year I During its one-week residency at homosexual Crider in the Psychology Department invited a girl I knew from high school here Williams the dance group was to have would call that ‘the fallacy of misplaced Please turn to page 5 induced the college community to RSVP. concreteness.’ ” It succeeded instead in shocking it. He grinned, looked at his watch, and Joy Dewey, the College’s dance in- at went on. structor, asked sophomore Jeff Johnson “That means if I assume an exclusive to be student host to the group,and to'find orientation, I do injustice to an infinite ways to involve them with the students. variety of interpersonal relationships, “When I told them it was Parent’s Williams-. both Platonic and sensual. In other words, Weekend,” says Johnson, “a few of them why should I restrict myself before ex- suggested they dress-up and really shock ploring the limits of my social-sexual some of the parents. They are here to surroundings?” reveal reality to Williamstown.” coming Has he been able to explore in Apparently they chose to stay aloof Williamstown? from what in Williams poses as reality. “Not in the least. The students here are really uptight to conform to heterosexual The Greek letter Lambda: logo for the Gay Please to 6 Liberation movement. turn page out If just slightest mores. there’s the hint sequently, with substantial community by Jonathan Abbott the Western Massachusetts Public In- will suggest that each campus institute a terest Research Group (WMPIRG), it’s voluntary $4 student tax. Each college appreciation. College students, both here and abroad, designed to meet problems of the “en- would make out a check to WMPIRG for And students working on a paper or have been the most vocal segment of the vironment” - defininingit in “the largest the totalamount. (WMPIRG would return private project will be entitled to look population. Yet what positive results have sense of the physical, social and a small fee for bookkeeping costs.) through the resource catalogue of WM- at they been able to accomplish in the United psychological environments of men.” During the third week of classes each PIRG to see if anyone any other college States? The sum is tragically small; Student Run term, WMPIRG would offer refunds to has done work in the same field. students’ views have often been the ten- Though student-run and -directed, the any student who does not wish to support Perhaps Ralph Nader sums the idea up year vanguard of American thought. corporation will not be subject to student WMPIRG. Consequently, no college nor best: The reason is clear. Students have been time cycles, but rather will operate particular student need feel he is “sanc- The poetntial for student-fundedpublic unable or unwilling to employ the three throughout the year. WMPIRG will be tioning” the actions of WMPIRG. interest research groups is enormous. eight million students in over traditional tools popular among groups non-profit and non-partisan, but not tax- NeedFor Involvement The 2,000 such as unions or trade associations: exempt since it will wish to lobby and to features of WMPIRG will be colleges and universities in the United Two conceivably finance 160 actual or potential voting power, actual or propose new legislation. especially interesting to the average States could PIRGs, at of $200,000 potential economic clout, and infiltration According to Don Ross, an aide to Williams student. Most of us feel the need operating budgets of the political system with their own Nader, students are trying to form such to be involved in the outside community in per year. If even a third of all students participated, a whole new dimension members.