Kate Millet— Women, Aids & Choice
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THE JOURNAL OF SUBSTANCE FOR PROGRESSIVES VOL X1988 $2.95 •KATE MILLET— An Exclusive Interview •a Prostitute and a Ph.D. speak out on WOMEN, AIDS & CHOICE •THE TEEN WHO REFUSED TO KILL THE TEEN WHO JUST SAID "NO!" 15 • New York Pro-Choice Coalition How a 15-Year-Old Woman demonstrator puts her politics on the Turned A School front line at rally in front of St. Patrick's System Upside Down FEATURES Cathedral during "Operation Rescue"- INTERVIEW BY Photo by Bettye Lane BREAKING THE BARRIERS ROBERTA KALECHOFSKY Merle Hoffman Interviews Kate Millet DEPARTMENTS Cover Photography NO MANDATORY TESTING! 10 Bettye Lane A Feminist Prostitute Speaks Out Editorial: Merle Hoffman 1 BY CAROL LEIGH ON THE ISSUES HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN HAVE We've Come A Long Way??? 4 RIGHTS TOO— 11 Feedback 25 and They're Often Denied BY BARBARA SANTEE, Ph.D. Choice Books 18 of nightsticks, sawhorses being shoved into my face, the mounting tension of the crowds around ON THE ISSUES me and the palpable smell of danger—was something quite different from anything I had ever experienced. "Where are your troops, Hoffman?" [ON THE My questioner had verbalized one of my private intellectual dialogues. But really not so private— | THE JOURNAL OF SUBSTANCE FOR PROGRESSIVES I after all, the question of just where the feminist VOL. X, 1988 movement is now, where the feminist movement is going and is the feminist movement alive or dead, ad infinitum—has become the intellectual staple, PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Merle Hoffman the core issue around which media, feminists, politicians and anyone who feels like it can instantly MANAGING EDITOR pontificate. Beverly Lowy Of course my "rescuer" had a far more literal interpretation of this question in mind. He was ASSISTANT EDITOR merely counting heads. Karen Aisenberg Very often the anti-choice movement is rightly "Where are your troops, Hoffman?" criticized for being authoritarian, anti-egalitarian, CONTRIBUTING EDITORS The question came at me from left field. It was regressive, repressive, religious, etc.—All in all, Phyllis Chesler raining, cold and very early in the morning. I was un-liberal, unintellectual, and, indeed, their Irene Davall standing behind a police barricade on East 85th literature summoning people to New York City Roberta Kalechofsky Street in New York City with 50 other pro-choice stated that "Operation Rescue" could be the begin- Flo Kennedy activists. We were counter demonstrating against ning of a righteous, peaceful uprising of God- Nancy Lloyd "Operation Rescue", the recent right-wing fearing people across the country that will 'inspire' evangelical invasion of this country's abortion politicians to correct man's law, and make 'child ART DIRECTORS clinics when these words came into my auditory killing' illegal again. Standing for America's Michael Dowdy field. children means you are ultimately standing for your Julia Gran I turned to face my questioner. Middle-aged, future, your freedom and the very survival of white male, polyester suit, fetal feet button—in all, America." ADVERTISING AND SALES DIRECTOR Carolyn Handel a good soldier of the Lord. In New York, "Operation Rescue" chose as its "Where are your troops?" battlefront small, unprotected doctors' offices PUBLISHING CONSULTANT I looked past him towards the small band of rather than large well-known (and well-prepared) Andy Kowl feminist activists, chanting and intense; beyond the facilities. Unwilling to face a strong opposition in 500 or so kneeling praying "rescuers"; past the terms of dealing with the highly secure sites of the police, the press, the passersby and thought about major clinics, rescuers belied their strong words ON THE ISSUES his question. with acts of cowardice and attempted to kill flies A feminist, humanist publication dedicated to Had he read my mind? with cannons. Considering that every day in New promoting political action through awareness Where were my troops? Where were the troops? York City alone there are thousands of women who and education; working toward a global This was, after all, no armchair intellectual terminate their pregnancies at any one of at least political consciousness; fostering a spirit of col- dialogue, no ideological conference, no routine 100 providers, "Operation Rescue's" claim that lective responsibility for positive social change; march and rally—this was an all out military they "saved hundreds of babies from death" was eradicating racism, sexism, speciesism; and maneuver—a direct confrontation and I and "my more than slightly exaggerated. supporting the struggle of historically disenfran- troops" appeared sadly outnumbered. While the actions of "Operation Rescue" seemed chised groups powerless to protect and defend Eighty-fifth Street was a moment frozen in time. to be geared more at getting favorable media at- themselves. The small two-story abortion clinic under attack tention (in which they succeeded) rather than wag- UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS was situated between 3rd and Lexington Avenues. ing a truly serious battle for a revolutionary upris- All unsolicited material will be read by the editors For As the drama unfolded, business as usual went on ing of the righteous, the participants did, in fact, return, enclose self-addressed, stamped envelope with proper on the avenues. Dogs got walked, some people appear to share a transcendent unifying purpose— postage. shopped, some stopped to chat, others rushed on that of expressing what they believe to be God's Articles should be not less than I0 and not more than 15 double-spaced, typewritten pages on women's health, social to work. All going about their daily routines as if will on earth: fetal rights. For the fanatical anti- or political issues by people with hands on experience in their a war was not happening in front of them. It made choice activists, this included illegally blocking en- fields. Professional papers are accepted. All editing decisions me think of those documentaries of the Second trances to abortion clinics so that women would be are at the discretion of the editors. World War narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier— denied access to constitutionally guaranteed Feminist cartoons are also acceptable under the same provisions. where two separate realities existed side by side in medical services and continually harassing patients ON THE ISSUES does not accept fiction or poetry. a surrealistic montage; mass executions in fields by verbal attacks such as screaming "Please don't Advertising is accepted at the discretion of the publisher. filled with gently swaying yellow flowers. kill your baby". Acceptance does not necessarily imply endorsement. Some passersby did stop to offer support—an Trying to publicly project the image of a ground- ON THE ISSUES Is published as an informational and educa- older woman and a few youths from a nearby swell of pious people against abortion through the tional service of CHOICES Women's Medical Center, Inc. private school; however, to most of them the in- media, "rescuers" stated they were following in 97-77 Queens Boulevard Forest Hills, NY 11374-3317 vasion was just another New York vignette, another the footsteps of Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. "bread and circus", one more type of street enter- The "rescuers'" attempt at comparing the "right- ISSN 0895-6014 tainment for the masses. to-life movement" (with their agenda of com- Publisher's Note Being at the barricades during "Operation pulsory pregnancy and control over women's The opinions expressed by contributors to our publication and Rescue" gave new meaning to the words "front reproductive rights) to the great civil rights strug- by those we interview are not necessarily those of the editors. lines". gle seems to be an intellectual anathema at best and ON THE ISSUES is traditionally a forum for ideas and con- I certainly was no stranger to theoretical and an obscenity at worst. Indeed, these "Ghandi cepts and a place where women may have their voices heard disciples" are the people who publicly brag that the without fear of censure or censorship. political battles, but the pressing reality of hundreds 1 rate of abortion complications goes up when there These battles must also be fought within Sunday Magazine entitled "When Feminism are anti-abortion demonstrations outside a facili- ourselves as we struggle to differentiate objective Failed" by Mary Anne Dolan (June 26, 1988). The ty. Obviously, to "Operation Rescuers", women reality from a media-created world. "fait a compli" of the title alone alerted me to play the role of being merely inconvenient civilians Sociologist Gaye Tuchman has used the term potential negative propaganda. I was not who just happen to be incubating the real victims "symbolic annihilation" to describe the general disappointed. (fetuses) in the Holy War that they have concep- treatment of women in the media. Expressions of The author, a past editor of the Los Angeles tualized and evolved. this treatment include women being projected in- Herald Examiner, writes about her pain and disap- However, it is important to note that during the to images that are evil, manipulative, stupid and pointment with feminism that sprang from her ex- reign of Reagan, "double-think" became the ac- stereotypic. The most insidious type of annihila- perience of working with a group of women whom cepted form of social and political reality. Nuclear she had hired and groomed as managers. Dolan missiles were "peacekeepers", ketchup was "a writes that she expected the "promise" of the vegetable" and all Americans were " better off Women's Movement to be fulfilled at work. That than they were" some time in the past. This "promise" included "thejoint belonging to us, be- "Kafkaesque" tactic of obscuring truth with ing a family", generating "respect between male pseudo-truth was actively appropriated by much of and female" which would, in turn, create an en- the local and national press which gave "Opera- "These 'Ghandi dis- vironment where "we would have honest conflict tion Rescue" and its participants a great deal of ciples' are the people and competition, but also compromise and consen- coverage and, sometimes, positive reviews.