APRIL 1914 5041 In L. A. Area 654 Elsewhere ~THE TIBE~ A FEMINIST PUBLICATION, WRITTEN BY AND FOR THE RISING TIDE OF WOMEN TODAY THE TIDE COLLECTIVE TlHIETllD[ ADVERTISING Aleida Connie Jeanne Cordova VOLUME 3, NUMBER 7 D.B. Rita A. Goldberger Melissa ART Joy Kitty Maggie CIRCULATION Barbara Gehrke Susan K uh ner Kay Stevens TABLE OF CONTENTS CORRESPONDENCE Denise Fox ARTICLES EDITORIAL Lesbian Movement in France 3 Aleida Alice Bloch Gay Professionals On T. V. 5 Jeanne Cordova Three Marias Still Fighting 9 Country What's a Woman to Do? 10 Rita A. Goldberger Redstockings are Back on Their Feet 12 Peggy Kimball New York Women's School 12 Barbara McLean Lesbian Night at the Y.W.C.A 13 Nancy Lesbians Take History to Task 14 Sudi Lesbian Mother Appeal Denied 15 FINANCE, COLLECTIONS & FUNDRAISING Dykes Cut Up in Albuquerque 23 Ana BAR GUIDE 30 Connie Country CALENDAR Back Cover Pat Greene Mickey CROSSCURRENTS 16 PRODUCTION 20 LETTERS Rita A. Goldberger Jan Lydon POETRY Mae Marg To the Woman with the Sickly Green Eyes 11 Marguerite Sudi SPECIAL EVENTS 22 Tyler WHERE IT'S AT 30 New York Coordinator: Karla Jay Front Cover: Pomona, New York City Graphics Credits: pages 3,15,17, Kitty Helms; pages 10, 21,24, Maggie; page 29, Pomona THE TIDE is a feminist lesbian magazine. It is financially supported by the community it serves, and is maintained by the pride, time, and efforts of a working collective of lesbians. Published by The Tide Collective. This publication is on file at the International Women's The opinions expressed in this magazine History Archive. 2235 Oak St .• Berkeley. California 94709. and is available on microfilm through Bell and are not necessarily those of the Tide Howell, Drawer "E", Wooster, Ohio 44691 Collective. This publication is also on file and available on micro- film from Xerox University Microfilms. 300 No. Zeeb Printed by Peace Press Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 373 No. Western. Room 202. L.A. CA 90004.467·3931 LESBIAN MOVEMENT IN FRANCE Karla Jay Catherine Lahourcade and Syn Guerin came to the United States about six months ago from Paris, where Catherine is a student of sociology and Syn is involved with the theater (she put on Mod Donna in France). During their half year in New York, they created a video tape entitled WOMEN ONLY, which portrayed women singing, working, writing, and living entirely without men - a concept which, as you will Catherine: They are part of a feminist movement, but see, does not exist in France at this point, and there is not a feminist movement by itself in France. therefore a concept which they felt it was imperative It works with small and different groups, and it's not to take back with them. structured nor organized in the same way as here. It's Their impressions of New York and in particular of very loose, and a group comes together because the lesbian movement here were unique and women share the same interests in something. For interesting (and cou Id probably form the basis of example, two years ago, there was a group which was another interview), but my main concern in rapping called Les Gouines Rouges (Red Dykes). A lot of with them was to find out what is going on in France. women in LG R came from an anarchist position - One should keep in mind when reading the interview they met together and they tried to work together that the women had been here several months, and so and make books together, but their activities were the i r information is not an "up-to-the-minute" never structured. Les Gouines Rouges split last year. account, but a discussion of general trends. Some of the lesbians in LGR were also part of the Karla: Is there a lesbian movement in France? feminist movement - involved with straight women Catherine: It's difficult to say that there is a lesbian or other lesbian women - in a different kind of movement. There is a movement in a very loose sense, struggle against abortion and in preparing the event and in the movement there are some lesbians who two years ago at the Mutualite' (that's a very, very big work with men in the FHAR (Front Homosexual place in Paris), where they organized a Denunciation d' Action Revolutionnaire) and put out a newspaper of Crimes Against Women. It was the first time in called Antinorme, but a lot of the women have split France that a group of lesbian/feminists got on stage with the gay men. They are trying to express and said "We are homosexuals," and they asked for themselves as lesbian, but there is no lesbian the homosexuals who were in the room to join them movement. on stage and to be in front of the TV cameras and Karla: Do you mean they are in the feminist photographers. But some women who are not movement or in the left? feminists stayed in the audience and said it was not APRIL 1974 Page 3 very good politics for them. Some were part of same structure as they had in the leftist movement - another group called Psychoanalyze et Politique and they are so afraid of structure and organization - like their position was that they didn't like to be shown as the Lesbian Feminist Liberation [in New York] has. ob j ects on the stage. These women relate to They say that this way of organization is a male psychoanalysis and they have a very strange position thing, and they say that women have to find their about lesbians - they avoid the problems, saying "We ownway. So, for example, once a month or every two are all lesbians," so they never confront themselves weeks, there was a general assembly (a big meeting). with being lesbians. For example, the lesbians in All the women came - P et P, feminist, all groups. Psychoanalyze et Politique criticize the feminists And when you come for the first time to the meeting because the feminists wear jeans and hats and boots, it's amazing - you see a big place with maybe 200 and they say "Look, the feminists are men - all women and they are speaking ten here and ten there boots and helmets." And you can see the different and no topic, nothing very clear. It was like a trap tendency in the way they are dressed because the because sometimes something happened, but a lot of women in Psychoanalyze et Politique wear long energy was lost, and now, the feminists have decided dresses and makeup and - I don't know if it's a to have their own place and to be more organ ized. coincidence - most of the women in P et P are rich, Catherine: For example, imagine an American woman and most of the women in the feminist movement are or a French woman who wants to get in touch with a very poor. Even the writer, Monique Wittig (Les group in the women's movement in France. Before Gueritlieresi, who is a feminist - she is poor. last year it was impossible, because they had no In the beginning of the movement in France, they money and no set meeting place. There wasn't even tried to work together. In 1968, for example, something like the Village Voice that announced the Antoinette, the leader of P et P now, was working meetings - in France this doesn't exist. The press is with women like Monique Wittig - but the women very controlled by the government. So there is no who are now in the feminist group split from the first newspaper - the only newspaper made by the initial group because they were not recognized as women's movement is Torche en Brule (Burning lesbians, so they decided to work on their own. So we Torch), which is not printed regularly. So a woman say it is impossible to speak about the movement now who comes from the outside and who wants to meet because some women create a group and they are the some group can say the women's movement doesn't same women who will create another group, and it exist. might be over in one month or perhaps it wi II last for To give a better idea of the organization of the three or four months and then they create another women's groups in France, I think a good example one. So it is moving in one sense and in another - in would be the Torche en Brule, which is never the my own impression - it is not moving. The lesbians same from issue to issue. There aren't the same and feminists are both confronted with the same women - some women are continually part of it, but group problems - the problems of using their energy generally there are new women who come in to write in the right way or not. When there are a lot of articles and to learn about it. And I think it gives a difficulties, they say the group is over, and they build good example of the way it works in Paris. another which will have the same problems, but still Syn: For a long time the Torche en Brule was made there are books written and there are some actions just by women in Paris, but now there are groups in which are started. So it is not to say that nothing little towns who say "We want to speak." So, for happened but that it is very difficult.