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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1994)
ju s t out ▼ juno 3 , 1004 ▼ 3 mainstream media always focus on the more colorful bands of the queer spec trum and so promote stereotypes of gay men as either John W ayne Gacys or dith erin g irresp o n sib le nellies and thereby strike fear of gay men into the heartland. But these conservative assimilationists simply don’t understand how stereotypes work in society. Keeping leather pants and feather boas out of the parades will do nothing to reduce stereotyping. For stereotypes are not inductions from skewed samples— generalizations that can be corrected and made scientific simply by randomizing the cases exam ined. Stereotypes are social creations that centrally serve to define and main tain a culture ’ s conception of itself. Thus, stereotypes of gay men as sissies, nellies and limp-wristed queens prop up still- powerful sex-role expectations in the United States, while the stereotypes of gay men as sex-crazed maniacs, and es pecially as child molesters, serve to give the traditional family a false sheen of innocence. These stereotypes preach that the problems of the “Am erican” family must be external rather than internal to it. to be dignified without having dignity. Dignity is not buying into the other guy’s values just because he’s in power. Dig nity is asserting that one’s own values are worthy of consideration on a par with any other, including those of the domi nant culture. And don’t be mistaken: Bigots cannot be appeased by denying queer experi ence. Indeed, they have capitalized on low-key sexual minority political cam paigns and queer invisibility by claiming that there really is not much, if any, anti gay discrimination in the U.S. anyway and, therefore, legal protections for sexual minorities are not needed. Low-key, face less, queer-less campaigns simply play right into this rationalization, so popular now with neo-conservatives, who want to avoid sounding patently prejudicial. So, for the sake of lesbian, gay, bi sexual and transgender dignity and val ues, mainstream folk out there need to see real, live, breathing, justifiably an gry queer people saying, “How dare you presume.” Low-key campaigns simply leave the discussion of our issues to the opposition, who have been very clever at framing the debates and whose sound- T ravel A gents H I nternational 917 S.W. Washington St. Portland, OR 503 223-1100 800-357-3194 ((Reason S o f Seven) S. # 1 0 0 . 0 0 0 F lig h t I n s u r a n o e . . . w ith o u r C o m p l l m o n t o l Travel Agents International includes a $100,000 Flight Insurance policy with every airline ticket we issue. (Does not apply to tickets purchased through an air consolidator.) (Proudly Announcing: TravelA gents Internationaf I fas been selected by the ‘N ationalLesbian Çay Lawyers Association as the O fficial TravelAgency f o r their annual N a tio n a l Lavender L a w Convention, coming to (Portland PHOTO BY SHERYL October, 1994. Dykes on bikes at the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day Parade Because stereotypes are the products of a culture’s vision of itself rather than of science gone bad, they are sustained by cultural means, say, by jokes and slang, that make no pretense of scientific accuracy and continue to be transmitted quite independently of “the facts.” The only way to change social reality here is to get it to face moral reality, which includes dykes on bikes and snap queens in the bubbly, booming good of our commitment to the blessings of liberty. To clean up parades in hopes of im mediate political expedience is to deny queer experience and culture, and to sac rifice it to and for the values of others— bites have an automatic grip on the still massive repository of cultural prejudices: “No Special Rights,” “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” The world needs to see just how special we are, and needs to see Adam and Steve, perhaps bol stered by the possibility and protection of a lesbian and gay parade, holding hands and smooching publicly in order to show that, yes, they too are married in the eyes of God and their community. Richard D. Mohr is the author o f A More Perfect Union: Why Straight America Must Stand Up for Gay Rights. Good Luck and Travel Safe, to all members, partners and friends of t e a m P o r t l a n d at the Gay Games in NYC. Thanks for all of your support! DOES YO U R OFFICE H AVE BUSINESS / C O R P O R A TE TR A V E L ? We combini the benefits of a larga corporata Agancy, with tha convanianca and attantion to datail found in Individally owned and operated agencies. Let us introduce T.A.I. services and benefits to your Travel Arranger. D e sig n a te d Travel A g e n c y for P n d e of P o rtla n d r u l l a v i .II. A th le tic Team to G a y G a m e s IV |lNT»NNATIO NAt. 223-1100 OAY T S A V C l ASSOCIATION M F. M B F. R
