DavId. Michelangelo. NEWS 12 ~EATURES HERE A CHUB, TIiERE A CHUB 40 John Peebles on Girth & Mirth KISSING AND TEllING 48 HEAliH Jill Adams on telling Mama InOur Own Hands (Denenberg) 32 Pollical Science (Harrington) 34 On the Cover. Robert Mapplethorpe~ portrait of larry Desmecit photo- DEPARTMENTS graphed by Charles Seellelberg Outspoken (Editorial) 4 Letters 5 ARTS Stonewall Riots (Natalie) 5 Blurt Out 6 IS JESSE HELMS AN ART CRITIC? 50 Nightmare of the Week ' 6 Gay and lesbian expression under siege Sotomayor 8 Bluford 10 Piss]esse, or SiIence=Death by Michael LasseII . 11 Jennifer Camper We Are Americans Too by The Publishing Triangle GLAADTidin~ 30 Is the NEA Good in' Gay Art? by Sarah &hulman The Doctor Is Out (Silwrstein) 36 MS EmJIy's GraOOson b't Hush 1& Momh by Em HenyhaI Obituaries 38 lookOut 44 (fyou Must Know by Eileen Myles Out of My Hands (Ball) 46 Fund ThJs, Muthafucka by Richard E10vich Goosip Watch 47 A Buroiog Issue by Ayofemi Folayan Going Out Calendar (X) 68 With Our Eyes and Mouths and Hands by David Wojnarowicz . Tuning In (X) 70 Parting a Sea of Inkby Tom Kalin Dancing Out (X) 71 "...And where wilIIyou be/When they come- by Beatrix Gates .Cooununity Directory 72 Bar Guide 74 Oassifieds 78 Personals 88 Crossword (BaJans) 106 Electing Deborah Glick t's a sad fact of New York poim~ that no open lesbian or gay _ man has ever been elected to legislative or exOOJtive office in 1either city ~ state govermnent. While gay power is already mani- fest in places like San Francisco, and while even some small rural American towns have elected gay mayors or council members, New York Oty and New York state lag fur behind Thus, it's encouraging that an extremely qualified, able and electable member of our commu- nity is running in the Democratic primary for state Assembly this year. Deborah Glick has a long record of service, to New York. A feminist, an activist and a leader in lesbian and gay pOlitics, Glick , has a pro\>en record as someone who understands the agenda of lesbian and gay New Yorkers, and who can effectively work to implement that agenda in Albany. Currently a deputy director in the city's Department of Housing, Glick was once president of Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats. Her electability is enhanced by the fact that her assembly district-the 61st-encompasses -much of downtown Manhattan, with its large gay, lesbian and progressive population. She has earned an impressive list of endorsers: NAACP President Hazel Dukes, Vtrginia Apuzzo, Vito Russo, Gloria Steinem, Michael Callen, the National Organization for Women and many, many others. OuIWeek is ~d to add its name to that list. But we strongly encourage our reade!S to do more than simply wait to vote for Glick in September. She fuces a grueling fight against a popular Village district leader. As a result, Glick's aunpaign needs active support, volunteers and, ~ of all, money. If you want to see an open, able, effective les- bian at the table in Albany next year, now is the time to act. The Stonewall Democratic Club One ,of the sad spectacles of gay and lesbian politics here ~ the gay political club that did ~ endorse Deborah Glick for state Assembly: the Stonewall DenXx:ratic Oub. This strange institution, claiming a member- ship of 350 but in reality conlprising only a tiny fraction of that number, has never endorsed an openly gay candidate for legislative office. Never. Stonewall's president claims that "just because a candidate is gay doesn't mean We should endorse that person." In a city that has never elected an open gay or lesbian to legislative office, that's an absurd claim for a gay political club to make. The Stonewall Democrats have no real gay agenda and minuscUle community support. They oppose gay candidates and endorse straights, because of personality clashes, jealousies and past petty ~lights; not substantive issues affecting our community's well-being. Theii entire approach is epitomized by "Stonewalling," a mean-spirited column in the New York Native, written under a cowardly pseudonym, that primarily attacks and demeans fellow gays and'lesbians working in local politics. , The dub's' members have every right to their opinions. It's just a shame that they include "Stonewall" in their title and mas- querade as organizers for the lesbian and gay community. Until they start working for the election of openly lesbian and gay can- didates, they are no such thing. 4 O~EK' AugustB.1990 Social Science reading theoretlcci works just Re: Cover Story, no. 55 (July wasn't enough for me. 18), "Weird ScIence· No-being a "show me- I am a lesbian, and as far don't tell me· kind of girt, I as I can tell, always was and wanted science. So I Equalnme have frequently Included always will be. I couldn't be seached for a scientist asking Your recent editorial gay and lesbian programs. happier about that. I have the same questions. That's 'Queer Money and Public And among our plans for the also wondered why I didn't how I met Dr. Heino Meyer- Television· (no. 54, July 11) future, Thirteen hopes to turn out straight like my par- Bahlburg. I worked as a :. understates Thlrteen/WNET's broadcast a documentary ents and my sister. Not r9search assistant on the pro- longstanding corrmltment to on the 1990 gay and lesbian because I don't love being ject discussed In Dr. SIlverstein's publlc-affalrs programming, games InVancouver. queer (because I do), but article for a year and a half. hcluc:lng mws that serve the We take very seriouslyour because It Is Interesting to ' Also, as a concerned member gay crd IesbIal COITlIlUlIIy. mandate to serve the myriad me. Enquiring minds, like my of the Queer NaHan I wonted A/Itloug'I we had to md<e popUatIons of 0lJ" communl- own, also wonder why some to 'spy on· the mainstream the difficult flnanclal decision fy, especially those that have queers are more 'mascu- and see If the "politically m0ti- to coocet The Eleventh Hoti', been traditionally underrep- line· and some more "femi- vated endocrinological eu- we c:Id amu-lCe at the same resented. Although you feel nine: I'm thrilled that my thanasia of homosexuallfy· time that two new public the need to criticize our June community encourages was being plotted, as Dr. Silver- affairs programs will be broadcast of a four-hour gender bending. I stili won- stein cautions. Posing as a Iau"Iched tHs tal. 1her formals town meeting between the der why I have more butch conscientious, aspiring psy- will be less costly to produce gay communities of New York clothes than femme clothes, chologist, I set out to do my than Eleventh Hour and will and Son Francisco, It's hard why I would rather drive the own "research: therefore enable us to In- to Imagine another media motorcycle than sit on the What I found was a prin- aease 0l.I' weekly loco! PlbIIC outlet besides public televi- back etc. while my equally cipal Investigator quite open affairs air time from three to sion even attempting such happy queer friends are the to criticism. I asked Dr. five hours. You can rest prograrm'llng. complete opposite. Meyer-Bahlburg about as.ued that these rew mws I know from personal, But I wasn't content with objections from goy-rights will address the multicultural dally experience that my mere cocktail party specula- groups to his research. The needs of the trktate cornt'rO- colleagues and I work In tion about these things. And next day my mailbox was nlty, Including gays and les- tandem on programs and bians, just as aggressively as policies that treat the gay dd The Eleventh H<xx. and lesbian community, and Additionally, Thirteen has Its concems, with respect. It srON£WAU RIOrS BY ANDREA NATALIE consistently offered a wide Is therefore disturbing and range of programming with Ironic that you would sug- gay and lesbian themes, gest a financial boycott of both du~ng Pr1de Week each Thirteen by the same com- June, as well as throughout munity we are trying to the year. Among these pro- serve. Now more than ever, grams have been the d0cu- we need new and renewing mentaries The ute and Times members to ensure a diversi- of Harvey Milk, Rights and fy of programming and con- Reactions, Before Stonewall, tinued responsiveness to Word Is Out, Half-Million community need. Strong: For Love and For ute, We look forward to the SIlent Pioneers and Different continued support of the from the Others;biographical gay and lesbian communlfy. portraits of Robert Map- Conslde~ng the media alter- plethorpe, Keith Ha~ng, Paul natives, we need each Cadmus and Francis Bacon; other. That symbiosis bet- and fealu"e fllms such as My ween viewer and broad- BeautfflJ LaLllCtette and The caster Is the heart of the Naked CMI Servant. public television mandate. Most recently, Longtime No matter what, we'll never , Companion, which Is now In abandon our viewers-but theatrical rel.ease, received our mission will be far more slgnlflcant flnanclal support successful If our viewers from the American Play- don't abandon us. house series' and will be Harry Chancey, Jr. broadcast on public TV next Vice President/Director THE 6.0o()e.rr C-/?EATES /fEN, season. Other series,like POV Thlrteen/WNET and Independent Focus, Manhattan August B, 1990 OUTTWEEK 5 fliled with copies of letters medical establishment who expressing the same criti- now stood armed and ready cisms Dr.