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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1986)
Lesbian economics by Lee Lynch Late in the fall of 1985, a group of fifteen w om en sat before a woodstove in Southern O regon, rain incessant but comforting out side, and talked. Noticeable was a lack of controversy, criticism, and bitterness. Newly present were evidence of foresight, a con frontation with real problem s and a recogni tion of the enem y as outsider, rather than am ong us. “Carol and me," said Dana in her slow, seem ingly casual voice, "we’ve been working our asses off building. We want to start our bed and breakfast this spring.” “Can you make a living from one of those?" "No. But I want to be a farmer. It'll supple m ent the farm.” A professional counselor across the room suggested, "Lesbians make money. We need ways to spend it on other lesbians’ goods and services.” Sue, soft-spoken, with lively blue eyes, is the new owner of a small grocery store in Grants Pass. “It's a question of econom ic survival these days.” “Yeah,” agreed several women. "After five years, we re still operating our health food store out of love," said Daphne from It’s a Natural on Second Ave. in Myrtle Creek. “It's gotten to the point, though, where Judith is considering taking a job." “Still,” offered Judith with enthusiasm, “once we were those people up there.’ Now the com m unity welcomes our presence in projects." The artist of the group was offering her work for sale that day. "I’m trying to support myself partially with my a rt This is where you co m e in," she said to us all, gesturing toward a wide variety of possible Christmas gifts. “I need to know what you w ant That will help to shape what I do." I, too, have dealt with this question of survi val. My books earn back only my expenses — for which I’m grateful. But I support myself with a straight job. Last night I dream t a whole beginning-to-end spy novel with a lesbian heroine. I woke thinking, “This is how I’ll m ake enough m oney to write full time!” Then I thought, “Is this how I want to spend the next two years of my life? Violence, fear — Super- AMAZON TRAIL Sappho saving the world?” I may have to consider it after I fail to get any of the grants or awards I’ve applied for from the straight world. I may have to if I give up on getting concrete support from our gay culture. Why don’t I m ake money from my books? The lesbian market is just beginning to be visible, reachable. Lesbians don’t have or won’t spend their money on books. I can ’t be awarded (even if 1 deserved them ) a Gay Gug genheim , a Perverts’ Pulitzer, when neither exists y et And they won’t exist until we see ourselves as a group which deserves mutual su p p o rt S u e’s living on the edge, along with Daphne, Judith and the farmer-hoteliers, partly because we re just beginning to m a ture as a culture, just beginning to recognize our responsibility for and to ourselves economically. When we were kids it was okay to live in student ghettos, eat fast food diets, work m inim um wage jobs, squander our safety, health and energies. But now? I once sat in rag-tag circles of theorists, complaining about the patriarchy. I once ap plauded the spray-painting sloganeers, took over a radio station, lived on unemployment, alcohol and drugs. I’ve also worked full-time, owned my hom e and established good credit The wom en around the woodstove were saying that they, too, had not found solutions in separatism or in absorption into the main stream . They wanted to be self-supporting an d som e want to specialize in serving wo m en. Perhaps only the professional haircut- ter who was with us can do both right now. The artist got a monetary show of support that day. The others began with the seed of a plan. Perhaps a brochure to be distributed in the lesbian comm unity regionally, or even nationally. Dare we think of a lesbian Chamber of C om m erce? The brochure would sport a m ap of this Amazon Trail of ours, with laven der m arkers for our own businesses and a listing of local highlights and services along the way. Certainly ads in Just Out, Eugene Women s Press, Rag Times. A counter culture, is, after all, a culture, its media as real and potentially as effective as any other. A little thrill ran through me. As important a s they are, too, this was not a group consid ering m eans to symbolically take back the n ig h t This was not a group considering whether it should censor S&M material. This was not a group considering whether women should have children, own pets, eat only veg etables, shave their legs. Check out our NEW Restaurant our NEW Menu, a n d # our NEW Chef * " We d o n ’t want to be changing bedsheets for straights," one of the farmers said strongly. "We re glad to work with a whole com munity,” was the tone of the natural food sellers. The grocer is always open-arm ed to the dykes who travel out of their way to play Pacm an or buy lunch in her store. She loves her work, they all love their work, and they’re ready to balance profit and loss, know-how and learning, caution and flagrant queem ess, to be them selves in a world of their own making. In the next room was a tableful of hom e m ade foods. The group re-formed around it, seemingly unchanged. But were they a little stronger for sharing their vision? This pro cess of envisioning and building is so gradual. Look at the centuries behind us, when such a group would not have thought to meet, or had they met, might have been arrested for witchcraft Look at som e of the surges of woman-power before: the ancient amazons, the flagrant lesbians of the twenties, the self- sufficient women of World War II. There are those who say m en took the power in ancient tim es to control ownership of land. The de pression of 1929 seem ed to put an end to that em erging lesbian culture. When the men returned after World War II, the women pas sively handed over the reins. Econom ics is obviously a key to winning back our place in the world — and to making a world of our own. What we craft now before our woodstoves, m ust be slow, considered, sound. We’ve always worked our asses off for som eone else. Will we finally do it for each other? , ■:ikd m » Kaiser Roll Sandwiches Featuring: w/gourmet Khalsa Chips • The Best Chicken Salad • Steak and Chicken Breast Entrees • Home-haked Pies and Pastries & m Hi:!: Bring in this Ad for a 25% off on dinners. Good through Feb. 28 EVENTS Honey Bee and the Stingers 8 pm Sunday 9th: Saturday 15th: The Gay Olympics Rep. from SF hosts an informational meeting and video show. Open to all, free. 4:30 to 7:00. More info: 777-8309 Friday 14th: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY: Lots of free dinner door prizes. Exotic Drink Specials, Romantic dinners by Candlelight. . . and Hot and Slushy tunes t ill 4 AM The Primary Domain Now open Sundays at 11 AM Happy Hour 4:30 - 7:00 Everyday Monday Madness — Slippery Nipples A Screaming Orgasms $2 Thursday — 50C Beer; $1 Schnapps DJ Tunes Wednesday through Saturday 1033 NW 16 224-4135 Where Everyone is welcome 16 Just Out, February, 1986