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ISSN 1446-4896
This issue of GSN is of necessity a mini-newsletter. Of necessity because for many months now the active GSG membership has been involved in the Collective set up in Sydney to plan the Sixth National Conference for lesbians and homosexual men and to a lesser extent in the organisation of the Stonewall Day Gay Mardi Gras.
Never-the-less, there were some other specific issues which also occupied the attention of GSG. Before the mini-News-letter launches into the interesting details of the imminent national conference (Sat/Sunday, August 30/31), here briefly is a run-down on those issues.
CRUISINGThe nasty Friedkin horror movie, Cruising, hit Sydney in June and GSG took the initiative ind convened meetings to discuss its possible impact. Tickets were obtained for the preview prior to its opening.
Following the first one the meetings were broadened to include representatives of as many Sydney gay groups as possible. The outcome was the formation of G.A.V. (Gays against Violence).
The score or so of preview tickets were distributed on the understanding that those representatives who accepted them would return to a special late-night meeting after the preview to decide whether or not to put into operation pre-determined plans for demonstrations and leaflet distribution against Cruising.
The packed post-preview meeting took place on schedule. However, although not entirely unanimous, the majority concensus of the meeting was that we had over-reacted before seeing the movie. Cruising it was considered would die of its own accord because it was such a "bad" Movie.
There were those afterwards who thought that the meeting concentrated overmuch on how bad Cruising was as a movie. But what constitutes a "good" movie? Artistically poor and even technically bad movies often make a mint. This one's sole purpose is to sensationalise certain acts of violence in the context of homosexuality and leather bars for profit. One Sydney film critic summed it up as "exceptionally unpleasant, not necessarily because of its subject matter, but because it makes no attempt to comprehend it. It just stares."
The G.A.V. group decided not to demonstrate or go public in case it promotes the film by so doing. It agreed to monitor the media for any news relating to acts of violence or anti-gay feeling the film may provoke and to meet again at short notice if such a reaction warranted it.
At lunchtime Sunday during the Conference there will be a special discussion on the recently reported "Violence in Oxford Street."
GSG organised a lunchtime demonstration in front of the GREEK CONSULATE in Sydney to coincide with the court appearance in Athens on July 14 of the Greek gay liberation journal, Amphi, on a charge of "offending public morals."
The journal published a sketch of a male nude and a poem by Nicos Spanias.
A letter of protest was accepted by the vice-consul without any hassles. The case has been adjourned until Nov.6 and it is oxpected that a national campaign over the Greek AMPHI issue will be endorsed wholeheartedly at the Conference.
This year the 6th National Conference for lesbians and homosexual men will take place on the last weekend of this month— August 30th and 31st-- in the Merewether Building, City Road side of Sydney Uni.
There have been annual gay national conferences in Australia each year since 1975. Most of us well remember the last Sydney one, 1978, when over a hundred of us were arrested for walking down an Oxford Street footpath in broad daylight proclaiming with placards that we were homosexuals. We believe that those mass arrests of gay people in 1978 to some extent forced the NSW government finally to revise the discriminatory law on street processions and marches.
Doing it for ourselves —like the women's movement— by being positive about ourselves and our rights; spotlighting the effects of repression and oppression and proceeding to initiate our own remedial changes. That's eone of the meanings of "gays taking the offensive."
This conference is thorefore of, by, and for lesbians and homosexual men. It is not open to anyone who just wants to come along to look at us, research us, probe into us, expose us, or preach to us.
WHO ARE THE DISABLED?There are many myths to be exploded about the body beautiful. Society at large is handicapped by preferring to deny knowledge of a person's obvious physical disability and such denial is restrictive of personal growth and freedom for the disabled person.
Even acknowledgement can still mean denying the sexuality of the disabled.
If sexuality is denied because the physically disabled do not conform to societal standards, homosexuality becomes unbelievable even to other gays.
One of the workshops at the conference will be examining this incredibly oppressive situation and ways of combating it. We're taking the offensive!
In case you don't know, tho conference registration fee is $10 or $4 concession for the unemployed, students and those on pensions. There will be FREE CHILDCARE professionally supervised from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days at CAMP NSW, 33A Glebe Point Rd (Broadway end). Billets for country and interstate visitors are also being arranged. Conference information from Box 310, PO Newtown, NSW 2042.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMMEFRIDAY, Aug.29: 8 pm GAY CONCERT at Syd. Labor Club, 464 Bourke St., SURRY HILLS. . $4 and $3 concession featuring Maree Cunnington, Jane Alquist, Wayne Harris, Judi Small. Bar operates.
SATURDAY, Aug. 30: 9 am Merewether Bldg. Sydney University, City Road side.
10.00 am: Opening with screening of WITCHES and FAGGOTS - DYKES and POOFTERS.
11 .30 am: Workshops & Rap Sessions start: Gays & Racism; Counselling Gays; Gay Campaign against Employment Discrimination; Sissies Rap; Gay Task Force on Social Change.
12.30 pm Gay Health; Lesbian Music; I.S. Gays and Socialism
1.30 pm Lunch Break with Wimmin's band playing in courtyard. Excellent food available (Palace Wimmin's Cooperative).
2.30 pm Lesbians & Education; Counselling Needs; Death of the Gay Movement; Gay Rap Revival; Gay Community News Publications; Gays and Ageing.
3.30 pm Gay Teachers Round Table Discussion; Lesbian Health; Poetry Reading and Discussion.
4.30 pm: Out of the Closet--0ut of Work; Male Sexual Politics.
5.30-6 pm: Daytime activities CLOSE.
8.pm: CONFERENCE GAY DANCE at Manning House in grounds of Syd.Uni. $4 and S3 concession Stray Dags, Hen's Teeth, Razor Cuts Wimmins Bands. Bar operates.
SUNDAY. AUGUST 31; Conference re-opens.
10.am International Organisation; Gay Trade Unionists; Gays whoae basic language in not english; Young Gays;
11 am National Coalition; Counselling in the Future; Gays & Sexism; On Being a Disabled Gay; CPA Perspective: Marxism and Homosexuality.
12 noon: Drag;
1pm LUNCH BREAK
2 pm; Gay Archives; Gay Radio; Gays and Atheism; Christians & Homosexuality; Gays & Mysticism; Stonewall—Marches etc.
3. 30 pm; Final Plenary Session
5.30 pm Optimistic CLOSE to Conference.
CURRENT NEWSLETTER AND ARCHIVE OF PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS
Mannie has a personal web site: RED JOS: HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISM
Mannie's blogs may be accessed by clicking on to the following links:
MannieBlog (from 1 August 2003 to 31 December 2005)
Activist Kicks Backs - Blognow archive re-housed - 2005-2009
RED JOS BLOGSPOT (from January 2009 onwards)
This page updated 18 SEPTEMBER 2014 and again on 19 APRIL 2017
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