I
.
5 1994
know what they are speaking, you see, and they
space for ourselves. So I hope people will see our
want to know what is going on.
budget and send us some money for office rental.
“The gay language is more than 100 years old.
“I get a small grant from the government be
It’s very familiar in the colored and black town
cause I have rheumatoid arthritis. It pays for my
ships. I can have a complete conversation in the
food. My lover got this good job. That helps a lot.
gayle language and other people will not under
I work full time for ABIGALE.
stand it. My lover is teaching all of the white
“Gay people need education so that other people
lesbians to gayle. I
can’t take advantage of
don’t teach them, be
them. Education is the
‘7r
is
very
difficult
for
women
cause I want to gossip
weapon. I think that it is
about them ,” she
to come out as lesbians. We had very im portant for
laughed.
ABIGALE members to
“We are all colors, two cases in ABIGALE. They told get an education. Some
shapes and sizes in one woman she was a witch , and gay youngsters ran
ABIGALE. Because of
away. We gave them
they
wanted
to
burn
her.
”
apartheid the govern
jobs and put them back
ment separated our
into school.”
people into the white, the black, the colored. I
I asked Theresa what she would like to see
always say I am a colored, but my lover says, no,
happen for lesbians now.
you are a black woman. She wants it to be just one
“There are different things that different gays
people.
and lesbians want. Like some lesbians want to get
“For white lesbians the situation is different
married. I don’t want to get married. But if they
because of education. They can go off on their own
want it, then I will fight for it. We need to do a
at 16 or 18 to varsity [university]. In the colored or
survey on that. That’s what we did for the gay
black community, you don’t get that. I left school
rights charter for the Bill of Rights.
when I was 14 to help support the family because
“We must be careful because the right wing is
my mom had eight kids and my father couldn’t
coming out now. They didn’t come out earlier.
support them all, so the girls left school very early.
That is why it is important for ABIGALE to make
F o r th e P rice o f O n e
W eek s V acation, Yon
C onlcl V acation
3 6 5 D ays a Vear.
B efore
you
f>uy a
spa,
any
spa,
c o m p a r e t h e q u a l i t y a n a s i m p l i c i t y or a
H ot
S p rin g
Spa
from
o r e g o n
Hot
S p r i n g S p a . We ve h e e n h e l p i n g o u r J u s t
O u t c u s t o m e r s r e l a x in sty le f o r 1 1 y e a r s ,
i f you deserve the best, a I l o t S p r i n g S p a
is t h e s p a t o b u y. We o f f e r :
• A c o m p le te ly u n iq u e lin e o f sp as.
• P r o fe ssio n a l sa les tea m to a n sw er all y o u r
q u e s tio n s .
• 5 year c o m p r e h e n siv e w arranty.
• L ow en erg y u sa g e g u a ra n tee.
• C o m fo r ta b le , ea sy -ca re E n d u r o F su rfa ce.
• S tr e ss r e lie v in g M o to-M assage® jets.
ABIGALE
The boys did finish school. They say the girls don’t
need education because they will marry and have
kids.
“I always say every one o f us has got a little bit
o f racism in us, and it will take a long time for us
to work that out. We don’t appear to be racist, but
we are. In many ways, it comes out. I think that’s
also why it’s difficult for white and black lesbians
to mix, as well.
“We need money now for education because
we need to upgrade our people’s English and
bookkeeping and gay literature. If ABIGALE elects
a chairperson there must be two— one knows what
is going on and the other one is learning. Two
treasurers, two secretaries, because then one can
give the skills to the other one.
“It will be easier for us to work if we have an
office. W e’re working from the place where we
live. That is a bit difficult because we don’t have
• A h e a lth fu l, r e la x in g retreat.
themselves visible and to say ‘we are here, and we
are here to stay. We must all stand together.’ ”
P le a se m e n tio n th is ad w h e n c a llin g .
Despite our efforts, a photo o f the members o f
ABIGALE was unavailable by press time.
ABIGALE sells T-shirts o f two women kissing
($15) and the book Defiant Desire—the first
stories o f gay men and lesbians in South Africa
($25). These mail-order fund-raisers are
available from ABIGALE, PO Box 16534,
Vlaeberg 8018, South Africa.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human
Rights Commission monitors human rights
abuses against sexual minorities and people
with AIDS and HIV. Write IGLHRC, 1360
Mission St., Suite 200, San Francisco, CA
94103, or call (415) 255-8680, fax
(415) 255-8662.
Oregon Hot Spring
F O I T
P ortland ,
B
eaverton
SA LEM ,
,
ABLE
S
1904 NE 82nd, Just North of 1-84, ph. 253-3551
10367 SW Canyon Rd., Just East of 217, ph. 6 4 3 - 5 0 0 2
3966 Silverton Rd. NE, Just West of Lancaster, ph. 3 6 3 - 4 0 0 0
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