lust out
Vol. 4 No. 5
March, 1987
SteppifY Out
Co-Publishers
Renee LaChance and Jay Brown
Editor Jay Brown
Feature Editor w. c. McRae
Intern Rodger Larson
Advertising Coordinator Jewel Murphy
Advertising Representatives
Julie Draper, Robin Cunningham,
Rick Kelso, Meg Grace, Jeff Fritz
Production Director
Renee LaChance
Creative Director
E. Ann Hnds
Production Assistants
Bev LaBelle
Graphic Inspiration
Rupert Kinnard
Contributors
Lee Lynch
Douge Martin
Nancy R. Walseth
Eleanor Malin
Michael S. Reed
Rupert Kinnard
Dr. Tantalus
David Scondras
Joe Di Sabato
Robin Ritterman
Billy Russo
Bill Konkoy
Distribution Terri Redbird
C O M M E N T A R Y
Run, Ginny, Run.
Boston City Councillor David Scondras uses the example of
Pat Robinson to explain why we need gay or lesbian
candidate for President.
BY
DAVID
SCONDRAS
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agree with Reverend Pat Robertson.
His gun-toting, bible-thumping
television “ ministry” warns us that
America is in desperate need of salvation,
and I agree.
But we are talking about saving two
different Americas — his one of polyester
patriots who see conformity as an index of
righteousness and who fear the responsi­
bility freedom brings.
His political vision of this country is
precisely the one I want to save our country
from.
But Reverend Robertson is ahead in the
battle. As a presidential candidate he un­
derstands that though his views represent
only a small minority of people in this
country he can exercise disproportionate
political influence because he has orga­
nized, vocalized, and energized his
followers.
The gay and lesbian community can
I
learn a lot from Reverend Robertson.
And the number one lesson is that we
should run an openly gay or lesbian candi­
date for President.
To such a race we bring limited, but
enormously useful and powerful, re­
sources. We are natural coalition builders
for we are male and female, black and
white, young and old, urban and rural,
comprised o f every nationality, religion,
and economic background.
And we are everywhere. Our hundreds
o f newspapers, thousands of bars, com­
munity centers, health clinics, churches,
organizations, and millions of brothers
and sisters coupled with our compassion,
energy, and unmatched creativity are ripe
with national political potential.
Imagine this scenario: Someone with
the skill, persuasiveness, and appeal of
Ginny Apuzzo enters the New Hampshire
primary.
Hundreds o f students from New Eng­
land stream into Nfcw Hampshire joining
activists there to tell voters o f G inny’s
vision, her commitment to a broad range
o f issues, and her courage in fighting to
liberate us all from homophobic bigotry.
At every candidate's forum, television
appearance, and campaign stop, the na­
tional presidential campaign is forced to
deal with lesbian and gay issues, to hear
our demands as presented by an articulate,
personable woman. Gary Hart would be
forced to speak out on our rights as pa­
rents. Richard Gephardt would have to
address his proposal for a national AIDS
policy. And Michael Dukakis would be
challenged at every turn.
Ginny could capture the imagination of
people everywhere, and perhaps even
astonish political pundits by placing well
among independent-minded New Hamp­
shire voters with her sincere appeal for a
better America.
But how many delegates she wins, how
many primaries she manages to run in, is
not as important as the fact of her conduct­
ing a campaign. Simply by running, by not
accepting her seat in the back of the Demo­
cratic Party bus, she would put us miles
ahead o f where we would be by relying on
straight “ friends” who have traditionally
produced little for our community.
By organizing, vocalizing, and energiz­
ing we can empower ourselves to do some­
thing about the oppression we face, and we
can alter the political course of this country
with a concentrated, focused campaign.
There will be those who say, “ Oh, no,
we cannot hurt the chances for a Democrat
in the White House.” And just as Martin
Luther King and every liberator before and
since has been told, we will be warned that
“ now is not the time.”
This is a mistake.
We want so much to pretend that we
belong, that America loves us, that we
place every agenda ahead of our own.
We must understand that there is no
fight more precious, no cause more just,
no victory more deserving, no time more
urgent than ours is now.
There must be an end to gay children
being thrown off bridges to their death.
There must be a new freedom to allow
all of us to dance wherever there is dancing.
There must be a realization that America
will be made stronger by investing in life
rather than insanely wasting trillions in
preparation for global destruction.
And there must be an end to the quiet
Continued on page I -
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Just Out 3 , April, 1987