|
Pen Points
Letters to Gay Today |
Arthur Evans' Stonewall Era History GAA Founder Arthur Evans was always too radical for an earlier Homosexual League of New York militant like myself. However, I've missed hearing his voice in the debates over our history. And, looking back at the video tape I made of GAA's NYC Marriage Bureau "Zap", I've come to have a new respect for "instant anger" Arthur.
I voted against Arthur Evans in the fierce election for the presidency of GAA and supported the more "moderate" Jim Owles, a decision that I would choose to make again today. However, I found Arthur Evans article in GayToday very factual and informative. I am happy he is writing. I think he is still too radical for me but I welcome the sound of his voice in this historical debate. I have just one major objection to his account of historical events. He says "WE" videotaped the GAA zap at the NYC Marriage License Bureau. The "we" was myself, Randy Wicker and my lover Peter Ogren. It was my first videotape and one that survived and went down in history. No one else had a video camera in those days. They were too expensive. I don't want to annoy Arthur. I just want him to realize that Randy Wicker, a Mattachine member going back to l958 and fellow GAA-activist, was the one who made that video tape. Watching the tape makes me realize that, although I did not agree with Arthur Evans' politics, he had great sense of timing, theatrics and strategy.
Those newcomers were so quick to discard careful thought for verbally easy and catchy terms like 'gay rights'--so much easier to say than the longer and more accurate term "civil rights for homosexuals'!... I'm wandering here. We all have so much to say. But I demand that the early pre-Stonewall activists not be ignored. Where was the "more radical than anyone" Arthur Evans when the Sex Freedom League and the Homosexual League of New York held the first public demonstration for civil rights for homosexuals outside the U.S. Army Induction Center in September, l964? Perhaps he was not yet pubescent. Perhaps he was just another homosexual growing up in America thinking he was the only one!
How charming these "Johnny-come-latelies" were. The first thing they did was disown, discredit and distance themselves from the very people who had created the "ideology" that they embraced (at long last) as a new public community. No one gives credit to Magnus Hirschfeld, the German who really founded our Movement in the 1890s only to be run out of Germany by Hitler in 1932. We, the early American activists challenged the psychiatrists who declared us sick and tried to milk the guilt-laden gay folk of as much money as possible, promising that they could 'cure' this 'disease' called homosexuality in just eight sessions at $50 per session--which in l960 dollars was more like $200 per session. And these new post-Stonewall "Gay Militants" were so thrilled when they finally got the American Psychiatric Association to declare them "non-sick." But we pre-Stonewallers had laid the groundwork for this change. We early militants knew that these slimy bloodsucking psychiatrists knew nothing about homosexuality. They had theories, stupid theories at that. WE lived homosexuality. We WERE the authorities on our own lives. Are we sick again if they change their minds tomorrow? Oh well, my darlins, I've let off a little steam for now. Let me say goodnight to Arthur Evans and all the rest of you children. I rarely get fired up like this. It must be that Arthur Evans' talent for hitting "bottom line notes." I don't always agree with him but it's sure nice to hear one of the generation that followed ours speaking out at last. Arthur, welcome to the "correcting official history" club. Glad to have you on board.
Cloningly yours,
India's Pioneering Newsmagazine: Bombay Dost The Bombay Dost web site has been developing slowly but surely. It need to be simple and easily accessible from computers in India's fast developing cyber culture and basically to get over the marketing obstructions. We are still adding on. Please give whatever suggestions you can to make it more attractive. We are keeping it very simple because of accessibility problems and down loading speed. The web site is at: www.bombay-dost.com
Cheers
|