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the
MAIDENVOYAGE
a da ughters
prudential
of bilitis
center
newsletter/boston
station,
boston,
chapter/p.o.
mass.
02199/vol.
box 221
l,
no. l
"The responsibility
of
tolerance
lies with those
who have the wider vision."
december,
·l!l-
*****
1969
George Eliot
<MaryAnnEvans)
~- .r.•
* * * ~-* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -:}*
~"'UN ION OF OFFIC ERS IN AN
CT
ORGAN ATION
IZ
Peo ple sometimes find that when
of f i c ers are elected,
the course
of an organization
such as ours
is chartered
by their
personaliti es and ph i losophies.
Your
off ic ers in Boston D.O.B. hope
they wi ll be an exception
to this
pr i n ci ple.
We believe it is for everyone to
su gge st ideas,
officers
and
rn
emb~rs al ike . We believe once
an i dea from any source has been
acce pted by the group, it is our
job to s ee that it gets converted
int o action.
We believe
action
must come from both members and
officers,
and we will look for
and work for active participation
by a s many people as possible
in
eac h of th e group's projects.
We be lieve the function
of officer s in an or ganization
is to
ser ve the group--to
put people in
con ta ct with people,
to keep records , to make su gg estions,
to tend
to t he deta i l s , and, above all, to
see that thin g s get done.
We make promises to Boston D.O.B.:
that this will be an or ganization
that does thin s s, that welcomes all
as members t and that lis t ens to all
its mem s .
ber
BOSTONCOM OUT
ES
Now that DOB Boston seems well on
i~s way toward becoming an active,
progressive
chapter of the national
organization,
those new to the
group may wonder how it all started
here in the Commonwealth.
Joan Kent, National Vice President
East, ran an announcement in the
June issue of the New York Newsletter
asking that those interested
in forming chapters
in their areas
write her.
This Newsletter,
sent to DOB members in various cities
where there
is no chapter,
was given by a
friend
to Teddy Andot of Boston.
Teddy was not a member of DOB, although she knew of tho organization's
general purposes and had read
some copies of The Ladder years
back.
She read Joan's announcement:
"a place where you could meet, have
discussions,
dances, and work for
le gal ri ghts"; and she reco gnized
the need for such a place in the
Boston area.
Accordin gly, Teddy
wrote immediately
to say she would
be interested
in h elpin g form a
Boston Chapter.
In addition
to answerin g T~ddy•s
letter,
Joan n~tified
Gene Damon,
editor of The Ladder, knowing that
another Bostonian
was helpin g Gene
with the magazine.
Gene promptly
put Teddy in touch with Kim Stabinski.
�(cont.
from page 1)
MAIDENVOYAG
E
( 2)
Teddy and Kim met early in June and
spent many hours discussing
D.O.B.
3oston. The last weekend in June
they went to New Y01 to visit
·k
with
Joan Kent end discuss
a chapter
in
earnest.
Aided by referrals
from national
officers
and another 7chepter
pr e sident,
Teddy, acting as president
pro tem and a~sisted
by Kim as
secretary
pro tern, be gan makin g contacts,
settin g up the first
or ganizationa l
meetin g for September 12.
Althou gh only six women were present
for this meetin g , the group had hi gh
hopes, spurred also by Gene's promised
publicity
in th P. LADDER. Our first
actual mention _in the national
magazine came as a flyer,
attached
to the
cover of the August/Sept ember issue.
This flyer,
typ ed end attached
to all
copies comin g into this area by National President
Ri ta Laporte,
announced our Boston address an d brou ght in
a number of inquiries.
The second meetin g on October 24 found
16 prospective
members present,
while
the third meeti ng on November 7 dr ew
a group of 15 interested
i n formin g a
chapter.
When 21 women came forth on November
21, it became obvious that the gro up
would soon out grow Teddy's home,
wher~ the first
four meetin gs were
held. Accordin gl y , Ann Haley made
arran ge ments for us to move tempor ar ily to the Clarke Room of th e Arlin g ton
St. Church. It was here that 46 wom
en
gathered for th e fifth
meeting on December 5, electin g officers
in one of the
final steps bef ore applying to National
Headquart ers for a chapter.
In with all this activity,
we
should pause and rBmember that
this chapter was the idea, the
ideal,
of individuals
who recognized a need and cared enough
to do somethin g about it. Our
hats are off to these pioneers
who laid the groundwork for
D.O.B. Boston.
BOSTONDOB OFFI CERS
President:
Ann Haloy, 2~ Linwood
Ave., Melrose, Mass . 66,5,-~er
Vice President:
19 Frawley St.,
.,.,,
Diana Travis
Boston, Mass.
277-8952
Secretary:
Worcester,
Donna Ferguson
Mass.
Treasurer:
Andy Cox, Weare,
Please contact
any time.
these
people
N.H.
at
BOSTO DOB ADDRESS
N
We are experiencing
difficulty
in getting
our mail. If you
have written
D.O.B. et the J.F.
Kennedy Post Office Box and have
not received
an answer, please
keep the faithwe'll get and
answer your letter
as soon as
possible.
In the meantime, please
do not use the J. F . Kennecy
address any lon ge r. Boston D.O. B.' s
new mailin g address is: P.O.
Box, 221, Prudential
Center
Station,
Boston, Mass. 02199
D.O.B. Bo~ton will be bu sy , as any or ganization
n ew to an area is busy, D.O. R.
NOT OF THANKS:
E
Boston wi l l be particularly
busy because
THIS IS SUE WAS MADEFINAN
CIALLY
of th e pressin g n eed , too lon g unfu lfi ll ed , POSSIBLE THROU TH PERSONAL
GH E
for a chapter in this locality.
D.O.B .
CO~PLIMENTSOF RON KUMIN.
Bos ton will be active,
moving i n numerous
dir ect ions to fill
the ne eds of th e individuals involved and to touch th e society
in which they fin d themselves.
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(3)
OPEN FORUM
DEARREA : We are your product;
DER
therefore,
it is essential
to know
your opinions and viewpoints
on matters that should be re ,.
levant · to us
all. this space will be devoted e~ch month as a podium for you to
speak out on various questions
that will be posed, hopefully,
by you,
the readers.
~his bein g our first
newsletter,
VOYAGE
has taken the
liberty
of choosing this month's O.F.Q. (open forum question).
o.r.Q.#1:
What's your answer when par3nts and business associates
ask you where or who your boyfriend
is?
I
Ple~se mail your response and/or 0.f.Q. ~ to Open Forum, P.O. Box
221, Prudential
Center Station,
Boston, Mass. 02199.
VOYAGE eagerly awai tin ~ rour letters.
is
YOU ARE OPEN FORU
:1.
**•., -;'}•,d'r·*·IHHH'r*·*
PROGRESS
A cen tral purpose of Boston D.O.B.
ls to gain social acceptance
for
homosexuality.
Although our organization
is very new, we have
already made some pro gr ess in this
area.
-Donna Ferguson and Diana Travis
succeeded in gettin~
the LADDER
pub l icly sold in tw~ bookstores
in M&
ssachusetts.
Both the Paperback Books m
ith in Worcester and
the Paperback Booksmith in Kenmore Square, Boston, will carry
the magazin e which is clearly
marked a "Lesbian Review".
-Diana Travis convinced theeditor of BO
STON AFTER DARK that
his paper should abandon its
policy of refusing
advertisments
pertaining
to homosexuality
and
5CCept Boston D.O.B.'s
ad which
was desi gned to sell copies of
the LADDER.
-Marty Kelly, Diana Travis and
Ann Haley appe ared on Steve
Frederick's
show on radio WMEX,
November 22, and for three hours
answered telephone
calls about
Boston D.O.B. and Lesbians.
Marty wanted to appear on the
show as Donna Dyke, but the talkmaster Fredericks
convinced her
that Boston was not yet ready for
this.
-Ann Haley found unexpected social acceptance
when she contacted
the Arlington
Street Church and
found the church would welcome
D.O.B.
EXTRA'
,
1
BOSTON
D.O.B. WILL APPEARON
THE ED MILLERTELEVISION SHOW,
DECEMBER
29, FROM11:30 A.M.
TO 12:00 NOONON CHANNEL
7.
D.O.B.
REPRESENTATIVESWILL
BE RECEIVINGTELEPHONED
QUESTIONS FROMTHE VIEWINGAUDIENCE.
YOURSUPPORTIS ALWAYS
WELCOME.
GENERATION
GAP?
There is no generation
or age gap
for those who wish to belong to
D.O.B. 1 s activities.
The only necessity
is that you must be 21
years or over to take part in the
actual voting and to be an actual
member.
We are all striving
for the
same cause and should all help in
achieving
our goals. Age is definately
no barrier
- for those
who are willing
to give and share
and enjoy are ageless.
So whether we're teething
or
to othless or in-between - just
remember - we're all"
Daughters
Of Bi.litis"!!!
�From Boston, take either Route 93 or Route 3 to Route 101 West
until it runs into 114 Nor.th (just past 3 traffic
lights).
At
the blinkin g yellow li ght where 101 hits 114, take a left and
follow 114 North throu gh Goffstown and into Weare.
At the junction
of Route 77 (marked by a Phillips
66 station),
take an extr eme sharp left onto Route 77. Turn right
on to 149 goin g about 300 feet. The Grange Hall is the first
buildin g on the ri ght; park in front of it or in the driveway of th e house imm diately
e
across the street.
Allow approximately 1 and .l/2 hours for the trip.
Inter e s te d in a car pool? If you need transportation
or
i f you plan to come with less than a full car and could bring
another pas s enger or two, call either Diana or Katy in Boston
at 277-8 952 (evening up to midnight).
Also call to let it be
kn own what liquor setups (those over 21, only - please) you
wou ld car e for.
D.O. B. off ers very special
thanks to Sandy Cavana gh for
making our party possiblet
So circle
12/20/69 and we'll see
you theret
MAIDEN
VOYA
GE
(4)
�MAIDENVOYA E
G
(5)
POEMFOR PARENTS
And a wom who held a babe
an
aga inst her bosom said, Speak
to us of Child ren.
And he Said:
Your childr en are not your children.
They are the so ns and daughters
of
Life's
lon g in g for it se lf.
They come throu gh you, but not from
you,
And thou gh they are with you, they
bel ong not to you.
You may give them your love, but not
your thou gh ts.
For they hav e their
own thou ghts.
You may house their
bodies,
but
not thair
souls,
For their
souls dwell in th e house
of tomorrow, which you cannot visit,
not even in your dreams.
You may strive
to bo like th em, but
se ek not to make th em like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries
with ye sterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as livin g arrows aresent
forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path
of tho lnfinate
, an d He bends you with
his might that Hi s arrows may go swift
a nd far.
Let your bending in the archer's
hand
be for gladness;
For even as ho lov es the arrow th at flies
so He lov es also th e bow that is stable.
Kahil
Gibran,
THE PROPHET
ODD ~ ENDS
S
Wh we have here
at
is
an anpty box.
ANNOUij
CEMF.NTS
.w~are actively aolicitin g peo ple to he]p out
with cl ea:nup mfter meetin gs ~ But don't ~ait to
be drafted-just
pitch in
if you have the time.
.Rita LaPorte~ Nati onal
Pr~sident
of DOB, tells
us we're pronouncing
"Bi Lilia " wron g .. Seems
it sho ul d be Bil-eet -us
instead
of Bil-ite-us.
Well we're new.: at thi;s ·!i~nd Boston ians have always been noted for the
unique wa y th ey do thiDgs .
.We're askin g everybod y
to provide herself
with
a last name. By all meansr
creatA one if you wish.
But if you make VOYAG,
E
Sue Smith sounds more
compet ent than s~e s ••
Do let
an officer
know
who you are goin g to be.
(For mAilin g purposes
we 'll continue
to us e
the na mes you hav e already g iven.)
.Arlin gton Str ee t Church
asks that we leav e and
enter by th e door marked " Honeywell Clmpel".
a
The oth er gro ~p mee ting
in the church Frid ay
ni ghts is Th~ Dama3ed
Angels , a coffehouse
with dim li gh ts and
che ckered tableclo t hs.
(s@/Jftl/]{J@
Please fill
it.
Al l co n tr i bu t i o~s in vi te d .
Poet ry-j ok es - or wha t ~ver.
jOri~inAl or an old favorite
.
I
JWJil!J
rl>
(p3,?)
�MAI
DEN VOYAGE
(l-}
NOTICE
.
Bylaws of the national
organization
rule that no DOB newsleiter
·
shAll be sold.
MAID VOYAGEwill also be such a ser vice; subEN
scriptions
are free to rr.e:ribers of DO alon g with their membership ,;.
B
VOYAGE l also appear in th e
wil
our maili r.v list . Thi s is how
be : n~ a nonprofit
or ga~i z8tio n
in ar eas of producti on and circ
otions hav e already mat e rialize
mai l box of any interested
adult on
it shou].d be.
Unfortunately,h
ow
:ever,
co es h ave its problemsespecially
ulation.
Fin~nciAl and staff
limit d.
So much is happenin ~ that is of interest
to us all-a ctivity
within
DOB withi n t he homoph ile comm
,
unity,
and society
at lar ge -th at
1
M
AIDS~ VOYA is sur e to beco me a va 1 ue ble service
GE
th e t can end
shou ld ex~and as we expa nd.
Theref ore •. •
We ne ed your 3up por t,
pl ease-h elp us to grow.
??6n tions ar e requested
a
becaus e we have no oth'3r source
but. the donati on s of 011r member s, friends,
ond interested
of inoo nre-2
pa:r.ties.
·
If you can ai d in produ c tion,
circulation,
reporting-anythin
g,
ple ase let us hear : l"orn you. -:H:--::--::·Y.·
--:} '.}*·Y.·3/.··:HHH}
SUBSCRIPTION
*
Editor,
Edito r: Sos t on Chspt er Newsletter,
* Contact Kelly,c / ct
DOB V.A D~N VOYAGS Box 221
I
,
. •::- Marty
Pruden tial Center Sta ti on,
* Ma iden Voyage or
Busto n,Mass. 02 199
* telephone 581-1869
*
Dea r Edito r :
Ple ss e co n tir.ue
Enclosed
my f ree
subs cr iption
to the MAI EN VOYAG.
D
E
pleas e f ind rny don a ti on (option al!)
#amt·
.
L1cidY'c_~s.:
"ZIP (!OOl
PL EASE COM
PLETE
AND RE TU RN Tn r~ AB OVE FORM PROMPTLY .
•
�MAI EN VOYAGE
D
(1}
VIEWPOINT
The Killin g of Sist er George,
The Fox, The r e se and Is~belle;
what did you think of t h ese movies?
Did they infuriate
you or did
you cons ider them fair portrayals?
It 's obviou s that th er e could be
no one movie or play that depicts
gay life in a nutshell.
Strai ght
life is var ied with thousands of
stories
to tell,
and of course
it's
the same i n the gay ~orld.
But t here is much disag reement
among the homophile community as
to the ac curacy of not only the
movie s mention ed above, but
doz en s of other product i ons.
Is bad publicity
better than !12.
publicity?
And what ·of gay ref er ences in
"straight
films"?
Are you erfended when a superstar
screams
"Di rty qu eer" on th e great sil ve r s cr een? It se ems tha t almo st
every rece nt movi e has s ome kind
of ga y sequ ence in it.
What
VIEWPOINTwants to l earn is how
you feel about either
the refer en ces
or the produ cti ons that actually
have homos exual plot s.
So if you cried when Sis ter Geor ge
was reduced to a "cow", while
t he s tra ight coup le next to you
l augh ed- or if you crin ge when a
script
screams PERVERSIO or
Neven if th at's what you liketh en please let us know. C 1 mon,
ev eryone's
a cri tic!
VIEWPOINT P.O. BOX 221
,
PR
UrENT
IAL CF.NTERSTATION
BOSTO MA
N,
~S.
02199
WHO
WAS BILITIS?
It's
a lon g story,
folks.
Seems that when D.O. B. was
first
organized
they wanted
a name that would give a
clue to the nature of the
or ganization
to it&!',potential memb
ers, while s till
not letting
the strai ght people
-know what was going on. So
they went to French literature,
and found the work
of one Pierre Louys, a hoaxter
who put on vhe whole French
intelligent!ia
• some hundr ed years
ago by tellin g them he'd discoverec
manuscripts
written
by Bilitis,
a girl frien d of Sappho on the
isle of Lesbos, such that woul d
make Sappho's work look lik e
"greasy ki d stuff"? . So all the
French started
r eading Louys
until someone spoiled the fun
by sayin g he saw Louys writin g
the thin gs hims elf by can dleli gh t in a garret room. Poor M.
Louys was reviled
and dis graced,
and has since be en forgotten
by
all but us.
~~1""',10 \
r1! '~i~
J}.~~~t
I?, ,,
\.!-? 0
~.;
t~m~
£/ JJ
~- ,.,.1 \.
~
~<
,.00
.
�•
"
I
'I,
MAID VOYAG
EN
E
(8)
CALENDAR
December
20 - 8:30 P. M.: Barty
(Detail
January
2 ..
s elsewhere
at Gran g e Hall in Weare,
in .this issue.)
9:00 P.M.: Busine s s meetin g in Clarke
St.
Chur ch,
355 Boylston
St.
New Hampshire
Room, Arlington
Boston.
10:00 P.M.: Auction of gay books to raise money for
D.O.B. will follow business
meeting.
Everyone is
asked to try to donate
funds : t o bid with also.
a book or two, and bring
Refreshments
will be served.
January
9 ...
8:00 P.M.: Meetin g to hear the tape of the D.O.B.
radio program which was br oadcast Nov. 22 over WMEXo
Meetin g in the Clarke Room, Arlington
St. Church.
Discus s ion will follow.
Re freshments
will be served.
January
16 -
8 :45 P . M.: "What Does Org anized Religion
Say About
Homosexuality?"
.. talk by Edward Harris,
Pastor of
the Arlin g ton St. Church.
Find out why Arlin g ton
St. Church welcom e s D.O.B •• Discussion
and refreshments
will follow.
Clarke Room.
ALL D.O.B. EVE S WILL BEGIN PRO PTLY AT THE ANNOUNCE
NT
M
D TIME.
Meetin g plac es will always be open early f or those who wish to come
early.
Unless oth erwise not ed -women only, please.
COMING
SOONIN BOSTON
DOB
- Formation
o f a commitee to d i r e ct our activities
in law reform
and publ ic e ducati on.
If yo u would lik e to serve on such a
committe e , be sure one of th e officers
is aware of your interest.
- Formation
of a comm ttee to plan parties,
i
danc e s, and social
events.
Let one of the offi c ers know if your interested.
- ~iscussions,
mor e s p eakers,
s po rts events,
and more parties.
Watch your mail for details.
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1969 December
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-12
Description
An account of the resource
The inaugural issue (volume 1, issue 1) of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-maiden-voyage-196912
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Language
A language of the resource
English
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
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the
MAIDENVOYAGE
a daughter
0f bilitis
~rudential
center
newsletter/boston
station,
toston
chapt er/p.o.
, mass .
02199/vol
box. 221
. 2 , n6 ~ 2
"Two women,- a kiss,
and a sin of beauty
is born . 11
(Pat Browne)
DOB BOSTON SUR.VEY
At DOB Boston 1 s Dec . 5th business
~nn Haley passed
mee tin g Pr e sident
out a surv ey to a ll those attending
the mee tin g and requested
that they
complete
it and return
it at the
close qf the meeting . The purpose
of this survey was to assist
DOB
Boston to plan functions
for . the
or ganization
by determining
the
areas of most concern and interest
to members .
When th e surveys were tabulated,the
officers
found the results
quite
interesting.
Most women returning
the surv ey expressed
their
interest
in the more serious
and educational
aspects
relatin
g to the Lesbian.
Interest
was expressed
in social
events-especially
in the areas of
dances and hobby exhibitions
, but
the emphasis was placed on the more
educational
areas .
The survey results
indicated
that
the preferred
t opi cs for proposed
speakers
were: psychology
of homos~xuality;
discrimination
against
women; and the work being done by
other Homophile groups . Arrangements for speakers
on these topics
are in operation
and, hopefully,
we can book them for meetings
in
th e very near future .
The favored
topics
for discussion
meetings
should certainly
evoke a
reRp onse from all ou r members .
Since every woman has preconceived
ideas on these subjects , and the
areas themselves
being somewhat
controversial
( discussi ons on th e
topic If homoRexuality ; Lesbians
who have chi l dren; changing
the
public
image of Lesbianism,
and
lon g term Lesbian r el ationships)
it should insure
some very int eresting
evenings .
(c ont td pg 7)
LET'S GET TOGETHER
11 seemed
" Help yourselves
to be the
main theme of a t alk given by Mr.
Edward H1;1..rris Pastor
,
of the
Arli ng t on Street
Church ,( Unitarian)
at the DOB meeting of January 16.
M
r.
Harris
spoke to the first
" mixed" (men and women) audie nc e
pres ent a t DOB meeting since its
formation.
After an introduction
giv en by Ann Haley, Ed Har r is began his speech wi th the announce ment that he was not going to discuss the scheduled
topic,(What
Organized
Re li gion Says About
Homosexuality
) because he was .
"convinced
that no one really
knows
th a t much abou t it. 11
Instead,
Mr. Harris
preferred
to
discuss
the humanist
theory with
11
\!ilhat
r ega r ds to the homosexual.
11 he asked . Mr.
is a human being?
Harris
formed the rest of his
speech by answering
this question
while reminding
us, simply , that
ho~osexuals
are human beings 1 st ,
thei r sexual identities
being sec ondary .
A few of the many good p0ints
Mr.
Harris
made included:
Tell th e world you are here.
Convince the clergy
to have
contracural
gay marriages.
Prove homosexuality
to be a
l egi ti mate alternative.
Smash false
images imposed by
society
by exposi n g yourselves("I'll
never be th e same
person as I was when I came
into t h is r oom because
of
th e impression
you have made
upon me11 .)
11 Go s lo wl y until
you tr e ready
to accept
the responsib ilit y
(con t ,( pg 5
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
( 2)
• • • letters
to
th 0 editor
•••
Dear Marty:
Let mo introduce
mys0 l f , I a;11 Gene Damon, odi tor of THE
LADrJER, and among tho seasonal
fluff
and frolic
toni gh t when I got home
issue
of Hl\.IDE?T VO~[AGE ••• •Fhat
an ove:rir1helming
underI found
the first
on almost
slick
paper
vi~tually
free
of
taking,
an 8 page newsletter
error ••• I am astounded
••• astonished
••• what a glorious
effort
and what
as a fu l l chapter
.
a delight
it will
be to see BOSTON DOB cha r tered
I 1 ve been in touch wi th your new president
, you r chapter
secretarys
and I know Kim and Andy very well ••••
I know I speak
for Rita
LaPorte
as well
in wishing
you the very best
with this
our Na tional
President
I know she will
be amazed too at how well
you have debut under taking .
I have no intention
of cutting
it up to send that
ed this
newsletter
.
coupon back to you , assume you will
keep me on the mai l ing list
( it is
necessary
for me to publi c ize ;you properly
in the L.i'I..DDER) Ah , I see
.
on the radio
show ••• I 1 ve already
written
you were among the 3 pioneers
that
up to some extent
in CROSS CURRENTS fort
he Feb . / I"I rch
a
issue
of
the LADDER. Your open forum question
is a l ul u/ that 1 s been being
argued
for 15 years
that
I can reca l l ••• 1 1 11 be glad when you all have
of the LADDER, some of the self-help
and
a full
file
of back issues
situation
articles
that
dominate
about
4 yea r s of t he earlie
r issues
would be valuable
today
for the chapters
•• it makes me wish for someone
witling
to cull
them and work up a b o ok l et ••• must think
about
that .
typing r I wanted
though
to quickly
congrat Sorry
this
is such sloppy
those
who did the bitchy
labor
ulate
you, and won 1 t you be sure that
involved
(assu ming you had some he l p ) get thanks
too?
I 1 m mildly
~r $ Fredericks
r estrained
your desire
to appear
as Donna
pleased
that
that
any city
is QUI'11 E ready
for that .u HowDyke •• • I cannot
imagine
ever,
you might
be amused to know that
there
really
is a girl
whose
to us ••• far , far away from Boston •••
l ast name :Ls nDykell who belongs
Goodni ght and merry what eve r to you and yours .
Gene
Enclosed
is my contri b Dear J\Iarty:
ut ion to ?Tai den Voyage ••• "Thoughts
se v era l
and snow . n I have written
com mentaries
and artic l es of poetry
in the past
for the local
town news & magazine
paper
9 • I have enclosed
;i this
bit"
- by -£,c vvay - written
.
during
a stroll
in Weare , TTH., at
l
the party . (By the way ,- beautifu
country
- beautifu
l peop l e .)
If the
poem is not appropriate
, please
dis regard
it . Also in the newsletter
,
you mentioned
coming events - such
as sports
, etc ••• Count me in ! I
play
on a softball
league
of women
& we play
agai nst the women at the
Mass . Correctional
Instit
u te for
Women (which
is a mi l e from my home . )
By the way - they always
welcome
etcp ,
outside
teams in basket - ball
so if anyone
is interested
, please
contact
me . Until
I see you aga i n
(probably
every
2nd meeting , ) take
care & keep up the good c au se .
Lo1"'i
Dear Marty ;
Please
find
enclosed
a donation
towards
distribution
of the "Maiden
Voyage . 11 ••• I would
l ike to offer
assistance
with
I
your next news l etter
- thought
could
take
on the boring
but
necessary
tasks
like
s t apli n g ,
envelopes,
addressing
or
filling
If you need any help
whatever
.
at a ll,
p l ease feel
free
to call .
See you at the next meeting ••• I
thorough l y enjoyed
Vo l. 1- No . 1
of the Voyage , a n d fel".t you did
an exce l lant
job for the first
time ou t -- congra t ulations
.
Rose
Marie
�(con
1
t from
MAIDEN VOYAGE
( 3)
pg . 2)
Dear M2rty:
11Rolationships
with other
people
ofte,1
turn
action
into
phobic
reor i'neffectual
because
o:( learned
action.
A _person
may b8 passive
11
6r disap~roval.
This statement
is very factual
fear
of rejection
reg a rding
our organization
here i.n Boston . Each D.O .B. chapter
1 This
1 By the
people,
for the people.
problem
has been esta.qlished
to me and . to others
concerned
because
it is a
has been pre~ented
drawback
which could
p0ssibly
make or break
our chapter.
Such a
problem
grows· like
a cancer
and should
be removed • .
have been elected
and have been doing
an excellent
job
Our officers
concerriing
their
appointed
responsibilities,
but we are faced
with
defina tely
overlooked.·
Ohe l"eason
our
a problem
which has quite
of.fice
i .s to hear important
viewpoints
leaders
have been voted
into
of everyone
in the group , and to strive
to keep unity
within .
active
in D.O.B.
is an individualOf course,
each and ever y per~on
but t .he ideas
and proposa person
with different
idea's · 'a.pd tastes,
and cast
away into
the
als of the younger
set seem tq_, be smothered
background
and the older
set appears
uneasy
thinking
perhaps
the
overn . Hovv, under
the present
situayounger
set is out to "take
tion,
can we ever hope for society
_
in general
to accept
our viewissueB
to be pnesented
if we involved
in our
points
on the numerous
will
not readily
accept
our own??
new chapte - canno .t . and/or
r
Our leaders
are ;EJ mbols of the values
y
which the gr_oup _desires . They
to g ether
various
members of 'the ·group in
are a means of tieing
terms
of their
common purposes.
Unfortunately
, they also
appear
at
to be -a, fearsome
force
intent
on presuming
·: their
plans
to be
·. times
censorthe only plans .
It seems to .me that
there
is an underlying
ship,
grt~wing its
way through
and slowly
defeatin~
pur purposes.
It
PeTsons
are appointed
to take over
is felt
deeply
and it is ijnju~t!
and,are
expected
to carry
them through.
certain
responsibilities
arert 1 t they allows~
to do just
that?
Let 1 s contribute
Why then,
without
the stern
censorship.
Let our leaders
avoid'the
magisterial
and do gmatic
approachl
Great
lea ders a re the interpreters
for a
1•
1 dicta
avoj_ded
torship
groups
ideals
and have always
We ban and MUST strive
for unity
among all
of us.
Let ua open
and contributions
being
offered
by
minds and ears
to the ideas
very own members and friends.For
the benefit
of our organization
6n the whole and before
we risk
the los•
of our individualism,
and
say,
listen
carefully
to ALL proposals
made by our grciup,
to ye 11 the word,
nvE'rOED" • ·
·
us not be tcfo hasty
our
our
I
let
Before
I end this
candid
letter
on one of our most destructive
problems
within , let me say that
this
solution
as proposed
could
p,_
rove very beneficial
and reward i n g to all,
and j_n the final
analysis,
WE WILL G:o'
"FORV
TARD, all working
and striving
as one _ D.O.B. l
1
May i implore
con:imon cause
yo~ - to continue
so as to insure
with your greaiest
its· ac:complishment.
efforts,
for
our
Pat
1 s note:
(Editor
·?!TAIDEN
VOYAGE vmuld like
to thank
all
& we ..welcome
all. letters
shown the interest
to write,
•
troversial
or Gbeery.)
those
who have
cha tty,
con-
�EPITORIAL
COi1MENT
Ivf
AIDE ,\ VOYAGE
(4)..._ _______
FE.~RSO !'lE FOUR F.L
WO~ FAIR
••• c ongr a ts to Ki~ St a binski,
whoso
a rti cl c , ''Wha t 'Ihe Bibl e Sa ys ,:i. out
b
Homos e xu a lity"
(Jun e /July,
1969,
THE L:rnDER), ha s boen requ c s t od by
th o Motr op olit !3. GO Unity Church
n
DD
in Ca lif orni a for r e print
as a
br ochur e •••
--..i--------
FELLOSHlP <
Dc9,r P0.t,
Uo'r c s urpris ed t o .,b c C3.],.lod a
f ea rso 'nc f orc c - if 3.nythin g , we
,
think of ours e lv e s a s th o "f e arful
f our•• - a 11 ttl e ove rwh e l med by th o
r e sponsibilit
y of l oa ding Boston
D.o.B. int o be c omin g a ch a pt e r with ,
meaningful
a ctiviti
e s f or a ll.
I
1
·
I
. dh :1. spcciticAsugg
t
c stions
do y ou
••• s eems t o me ••• Aro those who a r c
a cous bd of ~trying
to rush" thin gs
Boston D.O.B. needs wor e
have?
pe opl e t o be lo ad e rs .'). no r o
nd
Tha t
a t D.O.B. r ea lly i mpa ti e nt?
is, we r e th e y nqiv e t o think wa lkin g peo ple to off e r ido~s t o th o gr oup.
int o th e Cl a rk e r oom would '.TICa
n
Sinc e r e ly,
ga th e rin g in a sisttrly
f a shi on,
,: .n He·1 e y
4 n
,
joinin g o th e rs in a c omnon b ond, a nd
Di a nSt '.Ira.vis
th e r e f or e c s t a blishing
a n a ut 01:1a
tic
Donna Fe r gus on
r a pp ort?
Somo ha ve wa it ed f or yeQrS i
Andy Cox
~*****~~******** **C•~ ~~ t ~*W*** *
**~}
for this or ga ni 7 a tion:
th e y f e lt it
would 7Ca n a pl 8- whor e th e y could
co
be r c l ci.
xed a nd drop th e "d oubl e
r ol e II bit.
Thos e who s a y '' to ge th c rnc ss will c oqo - d on't rush it~
Edit or - M rty Kelly
a
we 'r e new11 , sh ould think a mo•. Why
,issist a nt Edi tor - Po.t Br owne
we t a ke ti me be f or e we ca n be our- ·
Pr oduction
M na ge r - Rose M rie
a
a
s e lv e s whe n wo 9 ve be e n W
Giting
t oo
Circul 2 ti on - La ur a
lon g a lr ea dy?
••• NOTICE: The D.O.B. d.rts & Cr a ft
sh ow is t o be hGld March 6 in the
T'S HUB DOC?
Wffi~
Cl a rk e Roon , ~rlingt on St. Church.
The Hono phile Uni on of Bost on is
11a b8. y th a t
.~d,::i s i on i s t o nc:::i c rs 'lnd fri e nds
is
b
b
the Matt 9.chine Soci e ty
of D. o. B., no t th e ge ne r a l public.
pr oduced~ a cc ordin g t o its pr e sident :
Bo th men a nd wooc n a r c invited
to
Fr a nk Mo ga n.
r
exhibit
a nd/ or off e r for s a l e - a rt
For n ed just a yea r ago this month
work, ph o t og r a phy, cr a fts,
or oth e r 8. S a chapt e r of th e i'll tt a chin e s ,)ci c•
a
cr ea tiv e work.
Thos e who wa nt t o
of New York, HUB ha s ha d t o fi g ht t o
e x.hi bit sh ould c ont a ct Cha ir • ::i.a Kris r ega in acc e pt a nce in the Bost on
- n
r
The peo pl e who r a n th e
o.t 783-9669.
.Us o includ ed in th n t Co,:r: nnity.
'.1.
nd, old M tt a chin e Soci e ty "app a r e ntly
e ve nin g 's pr og r sv::i - liv e nusio,
a
if th e woa th e r a nd th e one ns a r e
dr ove it int o the gr ound" a nd all
goo d, a n astr ol oge r.
Bost on hotels nnd r e st a urants
issu ed
st op ord e rs on a ny r e quests
fr on t he
l
••• Speak in g f or .inn H:J, e y as we ll
t o us e functi on r oon s a nd f a ciliti
es
a s mys e lf - nust s a y r a th e r fri g htThe new n e ~J ers s e ve r ed th e ir
b
e nin g (th e c old e ye of th e cane r a
a ss oci a ti on with th e old M tt a chin e
a
& a ll th a t) a pp ea rin g on Ed Miller 0 s in June when they r e na~e d th e or ga nCha nn e l 7 Sp e'l k O
ut.
But quit e
iz a ti on HUB. Sinc e then ''thin gs
r e wa rdin g t oo , be c <J. e of th e goo d
us
ha ve L n. oved '', s a id Fr a nk.
pr
n.udi en ce r e sp ons e . Thos e i nv olv ed.
HUB is n ow wor k in g t o cr ea t e
with pr oducin g this sh ow we r e just
":: tu a l und e rst a ndin g betwe e n s oci e t ;
m
wond e rful
t o us - na de us fe e l c on - a nd the hono s e xu <?.11 thr oug h r a di o
1
f ort a bl e - e ve n s ugges t ed doin g a
a nd t e levisi on a pp ea r a nc e s and spe a k
sp e ci a l on hono s e xu 'J. it y for th e
l
in g eng qgen en ts.
'Ihe y "lr e a ls o
futur e . Thank yo u Ed f or givin g us pl a nnin g t o s e t up a diml ogue with
th e opp ortunity
t o a pp ea r.
th e Bos t on Polic e De pa rt- :1
ent a s t l1e
M tt a chin e Soci e ty of New York did
a
(Edit ori e.l Co:::::E:1e Cont. pa ge 5) with excellent
nt
results.
(Hub c ontinued,
pa ge 5 )
1
�MAIDEN VOY
,~GE
( 5 )
EDI TORI.~L COMMENT(cont.
pa ge 4 )
' fr o--:i
..
.. . .,EXTRA! EX'IR,U Rit a LE1.P e , Nat8.rt
i on a l Pr e sid e nt o f D.O.B.
will
not
b e sp e akin g on th e Mik e Dou g las-be on th e Al a n
sh ow, but sh e will
Dou g l a s sh ow s oe n on Cha nn e l 56.
Als o - th e sh ow wa s r e p ort e d t o be
on Frid a y, Jan.
23 - but that's
in
Cl ea v e l ~nd a nd sinc e we'r e in
Bost on we d on't
go t it until
Sunday
ni g ht, 10:30,
which ·1.ea ns it will
b e J a n. •.25, (we think) e Wh•• ?
~ l a n, n o t Mik e ; Sun.,
not Fri.;
Ch.
56 n o t Cho 4 - HUH? Ne v e r :·_1
indo
, Justd
on 9 t J.is s it!
Su gge sti on f or . th e Pr e sident
i
how ab 'Jut a pp CJntin g 1 ch a ir rn::m fr o:1
11 th e old e r se t 11 2.nd 1 oh a ir :1a n fr on
11 th e y 'Jun ge r s e t' 1 f or v a ri ous
0 0:1.ni tte e s s o th e s o"".'c ll e d g en e ra
a ti on ga p in our ~ idst
c 'Juld be
brid ge d n nd th o functi on inv olv e d
would be appe ~ lin g t o Qll?
e ••
• o oHe y~
how a b out S ') / 18 of us ge ttin g
t og e th e r f . r c o.rd g ,'".:::ie ch e ss ::.'. tches,
)
s,
n
otco?
'1ny one int e r e st e d?
Le t ·:ie
kn ow, och a y?
•• ~One l a st word ••• It would b e wise
ag re e
t o r en.liz e th a t if me d oe sn't
with s rx.1ethin g c . nce rnin g D. O. B.,
o
sh e sh ouldn't
c op out but work fr on
within
t o i 7 pr ov e th e situ'l.ti
on .
Pr e si den t:
OFFI CERS
Ann Ha l e y , Melr os e , M'l. s.
s
665-397 6
Vi ce Pr e sid e nt: Di n na Tr a vis,
Bost on, M
o.ss.
Se cr oV1.ry:
Tr eri.s u r e r:
277-:-8952
Don na Fe r g us ons
W
orc e st e r, M ss.
a
And y Cox, W
en.r e , N . H.
Pl ea s e c ont a ct
ti ne .
th e s e peo pl e at
ffo ,:1 pa ge 4 )
,
~ •• Like
t '.) tr:tke a ·:1
01.ent to thank
e v e ry one wh o has assist
e d M~IDEN
VOL '\GE a nd D. 0. B. in its
.
va ri ous
pro j e cts.
BOS TON D.O.B.
HUB (o ont.
a ny
'.Iw stud e nt b .:: phile
o
no
g r ".:l
ups 'l r e j
th e b eg innin g s t n t e s in Bos ton - one
on e 8. t Bos t on Univ e rsity
cmd q n o tho :
p ossibly
a t Hn rv n rd.
Two u.e 1 b e rs O;
HUB f ee l tr. e g r ·'.J sh ould b e gea r e d
UP
t o th o student.,
Fr srnl{ puts a l ,J t oj
e --:t o.sis ,'J th o stud e nto
ph
n
He b e li e v e
th e y " a r c th o g r ea t e st r Ry of li g ht
t o c o~e out of th e wh ol e thin g e If
we c a n°t d e p e nd on th e::1 we 'r e sun1ro ·
It is th e y wh o d on 9 t a cc e pt a ll th e :
V'J.lu e s s oci e ty pl a c e s on thin g s."
4~ tt e nd smc e
a t HU ' s ~ tin g s ha s
B
1ee
gr )Wn fr on 30 in th o er,,, ly d !J. s t o
r
y
no!J. ly 150 r e c e ntly.
r
M tin g s h'J.
ee
d
bee n dr agg in g a l on g with littl
e resp ons e until
th e g r oup's
tr ea sur e r
su g 6 est c d th e y t a p l oc a l p eo ple t o
sp o 2..k inst ea d of lnvi tin g p o o pl e i n
fr o:-, j_' w Yo r };: a ll th e ti 7C o
qe
Until
rec e ntly
Hub ha d n o pl q c e t
·7.ee t c,th e r th em a t st. J ,J hn 9 s Churc
on Becw -: Hille
)n
Fr "ln k r .l.n thr ou g h
'
th e e ntir e r on l e st a t e li s ting in
th o ph one b ::iok in rm e ff ::it t o fin d
r
..J. pe r =-1c e nt
'
m
hn ll or buildin
g . · Mos t
J f th e age nts we r e c oo p e r a tiv e u n t i
th e y l en rn e d wha t HUB is.
Howe v e r~
with th e he lp . f .-:1 fri e nd, t he y
J
u
fin a lly f ::i nd q pl 8.c e t ,J ::eo t.
HUB0 s ·:iain obj e ctiv e n ow? Findi n
r oo:1 f or e v e ry one in Bo st on!
H!..RRIS:
( cont rd f ro m pg • 1
of r e sponse."
Choo s e yo ur is s ues - don tt b e
a fr ai d to get into other t hing s
b e sid es ho mo s exu a lity.
Most impo1~tant, Mr. Harris brok e
t he ice f or t ho se pre sen t, and we
pa rt i cipat e d in a most excitin g
op en di scu s sion.
I n closi ng , M Harris
r.
en co ur age d
Boston DOB t o exp a nd i ts or ga nizati on, and n if that means ;l. lin gton
r
St. Church is t o bec ome th e hub of
New England Le sbianis m, well, th a t
is a lr ig ht too,n h e saido
�/
// f/E f
/ P!PJ(Jl/£4 1(/
7: Do-;.
f
\ }I()u 5 £ WAS.,j /
()'1 / ttf #.
\!!
---
\
\
\l
!
\
I r ..
...... ;,i
.•
. _.,,.
/
I
........
�M
,iIDEN VOY,:.GE
( 7 )
SENIOR SISTER SPE. ..KS •••
l o t of the y oun ge r Da ughters
in
mr ()rganiza ti on ha.vo bee n sp esi.king
our " ge ner r:1
tion 0 ap"
, ut l ate ly about
9r oble :,1 (?) o
i1.
;\.c tually
v oices
hn.ve b ee n heard ar i sing fr o. . th e o th e r e nd of th o g::i.p,
7
l::;C)O •
One such v o ice is thn t of a W
T:.i.a
n
~n her 7 iddl e f orti es e Bev 1 (n o t her
:-eq l no::te ) f e lt th a t if she sp oke ()Ut
,t a neeti n g sh e '7.i 0 ht get ju :1pe d on
-iy the ynuthful
e l e,:::ie t a s be in g '' oldn
_'':. hioned 11 •
s
Fee lin g that
the low e r
,nd 8f th e D.O.B.
age spectru u is in
~he no.jo ri ty 9 ;v=:
my ov e r-thirties
hesit;a t e to sp enk out 9 Bev cl 'l.i 1s.,
The whol
3pli t int o
Bev
3trike
L1p oss ible
)lassification
they o ld 5 11
e id eG of th e g r oup being
tw 0 2.ge f 2.c ti ons doesn it
11Itqs
a s b eing just.
a l 7 ost
t o lu 7 p e v e ry one into a
b e th e y y oun g or be
s a ys Bev~
Bev went on t o e xpl 'J.in th a t o.ge
3houldnvt
necess a rily
be d e t e r 1in e d by
9hysical
age , sinc e "p eo pl e sh ow 1:-ge
JY how th e y think''•
(in a ttr o.ctive
it wa s ha rd
·.nd liv e ly pers nn herself,
1o t t o think
of Bev as being a t ee nyp ep p e r ha ir!
Joppcr with s q lt
&
" When y,u get d own t o it,
we D
.11
~qv e basicly
th e s nne opini ans 9 but
.1sve different
W ys of e xpr e ssin g the '7.
'J.
md
pe rh a ps, 0f c 3 rryin g th e-.: out 9 ''
1
3t n tes Be vo
ttThr ee -f ourths
of any
C,e
sbi ::i.n9 s prQbl e7 is that
sh e d oe sn't
. 0.ve nn y on e t o go t o - str a i gh t wo 7.en
1
.} m t ::i. t o th e cl e r g y, a nei g hb or,
<::
lk
.;tc. - we hs.ve only eo.ch ot he r.''
j
It
s been s a id we c a n a ll b e n e fit
fr YJ ea ch o ther;
this
is evidenced
by
this
r e p ort e r wh o was gr e':l tly influen) e d by hear in g Be v 9 s e xperi e nc e s.
F or
_:; up l e :- sh e vs heen on he r own since
x.::
her ea rly teens
- e xp e ri ~e nt e d with
lru g s be f or e B ODO of our y ounger □e:1bers we r e e v e n b orn ( "I think
,·18. b e
y
1.y
dru g s be3ot 1e of 1 g r oup cri ticizo
f or e they e v e n list en b e c a us e they
think
th e y 9 re expe ct e d t o . 11 ).
She's
had lov e rs (th e lon g -ter3
kindt
for
a total
of tw en ty-fiv e yea rs - ( 11I 0 ve
(cont.
next colu ,1n)
9
~a d e e very ~ist ak e in the book!")
o. wise observer~
(ttYou t ak e
She's
tho ·1ost f e -1inine
fe -1 ., ., ., ·she's
.
s"till
no re ci..::rnressi ve th a n any
s tr --:, t wo,-:i
i::;h
an" ) ..,
This rep orter
W8.S convinced
th a t
th e r e wa s a l o t t o be l ea rn e d a b ou t
0 This
gg_ life
y
frori Bev.,
gap tri e y
t"llk ab out ca n bo sp a nn e d if we a l }
just
try,••
c onclud e d Bevo
1'1.K.
SURVEY (c ont.
fro -1 pag e/
)
,tt
our 10,st business
1ee tin g it
a nn ounc e d that an 8. tt orney
sy, 1pa thetic
to the c a use had offer
to the ch a pt e r .
his servic e s gratis
Attorney
~lan Cook will
also
be
a v ~ il a ble t o ~ive le ga l a dvice
to
individu
a l :1e :1bcrs for a f ee . D. 0 ,
Bost on is also
pl a nnin g t o offer
a
c ounselin g service
t o its ne □bers
as s oo n a s it c a n b e arrangedo
W'J.S
M ny of the aspects
a
of public
e duc a ti on su gge sted
thr ou gh the
survey
have o.lr ea dy been institute
c
g the r e ce :c
by our ch a pt e r, includin
l
int e rvi e w on a l ocal TJ t G.k sh ow
pl
::;.n the ph ~,11 e t bein g pr e psi.red f01
d
distributi
on e xpl q inin g th e work of
our ch ~pt e r.
a r eq s of public
aduca ti on includin
g l obbyiqt
f or
l eg isl a ti on favor a bl e t o the Losbi
i
servic e pr o
:-i..nd e n c;'1,:;n c; in public
j c cts t o pr o7 oto sood will
will
in
':'.l pr ob::1.
l
bili ty be undertc:i .ke n by t·
co --;1i tte o ,:n
1
ch'lpt e r' s newly foried
public
od.uc n.ti on n.nd l o :;1.l r e f or :'.J.~
in
Fin'J.nci 'J.l susses ti ons o bt c1. od
fr ~n th e quostionn
~ire hq ve b een
he lpful
in e st a blishing
n 7o r e
s olvent
treasury
which is e ss en ti a:
Hop(
if th o ch a pt e r is t o succ ee d.
su ;g ostion:
uo r e of those excellent
can be utilized
a s D.O.B,
Bost on
'7.8. tures
..
�Mf1IDEN VOYl1.GE
( 8 )
TING
2 BUSINESS i'.IEE
FE DEer Dz
'b
·
ON FORKING OVER FIFTEEN
vrH.,.·l
T
nwhy bother
j oini:µg D. 0. B. ?"
a friend
of ours asked the nther
- That men wotil d be welcome a t all
da y . nyou dpn t t. have to be
Boston D. OoB. meetings
where there
member to go tc:5,'things , and , so
is a guest speike r.
who knows , after
we all fork over
$15 e00 to join maybe D. J •.
B. will
- That a donation
of 501 from
collapse . Fifteen
doll ars is a
members and 1. 00 from non - member s
lot of money to speculate
with
would be co l lected
at the door at
these days • 11
each program meeting , and that
We didn't
argue with her
free refreshments
wil l be providedd
because
it 1 s her opinion
and she ' s from the money taken in . Admission
·entitled
to it. But we don 1 t think to business
meetings
wi l l .be free
she 1 s ri ght .
.and persons
attending
a D. O. B.
"' e don 1 t know of a ny comparable
even t for the first
tim e will be
attempt
to do something
for
admitted
f r ee .
Le sbi&ns in the whole history
of
Bos ton . Sure, th er ha ve b een a
- That TH r,L,IDEN VOY
E
:iGE will go
scattering
of gay b a rs , but di d
on a budget after
this issue .
you ever ~et the feelin g when you
went into a bar that it wasntt
- that the treasu r y wil l pay t he
you they wanted but only your
costs in keepin g the mai l box ,
money - as much of it as possible?
costs of stamps , envelopes , and
1\nd sure , there have been psychi a t 0ther office
supplies
for the
rists
and psycholo gists
and cler gy Chapter .
who were wil l ing to talk to
Lesbians - but did you ever get the
- Tha t there will be clean - up comfeeling
they secretly
thou ght you mittees
appointed
monthly to pick
were some kind of albatross
to be up afte r our meetings .
pitied,
cur ed or perh aps put away?
1\nd sure,
ther~ is plenty
of news - That a committee on law reform and
copy and literature
about under and pub l i c education
will be form ,.,.
standing
homosexuals ., but do you
ed to l e~d Boston DeO..B. in it~r-:g.·
really
think reducing
Sister
Ge orge pro grams of social
reform .
to a cow sheds much light
on you
or your way of life?
- Tha t a comm tee to plan a party
it
The thing is true of us , as it
for Sa t. Feb . 14 , wil l be formed .
is for any minority
group - if we
bother
to do something
for our - Tha t we wil l l ook in t o programs
selves,
certainly
no one else is
on homosexua l psycho l ogy , job
going to bother
for us . The fact
discrimination
against
homosex of the matter
is that there
are an
uals , and spor t s pro8rams for
infinate
number of l iterate
, intel
th e nea r future .
ligent,
sensitive
Lesbians
around
POSTSCRIPT
New England(you 1 re probably
one
of them if you 1 re reading
this
In the Dec , issue of Maiden Voyage
article)who
have been put down
we told you Boston D.O . B. 1 s efforts
unjustly
, forced into a double
had led our loca l newspaper
of the
life , obliged
to meet f r iends in
thea b"e & arts , BOSTON1\.FTER n ~RK,
dingy bars,
had no one to turn to
to change its policy
and accept ads
fol' counsel
and advice , suffer e d
pertaining
to homosexuals . Sure en va rious
degrees
of lonliness
ou gh , after
carrying
our ad, a recent issue , we note,
carrie d an ad
(cont . on pg . 9 )
announcing
formation
of a Student
Homophile Leag ue in Boston~
a
,
"
�NL.'\.IDEN
VOYAGE
( g )
FORKING OVER ( Cont r d from
pg . 8
)
and alienation
from p a rents
a nd business
a ssociatesand who so meh ow
have retained
their
s a nity
and become,
despite
these
socially
imposed
h andicaps,
dyna mic car e er women , leaders
in their
fields,
and assets
to the very straight
community
which imposed
these
handicaps
on them.
Boston
D.O . B . Wants to do something
about
it,
We want to work for
oursel~es
in various
wa ys - give ourselves
better
places
to meet each
other , gi ve ourselves
more interesting
'things
to do than
just
drink
beer when we meet each other , give ourselites
better
people
to turn
to
for advice
and counsel,
give ourselves
self-~espect
based
on what we
r ea ll y are , not wha t the straight
world
likes
to think
we are . We
want to ch nn g e the world - not by violence
and th~eatsbut in small
who· condemn us and show
quiet
ways th a t reach
out to the thousands
them the injustice
of their
prejudice
against
us.
Should
it be done?
That will
be answered
as we see how many of ·you
join us in our efforts
.
If we ou'.rs sl ves don rt care,
no o.ne vvi 11.
Can it be done? Yes - perhaps
not perfectly
, but v,e can help to make
thin g s better
.
Some of us ar e in the position
to take
the lead,
to
appear
in public , and talk
with community
leaders.
Others
of us will
help in quieter
ways , doing small
jobs for the organization
or donat in g money or perhaps
merely
lending
moral
support.
There is a need
for all kinds
of ,rvo
men to show th e lr support
for OlJ-'R·n.o . B . in all
kinds
of ways .
Is what we are doing worht your 0 15 to be sure it continues?
Then Join us no w. Is it worth more than that
to you? Then
1t
please,
won
you help118
to help you?
THE W Y IT WAS -i'i.
Christmas
season
has finally
come
to an end, and for those
who at tended
the first
Social
in Weare ,
N. H., Dec . 2::ith, it was just
the
be g innin g of more functions,
laden
with fun and frolic,
to follow
throu gh tout
the nNe v1 Year" .
r
D.O. B .'S activities
be s an at 5:00
p.m. Saturday,
where an officers
meeting
commenced over a delectable
dinner,
prepared
by our very oun
Kim . 11Keep up the good cooking,Kimn
Officers
and their
guests
prepared
and planned
for the festivities
which were to follow
at 8:00 p . m••
Everyone
was filled
'l!Vi holiday
th
spirit
but still
a bit apprehensive
11
as to what was to t ake place.
Who
nwho isn't?"
n,Nas the
is going?"
11 There
hall
suitably
decorated?
is
a first
for everythin
g , and for
D.O~B. this
was ours l
Considering
this
was the first
so c ial
for Boston,
D. O. B ., the
majority
ot the interested
and, I
11the
must add,
curiousn
, attended
.
For those
who could not attend,
we
mus t i.1
ot forgrt
the dre a d antici
p a ti on of snow-storms,
and anything
~t 7:30,
fully
rested
and well nourelse
that
could
occur
unexpectedly
, ished,
we persued
our plans
and dirwa y up North .
ected
ourselves
across
the road to
the Gr a nge Hall.
Fantastic
l The
Thanks and sincere
appreciation
is
cheerful
decorations
and delect a bly
extended
and most a ssuredly
for
buffeted
spread
put us all
in a very
11 Gay " mood.
Andy, Kim, Betty~an d Sandy . Their
Members and friends
of
marvelous
our organization
began to arriv o p
hospit~lity
seemed to
of the
bring
a warmth to the chill
Such a long journey
for many, but
winter
night.
.
)
well worth
it for all .
(contf.d.r
g , 10
�(cont
1
d from
pg . 9)
Mi1.IDEN VOY.l\..
GE
( 10)
As guests
and members arrive~
, our President
Ann Haley;
Vice President
Diana Travis;
Secretary
Donna F'erguson;
and Treasurer
Andy Cox transmitted
their
pleasure
and welcomed
everyone
with their
bi"g , winning
smiles.
All was well indeed . ~
Music ran through
the air , pe0ple
danced and got to know e~ch otherpersons
from all walks of life , all-joining
together
in merriment
. A
perfect
way of 11Breaking
the Icen,
for in the future
we will
all be
united
toward
one cause , that
being
the liberation
of the homosexual
.
Toward midnight
lights
went off as candles
flickered
on to create
a
moNintimate
and inviting
atmosphere
. Responsibility
for the 11Heat
of the Night 11 goes to Betty . The delicious
l y prepared
food diminished
rapidly;
many thanks
to you, Sandy . Stickers,
both r ed and green
proved
to be very , very amusing
and most he l pful,
I must say . Liquor
flowed
quite
freely,
and friendships
constantly
budded .
-,:- - -::---,c--::-- -::-- -:}- -ll-- 1:---,:-- -::-- -,:-- -1:-- •:l-- -lf- ➔:-- -1:-- -::-- Comes the hour when all
good t hing,s'
••• OPEN PORUM • •
.
- must end; tempo r ari l y, of course .
_ The crowd began to thin and the hands
OoF'. Q •. #1 (What do you tell
your - on the old clock began caressing
family
and straight
friends
when - 2:00 a . m. We all
gathered
our be they ask who or where your boy
- longings
and for those
who had to
- face many a mi l e home , you could
friend
is???)
- read the expressions
on all
the
Re: O.F.Q . #1 my personal
answer
happy fac1aj - ''Wow, what a wonderful
some - way to start
the Hol idays
off;
now
came to me quite
by accident
years
back in the form of one of - we are prepared
for the serious
my college
beaus,
a tall,
ath l eti c business
of the future . 11 FAREWELL
11
"BIG :NIL\N
ON C;\MPUS •
One of the - TO l'.lLL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT l
reasons
I enjojed
this
fellow
so much was that
I never
had to
••••• ~Pat Browne
worry the requ,ired l good - night from : .,,_ ,,_ .,_ .,,. .,, ., .,,--,.--,.-- -''- ""· -''· "'"- ·'"- ""- -':· -l'· -lc
about
sexua
advance:s
., " .,_ " _ .,
.. .. -'' ,.,.-,." - ·- him;
kiss
._.,_._
",.'
on the dorm steps
was as agressive
through
DOB, I have been a little
as he ever got .
It was several
- dismayed
at one fairly
recent
dis years
before
I knew for sure why - covery:
as strongly
as most of us
he was such a perfect
gentleman --feel
about wanting
to end stereo my beau was gay l
: typed images of truckdrivers
with
F'or years
since
I 1 ve kept family ,
vvhich others
brand all
of us, some
- of us sti l l tend to stereotype
all
straight
friends
, and business
associates
quite
happy with my
_ gay boys as a bunch of mincing
assortment
of boyfriends
, all
of _ queens ,
It jus t isn ' t so !
them in the II fraterni
ty 11 of course~ •
Of far greater
j_mportance
than
_
.
Kim Stabinski
bluff~ng
the straight
world,
how - ...- .0 "':.F~-Q.i! - t:,,-l'fi?i+chr-f~~:,vf 'b -t-di'
-_
~
er
1
ever is the fact
that
these
fellows
~~d ~~~u 7
'
u
fulfill
my need for male companion ,':t l l ett~rs
l
: c/o D. O. B .
ship . Before
anyone misinterprets
P.O. Box 22 1
me, I am not bisexual
--- but even as
Prudentia
l Center
Station,
do not feel
I am terriBoston,
Mass • 02199
a Lesbian-;-Y
bly unusual
in having
a definate
need for male companionship
and
PLEASE NOTE: ALL copy and/or
friendship
.
It is only with the
of M. V .
letters
fer next issue
gay fellows
that
I can enjoy
this
no late r than
MUST be received
without
risking
sticky
emotional
3 1 1 J'14
January
scenes
or physical
aggresiveness
.
In meeting
a wider
group of Lesbians
�Ho,ve you jo1 necl -Bostoh
Merribersh,p
D:Q.G.
gois you:
- a. sub~crrpt-1011
.
yet"?
-fo JV)RI Of.:..J\/ \/Oy,9
SE.
-J. s-ubsc.r1pT1 TO. THF
on
LRDD!~R
-redu,ced.. ~drri,ss,an t-o alt Bos-ron D.0.8, JecTures
ana:
\~oun1'
d.,J
SC.USS/ 0
n s.
rrie iD. · E.nclos~d,, ,s ':1'j chec/-< or ins in
Boston D,0.f3. {l)ernbE>,-sh1p. r am a.i leas7 ~J
cash f.or
lj<?B~s oF- ~9e.
{\fa me
( t/.)
�M
AIDE N
..
YOlJ\GE
(1t)
A h arsh b a r ga i n that
soc i et y offe r ~ .
Lov e at wha t c o st;
dues exorbita
n t.
Hand over,
please
y our self-respect
,
Pie ce by p i e ce, at each raised
eye ~ row
and each head turned
away
a nd each h and offered
in almost - friend s hip withdrawn
1
You r soul , yes , i:Ve 1 1 take
that
t o A.
Wha t need h a ve you for a so u l :
Et e rnal
dam n ation
awaits
those
vJho l ove unwisely
.
Stay the han gma n with logic
But re membe r the truth
does not dw~l l with words .
Truth
is,
a fter
all , a feelin g .
Beat t he b a rgin with l o g ic but f l aun t t he f eeling .
Pe v1 kno w l ove .
.
.
.
//
l
I ,..-,_i
,
•
/
I -· ..~
..
,; /
,, /.1 .
~
,
----- ::----- :<
----- ::~---- ::-- -- ::-- --- - ::- . Don~~a_Wya~ t --- -- - - 7 / __~.l"~',~ }i't .___
::1 m i nside
Ra:Ln at ni ght when I
/ ~ -~~-,. /
.
makes the e arth
move to g ether ,
_ _ · ·-._
_,,/
/
Not like, the c~ ty .
.,,.,.,, . .._,
,,.
Today I n eard -che clock
go around
~
~ ../ / ··-i \ \
a n d t h e cars outside
ripp l e awa y , '
c'-/~
,
\
-( '--' /
·---rJ--.,
I h e a r d t h ese sounds
gro w gentler
,.?c_j> . \
) ,,./
I heard
me breathe
: . /.,, ·
and saw the room
l~ ; . ..,be silent
and peaceful
d j'<'.J
'·1) '- ·'
peaceful
-a nd l onely
I smok e d on e cig arette
Ste f anie
s tar e d out the window I hear i t is Sunday
It ' s a funny strange
day
I n eight
h o urs i t wi l l be M
ond a y
and a l l I see
M
onda y it will
stop r a inin g and
, is th e rain
coming down
1 1 11 s e e t h e p e ople .
b etween
you and me
Meanwhi le it 1 s late r
:Hair shine
g o l den Stefanie
I 1 d be o ne day safer
-Would you follow
If it we re Sat lirday .
would y ou fo l low me
\ .J '-_ ~
z0i(;
Sh a yna Heuben
·wa.t ch my shawdow on the wa ll
and sma l l
Wa'tch how I gro w tall
~and disappea r
11I tl l t ake you wit h me
·• 1
p l e a se don 1 t go
ln ob_' t. tu r n arou n d
1Doh 1 t ma ke a sound
1 b n ti l darkness
hits
the groun d
I will
take you with me
~t~f i e , Stefanie
1
l_r~
A
·1
~
i
'
*t
!
;
Shayna
Reuben
�(cont
1
d from
MAIDEI{ VOYAGE
-~ )
pg .12)
Thou gh ts
an<:1 Snow
In th o quietness
of the sno w 1 s cove red cr~st;
I wa lked alon e - whe re I knew I c ou ld thi nk best~
Vii th eac h st e p mar ·ked life;•
past;
present
·; steps
yet to liv e .
11here
has lo ve l ed me - how much more can I g ive?
The snow reminded
me of pu rity
and how our love
beg~n.
The moon spoke to me of chan ges - as only it can.
-- I have not changed -o nly time has . passed
and I 1~ e lost
you .
Or have you lost
yo ur se lf and can 1 t think
of what to do?
- I had to face re alit y~
As my feet
cru nche d on a branch
Was it because
y ou resented
my ri ght in wanting
to be me ?
So methi n g ~o re - so~ething
less
- or greater
than I am?
When I felt
tenderness
- should
it have beeri r~prim an d ?
It Is getting
..darker
n ·ov-r- a storm is very near.
I th:i_nk of li fe without
you - a meanin g less
yea r. ·
A snowflake
- and I think
of you - runnin g - a lways running
from lif e .
·
new lo ve and findin g only strife
.
, ~hinking
you 1~e found~
Had I sheltered
you too much - t o o littlB
- or perhaps
not a t a ll?
Will
I ever know - sho uld I hurry
to the phone an d call?
I s snowing
Funny --it
novr -t he blizzarq
is b li nding my eyes .
I r emembe r ed call ing you r · name - my fri gh t - my cries .
Can you find
your way - in ou t of the storm ' s coldo•••
Or can you say "I love yo u", the story ts . been told?
- - -~~- - - ~}- - - 1~- -..
~~ --
~ --~ ~--;~-
"):- - -1~- -- ➔~- -- ➔~-,- ,....
, A·-.--1~--
Anria
Lori N. Kemp
--~f-- - ➔~- - -~ :..--
- ➔~---
-~:--
Personal
refl ectio n~
Seldom does s o strong
-::' a physic a l display
of
*emotion
re gis ter such peace
1 in
mutual
reception
as the
*initial
con gr uity
of two
1 souls
conver g in g out of
-;i- gen tleness
•••••
t
Cande
1
Pretty
Anna wa lkin g in th e lavender
sun
Eyes of crystal
co nvers at io n
si l en t ~oonflower
clo u dy
cloudy
Anna speak softly
Make something
pretty
Get me smashed
Blow my mind toni gh t - you
.. ''·.- -~ -;:---1:---1~---=·~-~~ -~: ·3~ ~~ - 1~- ~~- -:~- ~~~
~'·!-·1
- --- -
can
Farewell
Anna - Marie
Wil l neve r see you
..
Wil l neve r miss you.anymore
so · t ake my words with yo u
And you take my tears
Your name remains
throu g h my years
.
·!~-
~J h ~rt 2
. · ·J :_t ,
: f"\ (1
g~
lj_·1: l.
"
e
lr r rt2 .,.
i
~~ - ·,: • •. #
r~
, .,.....
Shayna
Reu b en
. .......
..
•••
.••
..
? •
.._,..
�I
lVIEr
iiO:
TO D.O.B.
FROM: Editor
of
MEMBERS
I
M,\IDEN VOYl'i.GE
:··
-
J
,,
:1;u", iJ q
·c1
- __.,,,-t.1Z...,ub--€A-<:
-·t
J
I
_SUBSCHIP'fION
Editor:
Boston
Chapter
Newsletter
DOB MAIDEN VOYAGE, Box 221
Prudential
Center
Station,
Boston,
Mass.
02199
.,~ Dear Edi tor :
Pl e ase continue
my free
*
find
Enclosed
-,:- Address
please
:
subscription
to
MAIDEN VOYAGE. ,,
my donation
-------------------------zip
1:
...
the
,
----------------------------------
code
~~
�iL,IDElT VOY:.G:C
(15 )
C..~l.&:r,, riPi J~.
,.
(UNLESS
F'RI DAY J
OTHE.r;;.vy_,s1:.
.SPJ:;,CI FIE.D
/30STO/'y 1 D.O./3 . EV£./\//S
0 p I::.J\J TCJ
·:,,.";;~ r--11
:..- EN ON 1...
y,)
J[ i.N. 23 -
9:15
P . M.
FRIDAY,
9:00
P.M.
FRID/\.Y,
9:00
P . M.
FRID1\YJ
9:15
J.,_
',N.
FEB.
FEB.
P. H.
F'irst
meetin g of committee
on law reform
and publ5.c
education
, to be held at Diana Travis ' homec This
committe e wi ll su gge st and/or
undertake
projects,
such as writing
literature
on homosexuality,
th8..t
will
correct
misunderstandings
society
holds
about
us .
Committee
members only are asked to
come, but there
is room on the committee
for a
few more people .
If you are interested,
contact
Ann Haley or Diana Travis .
The success
or failure
of Boston
D. O. B . may well
depend upon the success
or failure
of this
co mmittee.
This work is essential
- i t is social
prejudices
that
make life
difficult
for all
of us.
We need you to help change
all
this . Questions?
Call to find out more .
30 -
OPEN DISCUSSION - 11Should You Tell Your Straight
friends?n
How did they react
when you did? Is it
r ight
to be frank
about
your homosexuality?
What
are the costs?
Come and share
your opinions
and
experiences
with others
who have had similar
ones.
Clarke
Room - Ar lington
Street
Church
355 Boy lston
Street,
Bos ton.
6 -
OPEN DISCUSSION - 11Th o Gay Scene in Hew England
What ts Right
and ·wrong Wi th It? n vrher e are the
go od bars?
What do you think
of bars as a place
to meet people?
What other
kinds
of places
should
be available
for gay women? What should
D.O.B.
do about
i t? --- 11.rl i ngton st . Church - Clarke
Room
13 - Bu siness
meeting , open to membe rs and non-members.,
followed
by an auction
of gay books.
Those old
ga y books in your attic
- donate
th em to D. O.Bo
for the auction
and bring
along
a co uple of doll a rs to bid on the ones somebody else brought
in .
SATURDAY PEB. 14 - VALEHTINE 1 S DAY PAHTY in Boston - detai l s else,
8:30
P . M.
whe re i n this
issue
of the Tu1AIDEN
VOY/1.GE.
Admission
by advance
sale
tickets
ONLY.
FRIDAY,
8:45
FEB . 20
P .rn
.
- Karate Demonstrationtion
Women ' s Lib e r a
Clarke
FRI 11:\.Y FEB. 27
,
8:45 P.M.
-
Rm.-
.
Discussion
"What Does
J'Iovement
Offer
Lesbians?"
Arlington
St . Church
the
"Legal
GUEST SPEAICER - Ala n Cook , ;,tto rney-at-Law:
11 •
Points
in Gay Marriages
His s peech will
cover
such issu e s as le ga lity
of ho mosexu a l ity , the
criminal
l aw , wil ls,
child
custody,
and financial
planning
. The r e will
be a lon g qu es tion
periodo
too •••• clarke
Rm.- Arl.
St.
Church
Hen are invited
FRIDi\.Y, IVV1-fl - Homophi l e art
. 6
& craft
show.
Details
elsewhere.
�The History Project
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document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 January
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-01
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 2 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971. The cover of the newsletter mistakenly notes that this is volume 2, issue number 2 of the publication. This is the second issue of "The Maiden Voyage."
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Publisher
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Text
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application/pdf
Identifier
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197001
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Language
A language of the resource
English
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/99e45499e31bec73bbb56d797f07bda4.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=XRqCbfz-%7EfITyOOWcTqrGyoKDLRz54lGjFvEONSKiOE7I%7E7nH5I7DUDUHdAjwwwG-FUOu52U7xUwli67sTD6dBW6B%7E2s5jBJGilCXjSCvGNNRSL-j3Th27xPnzZlq7XJrJrUH12UYhn5jHxMBJBqCb6SrKRUL7js2s9gx-lPCprc7i7YuNNOK-E9aDeqLZDL8BBderk7OAF5VdwGkPNDOUN43p9qu7kB%7Evs%7EE%7EUaxP1wFAwO3rMPPp%7EAJA9obblfi%7EQ5wia96B90pQrAlQrxWCp4frWUNr4WHlI0voNI39JWm1aFb451o8RDIZ-Ywq-%7EE8XLQtE1Jlspdi49l9AELQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
019534a8f7b1f1529fd326c2e501b102
PDF Text
Text
th€
ma, oen voyaqe
,
a daughter of bilitia
newsletter
boston chapter
p.o. box 221
prudential
center station
boston, mass.
02199
!'ebruary, 1970
vol. 1, no. 3
"It doesn't matter who you
love, or how you love, but
that you love."-Rod McKuen
LEGALREFORM MASSACHUSETTS
IN
Several bills
dealing with state
laws on sexuality
have been submitted to the 1970 session of the
Massachusetts
legislature.
The present laws particularly
are found
relevant
to homosexuals,
in Chapter 272 of the Maas. General
Laws. Thia chapter is titled
"crimes
against
Chastit{,
Morality,
Decency,
The relevant
secand Good Order.
tions are:
Section 34. "Whoever commits
ab, abominableand
detestable
crime
againat nature,
either with mankind
or with a bea1t, shall be punished
by imprisonment in the state prison
for not more than 20 years."
Section 35. "Whoever commits
any unnaturaland
lascivious
act
with another person shall be puniahed by ••• (varioua sentences
follow-imprisonment
and fines)."
The crimes forbidden
are not
further
defined in the law itself.
The crime against nature has been
variously
inperpreted
in different
states at different
times to mean
genital-oral
union, genital-anal
union, or both.
"Unnatural and
lascivious
behavior" was explained
by a 1954 Masa. case {Jaquith v.
indulgence
Comm.) to mean "irregular
illict
sexual
in sexual behavior,
relations,
and infamoua conduct
which ia lustful,
obacene, and in
deviation
of accepted customs
and manner ■."
The following is thought to be a
submitted
complete liat of the bills
to the 1970 legislature
which deal
with these laws on sexuality.
The
was discharged
from the joint
first
Judiciary
Committee to the House
Ways and Means for unknown reasons.
The last three will have had a public
hearing Feb. 23 by the Judiciary
Committee.
H. 1949 Change and repeal varM
1ou1 parts of Chapter 272, includ34, 35, & 18.
ing repeal of sections
k 3272 Repeal section 35.
H. 3482 Repeal section 18, (prohibiting
fornication).
H. 3484 Repeal section 34
The most inclusive
bill 1a clearly
H. 1949, spoaaored by the Americana
tor Democratic Action and othera.
The other bills were submitted by
William Baird.
It is clear that legal re~orm ia
far from being the panacea tor the
homosexual's
problems in society.
However, {l) the public discussion
generated over whether to enact the
bills
should work in favor of more
reasonable
laws because society
today haa a more non-regulatory
attitude towards sexual behavior than it
{2)
did when the laws were written.
Even though few people are actually
convicted of these crimes, some are.
The possibility
of such a conviction
and puniahment should not exist.
(3)
Making auch acts legal will reduce
that portion of antagonism or guilt
which is aroused by their illegality
per se.
(Ir YOUwant to hel~ in
planning and carrying out aOB procall:
gram to SU'DPort these bills,
Ann Haley
Laura (625-1263)
or write to the DOBaddress.)
j
J
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(2)
19th CENTURY
GAYLIFE
IN PARIS
Women and love in any form
fascinated
French artist
Henri
de Toulouse-Lautrec.
In the last decade of the
19th century, he frequented bars
and brothels which dotted bohemian
Montmartre painting a aeries of
and lesbians.
studies of prostitutes
Lautreo•s interest
in a lesbian
dancer at the Moulin Rouge increased
He behis attraction
to lesbians.
came a fixture at La Souris, a gay
bar near the Place Pigalle where a
"group of women of common inclination
met and were quite at home."
,&t La Souris, Lautreo mingled
with ease among these women, some
aggressively
masculine and others
very feminine, and painted their
that conworld with a sensitivity
tradicted
his voiced opinion that
there was not a "more foolish woman than she who is the woman of
another."
by his attention,
Flattered
customers at the bar were happy to
pose for the crippled artist,
and
often sought his advice tor their
problems.
apSome ot his observations
peared in a lithographed
album
"Elles",
a study of all women.
A few of his paintin~s
- "In
Bed", "Breakfast'',
and "At the
Circus" are well known and are
exhibited in museums. Others,
because they are labled "obscene"
remain in private collections
or
appear in limited edition publications.
------PJB------
OPENFORUM
•.
On th• open forum question of
Butch and Femme- I think that when
you are comparing any two people-here, let us say, a Lesbian couple
that on• ia bound to be more aggr••ive in aome areas than the other,
just as one will probably be taller,
than the other, or weigh more. In
other words, two people are rarely
exactly alike.
Should we call this butch & femme?
As far as couples go, I think not. I
have found that in all the Lesbian
couples in my acquaintance,
once I
got to know them, I could not make
a definate butch-femme distinction
between the two. They are simply
two women living together sharing a
common life with its usual problems
and happinesses.
On the other hand, I can more
easily make butch-femme distinctions
between my "single" friends,
though
such is not always the case.
Here,
there '' seems to be much more role
playing-and I think the reason tor
this is the very fact that·the
person
is "single",
or at leaat not living
with another woman. They then seem
to identify
with the society around
them. And our society says that to
assume any responsibilities
or aggressiveness,
one must also assume
the role of the man-thus the mascuand it
line or butch role-playing;
also says that to be gentle or
passive,
one must assume the role
of a woman- thus playing the "femme"
also develops.
I feel,
though, that onoe a gay
woman enters into a long-term relationship
with another woman, then
the butch-femme role playing begins
to slowly drop off and she can finally
relate to her lover as another person,
an individual •
••• Diana Travis •••
EDITORIAL: The purpose of any publication
is to inform without bias.
If
we say something you do not like, let us know about it. This
of
newsletter,
the MAIi& VOYAGE,is Boston D0B1 a circuit
communication to all members and interested
parties.
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(3)
Q!!. MOTHERS
"You don't realize
how many
ot us there are," our friend Ruth
■ aid, carefully
ironing ruffles
on a tiny pink dress.
"We don't
get too much chance to get together and talk because we're too
busy with work and taking care of
the , children.
But there are a
lot of us, and we should talk.
"Some gay parents are torn
with doubts about the effects
of
their homosexuality
on their children - many feel they should tolerate marriage for the sake of their
children. - I believe it ia better
to be alone with my child than to
bring her into the hostile
environment of an unhappy marriage.
It
took me a long time to think all
these things through, and I wish
I'd known others who were thinking about the same things at the
same time, because we could have
shared our insigµts."
.
"Won't your daughter miss
male companionship?" we asked.
"Everyone makes too much of
that issue,"
Ruth said.
"Susan
has her grandfather,
she'll
have
male teachers at school, and she
will have neighborhood boys to
My mother asks every
play with.
once in a while when I'm getting
married again to give Susan a
father,
and I say Susan has everything she needs with me now.
Marriage is taking a chance. Some
people are happily married and some
are happy single.
Susan is better
off with a single mother who is
happy than with a married mother
and father who are both unhappy."
"Would you have given up your
custody to give her a more conventional life?"
"only if there were some kind
of prolonged court battle
threatened that would air dirty linen
and leave emotional soars on her.
She ia surrounded by love here
with me; her grandparents
worship
her;
I can support her well.
What kind of "conventional
life"
could any lather offer her that
would be better
than that?"
"What if you couldn't
support
her, though?
Suppose you only made
$50 or $60 a week? You couldn't
even pay a babysitter
to take care
of her while you worked. Would you
give up oustodJ: then?"
"The moat important thing is
love.
Money, usually,
you can work
something out.
A friend of mine in
that situation
advertised
and found
an older woman who lived in and took
care of her baby son while she worked
in exchange for board and room. It
was good for both of them.
Then,
too long before the
too, it isn't
children are in school and gone for
half the day anywe:y.
"Are you going to tell her you
are gay?" we asked.
"That's the most difficult
problem - how much to tell and when. I
guess it will depend upon her personality.
I know I will prime her with
an understanding
toward all minority
groups.
I suppose the realization
w111 come on her gradually."
"What if' the other children in
the neighborhood taunt her with •your
mother's queer' or some such thing?
What would you ch then?"
"I don't think they ever will.
Children cannot type a person by the
way she looks.
Even if I were living w1 th another woman, I don't
think the question would arise.
Ot course, actions
could not be
overt if I were living with someone,
but they couldn't
be ia
1 marriage.
Many transient
relations
pa could
be damaging, but a long-term relationship with the right person could
be very good for Susan.
The most
important thing for a dlild is love ••
so many of these
I've come to realize
other so-called
"needs" of children
are socially
imposed.
A loving family
regardless
,of the sex of the parents
will give the child the confidence
and understanding
he needs to grow
up and race the world."
61
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(4)
BUSINESSREVIEW
January 30th business
what we decided:
meeting;
-That a checking account will be
opened for DOBBoston, and that
Ann Haley and Andy Cox are authorized to negotiate
financial
transactions in the name of the chapter.
-That Ann Haley will be reimbursed
$12.00 by the treasury
to cover
costs of printing
the DOBbrochures.
-That the treasury will pay $50.00
for the use of 12 Carver st. for
the party Feb. 14, and $30.00 for
decorations
and refreshments.
-That DOBwill investigate
the
possibilities
of opening•
club
and that all members will look
for a suitable
location
at a
reasonable
cost for such a club.
-That DOBwill allow women to pay
their membership fee in $5.00 installments
until the necessary
$15.00 is paid.
PERSONALS
Lynda D.- MAIDEN
VOYAGE
has your
donation and would like to send
you a subscription
but we do not
Please get
have your address.
in touch with us again.
$1.00 gets you a 30 word ad in
the MV Personals Column. Contact
lost friends ••• advertise
your
business,
etc.
Send your ad to:
Box 221 Prudential
center station, Boston, MA 02199
Do YOUhave your LESBIANSARE
LOVIm button yet??????????
- ----===-DOBINSTALLMENT
PLAN
February 13th business
what we decided:
meeting;
-That the Public Education Committee would invite a Boston Globe
reporter
to a meeting, the subject of which would first be
approved by the members.
would be asked
-That said reporter
to write a press release covering
the meeting.
-That as many people as possible
should write to newspapers and to
their State Representatives
recommending passage of the pending bills
pertaining
to the sodomy laws.
-That Boston DOBas an organization
send a letter
to the committee heading the Feb. 23 hearing of these bills.
We have
plan for
DOBbut
$15 all
set up an installment
those who want to join
cannot afford to pay
at once.
You may now pay $5 a week or
every other week until your dues
are paid up. Please see Andy &
she will make arrangements with
you.
Your $15 will bring you a subscription
to THE LADDER,a subscription
to THE MAIDEN
VOYAGE,
and reduced admissions to all
& discussions.
Boston DOBlectures
Remember,- DOBis working for YOUgive it your support.
JOIN DOB-JOIN DOB-JOIN OOB-JOIN DOB-
�MAI
DENVOYAGE
(5)
POETRY
The Wheel
I Remember••••
7ou nod as you pass b7,
I smile
and I remember the many times
we laughed and loved.
aloneness is the axle
togetherness,
the wind
each spoke is a person
who has touched and been
the wheel lives on becoming.
--Shayna Reuben--
At one time we were together
we were one.
I knew life was only good
until nowo
Now, because of some
words,
careless
we have parted
Life is neither
good nor bad
it is only empty.
And I remember the time
we laughed and loved ••••••••
Bab7love
In the twilight
of the year
Rebecca changed the seasons
And I never felt the wind
And the dawning light was meliow
And the streets
an esplanade.
My home lies in our wandering
Though we never said a word
And we never tried for nothing.
--Shayna Reuben-ARTS & CRAFTSSHOW
Boston DOBwill hold its first
arts & crafts show March 6 in the
Clarke Room at Arlington St. Church.
ALL members of the homophile community are invited
to exhibit paintings, photographs,
jewelry, ceramics
and other crafts.
of entertainment
There is a possibility
by a folk singer and a woodwind quintet.
An astrologer
will discuss "Signs of the
Times."
Exhibitors
should plan to
arrive at the Clarke Rm. b7 8:15 p.m. to
set up their work. The show will begin
at 8:45.
Refreshments will be served.
CRITIQUE
Starting
with the next issue
of THE MAIDEN
VOYAGE,
we
would like to run a monthly
critique
of films and books
dealing with homosexuality.
If you have anything to say,
good or bad- please let us
know by sending your comments
to:
Editor/Critique
P.O. Box 221
Prudential
Center Station
Boston, MA 02199
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(6)
Letters
to
the
Editor
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -,'f, * * ·* * * * ·:t- -lt, *
*************************************
Dear Bos ton,
Thank you for the newsletter,
and please keep it eoming1
You are a month or two ahead
of us - we only started
in
November, stirring
that is,
and will be born at the end
of this month. all going well.
So, it was interesting
to hear
We have
about {our beginnings.
a pro- em committee of three,
and six to ten prospective
members.
Hope our growing is as
rapid and as strong as yours
seems to be.
*
{!- ·:I-
* {I-* *
*
-:1-
*
-lf- -lf- {f,
NEWSLETTER
STAFF
To the Edi tor :
On our way out, while paying the
checks, she asked us not to come
there again.
My friend said we
would not, and that neither would
any other "gay" person.
~
*
* Editor: Pam B 07d ·
* Assistant Editor: Pat Browne
*
* Production: Rose Marie Turner
* Circulation: by courtesy of
a friend.
*
**** ➔I-************
* * * * * * * * if- ii- * * * if- * *
Best wishes anyway, from your
Aussie mates.
--Marion G.N.-(Auatralia)
On Friday night, Jan. 16, my
girlfriend
and I were holding
hands in the Cafe Florian,
at
85 Newbury Street.
The manager
came over to us and asked us to
behave, (which I clarify means
"act straight").
Being pacifists
by principle,
we complied with
her request.
*
We are asking a gay boycott of
this establishment,
and a letter
aent to its manager ••••••••••
Communication is the pitfall
&
responsibility
of all mankindo
Comm:unioate by being yourself,
all you are.
I think people
trust you only when you are
natural.
So don•t look down
and all around, and don•t
think twice - it•s all right.
--Shayna
Reuben--
(Editor's
note:
The opinions expressed in the letters
to the Editor are
· the personal opinions of the writer and do not meQeasarily reflect
the
thoughts, ideals and/or goals of DOBBoston).
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(7)
SHOULD
------YOUTELL YOURSTRAIGHTFRIENDS?
"Should you tell your straight
friends" was the topic for the first
discussion
group sponsored by DOB.
Diana Travis acted aa moderator tor
the meeting held in the Clarke Room
ot the Arlington St. Church on January 30.
Many women told of friendships
with straight
friends who knew that
they were gay, but did not discuss
the subject.
It was generally
felt
that tacit acknowledgement or Lesbianism without overt discussion
created a barrier
that was difficult,
11' not impossible to surmount in a
friendship
between atraight
and gay
people.
Most women felt that having
friends ignore their Lesbianism was
worse in more ways than overt rejection.
However, all agreed that
that
it waa with utmost discretion
those told should be chosen for all
conseare aware of the possible
quences of telling
the Wl'ong person.
Hopefully, all real friends will be
able to judge the person and not the
or the person.
sexual orientation
Changing the public image of
Lesbianism through a comprehensive,
intelligent,
educational
campaign
was the solution agJin offered to
Lesbians who hold jobs which they
would surely lose if their sexual
were to become knowno
orientation
point
Many women made the excellent
that society muat be made to realize
that Lesbians who hold such positions
as teachers,
nurses, and social workers can adequately fulfill
these roles
without supposedly corrupting
the
morals of those people over whose
lives they exert vast influenoe.
Generally the most adverse reactions to homosexuality
come from
men and women who are insecure in
their present sexual role.
If a
heterosexual
peraon is secure in
his or her sexual role, then homosexuality
poses no threat and they
are more apt to accept it gracefully; but insecurity
breeds ·
hoatilit7
and resentment because it presents
an alternative
to their present sexual role
wh1oh these people find frightening in that it indiredtly
preaenta them with a situation
which they are not emotionally
capable o:r handling auccesafull7.
Analysia has brought many of
our women into unhappy and very
situations;
some of
frustrating
the women were able to report
understanding
and intelligent
but
help obtained from analysis,
unfortunately,
the psychiatric
field generally has yet to accept
homosexuality as a normal and a
basic part of maay women•a perMany analys,a tirmly
sonality.
believe that heterosexuality
is
a biological
fact and any deviation from such is abnormal and,
therefore,
must be changed.
Since the United States is based
on the family unit premise, analyata tend in many cases to exert
preaaure on women to marry and
reproduce - one woman responded ·
to thia presaure by simply in- forming her analyst,
"I'm not a
rabbitJ"
We are in agreement
that reproduction
is essential
to the continuation
of the hwnan
race, but we also firml7 believe
that a person's
contributions
~
to the present society are equally important,
and that the Lesbians can and will contribute
In essence
much to this aociety.
we feel that it is tar more important to the individual
to be
whatever ahe wishes to be, rather
than to conform to the wiahea of
society.
J
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(8)
CHAPTER
CHATTER
San Francisco
has just formed an action core, similar to our oommi
ttee
Ollpublic
education and law reform.
Their first
project is to investigate the reported firing of stewardesses
by Western Airlines
on the
charge of lesbianism.
The women involved have been contacted by the
of the investigation
will be announced just
action core, and results
a1 soon as possible.
Two members of action cor ·e spoke on homosexual! ty to a speech 0las1
at a local High school.
Representative
members of the Cleveland Chapter and Rita Laporte appeared on both television
and radio.
Members were invited to the
taping of the TV program, and the next evening a party was given in
Rita's honor.
Cleveland's
library
is growing by leaps and bounds
with seventy-five
books plus periodicals.
The San ,ego Chapter had an interesting
discussion
on the "miserable
picture o womanhood which advertising
presents".
A few members went
to Disneyland, but their spirits
were dampened by cold, foggy weather.
New York has an interesting
schedule of programs for February.
Among
inem-;-iLtalk on "Homosexuality in the Theatre" by Matt Crowley, author
of "Boys in the Band."
Speakers from the Fortune Society will discuss homosexuality
in prisons.
---Charlotte
Boudier--Open Forum Question~
ATTENTION:-
Q: What would you do it
you are living at home
in the suburbs, have a
good reputation,
career
and so forth, and your
parents,
friends,
employer and/or neighbors find
out you are a Lesbian???
What do you tell them???
Photographerswe will be able to
use photographs in future
editions of Maiden Voyage.
Photos must be black & white
and no larger than 5x7. Any
aubjectl
~-r.•**{HHh-'~HHHh'HPJ-
Boston DOBOfficers
Ann__Ha.1A,,.
President:
_
Melrose,
MA
Vice-President:
Diana Travis
Boston, MA(277-8952)
Secretary:
Donna Ferguson,
Worcester, MA
Treasurer:
Andy Cox, Weare, N.H.
Please contact
any time.
these
people at
Artistswe will need a series of
pen and ink sketches in the
style of the New Yorker Magazine to use as fillers
after
Any size up to 2 in.
stories.
by 3 inches.
Please
submit to:
Editor,
Maiden Voyage
Box 221
Prudential
center
Boston,
MA
02199
station
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(9)
COMING
EVENTS
Unless otherwise
and are held at:
specified,
all Boston DOBevents are open to women only,
Clarke Room, Arlington St. Church, 355 Arlington St.
will discuss
FRIDAY-Feb. 27 - Guest apeaker Alan Cooke, attorney-at-law,
p.m.
His talk will cover
"Legal Points in Gay Marriages."
such areas regarding homosexuality as the criminal law,
wills,
child custody and financial
plalUling.
Th.ere will
Men are invited.
Clarke Rm.
be a long question period.
Arlington St. Church-355 Arlington St. Boatoa.
8:45
FRIDAY-March 6 - Homophile Arts and Crafts show. Exhibits of photos,
8:45 p.m.
jewelry, ceramics and paintings
by men and women in
Boston's homophile community. Live background music
Clarke Rmo
and a short talk by an astrologer.
FRIDAY-March 13- Business
p.m.
meeting
for OOBmembers only.
Clarke Rm.
9:15
SAT. - March 14- A party at 12 Carver St., upatairso
BYOB, buffet
Tickets $2.50 at the door.Women onlyo
8:30 p.mo-1:a.m. and dancing.
FRIDAY-March 20- Employment Discrimination
Against Homosexuals.
A
p·"'member of the Massachusetts
Civil Service Commission
and possibly other major local businessmen will participate
in a discussion
on discrimination
against
women in general, and homosexuals in particular
in
Clarke Rm.
various employment areas.
%~l\S
ANNOUNCEMENT
I
With regret
as editor.
MAIDEN
VOYAGE
announces
the resignation
of Marty Kelly
We on the staff,
and members alike would like to express our appreciation
and gratitude
to Marty, who, because of her concern for
OOBled MAIDEN
VOYAGE its suocesatul
to
debut.
)
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
( 10 )
~
!Q. WRITE~
The Public Education Committee is moving ahead with plans
a marketable book on the homosexual experience.
to compile
any really good books on the
The book, undertaken because there aren't
will consist of chapters written by people connected with the
subject,
autobiographical
.form.
organization,
and will be in a .fictionalized
Anyone interested
copy o.f any length,
on the subject.
in contributing
should submit typed double-spaced
relating
personal incidents
which will shed light
Preliminary
editing will be done by the committee but the .final major
The committee further
editing will be done by experienced personnel.
hopes to interest
a well-known paperback book publisher
in the idea. ALL
proceeds from sales 'Will go to our Boston DOB.
Please mail copy to:
Katie
at 277-8952 is the coordinator.
Boston DOB
•••• P.O.Box 221 •••• Prudential
Center Station •••• Boston, MA02199
--------------~---------------------------~------------------------------On Friday, January 23rd, the first meeting o.f the committee on law re-
.form and public education took place.
A dozen 1t0men gathered to start
working on what is one of the essential
aims of DOB--social acceptance of
the homosexual.
There was a high degree of enthusiasm and willingness
to
work, and many good ideas brought up at the meeting are already being
acted upon.
Before the next scheduled meeting on Thursday, Feb. 5th, at Diana Travis'
apartment,
the committee has set out to accomplish the .following activities:
Getting the LADDER
sold on su more newstands, and getting at least two
libraries
to carry it as a periodical;
preparing a press release tor the
contacting
Jerry Williams
Boston Globe about DOBand encouraging .followups;
to see about getting members on his talk show on WBZ; contacting
Boston
After Dark to see if it will carry announcements of our events in its
"What•s Happening" section;
contacting
Steve Fredericks,
WMEX,to have him
getting permission to reprint
announce some of DOB's forthcoming events;
an excellent
article
on Lesbianism .from the magazine Motive, published by
the Methodist Church (the article
will then be sent out to inquirers,
le.ft
in churches, libraries,
etc.);
and drawing up a Recommended List of what
we consider valid books or articles
on Lesbians.
Also discussed were: a possible meeting, well publicized,
for straight
and having
people to come, hear one of us speak, and to ask questions;
speakers for such groups of public power as the League o.f Women Voters,
the Chamber of Commerce, the Urban Priests
League, and the Priests•
Senate.
�S\. Pf\\R\CK'S
-PF\~-1 ~
DA
MQrch 14, 1910
~: 30 'P.rn. ta I Q.m.
\~ CQruer
str~e..t
UP~Tf\\RS
-
U'Y'\der
C.e>Y"t\e
9,.\ ? -
b l.\ \-
~ \ e. a::, e
c:\oY\'-\.
dT",n\(.
l?.,r\Y'lg '(ol.\r
D\Qn
Bo\He.
�.
MAI
DENVOYAGE
( 12 )
Support Boston OOBYour $15 membership fee gets you:
- a subscription
to THE LADDER
- a Subsoription
to THE MAIDEN
VOYAGE
- reduced admission to all Boston DOBlectures
!!nolosed is my check or money order
membership in Boston DOB
and discussions.
for $15 (do not mail cash)
I would like to join on the installment
plan
•
check for$ ___ •
I am 21 years of age ore>ier.
NA.fi:
,,
--------------------------------------------------------
ADDRESS:
____________________
Enclosed
for
is my
ZIP _____
_
PHONE:
ALL membership applications
are confidential&
Mail to:
Boston DOB, P.O.Box 221, Prudential
Center Station,
Boston,
02199
11 lNOTICE 111
we have learned that: a member of DOB (Boston); Frank
Morgan of HUB; Peter Connolly, a heterosexual
member of HUB; possibly
Allan Cooke, an attorney;
and possibly a member of the Legislature
are
to appear on the Steve Fredricks Show on WMEX,Friday, Feb. 20 at 11 p.mo
about Homosexuality.
Details on the outcome of the
for a discussion
program will be reviewed in the March issue.
As we go to press,
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
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Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 February
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-02
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 3 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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application/pdf
Language
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English
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197002
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/826a81fa0be5d47f14cc59547829a107.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=auloQWsop8DkpE8mAeW3Ih09cLvybc2UuLuRBGmk%7EBvVlOA0xPr%7EX8DYPWUzffRFVPua3%7EYBVG59wqrvx6PaxTi0q0EaDAj95--QqtsGJB56jHEShA9SGaS8fMnYjwiLRw-B7NENUS8EmjUMGhaXIc%7EFGJk0Ikglo5P29XZ1LhVr8AiexhP35YzIQwudkuaQlFNfZGviI4EN%7EanLdoGKYTt-dNNn0G96WxUJg1G7t010Qwp-WGDtztyNFKdm8SeMce9UpT1bDu57gw-PMSng2HE8xe8JhcESHmiLdHHSzQ9YBm2SamoiDDZonhZ8zP4apxrXwLyLGhyQoIq2FFJ3Ug__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
a972561c6aab7ed29b6ae54e143838cf
PDF Text
Text
the
ma1ben
voyaqe
a daughter
of bilitis
newsLetter
boston chapter
p.o. box 221
prudential
center station
boston, mass.
02199
"Equal protection
of the law",
we had always thought,
was a facet
of American life so secure it
could almost be taken for granted.
No matter who we are, or where we
live,
or how we look, according
to the civics books we read in
high school, we can expect the law
will affirm our right to personal
security,
and assure us our day in
court when we have a grievance.
Not so, we have been increasingly aware latelyo
Two incidents
of' police disinterest
in the right
of homosexuals to equal protection
of the law have come to our attention within the past few weeks. In
one, the less serious
of the two,
a young woman was grossly insulted
by a police officer
on duty in the
vicinity
of a gay bar.
V!e say the
i n ci dent was the less serious
of
t he two not because we condone the
right of police officers
to make
provocative
and insulting
remarks,
but because we understand
policemen are products
of the society
they live in and we realize
they,
like much of the rest of society,
have yet to learn we are not legitimate targets
for contempt. The
young woman was personally
hurt,
but will recover.
It is one of
the costs of being homosexual.
In the second incident,
another
young woman was badly beaten.
This incident
took place IN a gay
bar, and between homosexualso Desiring
to press charges for assault
and battery,
the victim of the unprovoked assault
notified
the
police.
She was told by them that
if it happened in a gay bar, it
would be best to drop the matter.
march,
1970
vol.
1, no. 4
"What we have done will not
be lost to all eternity,
Everything
ripens at it's
time
and becomes fruit
at it's
hour"
-DiuyauadanaWe were not aware that gay bars
are regarded by police as freefire zones where one enters at her
own risk.
We personally
would like
to feel as safe from assault
inside
a gay bar as we do outside when we
are wearing our middle-class
citizen's masko The bartender
is angry
with the young woman who was assaulted and who complained to the
police o "What are you trying to do,"
he asked, "get this place in trouble?"
No, she is not, because if she does,
she will have nowhere at all to go tc )
to meet her friends.
She would just
like to feel personally
secure when
she sits down for a drink in that
bar hersalfo
We do not know whether these are
isolated
incidents,
or whether eq ual
protection
of the law actually
does
atop short of areas of the city popular among homosexuals.
If it does,
we believe
it is a serious wrong that
ought to be remedied.
The Mattachine
Society in New York had considerable
success promoting understanding
between police and homosexualso Bosto n
OOB has people who can contact local
police and begin a dialogue with th en1.
If there is a problem here, rational
will do
talk with people in authority
much to ameliorate
it.
But we need
to KNOW
the extent of the problem, i f
there is oneo
If you know of other incidents
of
police disinterest
in homosexual
rights,
please write to us about the m,
an d
giving as much detail
as possible,
1 e
omitting
your name if you wish.
!:
are not beginning
a crusade to refol't rl
the world here, but if correspondence
in answer to this editorial
is heavy
it will be evidence of a need for suc h
a dialogue.
Quiet talk with the
proper people, we believe,
can do much
to ease the situationo
�MAIDENVOYAGE
(2)
OOB-Boston Officers:
Edi tor's
President--Ann
Haley
Melrose,
(665-3976)
Vice-president--Diana
Bost.on, (277-8952)
Secretary--Donna
Vforcester
Newsletter
Ass•t
Travis
Cox
The March issue of Pagent magazine features
an article
entitled
"The Heart of the Lesbian!!
staff:
Editor--Pam
Boyd
Editor--Pat
Production--
..
The December, 1969 edition
of
Cosmopolitan
magazine contai ned
a "dreadful"
article
entitle d:
"Homosexual Men; How I kicked
the Habit" which prompted Donna
Ferguson t.o write a letter
to
the editor.
Donna's letter
has
been published
in the March
issue.
Her name was withheld,
and her letter
is somewhat out
of context.
Ferguson
Treasurer--Andy
Weare, N.H.
Notes:
Look for the film version
or
Matt Crowley's
:ifow York stage
hit II Boys in The Band II to be gin
an engagement at the Astor
Theatre soon.
Browne
Rose Marie
Turner
ARTISTS: don't forget
that we NEED
a series
of pen and ink
sketches
to use as fillers.
We can use any size up to
2 inches by 3 inches.
Your
choice of subjecto
.'VRITERS: we are always interested
in
receiving
stories,
features,
opinions
and poetry from our
readerso
If you write,
and
would like to contribute
work to the Maiden Voyage,
please do not hesitate.
ODOOAND ENIB
$1.00 gets you a 30 word ad
in the M.V.. personals
colu :n:1,,
Contact lost friends••••o•••o
Advertise
your business,
etc.
Send your ad with payment to:
1
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Maiden Voyage
limited
number
in each issue.
must be black
no larger
than
Any subject.
Submit
Deadline
can use a
of photos
Photos
and white,
5 x 7.
copy to:
Editor,
The Maiden Voyage
Box 221
Prudential
Center Station
Boston, MA 02199
for
the April
issue:
April..!£_.
Box 221
Prudential
Center Station
Boston, MA 02199
buttons
LESBIANS ARE LOVABLE
are still
availabl e, do YOU
have yours yet????
�MAIDENVOYAGE
(3)
CENSORSHIPIN ENGLAND
ANDTHE UNITED STATES
a storm of controversy
swept England and the
In the late l920•s,
United States following
the publication
of Radclyffe
Hall's dignified
and sympathetic
novel on lesbianism,
"The Well of Loneliness"
e
The furor arose following an
hysterical
attack on the book
by a writer in an English Sunday newspaper.
The attack
sparked authorities
to take
action against
the publishers
of the book to cease publication, and also sent prurientminded readers racing to bookstores to buy the book before
the ban went into effect.
Although critics
praised the
book , and the defense council
Norman Birkett
assembled a
"distinguished"
body of forty
men and women who were ready
to testify
that the book was
not obscene, court magistrate
Sir Charles Biron judged the
book an obscene libel,
and
ordered all copies of it to
be dest r oyed.
In his final statement,
Sir
Biron said, "I agree that the
book has some literary
meritsI t must appear to anyone of
intelligence
that the better
an obscene book is written,
the greater
the public to whom
it is likely
to appealo 11
The English publishers
withdrew the book and made arrangements to have the original
text
republia~ed
in Paris expressly
for the English market.
Thia
plan was carried
out, but any
copies discovered
being imported into England were
seized by customs officials.
An appeal against
the magistrate's
order was
upheld, and the book was labeled
as "most dangerous and corrupting."
It took more than twenty
years before the publishers
felt
it was safe to reprint
in England.
Meanwhile, in this country,
the
Secretary
of the New York S~ciety
for the Suppression
of Vice, John
s. Sumner, instigated
prosecution
proceedings
against a bookseller
who had sold copies of the book
in Macy's store.
The ban on the
book went into effect in this
country, but the ruling was reversed when a court handed down
a decision
disagreeing
with the
English ruling that the theme of
homosexuality
is, per se, indiscussable and indecent.
Publishers
celebrated
the new ruling by
printing
a victory
edition of "The
Well of Lonlinesso"
Miss Hall, who had been advised
by friends not to publish the book
in the first
place, was pleased
with her victory.
However, she
did not "press her advantage by
writing more controversial
thesisnovels."
Her other works include "The
Forge", "The Unlit Lamp", and the
prize winning "Adam's Breedo"
Miss Hall died at the age of 57.
An untitled
novel she had been
at her
working on was destroyed
request after her death.
�MAI
DEN VOYAGE
(4)
Letters
to~
Editor
To the Edi tor-
To the Editor:
Shayna Reuben's request for a
boycott of the Cafe Florian would
be a good idea if OOBBoston were
comprised of all blacks or some
other suppressed
group.
For any
such group, other than homosexuals,
a boycott could be a useful weapon.
But, we are not a black group and
we are not a poverty
program.
We
are a group of Lesbians,
looking
and working toward the day free
from oppression.
Boycot ting the
Florian means placing ourselves
against
the straig hts in open confrontation.
I think we'd be laughed at and defeated in this particular situation.
First of all, let it be known
that I, too, want to be free to love
who I want to love. (A woman, forever.)
But, I think holding hands with another
girl in a public place is too much at
thi a time.
I t's like hitting
the
st 1• ights right in the face with it,
a
only to make them even more resistant
to our cause.
The straight
world
isn't
ready for such bluntness.
They
nee d to be educa t ed a lot more before
we can be free in public.
Any straight
parents who may have
been in the Florian that night probably
reacted with something like "is this
the kind of filth my children must be
exposed to?"
Seems to me that we must
not let them think that way. WE know
know it isn't
filth,
but they don•t.
I say educate first,
then demonstrate.
I'm sure I 1 ll get jumped on if
this is printed,
but I'm always ready
to listen
to other opinions.
Yours for a free and new tomorrow.
I have read the last two
issues of Maiden Voyage and
have especially
enjoyed the
poetry.
Once again I myself
have taken up the pen and
would like to share my thoughts
with other readers.
Therefore,
I have enclosed two poems you
might be able to use.
The Saint ••••
WANTED:
Couples interested
in skiing,
Cal l Gail and Jo at 523-2177
Maiden Voyage has its own
distinctive
literary
quality
which I, for one, appreciate
and admireo
Congratulations
to all writers
and staff of
Maiden Voyage1 And thank you
for all your efforts,
- Linda Susan (see poetry
poems)
page for Linda's
SHOW
DOB
- ARTS - ------'- and CRAFTS -
Members of Boston's Homophile
community gathered on March 6
to exhibit paintings
and other
Arts
Art work at Boston's first
and Crafts Show.
Oil paintings,
water colors,
and
acrylics
dominated the show. The
themes of the paintings
included
seascapes,
harbor scenes, still
lite,
people, and a large,
very
striking
study of leaves.
Those present had a chance to
test their artistic
abilities
with finger paints supplied for
the eveningo
Live entertainment,
a sing-along
and refreshments
were also featuredo
skating,
and snowshoeing.
�MAIDENVOYAGE
(5)
CHAPTER
CHATTER
CLEVELAND
CHAPTER
has decided to give as much as possible
to two
families
in the name of the club, for Easter.
So far, they have
provided two turkeys,
canned goods, and clothes.
They are also
going to provide flowers and companionship
to people in nursing
homes.
Great ideal
SAN FRANCISCOCHAPTER
has printed
a news item which appeared in
!fie" Chronicle concerning the firing
of 5 stewardesses
from Western
Airlines.
It went as follows:
"Notes of Newsnik:
F'ive stewardesses
on the S.F. - L.A. run,
fired for alleged
lesbianism,
have retained
Attorney Melvin
Belli to figb.t their fickle
fate•o••"
Their Action Core answered this by pointing
out that there were only
three girls involved,
and that they were not stewardesses,
but held
high managerial
positions.
Only one of tb.e girls had specific
charges brought against
her,- implied lesbian activity
so absurd in
nature that the charges were dropped and she has been rehired.
One
other girl had been dismissed,
but no charges were made. She was replaced by a man who has been at Western only one year as opposed to
her 18 ye ars of service.
Sb.a is fighting
her dismissal
on the grounds
of female sexual discrimination,
and is taking her case through EOC.
Only one woman is being represented
by the Belli office.
They pointed out that whether or not a woman was gay was beside
the point,
and if the Chronicle wanted to titillate
the general public,
was hardly a matter of
they could tell them a person's
sexuality
public concern, and that a homosexual can function
just as well in any
job situation
as anyone else.
CHICAGOCHAPTER alive and well.
is
They have stQ.rted
and welcomed Rita for the radio and TV show.
their
library,
SAN DIEGO CHAPTER
had Reverend Troy Perry speaking on March 13-15.
His church, Community Church of L.A., welcomes all homosexuals.
Their recreation
committee has set up bowling for one night,
and a weekend at Stallion
Oak Ranch swimming, hiking,
and riding.
MELBOURNE,
AUSTRALIACHAPTER
has grown to fifteen
present at their
last meetingo
They have social get-togethers,
and charity work is
planned for the future as well as trying to create a better
image of
themselves to the comm.unity. "Helen and Jean are Lovers" is the title
of an article
in the Nov. 22nd edition
of English Women.
NEV: YORKCHAPTER
announces the resignation
of Becky Irons as President.
Tros,tne'ir
Vice-president
is taking over immediately.
On February 19th New York DOB enjoyed a pleaaaat evening with their
guest speaker,
Isabel Miller,
author of "A Place For Us" (Bleeker St.
Pr ess, NYC)o
They are busy making plans for the National Convention which takes
place July 10 through 12, and which will include a panel discussion.
Panel members will be: a psychologist,
sociologist,
representatives
of
the feminist
movement, and Rita (we hope).
There will be a dinner and
dance at a well known reataurant
in Greenwich Village,
a business meeting and various workshops on Sunday.
There will be several "fun-city"
attractions
including
the theatre
and gay bar tour with New York DOB
(cont'd on page 6)
�MAIDENVOYAGE
(s >
(chapter
chatter
cont'd)
chapter members as guides
YOU folks, but I wouldn't
for us out-of-towners.
miss this meeting for
I don't
anythingl
••••• Charlotte
know about
Boudier •• o••
OPEN FORUM QUESTION #3
Q:
Wha:t do you do if
good career,
you are living at home, have a good reputation,
and your parents,
friends,
etc.find
out you are "gay"?
A: Although I am personally
from my family and employer,
were asked.
trying to keep my Lesbianism a secret
I would never deny that I am gay if I
I accepted the fact that I was a Lesbian a long time ago, end recently I have begun to tell my friends.
No one I have told thus far
has suddenly started
to ignore me, and I feel better for having been
honest with them.
On the other hand, I do not want my parents
to find out bec•use
it would shock and hurt them, and I know their attitude
toward me would change.
I am afraid
If the people you work with, and you parents,
friends
and even
members of your community know what tolerance
and understanding
are,
you should not have any terrible
problems if you are "found out".
If they are not understanding,
that is their problem really
and you
will just have to take their reaction
as it comes and perhaps practice
a little
tolerance
towards them.
0 ••••
OPEN FORUM QUESTION R:>R APRIL
Name withheld
upon request••••••o
ISSUE:
What should you do if you are living in a gay marriage,
quite content with your partner,
but find yourself
strongly
to someone else?????
and are
attracted
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
(7)
Who set fem homosexual
will -the ale
· freet
DEL MARTIN and PHYLLIS LYON - (From Kaleidoscope)
T_he Lesbian minority . in America, which may run ·as
tugh as ten million women, is probably the least understood of all minorities and the most down-trodden, She
has two strikes on her from the start : she is a woman,
and she is a homosexual, a minority scorned by the vast
majority of people in this country, If in addition she
is a member of a racial minority, it is'hard sometimes
to understand how she survives.
A Lesbian is a woman who prefers another woman
as a sexual partner ; a woman who is drawn erotically
to women rather than to men. This definition includes
women who have never experienced overt sexual relations with a woman-the
key word is II prefers." There
is really no other valid way to define the Lesbian for
outside of the sexual ar ea she is as different in her' actions, dress, status and behavior as anyone else. Just
as there is no typical heterosexual woman there is no
typical Lesbian.
'
However, there is a popular misconception, or
stereotype, of the Lesbian. She is believed to embody
all the worst masculine attribut?s of toughness, ag~gressiveness, lack of emotion or
of sentiment, overemphasis on
sex, lack of · stab111ty-the need
and desire to dress as a man or,
at least, as much like a man as
possible,
At some time in her life the
Lesbian may tit this stereotype
-usually when she is very young
and just finding out about herself,
After all, the Lesbian is a product of her heterosexual environment and all she has to go on,
at her first awareness of Lesbian feelings in herself, is society'S image. Part of the reason
for her over-masculinization
is
the sexual identity of being attracted . to women. At this point
the Lesbian feels that in order
to be attractive to another woman she must appear masculine.
Another reason is for identification purposes. How will she meet
other Lesbians? How will they
know · her to be one of them unless she indicates herself in her
outward appearance? A third reason is one of releasing her hostility against society, of defying
the mores which she finds stifling to what she considers her
very being, A fourth reason is
comfort, Any woman who says
that girdles and high heels are
comfortable is simply lying.
While it is true that occasionally a Lesbian gets trapped in this
way of life (emulation of the male)
and never finds her way to being
a person rather than a symbol,
the vast majority pass through
this phase and learn to accept
their femininity, As a Lesbian
she comes to realize she is a
human being first, a woman
second, and a Lesbian only third.
Unfortunately, however, society
places the emphasis on the third
--5exual identification-and
does
not acknowledge the Lesbian as a
woman or a person.
But the average Lesbian (if
there can be anything approaching •average" in our very complex world) is indistinguishable
from other women in dress, in
~anner, in goals and desires,
rn actions and in interests. The
difference lies only in that she
looks to women for her emotional and sexual fulfillment, She is
a member of the family-a distant cousin, or perhaps, a maid·en aunt, But more than likely
she's closer to home-111aybe a
daughter, a wife and mother, a
grandmother
or a sister. She
may work in an office, in a factory production line, in the public school system, at the corner
grocery. She is not bound by
lines of class distinction or eduCil!ional level, race or religion.
Why then, if the Lesbian is by
and large indistinguishable from
other women and if her sexuality is not abnormal, does she
face such genuine problems in
her search for self-fulfillment?
For struggle she does against
myriad obstacles presented to her
by a hostile society, Through
our work with the Daughters of
Bilitis, Irie., a Lesbian organization started in San Francisco
in 1955, we have talked to literally thousands of Lesbians (and
almost as many male homosexuals). And, although each case is
different, each person individual,
through all is a searching for
self-identity and self-fulfillment
to the utmost of the person• s
ability.
Consider the stereotypei •box"
most women in this country are
placed in from birth: that of becoming wife and mother, nothing
else. Consider then, the girl
brought up in this box who finds
her sexual identification to be
Lesbian. How then express the
11wife
- and - mother"
role?
This conflict often starts the
process of self-searching which
goes on for years and which, for
some, is never resolved.
•Toward a Quaker View ,if
Sex," which came out of 'England
and is more enlightened than most
religious
treatises
on male
homosexuality, fails utterly in its
chapter
on the female homo sexual. The only statement with
which we can agree is the first
sentence: "Homosexuality is pr obably as common in women as it
is in men." The Quaker view of the
Lesbian is apparently that of the
wishy-washy,
namby-pamby old
maid . who holds hands with another old maid (or preferably
an adoring younger girl, if available) because she never was
able to catch a man and fulfill
her deep yearning for the rewards of the pangs of childbirth.
At least the American stere otype
of the predatory,
aggressive,
masculine woman has a little
more color!
The art of motherhood in the
human species is not instinctual,
It is learned. We have courses
in the care of the baby, and there
are countless books on the market to help the young mother with
the problems she may encounter
during the course of her child's
growth and development. In some
cultures, babies are taken fr om
the mothers and raised by the
community without any apparent
psychically traumatic results for
the biological mothers or their
offspring. In other cultures it is
the male who tends the young.
It simply does not follow, then,
that every Lesbian is suffering
untold qualms because she is
frustrating her •natural" birthright for giving birth. There are
many other ways for women to
contribute creatively to society,
and at this particular point in the
history of the population of our
globe, they may also be highly desirable. The Lesbian who does
feel frustrated because she doesn•t have any children of her own
may work in the teaching profession, she may be a playground director or asocial worker who comes in contact with
families and children, But the
majority of Lesbians we have
known have not expressed in any
way the •void" they feel because
they have no children. To the contrary, the expression, "I would
prefer to lead a heterosexual
life if I could," is much more apt
to come from the male homosexual than from the female.
(cont'd
next page)
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
(study
(8)
cont'd)
.
StudyOW Le i!.~.~.,,~Ub e.e~r
Sh S Sb
!.! 0 I.Y.d ..
~~,!e
The teenage Lesbl~ has a particular problem which has . not
been met. Homophlle organizations, like the Daughters of Bilitis, have had to refuse membership to those under 21 for fear
that they will be char?ed )Hit~
"contributing to the delinquency
of a minor." The teenager has
no one to turn to. Socie!y th inks
only in terms of counseling of th e
variety that would tend toward
reestablishing
the sexual identity in heterosexual vein, and
the teenage Lesbian is whisked
off to the family doctor or clergyman to put a stop to this nonsense. However, in the cases th at
have come to our attention, th e
teenager has no doubt about her
sexual orientation.
What she
wants to know is what to do ab?ut
it. She wants to meet others l~ke
herself; she wants to socialize
and to discuss the problems she
faces. She is looking for Lesbian
models, those who have worked
out their problems and have. established
long-term
relationships.
.
When she is denied this social
outlet she very often wwids up in
unsav~ry areas of a city like th e
Tenderloin
in San Francisco,
There she may find oth er youth ,
but she als o finds. herself ~n th e
company of prostitutes, pimps,
drug addicts and dope peddler s •
There have been several attempts
in various cities to set up coffee
houses where there is dancing
for the teenage homosexual. But
they have lacked the influential
backing of sa~, the chu_rch, to provide protection agamst police
harassment
while creating
a
wholesome social fabric for th e
teenage homosexual.
Because of the absence of role
models in working out her way of
life and because the only marriage she ha5 known is that of
Mom and Dad, the young Lesbian
usually gets hung up in the •butchfemme" syndrome in her early
relationships,
It is only with
painful experience that she learns
the Lesbian is attracted to a wornan--not a cheap imitation of a
man. The lasting Lesbian liaison
(and there are many) is one based
on mutuality of concern, love,
companionship,
respon~ibility,
household chores, outside interests and sex,
'
re~
tionshlp cannot be based on society'S exaggerated male-female,
dominant-passive
roles, as depicted in the flood of Lesbian
novels on the newsstands which
are for the most part written ·
by ~en for heterosex~al male
consumption. It is the realizati-0n that contrary to cultural
myths, ai1human beings have
both feminine and masculine
traits and that a person has to
find her own identity as a woman
and as a partner in this love relationshlp that makes for suecess The fact that Lesbian relations hips are generally longlasting without benefit of religious ceremony or legal sanction
is indicative of a strong bond of
love and respect which sees the
couple through all the obstacles
society places in their way.
Fortunately
for all women,
there is a growing awareness in
this country that woman needs and
is more openly demanding an
identity for herself as a human
being, an identity over and beyond the societal role of housewife and mother This awareness
coupled with mo~e openness about
sexuality and homosexuality, ls
making it easier now _for the
young girl newly aware of her
Lesbianis~,
to cope with the
negative sanctions of society. But
it is still true that in most areas
of our country she has no place
to turn for counsel no one with
whom she can talk about her feelings without running the very real
risk that the counselor will turn
away from her with horror· and
revulsion
The Q~akers state• •Female
homosexuality is fre; from the
legal and, to a large extent, the
social sanctions which are so
important in the problems of
male homosexuals."
This is a
myth that even the male homosexual has come to believe, It
is true that in England there
-were never any laws pertaining
to female homosexuality. But
this ls not true in the U.S.A. The
Lesbian is just as subject to arrest when she sets foot in a
"gay bar;" she is just as subject to blackmail and police harassment. The stigma attached to
homosexuality has just as much
1
on~
to deal with fear and soclety-imposed guilt in the problem areas
of employment, family relationships and religion. Just because
the record of arrests ls so much
smaller ls no indication that the
Lesbian ls relatively free from
legal or social sanction. It only
means that she ls less obvious
and less promiscuous. She has
done a better job of covering up.
The most serious problem a
Lesbian faces in life ls that of
self-acceptance.
Like everyone
else, she has been taught the cultural folklore that a Lesbian ls
something less than human-a
sick, perverted, illegal, immoral animal to be shunned and desplsed. Needless to say, with
the first glimmering of selfknowledge, of tendencies, she becomes bogged down in doubt,
fear, guilt, and hostility.
some Lesbians claim they have
·been aware of their Lesbianism
since early childhood. Others
first become aware during adolescence.
Yet there are some
women who make this discovery .
about themselves much later in
life-after
they have been married and have had children. Still
others either by choice or lack
of oppirtunlty, never admit or act
out their Lesbianism.
It isn•t easy for a woman to say
to herself, let alone anyone else,
"I am a Lesbian." But once the
words are said, has she really
changed? Isn't she still the same
person she was-the dear friend,
the competent employee, the loving sister? And yet the words
become a barrier in her personal
and working relationships.
To
protect her family and her job,
she ls forced to live a lie, to
take on a dual life. No wonder
many Lesbians seek out some
type of psychiatric or therapeutic help. The miracle ls that so
many are able.to function sowell
and to contribute so much to
society.
(
t , d)
con
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
{9)
{study)
The Lesbian ts thus a secretive, chameleon creature. She is
not easily recognized. The old
adage, "It takes one to know one,"
is not true. Not being distinguishable from other women, she
has difficulty meeting others like
herself. The "gay bar" is still
a meeting place, but there are
few such bars which cater towomen exclusively because they do
not constitute a steady clientele.
Besides, a Lesbian, as a woman,
has no doubt heard many time~
the old saying "nice girls don't
go into bars," or "no lady would
ever go 1nto a bar alone." The •
Lesbian goes out on the town
only occasionally, and is more apt
to settle down with a partner, to
build a home arid a lasting relationship, and to develop a small
circle of friends--usually
both
homosexual
and heterosexual.
Another s ocial outlet for the
Lesbian can be homophile organizati ons thr oughout the country
(if she knows about them), such
as Daughters of Bilitis, which
has chapters in New York and
San Francisco.
If she divulges her identity,
she automatically becomes vulnerable. She faces loss of~.
family and friends.
Yet, until
s he opens herself to such possibilities, no one will have the
opportunity to come to know and
to understand her as the whole
person she is.
(Editor's
ll\11
\\IIIIIIIIIIII""""" IIIIII IIIIII IIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIII IIIIIIII III
'"""""'"Ill IIIIII IIIIII
IIIIIIIIIII IIIIII IIIIII
Swinfl
'3nto Sprinfl
at a ':f3o.,ton ':i).(f).':/3. arty
Cl)
12 CarverStreet
Upstairs
lllllll~11111,••"''""1~1111n
Tickets at the door
$2.50
DANCING
-
and
BUFFET
note)
DEL MARTIN and
PHYLLIS LYON
are two of
the founders
of D.O .B.
8:30 to1a.m.
p.m.
Women
Only!!!
APRIL
25
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
(Jo)
STEVE FREDERICKSSHOWDISCUSSES
BILLS TO REPEAL LAWSON PRIVATE
SEXUALBEHAVIOR••••••••••••••••
radio talk
The Steve Fredericks
show on ~1..{EX,Boston, devoted an
hour Friday night,
Feb. 20, to a
discussion
of 3 bills
which would
repeal
some of the Maasaohusetts
laws concerning
private,
sexual
behavior
between consenting
adults.
This was in anticipation of the public hearings on
the bills
before a committee of
the State Legislature
the following Monday.
Panelists
on the program were:
Alan Cook and Peter Connolly,
Boston lawyers;
Frank Morgan,
president
of the Homophile Union
of Boston, and Laura Robin, a
member of Boston Daughters of
Bilitia
(OOB). The program informed the public of the existe · 1e and content
of the bills,
)f their upcoming hearing,
and
-1ld where letters
of support
(or opposition1)
should be sent.
Some of the panelists'
arguments 1.n favor of the bills
were; that private,
consensual,
s exu al behavior
did not harm
other members of society,
and so,
should not be regulated
by the
state;
that even though the laws
l n question
were not often enforced,
they COULD
be, capriciously,
against
anyone, (homosexual or heterosexual)
at any
time, and that the existance
of
such laws was conducive to blackmail.
The potential
for a lively
debate did not materialize
because none of the persons who
phoned in presented
any argument
against
the repeal.
HOMOSEXUALS TESTIP!
AT PUBLIC ..HEARING
A few members of the Boston homosexual community surfaced
Monday,
Feb. 23, to testify
before the Joint
Judiciary
Committee of the Mass. Legislature.
Representatives
from the
Homophile Union of Boston, the Boston
Student Homophile League, the Harvard
Graduate Student Homophile Ass•n, and
the Boston University
Homophile Club,
spoke in favor of three bills
which
would repeal
certain
state laws that
sexual behavior
of
regulate
private
consenting
adults.
Together these 3
bills
(H. 3482, H. 3472, H. 3484)
would abolish
the laws against
fornication,
unnatural
and lascivious
acts
and the crime against nature
(repeal
of Chapter 272, Sections
18, 35, and
34 respectively).
No one from OOB
was bold enough to read our testimony,
so we submitted
it as a letter.
(Donna Ferguson has a copyo)
Most arguments boiled down to saying
the state had no right
to regulate
the
private
behavior
of consenting
adults,
since such behavior
did not harm other
people.
William Baird, originator
of the
bills,
wrote a letter
which was read
by one of his supporters,
(Mr. Baird's
having a "previous
commitment" in the
Charles St. jail for handing out contraceptive
foamo)
The Americans for Democratic Action,
together
with the Mass. Civil Liberties
Union, turned in a 3-page argument.
These latter
two groups had originated
another bill,
H. 1949, which has disappeared in the legislative
by-ways,
(see Herald Traveler,
Febo 22, Seco 5,
pg. 13) and which would have repealed
the same three sections.
The newly
formed local Council on Religion
end
the Homosexual was also represented.
The committee paid an average amount
of attention,
but asked no questions.
of the
There were several proponents
bills
speaking as individuals.
There
was no testimony
in opposition
to the
bills.
The committee's
report
to the
Legislature
on their bills
has not
been madeo
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
0.1)
COKING
EVENTS
specified,
all Boston DOBevents are open to women only,
Clarke Room, Arlington
Sto Church, 355 Arlington
St.
Unless otherwise
and are held at:
Friday,
March 20 - OPEN DISCUSSION- "Do employers discriminate
against
9:00 p.m.
Homosexuals and women?" How likely are you to be
fired if your boss finds out? What kinds of jobs
can you hold without the mask????
Friday,
March 27 - GUEST SPEAKER* Phoebe Wray, New York, Hollywood, and
Boston actress
and director
now teaching at Boston
9:00 p.m.
will speak on "Homosexuality and the Arts."
Conservatory,
Friday,
April
8:30
Friday,
3 -
p.m.
(IMPORTANT
NOTE: all those who wish to go bowlin£ on
Friday the 27th should meet at 7:00 pom., at the Turnpike Bowladrome, 195 Concord Tpk. (Rt. 2), Cambridge.)
ON
FOR
COMMUNITY
LEADERSSYMPOSIUM HOMOSEXUALITY BOSTON
Six members of DOBwill appear on a panel and answer
questions
from clergy,
guidance counselors,
and members
of civic groups who have been invited
to attend by the
Public Education Committeeo Other members and friends
of DOBare urged to attend and give their support!
-
April
10 - BUSINESS MEETINGfor BOSTON
DOBMEMBERS
ONLY.
p.mo
Come and
Fr iday, April 17 - OPEN DISCUSSION* 11Can a Gay Marriage Last?"
share your opinions and experiences
with others.
9:00 pomo
9:15
Friday,
Old West
April 24 - GUESTSPEAKER* Reverend William Alberts,
Methodist Church, Boston, will speak and lead a dis9:00 p.mo
cussion on, "What can the Church do for homosexuals?n
Saturday,
Friday,
April
May l -
25-Spring Party at 12 Carver st.
See party ad elsewhere (pgo9)
Buffet, dancing,
this issueo
- SLIDE SHOW* Pam, Jo, and Betty will share their
slides on many subjects.
Refreshments as usual.
etc.
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
(12)
WHYI AM GAY
Grandma insists
it's
heredity
Mother's side isn 1 t ordinary.
Daddy swears the fault is Mother's,
She always favored my brothers.
Mother explains
the fault is Dad's,
His lack of discipline
was bad.
My doctor declares,
Our Minister
says,
The analyst
thinks
But it was because
just a phase,
badly raised.
I need a beau,
of love,
I know1
(anon)
Mit If II lHt
I will
not forget
your feathery-soft
JtIt It II II ~.n,.a.
love,
But cover myself
with memory:
snowcrushed
Of your desire,
upon my willingness
to give, and give;
or your happiness, cotton-fluffed,
spun golden around both
you and I: one thread;
or your desire, rain-washed,
icily ebbing away
to new crystal
streams;
Of your happiness,
dark-stained,
unravelling
our union,
leaving me threadbare,
worn.
Child-like
screams
cried from meo
Adult-like
tears
drowned me.
Your wine-sugared
love
was drained away.
Even the charcoal
coffin
evicted me;
Death refused my hand,
Leaving me frozen-aloneo
With feet crumpled-cold,
Bones blue-bruised,
but heart awakening I looked to the crimson-beaten
That wanted not my soul
body •
Nor my left-over
sky
••• Linda Susano••
�MAI
DEN VOYAGE
(13)
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
On April a, DOBwill face
religious
leaders at Brown
university
in Providence,
Rhode Island.
After the
leaders hear what DOB has to
say, they will decide whether
or not to expand the dialogue
to the entire
student body.
Graham Jr o College has invited DOB to participate
in a
closed circuit
radio talk show
on the school's
radio station
on April 10.
A new approach
to public
education
is getting
underway for Boston DOBas this
issue of the Maiden Voyage
goes to press.
Members of DOBand HUB
planned to address a gathering of 30 clergy of all
denominations
at Temple
Emmanuel in Newton, Mass,
on March 17.
--------------------------------------------~--------------------------- BOWLERSl
1
SPECTATORS
11
HECKLERSl
I
COME
ONEif-COME
ALL-
- ALL are welcome on Friday, March 27, at 7:00 p.m., the upstairs
- alleys - Turnpike Bowladrome - 195 Concord Tpko (Rt. 2) Cmnbrldge l
- Cand lepin lanes and tenpin lanes will be reserved side
- so choose your balls and make a strike where it counts
- scores ( especially
mine) will be kept CONFIDENTIAL
•
• Cir cle your c&lendar.•o••oMarch
- a date.
Y'all come l !
*
270
Bring
by side 1 ALL
the mate or make it
-
*-----------------------------------------------~-------------~-------~
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
(14)
,,
THE LEGALASPECTS OF HOMOSEXUALITY
The legal problems homosexuals
might encounter in dealing with
child custody,
joint ownership,
sexual behavior and the police
were discussed
by attorney
Michael Buckman at the Feb. 27
meeting of Boston :OOB.
Mr. Buckman cited the vague
statutes
that make things so
difficult
for lawyers to say
what is a violation
and what
isn•t.
"Each state has added
to and deleted from the laws
and most states
don't make it
clear if these acts (crime of
sodomy, unnatural
acts of copulation with an animal, etc.)
ap ply to women as well as men."
It is up to the individual
judge to decide what is lasciv"Few judges will
i ous behavior.
ac tually convi ct on sodomy,"
he added
Some countries
- Denmark,
France, Switzerland,
Italy,
and oth ers, and the state of
Illinois
have begun to delete
these statutes.
There is currently
a series of
bills
before the Mass. legislature designed to repeal "in all
or in part,"
these laws on sodomy.
'Mr. Buckman said he doesn't
see
any success in Massachusetts"this year, anyway.
"The authorities
are politely
ignoring the statutes
as long as
the acts are carried out in private."
But he wonders whether
this might change.
A felony allows a policeman to
arrest
a person if he has probable cause, but it is almost impossible
to get probable cause
unless a party volunteers
information about what is going on,
said Mr. Buckmano
With the increaaed publicity
Boston OOB is putting forth,
it
IS possible the police might come
in, but he doesn•t think we would
really
be bothered.
An officer
might come in and just sit down to
listen
to the proceedings.
He
would not be in a position
to demand identification.
However, he
would be perfectly
within his
rights
to demand identification
in a car or in a bar.
On the subject of child custody,
Mro Buckman said that the courts
are only interested
in the welfare
of the child.
There is no requirement legally,
that partmers be
married to adopt children,
but it
is extremely difficult
or "almost
impossible"
to follow through on
an adoption otherwiseo
In discussing
police harrassment,
Mr. Buckman said the real problem
is trying to prove a caseand get
an injunction
against the police.
A person has "really
got to be ready
to atand up and be well armed with
information
to build a case to present before a judgel
But, until
you have public opinion on YOUR
side, you are going to have harrassment," he concludedo
Mro Buckman also discussed
joint
ownership,
trust,
and answered
questions
from the audienceo
�' '
MAI
DENVOYAGE
(I~
Support Boston DOB1s
Your t+ membership fee gets you:
- a subscription
to THE LADDER
- a subscription
to THE MAIDENVOYAGE
- reduced admission to all Boston OOBlectures
Enclosed is my check or money order
membership in Boston OOB
for$
15 {do not mail
I would like to join on the installment
plan_.
for $___
•
I am 21 years of age or over.
N ME:
A
and discussions.
cash)
Enclosed
for my
is my check
----------------------------------
ADD
RESS : _________________
ZIP _____________
_
---------------------------------
PHONE:
All membership applications
Bos t on DO P .o. Box 221
B
are CONFIDENTI.ALl Mail to:
Prudential
Center Station,
Boston
02199
· (Editor's
note:
Effective
with this issue,
the Maiden Voyage will be
If you wish to continue receiving
r ent onl y to members and donors.
MV t o be in touch with all our activities
,
and progresses,
please take
a mi nute to send off a contributation
to support YOURinterest.
Better
ye t , why not join us and become another voice at our meetings,another
vo te at elections,
etc. Admissions to meetings are½ price too, remember.)
DOBINSTALLMENT
PLAN
-------
W have set up an installment
e
plan for those who would like
DOBbut cannot afford to pay$ 15 all at once.
to join
You may now pay $5000 a week or every other week until your dues are
paid up~ Please see our treasurer,
Andy, who will be glad to help you.
Remember, OOBis working
for YOU, why not give it
your support.
J OIN DOB-JOIN OOB-JOIN DOB-JOIN OOB- JOIN IX>B-JOIN IX>B-JOIN IX>B-JOIX
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 March
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-03
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 4 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197003
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/d2ac3b4e8824b5d9e18c193acd123b12.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=sV9e6zAZcsKpK%7ES7D5RTk6PlLzCylqolODYvyRlKXCPPtwjx4m9SjnfXccTTEH8kKVoMHCisAfig7rdMKR8F8A2a-kxTpHCinz5oaKHtJ6T6R8VeKOD0WpVTbx0EF3KoGjt6Qm1e8YVHNQubuyN7D1auNMv5Edho0xSvZHEkQn9Kg0V5h%7Es53DWC3nlRMaS7n3U6RNALu2nX5uHcIiof3K6nSYfCvFb-IAKCsSntjoRm37FakrVp5kJMnylhDtDJA7wseQEPQLM3tE9%7E%7ELl6LvVhGu7kxYkMRNfG%7E4ksbX2T6KG2iRJ7m2rG6KPjP-2m8JhxMEro0AdUYdUgCA6DwQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
c7cbc3c165846c7ccc1660c1c420d332
PDF Text
Text
the
ma1ben"oY~e
april,
a daughter 0£ bilitis
newsletter
boston chapter
p.o. box 221
prudential center statio~
boston, mass. 02199
vol.
1970
1, · noa
5
"For ever:, petal on a rose
I shed a tear of pain-That maybe I will lose you
.Andnever love again." -Dori
DliI.OGUE
Boston patrolman Richard NcEachern,
the controversial
president of the
National Patrolman's Association,
spoke at a recent meeting of HUB.
Dr. Theodore Lindauer, the psychia.
tric consultant for HUBand DOB,
commented afterwards on what was
said. Vu-. McEachern, who was shot
a couple of months ago while on his
beat (reportedly by someone against
patrolmen unifying), arrived at HUB
with a bodyguard and a very tense
expression on his face.
He was
warmly received and loosened up
considerably during the forty minutos he was there.
He made a short
introductory remark saying that his
views did not represent the Boston
Police De,pa.rtment--only that of the
Patrolman's Association--and
also
that he c,ould basically only defend
himself for his own actions because
patrolmen were as different from one
another as all other human beings.
There then followed a question and
answer period, which was too short
to get into any really good dialogue.
The question was asked if entrap.
ment was still a legal deviee that
could be used to arrest homosexuals
(entrapment is when a cop poses as
a homosexual to trap others into
making a solicitation)•
He said it
was mostly used to get prostitutes
and junkies (in fact; every night)
and very rarely to trap homosexuals;
however, he made the - point that it .
is still a legal de'v1ce, and could
asked about an "arrest
be used. ~-/heri
quota," Mr. McEachern said that any ,
such thing was a pure ?!lYth. He also
said that much had changed in Boston
regarding the relationship
between
police and homosexuals in the last
ten years and that the situation was
much better today. McEachern made the
statement several times during the
evening that the police were mainly
just too _
busy with so many other
problems (anarchists was one that he
mentioned) to bother about homosexuals.
"Policemen are not going to bust you
for walking down the streets.
Unnatural acts are what they•re
trying to push · against ••• and what is _
unnatural since we all have different
nature st 11 (Applause)
When asked about police pay-offs
by gay bars, he answered that a gay
bar is not illegal.
However, it was
brought up by Frank Morgan that there
is a city ordinance against dancing
together by members of the same sex.
Mr. McEache.rn said that he had not
realized there was such an ordinance.
He admitted that here one would
find reason for pay.offs, but that
the patrolman on the beat was not
the one who got it.
Mr. McEacharn
ended by saying that he hoped homosexuality would be eventually accep,tod socially and that he would try to
holp as head of the Patrolman's
Association.
,tfter Mr. McEachern spoke, Dr.
Lindauer commented on what was said.
He said that patrolmen on the most
part were very defensive people in
the realm of community relations.
"They are up against a paramilitary
system within the department ••• a faceless bureaucracy that never lets them
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(2)
question their superior's
judgement
or their own.'' Still,
a patrolman
is often faced with making split
second decisions on little
evidence,
which leads to tremendous errors at
times; thus one can begin .to appreciate the defensiv eness that the
patrolman starts developing for himself as he continually
r eceives
criticism
from th e community. Because of this def ensiveness,
the
two-year old community relations
department of th e Boston Police
Department has made a "half-heart ed
effort" to do a tremendously hard
job.
Dr. Lindauer said that we should
concentr a t e our fir e on what happens
in October, election time.
Then
the mon runnin g for reelection
step
in and have arrests made on certain
groups of socially unacceptable
'peopl e . Ho gave as an example the
raid last Octob er, s~~god by a
sheriff runnin g for r ee lection,
on Bard Coll oge •• ~for marijuana •••
as if th ere wero not any during
th e other months! (Bard is quite
well-known for its drug scone,)
October is notably th o month th at
"queers" ar e drag ged in, . too.
Dr. Lindau e r conclud ed by saying
that our whol e l ega l system needed
He said that the
. to be overhauled.
Mafia - would not exist except th at
it caters to groups of people
(homosexuals, gamblers, prostitutes)
whose nee ds are not rationally
handl ed by our soci ety.
"Our laws
bec ause
must becom~ more rational,
having a bad law is worse than
havin g no law at all.
You can 9 t
enforce it prop erly, so it leads
to harassment."
DOB-Boston Officers&
~
sidont--ann
Haley
Vico-president--Diana
Boston, (277-8952)
Secretary--Donna
worcestor
Trea suror--Andy
'l eare, N.H.
i
Travis
Ferguson
Cox
Newslett er Staffs
Editor--Pam
Boyd
Ass•t Editor--Pat
Browne
Production.-Rose
Marie Turner
Candi MeGonagle
Laura . n:obi n
*******************
ODDSAi~D
EHDS,
$1.00 gets you a JO word ad
in tho M.V. personals column.
Contact lost friends••••••••••
Advortise your business, etc.
Send your ad with payment to:
Box 221
Prudential
Center Station
Boston, MA 02199
LESBL'l.NS
,\RE WV ABLEbuttons
are still available!
Do you
have yours yet? ?_?????
Deadline
for the May issue:
May
\S•
�M,..IDEN
VOYAGE
0)
-
--- ----------l'Jhat should you do if you are
OPENFORUM
QUESTION
NUMBER
4
Q:
living in a gay marriage, and are
quite content with your partner,
but find yourself strongly attracted
to someone else?
•seach other, but
"love does not
at
consist in gazing
in looking outward together in the same direction."
-~Ultoine do Saint-Exup 1 ery
This quote could almost be used
as a good answor to your o. F. Q. #4
without any further elaboration.
love consists of much more than
mere physical attraction.
when we
choose a partner, we (hopefully!)
choose one who fits into our longrange life plan--our ambitions, our
needs, our dreams. Anyone choosing
her partner otherwise, merely on a
physical a~noal basis, will find
herself sorely short-changed.
Contentment and desire can easily
be found in two separate people.
Only an adult realization
of ill the
factors can enable a person to make
proper decisions.
Before falling prey to one's
physical attractions
by acting on
these desires, there is a lot more
to be considered than just a revitalized sexual drive, which often is
fairly short lived.
More often than not, a new part..
ner involves complete changes in most
of our ordinary functions, even in
eating and sleeping.
Very often it
interrupts
our work pattern.
In
general it causes an upheaval in our
whole way of life.
And for what?
Can we continue to go through a life
of major upheavals by changing partners with every new strong desire
we feel?
Real love is sometimes impatient ••• but if it is real, it will
last long enough to survive a period
of consideration.
If what seems .to
be an attraction
should really bo
more than that, there 9 s always time
to make the proper evaluation,
whether you happen to be single or
unhappily married.
But married and "quite content
with your partner"?
Go take a cold
shower and think it outl
-1.ndy Cox ·
I don't see how you could be
strongly attracted
to someone else
beyond the temporary infatuation
level
.if you're truly content with your
partner.
If you wore to become deeply emotionally involved with a third
party, it would show serious discontent with your partner.
Otherwise,
there would be no nood or desire for
tho third party.
If I found myself strongly attracted to someone other than my partner,
I would weigh what I know I have now
against the risk of settling for
something not quite as good with the
third party.
. This has only hapnened to me once
in the three years of my gay marriage;
and I resisted the impulse by facing
the fact that my marriage, although
gay, is as binding and sacred to mo as ·
any between men and women. I don't
approve of cheating in marriage-gay or straight.
I think you should
either make a clean break or be
faithful;
no middle ground.
I also feel that as long as I love
rrry partner as much as I do, no one
could ever attract me enough to
threaten what wo have spent so long
in building together.
Marriage is
built on selflessness--not
on selfishness; not in the sense of being a
martyr to marriage, but in the sense
of being a sharing partner in it.
-Candi McGonagle
Al
.Q!:fili
FORUM
QUESTION - !1AIISSUEt
fj
DOBis a woman's organization for
homosexuals. Do the mombors consider
themselves as women first or as primarily homosexuals? Would DOBbenefit
more by aligning itself with tho
women's liberation
movement or by
joining with some of the more maleoriented homophile groups?
ill
opinions welcome! l
�.MAIDEN
VOYAGE
Ut)
LETTERS
1Q..TIJ§ E D I T O R
To the Editor-Let me tell you a little
story.
Not so very long ago there was a girl
This
who happened to be a lesbian.
girl lived in the great state of
i'-iassachusetts 9 and she found the
inhabitants
less than liberal
in matters of morals.
This girl wanted to
educate and inform the heterosexual
inhabitants
of Massachusetts;
she
wanteQ and deserved acceptance and
understanding,
not pity and tolerance,
She joined a homosexual organization
and participated
in a panel discussion and on Saturday night dated a nice
gentleman to keep her parents from
suspecting anything.
She succeeded
in educating a few clergymen who were
interested
enough to come to the panel
discussions;
she did not oducate her
parents.
i~ice story, huh? ,md short.
l,nd
to the point.
DOB
wants to inform
and educate--somewqere along tho line
its members cop.,out.
vv'hodo you
suppose comprises the straight community?
I'll tell you whom--just
these parents and friends that everyone is trying to pr.otect from the
·
"awful truth. 17
In an article in iast month~s
J.Vi.V Del M9.rtin and Phyllis Lyon
..,
state: ll'The Lesbian minority in
America, which may run as high as
•••
ten million women " Now let's
~ume·each
woman has two parents,
_
one brother 9 one sister,
and three
.~ grand total of
straight
friends.
at least seven close friends and
Now suppose that each
relatives.
·woman educat ed those seven people.
Now we have seventy million educated
people plus ten million lesbians-eighty million educated people., That
is _approximately 40% of the population of these great United States.
_ Byany standards that is a hell of a
. ; lot of educated people. .
You know, kids don° t learn how to
·
read in reading class, nor do they
learn about sex in their sex education
cia.s~es.
No, they learn at home or on
the street corner from friends • •illd
arc your parents to learn about homosexuality from a lecture in the church
basement on a wednesday night?
Think about it and then don't give
me any song and dance about "it will
hurt them or upset them." That is a
bunch of junk and neck deep~ Do you
really think tho priest or tho minister or rabbi will give them the "wordvt
and then--and only then--they 0 11 em.
brace you and your social phenomenon?
If you, yes you, can°t inform thom 9
then no one can.
Hang in thero.
Koep pitching and
maybe by mistilke Momwill find out, and
then you can inform and !clducate hero
That 0 s one small step for man and
one •••
--Donna ~fyat t
To tho Edi tor-I would like to comment on the
letter
in tho last issue of M.V.
from ."The Saint."
She contradicted
herself in hot first paragraph, saying
that a boycott of the Cafe Florian
would be a good idea if 11DOBBoston
w~re comprised of all blacks or some
other supr(?ssed group.n She goes on
to say that we are not a black group,
"we are a group of Lesbians, looking
and working towa:rd tho day free from
Saint, we are an
oppression."
oppressed group ••• and th;;; are many
of us who believe that open confrontation with our oppressors at times
There are many of
is a good thing.
us who are going to march on Moratorium Day, April 15; who are go-ing
to march as homosexuals, and who, no
doubt, are going to be holding hands.
I understand your point of view about
the Cafe Florian incident;
however, I
fail to see how anybody--oven the
could
great monsters• ''parents,"
regard holding hands as filth.
I feel
,that you are really too super-sensitive to your oppression as a Lesbian.
I thinks Saint, that you are scared •••
and I thinK that some of the "filth"
that comes from two homosexuals
holding hands in a public place
Continued on page 5_ •
.J
-
�MAIDENVOY.AGE
(~)
I.ETTERSTO THE EDITOR
Continued from page ·:1
HOMOSEXUALITY SOC
AND
JETY
•
might boa little
in your mind, too.
I say educate, too ••• but I also
say let's start now and be as free
as we can--at least let's hold hands
in public sometimesll After all,
hand-holding between gays has been
going on for years in New York and
California.
Why not in Boston? And
I'm all for demonstrations,
too •••
if th~y•ro peaceful.
A. demonstration
can be an education, also--it
means
standing up and saying bluntly that
homosexuals are humans, too, and
deserve equal rights, and are going
to stop taking derision, laughter, or
indifference
as society's
(another
great monster) answer.
I am yours for a free and
new today.
--Diana Travis
* * E D * T OR * S
** *** *
I
'
Six members of Boston DOB
participated
.as a panol in a course,
at Brandeis University, entitled
"Homosexuality and Society."
Described as "perhaps one of the
first of its kind devoted as it is
solely to the topic of homosexuality
and not hidden or couched within some
social problems or deviance class,••
the course is student organized
and run.
DOBwas asked to participate
in
the course by the instructor who cited
the "awareness that there is very
little
material available on
Lesbianism."
Members of the Homophile Union of
Boston and Student Homophile groups
have discussed their organizations
and personal experiences in meetings
with the Brandeis students.
*****••*
NOT E
Due to the volume of letters to the editor, the Maiden Voyage would like
to request readers to make letters
short and to the point.
Again we are
faced with a space problem and can only allow a limited amount of space
to letters.
We would prefer letters not to exceed a single hand-written or
typed page.
Thank you for your help.
(1)
.
Dear, you know your mother and I
disapprove of hippie boys with
long hair.
I TOW you we could trust
judgement t I l
her
�0S
MOTHER COMING
Raise your voice an ootave,
Wear a skirt around,
Mother doesn°t get the bitp
And sheQll be in town.
Call some faggots darling,
Ask them by for drinks,
Mother 0 s on her way, my love,
And I 0 m straight,
she thinks •••
Push our bods apart, pot,
Put 'our rings away,
Mother doosn°t understand,
She arrives today.
(anon)
Somo people forget,
When th~ years grow long,
The sound of a voico
And-tho depth of a song;
But ·· y memory
m
Will never moro fado
Of all tho be auty ·
In 'my life :;,-ou mado·.
Qvo
For your eyes are a poem,
Your lips are a prayer;
·
And always the ocban
Murmuring th oro • ·
And so I shall chorish
ill of our days
Tho joy you aro giving
In hundreds. of ways •
-Candi McGonaglo
A silver
shadow comes to mo
-tho only color I desirowhon the sun breaks away
from massive structures
the wood-stone daytime life
and rests for a fow salty hours
beneath tho oarth 0 s brown
blanket.
This silver shadow aches for those
hours
begs the day to dio sooner
so she can light her way homo
myst erious, silent
speaking only with _her soft
wings
and I answ0r with my eyo s s
0 silvor
shadow, it is nighttime,
ours. 0
-Linda Susan
.,
•-....A
----
.
THE IESBIAN
Scat terod vio. are~ over land and sea, ·
How many wo·number· willnovor
bo
·
. .. .
,,
kno,..no . _ _
Each one must learn froI!l the •st,art,
,, ·
She must wear a mask \m,,hpr heart.
We live in a world sot apart-: -'',
A shy secret world of our own.
Horo 0 s to the day wo ,yoarn for
To give our hearts ,as wo may.
love's always lovo in sincerity
given
Despite what others may say,.
They cannot dare to qeny . us,
0
Wo vo been here since centuries past;
And you can be sure our , _ranks
will endure
As long as this old world will last.
So horo•s to a finer tomorrow,
When weQll face tho world with
a· smile,
Tho right one boside us
To cherish and guido us-This is what makes life worthwhile.
(anon)
�MAIDEN
VOY.1.GE
(7)
WOMEN'S AND IESBIAN
,!:m
THE
The March 23, 1970 issue of
Newsweek carried a special report
9
on ;'Womens Lib: The War on °Sexism ii O"
In reading-th:i.s article:
Ifound
seva:ra.l interesting
and enlightening
points worthy of note•
Some of tho women interviewed
felt tho need to give up sex and love,
both fundamental male means of enThoy also felt that
sla~ing females.
born to
a "woman is a •sexual object,'
be a man's toy, limited and defined
by her sexual role rather than open
to the unbounded human possibilities
hold out to men--or at least, to some
men. Usually she is not yet out of
diapers when she learns that girls
pl?-y with baby dolls, boys build
thingso"
The basic tone of tho article
is
one of hostility
to tho male who has
imprisoned women, exploited them,
denied them equal advantages and
laughed at their requests for fair
tre!'l.tment. , ''When she has children,
she is chained to their needs for
most of tho yoars of .her vigor and
youth~ She is Fred's wife and
Jenny's mother and, beyond that, she
may roalize one l~te day, sho has no
other identity."
Although this role of woman as
wife and mother has little
bearing
on tho life of tho fomalo homosexual,
I think tho foulings expressed by
these heterosoxu~l woman is interesting because they sh!:tro the s11moantimale feelings hold by a .good many
lesbians$
In discussing fomalo
homosexuality,
Franks.
Caprio, M.D.,
states .that lesbians "express their
protest in the form of anti-malo
psychology, convincing themselves
that all men are alike--solfish
and
inconsiderate.
This resentment of
tho male sex (masculine protest
reactions)
often loads to the development of a prefer ence for their own
sex (Lesbianism.)"
Dr. B. Bauer
statosa "Freedom for women means
freedom to love.
But we cannot go
against Nature.
Womanis intended
for reproduction;
she has been apoointed to take an active part in the reproduction of tho race by pregnancy
And while those laws
and child-birth4
of Nature remain every attempt at
emancipation is futile,,"
It is pertinent
to note that if
woman is appointed to take the part .·
of child r~ising for fulfillment
because of hor biological
design,
that mon have just as much rosponsi~~ftor all, how many babies
bility1
were born without some very active
male participation
in their conception?
Mon, however, do not feol that they
are unfulfilled
bocauso they cannot
stay homo all day long to t.9.ko care of
tho children they helped to create.
Maybe when tho first tost-tubo baby
is finally created» the doctors and
scientists
in charge will fool unfulfilled if they do not give up their
jobs and stay at homo to take care of
this child they have created,
Tho theory that wife-and-mother
is tho only fulfilling
role for
women is shot so full of holes that
Or
it needs a diaper desperately.
maybe that theory is ready to bo
trained~
Nanotto Rainone of
toilet
WB,U in Now York saysl "The guy on
tho assembly lino doosn 9 t want to be
a woman. It's not that tho work at
homo is worso than at tho factory.
It;s that ho realizes
it's nothingness, total nothingness."
It is no wonder women in the liberation movomont today fool so antimalo. Caprio fools that this is
unhealthy.
i•somo authorities
foar
those trends have seriously affected
tho sexual hapninoss of mccle:.::•n
women.
They claim it has more than likely
influenced the susceptibility
of
many women to a homosexual way of
thinking and livingo"
There are somewhere between
10,000 and 500,000 women who are
~ctive members of the lib movement
oontinuod on page ~ •·
�~IDEN VOYAGE
(8)
PLlYBOYFORUM
LETTER
cont. from page.il,_o
LIB A1\JD
IESBliN
canto fr~m page-2,_.
deprived,
they're suffering
greatly,
not only from that but from tho
basic anxieties
that produce their
condition,."
Dr~ Socarides is a heterosexual
who f 2c. 1 s +..he. .G om
~1 -f ale union is
'the most meaningful in li.fe .. .my
homosexual would disagreeo
VI/ho
is
ri ght? Is anyone? Isn't it just a
matter of live and let live, with
Dro Socarides keeping his prejudices to himself?
Pooplo are oriented
in a particular
dir~ction--to
the
institutio'n
of heterosexual
marriage.
·.-!hat of the pe·ople who do ~ want
to get married?
Are they 11sick, 11
too? what of tho person who
remains single to pursue a c~reer?
Is this person 11sick?n
It would
seem th at everyone who does not fit
into the doctor's
neat little
pattern
is labeled 11sick" to justify
his own
anxieties
about his need to conformo
Homosexuals do not f ee l th ey arc
deprived or suffering
greatly,,
Neither doe s th e woman who divorces
her husb and for cruel and abusive
treatment.
Noith e ~ does the man who
divorces his wife for adulteryo
Not
everyone, as Dr~ Socarides would
like us to think, who can find happiness without marriage is suffering
from emotional illness.
I think tho doctor 9 s attitudes
do much harm to all people, gay or
straight.
..ls any member of the
women°s lib movement can testify,
just because a woman decides to
forego marriage in tho chance to
establish
herself as an equal human
being with a career and a life independent from a man's, she isn't nsick."
Maybo Dr. Socarides should be
psychoanalyzed himself by someone
with a more enlightened
and tolerant
view of mankind today.
-Candi McGonagle
P.S. Please withhold my name and
address as I hold a job where people
in charge do not agree with me--and
I'd like to keep the job for a while.
Thank you~
todayo Does this mean there are
between 10s000 and 500,000 new
lesbians on the loose?
This seems
rather dubiouso
The new hope for the lesbian in
the liberation
movement is groat,
and tho promise seems to justify
tho hope,
preoccupation
is
"Tho recurrent
sext tho disappointments
of sex,
the failuros
of sex, the failures
of
orgasm, the ineptitudes
of men. Mon
seem transfixed
by tho notion that all
any of those women nood is really
s~ell copulationa
Few men pause to
ask whether .causing the oarth to
shake for a woman each night will
obliterate
her boredom, frustration
and sense of injustice
each day~ And
they are all very puzzl ed by her complaint that the predominant male view
of women is sexualou
lesbians have
fol t this way for centuries o It
seems as if the straight
womon are
just beginning to catch up in their
thinking~
In fact, ther e arc now
some :•sobor dobatos over whether
lesbianism is a viable alternative
to heterosexuality.
A woman who
doosn°t mind any other insult--'go
'what you need
homo and take a bath,'
is a good screw,' 'dirty,
Communist
pinko 0 --will dissolve in tears
because someone calls her a dyke."
So women have "started
asking why
women react that way, to welcome
lesbians into the movement as 0 our
sisters•'
and to consider the idea
of homosexuality as a moans of
population control and a path to
oquality., 0
Whether sho is straight
or gay,
just about every woman has known
fury when she is addressed as ''Hey,
honoytu on the street by men or
11Casual
yelled obscene entreaties.
annoyances to tho unenli ghtened, this
masculine custom becomes, in tho
hei ghtened atmosphere of women's
liberation,
an enraging system of
continued on page 9 •
�LIB ANDLESBIAN
cont. from pago_!_.
DOB
SOLICITS
M.~NUSCRIPTS
manvs
m.alo supromecy reflecting
expectation
of female passivity.
andi more important, the knowledge
of her vulnerability."
· For years, since Freud started
dissecting
and dogmatically classifying every minute emotion,
lesbians havo boon told they woro .
"sick," neurotic c> immature.
.nd
Their anti-male attitude
was said
to bo · a symptom of their homosexuality.
But with so many straight
womon in tho lib movement expressing
their own anti-ma.lo fe 0lings, Dr.
Judd Narmor, an eminent Los imgolcs
psychiatrist,
warns against dismissing
11
Womon
tho protostcirs as neurotic•
throu ghout history have become
sensitized
to tho inequities
of a
male oriented society.
Many have
boon sisters
in a family whoro
tho broth er got tho bettor of it~the brother got to go to collogo 9
though tho girl was brighter~
Is
angry?''
sho neurotic or justifiably
Perhaps someday tho world will
accept tho lesbian,
too; not as a
neurotic,
maladjusted,
sick individual~ Maybe one day we will be
women
accepted as people first,
Not
second, and homosexuals third,.
mental cases, not neurotic; moroly
justifiably
angry ..
-Candi McGonagle
Tho Public Education Committoo
· is continuing with plans to compile
a marketable book on tho homosexual
experience.
Anyone interested
in contributing
should submit typed doublor.,spacod
copy of any length relating personal
experiences.
Editing will be dono
by members of tho committee.
Please contact Katio
coordinator,
at 277-8952 for
additional
information or
assistanco.
Getting dialogue
DOBbook --
for
vtMother, thoro Os something I want
to toll you.••"
�N,HDEi~VOY.~GE
(lo)
1
BOSTONHOr
iOPHILE ORG.rnIZ.~TIOHS
Tho groups listed below offor homosexuals a chance to meet one another and
interact
as persons o They also work to promote the civil rights of homosexuals and their acceptance by society as worthwhile members. The groups have
a variety of social events? loctures 9 discussions,
ans social reform activities
Somo offer legal, religious,
and psychiatric
referral.
,myone interested
(including heterosexuals)
in joining or supporting any one of these organizaarc welcomed and will -be
tions is invited to contact themo All inquiries
confidentiala
kept strictly
BOSTON
UNIVERSITYHOMOPHILE
CLUB
Membership open to tll studeii.t=;, faculty, and staff of Boston University
Phone: John Rennell at 387-5287 or
H01'10PHILE
UNION OF BOSTON
Me';b~·ship
~;n Tc; i'n"cn women
"'md
Phone: 282-9181
Writes P. o. Box 217 9 Dorchester
Station, Boston, 02124
353-3653
M.UGHTERS..."• BILITIS•., 9 ___
OF _,__.._. ,.,....,..
BOSTON ,...,_
... .. ••••• r ...
,,.__ CHAPTER
M:embcr::,hipopen to women
Write: Po O,, Box 221, Prudential
Center Station, Boston, 02199
_.._
~
STUDENT
HOMOPHILE
LE.tGUE
Pfcmib;-;~·hip
open to - students
the Boston .iroa
Phone: Torry at 868-0706
****
*
**
*
*
* * * *
from
**
•.
* *
GRADUATE
STUDENT
HOMOPHILE
ASSOCIATION
lT1I~fi.,,.i:qnuifvERsrTY-Fo'mbor'8hip ~~ostudents, officers,
;pen
and faculty of Harvard University
Phone~Nark Russell at 868-3153
G..iY LIBERAT:!"ON
FRONT
i'?GLFisa.:n
.. intei:r~;
*
!:!Q.!IQ§.
Due to tho volume of mail and the
limited number of pages available in
each issue of the 1'1aiden Voyage, we
regret that we cannot always use
material submitted for a particular
monthly issue o
News items, stories of timely
interest
and upcoming events must
have priority.
Poems, art work and stories that
do not have a particular
time element
influencing
their use are used on a
space permittin g basis with consideration given to items in order of
receipt.
If you have submitted a story,
poem or drawing and do not seo it in
the current issue, please watch for
the next edition.
Remember tho 1'1aiden Voyage is
always interested
in hearing from its
readers.
Please keep the material
--&iitor
coming in.
between gays and
tho world~ it will sponsor open
political
and social action.
Ivlombership open to all interested•''
Phone& Stan at 868-5630
* • * **
***
*
********** **
DOB PL~NS SPRING WALK
Boston DOBis planning a Spring
Walk along the Squannacook River in
West Groton on Sunday, 1".iay o
17
Walk along a well-worn fishermon°s
trail beside the Squannacook River.
It 0 s a two hour round trip at a
relaxed pace. Bring a picnic lunch
and--sinco some spots may be muddy-use your own judgement on shoes.
Meet at 1:00 p~m• in front of the
wost Groton Town Hall.
To get to West Groton from Boston,
take Route 2 to the Concord Traffic
Circle, follow Route 119 to Groton,
then take Route 225 to West Groton.
or
If you need transportation
want to offer a ride, please call
Charlotte at 665-3976.
*
�.M
,UDEN'VOY,\GE
(//)
~
.fil.~
2£:SOCARIDES
"For WomenToday," a television
pro gram on wBZ,channel 4, Bostonp
at 9:00 a.m. 9 devotod tho week
before Easter, 1970, to discussions
about soxo On wodnesday, March 25,
tho topic was ''Homosexuality. 11
Guest discussants
,:. re Dr. Charles
e
Socaridos, psychiatrist
in New York;
Rev. Robert Weeks~ minister in Manhattan; .AnnHaley, president of
Boston DOB; and Frank M
organ, president of HUB.
Q110stions from two moderators
occupied half of th o hour; then
questions came from memb rs of a
e
This article
small studio audience~
includes mostly quot e s from Dr. Socarides because th o r evi ewer found
them int er e stin g . They are taken
from a tape r ecording.
The lar ge st numb of questions
er
were dir ected to Dr~ Socarides 9
probably because ho wa s the psychiatrist,
had written a book, and
so was consider ed an authority~
illn and Frank said they did
ilthough ~
not f ee l 11sick 11 and Rev. w
eeks
spoke of tho many well-adjusted,
happy homosexua ls he had met through
his church pro gram for homosexuals,
Dr Socarides said: t 11-foll, that 1 s
wonderful ••• I 0 m not going to tell
anybody they 0 r e sick when they say
they aren°t ••• But I think that if
ivi.r. Norgan or ,inn went to a psycho ...
analyst and subj ected themselves
to in-depth psychoanalytic
penetration ••• we would probably find in
them similar psychop athology which .
accounted for their having to choose
a mate of th o same sex ••• That doe sn°t
mean anyone should force them to
ch..'.lnge •• " 11There are forces in
•
those individuals
which compel them
to live a ce rtain way, which deprive
thorn of the most meaningful r elation
is, th e m
alein ono 0 s life--that
fomale sexual union and all that goes
with it~ They are terribly
deprived,
th oy suffer greatly,, 11
Tho moderator asked Dr. Socarides
why he felt that homosexuality was
.~t first Dro Socarides
an illness.
replied by way of analogy with
di abetes, that he had treated enough
homosexuals without tr ea tin g th em all
to be abl e to tell thoy were sick,
just as doctors can toll that a diabetic is sick without treating
all
diab e ticso
Tho moderator pursued
this point, saying, 11... nd yet you
havon°t drawn th o same conclusion
about all (the) heterosexuals
(you
troat). 11
11
Dro Socarides repliedt
woll, you
see, het erosexuality
per se is not
is not pathological,
but
an illnos~,
to mo, homosexuality .:1-.[
patholo gical.
Now !011 tell you why6o. , through
cultural
indoctrination
and upbringin g ••• wo are pro grarmned in that direction, and also, wo have about 2½ billion years of evolution out of which
came a male-female standard pattern
of sexual procreation.n
Dr. Socarides also explained why
so few of th o homosexuals in Ameri«a
have joined or ganizations
such as
DOB. Frank suggested they were
afraid to. Dr. Socarides said that
his homosexual pati ents had given him
another reason: 11They say that those
or ganizations
make a te~rible mistake
and I agree with thomi that they accept homosexuality as a normal form
of sexuality,
co-existing
with heterosexuality,
normal and equalo••
If you sell this bill of goods, •• you
do tremendous harm to the growing
adol oscent ••• to tho marginal het ero- ·
sexual.
The majority of homosexuals
won°t join in boc ~use they say, 'You
people have giv en up ••• v You could
got these people into th erapy."
Rev. weeks offset Dr. Socarides
rin
so m hat by sa ;i, g that from his
ew
the problems encountered
experience,
by many homosexuals wore caused
by the attitude
of society towards
homosexuality, and ho hoped that
gr ea ter acc ootance would be forthcoming in th e future.
Frank Morgan
pointed out that thor o aro psychiatrists
who do not agree with Dr. Socarides that homosexuality por se is
continued on page I A. •
-
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
(/2.)
MEETINGS~
REVIEW
EMPLOY11ENT
DISCRIMIR:..TION
On Friday night, March 20, we were
priviledged
to be led in a discussion
on employment discrimination
led by
Mr. Douglas Glassman, who employs
people for Automotive Market, Inc•,
in Mattapan, hassachusetts.
The discussion
touched on such
sub-topics as th e reliability
of
homosexual employees.
Hr. Glassman
felt homosexuals are not consistent
in attendance.
This was vigorously
contes ·ted., He said 11 poll showed
that employees looked for security
bu_ that
t
over all other ben efits,
homosexuals never stayed on the job
long enough to reay the benefits of
this security.
Discussion was active and everyone participated
in an enjoyable
eveningo
HOMOSE.X:U ,iND THE THE.i..TRE
..
~LITY
Tho homosexual is an accepted
member of tho th eatre community.,
What haµpens in tho theatre?
why
is it differ en t?
.tccording to actr e ss, director
and
iray who spoke at the
teacher Phoebe v
Harch 27 meeting~ 11a person in the
th ea tre is allowed to do his thing.
It doesn 9 t matter what his thing is
as long as it doesrtQt infringe on
his or her creative life. 19 ~-Jhenshe
queried members of one of her theatre
arts classes at a loc al colle ge ,
they took it li i hthoartedly
because
they felt "it doesn°t matter, no one
gives a damn in tho arts."
Tho role of th e homosexual in
society was discussed in terms of
A quick glance at the
acceptance.
flood of fairly r0cent films dealing
with th o theme might indicate that
the public attitud0
is chan ging.
Som films t end to lean on the sensae
tional to r oach the audience, such as
"Therese and Isabelle''
described
by Miss Wray as "pornography dr e ssed
as artll :, while others like ·'The Fox"
lean in a more realistic
direction~
The point came up that there are people
in every-day life, who might have these
tendencies;
who are using films as a
source of identity.
Perhaps what has happened, sug ge sted
Miss W'ray is the.t "we have created an
9
society,
I have found, in
artificial
terms of the arts, there is a growing
acceptance--like
Truman Capote going
on television
and not fearing a loss of
his book sales ,:09
Other areas discussed woro attitudes
transfortoward int o~ior decorators~
onco of rol e s and reality botwoon the
performer and tho audionco and writers.
HOM) HETEROSEXUAL
...
DIALOGUE
Boston DOBinvited by tolophono and
mail a lar go number of clergymen, colle ge and hi ~h school guidance counselors, psycholo gists,
social welfare
people, doctors, and others to a
question and answer evening featuring
a panel of six DOBmembers at 8:)0 p.m.
on Friday, April 3, in the chapel of
the Arlington St8 Church. DOBhoped to
11
crcate a long overdue dialogue between
het ero sexual and homosexual members of
the Boston cornmunityn with emphasis,
naturally,
on lesbians.
However, very
few of the people invited from the
heterosexual
world came, and tho
meeting became largely a discussion
between tho DOBpanel and gay members
of the audience, osµeci~lly men from
other homophile groups in Boston.
Boston DOBconcluded that either
its method of invitin g people was
wrong or tho people invit ed woro not
interest ed, for whatever reason, in
coming to such a panel discussiono
All was not lost, however; the unexpected discussion between gay men and
women was valuabl0 and showed that
moro of this kind of communication
would be holpfulo
******************
THE S.lYINGS OF SOC~lqIDES
cont.
;;-ilLvioss.
Wh en D;:- Socarides was
pe rmitted to plug his new book on
homosexuality, Ann Haley squeezed
permission from the moderators to give
the address of Bost.on DOB.
--Laura
· fo bi n
�(13)
COPYOF A IETTER TO THE PLiYBOY
FORU}'1
To the Pl ayboy Forurni
On March 25, 1970, WBZTV in Bost on proso :ntod, on its pro gram itFor
.-omen Today, 11 an hour-long discuss,
ion of homosexuality.
The guests
included Dr .. Charles Socarides,
from Now York, a t oachor of clinical
ort Einstein
psychiatry
at ,:..lb
School of Medicin e , and a private
psychoanalyst;
Rev~ Dr. Robort W ks,
ee
an Episcopal minist@r at St. John
th e ~postl e Church in Manhattan;
and two homosexua ls, Fro.nk M gan,
or
pr e sid ent of th e Homophile Union
of Boston, and Ann X., pr e sid ent
of th e Boston Chapter of th e Daught ers of Bilitis.
Ono woman que stion er from the
aud ie nce as kod Dr. Socarid e s why he
wa s fi ghting hom exu als by insisting
os
th ey wor e risick 9 11 emotionally illo
She sa id: ;'Lot 9 s just say the homo
r evolution is her e to st ay ~..,.Let O s
embra ce it., 11
Dro Socarid e s 0 answer was;
"You see , what you don°t seo is
tho man who 0 s t aki ng the tr ain home
to Sca rsdal e or to Brockton, Ma
ss.,
or wha t over town th er e is nea rby 9
and who is sudd only ovor 1-J
holmod by
homosexu al impulsosj and this is
complet ely unacc eptable to him,.
,ind th en what can he do? If he I s
sold a bill of goods that homosexuality is normal 9 and he cannot
tol er at e it, he 'll go home and blow
his br a ins outj or ho 0 11 have a
psychotic br ea k from his t erribl e
anxi ety.
But if ho ha s a fo oling,
throu gh public educ a tion, that
somethin g can be don e for him, th at
this is a product from his own
conflict
from ea rly childhood,
this
man ha s a chanc e 9"
I'm not a s woll- educ atod as the
oh so eminent Dr. Socarid e s, but I
can°t help f oolin g that my logic is
somewha t superior t o his~ I think
th at if this poor f ollow on his
commuter train,
who is "sudd enly
over w
holmed 11 by homosexual impulses
(which is most unlikely.
If ho wore
at all self-knowlod 1;;-1
ble, he 'd h!:' o
v
had somo inklin g of his tu r.doncic s
boforo this eye-opening train ride,)
and ho believed that homosexuality is
nor m
al, co-existing
al ongsid e het orosoxuality,
th en ho would havo no
r eason to do something as drastic
as
havin g a psychotic or worse, blowing
his bra ins out.
If he f elt th at homosexu ality is normal, if ho had been
tau ght th a t homosexual pe rsons were
merely people with a diff e r ent sexual
orientation,
not horrible monsters
doomed to et ern al hell-fire
and
damna tion, th en ho would not fe el this
t erribl e anxfoty in th o first place!
Ho would be able to tol erate it
because ho was not brainw a shed, as so
much of th o public is, th at homosoxu, .ls ar e somewhat bolow "ordinary
1
people."
.~nd if he couldn 9 t toler ate it, if
he f elt ho must blow his brains out,
it would bo because psychiatrists
like Dro Socarid e s have told him that
ho is iv
omotion ally ill" if he is a
homosoxualo
Tho public hc=tsgot to bo informed
th1t homosexuals ar c not mental cases,
or degonor atos, or monst orso They
are people, just like everyone olso,
who choose to love somoono of tho
s,qmo sox ~
Dro Socaridos,
however, f ools:
"Homos exuality is pathological.,
Our
choice of pa rtn ers in soxuql relations
is not in ato or inborn.
From tho
ent
momont you 0 ro born till th o mom
you di o , youQre ori ent ed in a particul ar dir octiono
Blue cloth e s for
a baby boy, pink cloth e s for a baby
girlooethe cultur al indoctrination
and upbringing from th o institution
of m..l riago and all th at goos with
'r
it, we qro pro ~r amm in that dir eced
tion (h et oros 0xu 1.ity).
l
Ther e aro
f orc e s within th ose individu als
(homosoxu2. s) which compel th em to
l
liv o P. cert a in way sox1H lly which
depriv es th em of th e most meanin gful
r el ationship in one's lifo--that
is,
th o rnalo-f omalo sexu al union and all
that goos with it.
They're t orriblv
continued on pago~.
�M.il.IDENVOY.i~GE
(t~)
CHA.PTER
JUNE IS BUSTING
-------- OUTA.LLOVER
P AR T Y I t t t l 1
(bras optional ••• )
Saturdayp Juno 6, 1970, 8100 P• m.
till midnight at Candi and Both 0 s
place.
Planty of froo off-street
parkin g available•
On MBT.~lino•
All-IISSION: .A S1UCK (potato chips,
pretzels,
crackers, dip, otco)
TlL~T'S ALLt NO STRINGS (or straps)
ATT.~CHEDt
Boor will be sold for 50¢ por
bottloe
If you want str onger
stuff--bring
your own. Ico
and glasses provided.
Plenty of
music. Plenty of fun.
fi >
""® •••••••••••••••
~)
DON° MISS THIS ONE t
T
11
)
/
\
\
Anyone who would like to go with }
us should send a stampod selfaddressed envelope and $3000 per
ticket to:
,.- ,
DOBTickets
{i,,c;k..
P~ O. Box 221
~;J{I -
Prudential
Center Station
}
Boston 02199
r
before May 12. Tickets will be sent
Moro on\_,,
shortly after this date.
this forthcomin g .
,,..,___
l
l'i!EwYORK Plans for the DOBConvention to be held July 10, 11 and
12 in New York City are in the final
stages of planning.
Registration
and all meetings, other than the
banquet and dance, will be held at
the Overseas Press Club. Registration
fees have been set at $25 per person
$45 per couple and $15 for students'
with identification
cardse
Fees will
cover attendance at registration,
brunch at the Sunday morning session
as well as admission to the dinner
NoYo DOBis
and dance on Saturday.
also olanning to hold an auction
and a June cruise up the Hudson River.
~IEVELAND On May 10, psychologist
Elaine Hammond
will speak on dynamics
and sensory awareness with reference
to lesbians.
There are now more
than 100 books on the chapter 0 s library list.
The books are available
to members for 25¢ a week.
For directions
to this evont- oftho-year, call Beth or Candi-any night after 6;30c Tho
number is 773-6978.
\\ THE CIRCUSIS COl'UNG TOWN
TO
l
Sunday, flay 24, 1970
' DOBgoos to tho Rin gling Bros.
( Circus at Boston Gardenl
CHaTTER
"'_,-
~~if ( ~ AJ
'
S,~NFR.~NCISCO Hetropolitan
Community Church in San Francisco
holds Sunday services for "hundreds
of believing male and female homosexuals who have had to be as secretive in their church life as in their
. b
JO s iO eac h week. S.F. DOBrecommends
GrandmaQs House in Oakland for the
gay gourmet.
It is a combination
bar and restaurant.
-Charlotte
Boudier
********************
PERSONJ~LS
COLUr'.iN - Two ex-ENC girls
gay ENCers.
underground
colleges.
want to meet other
Discuss ENC, Nrs. Arnold,
gay life
in church
Call 773-6978 after
Ask for Beth. ,
6:00
0
�'
.
'
...
M.iIDEN
VOYAGE
(15 )
PEACE
MARCH
.ANNOUNCEMENTS
.April 15 marked an anniversary
for the gay corrnnunity.in Boston.
Fifty men and womencame out of
their closets, grabbed signs and,
as members of the gay community
of Boston, marched from Harvard
Square to Boston Coill!lonto demonstrate support for Vietnam withdrawal. This was the first time
men and women representing six
homophile organizations stood to- .
gather as a community.
For each of us to stand as
brother and sister; to demonstrate
on behalf of our community, was
a joyous affirmation of our whole
selves.
--Gail King
TheOOB Program Committee is looking
for ideas on things we can do. We
would, naturally,
prefer any fundraising suggestions.
It you have ariy ideas for
recreational,
fun-type things,
please contact any member of the
Program Committee. Or call Cand1:
at 77J-6</'/8after 6:oo p.m.
Thanks.
*
***• • ****** *** ***
"Revolution is a dangerous scene,
and you are apt to lose people.
This generates protective instincts
for the preservation and continuation of life, meaning antihomosexual attitudes."
--Julie lee in "The Ladder"
-
'
�.
.•
DOB
REFERRALS
DOB
·recommends those men listed
want profO'ssional advice•
below to members who
--
.IEGAL
Alan Cook, Esq.
· 1514 Oorchester Avenue
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Phones
288-4041
Michael Buckman, Esqo
1514 Dorchester Avenue
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Phonec
288-.4041
PSYCHIATRIC
Dr. Theodore Lindauer
262 Beacon Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Phone:
266-1717
RELIGIOUS
EPISCOPAL
Rovo Gilbert Dent
Christ Church
Zero Garden Street
Cambridgo, Massachusetts
PhonG:
876-0220
METHODIST
Dre William Alberts
RELIGIOUS
ROMAN
CATHOLIC
Father Kevin
NewmanCenter
(Sto Clements Church)
1105 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Phone:
536-2376
or
277-4847
Old West Methodist Church
131 Cambridge Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Phone~
-an
5ggg
227-s
-o gr<
�'.
COMING
EVENTS
FOR
DOB•
Fri •• May 1 -
9:00 p.m., Clzke Room. Slide Show. Arlington Street Chur.ch,
355 Boylston Street, Boston. Pam, Jo and Betty will show
Th
M
**theii: slides•
_ ,. _. .
.,
7
urs
ay
Puhl 1 c Educat i on Commit tee meeting ( see below) . **
Fri., May 8 - 9:15 p.m., Clarke Room. Members• meeting.
Fr~_., May 15 - 9:00 p.m., Clarke Room. Homophile Community Night.
· -~ , ·
All homophil~ .. organizations
in the Boston area are
invited to git. acquainted with each other and to discuss
~QtllP.'lQn . ::cooc~rl'lS,. - Both MENand WOMEN welcome•
are
. -·~~
-•_: .
.
-.cO
_; ••
• • _
;
.,
Sun.,
,y F
r : ~ _,~.
: .
ft ! ~~
,.
I
2
~
'
I;OB
·~f,!!'µlg
\t/~~k. :c;:ontact Charlotte
.• . • '•'·' ••
..
1
.
'•
at 665.3976 for more info.
•
iPt~ 9~
. · -~i-- ~O:J,.l,i9u~·•~;~- ~:Lfi4£J.W?.f,ll1,;~El~¼pa; ·. +~ad_a·.
· ·· ~f·_P.r,~~~dore .b(:l~g·~R~'-. QUE~J~P~AKER_ ,;: _; .
' -~Jg~ ·sion _on ~~'· . a, ~PlA}l
.+
.p.sY,~h~!-rl~~·
Wjl:~
-,
!,
•
>,_ '.
.• •
~' )·f-
·· :::,·-.
~- ~
-•
· ; ....
Suri., Ma~
~4
· ·
Sat.,
~ .poB gc;>~sto the Circ~s.
.
· ·· Detail~ elsewhere in the Newsletter~
~µne6 r- r~rty l\ti·G~~<U.
~~
·
Beth's P½~e 1 . ,: ,:
elsewhe:re · in the Newsletter •
.
Details
.
',
,
, .,..
. .,
Ju+y
•••
'
Cpnvent+~m ~P. ~!?W
Jork
~'!'
••
}
·,
<. ; •
·•
..~ ., <?,. :;\: >,~ :
_{
~:/
·'.
. ~ ~
·:-~
1g'.!I' U. ,- +2 _ ~atio~Bil
poB
•
'
• ''
~
·::.
· i- , '
·~
~
: •
C~ty,
:"" .
,
•.,
~- ~
* * * • • .,/ ? ~ · ··111 ·-~ .
t (
"
1f', t
!I< • · •
,'
,
••
> •
a· '·Ao. T)_ ~
} ,l
·Hu
-
sun.,
~.
-- -~ ~ * *' ~. * * .~
~ ,j
. .•
.
•
•
"". : >
r.t~
,l
I
, ·
"\
i
.,_
'\
.
May 10 - 8:00 p.m., st. John the Evangelist Church, 33 Bowdoin
Street, Boston.
1hree ~9stQn ar~a cl~rgyl:!le.n ~ill lead discussion on
Homosexuality.
May 23 - weekend of - Mattachine .Annual Meeting in New York City.
HUBfor more info.
Phone 282-9181.
sun.,
.-
'1Ulle 2 ~ j'epta t,ive-.,.Bill Bairq will- speak 6n ·tndivid~al
·
. tr:pedQm and. law reform,
4F,~,. ~ohp' s.
June 21
~
~uai
Call
sexual
pY boat tq Geqr.ge's Island,
HUBpicnic
* * • * * ** * • ** * • * * *• •
* ********• ***• • • •
* PLEASE~:
Unless otherwise specified,
open to women only.
all
Boston DOBevents
are
We look forward to seeing youtll
**Public Education Committee
meeting (works to promote public acceptance
of homosexuality)
at 8 pm at Laura Robin's house (phone 625-1263 or Ann
· · ··
Haley for direct ions) ; everyone interested in possibly j oi lli.u.g ~his
committee to give- help. or ..tde.a~ s1;r9ngl y invited . to at t end.>
l~
.
... •·•
:.
.._.
_:_
-.
.
.:
'
..
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 April
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-04
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 5 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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application/pdf
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197004
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/01e2074324372a41ea1e81379b799b69.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=I7G1SVdJc5oA9xZwFG5UVDluSgAH-tuQxXKhASe51n3yv6AHPSVdNezJ4IEzuc6pbJyIJ96LGBIXOVHWpw%7EPv17olV4PZFllv18eM4jKkKLD%7EK4ry%7EO7uRW02IZRiGAOJfvu%7ErOpumm8-F9CBP0CynkfTgiLmpqmIWx9R6Ka71K2IdHrbckJtsj-BK-kKWF7OJ4T%7E9NRPrXJSS5X-kDFwQC44%7EnDWn8z%7EOQfQd4m9rET9OLo8RFB85ZmDSd9AplUsgcreL3c9G96ety-evashX0B1OhO3%7EP5qXFo3vZJp71YaZe9c8-42mU7V88BQRmERLqV6R4PWycF92KLbKIJAA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
40cfb7127f22edb79b8892695c69311c
PDF Text
Text
-..
i
a daughter of bilitis
newsletter
boston chapter
p, o" box 221
p:r1d.ontial center station
-~
boston, mass~ 02199
may, 1970
vol11 1 9 no. 6
'Who needs Char lie Brown?! "
8
CAREER
WOMEN
LESBIAN'S FREEDOM
FROM
MALEOOMIKA-:1:0N
ENVIED SOME
BY
HETEROSEXUAL
WOMEN
By Ann Haley
AIR MUTUAL
PROBI.Elf1S
business, industry, and tho professions, conflicts over sexual identity
are growj_ng. These women find
difficulty
reconciling their active, .
dynamic .working-world personalities
with the pa ssive, supportive roles
their husbands demand of them in
tho homo. Charged with being
Lesbians because they want to ·
realize themselves instoad of
catering to their husbands, somo of
the more cou~a~eous of them a~e
making tentative inquiries inlo wh,t
1('° is like to be a LesB1an. I.asoians are seen as Wur111;m-..-,. havo
o
,
Male bosses who have the titles
and womenundor them to do their
work were victims of a discussion
among professional womenwho
attended the Working Women's Conference May 2 at the University of
Massachusetts in Boston. Figurehead
bosses who hold rank by virtue of
their sex instead of their brains
and achievements are increasingly
resented by thoir underpaid and
underrecognizod professional women
assistants.
Professional women
scored the need for a woman to work
twice as hard to got half as far as
man, and citod the vast disparity
in both starting and top salaries
in the various professions between
"A Harvard
male and female workers.
cont. on next pa.go
cont. on page 3
As mtre of today's women escape
\
the dr oary life of a subur ban
housewife and enter the world of
a
�MAIDEN VOY
,~Gl~:
(2)
LESBL~N'
S
lRE~PO:t'.1 ,
· cont~
.. ·,· ,,.
•
.,
,.
had the coura,ge ·to ' make the .ir . own
way, froo of male domination;
in a
predominately
rnalo world,
That it
has boen possible
for Lesbians ' t ,1, do
this and lo ad rich and sa.tisfying ·
lives londs support to the view that
women can havo a destiny
outside '
th oir homos, and enc our a ges these
hete!'.osexual
women who want to b0 ·
more than housewives .:to develop a ·· ~
life beyond th o hor,1~ · ·
•,
At th o same ti mo 9 conventional
attitudes
toward homosexuality
give •
.
rise to anxfoty in many of those
women. Indoctrinated
since childhood that the place of wom,"?.n ·to ·.
is
assist and support,
and that Lesbianism is an insiduous evil to bo
shunned at all costs, and equating
their dosiro f or self-realization
with tentative
Lesbian tendencies-or, they say, why else don°t wo want
to be housewives and sex-objects
for
men?--th oso women are naggod with ·
doubts about thcmsolves and their
own solf-worth.
1rwomen who assert
themselves must
want to be meno vJomen who want to be
men are Lesbians. ·. Lesbians are bad,
There must be something · w~ong with me
if I wn.nt a career outside , my home.it
So runs the logic with . whi9h these
women. torment themsolvos.
:"sLes~ ,
bians, we can roadily spo.t errors
in each of the so ~remises.
· Tho. only
things about mon Lesbia . s usu?lly
n
envy aro the . pportunities
o
P'J.O.n
. have .
to realize
themselves. . Host Lo.$bians prefer to be women, . and vrhen
they· assert
themselves ., in no senso
do thoy deny their womanhoodo, Much
of the anxi e ty hotorosex1.g1.l women
find as tboy try to r e conc}lo th0.ir ·
need for self-realization
with their
sox rol es stems from a misundersta~q,..
ing of the psychology of Lesbianism, .
The implicati ons for D.O.B. arc
great.
It is hum.'.lnto fe ~r .what is .,
not understood,
Noro women· must
learn 'to und oi·stand Le sbianism so
thoy will c ea se to fear.· it.
Thoy. · _ ·
.
t~~~..e.,.,~
must learn that the neod for self.
realization
is a human nood, not
merely a m
ale or a lesbian need.
Losbianism is as much a heterosexual
issue as a homosexuAl on o . lesbians
who value th oir wornahhood, mus·tfind
·the c:,urago to come out of h.iding and
show the world their lives aro rich
and meanin gful ·'so'.hot orosc:x.L1e women
,l
will have better insi ght into their
own homosexual feelin ~s. Lesbians
should work t oward tho day when
sexual or;i.ont1;.tion is no 1ongor a
. c.ause fo:r ' anxiety in anyone because
both hoterosexu~l and homosexual
foolings
are fr · 0ly accepted.
e
Tho
char ge or suspicion
of L0sbianism
. .. should be totally
irrcvelant
in a
woman° ovalua tion of herself,
s
and
in tho world 0 s evaluation
of her.
**** ** ********** ****
DaOeBt--Boston Officers:
--..........
Prosidont--.lln
1
Haloy
· Vi . e:..pre:sident--Diana
c
Boston,
(277-8952)
~~~~
Travis
Secretary .. -Doima: Ferguso ·n
Worcostor
Treasurer~-Andy
Weare, N.H.
· Cox
NewBletter
--- - Staff:
· Editor--Pam
Boyd
.~ss 0 t
Editors--Rose
Ma~io Turner
Candi :L. ,McGonagle
Production
Deadline
.. -Beth Rostrtck
Rose Mario TU:rnor
Candi L. McGonagle
Friends from HUB·
for
�M;UDENVOY
,~GE
(3)
CAREER
WOMEN
cont.
from page
1
graduate
is given an aptitude
test,
but a Radcliffe
graduate
is given a
typing test, 0• one woman obsorved wryly.
The conference,
soonseNd
by Bread
and Roses~ was hoaviJ.y atter.ded 'ty
women ranging in a~e from 20 to JO.
In a(!.clition to the discussi on for
professional
womon, there were group s
for facto!'Y workers,
secr0ta:~i0s,
and
hospital
workers . Emerging from each
discussion
was a sense of frustration
on the pa rt of women who felt that
they inherited
this work fror.i me:1 who
felt that such work was properly
benoa th them and per . se 11'-t-1omen
°s
work., 11
The conventional
attitude
that
girls
do not fi gh t was blamed for
tho feolin g s of physical
inferiority
womor:. ha vo when confronted
wj.th an
ov 0rpcweri!1g ma::'..e Tho sJ endor loader
~
of the for n~oon karate demonstration
claimed that knowing how to fj_ght
gav0 her t he confid ence to stand up to
tr..oir
men instead
of mr,eLly followir.g
11Tr.e eff a ct, 11 she
said~ ''ha s
ord.0:r-s"
been good for th em and good for mo.
They hav9 learned to respect me as a
person ilith my own ido a s and opinions
instead of mer e ly a sax-object;
and I
have now respect
for myself."
*
******************
Those LESBL~NS .~RE LOV,UlLEbuttons
are still
avaj.lable,.
When are you
?
go iYlg to got l.S."S.:.E) ? ? ? ? ? ?
*
*
*
*
*
*
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****
*
***
* * *
SODOMY FORNICATION
&
STILL ILtEG,\L
IN M,lSS,tCP.USE'i'TS
By Laura Robin
Three bills
to repeal Massachusetts
l aws proh:~bi tir1g "U!'l!'l<'t'J.ral and lasciv.l.
io..:s acts, 19 for r;J cz.ti o.n, and the
11c:r.ime against
na turc 1• wore given an
un:f\3.-;rore.bJ.e repo1·t to tho House by the
Ju c.lciary Comi--r.ittoe on .i.pr·il 22.~ 1970.
The Houce a'!coptod this report by voice
vote ,lpril ;.;8, The.so hEJ..s ~ H.~ 3272,
H$ J482~ and H~ JL!
,8.ti-, had b0on given
a publi~ hearin g on Fetruary 23 at
which Boston homophiJ.o g:::
·oups and William Baird, ori ginator
of the bill,
wore
represontod~
(Soc March nowslottor)
.A fourth bill,
H., 1')i~ co::itaining
-9,
was
everythi .;.g in the oth,~:;:-throe,
:
transf e rred from Jud~.ciary to House
Ha~rs and Moans Committ00 early in 1970.
Here it received
no public hoarj_ng
( accordi::-ig to the Eo1Jso Clork» this is
ust:.al. f ,)r W s 1::nclM,s,ans); hut it was
ay
report.eel. unfavorably
on March 23 and
the r epori". was a c(:epted Mc1rch 2L~.
"Jo mus·~ make s·.,;,re those b:i lls are
reir.tr od~c0 d n ex t year (deadl:ne is
th:. s ))0c0mb0r),.,
T,w m0r al s to this t:3.loi
(1) Legislators WJ not vote fo::· touchy bills
.J.J.
lik e thos€: just ber::aufio the bills make
se"1se; th 0;r 1·m:1t to be ro ••electod .
Tho:; 1111::.;t sae a lo.r g0 p1;;.bJ_ic support
for tl1use b:.:.llf; fir.st ,1~:l we have to
rr.'.i.r
-:";e:, i t.(2.) wr,
muct got to know
ou::.~state le gis le..tor:; b~~ contacting
th 0m about ot ~
.er 'issuos--start
now,
it t c1.
kes a whiloe
Who aro they?-F1· 00 list
f ro m Mass. Tttxpayors Found ..
atfon,
l4.5 Tremont St,., Boston 02111.
0 offi ce phone
Get legislators
numbers
by calling
72'7-2121.
* * *
****
*
***
*
*
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*
*
***
$1.00 gets you a 30 word ad in the M.V
•personals
column.
Send your ad with
payment to:
Box 221
Prud en tial Center
Boston, Mass.
02199
Station
�MAIDENVOY.~GE
(4)
LIBER.~TION--wHY
ME?
By Gail King
·. ON THE..••
IRWAYS
Tr/o mombor.s · of ~oston' s H0mophile
Fomalo Liberation
is a reform
com:r'..1r.ityand a ministor
wero gu011ts
movor,1()nt,·of . glob-9.l dimondon
that
on Bob Storli:r.g Sr:::i:i:,}:'s 11Colloquy 11 .
wiJ.: .~ . if . off;,ctivo 9 involve . ovo.ry
·
ov0r WilG:I~FM
ro0t:ntly .•
mernbor of our socioty~
a movom'Jnt
Gail Kir:g of Bo~to:n D.O.B,~ F:rank ·
the .t will t::·r.msr.end race, . color, creed.
Morge.n of HUB and the Rev~ R0bor t .
movome~:.t is 110t bo~.nG W'l.god by . Wir:.got f:r.. the Ch'..1:r:Jh
'Jm
of o-.;;_r
Savior ·
a ·belp1ess .minor:it~, in isolated
gt:io- .
· in s ,)-uth Bos.ton di.,,cussod th@ a.'. rns of
~
graph::..c. areas.
Worne who aro mombors
.m
tho honmph:.10 grcups. ,
of overy . stat.fon o.f life will open
Bob Sm:.:.th asked uh::,t.hor male ?
.nd
th eir mo·mn.ont and w:al work f;:'om
femalo h0rno~1ox:cal&wer-o cooporatinp; with
withintho center of societyo Ti10
oac:h other in th0 homophilo 111ov0mentin
movomont will exploclo th0 ·at10-old
Boston,
Both Gail and Ji'r·ank felt there
definiti
ons of f l,mily, tho c.cinccp.t of
was considerable
frictior.1 bet;voon the
the nation and r :fj ::i:1: 9 , the ways
.:lly
mon anJ tho wom::11~ Gail attrib'ut0d
womer! aro now doi'in ,:i o
d
for
th~-s 'Lo tho Le.:,b:Lan~s antipathy
Libora.tion
will challenge
women
heterosQX'.:;.al mon bofatg ca:r : :'iod over
l
engage t~ioir ovm oxisto11co; to
to homobGX'..!al . mqn • Franl< th ough t ..
·
moot the t?.\Ting t ask of ,fr·0odci.; to
re8en!;; Losbians
thc1.t homosexual :mE:>n
answer tho quostior..i.
itvJhoam .I?"
bG.:' ':l".lGQ th0y
e;ould mask thqir homqsox ..
,~o!TI.or1
.-rill no longor bo tho
, uality
more easi:!..y:; Both look0d for a.
nat ionijs mo.st markc)tc1bl0 comlllod
ity; .
way t o ,resolve
the .fricti on between tho
woman w{J.l claim Hto :t~olo of Por~on.
two ~r0ups ec
Tho Lo sbio .n hc:1 , t o~)· qfto n
s
,i.11 par.·ticipa.ntB• 9mph3,s:iz0d the
con: id~re~ horsolf
to
apart from
irnpo:";+,c.nc0 fol' a ho,;10
1,c.rx1,;,a:l
norson to
LE1C
lration.
Why'( ;~ro Lesbians,
too,
himself -,
accopt hi.L-nsoJ.f apd :i;,o f'..llfili
not th9i:'.gb~. of -a s 11things 0 .
.. in all Mpocts of his life 11 cour1t ing
socfo-tyr
DoWO really bolio-rn that
more t.h;m ~ust h~.s homos04UJ.litylJ
.
wo aro abovo boing nsod by men?
R,.:,v, Wi1: e t u.rgod hot(,:ro sox;~e,ls not to -;
g
Losbi&ris have lorn~ hold an
sn ok to inpose tho scxuc1.lity that fools
hono :r-ud po sHion
in tho , fantasy
life ·
ri ght for- th.em upon othars.,
fie urged ,.
of (JV3!'Y m2
.:Lo, Tlv:i nar.10 11 nughters
D
ch:.::rcho c to ·t-:olco:cie b 'J,r,oi:;GX'1a.l.:; ·~
11 c~mos fror:i Q!)o.malo 9 s
of Bj_l~t~.:;;
·
'l'h0 fti?st. prcgr.am i:1 ;tiis . ;,bries
orotiq. f ancy put to print t. ,ire
w,rn a.i.N.ld ,\.n:!'il 12 ano. : foa. tured
we fr~gJ
.• _
speako::.~s, from HUB and the Student .
.
Hor1ophj_l Loague • .._
,
o
·· ·
Qu.;r,freedom: what, , thoro :i..s o f . 1·t
.
or.els• at tho door t , On,:.:o in public,
11
· iirr.
...,.;,.,,., : .. • ...h 9._·
;e
...._ {ii,' .
·~
,· :
we9 'to . ·..) , •o. d f ,..,1u. ~~-.J... . . 1it'nJ.·,,.,,.,,s·.
<i;S:-...:.~;:-"
impersonal
play otjf. ,r:!t};.,
:
. .
.
4 ,,·. , .·
· ·~ \\~
. l a$k you .. ~ t so ,..ie Cf.J ot,. mcimo::'.l.t-..o.
.:~
(,'>''1-t<;<_,. '• ,
, \ ·\·.
to b .st all of tho secret d:r.o.:uns
·':-...;".'-, ' ;
•)
y9u_lp .d,.,a.s , a c~.i,ld,- .a ll th si young
,}•.flt 'l \ hi
fornalo Q s soc.rot .dosir os which
..
,;4..-...:.\ ti-((.) ((~(; '·
ond0d ;rh,h tto ~ro:r.d.s: ·
.
..
/1 ...,,, ; .
\
1•
••Litt .to girh
cbr. • t do that •• ,
And that~ my f'riond, wi11 .toll
--·;~{-> · ~/
.,1~·
you wqo is · f:~·09• ·
/, 'I' ,rl• I if,(
~·
/ii .
>rh'3
to
bo
in ou:r.
,.. ;.
. . \:) /16
0
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:
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d•1
.
�MA.IDEN
VOY.~GE
.
(5) .
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tfic
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.
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(6)
HETEROSEXU,4-LITY
~
-
~
CURED
t.
high school, and my folks kept asking,
11
Why don 9 t you and Bruce get married?"
A Satire by Candi McGonagle
Bruce was willing and the thought of a
Reprinted from "Psychology Yesterday"
big church wedding with lots of presents
was exciting~
My parents kept urging me
Tho purpose of this article
is to bring to marry Bruce and I didn~t know what
to the reader 0 s attention the new breakalso to do, so I married him. 11
throu ghs in psychiatric
counseling and
This marriage failed when tho husband
segment of
began to be unfaithful
to his wife with
help for tho heterosexual
society.
a variety of amateur prostitutes
in the
neighborhood bars.
During and after
Pranks.
Catrio, M.D., in his book
"Female Heterosexuality"
calls hetero..
divorce preceedings,
the patient lived
sexuality a symptom of a deep-seated
with her parents who ur ged her not to be
neurosis, and tracos some causation to
disillusioned.
She got a job in a facparental .and other environmental _
tory and four years later she remarried.
11I got so sick
influences,
psychic tra:umas, frustrations,
of listeninr,
to them
heterosexual
seductions in childhood and
(my parents) harping on what the neigh.
use of alcohol; that heterosexuals
aro
bors were saying, how I was going to be
doomed to unhappiness becaus~ of ~he 1
a spinster after all, how they wanted
impermanence of sexual relationships
grand-children.
People would say, vWhen
and their numerous neurotic com~laints.
are you going to get married again?
You0 ro not getting any younger. 9 So I
The vast majority are "emotionally
unstable and neurotic ..11 Weknow~ howmarried a co-worker at the plant--a
ever, that with the holp of a competent,
widower."
well-adjusted
homosexual psychoanalyst,
The patient is enveloped in guilt
and with a sincere desire to be cured of
feelings because this second heterosexundesirable
heterosexual
traits,
a person ual marriage is also feiling.
She comcan be cured.,
plains of headaches, intense fears of
-Lot
us take tho above causes of
cancer, sleeplessness
and tension.
These
hetoro-sexuality
one by one. .md, as we
are psycho-neurotic
manifestations
of
do, let us keep in mind what Dr. Harry
guilt regarding her attempts at making
these ,socialli
unacceptable relationships
Benjamin once said: 11Nobody knows as .
yet wnat is normal--we only know what is
successful.
·
custon:ary • 11 We a.re out to destroy what~~ tr~™:
ever and whoever is not customary!
Psychic traumas consist of any event
Parental and other environmental
which is likely to be traumatic to tho
influence~
psychic development.
For instance, one
nine-year-old
girl was discovered by her
This case history involves a young
woman, age twenty-nine, who has been
mother while indulging in sex play with
married (heterosexually)
twice.
She was her girlfriend.
She was whipped severely
married the first time when she was 17.
and forbidden to see her friend again.
"I had graduated from high school and
Of course, this warped her normal homo.
I didn't know what to do. I had never
sexual development and forced her to
worked, I had no training in school for
turn to men to escape her neurotic
any trade.
My parents thought college
mother's wrath.
I had
Parents who flaunt their heterosexwas a waste of money for a girl.
been dating the same boy all through
uality in front of their children run
the risk of inducing psychic traUllltl
in them.
1Noto rising rate of divorce, high rate
Frustrations:
of pre- and extra-marital
sex, high
Most heterosexuals
have been frusrate of illegitimate
children and
trated in their development.
Many
abortions.
?
0
�.
.
MAIDEN
VOYA.GE
(7)
female children
have an outward hatred
for malo children
(a dofonso reaction
against an unconcious attraction
to
them) ·~ They manifest a strong urge to
be lo\•ed .·uhich, duri.~g ch:iJ.dhood 1 increases tho-ir suscoptibil:'Lty
to the advanc0s of tho mal q . If thoy havo a strong
pa:rcmta:i. fixation
in t:1 hich the .affection
is 1.;:nr
Jturn0d~ tr.oy may- feel it ;is through
some fault of their own that this love is
not l'Cturnod.
T:iis causes a guilt
punit:.vo theory, which means thoy become
masochistic s need7.ng to punish th~mseJ.ves.
So thoy become involved in uns3.-..rory
heterosexual
cxperien:,es.
This, . in turn,
can result
in hotoroscxual
paranoia,
or
the fear that evoryone hates her , for
becoming enga r
~cd in a hetoroscxual
relationshipff
She may blame the man for
her paranoia
(psychic transferon00
at
the unconcious f£.ntasy lovol ...-an attompt
to find some juctification
for boing
neurotic).
~~11 of this boils down to
ono thing: Hoto1·osez-,1als arc sick.
Het.eros0x,1aJ. sedu0tior.s
:t.n cr-i)choodl
BaE';)Q
tr.e clfr::GaTpicturo:S-OY-sovoral p1ti0nts
as well ns tho anam:nesis,
these victims of hotorc)so;::ual seduction
·
suffer from a.~ anxiety hystoria
manifested
by periodic
states of panic with hystor·.
ical or cor..version phenomena.
A femalo ..
child seduced by a male naturally
fools
incestuous
guilt feelings,
associating
.
the seducer -w~.thher own father. ·
On the other he.nd, a. young }'Toman
ma.y
be so immature that she finds tho male
attention
attractive.
She may feel' she
was "born" heterosexual,
the.t there is .
no chance of a cure since . it is .a con,;.
genital
state.
She may rationalize
by
sayir,g a penis is better
than a finger
because it is biggGro
This is 9 of .
course~ ra tionaliza. t:i.,pn .a!ld ~o bo corr,.. .
ected.
It is meroJ;y a symbol of rebellher mother.
·.
ion against
Manr emotionE'.lly .unste.bl0 men will
seduce yo~mg gi:rls and thereby ruin .
their normal path of homosexua .l development.
Use of alnohol:
Mi:l.ny-fiorr.os:-xwl women with repressed
heterosexual
in0linations
find an outlot
for theso cravin 0 s through tho medium
1
.n
o
of companionable
drinking.
They can
always blame any overt heterosexual
gost~ro thoy might make to their
drinking.
This is .easil:r provr.irl by a v~.sit to
any so=Cc-.11\:ld II strl'.igl~t bar)'~
The
women there 9 r.ioaring tho stage of
drunkenness
(or already having · reached
.that point) are easy marks for any man
who lookn halfway docent and who can
·
talk a . good lino~ 2
.Any girl who has nur-sod her mother
through consecutive
hangovers is apt
to turn. to a tAetot~.ling man as a
compensation . reaction.
This is, however9 metely an over-reaction.
S11mmar:v-:
----·,...,
~
--In conclusion,
.
·
we can state that
the followtng
are the main causes of
he taro s.ex-.1ali ty:
An o\•er-pl·otoctive
mother, an uncar :ing mothe:.·, a dominating mother,
a pacsive mother, an abs0nt mother, a
wo:ck~.ng_
mother, a hous0•::~.fe. ,type
· motl;.er, ' a rejecting
fathGr,
a:-i over- ·
pow2i•b.g :fat!1er,~ a "prud,J; 9 fa the~, ·an
alcohoJ.ic fe.the::-, a tyrannical
father, . ·
a suhmir.:sive father, precocious
sex ...
ual:;.ty in the ch:::.l.d, lt,ck of s:ax-.ial
k~,owledge and o::r.:pe::,:,ienc.e the child,
in
too ma9h pai·ental love, not enough
parental
love; guilt feelings
in the
ch:;.J_c~,cal~oucness
..
in ths cl1ild~ too
much in tho way of mafo::.--ial tM.n:gs,
deprivation
9 s}:µm onvironmGnts, _ plush
sibling ·rivalry,
and
environments,
being an pnly child,
Ir{ 6,ther.- words, two different
people in ' the same· conditions
will
·
react differently.
- One will not bend .
in the face of adverse conditions
and will matt:re to become a l-mlladjusted
homosexual; the other will.
fail and be.come a neurotic
hetoro. Z"'l.lso ~.~ this ·category~ wo can place
the ·use of mor.ey,, There would bo no
fomalo prost.itutes
if there wo:re no
mv:n with monay to buy their abnormal
fav or-s9 •· To their pr ·ivate lives,
however~ most p:::-ostitiites · remain
no:i.·m
ally µ9inoso;:;..1.ni9
·
-
�MAIDENVOYAGE
(8)
sexual.
In the face of overpopulat:i,on,
the
rising
tide of divorce and abortions,
Jrverd.le delinquency,
and the 5lorious
lib01•a ~ion of womon~ it has beer. definitely
shown that homos0X"J.i.iliti is the
only normal and sane (:ou:r.s0 of development; that hoto:rosox:aality
is a deviated,
wasteful,
selfish
way of life,.
It ha.s
beon proYen that sinco tho majority
of
tho population
is now homosoxual that it
is tho only normal statej
the only ono wa
ca!'l accept.
All oth•Jr courses of sexual
development aro ps~1chopa thic and unstable,
The majority
rules and the minority must
either be curbd or wiped out 0
New laws are noedod to help curb the
heterosexual
influ.onco on ot~:t·young ·
people until homosoxuali ty is so ,;,riclosproad t:v.i. t thoro aro no more young
people left.
Only in this way can tho
problems of overpopt:la tion~ j•1venile
delinc;_uency and toonago drug abuse 'be
abolisr.odo
If you know a heterosexual
person,
urgo tr.em to see a ps~'chia trist
immedia to}y ~ HotoroseX'J.£>
.lity is merely
arrested
devolopment.
It £!ill be curodl
****
* * ** *
***
*
******
*
ISR HEADSPE
,~KS TO HOMOPHILE
GROUPS
Institute
for Sox Research President,
Tom Mau:ror, spoko t o mem'oers of Boston°s
hor.iophilo cornm~~ity at St, John the
Evan 1
~elist Church ro•'.:ently.
Mr~ I~n.urer, tho head of SIR, is
currently
workin G on e. study of homosox-J.als in tho San Francisco areaq
.-1.n
·
ex-minister
who atten ::lGcl Bos'ton University, ho b:cought up saveral inter0sti!1g
points co nee rning hor.iosoxuals especially
as they are regarded as 11sick 11 by tho
st:raj_ ght world.,
"What can be ur.n~tural
in nature?"
he
asked,
Mr,, Maurer protested
th e use of
tho word 11devia!1t- 1 as dehumanizing and
insultir.g.
He prefers
tho w::,rd "variant,"
-ti. monbor of Boston D;O.Bo vr!-loattended
the discussion
s'1id, "Mr. Mo.uror is a
very beautiful
parson in his thinking and
in his rop,ard for all persons.
Tho homophilo population
is lucky to have him in
its midst,"
CHAPTER
CHA.TTER
CLEVELAND The Cleveland Chapter o:t
D.O.B, held its "first
public showing
of taler.V' in their organization
when
they presented
''The Beld.ted 0 69 Va:i'iety
Show and .~rt Sr.ow,1 °° Cornedy acts, musi c,
a rock band e.nd art work hi r~hlightod
the event,
The group is now moving
ahead with plans to hold an ar~ ~how
in Ju::10.
REHO- R0no 0 s chapter library
is
bep;in;.'ling to take shape with 11a small
solac'tion
of the better
novels of
Radclyffe Hall, Valerie Tay:Lor, .~nn
Bannon and others
Also available
ar0 non-fiction
studios of homose:x--1als
by Doctors B':cank Capr:i.o, Louis London
and H2rry Benjamin~
Thoy are now
looKing out ·for pertinent
magazine and
newspape~.~ articles.
·
Apparently the
p1."tblic library
in Reno has many selection:, to offer its readers on this subject.
Throe members of D,O.B. met
with some thi:::·ty members o:t·C°"'isis Call
to 'di . cuss losbfani:::m 9 D.O.B. and ·
s
me-1:.l..ods
thro1:,eh whj_,.:h interested
members of D.O.B. could assist
i11 cot:nselin g troubled
gay poopla b tho cornra'J.n.
itys
The t'ilo groups a:..~0now working ·
on approaches,
·
S.l.l~ FR.UJCISCO- The San Francisco
chapter is thinkinG about holding a
Floa Market in July o:t• ,tc,g·,L3t, La.st
sur.ID1erD.O.B. netted more ttan $100
from the sale of donated it0ms like
books 9 records,
ciothing,
etc.
Eleven
mombers of tho chapter counted ballots
at the Annual Lulu Awards Presentation
( the gay v;orld O s answer to the ,.:~cademy
Awards) and earned $1000
LOS A.HGEIES Tho president
of L,A.
D.O, B. reports
she was fired from her
job when a girl from work, whom she
invited
to a meoting, bocame hysterical
and said that tho president
had accused
her of beinc a homosexuale.
The reason
for dismissal
was given as 11an act of
11
indescretion.
Howovor 9 when the
incident
was brought up at a union
grievance meeting, tho management
agreed that tho president
had been
unfairly
treated
and she was fully
r einstated.,
I)"
* * * * * * * * * * • * * * * • * *• *
* ** * * * ** * ** * * ** * * * *
�MAIDEN
VOY,;~GE
(9)
.&DITO RIAL
ment, it is obvious that I know we are
an oppressed
group of people.
You need
not toll me what I already
stated.
imBoston D.O.B. has mado its first
I do not think holding hands in pu b.1. ..
portant
broakthrough
in presontinG
the .
lie is filtho
If I do not choose to
.hold hands with a wom-'.'.n p1iblic at
in
aims o.f the orGaniza tion to tho public
at large~
this tir.10 9 it is because this is tho way
I feol.
I do.not
think I should bo acc.i fou:i:- column half pa.go article
in the
used of thinking
it is filth
just bo.;.
Hay 10 edition
of tho Boston Globe covered
cause we de not agree~
.ire you always
some of tho highlights
of the April J
so quick to pacs judgr.1,.mt on tho.se who
symposium held at tho .~rlington
Stroot
are not in agreemsmt with you? I am
Churcho
At that time, a number of ~lorgymon, psychiatrists
from
free i:r:sido,
.'l.nd tl-:.at is :nore important
9 r.ncl educators
to mo" tnal1 'just being freo in public o
the straight
comr;mnity had boon pors: : ally
m
Yes, Diana, I am s~B.rcdo I am not
t.o· . ttend
a
the mooting aimed at
invited
too pr 1)Ud to. admit ito
"creating
a long overdue dic.lor;uo botwoon
If a person is
hotorosoxual
and ho1riosox:ual mombors of tho not afraid
at times,
then one must be
very foolisho
Boston cornmunit3r and to build a greater
vie livo in a wo.rld where we can not
of .the homosexual woman
understanding
·always do as we ploaseo
Unfortunately,
in society.,
it takes blood 9 sweat and tears to win
Tho artj_cle was a strai:-:;ht-forward
tho right to bo free.
news story of the ovonts as thcJy unfolded
It is only my opinion that we, as
did what any
that nii:?,htft Tho reporterL0sbians,
cannot go out in publfo 9 hold
good reporter
should do ,~-wri to tho facts
ha::.1ds9 and expect to win acceptance
to
and not succumb to tho temptation
( tohranco)
a.t once•
You cannot forco
editorializo.
an.;y-cne to . accept you 9 your i.doas 9 or
This is a stop in the rieht direction
yo~:r feelin,;s ~ You muct make th3m
arc
and a s~:.gn that somo attitudos
understand
before you can do anything
indood beginning
to chance.
· else~
But there is another
sido to consider.
You havo not convinced mo that the
what happonod to 50 to 100 professparonts
at tho Florian wore not thinking
ionals who woro i1:vitod to attend?
As
th0 worst of Shayna Rsuben and her e;ir l
tho Globo article
pointed
out, tho
that night;,
You have not convj_nced
audience was m:3.doup of about 50 people- me that anyono (stra:i[';hts)
preser1.t that
two of them we• o c le rp;;ymon--but it was, ·
r
eveni::s did not fin::l tho incident
too
as someone said, a "mostly gay 11 audience•
much to tako at this th1e,
Those aro tho neople who can do so
You are rici;ht.
We should not be
much to'holp
us work to educate tho
lau ghed at, insulted,
or i~norod~
public h1tolligentJ.y.
How can we
But neither
shou],d we bring it upon
reach t},9m?
ourselvoso.
They just don°t understand
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ~ * *
yeto
Someday, bocauso of you, me and
D.O,B. 9 they will,
Pm s11roo I think
!ETTERS TO THEEDITOR
D.O.B. 9 s Education
Corn.'11:1.ttoo
will go a
To the Edi tor-long way in helpin~ straights
undor.A.d<.lr0ssod to Diana Travis:
_
stando
.
fi~st
of all? I think it was great to
So until
they can understand
and
see a response
to my lotter
in 11.V"
see tlw t our lcvo is a pure love 9
Pm a firm boliovor
tr•.a both sides of
t
I am yours fora
now and froe
an issue should be airodo
Howoverj I
tomorrow ••
•
do not think you really
road my letter.
Tho Saint
mysolfc
My
I did not contradict
woz:ds wore: ''wo are a eroup of Lesbians,
loo}:ing and workin c toward the day f:reo
;
from oppror,sion. 11 From that ono state********************
By Pam Boyd
�Mli.IDEN
VOY.~GE
(10)
OVERTHE FENCEWITHDI.~NE
By Diano ,
Whatdo · you do when the urg0 to write
is so c1•f;. ::·.1 h0l."'ling that it talrn s p:•t·ce1 :
dence 070!' e•Jery".:,r.2.:nr;
else','
Morl!over,
whn.t <lo yo'J. do -.-ih.1:mit is three o O clonk
in tr.e mc1•r.in0 ~ t.ho typewr:aer
riblion is
brol-::0t~!' ;you.r typ :;,.r:gpa.par is miss:l:ng, and
evo"!'y 'ulastod ba2.lp o int in tho h:n.i.so is
dry?
You temporize
wj_'th a Lfori'..lm and go
back to bod.
By m.orninf; 9 when all tho
have bee::1 cou:nt,ed
cra •:!ks in th0 cei1 j_i-:.g
and ton of your fingors
arc in search of a
throat to strangle~
you call a friend~
Doe s she come over with typing paper or a
new :ribbon or over. holp yo· wj_th your
u
spollir ,g ? libsoltctely
r.ot,
n .,t' s because
...
9 s boon dead
sho
for t -w-E:myeal'.·sQ t on °t
ty
got me w:.--on ,he sti::.1 brc,athosi
g--&
walks,
eats,
and makes a gutte:i.•a:. sol:nd wh0n she
wants tl10 salt pass ,,dj :i.t9s juc.-:. that· her
parent.:, for~ot to bury ho:rQ Call:rne 'hor
when I am 0:i:tho: doprossod or maLic is
absol1.:te2.y fruitlE:.ss.
I would g0t a. .
quic! :or response j_f I 'cal lod the tomb of
Amo:.:~obp IV' i!'l a.m:0nt E~ypt d 1 1ri:1g a
toloph or.e st'.!:"ik0 o Why do . I bo-1-,hor with
her~ Because her cat::i.t on ic stut':::lor·n0ss
intri g.19s mo and I don° t giv0 up oasily;
but, I tell you.? 5..t 'is no fun hav~ng a
.
withdraw:1 corpse fol' a i'ricnd..
It was Sa.tu:dny and I Wi;iS j_n a · "kick
meII mood; so I imri t od Rip Vap wir.Jcle up
for tho ovaning,. · Sho brought along a gay
'l'heso · two ha:\-e abo 11t as
male friend.
much in common as Na~..=;e:rand Ben--Gurion;
but ho is a cl 1rrmir..g 9 ,-1it '.:.y guy with a
.
sado-r.iasochistic
:rel a tior~shj.p with the
world a::id a n1easure more oxcitemont about
him. He . has a way of hara?sing
and ,
amusing you at t.he samo time1t Ho can
inflict
pai::-i one minute and ' soothe it .
away t:-1e next.
,'i. ro:11 Dor ian Gray,
.
-i:'i.r.ywey, I forgot
there wasa ball game
on; and wh': h0 a.rrivod
m
he ti:- ,j.-r hi.11solf
on my couc:i, dra~iJ: my ·ch::.vas Regal,
smoked his smelly ci ~nrs , sc,re amod at my
boob-t1:be all ni ~ht and tuned the two of
us out w:1~ he flicked
. 10
back and for·th
from one ball g2.mo t o an oth e r,, ·
Now, I don°t expect people to come to
my houJe , and expound _. .~lbort . Ca.mus. or
on
S¢ren Kierkegaard or string
upa· ~i~o
and do a balancing
act across my Ii-ling
roo~ 9 but I .;ra,s look:l::::.g forward to a
lit t.le light c_
o.nvcrsa.tion and a . fow
l a').g:1
::;,,
My at tempts at soc ~.il ir.tcir , ourse
~
thwarted r I turnod to my fri m1d9 tho
"scint.il:i.D.ti:-ig conv ersationalist
, 1~ \/ho
as I ha.Ye said~ is a.bout as GXd t1ng ·
as a burr.,:;d.,out fll.i.lC bc::r.:p as d(,op · as a
pu~ldlo and as :fot.Qr0sti:1g as a wot · newspa'. or o She so.t thor0 th o whoi0 ni ght
p
twi .::;tng hor hc:i.i:'.'?chair, 1:;mok:.:-ig and.
i
9
m1:..kln an ina110 r emar k about a.very th:roo .
g
hours to pro .. t ·hat tho d:l. bulb in .her
i.·e
m
. hoad was still
workin g a~1d that sl)e
kr.o\• something about t:r.o G2.J10e ·
r
: 1Bu.t I t ole!. you the:."a w- .s a ball
3
game
on tonight 9 n she s2.id ·meokly throu gh a
face t.:i.at would stop a rhino i:.1 full
fli ght e.:1d which reminded mo of a Yahoo
frcm G:111.:r..:ir~ s TrP.'i.roJ.s
'.
:
.
H'=7i71g·:;~thin
3.
g ,?I?.ot o do except
r.y
chew 1 nails and cot:.nt the sl3. ts in the
· vondt:J .an b J.i nd,:;, I be :;an ·'.:,o exc..mlne
tl·,~~s girl~
Ono thin s I .;"_ll say about
. ho:r-,,;,the k~ows what 0 s- ri git in ctyJ.e.
She ha rJ. or. a m::..dl sk:..rt whjch she: h9.s
·· be0!'). wearing sine °:: 1950 ar..;p~
)
·ay; and the
..
•+
.
1c'; O wec.gJos Gh o :.:.n'.'lor::..·.,.J.P~r om h_or
9....- ' ·.
,ec.
motl10~:oare rea.l hauto couture.
They're
· ri ght in style again, too ,~ Hers wuro
run-down at tho hsR:l:; c, 1:..ttlo 9 but
they locked as if ·thoy~d bo good foiher .hair was
anot~er ton yoars~
somot1:1 g else,
in
too~ It looked ' like
the swallo..;s of . Capistrano
had used it
, fc,r at l0ast three seas ons~ and it
· hadn~t boon set by a hairdr o ssor sino ,e
the wook .of Tru,rnan°s inat1garation.
Fed up, I made coffoo a.t 11,L~5,
cnr , 0 back in t o find th (.l game oYor and
1
-His Nibs f a.st asloepo
I vwko the bum
up, thanked him for a stimulating
company,
evening and his effervescent
said gc6d nii:;ht ~o rrry othG!' friend-tho "goni1:s 1' •• -and th:r·ew them .out.
I never felt more liKo murdering
anyono so ~uch in my life« .. I fa:icied ·
rrrysoif cutting
him "..lp into little
pieces and boldly mailing his 1 loody
remains to my dear little
friend.
I ·
doubt if this would arouse uiuch
�Ml DEN VOY GE
U
.~
( 11) .
emotio n in he r be c ause she hasn 't s hown
a spark of life
si .nce the sixth grade
when sho inadvert e ntly stuck her finge r
in th o pencil
sh a r pe r.e r., Al so, alth oug h
th oy have no t us ed the e lectric
chair in
IY1a a chus e tts s inc o 194'?, I do no t r olis h
ss
sittin g in 11Dec.\ Row" o r in a din gy cell
th
f o r th o next n:'...noty,.n in0 y ea rs.
So whi t do I do ,vr.en life be come s
d is appo i r.tin ~ a nd th e s e c ar na l d o si ro s
:;
ar e thw a :. t od r I e a t a 1;01
:
:ind o f li ve.rwursto d r own mys olf •in i ur p ,m ti n0 arid .
po pp y~e od o il 9 W\'!!P m se lf '..l in rr.y ·
y
p
se curity 'blanke t with my Ragged y .tnn, o r
I ge t out ·my dri vo 1· o r my th!· Ge wood .and
wha ck th e d evil out of that little
white
b a llc
.
But lately
I fi1 id liv e rwurst t a steles s,
turp entin o is b oth orin p.; m sinus., my
y
s e curity
bl anket is full of hole :-; a nd my
Ra 0r,edy Ann ~s mis s in g·o . .,: .to boot, . it 's
md
rainin g and th e ·drivin g ran ges a r o c:los od .
I think Pll
just r~o suck my thumb
for a while,
*
* *
***
*
****
SPE.1.KINCr AG ENTS
ENG EM
* *
****
*
* * ''
Four Bost on D.O.B.
members and one
homo sexuality
with two mod0r a to:::-s on cl o s ed ci:i:-cuit
n rJ:i.o WCSB-L.'1at Grari.1 j·uni o r Colleg e,
,
~
1
Bo sto •r !'e c e ::itly,.
i
Sov e :ta l misc onr;ept fo ns wore cleare d
up du r in g th e dis~u s sio n with the mode:ca tors and fr om the ha lf do~en ph one
c a ll qu es ti ons,. For 0xo.1r: e , on e pe rpl
s on th ou ght th a t homos'3J::ua 3..ity mi g ht
bo a 11f a ll nb1 0k." po si t i on .for peop le .
who had fail e d at he te:.: osm r'.w.l r e latio nshi p s" 0:::1 of th o moci :rat ors~ impresse d
0
o
by c opnnonts on emoti onal inv o lv e ment ,
seemed to be sp e akin g for himse l f whe ri
11The po pular
ho .said:
c once p tion of
homose xu a lity . is ( t hat it is) · on a
pu~oly physical
lev e l; I don°t thin k t oo
many pooplo re aliz e that th ore is any thin g cmo ti onal . in vol vod o 1t •
Inter e stin gly, s ome f;ri ends : of the
moda :rators expected
th a t tho moderato rs
would sit in a s op a rato room from t ho
horn s exu a ls -durin r, the intorviewl
o
Tho se
pe op l e pro b abl y list e::1ed t o the show ,
an d J1st th r:, i do a tha t U10y w0r0
li:,t onin g to re a l homo se xu a ls who were '
at th a t mom0::it :ln the G:ra: im r ad io
·
st:.ldi o mu0t have opened th oir eyes · t o
our o rdin a 1·iness .
HUB
membe r discussed
�M.~IDEN
VOY,~GE
(12) ..
D,0 ,B .~-EDUC.~'.l'ION .PROTES'l'?
OR
By Candi MeGonagle · ·
put .,it .is a possibUiiy,
Revolution is one answer to the
problem of'.' gaining rights for ·homoAfter a thorough perusal of the Sunday
s1:3xuals; but it is not D.O.B. 0 s way.
editions or · both the Boston · Globe and ·
··
Telling your · family a.nd trying to
Traveler, I find myself reviewing mentally · educate friends and relatives
is not
the problems I ha:ve been confronted with
always the answer, either. . The result
in various articles.
They 0 re the same
old might be alienating
the very people you
p;roblems written up with now angles-':"
a.re trying to educate.
Telling somo
poverty and welfare, biaq~ power, .drugs,
people that you're gay might either
.
the war . in Vietnam. Not a word on the
disgust the m or make them enemies.
.
·. . J
proble1ns faced by homosexuals,
Some of
Public educati . n in a. dignified
o
;;J f.Q~
us al'E) poor and on welfare, some of us are manner seems to be the best answer.
black, some of .us smoke grass . or pop pills, , ''Write to you:r ' congressman" has become .
some of us are mombers of the womens9
a cliche; but it isn°t a bad idea.
If
brancht>s of the li.,rmedForces • . We are
everyone in D.O.B, sat down and .wrote .
beset with problems ~l ,so exper~enced by
letters,
there might be more attention
he:terosexµa:l.s, · so . thesa articles
can also . paid and more action taken in our . favor.
pertain to some of us, · But we have .other,
write to newspapers a~ magazinos and
more individual
problems, too. ·What of
demand (nicely) coverage of proplems ·
these?
. . . ,
.. .
. .. .
faced by homosexua.ls--who arE:'las ~uch
What about the problom:s of, having our
· .an'.oppres .sed minority as rac .ial groups.
insurance cancelled because a nosey
write to . people (lilco "Dear ,~bby," Dr.
neighbor puts the . hex on us? . What about
Charles Socarides,
television
and radio
the :1.esbians who get pooked on dr1,1gs to
shows, writers and columnists,
etc.)
escape the har;;her retllities
of gay ;1re?
who give. . a bad review o~ 1,~correet
What about the · _ ish,onorable dischargS"S on
d
view of homosexuality.
Protest in
the grounds or 1esbia~ism? · And what about letters.
.And--by all . means--22, write
r
to your congressman.
If you 9 re old .
the bl,aclc lesbian--:who is c. ushed under
the heel of three-fold
discrimination-enough to . yote, you're old enough to ·
because she is gay, because she is a
demand civil r:\,ghts for homosexual~ ·• .
· .· Anothar common alternative
is in- .
woman, because she is black?
Okay, I won't bore you with all the
forma,l alienment with o_her homop_hile .
t
. groups.
Those in favor of this must ·
. problems involved in having a varied
sexual orientation.
If you've been a
realize that not everyone favors this
approach. ···Commonooui-tosy will inc~ude
losbian for any length of time, you know
the problems .from first-hand
experience•
.. re .spect of other . people Os feelings on
Enough said. But what ca.'r1be done??? . · ~h:i.s ma. ter. · Inviting . man to D.O.B.
t
Tho Black Power Revolution is success.:. . meetings may be a cooperative gesture,
ful in that it has put tho . problem 'of
. b~t it will .alienate many women who just
discrimination
smack-dab in the public
do no. want men around all the tima-t
eye •· It has done little,
however, to ·
,. especially at a mooting of a group
accomplish much more than token reform~•
organized specifically
for lesbians.
The more militant
black groups are hated
The answer, it . seems to me, is
and feared by whites for their sometimes .. dignified
education of tho public,
.
violent approach.
·
".·.·Riots and pic'~eting get results •• but
,Ubert Ca.mus saids 11Every revolutionthese techniques are old-hat and
aey ends by becoming either an oporesso .r
unblaginatiVEH the results are not
or a heretic."
always .those we want. Educating the
Many pooplo feel that if a black
public (for those ·ot us who can do 'it)
revolutionary
group succeeds in overis living a cirCUlllipoct, ordinaey way
coming our established
fonn of governor lite vitho~t de~ing ~ur hollo1ex-.
~v
ment, the whites will become the op-pa
re11ed group. This is purely theoreticalt
ulit)"•
w•re
It'•
.,
in"'"
a ·way ot
ju1t like you
ry
"See••
vq euep\
1&fingl
'I
i
�.
'
M.i~IDEN
VOYAGE
(13)
our sexual orientation."
. )t;i.ot~ and
9 l ove uou ,:i ,tc, t!:c:Jit!t2 NUc MA·
o
milHant
aDproachos only cau~e the
· ·
·u•.f ,,..:
.
.
,
••
l;~._,..._,,,.,.J., :
,
.~
•
• ,.
st:rai r.,;ht world to th j_nk: 11Look at them!
lio,t,c th..c:J,i f1011.,C:,
&
J!,,-o..4,.a
,11:w..,01-,
If we - gi v- them equal. ri ,~hts, they OJ,l
e
/ i'o1r ;f}ic,11,
.c
the fl,lp-1-lw..ue,,jfUJw-c...ouc.A.-Cd
t ake ov0r and whore will we be th eri ?
/JC,.cd::4
.
•.
They 0 :r,~ crazy2 11
/;01~c
a bd.> .ha~-tJ-1'.Ytl/11- ,i.it-1, c}icdv..._
it
~
P•1bb. c ed-..:cation is open apnroval cf
.9 love r,1ou --t :tlv:,,n,· ., o,t uciv..✓-w n_
1:io c
0,,1,'-(AA
all bM~-:s doP.lirn~ with homosexualit y
9 lov e qou i:io,tc tAcc11 : k,CC[
lL4_ lM.d
r atfo~aliy
ar,cl t ruthfu;!..ly--a11d openly
.
<JC/1J-i
1
r.,QJ1,.
c ondor.1
!1i~;;r,tho .•trash writ.ten Sl;)cc::.fica lly
for tho m;,10 hetoN t;G~{Ual consuril.0~~-•boo ks
.
9,-Louc lfOU f:iO/(,C ;/)1a,n; /{,("1!
~ -i , ;
whic h deliberat0l;7
cU
.s·vort homosex-.1ality.
f io/t.,c tJ1,a11., M.1;1,
,t/w
,dfe, ,itcd.-.,,..,O/U;,,.,
Someone once sa:. .,;1.8i•J::f a bo ok wsre wr-~t tcn f ,olic t/u;,11.
cli.,c,,r,C/l.,:J, -:··c/cc oJJlcd cu1.clJYi.YlJ,1,ed,
about gay life
the way it D~)l .z is ~ it
find 11.0-t a· bd -~vl-.A :tl0i ,tl-,,c,,
dcv,<Jv
/ic-r,d
would be the d.u_ lost bool-:: c ver writ.te n, 11
l
_
•
· / ·
.
• ·· ··• • •
&Ui,rtCC✓f!
;,-t,."
Me.ybe someone ough t t ,) write i t--tho
9 l ouc qov.,1::.01c, tAc.Ji 0//P&LC;& ~Jcw"'"'1•
c.
a,te
str aight world might w.:mdcr then what 'a:11 9 ,Laue 11 coie,e,,th.011,
oii
Cic/c),,,.~c
hcl.c·A,th"1"
the l aws agair ,st us ar-o for- ,,
Public oducatio~
j_3 goin.6 t o a strnight
9 .love ½'OU. r.~o--tc
.t)w,.i1,(-llcd: .,a,
: ,t/j,
bar arad b oin ~ open ab o•.it you r hor.i.os0x• ( 10 1-, ,t/w., !(1·wi (;,i_.,c'-c,£ cc-AL
.,
c
1,
:t)c,, :1e,edh-1 c.:
. ,1. old;
.
1
ualitye
Not bo~.ng ofi'Gnsivc e.bcut i t,
. ( 1; ~c ;th,01 . a: ¼\'.»✓-1)1- h.c-0..,
bcc;t..crtc d;,u-fglit,
but not bei:1 :; asl·an,ad of iti- 0it::i,0:-:· ~ ·
Con,,j
;,F_dc/UJ.b;io,tc., rtlic:Yt dc...pfu::1,t;l .
,!..q1
cu-t
4
Pu:ilic education
.is a.ccoptin g all the
wu:...O..fv:..,,
•
, _·
s pe aking ong,1.
gerr.onts you can 1-:.ar.dl -o
9 -l.orJc~oa, noic,, ,tfw::1-iScc/"vL, ,L.ovcd
"
c,
cft
11\,;0 t:cy hardnr~ 11
th 0;1 D.CCt1ptin0 0!18 lT
!C''..':'0:,
n ,,.,.:,.
.·
.
'-'
J Ci,v
~,;..
c /, .
Pub::..J.c oduca 4:,ion j_3 ceacd.:ng to li:e a
9 :...crJC l/01/4 ,:tuelir!,O/c,C .t.h.cJ1- c),1,t/,.J:tp
l fo ~ r·efusk ~ -to bo a!,yt) .-.i.ng but ·what
fl~vc,,,£,1',r,,,ta,;
-,
you ,az,0 9 rofusin g_to be thou ght of as
l ess tJ-:..3.n ·wholo rierson.
a
..·
Pt:b~ie! od~~c
2.U.on i:; quiet~ dignified
rov olutior,~
Slo '. Dr a:r.d less exciting
l
.
th a !1 bur:!;"lin stur Gs a ,,c1 s:;ia,shin ;. wi!cdows ,
g
~
Not as obvicus n s n ick3-r,~.::g a rest.2..:1r ant whkh cti .s::!o'l:rarc~ gay cl;i cntelo . _
oG
Not a& . f'l:_:: boyant as ere a ti : 1g a gay
.ia
,
ghetto~
h
B~1t, jn the long run~ it is m:uc
more offectivo
.
vm:
i
or
,
,wet
_:
4d:t,,
4:~c
•
.
•,.
~u, .,
1
* *******
* *
*
love ~qlJ#-. bit l o !)oi'Jttj
*
*******
* *
_
9 love ifOvl. l,'/.0,tc t licfi CcJ1..CA-/ !rc'./2,
c
,~✓ud½.
9 -LoucJuoa r:w,tc :th.en . :lh.c~o1'i--i11)
C hc'/2.
~,
.
.
;vi¾{¼,
fio)(.,C .th.cfi · ,t/1,c Sw-i.-M..
l1evc
h.olC/2. ✓t.l:-uli
,i;n
l
. _ Ci'l-C C-1-Co _
__ I
_
•
f: 1 c
0,t
f-J
IA/l__;f/4c)/4c ,jif/c/t.011.:-id ,~cl b11 <1..
,1,
..c
c:-1.
.
.
l
f
·
•
•
' •
.,_
t}lQ/(,C, ;t,1,01,
;'?•vCAt /4 C rv1, f.).-(_ 1/1,L,o
/4{
:th
,c;-1..
9 love 1oi1,
!) lo:c
i(ou
r: it ..
'/4.!7.J
-
t;U)IC,(,.
:tlicn 'tlic /ol'J..-1,t :c.n
sva..
�,
'
MAIDEN ,1.
VOY
GE
(14)
OPEN
FORUM
QUESTION __
NUMBER
FIVE
- ---- --- _,, -D.O,B. is a. woman°s organiza ti on for
homosexuals.,
Do tho nembcrs consider
tho ms e ~_vos as women f:i.:rst or as p:".'imc1.ri
ly
homo s:c1·..1ls?
x a
W ~
o,_ld D.O,D. benefit
more
by aJi .gr:iE f'i itt ;elf v;ith the wcmen 9s lib er a d:::::r. movement or b;f joining -~r
:'i.th some
of the mor e r.1c1.le~orfo"1ted gr ot:.ps?
Q:
A: I 11mone of the many mGmbers of the
Bost ort Chap ter who do 'JS no t want to see
ar guments in OU? grou p because pouplo
take sides over th:i.s issu e ., arid. r;o Pd
lil-::e to ancw o:::-w::.thout g ivir ag my m.me.
I don° t thi!:J< W3 s hcmld bo jo :i.r.ir:.g with
any ot~or r,r oup ver y often 9 and Pve had
too much of it lat oly9
I th: .rJt we al:;_ a groe D.O,B, itself
must be built
·0
.p.. h :my momber.s~ m self
y
includ od, ha ve becm st ~~in g · aw9.y from
y
recent Friday ni p; t moetincs bo~auso
h
we 0 ve had rrnito enou i:'. 000:1 rceet j_
i.1
nGs,
0
We ro bogi;.~i~g to f ~ol Boston D,O,, .
B
d oesn°t have much id e!'lti.ty its olf~ it is
so bucy welc oming gay mon and fe:::ialo liberation
p eople ard di3tin guishod clergy
ar.d, it s e e:::-is .son::.i:.rn.os ~ ov 3r yo n0 in the
t
whole ;,mrld9
v!hon I joined D.O.B. I
tho'.l ght it wa s goin g to be a place where
Lesbians could moot and got acquainted
and Lave fi.;.n, Now, it seems, ,-re can° t
do a:r.ytt.in g by ot,.r-::,olvos wi tho'.lt invit in g
everybody e lse uho might possibly
bo
intor-ostod ~
I :-h:5
.nk we should have some open
moet::.r;g s, and Pm no t a gainst mon9 but a
littl0
goes a lon g wny~ Most of our
stuff
st:ould be for us, because wevre
the onos who ,; oinod, not all theso
g110stsa
If thir g s kaop on this way Pm
afr a id the~o 0 ll be ha~Qly any members at
g uests•
A lot of
our moetings--only
to
peopl e feel t his way h'.:t w0 hesitate
speak up because we donQt want to start
arguments.
--Name withheld
upon request
A: The very form of this question is
\ _:-\- seri ot1
.sly in crrcJr.
D.o. : is not ngw
n
\;)NJv and , vor has been a homl)SOX11[?'.'.. ~nor
'
iz~o
~ "1
i.s not, in mo ::;t respects,
~ , q ail or 6anization
for 11f;::J 2.le homosexr:1
~\5 • ua lo 11 'Khich is, at best, a misused
q medical
term.
go., ..f),O . B. is an organization for Lesbfans,
thou gh it has always been open
to 711 womor:~ providi::1G only that they
w2ro 21 years of a ge o
In our ea:rly ye a r:., in tho late
195o r- D.O.El u aLt er.1pteJ to wo r~
s,
closely
with vari:)".~3 F·:Lna:r~i:ty male
hom::,philc and sim:U a t> o:r. a:-, :3.. :'::-i ns •
g . ze. o
J
T!i.i:. sim ply did not work, for r.'. \~,.Y
sound reasons 0 Fi1·,d:..,.. .'.ld forer ::ost ,
a
maloss , homose:r:i.1. or not, tend to think
al
:
of womrm as ,taddod m0P1bors 9 " 11conven~
icncos'° to help THEM ass:..st them ~ in
1
roaching
THEIR goals.
This is not a
matter of malo preji.;;.dico, this is a
nocmal occuranco co. sed by the way in
u
wh.~ch yonr:,7, p eo ple a: ·e t::-ainod in ou r
sod.,7;ty~
Thero ha.va always been those
w;.,nen who felt tl:oy couid best serve
:
tho horr. philo or homosex:te.l movement by
o
wor!dn g with the mono •• a!'ld the so have
an d stilJ. do join tho ma.le groups in
s~.:1:;_1
nc1::r,b0r
so Fino, le L th01;1 D. 0. B.
o
is 1Aorki.ne; fo;r :Lesbians~ and thei r
ri ght , ;, primd.1·llyo
:
Boca'.lSO ,JO aro , all
of us 9 wom 9 whsther all of us like it
cn
or not, wa do ha ppen to have rr.cra in
c orm1 n wi -th vomer. in go:noral ti1an we do
o
wi.t11 men :i.n general~ •• and we always will
h,~
vn, however urLpa.latablo that mi r,; t
h
be to the male ch au.vid.s:,ic
Lesb:tar1s •
This does not moan -,;e &D.o'.lld ally
ourselves
stron gly wit.h ar~y one or a ll
womon9 s ri ehts or womE:1 s liberations
:1 ~
it l:olp::; ·i.; p o i1:'.:,
o
grot..pso, .j,n fdct,
out. tho fact that wh~lo wo h£.Yo.e. few
thirn 7 s in common with the male homosex(a fow more at
uals .,'and a few things
that) with the women° s liberationists,
wo are uniqueo
we have our own set of
problems O We will benefit,
surely,
from tho inevitable
law changes that
will help male homosexuals a groa t
deal and us very slightly.
Those ·
th::.n 3 s will help all of us in area s of
emp loyriento
But these battlas
indeed
are be::r:g fouglYt ar,.cl woll by all of the
S O!:l-3 70 male gro-.ips_. o .let
them, they
have a. lot mor e to gaj_n than we do.
On th,3 other ha.r.d, if all tho laws
were c han ged tomorr;w 9 that would
still
leave Lesbians a lon g . wa;,(s be ~
tfio male homosexualso •• and ~tis in
'
�.. . ..
M.iUDE.N
VOYAGE
(15)
these areas (whore we are counted,
after
all. 9 as 1'moro womon°1 ) th3.t we hav o thinf!s
t ,.:i fi ght with tho women 9 s liberation
"'
groups for~
vJhat. this boiJ.s clovm to is that wo lw.vo
basic problorr.s tba t concern us as Losbians.
Somo of tho :so 11avo to do with malo 1.nmo.
soxuaJ.s and t r1oir problems,
some of ti1ose
· th
~
have t o do w:,_ won::.:;ns rights 9 some of
them have nothin c~ to do with eithor
group .
D.O . B. would do bost t o ali:m itsoJ.f
wit h D .o .B., a:1d with Horkirn; to b1 i11g a
fow hur:dred U1Gus,l;1cl of our 01,,m mi) .li ons
int o tho battL; 9 s .) th 2-t wo rnj c:ht 9 with
s ome sens e of pr:i.do :1nd a cc ompJ.j_shrnont,
move into the naxt con:':,m•y w:l.th some o f
our battles
Wt'. 11~
'
No 0 ~1'0 olm, is r1-oin,' to
ca~ ,7 ou.,· b1P•d0.ns ~ w~: h'.•
.ve too fc,,: ~.ocpl\c/
'.
and to ') lit tle rr,onoy to waste oithcj~ any
of our pownr o r oui\ fu11di " or ou r time
1t:;
on anyo:10 o r anything ol::;o o WlxJro we
c 2..n b8110fit wc:tki .n :~ with the me:r 9 fino o..
.
when wo can bonofit
,;;orktr:,,r,- wj th womon7 s
,
ri ghts s fir;,q but wo must ;lways c ons ::.der
oursolvus
fh ·st)
,1.2 individuals,
we will
alw1.ys havo i::1<:-..11:r
different
interosts
9
goals and int ont.i.ons o
sts Losbiar:s) ·,m aro tho most downtrodclon peoplo ~ on on.rth 9 in history o
'That is by f a r m,ffi.cfont
bac; to c 2.rr y,
suf fi~iont
work for thousands~
r
Many years ai',O it wns formc:'.J.ly a ,:; ood
by the vast maj ority of mombors th at we
c ould not e.s a gro up ally ours e lves with
any other gr oup.
NOT boc &
uso wo do not
i21'.:l.
ividually
and co:.1 itivoly
.1.G,
np prove of
many ot!:lor gr o,lp s 9 m£ny othe r goa ls 9
,
but because when womon como to us 9 to
D.O.B. 9 tboy como t o j nin a Los bian
o r r;anizati on work in is .fo1 Les~)iar:.s o .~s
·
in dividua:.ts , do as ycu ploaso , but a s
members of D.0. B. give a ll you c an f or
all th e Los}:j .ans in this world who need
you 9 your tim o 9 your enor[:zy and lovo and
c aring a I f "1,, al::i.. do emugh of this,
,0
th oro won° t bo r oom for other e;onls for
a t imo ••• but the r e, will bo , some(lay ~ a
now way of life in frocdcm for a ll our
peopl8o
Is that no t enough ?
--Go ne Damon9 Editor
'l'HE 1,illDER
oH
wow
A: I favor D.O.B. standing
on its own
tv,o f eot s completely
independent
a nd
th ·.:s ~ ablG · to c ooperate wj_th
ot her or 3:c1.
nizntions
whore we have goals
i n con:r.:n,·i
o
TLe wc,:rd 11r ad ica:.." li:is m.1.r,y
meaning s
to da.:, o I c.:onsidcr mysol.f a: rad i.c:al in
t hought;,
Th'.l.t isq I .soo t :10 opp ression
of ovor :;.alf th o hum".n rf.'.co (\iiLa, some
t
c alJ. so:xj _
srn) as tho r oot tr ouble in our
so~iet.y')
P:n :radical~ too~ in tnat I
boliev-e our society
sb :r:. ld a ccomoda to
1
many life
styles
that h:1y•, no ono olso.
t
P m f or ri r-;
hts for hotor o sexuals o r
Dl'1cks or In dians or J ows or ~,hatever .
I uso the die tior.ary moanin;;:; of tho
To most pooplo it se ems
word radical.
t o m.oa wild behavior
r.
and a form 6f
l c?t ..,~in.:::;l~i gc.t:r-:",i Hor8 D,,0 ,B. is conS8~·va cJvo.
Wo fav o 1· tho qt:i.iet, d.i.gnifi 0d app ro a.ch . It is perh11ps ·sl owor
and less exc itin g . But it is tho only
way to m.'.lko real p:ro ~rossJ
I have forosoon tr.o possib ility
of a
s chism iri D.O ,B . sfr..r:o 1::-ofo:ro I took
offfoo,
l'Jow that olocti rms a.ro c orr.ing
up again at tho Gonoral Acsor:1.bly in NY,
I want ou r mombor s to know wh8ro I
st an d., (:{v l ott o:r.s in No,rnwoo:-::and tho
S.J. :,rd.a.y R.oviow state my vi8ws) 0 The
t
s eh if.m 9 as I tioo it, is b0twoen those
who ·L
hink of tl1e:.1:1 ;olv0a · as fem ,tle
homc:-;ez1:.c1. who w:P1t. t" holp t\.io male
ls,
holl~O exu,:ll 9 ~- . d who.- la (;k the Rr .i..do and
s
an
--corlf idor,,oo · in thoms0J.v ,'1s t ,:, f:i.7ht
or
Le s ians ,1,,.l
and those who realJ.z.0 thoy
are women before tho y a re Lesbians
an ct th.J.t ou r best allios
aro womon.
But abo ve and beyonJ this,
D.O.B. is an
indop ond.tmt organization
, not to bo
confusod. with any othor o
My. feE:J.iu g is that th o se who must
havo th u men around a r o in tho wrong
or ;~aniza:bio n--tho y should j oi n HUB or
s omu su.0h, Tho so who w,c::.ntto p lant
boitbs should j oi n tho Woathorwo men.
Those who want t o s:::roam in the
st roe ts shottld joinGay
1,ib or some .
such.
D.O. B. is not and cannot be
every Losbianvs cup of tea.ooShould
D.O.B. turn into a wild and ra di cal
0
-
j
�-
group or vote to lose its identity
in
a. soa of male homo
soX'..1als, I for one
will leave it.
--Rita Laporta
Nati onal Pr osidont~ D.O.B.
*
*
****
*
*
*
P E R S ON~ L S
*
* * * * *
COLUMN
***
* *
Do you nEJed a roommato for thf J sunnnor?
Woll~ so docs Shb.yna Rm:i.bon,, If you
can share yo-i..1.r
rent. w:ith Shayna,
.
contact Katy and Diana 2'77-8952
***
*
**
* *
*
*
***
* * * * * * *
COMEJOIN THE HOMOSEXU.~L
SQUARE
Tho country D<'.'. ·s ocioty is holding
nco
n
an auclionco participc ,t :i.o danco on
Boston CommonJuno 6 at 2 pom., and
wo want to dan~o, too--as gay
couples l F'or infor1111:i.t:.on, call
Laura Robin at 625.12630 We hop0
thn.t couples frcm all the homophile
groups will corr;o and join in.
***
* *
**
* * * * *
*
*
****
*
*
L~STMINUTEREMINDER I t i
11
JUNE IS BUSTINGOUT ALL OVERP.ARTY
Saturday,
Juno 6, 8:00-midnight
Candi and B0th 0 s mj_ni-apartmont.
Price of ad:t11ission; a snac!<:o
at
ENTERT.~INMENT
E V E R Y.
Boor provido o.--wo0 ro askj_ng a donation
of 50¢ po r bottlo,
If you dongt liko
boor, b:d.ng your own choico.
Wom
en
only (not counting tho :rosidont mo.le
Spaniel),., For d::.roctfons on how· to
get t o this 0sot0ri~,
phenomenal
1'1.,.,, ~ .... i~•-:...,nnn gl,: fo,,. 1'n~ .,
c;t,,
11
::>
.~r~
* • • * * * * ** * • * * * • ** *•
PL~CE YOURAD IN THE M,UDENVOY
~
~GE.• •
GE T
RE S ULTS
Six inse:rtions
two dollal"S
GE T
S .1 T U R D .~ Y
M,\.RIE
*
,'l.ND
HER
MIRRY
MAKERS
N OW
THE
fo:r ten dollars
or
and fifty
A N D
F R I DAY
con
ta.po:r
THE
LA N ER N
_T
LOUNGE
ad
LONG
POINT
RD.
T YNGS B OR 0
MASS AC HUS E· T TS
GAY
TRADE
COME THEL~NTERN
TO
TONIGHTltl
I
�.;
.
MAIDENVOYAGE
(17)
D .O .B • 'S c.:.LENDAROF EVENTS
(Un1oss otherwise
spocified 9 all events
of Boston D.OoB• :1ro opon to women only.)
Fri.
.Speake1: s
•
9 M:i;;-Z9-cJ ~ CO p .m~--Guest
fr c-1 B:rcc.d a nd Ro ses wiJJ. lead a dj_s:1.
cu::;s:·, on tho abus0 of women in a .:-1
.cn
.vortis :tr.g . C:~ rlrn Rooino .i",
.r-,
.rlin gton Ste
. ') r·5 ~OY.j.G v'.:ln sl, ;, 9 DOS ·t O n 0
C,..
·n,.:::.·cn, .):) B ' ..
L
L
D
Frio~ Ju:r.o 5~ " 00 p.m..,--M ombc rs Mooting.
--9
l"iEl ERS ONLYi 11 Clarke Room.
iJ
Sat.,
June 6--2; 00 p ,me ~- Dost on Common-Tho Country Dar: · o Society au.diorcl!O
•
partic :i.pati on d r.nc o v
.m.
Sat. , J1:r.e 6- -8: 00 p
till
midni r;ht.
Party at Candi and i3oth 1 s. De tails
elsewhere in this nowsl o ttor.
Sat.,
June 20-~Fiold
Da~
ba::.•beqao
at Betty~ s B!':.ng your
own fo od (and t,ott le ), sl oop in g ~o a:r.-p
otc 0 Fo r fu r th er in :forn:at.ion, call
GJ.il and Jo £..t 52J~ctn.
Tues~, ,Juno 23--D.O.B,
Nl ~ht at the Pops.
Tick e ts m'J. t be purch a sed in advance.
s
For f ·'-4:;:•
t hor information
call Rec at
JJ5-022•:Ja
Sato, Juno 27--Cvorni
ght campin g trip.
c all Gail
For fr;,rttm• in: ormatlon,
and Jo--5 ~3-21?7.
July 10~11-1~ .. -D.O.B. Convention in
Now York Ci~y a Full in.for1".:atfon
availabJ.0
to n:0mb
or·s i::1. ~1.pril/Hay
issue of THE LADDEH..,
in Boston D.,o,B. is $15~00
'Zh·'._saY1 1 l::1t rr.,-i.y pa.id on
,J
be
th o insta~J.r.cent -pl a.L ,:,.s f ol:01:s:
L, $5 :}00 do·w:i :e:q ;:,.!.:;:
' ·ed
2 o T!'.:.o
bal a.11 0 r;::. . t b0 fu::..l;:r y.
°~ "J s
,3.id
within thr ee r:ioaths O~ mon:'c3 S
"
al : coady pa id w:l.:'. be co:nsj .ci.::,red
.
.l
a ci.ons.t:L:in to D<
.C,.B" .s.nd t t o
pr ocess r-n.1 bo a ..a :::-t. a ga ::.:-1.
,t
~ cd
Jo The }fo.ic'i.011
Voya ge wil:i. be s0i1t
upon reC(➔ ipt of the fh·t:t
$.5.00.
4. The I.£,.ddo~ 1,il::;_ not bo sent
until
th e :f.'ull mombership is
pa.5.d in full.
.·
...
5• E ~., O~'C J.Ve Wl'th+· .. l::.8 f' 1:r.s1- $50 00 '
.;,ll
,'
acicr..
j_ssion to D.,O.B ~ meetin gs
(th-:is o wl:.:l.0h haye an adm::.ssion
fee) will be 50¢ instead
of $1~00.
Me~bership
p o r y e a!'.-·
**********• ******~
TE IESB:i:.. I!J I.~:TERA F:
:~
UJ
':!:'U
E
.A Bibliogre.phy by G8ne iJa,non
and. Loo Stua~"t
An 6.lphabetLal
listit1 g by 8.i..:.t!1orof
all kr,cwn bo oks in th e Engl if:h
la:n sua ge s in th o gor.eraJ. i'ieJ .cl of
lj .t e ra ture j concor:r. od wi,;:,h lesbianism
or havin g l.e sbi.r.n cha;:· a c ·:,ers(I
Price:
$2,,CO pluG 2:,( r.0ndli:ng
vJrite:
D11'.J.
ghte1:s o. .' Bllitis
7
10•)5 Market Sti ·o0t
'
San Frar.cL:co
Califorr.la
94103
*
*
***
*
******
In view of the age.old
Sat.
.Aug. 8--Doach
later.
9
Party.
glitterings
EVENTS TO CONE: deep~sea fisM .ng trip,
overni e; t b:ick:p, ick :mo
h
:
u]'.;.ta:'..::1.
trip~
horseba'!k ridi~1 g t1·;_p, ca:cd party,
and a ca noe trip with lessons
for
bo gim1ors.
nor
iron
FURTHE
R DETAILS IN THE JUNE ISSUE
conditions
Mi.IDEN
VOYAGEI l
I
*
*
truths
*
* * •
that
Details
all
OF THE
* *
GUARANTEE RKillEP.S
TO
OF THE l\LlIDENVOYAGE
cannot
part
birds
in all
arc
not rhinestones
a cage make; then we
j1:stification
or whole of purchase
refund
under
which.
RMT& CLM
any
�The History Project
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Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 May
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-05
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 6 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197005
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/d506a202f0102e952a0c50f55810909e.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=u1-77jLouwZgIA%7EHoED32Vs3%7EfdXAFeEZJcWpXOBbggNkB4dCtocAuejgZdqMQGBrDOcmUDzU1g8-IbR1riEqFzpKQYN3Vtsd6YQv1S8fNxn3102XhdHTAhrg-gyLKqK3%7EtnN-a6MO%7EbzL%7EsHd2Qw57dc6m3dQ7au3VQnaulZCwFvdmLALx3woQfCxfMyufmoXJzlz93W4rrXqNz%7EWXjYFF46bwuWIvFunPCaiOxAr4aJqYhwvFyk38i0KEte9P40lOq3zSZBqgNJHvpftSce-avfaUptlsuQPxCIsNnMlH6GKy8DIAd0pFxZnUEHiDkC9F5O9deR%7EockP-9tm2TIw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
e64625dc891fe9bfb93ba3e18f9290b6
PDF Text
Text
r
·.::. = ro. N
o~
..
l __
"--
a daughters of bilitis
newsletter
boston chapter
P• o. box 221
prudential
center station
boston, mass. 02199
june - july
D, 0 . I 3 • t,J E w S L £ T , £ R
"I love you.
1970
vol. 1, no. 7
But I am told I love you too much.
I love you in this way the world calls
outrageous.
I will not stop.
And I will do what must be done
To protect you."
--0:ie,lt; .&mmer
LUTHER.A.NS
CA.LLFOR F.A.IRTBEA'JMEN't'
by Pam Boyd
by Candi ?-bGonagle
The Lutheran Church in America h&s
publically
called for fair treatment ot
homosexuals.
In a statement issued July 2 in
Minneapolis by delegates
to an eight
day biennial
Intheran convention,
members declared that it is "essential•
that homosexu.a.ls receive "understanding
and justice•
in the church and in the
community as well.
The 6oo delegates representing
3.2 million Intherans in this country
also emphasized a belief that individuals
engaged in homosexual behavior were
no more or less sinners than were
heterosexuals.
The text of the church's stand,
entitled
"Sex, Marriage and Fa.mi4r,"
is as followss
"Scientific
research has not been
able to provid~ oonolnsive evidence
regarding the causes of homosexuality.
Nevertheless,
homosexuality is viewed
biblically
as a departure from the
heterosexual
structure
of God's creation.
"Persons who engage in homosexual
bel:w,vior are sinners only as are all
other persons-=eJiens.ted
from God and
neighbor. · However, they are often the
special and undeserving victims of
prejudice
and discrimination
in law,
A Lesbian is a woman. She is not
just any woman; she is a special breed
of woman. Her thoughts and habits and
feelings
are different
from those of
most other women. With a few exceptions,
she does not worry about getting an
abortion if she forgets to take her Pill.
She does not participate
in hen-se-s&i.omt--which debate breast feeding vs. bottles
or how early Johnny should be toilet
trained.
She wants her rights as a
Lesbian.
She does not clamor for free
abortion or child day-care centers.
Nor does she clamor for homosexual rights
per se, such as abolishing the dangers
of being approached by a plain-clothes
policewoman.
The rights she wants are
not women's rights,
not rights as a
homosexual.
She is a lesbian,
a woman
unique, with a desire for unique rights.
She is usually not interested
in the
right to have sex as such.
She would
prefer to have recognized and accepted
by society her desire to live with
another womanopenly ~.J.OR
--reJatjon.ship.
--- --She is d.i.ff'erent.
She may- say to
straight
people, "I'm no different
than you are," but this is untrue.
She
is different
from heterosexual
women in
that she looks to another woman for her
cont.
on page 2
D.0.13 THE
•••
VOICE THE
OF
I.ESBIAN
cont. on page 2
·-
�LUTHERANS,
conto
¥ill.IDEN VOYAGE
(2)
---- ----· -- V.OICE. '.
--_
cont.
fulfillment
rather than to a relationship with a man. She is different
from the homosexual male in that her
sights are set on a permanent love
relationship
rather than on casual
She probably goes to a bar
cruising.
for companionship and to see friends
more often than straight women; but
she goes less frequently
than gay men.
Like the straight woman and the gay
* * ~ * * ~ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * male, the Lesbian looks for job securitye
And she wants it for the reasons both
.J?~~
;~-- ~-~ Q 9
~ .If.fQ_E
P.
S:
groups want it--to
earn as much as a m
an
for the same work, and not to be fired if
?ros i dent- ...An F..aey
n
l
her Lesbianism is discovered.
In this
Eol::.oso
·
way, the Lesbian can benefit from
working with both Women's Lib and the
Vic 8- P:::-sident- •.Dian a Travis
e
homophile groups.
Bost on (277- 8952)
But -Womens Lib is seeking equality
'
with th~ male in a heterosexual
context,
Socret ary- - Donna F~rguson
and th o homosexual males are seeking
~Voce st '3r
i~
sexual freedom.
The Lesbian is looking
for something elusively different,
'J.'eas ur er~ -Ancl r C.:;x
:c
:somethin g .more subtle, a type of recogW
oare , Ne H3.mps re
w
hi
nition and acc0ptal'l.9e of what she is,
equality as a Lesbian, freedom to love
Itowslett er fil !3- ~
ff
and create a homosexual home.
This is where D.O.B. comes in. D.O.B.
F<ltor - -P am Boyd
i
should be the bridge for the Lesbian
between Women's Lib and the male homophile
Assista nt Editor s- movement. I~ should be the halfway point
r
,.~
:·.'.)se Ma i e Tur:r:,'.)
betweon the militant demands of Women's
CaEdace Lo iYfo
Gor:aglo
Lib and the sexual-f~edom
oriented
D.O.B.
demands of th~ homophile groups.
Prd.duc tion- - Bet h Restrick
does not wish to avenge the Black Panthers
Rose M
arie Turner
·
and it does not condone the almostCandace Lo McGonaglo
pornography found in some of the male
* * * * * * * * * * * * * ~ * * * * * * * homosexual publications .t It seeks only
understanding and acceptance.
Perhaps it is because of this lack of
'.·n.e June and July issues of the
_
stridency that s0mo members of D.O.B.
Ea::.'.en Voya ge a r e ap pearing as a
\look to ally themselves with Women's
ccJ1'i ed sunm:e issue o
bin
r
Lib and others with the more maleDue to th e cut-off in acti.viti0s
oriented homophile groups.
Perhaps the
and tl: e sumrno comm mo
r
itt
nts of some
younger members of D.O.B. find it too
m bers and i nte rest ed parties,
em
the
conservative.
But D.O.B. has been around
H.Vo st a ff felt that tho combined issue
longer than most of the other civil
would be more effective
at this timeo
rights groups--straight
or gay--and it
pick-up again,
As soon as activities
1 has
(so far) had a better record and a
wo will r e turn to our monthly
better reputatione
publicat i on o
Just as the Lesbian herself is a unique
-·=Pam Boyd
individual,
so is D.O.B. a unique
organization.
It serves the Lesbian and
Deadline for th e A
ugo issue: August 150
law enforcement, cultural mores and
congregational
life.
1' In rela.tion
to this area of concern,
th e sexual behavior of freely consenting
adults in priv at e is not an appropriate
subj ect for legislation
or police action.
97 It
is ess ential to see such persons
a s entitled
to understanding
and justice
in chur ch and co~
mnunity."
�t-'LtIDEN
VOYAGE
(3)
VOICE, cont.
it needs the lesbian°s full support, for
it is the voice and the strength of the
lesbian in a heterosexual
society.
* ** ** * * * * * * * * ** * * * * *
*
LETTERSTO THE EDITOR
:,
,'
Dear Madam:
Re the Open Forum Question #5. I
feel I must reply.
All involved in the
homophile movement, heterosexuals
included,
must, in my mind, stay within the sphere
Are we not all working
of cooperation.
for the identical
cause? Are we not all
working towards the day when gay people,
and women alike, can walk openly and
men ·.
proudly, without guilt or fear?
Separatism
certainly
will not help to hasten this day.
11~ho needs Charlie
Brown?" The same
pooplo who need Lucy and Peppermint Patty.
We need each other.
I.vfyhope is that
members of tho homophile community will
work with each other and thereby show
more heterosexuals
that the homophile
community is serious .?.nd responsible,
and will not be dctered from its aim.
--Cynthia Shippee
Ed. Note: There seems to be a communication gap. It was Lucy and Violet-not Lucy and Peppermint Patty.
JUso,
how can anyone take us seriously when
HUBpublishes such things as the "article"
on page 16 of its ¥1ay Newsletteri
.A
sense of humor also seems to come in
handy in our striving to solve our
problems.
Lucy and Violet, portrayed
in our last issue as Lesbians, do not
need men for everything!
Dear Editor:
I can hardly express my hurt, my
frustration
and my anger on reading the
last edition of The Maiden Voyage.
I am very concerned with both the
~ and tho content
of the letters
from
Rita Laporte and Gene Damon. I would
suggest those of us who do remember the
sting of name-calling or "queer-baiting,"
could refrain from labeling any of our
fellow members of tho gay com..munity.
To speak in exclusive,
limitinB~
rhetoric is to con~ributo to division.
A schism within D.O.B. is inevitable
if within our organization
there is no
room for difference
and no right to
disagree.
The health and vitality
of any
organization
is indicated by its
ability
to encompass a spectrum of
ideas and approaches to a given
problemo
I believe firmly in tho concept of
gay community •• •
The working together of gay men and
women to change the attitudes
and
actions of the straight world •••
Tho breaking down of inhibiting
sexual role play •••
These are common causes for both
straight
and gay members of our sooiety,
,ts race was once thought of as a
prohibitive
factor in movement within
society, sexuality for many of us has
confined the course of our lives.
Tho collapse of sexual stereotypes
will bo an important step in freeing
tho human person in each of us.
At this time, in this country,
every attempt to free man from
externally
imposed definitions
is a
political
acto The freedom to be and
the ri ght to decide who I am is no
more than what millions of my fellow
citizens
are seeking.
I join them.
--Gail and Jo
Dear Edi tor:
Since the last issue of the Maiden
Voyage was sent out, I have hoard much
discussion on the Open Forum Question
and Answers. Most of the comments
I have heard have been against the
opinions of the people who answered.
As a member of D.O.B., I feel I have a
right to state whore I stand on this
issue,.
when I joined D.O.B. it was sinco.I'm
a Lesbian and I wanted to meet with
and work with othor Lesbians.
I wanted
to help educate the public about
Lesbianism, help with Lesbian social
functions,
and help other lesbians in
any way I could.
If I had wanted to
help homosexuality in general, I could
have j oined any of the other groups,
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(4)
but I joined D.O.B.
Recently Boston D.O.B. hasn't been
strictly
a Lesbian organization
as far as
our meetings appear.
One week we are
"homosext1als 11 (male and female ) , the
next week we are 11women in America" as
one~
sees us, and the next week we
are part of Women°s Lib. Finally on the
fourth week we are Lesbians, having a
business meeting.
Don't misunderstand me;
I think we should have open meetings now
and then, but not as a steady diet.
I'm
not a man-hater, but I don°t always want
them at D.O.B. If I want to be with the
gay guys I go to them. HUBis open to
both sexes.
I think there are times
when we £fill help each other and when we
can, we should.
Thero are also times
when wo should stand alone.
Because we
are Lesbians we have special problems
the guys can°t help us witt.
Lot's koep 99%of our D.O.B. meetings
I enjoy bein g with the
for D.O.i. onlyl
girls and I think most of th o other girls
would agree.
Those who want to be with
the guys as well can join HUBbut on an
individual basis.
There is no reason
why we can 1 t be members of both groups.
Just don't involve D.O.B. as a whole.
There are mony things for D.O.B. to do
that don°t involve the gay g-uys, Women°s
Lib, or guest speakers.
There are problems
within our group to bo discussed • .. Let° s
,As_
.Gene Damon said,
stay indopendant.
"we are unique."
Lesbians are unique
and so is D.O.B. Let 0 s keep it that way.
--Beth Re:s:trick
*********************
DEFICIT by Kim Stabinski
Reprinted from Opus, 1960
half moon
slinking
through a murky sky
you may fool others
young lovers
who look to you
in hope
but not me
half
is never enough
EDITORLU, by Pam Boyd
,·
Organizations
are usually formed
by and for individuals
who share a
commonbond. These people work
together to promote their ideals.
Unity is tho key to their harmony
and herein lies their strength.
But when the faint line of a schism
begins to appear wit.hin the organization,
the time has come to take a
lon g, hard look at those original
goals--the
onos that brought everyone
together in the beginning.
The Daughters of Bilitis
is an
organization
founded by lesbians for
As an organization,
its
Lesbians,
first responsibility
should be
restricted
to the Lesbian, her place
in society and her place with herself.
when this committment has been fulfilled--and
only then--should
its
members seek to support outside organizations.
In any group there are going to be
differences
of opinion, but these
diffe..rences must not move on unchecked
and widen the schism.
Quite simply--not every woman is . a
women°s liberationist,
not every
Lesbian is a woman's liberationist,
and _
not. every womenQ s '1:ibe-ra.otionist
is . a Lesbian.
women's Lib is dedica.ted to fre_e.ing.. .
women from the bonds of society- ( "Man
is born free," said Jean Jacques
Rousseau, the French philosopher,
"but everywhere he is in chains.")
~-Jhat is the stated purpose of D.O.B.?-the one we acknowledged was of prime
importance when we got involved?--the
one that br ought us together?
A tree must have a trunk before
branches and leaves will growo
Edi tori s Note:
All opinions
are welcome •
on editorials
�Nii.IDEN VOYil.GE
(5)
BOSTOl'PSFUTURE: THE EIECT!ONS
by Tho Saint
ably como up with more. Think about it.
The coming elections
are 9ur future.
I do not mean to imply that tho end is
ne ar, but t o draw your attention
to tho
fact that you must vote as wisely here
as you would in any other electi on.
Fri end ship must not t ake priority
here.
Those who cannot be present on election
ni ght shoul d be sure to vote by proxy.
H
opefully, everyon e will vote, not just
th o usual handful of m
embers.. Whether
you think so or not, your vote makes
the difference.
Other chapters are saying that D.O.B.
Boston is doin g a great job. A job well
done is th e result of good leadership,
chosen by you. All lea ders can make
mistak es; but a good leader is ono who
listens
to all opinions (bravo, Annt)
and tries to do what tho majority wants,
who tries to do the best thing not only
for Boston but for the good name of
D.O.B. evorywhero.
losin g Ann Haley
will not be ea sy.
It is unfortunate
that th e San Die go
chapter fell apart.
Boston must not
follow this path for any reason.
(And-we hope--San Die go will rise again?!)
Pleas e remember--your vote~
count.
D.O.B. needs your active and
whole-hearted
support now and in tho
days ahe ad. LotQs kee p it to gether.
Yours for a new and free tomorrow,
The Saint
After a two month absence from D.O.B.
meetin gs, I fin ally maneged t o attend the
July busin e ss meetin g . I walk ed in with
a fr e sh mind, wonderin g what had been
happenin g at D.O.B. I noticed a different
air about this particular
m
ootin g; and
that ni ght I l eft with a good many questions in my mind and an almost sa d f eeling.
The M
aiden Voyage is announcin g the
coming election of officers
f or the Boston
chapt er, and one cann ot help but f ee l that
D.O.B. Boston is goin g into a stru ggle
for its very life~
Althou gh no nominati ons havo been made
yet 9. one can n1most pr ed ict who will run
for each office.
A this is the sad
nd
part; for it seems th be in the wind-no one ne ed say it, but th o feeling is
mn
th oro--b ecause our pr e sid ent, ~ Haley,
t ol d th e m
embers pres ent a t the July
m
eeting that she f elt nothin g got done
unless she kept pushin g . She sa i d that if
she stopped pushin g , everyon e and every§hin g als o stopp ed. imd Ann is tir ed of
pushin g . She se ems t o be sayin g a lot
m e here than appears on th e surfac e .
or
She seems t o be tollin g us th at she will
not acce pt re-nomin ation as pr e sident.
il.nd if lmn quits D.O. B., it seems th at
Bost on will l ose a l ot more th an just a
presid ent.
nn
Since it is impossibl e t o fo rc e A to
remain president,
it is of th e utmost
**** *** ** ************
importanc e that all Boston me ers rea d
mb
and listen t o th e views of all the candida tes.
You will need to make a solid
choice not bas ed on fri endship, but
ba sed on th e issues important t o D.O.B.
There are som issues th a t have caused
o
a l ot of d iscussi on recently;
juicy items JULY 24, 1970 , FRIDAYAT 7:30 IN THE
such as: shoul d wo allow men into our
CLARKE
ROOM THE ARLINGTON
OF
STREET
m
eetin gs? Do we nee d m
en? Should we
S
CHURCH355 BOYLTONST. BOSTON
become -such str ong a lli e s with Dr ead and
Roses that wo chanco sacrificin b our
D.O.B. MEMBERS--BRINGCOLDDISH OR
A
Wh t can be done to
a
in dividuality?
CA
SSEROLE SOMETHING EAT.
OR
TO
attract
and kee p new me bers? VJhydo so
m
NEWPEO
PLE INTERESTED LEARNING
IN
f ow members att end D.O.B. pa rti e s and
MORE
ABOUT
D.O.B.--JU ST BRINGYOURSELF
activities?
If we have app roximately 50
me ers, why is it th a t only 15 or so
mb
FOR MORE
INFORMATION,
CALLGAIL AND
att end moetin ~s re gul a rly (job and transJO AT 436- 7393
port ation problems underst ood)? These are
THIS I S YOUR
CHANCE LEARN
TO
MORE
but a few of thq issu e s. You can pr obABOUT
D.O.B. l ! !
;,
;
�BOS'I'ON
D~O.B~ ELECTIONS
Nominations and election of now
officers
for D.O.B. Boston will be held
a t the next busin e ss meeting on Septe 11,
as voted on a t tho July 2 meetin g .
The el ecti on of ded icated, r e sponsible,
cap able officers
to l oad our chapter
during tho coming year is of vital import anc e to the continu ed growth and development of D.O.B . Bostono Therefore, please
. r0ad th e foll owin g points carefully
and
bogin givin g this matter your serious
com. derat i on NOW~
d
1" Only full y,.paid members will be
eli gible t o run for office or to vote
in t he election.
Partial members
shou l d make every effort t o have dues
pa id in full prior to Sept. 11 (or
pri ol' to their 3-month expiration,
·· i' partial
payments were begun before
Juno 11).
2o The August issue of the J.v1aid0n
Voyage
will feature candi da cy announcements
(and vie ws if desired) of those m
ember s who wish to run for office.
Even though nom
inati ons not previ ously anno unc ed will be acce pted
fro m th e floor at the ele ction,
potenti al candid ates are urged to
announce th eir plans in advan ce via
H.::i.iden
Voyage for a two-fold purpose:
n.:pr ior announ cement will give
cancl:::.da
tes a chance to express their
goals for D.O~D. if elected to office;
tho memb
ershi p will have time to
consider~ quosti on, woi gh th e candidatos be f ore makin g docisi ons o
b ) th e August issue of th e }faiden
Voya ge will also cont a in a proxy
form for thos e members who will not
Those
be able t o at tend the mooting.
votin g by pr02'."Y
should know which
m
embers are pla nnin g t o run for
which offices so that vot es will be
ef fectively
used.
Agai n , th o dead lin e for the l~u
gust issue
ugust 15.
of th e Maidon Voyago is A
CHAPTER
CHt .. TTER
LOS ,i.NGEIES: The new name of the
Los li.ngel e s newsl e tt er is now LA DOB.
They were r ecently debating the pros
and cons "for coming out of the
cl oset, f or priv a t ely and publicly
admitting one 0 s homosexuality."
JY
IELBOURNE:On June 1 Mo
lbourne D.0. B.
held a ~~d Hatters Tea Party where a
prize was awarded for tho best hat.
The newslotter
initiatod
a discussion
on the differences
in gay life between
England and Australia.
SANFRANCISCO: San Francisco
D.O.B.
A
is planning a trip to , ngel Islamd,
a fle a market, and a joint dance with
SIR. The chapter is planning to take
a new office and would like a store
front t o provide space for both social
activiti e s and office equipment.
The
Maiden V
oyage is grat eful to the S.F.
newsl e tter for its kind words about us
and its reprints
from us.
NEw
YORK: Now York, as everyone knows,
was hos tess for the National Conventi on. Their weekly meeting following
th o General Assembly will be a Rap
Se ssion.
They are planning a discussion
on "Lesbian Life Styles--How Open is
Your Mind?" Speakin g of New York, we
would like to remind you that the
Gertrude Stein Bookstore ca rries a
complet e lino of Lesbian books.
Tho
address is:
The Gertrude Stein Bookstore
291 Mercer Stre e t
New York City, N.Y. 10001
********• *****~ *****
PERSONAL:
35, desires
NOTICE.-,~
-EFfECTIVE IHl.VJEDL,TELY:
Part-time teacher, past
to meot other women with
enjoy cultural
pursuits,
etc., especially
during
If interested
and free,
The--~a
,ilin g add ress for tho Maiden Voyage
J.V'iaidon
Voyage
is as follows:
c/ o c. McGonagle~ P.O. Box 55,
No. Quincy, l''.fass 02171
.
Helen Bakor
c/o D.O.B. Boston P.O. Box 221
Purdential
Cent. Sta., Boston 02199
whom to
travel,
the day.
please writes
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(7)
CHUR
C
-~-- H i\JEEDSHELP
--
!
!
I
i
l
t
The .All Souls Univorsali s t Unitarian
Church of Draintr eo suffered more than
a quarter of a milli on dollars worth of
damage in a general alarm fire Juno 1i.1-o
The auth orities
sus pe ct arson a r.d th o
controv er sial pastor of th o church wa s
the ta 1'.',
Ho ha s supported people
5 et,,
in ne:,d for more than seventeen ye ars
in th e toim and nationo
I-ioney is not th o most available
thing
around for a lot of us, but if anyone has
a spare dollar or two, it would be a nice
ge sture to send it to tho All Soul s Fundt
c/ o The Braintree
Savin gs Bank~ Wa
shin t~
ton Sto, So. Br r:
dntr eo , Mass", 02185.
Like most Unitarian church e s, All
Souls wa s open to everyone,,
*
*
*
*
* *
**
*
*
* * * *
**
*
*
* * *
JJvIPRESSIONS·=THE- ..,
OF
IDGE
- - -- -SNEEZE1--CJ\MBR
COMMON ,JAYS
SU
by Candi lHcGonaglo
It would be an 1nt or 8sting way to
spend a Sunday afternoon,
exce pt for
th e fact t ha t Pm alle r gi c t o L - smell
of gr a ss bei ng s:nokod, I spent the whole
aftern oon rub bin g my i t chin g eyes and
sn ooz in g o Ecology st·L1de ts should
n
campai gn to clear the a ir ove r the
Cambridge Co!llr:lon
fol' the poor, square
poop l o lil rn rne 1vho prefer th o smell of
fr e sh , cl ean airo
Tho placo was j ammed with wee kend
hip pies looking for a piece of tho action;
ol d 1ac'_ies out for what th ey thou ght
woul d be a Eluiot Sunday stroll
throu gh
tho Common~wit h th e ir st artl ed eyes
bulgi ng; some com...'11e al minded
rci
cap i tal ists in th e ir M Softeo trucks;
r.
and somo ve r y unbe li evabl e pe ople in
soma voi~y unbo l.iov abl o cost umeso
The gay people I saw wore doing
their thin g--th a t is, watchin g th e
straights
surrepti tously to see if they
were roc ogniz odo A f ew bol der Lesbians
held hands, a f ew r eckless girls did
some obvious cru :·'; .'".:g of my gi.rlo
It was fun 9 t i1
ough, to sec everyone
tryin g to out-shock everyone els e , and
everyone pretending th ey weren 9 t shocked
at allo
How
over~ it was a relief
to leave
at tho end of tho afternoon and
return to Quincy and tho familiar
sme-lls of diosol and .'soot and ot her
moro common forms of ai r pollution.
As I said, Pm allergic
to grasso
* * * *
**
*
*****
*
**
* * * * *
QUIETUDE by Kim Stabinski
Roprint od from Opus, 1960
Ah~-what a ple a sant interlude
To spend a sum..merin tho nude,
To sook a hi gher altit ude
Ji.nd all society elude o
I shuddered at tho magnitude
Of such a comfort able hab it udo
.A l aug hed at the multitude
nd
Who0 d consider this a turpitude o
Prepa rin g for my solitude~
I disrobed, and sorrowful ly viewed
My definite
lack of plentitudo
At just th o ri ght latitude
1md vice ve rs ao Subdued,
I put back on my clothoso
*
**
*
**
*
*
* *
**
* * *** * * *
PHOTOCONT
ES'f
Am t eur and prof e ssional photoa
graphers mi ght be interested
in
submittin g entries to tho Travel
New Engl and Photo Contosto
First
priz e is a Ford Maverick, $1000.00
in ca sh and other itomso
Tho photo must have been taken
between February 1 and November 30~
19700 Entri e s must be in no later
than December 15, 19700
For additional
inf ormation,
write:
Travel Now Engl and Photo Contest
P.O. Bo 1970
x
Boston, Masso 02184
************
***************************
ANNOUNCEMENT
ON JULY 24, 1970 .AT 7:30 P.M. IN THE
CL
iillKE ROOM THE.. I NG
OF
1RL TONSTREET
CHURCH AN ORIENTATION
,
SUPPERFOR
POTENTLi.L
JvIEMBERS D.O .D. 11J
OF
ILL BE
HELDo .'i. YONE INTEn.ES'IED LE/u'ti"\JING
N
IN
M
Ol-l.E OUTD.,O~B~, BE SURE TO .(i.
J.B
TTEND!!
�(8)
,ATTENTIONi ANYONEINTERESTED IN SELLING
IEJ.VION s COOKms) ETC • ON' c ••NBHIDGE
...DE
SUND.iYAFTERNOONS, TO l'1 KE $~$
••
COJvlMON,
FOR D,OoBos CONTACTL 'i.URAROBIN AT
625~
-1263
* * * * * * * * * * * *
0
**
*
**
* * *
.AN OPEN LETTER TO READERS OF THE M.V c
by Laura Robin
This spring
Boston D.O.B~ has had its
sri1:no of intornal
dissension
(sec,
oogo!'i
0Don For11m letter
from 0 Namo iili thheld 17
i~1 tho Nay lV.ioV
o) I feo1 we should not
be surprised
at our lack of unanimity.~
after
all , wo havo different
jobs~
di::ferent.
politicai
ou t l ooks, andj ospoc-,
ic1.::i
_
J_y= di _ffe1~ont reasons
for being in
D.,OoBc
I t hink we forgot son:otimos. ,c~as l'.Name
D.OoDo has
With>o ld 11 has forgotton~=that
sevoral
function s~. .~soc ial ovont s, fer
Le sbitt:C.3 is one, public
ecluca tion is
another~
1fo have had meetings
and
activities
geared to each of tho ,,o
functionse
Pleas e , "Name W:;,,tllhold, 17
j_ y ou f ool wo need more actj_vi'.:,j _
f
es Lir
Los-c:lans only~ offer
your help to
orgo .nize some"
Do sto: t1 D .O ,B ~ is so
ti~ ·1y that evory men:ber who does s omo.-,
thing plays 2-11 important
part in making
it goo
Ono last
thin g~• WO a ll hav e c ur own
=
lj _
ttlo
thing . ; WO wan t ot:.t of D.OcBo~
:
bu-::, we must consido:r
each other and
kocp talking
out our clis ag reementso
j\. li v ing, functionii1
g DoOoB. is r ory
i mnortant
for each of ns~- and for many
,
othors still
UYi.kLOWYlo
COHii'JG EVB.;NTS
A'I'
rosTON .o oB
D
Cl
July 2li,. Friday)
?:JO p..,r,t,_.,..
Orientation
Supper for those
intorosted
in le arn ing rroro
of Bilitl .s,
about the Daughters
in tho Clark e Room of the
Arlington
Stroot
Church,
355 Boylston
St~oot 9 Boston
.August 1/1, is tho d ea dline
for deposits
on th n f ishii'l g h·:l.p scheduled
for
Sopto mbor 19~ Sat. ,.uclayc
Dotails
on tho f olJow:b 1g page o
0- •
j
I
Sopt ombcr 11, Fr:i.day, 9~00 PoMo-1'1.embo:;_~s
1'.icet:1-: in tho Clarke
r.g
Room of tho ;ir li ngton Street
Chm:·ch .. E}_,
'3eJ:ion o f officers
1,.rill be hoL ; at thj_s time"
UNLESS OTllE
RvJISE SPECIFIED, ALL
EVENTS FOR THE BOSTON CIL~PTEROF
TilE Di\.UGrI'l'.FHS BILIT - 3 ;\.RE
OF
Kim Stabim ·ic. . is in THE
1
_
LWDER
again
soon with the publ5 cation
of hor
t:!.rticl. u
t 1'1'ho Fbnn.n Ca·tholj_ c Eomocez:ual., o o
THL OLD ORCF CHAIJGETI 1
R
-F
This ar tic1o 1,~iJl aonear ej_ther
in tho ,1.ui;ust/S8r__,-c,o;il:ier o::· the October./
November issuo of T1-:o Laddor 0
.A m_l;)J!.r eE.dfo g for oY<n
:~
·yon e l t I
**************************************~
I N V I T :.;. T I O N
18' YOUQRE IN THE STURBRIDGEVILLAGE
AREA THIS Sl! -IMER,
:
: J:)P IN AND VISIT MY AR'l' STUDIOa
CALL FIRS'l'- ••NIGHTS OR ANY TIME
vJEEiiliTmS.
PHONE iV.fAE DUDLY, MASS AT
IN
o
D01'P FO
T
RG:::/
:'--T HE: DKi.DLINE FOR THE
AUGUST LSSUS OF THE h11IDEI1T
VOY.~GE
.YUGUSI' 15 ii.ND .hLL H,~TERLi.1 SHOULD
rs
DE .SEi(T mn:,Y TOi
THE M.\ID:2:IJVC
,L~G.E
C,, HC GOi GIE
:iLl
c/o
P. 0, BOX55
N0o QUINCY, M,1.SS
..
\CFlJS
ETTS
02171
943-7232
vvE NEED v
JRITERS~ 1
1.EPORTEP.S,
HEVIE'.,mR3 LND AriTIS TSo
v!1:LL YOU CON'iRISJTE TO YOUR
i'JEv✓ SLETTER? 'if
�MAIDENVOYAGE
(9)
\.
HERE IT u · - - WHATYOU VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
i
/\
i\ ,.·•··-r ·
•
~\
',i ~;, ',__,-
I
THE D.O.B. FISHING TRIP
SATURDAY,SEPTEMBER19, 1970
1:30 P .M. to 5:30 P ,M•
J> ',
...
(' ., ,,.
.
.~
f
I
,,·t. .'\
,
)\
(. >,. ''t /:
$4. ',Q I,
Pr i. ce per person:
MUS be paid by Aur;ust 14
T
as we must pay for
charterin g the boat
i n advance!
J
This will be d half day trio
sailing
from the Al Gauron
Mackeral and Deep Sea Fis hin g
f ier, located
at the st a te
pier,
Hampton End of Brid ge, ·
Hampton Beach, N.H.
·,
(\/
; ....~\,,. ;,,
FEE INCLUDES:
Bait
'"'Drop lines
·Can openers
~-~
-. ...
"\
_;
"
...... ..
v'--·- ·.,,
·
(::i me people actually
o
fish)
(For the refreshments
everyone b rings )
(Al says beer is ok--but nothin g s tron ger please!)
(For the b i gg est fish--if
we c an get a pot going)
'Pri zes
$1 . 00 if you plan to catch fish too big to haul
'"'Rod and ree 1 rental
drop line.
YOU SHOULDBRING: a cooler of
sea sick--t a ckle, if you have
sea breeze,
no matter how hot
oil if you' re going along for
--a sturdy pl a stic bag or pail
up on a
liquid
refreshment--food,
if you plan not to r et
it and plan to fish--WARM clothes
for the evenin g
it is when we start
out--bathing
suit and suntan
the ride--a
camera to record this memorable '·first
if you plan to carry your catch home.
In order to charter
this boat, we must pay for it in advance-- and we must pay
for a minimum of 20 fisherme n and/or fun-lov~rs.
Th is means we must fork over
$ ) 0. to hold our boat ! r LEM;E HELT US MAKE THIS TRIP A SUCCE
~
'
SS--SEND YOUR
$4.50 NOW, ALONGWITH THE !TUB BELOW, TO THE D.O.B. ) ,0. BOX. If we don't have
20 payments by August 14, we will refund your payment and relinquish
our cl aim
to the boat.
We don't claim that we will "cheerfully
refund" your money,
because we hope we don't have to--but
we will refund it.
If you pay in advance
and if we have enough to go ahead and charter
t he boat and then you can't
go at
the last minute, we wi l l !!.Y to sell your place to last-minute
fishermen
and
still
refund your money.
The boat will hold 4 5 people--we
need 20 of you to
si gn up immediately
or it wil l hold s omebody other t han our group!
Do it--NOW!
NAME
_____________
_ ___
_ HOME·.-HONE.
______
TUWN
______
$ti .SO enclo s ed for:
__ _ me; ____
guests
(sh ow number of guests )
(? le as e be sure to enter phone no. so we can notify you in case of last-minute
postponements
due to inclement
wea ther,
sunken b oat, etc.
Return stub to DOB BO TON, Box ?2 1, Prudenti a l Center r:t a tion, Boston, l'fass . ,
f
021 99 . Mark envelope "Attention:
Andy and Kim" so that your reservation
won't get mixed in with ot her mail.
t
WE LL BE LOOKINGFOR YOU ! ! ("-.__,.'
!
--:--;_< '\./ .. ' "-.,
(\ /..-- ~
0,/ ---...,,
( "
\
\
' .,
~
(,/· .... ,.. ..'
t
.'
'1
,:> . ..__
·, .
( ... .-
,,
>,
I".
'-. ,
t,.::.-- ---
.,.
(> ·' ._
,·-;, \ :
i - ' ·... .·
,'\
i
,,
~> .
' -, /
_
11
�The History Project
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Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 June-July
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-06; 1970-07
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 7 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197006-07
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
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~
a daughters
of bilitis
newsletter
boston chapter
··
p;, · o o box 221
pruden t i:al center sta tj_on
.:boston, ,. mas$,, 92199
I' for med a shawl of the water's
shinihg,
a seabird •s wing.••
for th e skirt I took the mist from over
a •su rrm: fieldo • •
or
and uj_th these I clothed her •• •
he r heart beating,
beating ... u
0
· a cla sp from
--Kenneth
Patchen
THE 1970 D~O,,B,, NATIONAL
C01W
~:tl'I0N Alm GE ERAL ASSEMBLY--=WHERE flE'NOW???
l'J
A.RE
The biennial , con ven ti o:,:iof the Daughte rs of Bilitis
was held in .•New York City
on July 11 and 12~ wit:1 s:i.x BqsJ,on memb rs in attendancec
e
In the absence of all
of f i ,:>,os tt .e General .Assembly was chaired by Ros, president
:
c
of the
our National
New York chapto :t·(' 'Ihe .:'o::1
.lowing measures wore approved by the chapters
present
(Boston, No Yo!?c~ Los fu"'i.geles, Sa n Francis ,'.'!o and l'1
w
·~
iilbourne
represented
by
letter):
th e old ~;:,· d::n: Natio n2 l officers
st
of
for DoO.B. was abolished.
A National
Governing Board uD.l t ake the place of the Hational
officers•
This Governing
Each chapter is to
Board is ma.de up of Ua p rz sido:nt.:: of t he local chapters.
appo:i11t someone t o a s slur. the r e sponsibility
o
of cor.irrrunication with all other
chaptersc
With the c:::.
c0ption of tho requir em
ent that only women may be members,
�MA.IDEJ.
"\JVOYAGE
(2)
fQNVEHTIONcon °to
9
each chapter was given full autonomy. The
Constitution and by-lm-i's were done away
with on a National levelo Because _g_
-~~:fe
.DDER
disassociated
itself with DoO•B•s
DoOo is legally separating itself
Bo
from
~ LADDER. This is being done under the
direction of the president of the Los
Angeles chapter? so tho.t D.O.B.. will not
· 'bo . held re sponsible in libel suits or for
future debts of 1]§. LADDER. is hoped
It
that each chapter will improve its nows·lotter in light of the lack of an official
I) ;O ;n. niagazine.
The noxt convention will
bo held in Los J\ngeles in 1972c
Nany members of the Boston chapter
have put much time and energy into
debating the legality of th o 1970 General
Assemblyo There was a question if _
tho
six Boston members who attended tho . o:mvention could be called recognized delegatese
However as those Boston members who
9
could have been call ed delegates decided
to boycott tho conv<mtion without notice
to th e membership, this question sooms
pointlesso
Tho six who di<;i attend the
General Assembly (Gail, Jo, Laura, Diane,
Beth and Candi) participated
in a convention which, legal or not, prevented the
demise of DoOoBe
It is hoped that tho Boston chapter
can put aside arguments about the
le galit y of the convention and go
forward with the united aim of creating
a strong Boston chapter • .
A committee was appointed on August 16
to write the proposed Boston by-laws.
Those will be presented to the membership for consideration on Friday night,
September 11e ~m members please attend!
Your chapter needs your support, more so
now than it ever has•
Q oQoB~-...BOSTON
OFFICERS:
President~-Diana Travis
Boston (277-8952)
Treasurer--andy Cox
_Weare, Hew Hampshire
.
Vice President and Secretary
pending elections
vacant
NEWSLETTER
STAFF:
EditoJt-Pam Boyd
Assistant F.ditors--Rose ~arie Turner
Candace L. iY"lCGonagle
Production-Beth
Restrick
Bose !vhr,ie •.Turner
.Viola. .N. ··
Candace L. McGonagle
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ~;:_.·;,.
..•
~
PERSONAL Apartment wanted to share starting
mid ...
August or September •. Writes
, ,_
.
Joel Rehmer
P., o. Box 192
Westford, Jvhssachusetts
01886
* * * * *
*
* *
*
* * * *
*******
•
1'Q CHRISSY by Renee
I gaze in the mirror•
What do I see?
Howcan that be?
They say IVve upset my entire world
Simply by loving another girl.
what real difference can I make
1
/hen it 0 s my life to givo or take?
Howcan I cause so much harm
By lying in a woma.nvsarms?
Will society ever raise the ban
And accept what we are, the · Lesbians?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A normal girl~
!f)M ~ .QJiTHEA~iAYS by Laura
*1
*
I
Robin !
Four Boston homosexuals were on the
Rap 0 70 show on Bostonvs black radio
from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.,
station, WILD,
1•·
Friday, July 17•
These guests wore Gail King (D.O.B.),
Steve Russo (Boston University Student
··,.'
Homophile League), Bruce Gordon (Gay
Liberation Front) and Harry Phillips
(Student Homophile League•) . ·
The host for tho program was Jim
Davis., · It was a talk show itith a few
phone calls•
�M.1-\IDEN
VOYAG
E
(3)
!
1
DIANA, GAIL ANDJEE STAR .91-i
~
I
BOB--What do you feel is the greatest
source of discrimin ;ation a~d intolerance
Diana Travj_s and Gail King of Boston
toward and against the homosexual
D.O.B., and Jeb Boswell of the Harvard
··community in the United States today?
Graduate Student Homophile Association,
.
GAIL, DIANA, JEB--Trnditional
,,.
appeared for half an hour on the "O.B.W. 11 · Christian
morality.
;t,:
. , : show on WHDH-T. 0::1 Sur:.day, August 9 at
V.
GAIL··-The Old Testament spoke of he
1::
,.lQ: 00 a .m. The host was Bob Sterlin g
Law and the New Testament continuall
.n~
.
Smith.
Some of the excellent
dialogue
speal , s of Love. And when I find the ,t)
included:
' institut ional ,;;bur ch (and I think th jf,s
BOB-~Is there a basic difference
an impc ::t nnt: cor rect:!.on) speaking in {j
·.
'
· :::
'"
;;;, ♦
thi s c1.me u1 r:,y 1 :1. e to me o f La w an ~ 1
between.the
mGle and female hom,osexual
communities?
Do you think they really
not of the Love t hen this--to
me--se ·~
ari very separated,
very distinguished,
arates me f::o rn the Church as an inst
very segl:'.'e
gatcd communities?
tut i.on.
;'i.r
· GAIL;.-! don't think there's
any basic
B0i3--Do you f eel society is keepi ,;.;?
diffe'.rence in the communities.
I think
step with these ve,."y bold declaratio
jJ
th~re 1 a differen~e
in.the way the
(on acceptance of homosexuality
in s '~
'j
churches)?
·.,•,;
,
comniunitie .s are treated.
There :is a
distinction
between the way a gay woman
DIANA--As far as society really
_going sornethin g-.:.no. The laws have
is treated
in our world and the way a
gay euy is treated.
not been chanied.
Legislators
are
scared silly to give any approval at all
GAIL---I think it is absolutely
to the fact that these laws might be ·
necessary--to
be a healthy gay person-to choose.
I thi nk in a certain
sense
unfair.
I don't think society has kept
bl _ck people have to choose to be black
a
pace--but maybe as soon as education ·
take s place--·when you 're floored by the
in our society,
choose to claim their
blackness
and the beauty of it.
And
myths of everythi.nrr, it 's very easy to
do nothing.
this i s what I'm talking about in relation
JEB-·-A lot of times homosexuals end
to gay people. rrrt is no longer going to
you're a
up bein g acce pted--"Well,
be a burden on my shoulders,
a defect.
wande:i."ful person so I' 11 overlook the
That I choose this way of livin g and this
fa c t th.::it you're a homosexual."
You 1
way of loving."
BOB--Do you feel that this (homosexual-.
ohouldn' t have to prove that you ' re f-:··
wonderful pe;.-son, ycu should be acce1ted
ity) is a disease?
DIANA--No--not a disease.
I think that
just as a person like everyone else. t ·.
the fact that many people choose to repress All t hat the average v:i.ewer has to d ·. •
it--not
to repress it, but to be so afraid,
to m1dc::t~ . nd .,~h:.-. ~o-mosexuc,alis ~o t .··
~..
,
·.nk
to undergo so much strain from their jobs,
of him .:· a z.. P- t. Si...
,:
:
:U-: a peroon entitle
" r::
the possibility
of losing their jobs, they to the 1·esp8'.:t that he would give an:y,
···
.;
p;;rson he didn I t know.
!t
always have to lead a double life.
This
At the end of the p-:: gram, the ad~ +'
o
can lead to much tension in your life and
much strain on your personality.
Then I
ress of D.O. B. was fl as hed on the sc t e~
~n
do not think the cure would come from
and, althcu 3h the name was misspellep. -.·.··•
helpin g that person change--but
the cure
and th e adc
h·ess \ JBS not perfect,
it
can come fro,o society by helping society
hoped that many people will write to l \\$·
This pro gram was an example of publi f ·
chan ge. I think that 's the cur e for any
unhappiness in homosexuality.
lt should
education at its best.
f
--C.L.M.
be the change in society.
The usual myth that all lesbians
are
"truck drivers"
was refuted,
reason given
bein g that these are the only ones society
can recognize.
·~
t
s
.. '1
fs,
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(4)
LEl'TERS TO THE EDITOR
approachin g a plainclothes
plant--safe
l
to wall~ own_tfil L..si .ee"t_in fu .11 drag,
Dear Editor:
<
· .
holdiri g; hands- - safe.
Cynthia -Shippee's letter
in the June/
At the risk of being accused of
11
11 to
· . July MV did ' it- ~ finally
,1
decideq ,to
name..:callin g or queer-baiting,
speak up on one particular
bit.of
drivel
borrow a phr a se from another letter in
that we ' ve been fed over the past months
the June( July MV' let Is stop to think
?
until I 1 m afraid some of us might start
about the effe ct this freedom may have ·,
to believe it simply through the parroton the fellows.
Certainly not allot
like recitat·ions
bein g implanted in the
.
them--not necessarily
the members of
s1!bconcious, much t _ e same as a record
h
any of the male-oriented
. homophile gtou •
bein g played over and over in the sleepeven- -but a number . of them .(likely a \
1
learning theory.
sufficient
number to do· the job) will
·
From the letter
in question,
urgin g
flaunt this freedom.
They will use it '
cooperation
with all within the homoto the hilt--ri
ght und.er the noses of .t 'e
11
very public from which we women are · ·
ph.ile movement, I quote!
Are we not all
.. working for the identical
cause?"
trying to gain social acceptance.
NO-- in capital
lett .ers and underAnd that general public is going to
lined, NO!
turned off--and that s.ame general publi
is sure to rGmember that organized
Gh, sure, if you want to lc ok . t the
a
broad (ver:y broad) view--:as quoted from
Lesbians worked side by side with the
11 •••
the day when gay
the same letter,
organized males to obtain this freedom-people, men and women alike, can walk
~nd that same general public, in assocopenly and proudly, without guilt or
iating an of us in the homophile movefear 11 --in that sense we are workin g for
ment with what they see being flaunted
the , same cause, ideally at least.
before them, wi11 throw us all into the
same kettle
of stew as far as social
But we all know that £Q. group can
acceptan 'ce ..gqes.
work toward a broad goal as such,
specifically,
alone.
What we do is work
I am:·not a man-hater--not
by a long .
toward particular
immediate goc1ls ,;rhich,
t certainiy do not begrudge gay .
shot.
will brin g about the
when accomplished,
males the right to be free from police
har:: nssment, to have more job security, :
realization
of the broader r:oals.
And what are the specific
goals of the and so on. But I do not want to go doftl
in the public mind as fi ghting with the
men's groups as opposed to D.O.B.7 To
condense into two words the driving aim
boys for their sexual freedom.
I feel ! it
of each group as evidenced by the type of is their fi ght, not ours .."'.that we have ·
efforts
to which they are committing them- enough work ..of o'µr own ,to . do, some of ~t
and techniques
selves and the attitudes
in the ~ame direction
arid some not.
can't see our working toward le 3al reform
with which they approach these efforts,
the men '.o groupo are after sexual freedom which will benefit
only them, our par- I'
ticipating
in grqup endeavors (even in
and the women are more after §2..Cial
the educational
line) where the male
acceptance.
Now, are these two specific
goals the
view far overshadows the female sides
same? Are they ·e ven compatible?
that the public gets a male angle with ,
Let ' s project in time to the point ·
the added impre~sion of Lesbians sitti
g
wbere the boys -- with our help, working
beside them in agreement. . By the samej.
at their sides--have
gained the sexual
token, I feel many of our gay male
;
A n1 io of laws
. ,e.r
m
friends would not · begrudge us successe :
s
freedom they seek.
have been wiped · from the •-·books, gay bars
in the women' s lil>eration movement--bu 't
without fear of raids; ,
are .fl6urishing
• if we asked _
them to work with us in this
police forces are concentrating
their :
tellus
that
area, they would politely
effor t s in other areas and police harresanot theirs.
1
is ou_t fight,
ment has become a thing of the past.
The
It is highly likely that there will
boys are now "saic "--safe to solicit
sex
be special programs in which we can, as
at will in public places without .... fear - of
a group and under the D.O.B. banner,
'
~-.
j.
1
·
II
-
___
---
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
I
'I
I
(5)
LETTEa'~,
con . t.
--grat - them into our . <:>wn_.
e
- society,
to say
nothing of better preparing
them to cope
._
heterowith the "non-understttndineu
·1:::oo~erate with the ·other homophile groups
s·exual . society.
Here we have all come
fot-1ai:d specific
ends ' advanta geous t _ us
o
but too
_ to joiri in a sexual sisterhood,
all.
Such_ cooperation; · thou gh, should
many are treated
as po~r relations.
We
be selective,
should he 'approached with
have instructed
them where they could
di &
nit.y, an9 should .be undertaken only
after
majo:tity ' vote of the ~oston D.O.B. find a sympathetic priest or psychiatrist,
how they should make out a will ··n1e,1J!bership to participate.
- - Such joint
but as for a relating
or workin g to ge theffort-s
should ·also . carry some assurance
er, we have failed_, ·
that the f_emale attitude
will have equ~l
The second purpose of D.O.B. is nEd··
pub lfcation
rather than bein [:; expressed
ucation of the public, developing an
to the male
as a r a-ther weak post script
understanding
and acceptance of the
views , . , .
•'
You cap. le gislate
laws.
You cannot .
Lesbian as an individual,
leading to an
you
legislate · public acceptance--that
eventual br~akdown . of erroneous taboos
must work for in a d:i. ni:Hed manner
g
and prejudices ..• 11
which proves you worthy of a• first-rate
This we have mc,1de
.our primary goal.
place irt the social structure,
For this we' have spent most of our
Is this 11s phere of cooperation 11 for
energiofJ and, unfortunately,
most of
- all ·of us ''working for the same cause" ,
_
our worldng members. And this, my
::,: r; to hasten the day·when Lesbians are friends,
oin
I feel is where all of our
sci2ially acceptable ··-or is it goin 3 t9
troubles
lie.
We have broken into
set us back 5, years' worth of ~,erk in
separate camps and have started
name
Think about
the public . -~cfucation area?
callinc,
the names bein3 radical,
liberal
it.
It ' s s omethin g we must decide ··But the one thin g that
and cmiservative,
and w0 _
must decide how the maj ority
se ems to escape the guilt} ,est of us is
(yes,_even the silentmajority)
of our
that there arc radical
co11'servatives.
membel:'. feel about it before we adopt our From the dictionary,
,s
some definitfons:
chapter c,aristitution
and by-law ·s and
Radical--an
extremist,
especially
before we elec~the
officers
to l~a d
one who advocates complete political
us in the direction
we want to gcf_
or social r _
eform.
durin g the coinin g year.
Liberal--one
who is prf'?,rcssive
in
-· :Kim 'Stabinski
thinkin g or principles,
bro ld-minded
or politesp~cially
'as to religioub
Dea r Editor:
ical ideas.
The first
purpose of D.O.B., as
Conservative--one
__
who opposes
stated in each edition of THE LADDER
sudden chan ges in government or
thus far, is: 1,1E~~c~t: :on of th~ ::Lesbian,
policy ; a believer
in things as ..
enablim: ~.,- her to · ~nderstand - herself
and
they are.
.
to ma'.<:eher adjustment to society in all
So, you see, any extremist,
whether
i t s social, _civic and economic _
implican be called
liberal
or cons~rvative,
catio ns ••• .by providing the Lesbian a
radical.
forum for the - interchan ge of ideas
I have been called a_ conservative
within her own group. 11 _
many times recently, - c,1n~i"Iobject. ' l,
This, our suppo - e<:llr -primary purpose,
s
among others who have shared like· fate,
we have failed in -- no, we haven't really
consider myself _more liberal
than I have
failed,
we never started.
We have _
been given credit for.
I for one will
provided a fo . r,um, yes--a place to theet -:
not lend my support or my vote to a
but not a 'plac-e to interchange
ideas.
radical
in either camp~-both are -equally
We have $pli_t: into cliques or factiops,
··
deadly in any or ganizaiion~
those of us viho came here fairly well
We have now coming up a most important
adjusted and scimewhat self - oriented.
·what we decide this
time, elections.
For the majority,
the great silent _
·
year will probably make or break our
majority~ we have done nothing to inte chapter.
We have all been too intim1
a
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(6)
look lousy in black anyway. Besides,
my voice isn ' t deep enough and my
..t·:,.
. '''
idate<i. by the cry 11radica,l";..;;or even the · cauldron is · cracked.
Or is it · my yoice
that is . ,cracked ' and my cauldron that
cry _
flliberaL"
Too 'many people have b.een
isn't deep enough? I don't know.
jud3ed guilty by association,
thus the
lu1yway; a few weeks ago I went to
misnoma of myself arid oth_crs bein g called
my second D.O.B. meeting.
As I was
conservatives
and s·ome good, honest,
. comin g around the corner of Arlington
bein g called
very hard::-working liberals
a girl pulled up on a motor•
Street,
radicals.
• Now's the time for us to smarten up if
Itrn:nediately I was impressed.
cycle.
She was very adroit as she got off and
It may be our last
we ' re ever going to.
I can ' t imagine
walked up the stairs.
chance.
We have to start workin g to ge ther as a group of Lesbians with . a common
myself on one of those things,
though.
On the first
try I 1 d probably end up
goa l, overcoming personal prejudices
in a hospital
with a concussion and 25
and jeal ousies, in a selfless
effort for
stitches.
I know, because when I was a
somethin g we believe to be worthwhile.
kid I got more stitches
than a basebqll
In looking over the membership for
and twice as many as any kid on the
potential
leaders,
utmost in our mind
should be the good of all.
There will
block.
I was the only kid in the
always be personal little
power struggles
neighborhood who kept driving her trike
- ··without this . we wouldn I t be human- Finally,
after three
into a tree.
but it is t he duty of every votin g
· tricycles
and 21 stitches,
the intern
member to cast her ballot
for the good
at the Efflt~ge~ay ward felt sorry for me
of the chapter rather than for the sake
and bou ght me a scooter and I rve been
· of any misguided loyalty to any individdrivin3 it ever since.
·
ual or clique.
I followed this girl
But seriously,
I personally
believe we have enough
admiring her very much.
up the stairs
good . people oLvarying
viewpoints who
I tried to walk just like her and when
wouid be able to ~ooperate in the
she sat do'ym I sat down beside her and
16adership
of this chap~~r if all the
everything
she did I did.
When she put
fuel for the petty differences
was put
her hand in her back pocket, I put my
·aside and we go under orie ·name as one
When she
hand in my back pocket.
group--,-all ·Lesbians of D.O.B. _ Boston.
crossed her leg, I crossed my leg.
--A1~dy Cox _ .
__
Everythin g was fine until she pulled
_++++++++++++
-+++++++++
wooden match.
So I
out a ci gar and a _
turned to the girl on my left.
She was
OVER +HE FENCEWITHDIANE O'KEEFE
givin g a humorous account of her recent
by Diane O'Keefe
nervous breakdo"vm, her . involvement in
Bread and Roses and the poetry she was
I am so sick of rollin g bandages for
writing.
She was impressing everybody
lepers in Tanzania on Wednesday mornings
while I sat there with a worn ~out
you don't know. In five years I haven't
pacifier
and a rubber duck that went
gotten one thank you card or a sin gle
quack. What am I doing wrong?
telephone call.
No one over there knows
got around
Finally the conversation
I 1 m a live and I ' m sick of bein z a robot.
to bras, girdles,
make-up and hairdos.
I 1 m sick to death of the Ladies' Sodality;
Most everybody agreed they were han gloo k ing at pictures
of other people ' .s ·ups.
I sat there with neatly coifed
ugly kids and listening
to crummy stories . hair and tons of make-up on looking
of ""hy Johnny still
can I t read.
...
like Greta the Goon with :a Shi~ley
So a few months back I joined D.o ·~B.
Temple haircut.
· I vasc:t"llated quietly
hoping to find a golf partner
(what a
betwe(3n silent rage and qutright
indigsneaky way to get an ad in).
Actually,
nation.
Finally I muster - d up enough
e
I would have joined the Women's Inter coura ge to climb on top of my highchair
national
Terrorist
Conspiracy Frot!i' Hell,
and with my tap shoes in one hand and a
but the wart on my nose cleared up ai.fa I
lollypop in the other, I announced to
J,.~TERS , con ' t.
�· ;. ,
~.;.
-:·
,
·,
/
I .
!
MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(7)
OVER
1HE FENCE, con't.
cryin g for my blanket and· 'my Raggedy
Ann. That would be a l~ttle
inconvenient,
, !':,, , . all
that withoU:t any make- up I look like
in -the middl~ of a Jpeech.
especially
Also, I am very highstrung.
somethin:3 that should he walked on ·a
The
other day I broke a shoelace and went
leash from 7. l:!. m. to 10 p .m. and every
··· tied and telephone pole should he watched
into a fit of f1yflfe:ria. ~ As if that
weren I t enou gh, th.e $t}me day I lost my .,
closely.
No one was terribly
impressed,
but at least they knew I had an opinion
comb and my typewriter :ribb6n broke
1
I paniced anq called my psychi '
on somethin 0 and that I wasn 1 t one to give again.
trist.
He told, me to take a lon g walk · .
up my individuality.
One woman--she was
a hot bath and : wo 9.sprin.
t
Of course,
~
type- - cocked her head
the bi g , masterful
to one side in dinbelief
and looked at me the typewriter
ribbon:.is : still
broken, ;, ~
.· rather strangely
like I had two heads ,,
but I feel jus~ great·. .
::~
I w~sn It
,·four arms, and my fly was open.
Also, mak:ing small decisions
is a
problem for me. The other day I was
goin g to argue with her with a ten foot
driv:i,ng into Boston and Tcouldn It
pole.
I'd have ended up wrapped around
it and a steak over both eyes.
Of course
decide bet.i-1een the tunnel or the bridg ·
Fina Uy, . cit tj:le last minute', I chose
I could have g:j:ven her a karate punch if
"checked
•.
she· came after : me except I , _on t know any the bridge ·and inadvertently
d I
guy into the boards" at Bell Circle.
f ·!
karate;
so instead I took . my foot out of
So, you see, · I'm not quite ready for the
my mouth, climbed down from my hi ghchair,
bi g stuff.
Until I am, I 'll leave the
jumped it'1to ·my pocketbook and wasn't
responsibilities-of
the world to the
heard from for the rest of the ni ght.
hard-core
feminists
and stick to my
by other
Why am I so easily intimidated
apd
women? Because I 'm a coward, that 1 s why. Raggedy Ann Mondays through Fridays,
my rubber duck on weekends.
I t011·you,
though, it's no fun eoin s
through llfc an absolute thr?at to
no one. -' -··
Rowt:ver ', : thin woman<was· mo1:1~mentally
built.
You know the t:ype ··-Army boots,
epaulets,
and a stained sweat 9?,irt. · I 'm
only kidding. · She was probably · a delightful wdman who kisses her father good
mornih 3 'every day and means it and takes
her kid brother fishin e; every ;Sunday.
You can't knock that.
Seriously,
though,
I didn't
see one stained sweatshirt
there
that ni ght.
Of course, there were a few
tor'J. sweaters here and there, put to each
+=+=+=+=+=+=-l-=-~
~ =+-+=+=+--+=+=+=+=+=
h:i.s o't-m. Yoti keep your applps in the
'If,,
cookie jar ; I keep mine in the bread box
LA BATARDE a bdok revie _ by Pam Boyd
.
w
where they belong.
..
Fra.ikly, I ;give _hese radical
t
feminists
"My mother never held my hand. 11
all the credit;
She is the type that will
begins Violet LcDuc I s journey throu gh
lead tomorrow I s women out of slavery
..
in the jofai with my thumb her sometimes sordid, sometimes h~ppy, ~while t 1 m still
always gay life.
,;
in my mouth and an enerria .up : mY posterior.
Althour;h currently
out of general
, ''fl
h
· ·· · ..
There's t - e difference.
circulation,
Miss LeDuc's autobiography,
I would like to get more ac .tively
11La Batarde,"
enjoyed a eood literary
involved, but 1 am so vulnerable.
Every
r eception in this country.
It first
time I think of picking up a cause or
appeared here the week of the great
joinin z an activist
group I get the
northeastern
black-out
and a couple of .
"vapors.n
One tiny slight
from someone
years later it was out in a Dell paperor one moment of self-doubt
and I start
..
r
~~.
r1
lj
s9
'
I··•
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(8 )
LA BATARDE,ccin I t
I . was leayin g and _ ill
w
. -Lett in f; g ()-
bac k edition.
to ·
Written with a woman's sensitivity
detail, the book covers the perio d of the
f
around
author 's U.fe _rom her birth,
1907, thrQu gh her day8 a8 a black market,irin g World War II. ·
eer ch
She covers her Lesbian affairs,
first
with I8abelle and later with Hermaine
v1ith a clear eye. She lays b lame where
blar,nc is often due -- on herself.
Her
chot tcomin s s as a person and as a lover
.·ar e real and she knows what tb.ey are.
dpcs the reader,
Perhaps the most intri guin e; section
of t he .book is her description
of .her
days as a black marketeer in the South
ot' France and Pnris durin g World War II.
. . Althou gh occasionally
hard to di ~; st,
e
11La Batsirde 11 wm.1ld- iake a good beach
u
companfon for , sunimei- e.adin g .
·
r
_: It is intereiit:in g to note that Miss
i eDu~ is the author ess of .the book
"Therese and Isabelle 11 that 3av e us the ·
movie. She t-bof··11bc incident of her
first affai;~ with fzabelle
(beautifully
wri t t en in " i 1La . B'atatden) and expanded
it into a poorly written,
murky limited
editi on novella.
Quite a success in
Parisian liter?rY circles,
the book did
not appear in print in this country
unt il the mqyi~ was released.
.
So
------ .
.
',~-
'
.- ------------------- .
.
.
· .,
..
--
LYRIC FR01'1
S
REUBEN
GAE'S COUNTRY
PLACE
b y Shayna Reuben
Leavin g you don 1 t come easy
,by.e
Each time we say good~
on Sunday morn
I ' ve eot to talk to the boy
who drives me home
Three -hours long
., .
With a bottle of wine between my feet ·
And the lunch you made for me
You feed me oran ges, feed me earth
lam. of all I see
Your hair was chestnut in the sun
~he sun is on my jeans
On Tuesday night my tired eyes
Blink quickly up and down
C2tch me, love me dark and li3htly
always be
,- .
Just to see you now :
I slept all ni ght, I _
did not reach
To find today would be
Some other kind of Sunday
*¾-h\'-l-'>'c-:-'k-1-'k-h\'+-,'c#+k-h\'-h\'-h\'+*+k+k+'k-t-k+'k-b'c
SUMMER
READING
The books listed below ..all have
a gay _
theme. They represent fiction
and non- fict;i.on, hardcover and
paperback.
GIOVANNI'SROOM by James Baldwin
by
ANOTHER
. COUNTRY · James · :Baldwin
THE Il'11".IO~LISTby Andr.e. Gide
·:
CORYDON. Andre Gide
. by
IF 11\ DIE...
by . Andre Gide
THE Wi;:LL o:r: LONELINESS by Radclyffe Hall
i
·
LA BAT~E by Violet · LeDuc
THER~SE
ANDISABELLE by Violet LeDuc
A PLACE
FOR US by Isabel Miller
OF LOVEFORBIDDEN
(previously titled
THE SCORPION) by Anna Elisabet
Weirauch
_
THE PRICE ·OF SALT by Claire Morgan
SAPPHO· translated -by Mary .Barnard
by
THE GAYCOOKBOOK Chef Lou Rand Ho3an
UNLIKEOTHERS by Valerie Taylor
THE UNASHAMED March Hastin r;s
by
I AM A WOMAN Ann Bannon
by
THE SONGSOF BILITIS by . Pierre Louys
THE GAYWORLDby Martin- ·Hoffinan
LESBOSIS FOR LONNIE by Arthur Adlon
WON'TLAST, WETOO MUSTLOVE,
WETWO
IN
WEWALK
ALONE,CAROL A . THOUSAND
CITIES all by Ann Aldrich
THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGEby Frank
·
Marcus
THE MESH· by Lucie Marchal
FROM
TORMENT RAPTURE Sylvia
TO
:by
Sharon
MY LOVELY.ADELE Adrian Bennett
by
THIS SIDE OF LOVE/THE
· EDGEOFTWILIGHT
by Paula Cht"i.stian
WOMEN' l3A..~RACKS
s
·_ by Tereska Torres
,
: TH~ llEA,RTH
.ANDTHE STRANGENESS
by
N.- Ma t: in ~ramer
.
r
THE PR;[NCESS
. ,A.ND GOBLIN by Paul
THE
Rosner
THE STORY MIA by Judith Piccone
OF
STEPPENWOLF Hemann Hesse
by
THE DAUGHTERS LONGINGby Froma Sand
OF
NIGHTWOOD Djuna Barnes
by
�•
i
MAIDENVOYAGE
(9)
SUMMER
READING, can't.
I
I
! .
k
I
. .,,
I
'
make us that much different
from the
A relationheterosexuals
of th~world.
ship is a relationship;
it has the same
THE FOX by D.R. Lawrence
basic needs and requirements,
and it
GIVE ME MYSELF by Susan Sherman
OLIVIA b y Olivia
functions
in more or less the sarae wa
NO JOHN NO by Cressida
Lindsey
matter
if it is two women,
It doesn't
THE MICROCOSM.·by Maureen Duffy
two men, or one of each.
So you have
AND. OTHER STORIES by John (?'Hara (espec lists
that
to go bat:k to · those hayseed
ially
Th~ Broken Giraffe
i3nd !':_Few ·
Grandmama handed down to you on how to
l)ick a husband.
Doubtlessly
you 1 re
J'rips and Some Poetry)
not .in the market for a husband,
but
THE EXHIBITIONIST by Henry ·Sutton
.=+=-'.-=+=+=+=+=+==+=+=
+=+=+=-!-=+=+=+=+=+-+-:+= ri 1 t:. you want that girl of your dream
d.
o
t·o mean. ::a.s
to .yo:u as , a ;husband
means to . the ~verage ·wife? .· Sure, you
MAKE LAST, BABY
IT
say, maybe even more.
Then you must
~~
by Zee Paulsen
r~p.r .inted with permission
select
ller . just . as you would select
an
for a'. meaningful
relationship.
~
from the May/June 1968 iss~e of fHE !ADDER partner
•.;,,
ft'l;
She should be someone. you -can trust
an ·:.ire
~1
Every Lesbian relationship
is goin g to . respect,
someone you c.:m work with as , i ">
· 1ast for':'ver,
right?
Then one morning you well as play with, someone whose basic ; ·r
wal~c up 8iid · realize
that the love I affair
values and standards
and · interests
'
of the century
slipped
down the drain
agree with your own.
when you weren I t watching.
There are · a
· •. The two ·of you cart 1 t exchan3e lon g
few who thrive
on impermanence,
bu t most
lan gorous loo k s across
a smoke-filled
tired
of playin z merry room · one ni t;ht' .: nd move in together / the
a
,of .us 6 ct rather
i 'c o .'. ound from girl
r
to girl to girl.
And
next daj> '1 Not if you want it to last.
Tonight in bars across
the . ·
There are :' a few happy e:l:{ceptions but
then what?
tragic
tales
are
; they!ie
r?~e. : No, 3ive yourselves
plenty
country,
a thousand
unfolc1in~ ; across
th e table to a friendly
. .of time to get acquainted.
See each
e ar.
We talw to drink,
if we hadn I t
other in many different
moods and surr. b efore.
Or we get a li;ttle
r:iore desperate
. oundings.
Desire should be there,
but
as time z oos on, a littfo
more frantic
to
companionship
too--because
it is com'.'"
c rab that gold ring of to getherness.
Or
. :panionship
which will hold you two to-1 !:rf:l
l
w settle for the next thin g that comes
C
z ether at tit:les when little
else is le f¥.
1)
al one , and close up our bmccs of dreams.
Eventually
there will come a time,
· :',:
The hell of it is that it is all -so
she is the right
girl for you, when yo 7
~'
•·i,
unnecessary.
· We need ;to adjust
our
cannot bear to live apart from her.
I .i: '
,
thinkin g on several
counts,
and then
not ·ju 'st art urge or a nice idea or bei
a· ·
able to spend all night in the same be
pe rhaps we can find what we 1 re after:
you that won ' t
lifetime
relationship.
First
of 211 comes There ts an clche inside
is it love or sex?
disappear.
This is the girl you want t
that horrid
question,
Face up to it honestly;
if it ; s an itch ;; ·
laugh with and nurse . throu gh the flu an
scratch
it - -but don I t try to build 3
shar 'e :yo.ur life with.
Then is the time i}}~
relationship
out of it.
Too many of . us
to move in tozcther,
. be·cause you· re
ffnd ourselves
screaming
across
the kit ready for it.
You've seen her at her
~~~j
chcn at someone we found physically
· .
. best and her ,iorst,
and you still
like
·:.~
,\~~
· attrac t ive · once upon a time, arid ;made ...tbe . .her c1s well as love her.
mistake
of scttlin
r:; down with~ . Now we ' r(;!
Don' t wait too long, though. i Separa~e l
and want out, and who cou1d i. ,
es~ablishnents
seldor:u;:ontribut1
to the
i-cbtlc.ss
. blame us? · It w~q. 't love to bc c;in with,
n
. development
of a lif l') time love:
rtot:teally,
and it . was .n 1 t destined
to last .. . , So you move in. •Nnid all thbse
tumultous
first
joys 9 t joint
l~vin g ,
··wo, you've got to choose .a partner
A0:d don ' t l~id yourself;
try to find time for the most important
more carefully.
thing of ail:
a definite
honest comj ust because we're queer,
dear, doesn 1 t
much
ti~
iffi
;11
�;;
MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(10)
yourshlf ·on y6ur ability
to lead a
life.
tf you see a
trouble-free
problem developing,
dis~uss it~-don't
m~~~en~ by both ;arti~s
to the relation let it becomi '.so huge - that not much
. ship . . Decide, then and there,
that both
can be don~ _;,ith it when you eventually
of you will work like hell to make it
allow 'Yourselv .es to notice it .
last: · Decide that staying together
is
. We- could talk about joint
bank ac ..
'.:'.
the most important thing in the world fol,"
counts and other such m~chanics of a
you both, and that it deserves all the
LecJiian ~ouoehold, but the only other
effort possible.
You must be totally
vital things here are to begin thinking
devot ed to the relationship
from this
''us ti icotaed of 1.111, and to watch for
time on, or odds are that eventually
the moment when that rosy glow of first
you will part.
lt 1 s not a one~sent~nce deciiion.
.
love fades.
The rooy e-low is part of
the Vine-Covered.,..Cottage Syndrome, when
This is the kind of oath of . allegiance
love is idyllic,
She is perfect,
and 1
you pledge daily.
Love must be nurtured
you are both deliriously
h4ppy.
One ·
and labored over, or it will die.
When
day you realize
that she has so damn ,
you 1 re madder than :hops at that idi~~.
many faults
that you don't know if you
you must still
feel deep inside you ·
can spend · nother minute with her--ano
a
that you will always live with her and
•
that I fr when the rosy glow fades out. ·
love her--not
because it :proves some- .
Far to o many Lesbian relati _
onships end
thing, but simply because :she is someone
But what a pity-··for
now
at that point.
too special. to live without;
·
that the rosy zlow is gone, the two of
From here on out, honesty is the key
y~u can begin to live together
in the
word. As soon as possible,
face up to ..
real world, the here and now, with
the problems that await you in the
things as they really are.
Your
future.
It: doesn't do much good to ;hide
and all
relationship
is juot beginning,
from problemn or the possibility
of them;
the real joy of it io yet ahead of you.
no one in this world has ever led a
So don't panic juo:t because she ' G human;
. troub:1e-frce
existance,
an'd ' you ' re no
be gV:ici you've got her, faults nnd all.
·exception.
You 1 ll get a giant step
Those faults
that irritate
you oo much
ah ead by planning for the future.
help . make her the uniquely fascinatin e
You're bound to meet other attractive
individual
that she is.
Learn to snile
women. So is she . . So talk about it;
at yourselveo;
the, .let-down will pass
di s cuos how you 1 l1 handle it when it
comeo. Talk about boredom and arguments.
oooner than you tn°ink.
1
Ancl c10 for that "I ~ feeling;
toso it
and the aging process and friends
and the
out sot:1ewhere. By moving ,in with her
importance of sex in your lives.
When
problem~ do arise,
you'll
have : an idea
and committing yourself
to the permanence
how t o face them together.
you lost )'our indepof -the relotionship,
Theri keep . on being honest.
Develop the pendence.
Now you have another human
ability
to sit down together
and discuss
being to consider ,besidcs yourself.
how each of you feelo,
Learn to place as much importance--if
frankly and operily.
not more'--in how she feels as well as
Sure, botnetimes it will be a mighty hented
disc:ussion,
but _ that doesn't mean you
how you feel; her happiness and con•
can 1 t be honest ns well..
If you ' re going
her gripes and problems,
tentmeot,
.: to live· with her, you might as well know
..should be of ns much concern to you ns
your own are.
You can't · ·take off on
what che I s really
like and how she really
foiels.
Anc:lshe deserves to know the ·
she is D part
your ovm now, not renlly;
real you.·
•. of you and you're a part of her.
Now
Martyrs and ,$aints are lovely, but
and forever,
wasn't that whc1t you
they'd be difficult
to share :a lifetime
So thia io it,
promised ~ach other?
with.
Better to come out with a gripe
kid.
Shc.1riri and compromise,
g
One day
or an opinion as soon as you feel it,
after a 0hastly qucc1rrel., you'U .kiso
talkin 6 about it then, instead of hugging
her goodni~ht,
and smile to yourself,
it secretly
to your bosom ivhile -'you pride
:
thinking,
"Boy, that one was a lulu I 1:
MAKE IAST, BABY, con't.
IT
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(11)
MAKE LAST, BABY, con't.
IT
With this poem I thee cherish.
Written with my need, ,.
When thnt happens, you ' ll know you made
Its words are the words
it.
Of faithfulness
and pain,
Come around oometirne and see if I'm
Punctuated with wonder.
f oll owin e my own advice. , It. '.s a long
And although other eyes will e lance
hard r oad , but I wouldn I t trade it f{)J.:.,.
over it,
the world - -even if I do for ge t, all n,o
Thoughtleos nnd uncomprehendin g ,
often, just how to travel it.
Yet it remains your poem,
Never to become ~brtble~s
+tl+4fa+!/:+1fo+t/:+1t-t-1H-1/:+1fo+tft:IH-1/:+1!+1fa+l/:+1fa+IF+l/:+1/:+ifo+
Or nn unpleasured
thin g ~
Artists-may
be gaj~
With "_
thib :poem· I bid thee , remember
And w:e can ,acc::~pt. thnt , ,
How it feels ·
To ·:b.e v1hole ! ~ - ::- -:.:i
.·
Provided 'that t~ey · don ' t . write · about it,
And provided thrlt :they - don't ment ion that
Pre::i'siri g your head hard against
· myr;shoulder
· ·
We to o may he , gay,
And provided ·that they don't try to make
With a savnge joy,
it look
Rufflin g yol,lr .hair; .: . ,;,
, .
s
Saddene d by the -, hadow .
Normal
Or like an ancient and universal
act,
leave-takin g .
Of pnrtin g , inevitable
And provided that they don 1 t admit that
We have so little)
they ' re happy,
We have nothing.
Or evencontent,
It is enouzh,
Or even HUMAN.
·
With this poem I' thee wake.
If it must be dincussed
Wntch the gray.October
come
Smiling.
._
(An all obscene iooues are);
Let 1 S · use mi;erably,
unhnppy examples,
- - Candi McGonagle
-h\'+'i'<-f-k+k+kf-k+k+~+k-f-"k-f-k+*+*+k~
t-'i<+k-l--'k
aa
And let 1 0 cata gorize people we didike
"O of them,n
ne
And "let is nhow our children
b. SPY JJ1THEFAMILY
this perverted _ A Book Review by Diane O'Keefe
How tempornry and insincere
life iG
And how sadistic,
masochistic
and animalIf you like a gripping tale of
iotic
snuggling, .international
intri 3ue mixe d
These horrid people are.
then Alec
with sadism and blackmail,
We munt be pleasant with them
A
Waugh's 1r Spy in the Family " is for
And accept their cheques
you. It is a fast .moving\ loosely
And· the.ir advice
written novel, 248 pp., $5.95 in hard· (On certain
issues), .
cover published by Farrar,
Straun and
And even their
exist~ince. ·
Giroux.
It is brand new, so not yet
But their actions?
·
out in paperback.
But your local
"'
.. '.)
·W must think of our children
e
librnry may have purchased it.
And our children ' s children
Myra Tra~l, the lovely wife of a
And ourselves,
Treasury o~ficial
in London finds her•
All lec1ders of one generation
in the
self :in . Malta on vacation-and
Or another.
middle of n narcotics
ring.
She is
And it is our duty to teach them -··
surraptitously
seduced and nbrou ght
To straighten
their crooke d lives
out" by Naomi, a German Lesbian.
They
And accept·their
apology,
hnve a three-day affair
and because of
As one must if he wishes
s
her husband = job in the Treasury,
· To understand ·
Myra is vulnerable
and ultimately
The issue
is
blackmailed.
The tape of her affnir
At hand.
presented to her back in London by n
- -S helley Swartz
fro□ .the undereround.
.... shady character
·In ord~r to obtain the tape, she must ·
., :
, .J,
_, :.,
�MAIDEN VOYAGE
(12) .
f::._SPY IN
THE FAMILY,: ~on 1 t.
t3?THERIM'.i'ORTANT
ANNOUNCEMENT
On Friday ni ght~ Se ptember 11, 1970 ,
a c t ao a .c ou ri e r and smu gg l e holf n
r;1illion
do ll a ro worth of h ero in d ioat8:00
in th e Clarke Roon of the
guis .ed a n a box o f choc o lDt es out o f
Arlin gton Street
Church,
there will
. be - a metibers'
meeting
o f Boston D.O.B.
Bei ru t~ . Tension mounto as she goes
thr ou gh custonid . .and th e pl o t thickerls
.
At this
time,
the proposed
by-lawa
when ohe dfocovers
thot her blackT'lailer,
and conotituti
on fo~ :, Boston D.O.B. will
M Fr ank ., wants orte r:16re·, f avor :~- she
r.
be presented
to th e membership
for
must ..p.rocure
another
cour .i e r. . With her .
approval.
CorJ:ec,tio.ns
a rtd final
- hucibanci 's job in mind at}d th e fact that ·_.
:.eh_p,ges will b~ n1ade _ .this
a
at
time '
a n ew- foun d · and fin a l acceptance
will. be voted
Leobi .::
miDm has given Jier life
upor1.
oavory t p imenni on; she c onsents . to c ontinue
thia dual lif e.
This meeting
is extrer.icly
import a nt
Myra'o next adventure
fi ndo her at
the Roy a l Sandwich,
a lux e ry hotel
in
nnd should be t:>laced nt the top o f
Kent where ahe rneCts th e lith esome
e v12ryone 's calandar
.o f evento for
the month o f September.
Pl ea se-He.,ath e r who r is com'p~tin g in an Amateur
a ll nembe re--be
sure to attend
this
· Mi:iced Doubles match with a r.:iale fri e nd .
ALL members (and only
·l ·
meeting.
She is graceful
and supple
and Myra is
members) ohoul d be .preoent
Sept.
11111
c apt ivat ed by her athletic
chariscia :
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+--+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+--+=+
and quiet masculinity.
Her s e xual
i nno c en c e heightens
· Myra's int .e.re.ot,
NOTICE : THE CHURCHOF D.O. B . will b e
Heather
is a
and ao luck would have it,
ho l d i n ~ serv ices every Sund ay
perfect
tar ge t becaus _e o f her job as an
startin
r ::epte,;n b er 13, c1t 10: 00 A. M.
Et:13Jisl::i school
teacher.
The schene of
and every Sund~y here af ter at the
,,
h ome of:
bia ~km
nil continu es _ as Hea ther becomes
an o ther pawn a nd th e ch a in of events
Rev. Ha c or a E. Ken .1edy
61 Cla.,.+:. ood ' Str eet
w
3oeo on . But an i n tcr co tin g twist
MEttapan,
Mas_a chusett s 0 ?126
s
ch an r,ca the cours e o f fat e ao a member
For further
inf:onnation,
c:all
o f th. e C. I. D. irit· e rcepts
th e tape
" •
')
.
2 ':\'' 2 _.7 ·..1
fr om Mr.,,. Frank. -, Hea th e r io opnred
...)o- ....
.
•
.:. _c
.
+++f-f++H-H-l+l
I 111111 I I L,lH-t+++++H-H~
,
and
huMiliation,
Mr. F'.tank ge t o his'
Come swimmin s with D. O.B. ·every Monday
Myr a 'doco mi. :about-face
and joine tlM
.
and Thur s day from 7 - 9 P . M. · F or
C. I. . D. to help Sr!laoh the narcotics:
further
information
or tranoporta
t ion
ri n :; . It is hoped that Hei.:ither and
Myra mee t in the fut1'r e cind tti e r e is
c al l 2S6-2 57J or 442- 0550 .
=====
============
'==-= - =======-==;: .".. ===
.
for e :i.veness and underst and in g ·, and
.
maybe a ~econd chance at l ove.
THE D.O.B. DEEP-S EA fI SHING TRIP
has b een c an celled.
. Treasurer,
And{
Cox r e ports
t h at only 9 peo ple had
IM!>ORTANT
ANNOUNCEMENT
SECTION
sent i n pa id r e se rva,tion s by the
'
: . :r ''
i
deadline
dc>te . Andy'. reports
that
Will Helen Baker pl e6s 1
e<scnd her
the f is h i n r tr ip has · b~en ca ncell e d
ndd r eo .s to the staff
·of th e Maic;1cn
due to lack of s upport.
.
Voyage · oo· that we dm forward
all th .
e
********-k-k***************'k-k-lrn*******-lrira
Th e )1V
l et t c ro we have received,
add r ess is :
The dea d line date for the Se ptem ber
MAID.ENVOYAGEc/o Candi McGonagle
.
issue
of the Maiden Voya 3 e i s
P.
Box 55
No . -Qufncy · Ma os -. 02171
Se p tem b er 15. All copy sh ou ld b e sent
b efore
t his date t o the Maiden Voy a:'.e
a ddres s , :iven elsewhere
in the newsletter.
C . -
:
o.
,
~
�The History Project
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document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
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Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 August
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-08
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 8 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197008
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
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e264c99bcd58573f78d5819527ca484e
PDF Text
Text
v
. · . Hll'
~
n H11rr tt'~ u ant Rj tll o tL'
lti
11
~------:--~----____;,--.)__-==:;L..
i:...
__
a daughters
of bilitis
newsletter
bOston ch.a))ter
p. o. box 221
prudential
center station
boston 9 mass.
02199
we onJ:-y have love
~ie can reach t ;-:;
ose in pail1.~
~'Je can heal all .our wo:m1ds,
We can use our oim names. :i
11If
--Jacques
Ilrel
s ~r/:c· "::i r, 1970
e
vol. 1, no. 9
TO r.i OR..J OT TO :Ji:il
~
by Ramey Thayer
s
,;1e0 ro
As .all of us can see from the last nage of the ne ~r . t~tter;
It ' s being well-pla.11ried, and will be a good thine; .to go
havil1g a party!
to.
How much more could a.nyoi1e want than an entire day of woods ..wandering,
into t he night?
·
bingo, food, _ drii1ks and dancing--on
s
··From the Trea.s u:•~r~ ,,oi ,1t of view, and tr 3rin g to view the fuf.ure . of the
Boston D.O.B. chc:pter, ue hope everyone does want to go. 1ve, sisters,
are
in serious fino.mial
t1-oub l c because of lack of turnout for past D.O .B.
functions.
If He don~t have a lot of support for the Octobe;..~ party 9 our
chapter will fin er itself
bankru.pt a;1d in potential
danger of disbanding.
1)orta; yt, D,O.D. is to you as an individual
and to the
Think about ho1:r ii·11
comm
unit y . D. 0. B. should be a YaJ.id gr oup~ a mea;,1ingful part of our lives.
D.O.B. needs fincmci a l su~ por t, and needs it now. Come to the October
party and help keep us a(:tive--and
have fun doing it,
lJOT0S :;T}'l.01'l JAR
a
by Gail Kin g
·- ·Jude~ s ·For um is .the only gay bar? just for women, in the Bo si;,o.n area.
At
. least that is what iTI
::>st of the gay. girls who go to t he bar t hink until they
are thE:re. · As the ;.1ight goes on, you beco;:;1e aware of an audience that
surrounds y ou.
I counted at least seven strai ght cou,)lcs :ien masse:i augmented by th3 five "little
boys ii sitting
behind us~ all guffawing in their
·
beer sud s.
I do not object to mixing with strai ght people in a bar.
I do object to
bein1i ga.,,.Jlc at by straight
ed
people, workin'.5 out their mm particular
fantasies o:f homose:,G1ality , I "..vish th ey would save their beer :noney : and take it
to a SiU' ink. '
Jude~s Forum is advertisw
in Boston After Dark and The Phoenix as a
·dath1g or sin [sles bar J. !1d that accounts for the growin3 influx of straights.
the sincerit ~, of the bar owners.
They adOne at this point could question
vertise
to th e str .,.::.ght comm
unity as a sin gles bar and to gay women as a bar
just for us.
Who do they ,rant? ~
.
foo are t hey using?
I ain sure as the news
spreads in Kenmore Squa r e that the number of ga,iking l:i.ttle boys will inc~ease .
(Con;t page 2)
h,
l
·'
I
j
�.i.tii.IDSi,1
VOYAGE
(2)
HOT.ES
FROn.A
J,.AR~con ' t .•
,
Lay I l'em:i.nd.you tha.t a m
ale who
::.s ..:.n--..:xo ''.hi s ;,us culi nit y s·oc':
s
of
s
..Y :~ay women as a threat
.
to be dealt
·-' •-· ·· ·with in the only meanin gful way to
·
this ty1)e of male-- physically.
I ask gay women to assert their
rights.
Do not go to Jude~s Forum
until the management decides who
Boycott Jude 0 s
they will serve.
Forum!
;I'
\"
.
Pr es i d9nt. --si faJ.v. 'l'r a1is
D
Boston (277- 8952)
Treasurer--Andy Cox
Weare~ H :-:i:ampshire
ew
Vice President and Secretary
pending elections
vacant
.
~-•**********************.***.*********
x=x=x=x~A=x=x=x==x=x=x=x=x=x=:c=x=x-x
300 PERSOS PAR.ADIN PRO
r~
E
VIHCETO
v
JW
by Laura Robin
Gay is Love:1 balloons 9 posters
proc: .ai ming bein g gay is nothin g to
be ashamed of 9 and banners idei.1tify -~
ing several participant
m hing
arc
groups, rose above the heads of 300 .
people who m ched in Prov i ncetowns
ar
1 ass. on Labor Day9 Sept. 7 9 1970.
'.i
The pur pose of t he m
arch uas .:('or
homosexuals to demonstr a t e th e ir self
resp ect and det ermi nation to be come
freed fj '.'Om t he r os t :d .ctions society
has put on the m.
Gail Kin g ; who helped or ganize the
rnarch 1 Daid t he police captain gave
a pe r mit for t he pa r ade about 3 weeks
in advance, holp ed plan the route,
and pro vi ded a polic e escort for the
m cheJ'.' o The m
ar
s
archers l eft Tmm
dharf a.t 1 pm, s-;, ourn ed down Commerj
cial St. and a few oth er stre e ts , and
return ed to the wharf.
Then they
went to a rall y in a near by at hletic
field.
Groups re presented included Philadelphia0s Homophile Action League,
Gay Activist Alliance fro m i-Je York
w
City, and the San Fr ancisco Tavern
DonQ
tworry,
nobody ca rr ied
Guild.
a D.O.B. sign.
Diana Travis reported that little
old ladies l ea ned out of their doors
cryin g 0 Ri ght Oni •1 One of the chants
was some thin g li >0 · c1Boom boom, ban g ,
bang, gow uh 9 GAYP0~'1"UH
i ti
Provincetown i s t he gay capital of
ifow England.
11
.
;
Editor--Pa m Boyd
Assistant Editors--Rose
r-arie Turner
~
Candace L. HcGonagle
Production~-Beth Restrick
Rose ~i rie Turner
a
Viola iT.
Candace L. i·i Gonagle
c
Ramey Thayer
**************************************
*
Apart ment in country to share.
Someone
i n 50 ?s uho lik e s cats, gardening and
nursin g 9 · please investi gate . -'iri te:
k
0
Dear Editor:
Concerning the moot point of what
should take precedence;: ..the question of
whether a Lesbian should th }nk of . herself first as a hom
osexual or as a woma119which was brou c; t up in the 1'~
h
ay
issue of THE i'L.\.IDENVOYAGE, should like
I
to express an opinion.
I think that a perso n , any person$
should think of him- or herself primarily
as an individual , considering , secondarily, one I s own distinct
personality.
· Of
course, anyone Q sexual attitudes
s
make. up
a definite
part of this personality,
but
they do not represent its entire being;
for the entire bein g of a personality
encompasses feelings on many subjects
ply sexual attitudes.
A
other t han si m.
person "s sex, race 7 and nationality
by
and matters
birth are merely incidental
l
J
�i,iAIDEl VOYAGE
;
' (3)
in society
a
poin_t of cst:ibli9hing
place for us l l I
•·
The pur-pose of the church: To estabevaluation
lish a place for sp'iritual
of self.
Spiritual
inedi tation
and con:..
sultation.
· Fbr worship and prayer.
To
1
educatG 11those = Lesbians to the fullriess
of and teaching
of the niblo from a
'woman's point of viGw.
There are thin s:s available
for the
or e;anization
through th0 use of tho
church that would not and cannot boobDear Editor:
t2 .ined because of the nature of the or..., ·
It is 1vith heart-felt
frustration
ganization.
The mat ter of tax exempt .ion,
and blac . an ge r that I write this
k
·
fund raising 9 sponsors -for tho church
letter.
where donations
could be used for the up
There is 9 it seems~ some question
lifting
_
and better ment of D.O.B.
I have
been told that I should have a church
as to •.the beginnin g of our church.
for gay people not just for ,-mmen so said
The name is in question
and I must
say it was stated:
for lack of a
C.R.H. of Old West Church.
I caimot tell ·
BETTER
~e
it would be called cl1urch · you the untold misery that I have suffored
of D.O_.B. This has offended "some of
because I chose the minist:nr as a orothe membership.
It see ms that per- · fession
and career 9 of bein g gay a~d fia
nally of b0ing Black.
mission is needed to ,establish
place of spiritual
evaluation
if D.O .B.
Since the advent of. th e anti-war
rally
is used.
Am I in error to believe
<.at 3oston Com
mon I was kicked out of t1vo
at this point that . tve as .,women first
(2) churches because of my political
·
and lesbians
consider
ours e lves so
activity
and my radical
vio, - on Lesrs
nothingl3~ t ha t a church under D.O.B.
bianism and adi;1
ittance
of being so.
Now
is unthinkable???
Have we in this .
horo I am among my or,m kind offering
my
age of progre.ss become so barbaric
services
and professional
career for
it can be said D.O ,B. may not even
which I was trained
and ordained
only to
be told it may not be ua;.1ted or accepted
want a church! · That D.O .B. does not
want everything
U:sing D. O.B. banner
by D.O.B . It hur"~5) it really
hurts! l !
(and I quo to!).
·
--Rev. Lag ora E. Kennedy hiller
I say ,, f Rev. Perry · can establish
.4fa==
1i~
--i'i"-=1fa=#=#=#=#=#=#:::/fa=#==4=/fo=#=-//:=#=#
a church in California
why can°t we
Tm BATTIE OF THE SEXES
here in Boston?
Are we so over or
by ,Candi iicGona.gle
underdeveloped
that we feel no need
tuidance?
The church
for spiritual
There seems . to be a. bit of discussion
is non-denominational.·
It is for
wjthin D .O .B. about tho ques·!;ion of
women. And unt i l we .can secure a
ie
building 9 services
are to be held in · 11butch /fe m. 1 11 role playin g . Some memting on tho cartoon . on the
our home. Since when did I as a min- bers, co mmen
, ront pa.go of tho August ~den
f
Vb¥_,age
ister
or a person ever do anything
9
have asked if this is tho image we want
to doi-m-grade D. 0 .J3.???
I feel that
world.
tci l?ro sent to the outside
because of ..rho we are we should be
I , have always thought the main strength
about dignity
and.love
spiritually.
to be honest ' ·
The whole process of education
of the of a group was its ability
rith itself,.
part of which is being able
Lesbian should at least
start· fro ;1 a 1:
1
to laugh at its e lf, to satirize
itself.
spiritual
evaluation
of self.
So in
This was the purpose of the cartoon.
Yet
confusion
I am askin g thos e .of tho
membership and you who read i-1 V. · to
.
it has stirred
dissent
witbin D.O.B.
LeV s :evaluate
tho butch/fern rne aspect
seriously
consider
tho value of a
Lesbian lifci.
Flora. Rheta Schreiber,
· church for us that can be a focal
over which the person has no control.
Although these may contribute
to
persons'
attitudes
to~·r
arcls themselves,
I do not consider
them the .12£..~iicl:J'.X
factors
in a pe rson ~s life.
They
are only J?_art1! of a pe rson ° s individual self, ·a nd this individu a lity 9
in its totalnoss,
ma.de up primarily
of a person ~s feelin gs on many sub·jects,
is what is important.
--0°1.ea.ry
of.
�l:iAIDEL VOYAGli
(4)
in her article.
' 1v
lomon ~vho 0 M:arryt
In that same August issues Jeb Boswell
~iomen9 : 0 has said, '°Tho answer to the · is quoted as saying 9 c:You shbuldn•t ,
usual question;
~,fuo plays the mari 9
have to prove t hat you 0 re a wonderful
0
person;; you should be accept()d just as
who plays the ,;.1oman? is generally
nei thor.
Ordinarily
two women
person like everyone else. to Thero
9 tho
alternate
butch (the a gg ressive
male) ,vill always be butch losbians 9 complete
and femme ( the compliant
female)
i:..ri uw.n; s suit a;1d haircut.
th
· But are we
roles. :;
so ii.1socure or paranoid
that ·;-J worry
e
Tho stereotype
butch 9 dyke 9 truck
about th0 impression
those uomen will
die sol dyke; if they T,roe
r
make on tho public.
The so 1romen are
driver,
ever accurate
descriptions
at all 9
part of our image just as much as the
are nm., painfully
archaic.
?iany
clinging-vine
little
fo r:i;.no D ,0 .B., s
.
heterosexual
women have short hair 9
i inago is as varied as its c11ombe 9 as
rs
wear tailored
clothes 9 appear everyindividual
as each member.
Our image is
whore in par1ts.
i;ocktios
are part of not a cartoon on a newsletter,
it is
today~ s ;9iiod 11 fashion
scone.
Yet 9
each member herself.
at one time 9 those thin ;_?; marked a
s
And are we so insecure
or so naranoid
woman ?butch" without question.
The
that
cannot laugh at ourselves
,;.,hon
term ~butchr' as a physical
connotation
·we satirize
ourselves
wi th cartoons?
duo to the
t 1111111111
!+H 1-1111111 :-+-H-H-11111 H+H+
is no longer accurate9
liber&tion
of women in terms of
fashion and comfort.
OVERTHEl:._NCEWITHDIANE
E
Therefore 9 ,-re must 0xamine butch/
by Diane
femme roles in terms of emotio11al and
psycholo gical structure
9 ra thor than
iirst,
let me. apologize for last
as a physical
cat eg ory.
mouth's maniacal twaddle lest you get
In every wor king rclationship
9 one
the idea that I am flaky beyond help
partner
will be more a gg ressive
than
and should be immediately committed to
aggressive
to
the . other,
perhaps 905{,
an observation
ward at Boston CHy.
It
the other"s
10% passivity 9 perhaps
didn ' t have a mooicum of sanity about
51%to the oth e r ~s 49% If both
.
it, but desperately
lonely people go to
partners
were equally passivo 9 tho
equally desperate
lengths to draw attenrola tionshirJ would ;1cver evon ha76 a
tion to themselves.
However, writing a
beginning;
each person would be
kooky column in which I humiliate myself·
waiting
for tho · other to make tho
· and -people around me is just
harmless
first
crucial
move.
If' both 1-rere ·
form of exhibitionism
and should not be
equally aggressive,
tho::ce would be a
viewed .-· ·· , · · ..,, seriously
than a mild
power stru 2; le, perhaps subtle,
g
per- ·
neurosis.
It is far less precarious
haps overt.
.4.nd a g irl who is "butch 11
than flag-pole
sitting
in front of City
in one relationshi
p mig ht very well
Hall and far more dignified
than falling
bo -~ imn 11 in another relationship,
fe e
·
down drunk in the middle of Central
depending on her -partner in each reSquare.
lationship.
Tho roles are inter-Th~ Desperately
Lonelies is not a
changeable.
secret society.
It crosses over class
.As lon g as one person-in
a couple
barriers
and knows no race, color or
makes most of tho decisions,
is more
creed.
Many people and some of my own
out-going 9 is th e spokesman for the
acquaintences
suffer from this ty~~ of
couple 9 assur:10s more of th e ros pon siloneliness
and it manifests
itself
in
bility 9 has a stron ge r personality
9
various ways.
this person will be· the 1abutch. c1 The
\.-.Then twelve year old nephew feels
my
loss a gg rossivo 9 -mor e pa ssive partner
neglected,
he comes to the table with
1 :i
will be "fe;::, 110. This is true evon
his pet mice and hums in a monotone
if the aggrossivo
tlbut c h:; woa rs
through dinner, annoying everyone.
A
dresses
and lace and rufflos.
librarian
I know, who is a sweet but
,-.fe
should have no fear,
then? of
lonely soul, thrives
on notoriety
and is
11image 11 to
the publi c.
our physical
a
,re
J.
a
~
�.MAIDEN
vc:AGE
(5)
not happy unless .sh .e is in the center
of
controversy.
· She incurs
the wrath ' of the
Board of Trustees
by deliberately
spending
funds inappropriately
and ,-,ill enea Ee
periodically
in a power strue;gle
with the
Friends
of the Public Library.
·
My art teacher
is a delightful·
man; but
l-,hen 'he feels
he is not getting
enough
attention,
he will :)ick .'.l fight 't·dth his
neighbor
who feel:.:: he is runnine; his studio
:tl10~ally
bccc,use their
neie;hborhood
is ·not
2:o·.1 d fer business.
8
. She gets irate,
writes
~~ot~er na sty letter
to the Board of
c;.alectr:1en a:1d the '::hole controversy
starts
ull C,
·;cr ngai.n .
.Another acqu;i2.;1t :· :1.ce, who is a s;_:orts
i - ·.;r.i te:;:, dresses
. outJ.c.::Jishly.
The la s t
tLnc he s:1ow0d np :::; the solf course fer
::i natch,
he -c:a \;e.'.l,..-in :3 pink e;J.en plaid
o
g~een soc~s , vhite
loafers,
p ants,
kelly
that uere run doc:m .:lt the heels,
and
red,
w~1:ttc and blue E·.rci-;;eieer beer shirt.
(',:,,:1..
ebrities
a::e tha . p.rcr .test
offenders.
~:,::incj Milfr·cd,
a•..1thcr c -.: the best·~seller
?"'Td ;:1 ·~·Trites cf hc:-1 F . f' : ctt F i tzge ·.r:itd 'G
,
·
,1 1
7..fe ~~c'..lld comp lc;:c:· .y C::J.c~:c') before
·
3
ju:npL1r; in t o her b':'.::~~:,.::d ;::~;:'
. ;:
.::nmic1c;
p'.:'ol,
c ':1.dIi·~ddy lfacket t t ::.'i~d tl :2 sf!:r.2 th:'.ng on
the-golf
co urJc r i e, ~e ~rc~ked his ball
! into the rour::h. T:'..1 T ~ .1 ch,ar fo t: 1e:n all,
17
,
I :.: howcve:.:.
~~is c-.:s t:i.i. ncc1 rcr::.. od o::
exhibition
.:il i c:.1 :t.8 c,:12cr 3en ius ·and its
originality
c o~ l~ ~~v~r . Lc e ~uallcd.
Ir wi n Cor ey, the 2 c n7 professor/~c~edian
rho n-ue"'t"' o·"' d"'""·t·'~,c . ~-· •·-:"''·y· s 110•·1"'J ;s a
,o,
o
u
""
, ~ ..
/c..J.. ~-.._,; l delig htfu l e}:h:i.b;:ti o:d.st on is every
s t;nd-up
comcdi.:: ;1. ~ o di~C:~, a laugh poking
h
·· :.': at himself
un
a:;d the ,~ 1:cld around him.
o~ a more se~~ous note, ~f _it weren't
tor rlccth o•1en I s p:-,tiwlo3ical
loneliness,
the! 1 n:1.d would h fl'i."C been deprived
,7,:
of the
plcc w ures 0£ his r.1:1.nysto".'~,y symphonies.
All c2 thin b1:1.ris-:; :~o t~'.e point the fret
that lonelh,2so
· :1 ~ n cc~:::itnnt companion
to a hoit o~ peo,l e, t~e r esol ution of
·,.h ic'.!"i can ta~w Jny c:E se7eral
forms.
a
c. ✓
l)
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0
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making·. · : '· Li:ll.ir~ ~ ' beset · by two problems
?
-"the
inability
to shake the memory of
her father's
cruelty
and the conflict
between her desire
to repress
het ,· Les- ,
bianinm with her overwhelming
need for
a close female relationship.
After a running
battle
with herself,
her isolation
becomes ~nbearable
and
she is catapulted
into a homosexual
panic.
He r initial
relationship
with
Beebo is pure~.~· physical
and rather
sadiJtic
on Beebe's p3rt.
But after
their
friendship
is cemented,
Beebo
sr:.oHs great empethy for Laura and they
find in ecch other a soul mate and
confidante.
L~ura is sensitive,
shy
and bookish,
and her pernonality
is
by the more aggressive
complimented
Beebo who is 8ragarious
and outgoing.
Later,
after
a confrontation
with
her father;
laura
e,wnerates
him
through
insight
and understanding.
She
realizes
hie abuse of her was the result
o f his th:: a".'.'ted desire
to have her
r,hys:i.c:.:::lly; his avm wife,
Ellie,
having
been dead fo-r m;,ny years.
of gay bars is wellThe sordidness
der,ici:ed
and it .is assumed that Laura
and P,eebo will build
a mature relationship for themselves,
eschewing
the
degradatio
n and sleazy
atmosphere
of
such dreary bars.
i: . ·::
· In Ann Ba:mb n I s · I Jn A Woman'. (paperback
75¢) Laurachooses
to resolve . her abject
loneliness
in the mere. common 'tl8Y-"~that is,
. withdrc:uin3
.:; d bnryin;:; herself
n
:!.n her
work.
Sl1e is 2 youn g , vulr .e rable
Lesbian
_ c nug:1t up in a \·:orld not of h e r own
OPZN
'ROUSE-OPEN
HOUSE;.OPEN
HOUSE
-OPENH
Female Li6~l;'ation
is having an open
house on :fa~urday,
September
26, 1970.
It beiins
af1O:OO A.M. and runs all
day.
At 3:00 P.M. there will be films
and discussion.
The cddress
is
1126 Boylsto,n . St :r~et
Bostot1, Ma.Ssahhlls.dtts ·
l.
.@irn,.©o/.0'7IE ,:@7..@o/.@o/.@o/.@,:@o/.@o/.@o/.@o/m.©o/.@'
;~,.0
PARTY!
I I I
IPARTYIII
OCTOBER 1970 - - ];'arty
3,
at
Gail and
Jo Is pnd.
irnfor1,1.i~l rind .fun.
The
blast
begins
at 8:00 P.~.h__J'he
addreas
is
- , Dorchester.
Call for more information--436-7393.
BYOB and ccme on over!!!
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(6)
11
DREAlvfED
I
VIEWS OF CANDIDATES
FOR PRESIDENT: .
CRU;7S!NG
VIENT
IN MY
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13 RA
I woul d like to see our or gan ization
go forward in two main arcas--that
of
; inreach, ;. or establis hin g pro gr ams,
s ocial event s, or any kind of en counter
gr ·oup th at i s nee ded for our members,
and that of :;outreach, I! or public
educatioi.1.
:: ·~.;,.tt: D.O ,B. to be unified,
:: ..
so
that disa greements con b0 .worl:ed out
healthfully,
and so that we will be come
strong and not be always on the ver ge .
of a schism.
I hop e to incorporate
"
more people to be 17
orki t1f1;_etnb.e of
:~
rs
D,OoB, ··· ·to cont r ibute their time and
energy into mak in g it a v i ··<;, or gan i ~ntion fo r everyone .
As far as -workin g with other or gaa '."
izatio ns goes , this and all other
func t io ns should be decided upon by
fee l that
our mem rs.
be
I personally
we have much more to gain from wome 1 s
n
rights
gr oup s than the male domin at ed
homose,mal gi:oups, but there ar e times .
when a showing of solidarity
\-7ithin the
gay community would be most benefic ial
to us. In the pnst f ew months our
straight
sisters
in the wo~en's movement
have Bone out of their way to ask us to
join and work with them. . This has n ot
been j ust a tacit acceptance
or a 1·do_
. your mm thing " att:i.tu de, bu t an act iv e
i n us as gay womei.1
,vith our .
i nterest
own specialptoblems
i n soc iet y. I do
not feel that we can afford t o pas s up
the ch an ce of communicating wi th and
en
being accep t ed by all wom .
I feel D.O. B. h as the potential
to be
a st ron g and active organization.
As
a member, or as pr e si dent, I pled ge my
ene r gies tow ard help i ng our or ga niz ation
be relevant
to all our members and to
the world i n which we live.
-- ·Diana Tra v is
I feel s t ro ngly that mainta inin g our
own identity
shoul d t al:e preceden ce
over part i c i pation in any other groups
such as women's li b, male homophile
groupo . or . any -polit ical organization.
I think D.Q.B. sho ul d be less act:i.vu-eand more adapti ve :.:.1 t he political
scheme; less publicl y demonstrative,
less extrem i st . Hopefully,
society
.1
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(7)
that in where our business ,-has to be
will become honest enough with itself
to
done.
I think we should re-order ' our
accomodate all factions
within its boundagenda.
:Weroust gear our e.fforts to
aries without being overthrown.
I think
The public ca n
our own people first.
we should be lesa Gtridently
demanding;
wait.
We can 't !
·
so many confron tati ons haye :t;~ot potential
and D. 0. B, does not need'. this:·· .We.havG to
·,_-Jo .,Peckarsky
be able to. gi ve a 1itt le. before r,;e are
able to receive .. if we demand results,
As Vice President,
I would strive
to make each committe e within D.O.B.
people will fear us.
I feelthe
role of
D,O.B. sh ould be to win.society 1 s respect,;
active,
productive
and successful.
not its fear.
I am in favor of public
.
I ws,uld kee p the membership aware of
whclt_each C('.mmittee is doing, its planp
education,
but against r;ra phic illus•
tration.
;r think D.O.B. should encourage.
and accomplishments,
at all times.
I feel D.O.B. should be an active
self· -awareness in each member, enabling
part of the community, worki ng always
her to function more adequately within .
to win the . approval of the community.
the group and within society.
I would
like to discover why peopl e don ' t join
We should also be concerned with
D.O.B. and why GO many mf.mbers do.not
meeting the needs of members and
prospec ti ve members. D,O.B • . shoul<l
particip~te;
is it becau~~ of the ero up
be a type of: 1 Lesbian Aid Society,,;
structure
or per sonaliti
;?
I would like to be the kind of · leader
where women can feel at ease, :voicing
who does not exclude people from a cti ve
their opini6nG and experiences
freely.
I woul d like to see more interparticipation;
to preven t control of the
chapter communication, now that
group by cliques~ to ~ncourace a crossto
section of membership participation;
Nat~9nal no .longer exists as our
foster communication;. to ei:pand the , . .
so that we can learn
coor dinator,
trcaoury;
to l earn.why social 'e vent s .
from the experiences
and exa~plcs of
our oister chapt ers.
have been so poorly attended and
I belie ve D.O.B. should be a place
unprofitable.
I am committ ed to D.O.B, :for the sake
wher e the Lesbian can feel us ef ul,
working toward chan ges in the structure
of its members, for its future r.:;
oals.
I
believe in ~,hat D.O.B. is ., what H stands.
of so ci ety . D.O.Br should be a major
force in reshapin g archaic prejudices
for, what it hopes to be.
.
I have the immediate goaJ. of having and myths about ·Lesbianism.
women feel accepted in D.O.B. and the
--Beth Restrick
long - ren 3e goal of havi~i D.O,B.
accepted in society.
Ylfillli OF CANDIDATEfOR CORRESPONDING
:,-Candi L. McGonagle
SECRETARY:
··-•·············~·!·············•• .•··••'
-
............. ........ ... •, .............. .
•
•-
.Y..lEJi . CANDIDATESFOR: YJ.CE PRESIDENT:
~ .Q..F:_
My main concer n ' with D.O.n • .·::iowis to :
meet our internal
needs.
I thin:-: wi t h.
the best intentions
we have rushed into
arcao - - pcace marches, oth er gay groups,
female liberation;
that can always wait.
We need to answer the needs of our own
members first.
We have a beautiful
group of people;
people of all t ypes and agea .
wher e people
We are an organization
can feel comforta ble; at leaat we should
be.
If peo ple don't }e el free to talk
then there is something wrong. When
there is something wron z with home then
I am a candidate for ~orrespondin g
secretary.
As correspon ding secretary
I would answer all mail as promptly as
po ssible . I would try to build a . ·
reference
file of people and -plac es
to which inquireFs . may be referred
if
they need help outsid e D.O.B, I would
also like to have a few r~printed
articles
to send to people, in addition .to the bro chures and newsletters.
I :.,
of meetings s_o_I
ara. a regular attender
would be able to inform of current
activities,
--.Laura Robin
�1·
I
MAIDEN VOYA
GE
(G)
VI}filie_Qf..'.fHE CAJ."\JDIDATE TREASURE~:
;FOli
I am announcing my can dida cy for
treasurer.
After readin.0· The Ladder and
our local newsletter,
I do feel that I
ca n help out in some sort . of v1ay to hold
My nane is ~ev. Magera
D,O.B . . together.
E. Kennedy. My eoal ia to wori( for the
uplifting
and progress of Boston D.O.B.;
to encourage,
enlighten;
to make spiritual
awareness a part of the organization;
to
work unceasingly
in the never-ending
struggle
for equality
and social recognition and le gal acceptance;
bring fresh
and new ideas into the orSanization;
·
or
raise money by any means necessary
avnilable;
c<Y
.racsel, marry; pray for
total acceptance
in Boston first,
then
the ~-7orlcl. I remnin sincerely
yours, . ·
··-Rev . Magera E, Kennedy
Thank you.
'
L•
--•
··•.., ...,,.• --
$¢$~$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢$~$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢$¢
B_ESLUTION F,t.VORING_flOMOS~XU41~
,
6
.
by Lnura Robin
'
l
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I
/Below is a copy of a resolution
pa6sed at the 1970 General Assembly of
Unitarian
UniversaHst
Churches and
Fellowships.
:7.t is reprinted
from
Un-itaria.1 Universalist
Worlq_, August 1,
J.970.
Rev. Edwa::-d H.:1rris, Arlin3ton
St.
Church (where Boston D.O.B. holds meetings)
s~nt us a copy of the resolut i on . He said
it was offered nt the assembly by their
Youth cooperating
with
Liberal Relieious
Q caucus
of homosexuals.
·
1iDiscrimination
agn:Lnst homocexuals and
6isexuals 11
Recognizing that:
1. A significant
minority in this
;cou ntry are either homosexual or bicexunl
in the ir feelin3s
and/or beha vior ;
2. Homosexuality has been the target of
. severe discrimination
by society
and in
by the police
and other arms
particular
of government;
3. A growine number of authorities
on
the subject now see homosexuality
as an
inevitable
so ciolo r;ical phenomenon and
not as a mental il-lness;
l:..
There are Unitarian
Univeroalists,
clergy and laity ,iho are hornosexuo.ls or
bisexuals;
Therefore,
be it resolved:
,that th ~
1970 General Assembly of the Unitarian
Aaaoaia tion :
Universalist
1. Urges al . people ir::1mediately to
1
bring an end to all discrimination
against homosexuals, homosexuality,
bisexuals,
and bisexuality,
with
speci£ic
immediate attention
to the
following issues:
a. Private consensual behavior
between persons over tha age cif cons 'ent
shall be tho business
only of those
persons and not subje ct to.legal
regulations
b, a person;s
sexual orientation
or prnctic e shall not be a factor i n
the gnmting
or renewing of Federnl
clearance,
visas,
and the
iecurity
granting
of citizenship
or employment.
2. Calls upon the UUAand its member
church es, fellowships,
and organizations
immediately to end all discrimination
against homosexuals in employment
practices,
expending special efforts
to
assist
homose1mals to find employment
in our midst consistent
with their
abilities
and desires.
3.. Urges all churches and :fellowships,
in keeping with our chan ging; social.
patt erns, to initiate
meaningful
progrrcns
of sex edu catio n aimed at
pr oviding a more open and healthier
in all parts
under standing of sexuality
of the U.S . and Canada, and wi th the
particular
nim to end all discrimination
against homosexuals and bisexuals. 11
Other rcoolutions
passed.i nclu ded
ones on withdrnwal from Southeast Asia, ·
supporting
population
control, · legalization
of marijuana,
and equa l rights
for women.
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(9)
_NEED~ RIDE TO D.O.B. MEETINGS???
Call any of the followin g peo ple
..
in your area. _ _ _ _ _
~I
to
VIVIEN RAMEY ·· J.
VIOLA ·· S
GINGER GAIL & JO
J;h,
~.
· j)
~ ~
.
or have Gin ge r come for it.
Gin ger
Call
!+!+!+!+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+
CHURCH
SERVICES FOR RQtlfil1ONLY
Servi ces will be held every Sunday
startins
at 10 :0 0 A.M. at tbe home
of Rev. Maoora E. Kennedy . The
addr ess is
.
fu1:rru~x in~nr~atiou,
Ser vic es are open to all
one is we lcome,
call
women, every-
COMESWIMMING
WITH D.O.B.
every M
onda y and Thursday fro m 7-9 P.M.
For further
information
or for
transportation
arrangements,
call
)0 0 000
0 000
SILHOUETTES eprinted
r
4P~4J:-k4frk1f:'k1frk1/:"k1/:"kif:"k#*:/J,~#*4f:"k#*if:"k#*i~~#*#*#*
ATTENTION
ALL READERS!!!
• 0 at, '
NEED HELP WITHYOURRUMMAGE THE
FOR
D.O.B. SHIN-DIG OCT 17???
.
Take it to, ..
Rose I s apartment
5
and for
Can effect
only lowness.
,.,
Only here do things seem in proper
persp ectiv e .
- -Kir:1 Sta b insky
000
0 0 00 0 0 ()(
fro□
Black for ms
Outlined
Against a li ght er black -All black,
Nothing more.
No gau dy colors,
No striking
deviations·,·
Nothing to add,
Nothing to detract-Just the forms,
Pur e sim ple form s
As they really
are
statelinens
When only natural
s tateliness,
Can effect
When natu ral lown ess
Opus, 1960
If you are not a member of Boston D.O.B.
this is the last isnue of the Maiden
yoyage you will receive unless you
trot your little
body down t o the Post
blank
Offic e with this subscription
and $5.0 0 . You'll never miss the
$5.00, but, oh my, k~ you would miss
the Maiden Voyage!!!
If you ' re
v ery gene rous, give the MV as a gif t
t o some hip chick you're tryi ng to
impr ess.
We'll even send alon g a
gift card saying it I s from you or ····
if she ' s s trai ght- - you can do it
annonymously.
BUT ACT NOWll!-- or th i s
i s th e last issue of this pric e l ess
you'll
ever see.
newsletter
j~ -!~-:;- :..- -:~· : 1~· ,.. .- -;:•-; .-;~ .·, : -::--;, -::--:-:- :--: :--~'•::-..; -:~-:~; :-·.;--:~ -:- .,-: H, -;.- ~-:-;
·..
~ -~;~
-:
:--;~- - ---;: :--;
-: -;
S01m TO:
Eame:
.~ddress:
------ -- -----------·---------
This is a gi ft
Enclosed
tion.
is
fro m:
,;5.00
for
ea ch subscrip-
�MAIDEN
VOYAGE
(10)
PROXY
FORM
FORELECTION OFFICERS:
OF
Members: This form is to be in our hands no later than Friday 9 November 139
1970. Return to D.O.B. Boston, Box 221 9 Prudential Center Station,
Boston 9 Mass. 02199
I entrust
NAME:
_______________
my vote to: ________
_
OR I vote for:
------PRESIDENT
Diana Travis
Candi McGonagle
VICE PRESIDENT
Jo Peckarsky
Beth Restrick
-----
-----
RECORDING
SECRET.ARY
CORRESPONDING
SECRETARY
__
Laura Robin
TREASURER
Viola N.
Rev. Kennedy
---
NEMBERSHIP
iU'PLICATION
&00:
--------------------------------------
ADDRESS:
TELEPHO
NE
I am a woman 18 years of age or older
Signature
&
Date: _____________________
Signature
&
Date:
Signature
of Treasurer
Partial
Full
Received:
---------------------&
Date: ____________________
-----
Membership rate
is $15 per couple
$10 single
Full membership includes:
Partial
---------
Maiden Voyage (12 issues), reduced
Admission to events 9 voting privilege
membership includes: everything but voting
$5 down7 the rest within 2 months
_
_
�.iVl/;1,IDEN
VOY.JWE
(11)
COMING
ATTRACTIONS**********
Sat.
2
Oct. •3 - Party at Gail & Jo 0 s
Details elsewhere in newsletter
Sat.
9
Oct. 17-Homophil o Hostel in New
Hampshire. Details elsewhere;
Open to men and women.
Fri.
2
Oct. 23-Mombersu meeting
8:00 pm9 Clarke Room J~rlington
9
St. Church 9 corner of /.:.r.-li
~gton
& Boylston Sts. 9 Boston .
Fri.
2
Nov. 6 - Candidates 0 Night
8:00 pm9 Clark e Room B.Y.O.P.*
Mem
bers only
Fri.
2
Nov. 13-Election of Officers
8:00 pm9 Clarke Room
Members Only
Unless otherwise specifiod 9 all D.O.B.
Boston events are open to women only
*Bring Your Own Popcorn
*" *"*v,*ii*io* *•i* ,v*iv ,i*n*vV *ViIi* vi
*!,*
*'' *
*
Qij
.il.NOUNCEHENT
N
Kim Stabinski's
article
which was
originally
scheduled for the October/
November issue of The Ladder will not
appear until the December/Janu ary
issue.
Editor Gene Damon chang ed the
publication
date in order to use th e
religious
theme in th e Christmas
11The
issue.
This article
is entitled
Roman Catholic Homosexual ••• THE OLD
11
CH.11.NGETH.
ORDER
PUBLIC EDUC.i~TION
REPORTS
On Wed. Sept. 23 9 the new public
education committee hold its first
meeting.
Gail told of a course on homosexual1ty that is being taught at
Goddard College in Vermont. Tho
professor,
Leo Emord, has invited
D.O.B. to attend his classes at any
timo.
Diana Travis reported to those
present on the nGay Guerilla Theatre"
whose tactics are to confront tho
public with illustrations
of homosexuality
(kissing 9 hugging, etc.)
hoping to invoke comment from tho
straights.
I'm sure it is successful
-- in getting comments, that is.
Right on, fellast
A documentary film of Losbian
life and/or D.O.N. was discussed.
D.O.fr. would want full l egal control
of this film if tho photographer
makes it and Gail is contacting
.i(tt • .Alan Cook. Don9 t worry, gi:>ls -it Os films of meetings, nothing else.
The Public Education Committee
set up nothing in the way of Friday
night programs, feeling this was
tho concern of the In-roach and
Program Committees.
WILDhas made an offer for a
radio program sometime soon.
A form letter
has be en drawn up
to send to colleges and scho ols
(especially
girls 0 schools) announcing the D.O.B. 1970-71 speaker
series.
The committee hopes to
make new contacts for speaking
engagements in this way.
The committee is going to try
to meet with hospital chaplins and
nurses to see if one girl can visit
her spouse in the hospital when
visitors
are restricted.
Public
Education would also like to change
this so a lesbian spouse can be
allowed to si ·,~'!Pfor surgery ,etc.
It was decfdod to cooperate with
the gay boys on speakin g engagements
when we are asked.
Tho first meeting really started
the season off with a bang.
The next meeting will be Wed.
Octe 7, at 3:00 P.M. at Gail and Jo 0 s.
�The History Project
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Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
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Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 September
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-09
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 9 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197009
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/788b86c8261ce835a8a8f7c7469d88c9.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=bkBagulqwZSZZQottDJXHjW3ZaFDbam2p9yBSNVKbZMOrx0k5p2m4ZNjCvUVft8h1QXVlwbtO9pQXbNEfS864%7EDZSPqHJkApQtjqNe0Khr-oxsBNrh5%7EHh0eRKpQ9sO%7EpU4kpAUFjZGh-gdSBaR1z7y52fRbRhklWutM0Bm%7EVvd1dSTvV7DXz1fJL2tlF7CrMOFfwVeKi7tGayuELJ9H1Pt%7EDB8hflQSQqXp3B5r4-EwccY%7ETawUhRbhbEK0qnGtyhG6RaLKGgb1WXqZzUEfdZhWy0CxydTzMk5Hrw-3F8SKAED8qESMY8oLQ54D4-cfkpd9YevJrWjzJgZAsKogrw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
35c231d913003e67f11d13316ade2b43
PDF Text
Text
o c...
T
I
°1,
0
uol. I
--tr- IO
MAIDEN
VOYAGEt
OVE IS LOVE ... LOVE:...
...
IS
IS ALL YOUN~[D
�1
ANDYCOX ANNOUNCES
CANDIDACY
FOR PRESIDENT
,F-01:" many m'.)nths n0w I I ve been terribly
W'.)rried a b::>Ut the f J:;t
ture -::>f
-D<O-B· r've tried to analyze the needs and wants of 0ur members from ·
the organization,
the needs and wants of the '.)rganization
fr'.)m its
members.
This means each and - every '.)ne as an individual,
not as
cliques.
As a member of the finance C'.)mmittee : r helped plan the Homophile
H'.)stel, hoping a large undertaking,
as it was, would bring some
esprit
de corps to '.)Ur group.
I felt it would insure our W'.)rking
together
in spite of any personal
or p'.)litical
differences.
we who
were actively
involved did get this feeling
and also the great satisfaction,
after it was over, that our effo r ts were n'.)t in vain.
HH
was a success in all but one aspect.
rt was a failu r e in what I most
desired--a
real joint effort.
where were the rest of usy our guests,
thank God for them, far outnumbered us. There is something drastically
wrong when a great number of members can, by any means, work Jigainst ·
the .: r'.) up as a whole.
g
rn an endeavor ·of such magnitude,
not working
for the groL1 is in effect W'.)rking against
p
it.
·r want to know just
I want to wor k to stamp out whatever such
how this can C'.)me about.
a sick attitude
stems from. ·
I have been with Boston : D.O.B. since its very first
organizational
meeting.
I have W".:>rked :rd as a member and an officer
ha
t".:>bring aboo.t
an organization
any Lesbian sh'.)u
.1d be proud to join.
rn tu r n, I have
g'ained a great deal from D.O.B., things I woc'.d like all members to
l
Last week I wrote a letter
f'.)r this MV whicr;i says pretty' much_.
feel.
what I feel, and Lord knows I am L
1sually vocal enough for my views
t'.) be known;
·
I thought with the pending elections
I WOL be happy to relinquish
1ld
my offi :ce and watch others,
aiding only from the side lines.
This is
what I thought,
m::mths ago.
I had an image of young, vigorous,
tireless office r s who would be able to work miracles.
_Bbt this past weekend I suddenly realized
I am not ready to retire
t6 the sidelines.
Ther~ is too much work to be done, work I am vitailf
' interested
in and
feel capable of haridling and delegating.
MY pr:i,rnar,y" goal is unity within our group with programs to encompass all members as pa r ticipants
and
workers.
por thes~ reasons,
and only after a great deal of considera·
tion., ·r am annouri'cing my candidacy _
for the presidency.
·
Andy cox
..
.
DIANA TRAVIS WITHDRAWS
TO SEEK TREASURERS' POST
'
.
rn the interest
of the ~rganization,
i have decided to withdraw
my candidacy for the preside 'nt · of
D. O.B. Andy cox has my f ull sup:)0rt ' in her candidacy.
I would
like also to announce my candidacy
fo r treasurer.
I feel I could
better
serve D.O~B. in this capacity ··at this ·-time~
·
! am doing this
for personal
reasons,
and I W'.)Uld
once ag~iri like to sttfss
that .
whethe ~ I am an ~tfici~r Or a me~~
ber I pledge · my ene r gies to help
make b~O.B. a viable org~nization
for all its members.
Diana Tr avis
0 'BRIEN LS CANDIDA':J:
:~:
FOR RECORDING
SECRETABY
.
I would like to anno L
mce my'c;~ri:
didacy for re9ording
sec:r~ : ary _. of t
f
D.O.B~ I'm a fairly
new membe
·r,
but I'm . Very · interested
ip work:i,..ng
for a succ~s~ful
D.O.B. no0 and in
the future.
r'm on the public - Edu-,
cation committee,
as I arri comrincecl
that ~ducating the genefal pu~lic
·
is an extremely impo ~tant area.
I
would do my best to see that accur ate minutes are takeh at business
.
meetings~
I would :~ery 'much ~ppre- .~
ciate your vote.
,Thank you.
·
•
This
is
ik
a
•
recording:
'
�2
i '
·;•.u j
·:-
. ''[
.., ' ) . !
. BYKim
. ,. . . .,
'
s ta bin s . :i
k
octobe}>\z:: [~l~st go down in BOStpn , O:e's
D 'hfstS 'J'.' a s. the .,.
Y
mcist s\ 1c.ce·s~-r4 1_
!
social
ev~n:t '/ .·.
the most effective
fund rais _ng . c:3:
i
_ tivity~ · and propah ly· ····.·· .:,·
c
.·
nDrale
bL
:ilding
and co mrmmity spir ited endeavors
t·o date .. :
::me '.)f th e,_be
day y J;qa t will .be ha r d t'.) to p .
.
.
. · ..•· ··.· .
It was
ID spite. ·6t' the Sl}
dde n C~)ld snap and snow flurI'ies,
:
pe'.)ple beg?n
ar r iving abol :t 10 a . m. J'1b6u · i oo :t'.) 150 member' s of the h'.)m'.)ph:tle _. .
t
_
t
c '.)ram
. unfty · d r ~ve t o 1;reare, · N /}I ., to participa
·te in at lea.'s t part , ·of _the
day Is ,-¢aried acti vit \es .
.
. . ·. ·_ .. ·.. . .• '.
·
.
..
.··.··
.· . '· /; ~7· . _ , 7
;;
.,
coff eE= and d'~ugrmuts were aY9ilµbl 'e d_u :Lng the mornJng hours,
-'
r
a'hc _the
f
r u.mm~
&,Frsale _qn~ i nu ,ed th rci ughou.t the day,, la ter a r ri va ls r~p li1:1:L
c
fq;:thg ·
. .,t ~ , : •)
.
the t,1::i.'bles. It ,~as encourag i ng to note the amou nt '.)f contributioqs
·. .
. . ·.
,
.. .
_
, ·· .
the . :s'.al e from n9pmRp1bers .
se~ving
spaghetti,
sandwiches,
pie s and .
'J'.'he crew of ·:c bjks started
beverages
·a - ·ou.rid n'.)on, and the 'ki '°tchen st;ayed open until ·10 p .m. . The .
r
.
bar ')pened ·•
and dan_cing began at 2 p~ '., tw-:) J1our s earlier
rn
than sched ule d,
beca u.s e o f popd1a1'."._
demand .
·
.·
.
..
At least
5 0 p·eople left
their
t a bles at 8 p . m. to join in th~ g r a_nu
marc h., organized
a nd led by sam , who late r acted as auct io neer. · A~Jh_(=
march ~ff c frc led the floor
and came u.p the ce-nter in twos, fou rs , '- nd. _
a
:
:tx
fe1~ale, chose _the ' _,-.
eigh 'ts)''. ;,~ :;P
a1Je1 _of ..s.. ·ju dges, th r :e :male. an9 three
twelve ' 'f,inal ,ists
for the last
p'.)r tion of th e _ march.
Dlck yo r'k, vice,'.'.
·jf':' HU:S,
arid DOBIs Ki m stabins'1ci
wire crow ned as the Homophiles' _
''N
pr esident
Homophiles . · . . . , .
.
'. '
girls$
The big ' ·r aff-le- followed
the' mar ch with DOBIs two birthday
with a bi r thday cake and cha~pagne,
La ~ra and Rose, who wer e presented
eight
p:cizes went to people who we r e
drawihg l the tick e ts -. ' The first
presen t fp r- ' the 'drawihg/ · arid each was pre'~~'nted amidst much applause-e
the blow- u.p chair
the ele ·ctrj:c ;·b l anket t6 Ar d i , , the bl onde wig to sandy,
to suz~hhe/ ' trir ee ' p oLn
'ids of 's\ :iaghett:i
t o S tard,
purple
stationery
to Ja n ,
the thawet? ' , f rbze ·h 9i½ange· ju~ce to Jo's father
~ / o Jo, the polaroid
alb um
to Jeafm:ie, ·,aria"•
the kitty
litter
to aail.
The other two prizes
will be
deliVci~ed jiri Boston.
Finally,
the b~sket
used tb hold the st ubs was
offe red <,as;a · bop by prize;
J ulie was th~i/ h tcky -:me. . · .
.
,scmfe,::,f<the ±terns not sold in the rcttnmage sale tivere then auctioned
off ,
stayint
~ove0 began spreading
sleeping
and a pproxima tely 35 weaty people
Andy and Kim had wall -to-w a ll people
in their
bags.
s andy and Bette,
The
homes, while others
slept in the o ra nge and in a n~ar -b y hotel.
Lmexpecte :cr·· o ic!'-weather
E
'pro hibited
camping '.:lqt''as pl _
anned . ..
. .
Break:f' a'.i't:.~
a:n'd p'lenty . of h ot coffee
perked u.p th e clean -u p c r ew su nda y
morning,
and ea r ly evening ,f ou nd the last
of - the tired
but happy travele rs
r et u.rnHrg _tj _~he · :E?b:ston area.
,. .
.• . ; ·.· .
,
, .
. .· ..
fo r ·more r ecis'.)n than tpE;
The bi"oad ·sh1iles· ·on members ' face s were there
fact fhat' 'apparently
everycme :1;n·-attendanc 'e enjoyed
the .Homophi:).e Hostel
.
SQ trE;diifndO'L ly .
is
They were ther 'e ·-' t ly h&ce us e of the 'fincinb :La s u.cces 's
pa,r
'l
for· DOB's la 'gg ing-treas
u.r . . Firial ' adjustments
,y
a r e still'!'he?fng
made.
rt
seems : s?,:te·
to r'eport
that th e: :nE:ar°ly' $600 taken in will , afte r expenses',
_
more than double ' the . 't reastb:.;,y · a's it. stood befo r e the HOSte 1. · And in
:pp
non-pe:rishable
food
addi ticm we have a : g'ood.lY ·s L ly . of liq uor; ' 'tonic'
items ··and Ltensils
1
left
oV'e'r to cut '-_ :ie'xpenses of f ut ur e 'rta 'r t ies , alo ng
'
the
m ge
r
'.(~'. '.' ," '•
•":
'
.
with sever;al .boxes of' :cu. rriei ,fo\=, OL'. next · sal e .
1
one _of 'the' mds't 'be·autif\1•l '' t:hings to behold over thi 'S we;elc.:;Ehid was ' t h'.e, .
iriteracti'Jn
between:" ·th<.; .J?eop1.e' '.irtv61 ved- - b~tween .inen ·arict·worlien; member 1
and non-me 'mbe i;~:. '';Gi ,r ls · whohad 'nd i'.)revious c0ritact ::w.:tth D~ ~.?'rked sfc!_~i ..
o:e?
by side ..with _ meITlbe,s ..se r vipg fo'.)d, deco r ating · 'the n~:hl, h'e1t5:i_ g with r~J1e·.
r
n
mt.:( itu.de•·~f' tasks that g·o· with a pr ')d uc tion of thi .s ~
lt
Jype.
',, ·,.
·· ··
0
a
st
1
s ,·::':
·. -
·,
' !
. .
�3
And the fellows
we:re in there
pitching,
too.
some of them shou.ld be
were . it not for the initials!
The spirit
was
dubbed as ,sons of Bilitis
the comments a boi.lt the affair
were glowing.
C'Jntagious;
A bout half
of the gi r ls in attendance
were DOB members arid they '
represented
about a thi r d 'Jf ~ur ~hapt~r.
Lack of space and t'Jtal
r e cal i prevent
person~!
thanks
to all those
who work ed to make the H □ mophile Hostel
a success .
..·,
TEMPORARYNEWSLETTEREDITOR NAiv.lED
nue to the fact that
pam BOYd has not been acting
editor
of the ·
Maiden voyage for the last
th ree issues,
and also due t'J the upcoming
to appoint
a newsletter
editor
not running
f'Jr
elections,
I have decided
office.
None of her staff
i s ru nning f'Jr 'Jffice
either.
I.hope
our
newsletter
will always remain an unbiased
publication
with ,· the supp6 r t
of all our members.
But remember,
readers,
~hat the MV's
;:ind· faith
comes from us, so it is only as good as we can ,;rnake i't . . so show
-material
· your support
regularly--send
in y'Ju.r opini'Jns,
st'Jries,
poetry,
or · what·
Help the Maiden v oyag~ g r ow, along with our g ro wing membership.
'.: ave you.
h
LETTERS TO ,THE EDITOR
D .O.B.
::r ·•
Beats
N.Y. C . Mother
Tr ucke~s
nea r .Edito r ,
Last week I was faced with a di+emma.
MY gi r l and I had made plans
on rather
sho~t notice.
we were half packed ,
to move to New Hampshire
and no muscle to move.
I was S'J low on cash,
had a u-Ha u l t rLlCk rented
I didn't
dare look. MY main problem was that I had two very heavy piecei;i
; of fu .rri it ur e that would· r eq uire much muscle ( an ·old refrigerator
and
·
EVeryth:i,.ng h1.,p_;;t!
, < ·
_
s'Jfa-bed).
what to do!
With all the hassle
and sepe :;~tipn
a
in D.O.B. and the strong , feelin gs
flying
aro i:m / well,
d
my girl
and I just decide<;l to d r"op· o·u.t:
in ·other ···
wo "ds we lc)S t faith.
There was or didn't
seem · t'J ·be anymore s is .te r h'Jod 1
just hassle
and division.
I spoke to Andy cox and let me tell
you this:
one never tells
he r
on that
crucial
night when I got home with the
something
CAN'T be d~ne!
ful surpri~,e
·
t ru ck, Andy, and more worry than I needed} the most wonde ;~
greeted
me and my girl.
Ten of my sisters
f r om D.O.B. were waiting
and
arriving
}:lelp L move.
'.S
Ten people,
eage r; t'J help.
They . Cthese te,r:i'.·
wonderf\H
gay womeh) m'JVed us, refrigerator,
a,nd sofa-bed
t? ,New . . _
,,
in r ec ·ord time,
la ughing arid clowning, . all the while handling
Hampshire
all ·'Juf> belongings
,L
with care and 'concern .. (Nothing
was br oken, chipped.,
or · 0oeht ed:!,)
.
..
·•· . ,;;MY a-ad· - ·Moved by aay power!
<
!
BY my sisters
from D.O . B. ! This is
what .-b. ·-0.B. :;._- .all about!
,
is
This is what sist _rho'Jd is aLI' abo 0_
e
t.
I am
ashamed ' to :ha ·ve lost
faithj
:·be ,cause this
fo1~ us :was a me·anipgfLll
-exµerernce.
•
JJ.o:".!=3.
sisters
beat the Mather Truckers
Movers ih N.Y ,.G. ;
_,
any day :J hJt meant so mLJ.ch to us.
More than I could ever say here. ,.. : 1
Much mor e!
··
·
·
·
· .,
·
Thank you aail
and Jo, Rose and Julie~
DOri and Joan, IZZY and Ginger,
Andy and Kim for yo ur wonde r ful efforts
to help us when we were too
1
pr'Jv.d t'J ask
BLJ.t most of a 11, thank yo u my bea Ltiful
sisters
for
(cont.)
1
to
0
J
�LETTERS TO THE EDITOR cont .
reneiAr,ing our
faith
and teachi ng us that precious
Lesbianism
is Love .
aette
lesson
of · sisterhoo
d.
and charlotte
Ed's Note - The Mother Truckers
is a legitimate
moving compan y made up
complefeTy
of W'Jmen-straight
vJe pre sume-which
calls
itself
The Mother
ran stories
about the cC>mpany
Tru.ck ers . All the maj or wire services
recently
.
1'.!1:.~Ar~_YO.:::,£
t
.
1nterests?
near _ Edi tor,
:
.
D. O!B . 1s now undergoirtg
a very important
period
of change.
we ,ate
l§;arning
:what ;the needs and interests
of ou.r . members
and interested
..
non - members ,a:-i.7e.. HOW many of us have said in the past we don ' t go to
•D . O.B. meeting 9: because
n othi ng interest
s us or we don ' t know anyc:me?
a
finding
a _arge group of unfamiliar
l
pe'.)p'le; we
we wa llc into _ meeting
fF=el unyvelpqme, don ' t know how to app,"oach the grov.p- - nor do they
app~oach
u~ . I think you will find that
large
groups tend to be like
this no matter
what the gr'oup is, if they have as many new people coming
in and out as we do.
we have t r ied to make our Fri day night meetings
interesting
for all,
but have found this
impossible
. severa l mon ths_cijti
g'J by before
a topic
of interest
comes up.
· -- ---HOW can We meet our needs
and interest~
?
so how can we change this?
organized
by D. O. B . so that
Two ways -- to inc r ease the number of functions
we all can be involved
actively
. offer
people a chance to gather
in
smaller
gr'OL.lps with th'Jse wh:i h'Jld comm')n interests
.
··
has sent out a list
of functi'Jns
to be '
The rn-R(::ach committee
established
and those already
set ~p . we sent o ut another
l ist of
any or want additional
additional
activities
. · 1f yo~ have not received
i nformation,
call me, Jo, at 436-7 913.
Many of you i.n the past have expressed
your inte r est in these
chang~s in D. O. B . but we have , not heard from you now that your
opportunity
is here . what ar :e your j_nterests?
,,re nee-d your help so that
we can give you wh~t you w~nt fr:im D. O. B.
Jo peckarsky
near'
Editor,
TO f .·
1)lfill
the needs and inte r ests of our tnembe-:rs sho Lld be, I feelJ .:..,,
':
1 s :really
1 s main c')ncern.
D. O. B.
And at last
it
Happening! ''>gnthusiat
ic ..
,,T,
and energetic
people have gotten
togethe r:: iri the new 1n-Reach CO~llTiitt.ee ,
and are setting
up nume roLlS excit:Lng
p:cograms . T'?rere has already;
\?'?en
a fai r ly good reaction
accompanied
by phome calls
regarding
the shEfe't.:~
that were sent out by the committee,
and I urg e any of yo u who hav . cr.ot
e
ca l led the numbers listed
on the sheets
please. to . do so . Let up know your inte :eest .s ! Let L1.S
help yo1, get together
.-c
with like - minded gay
,-,:,
women to lea r n; discuss,
'Jr have f un . r ' m certaih1Y
looking
forwar~
to t
learning
aLit'.)
mechanics,
g'Jing horseback
riding,
:rar1d -talcing
part in · some:.
i nteresting
'disc uss ions . wha t about you??
Diana
T~\ vTs .:·:
a
�5
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR cont .
near
Ed i t m.
I am wr i ting
as a 111
.ember 'Jf the PL b1ic Edu.ca t i".)n c ".)mrni
'
ttee .pr e s ent
a t t he ,Se p t ember 23 meeti ng repTcted
in the Maiden v'.)yage.
'
I was h ".)t aware at that meetir1g that the unsigned
3L'.th~_i:i_,,
was
t
for t he Maj_
den v".)y ag ·e . r t
p1"epari ng a repo J_, of 'Jl'.l,, c".)mmit 0ee meeting
seem s t 'J me that
j_ the putlj_c
f
Educati.'Jr'l
comm:i.ttee had been mad e a waI' e
deal 'Jf the confusion
and
of th~ au t h'Jr 1 s intent ion s a g reat
mj_sre pres entatioil
Jn that
artic J.e c 'JLd_d have been avoided .
The unsign ed ~ut hj~ see~ s t'J h 2 ve been unduly ann'Jyed by nian a 1 s
r e p'Jr t on th 2 s cti v-:i.ties
of thf: 110-ay GL.
l2Ti ll8 Tl:.eater 11 , MBY :~ re mind th e
aut h'Jr a rep'Jrt
is not ari endorse n~ n~.
rn rep'Jrtin3
th e se activities
,
Diana was acti~~
quite
praperly
ss a ~!iffih2r 'Jf the public
Educat i 'Jn
tl1 2 cornmj_ttee,
apa:ct fr-om the u. s i gned au thor ,
n
c'.)111mittee . It scel il:3 that
feels
it abs'Jlu.t.Jy
nec~::;ss a ry for th2 · ~ ubLLc EclL.
.catior1 comri1jtte e t'J be
_
mrnre o:f th 2 v81'J_
::dl mea ns e ,11 l oy,.30, by oth2r
;_::i
gay g:.,..
::iu.ps in estab li sh ing
of hornosexu.2ls ,
t he c iv i l rights
0
,
1
· naj _
J_
near
Edi to i--'
,
11 :i::
ovc do es ~at con ois t in g2Zi~~ a ~ eachbther,
+
, .
a·
in lookt w ': L.1!..: a]'' c~ ,_ r" e,.,.l-1c, -v, 7 D ):'. 1 c , "' uccfilP- 'c 1 ,~ a
L ...
: -Antoi il2 ~o 32int-Exupfry
1
-.J
-
V
'
.
V...
C)
I....,. J_
. .
. ,_
.
1
:J
l. -~
I.)
.A
- -.L
_,
LOV.2 LS _ , 'J.'1IE,E JS.
I\L·
l
I'h2t 1 n t > nc1.,1e ·)f
1s
1s
LOVE., Th2,t
a·.:.1 th - r2 j..c, : . , L ,)vic ~.
2
r1_i:1o.t's ;. ;hat
·
but
C 'V i· 0 D
'
.1,
11
•
th e gcme , fo lk s ...
it !s a l l abou t . , . LOVE.
1Ihat 1 s v1\1y 1 1 m s ltt in 6 E(C C- type \r~;·<_ t' ,'-lh n I can ' t type;
te:
s
that ' s why
yoL'.' r e J"eDdinc ~
-;hs'..; I i:~,--)_t,.:;; -:;:1tt 1 ;;. ·,:· 11r ycJL~ 2nd care · ab l e t o · d o th e
,
i
thin g s t Je }RS d'J1rn; .. , LG 'c1~ " ' '.1L1 ~..'. Y :10t c :1r c fo1 me as a person , n or I
:
, 8
you, b ut w~~ h2v ::: :J 0 '-,:2tli: 1 1v~ :~r c, te: n tr:::i, , that
:
dra~:ing
us toge t her and
t1.r. ting
,-=L
us a~ one . v-T:•FJ.t ·c:1L1k it 1:..:, .. ,:\'l,_::i·G rnyse l f fee l ... is a c l ose
/
I
L1L1i J.y rel;, ti on;_;: •) , . . an
hi
i ; I ~:'n
'JY- h2 te-rny <: is •:~er- but-she-· ie - s t j 11- my;
" -; s t e '1 11 s O --,,l,_ 01-'' ·•- 1 17 n.I..·
,
.
~-...:
1
we LO' E e~.c r1
/
bthf ~r as onJ.y w"" ca n ; foJ,, e2c~·1 of u.s share
so many
con r•1. boncl ccses . cur fea :cs , f1~ ·stro t ions,
or1
-L
h'.)jJet,
and Greams can n e v er
b-:: fu l 2-y LmdeJ"st,yy:1 by an~I o'G~1e1,, than ouJ?,3Cl\ '~::.;.
0:...11aj_lrr_ents g'J far
02 c per thm: ·c:uy moc}::_cjJ_ d o c tor can d:i.0gr•.o ~
,eJ dec,;er
than th e aveJ-age
rsychJa·i,r:
::-; can :Ce:':rct
i:.
o0.t. , w2 neecl eac l1
bther .. . S'.)me need to give ,
SY .~e ,J.!:'e usec:i to reflect
the ;'Jast., wishfL ,1 prese n t,
,._:thers to tal:e,
0 r desil "'ab 1e , (o:c L'.1102,sirable)
futc,1 -e . But :,;e c.lJ _. serve
in some
11
capa c::_ty ... ~ e 2,~~ thE: coi:-·,, the t:cuit,
t :1": OL'.ter slci n ; we make t h e 1
Hh0Ie
api)l e "
J\nd as a ll fr L:it , we ar e extTemely
pe:ciC"h2bJ _e.
we b:cu"ise easj_l y.,
we s L.
·,ffer
f~:o ·11.exti,eine,
-:->
we are subject
to :Lntcrr,a J. de c ay.
Jf we are
to sur~ivc,
we must pr o~ect
'Jur-D r rhard
wit~ un dyin~ vigi l 3nce . we
mu.;t guard against
uny f or □ of ~ot that wil~ attack
the tre e f r '.)m wh ic h
r,r'letake e:dst:;nce,
th;:-t 1r'Jll spi ea cJ d<"ccay to t·:1e very J.j_
i
mbs f r om wh i c h
T:-Je take
J_j_fe ,. F'J, 7 '.)nee the t t>Lml it:; gone, no l j_\n1:i ll Sl'J~vi ve ; we wi l I
,:
wi
t h en retc.rn
fr'.) rJ ·,,hc nc 8 we cam e} r12kec1 to all s~or.'11:::l; wit h ou t '.)Ur
p!notective
L mbL 2 lla"
S-:J pay y)u.:~ :='ae 2r.d tat: ,: your LOVE. ... t c:ke j_t t o give , '.) Y' t a ke it
to recej_ve,
bL.~ take :Lt in the p:eescl ib2d f-:J;'m as sj_s ters ; j o in to g et h e r
0 on gca1 .. . the very g :.>l that
a
sta:"tecl
this
whol e org a n i z at i on, •
in a C'.)r m
wo:rldng
t'.) br1nn: a n_ s5_'':,e ,-r:; tog t t· ·er :i_n a far,1ily
t
~:nit.
1
7
0
·-
1
_,
1
_L
·-
V L
_;_ ..
C
1
1
0
1
0
1
(cont
.)
�6
LETTE TO THE EDITOR c ont.
RS
Now that y ou and I are together,
along with 57 othe r s ; · the ~o r k
has j ust beg un. we must continue
to r each out with o ur ever inc r easing
reach.
tentacles
to br ing home as many 'Jf the family as we can possibly
we must r each the sisters
who avoid us beca use they don't need us ... we
we must reach those who need us but are afraid,
not of us
need them.
s ·J many of us and prohibits
b L OL of the deep- r oot e d fea r that besets
:t
it
the f ulJ, rich life we know we deserve artd a r e capable of.
Join hands with the sister
beside y ou and r each the othe r hand out
by . And sh ou ld yo ur reaching
hand be grasped,
hold
to one passidg
tightly
as to a feather
ca ught in the wind but not tight
eno ugh to c ush.
NurtL F' e it gently , as a mother cat a kitten ; show it yo ur LOVE and
understanding,
teach it to stand and hunt on its own ... and then you will
with her hand also outstretched
into
have a siste r be s ide you standing
the wilderness,
se eking t o ret urn what she has been given . Then you will
that can only come from
have you r r eward, the great inne r satisfaction
eceived . Thj_s will be all the reward you can expect ...
an act ')f LOVE well i~
the r e i& no plush s uite h e re, no exec utive washroom to attain ... the r e are
fo r that level).
no queen bees ; we are all worke r s (or hope fu lly striving
.st teach ...
only a pe r s on who can LOVE can be happy, and this is what we mu
only those who can LOVE ca n giv e of themselves
selfless
ly.
00
Andy cox
THINGS TO DO/PLACE, TO GO
S
The following
community.
i s a calenda r of events
in Boston
of inte r est
to the Gay
STAGE
TWOBY Two is a new musical
by Richa r d Roge r s, sta r,~ing nanny Kaye
at the sh ube r t Theat r e on Trem ont s t.
at the Wilb ur Theat r e . cross the generation
gap--oo ! :
~air is still
is: If y0 u know who •
'Jacques Brel IS Alive and well and Living In pa ,~
Edith piaf was, remember world war I, or even the second big
The songs are charming and sentimental.
po r
bash, go and see.
gays there is one song 1 11The De spe r ate ones . 11 Listen and hear
you r self in those da r k nights.
HOWTo Make A woman at the ca r avan Theatre.,
9 p . m. , every Fri. and
sat.
phone 868 - 8520 or 491- 957 9 ,
EVENTS
Bill c0sby-- s ymphon y Hall, 7 : 30, oct. 25
nod MCKuen in conce r t-- s ymphony Hall, 8 : 30, Nov. 20-21
Laura NY --Music Hall, 8, o c t. 25
ro
s ly and the pamily stone-- Bos ton Garden, 8, oct . 24
7 and 9:30, NOV. 1
cha r les .Aznavour--Kre sg e Aud i tori um, M.I.T.,
Dick Gr egory--s uga r sh ac k , oct.26 , phone 426- 0086
Br ook Benton--pa ul 1 s Mal l th rou gh o ct. 25 , phone 267-1300
The Kingst on Tr io--Lenni e 1 s th r ough oct. 25, phone 1-535-9806
Bel ow is a brief
ART GALLERIES: Newbur y s t r eet has 29 a r t galle r'ies.
of some of the be st.
listing
s kifin oalle r y is the fi r st galle r y owned by and exibiting
Black
artists.
A nLJ.mb of the best Black a ;-tists
er
cm the East coast
will exhib i t he re .
(cont.)
�THING TO DO/PLAC:C: TO GO cont .
S
S
puc ke ~~ c;afrai is n oi~ showing ;•
,ecent chaga11 · pr ints.
The gallery
its e If ' is -:m of , the best designed
e
buildings
in- fB'.)S t '.)n.
Edna Hibel : Fo r ~h6~e ~ho enjoy 'S'.)ft colors and gracefu l 'lin~~j ) ·J
· Edna Hibe:j.. is _ master Qf t he· Bar-jque _toucp.
cl
·
IS
vJOMEN LIBERATION
p ernale 1,iberati-Jn,
1126 Boy lst -Jn s t r eet, Ooct. 28, is having
a panel discussion
on the Eq~a l Righ t 1 s Amendment . As a woman if
yo u· ca r e about equal pay fo r equa l W'Jrk, y~u wi ll be interested
in
this le gislation.
' If you are a GBY woman this : J_egislation
will
pr6hi bit disdriiliination
'.)n th e basis of sex . · jhe right
to marr y
aaysJ pay attention!
ca nnot be pre mised on sex distinctions.
There will be a conference
on Aborti-Jn,
oct . 24, Arlington
street
chu rc h.
·
CHURCHE OPEN TO GAY
S
S
Roman cath-Jlic
s t. clement 1 s, 1101 Boylston
st ., noon polk Mass
Episcopal
s t. J ohn the EVang i list,
33 Bowdin st ., 10, High Mass
church of the Advent, 30 Brimmer st ., 11, Hi gh Mass
chu rch 'Jf our savio r , 5th and L s t., sou th B-Jst on , 10,
11expe:r~imenta
1 i: se J:" ice. -:EV
Jnte r - denomina ti ona l
chu- ,-ch for women only , 1126 Boy l ston st ., Boston,
the pemale
Libe~ation
office,
ll a .m. For furthet
info r mat i on call
Rev. Magora Kenne dy, 296 - 2578
GAY HAPPENINGS
wei ght watchers-The weight watc hi ng gr-Jup will have it~ first
meeting fo -r any inte;...,e sted W'Jman on wed., oct ,, 28, 8p.m . , at
J udy 1 s . call 787-9498 fa \ informa t io n and di~ect i ons.
Nov. 3 ?nd Wed. ,
BOWling- - D. O.B. will be cand1epin bow ling Tues.,
Nov . lf at 8p.m . J0IN .. u,s! ·! call sa ll y Miller
at 296 - 25 7$ for
direct i ons.
·
,
. ,swimmin g- -A po'Jl i s available
fo ._--, every Mon:. and . r_rnu s .' eve11L1gs
us
r
between 7 & 9 p .m,. · call 296-25 ·78 for dir eGtions.
11costL'ime
Ball 11--oct.
23, -c c :1 ystai Room of H-Jtel continental,
he
~
29 Garden ,st., cam br idge. · Tickets · are fp5 ca 1l ' Mark Charles
;.
a t 282 - 9181.
1
·
SPECIAL OPEN HOU ES
.S
_
_ _
Three -Jpen houses to meet the candidates--c
orne discuss
yo ur views
of the future
of Boston DOB and the problems which conf r ont us ' now,
1. ,This ,sunday oct. 25, aail and Jo 1 s 2 492 Harvard st . , J 3,
Dorchester,
Mas~.
02124 2 phone 436- 7913~
2 . Next ,sund ay NOV, 1,, R,ev . and sa 1 l y I s, 6 1 c la rkwoo d s t . ,
Matta pan, Mass., phone296 -2578 .
_ ·. ·
_
3, _ ,sund ay l\f'JV. 8, Ka:ti,e 'r!i:r; 622 M-Jrton ,st. _ f3 , Do:.c hestel''/
,
c
1v1ass., phone 2$5--2709 · ·• · _ _ · ·
·
·
Join us each or any cir the s undays bet~een 2 and 5 p;m . The
Financ e committee wi l l haye the D.O. B. Bar avai lable.
we 1 r e
lo oking forward to talking
with you .
cont . ,
�,Q
'-'
THINGS TO DO/PLACE.'3 TO GO c cmt.
game:., ,S . , 9ct .2~-.,
·at
FOOTBALt- - come ->n :iu.t .for th e D.O . B . _t'.)uch f'.)otball
:
1 p . nr'. Meet on the f'J-btb r idge acr'.)SS the cha J:-es Rive: r which
l
the Harvard
Bridge.
see you there!
is rtearest
D . O.B . FRIDAY NIGHT MEE'rINGS:
oct.
23 --Memb er ' s meeting,
8 p.m.,
clarke
Room, Ar lington
and B:>ylst:in
s ts . ,
street
Ch Lr ch, c:irne r · of irlington
BOSton, ...
' s Night,
8 p.m., ClaI 'ke Room, members only,
Nov . 6 -- candidate
Nov . 13- - Ele0tion
of officers,
8 p .m., clarke
Robm, members
,Jnly.
1
NEED l\ RIDE TO D . O. B . MEETINGS?
~all
any :if the following
pe'.)ple in your
Vivian- - camb ~idge
354-1318
Ramey- - Al lst-:rn
731-1080
Viola- - south
s hore
96 1-2958
Ginger--L'.)Well
453-605 9
--Lf36--7913
Gail & J O--BOSt'.)n A 1 ea
over
The Fence
area:
l'Jitr1 Diane
o 'Keefe
li~t
1:ir the
The week af ter I put n~ name on the substitute
primary
grades
I called
the ·s uper intendent
' s 'Jffice
'cO' see if my
t .r 9 nscript
had · ar ,~ived.
I was accosted
by a pleasant
but panicky
voice ~.
, 1;c ou ld
you 11'/Cirktom a ,:.., 11 ?
row
.
A little
su ~prised
sine~ I hadn 1 t had an inte~view
oi ah x-ray,
SLt
anxious
to get W'.)rk, I agreed
to take a second grade at a schoo l in a
ne ighb'J, ~ing city.
_
'
··
Now I lrn:iw why the panic . . When I a rrive d at the schocil ' yard the
irLthe
playgroL;md
pr"-Jmpted me to check the
following
day, the 11 child.renii
sign 'JVer · the L'."'ont door.
Reassured
this
was a school
and not the
F ~anklin ·park zoo or Benson's
Wild Ani~al Farm,
I proceeded
into the
buildin g·. I g0t my first
indication
things
were a little
bizarre
when
I saw a p0 l icema n stationed
at every doo :r an~ late r learned
ther~
were six
0n cal l at th~ principal
's 6fttce
.
·. ·
psychiat
r ists
one thing
about substit □ tlng~~jou · tan b~ hit with orie 0£ two
situati0ns
-- beautifu
ll y Mritten
le sson plans
that
a first
year student
tea che: e c ou.ld be proud of , bL:.t coup led with the wor st delinque nt s yoLl I d
or the sweetest
kids in the w0rld but n'.) indicijtjpn
ever waht to handle,
as to what pre-prime:
· , prime r, workbook
:ir seatwo r k to use.
Either ~way
it ' s a challenge
. r don 1 t know which is worse~ th0 ugh ... disciplining
a
bunch 0f hoodlums
a ll day while ybL) 1 , e t'. ying to teach
or fal{ing it for
five
hou :i.s without
any lesson
plans . .MY l . ck J I was hi .t the first
u
day
of each . As a for . instance~
- r . had one r;gem" with a l~-3 I. Q .
with a little
I co~ld see I w~s going to have to stay ~one hou r ahead of this
guy.
cl'.)wn C'.)mplete with di :rt y hands ' and face and
EVidehtly
he was tne class
a matching
sweat shirt.
He made ·animal
so1,,mds all . day long and cracked
t"i1e kids L walking
,.p
a ,-·-rn nd _ 0n all fou r s, and to break up the mon0tcmy he
, ::
gave karate
less0ns
d ur ing r ecess.
A lth :rngh the J egu l a, teo:cher I s -less on
p1ans vvere well detailed
f r om phonj_cs t0 fLm with chapter
headings
f,jr
each subject,
find~ng
the b'J'Jks th e.c ha p te rs we r e ih tookhjlf
the day
while
the kids tore
the ~0o m apa r t . .
cont.
0
4
1
4
4
4
�9
over
Th§ Fente
with
Diane
0 1Keefe
cont .
;Luckily
the tea6hers
get an hour's
break at noon while
the kids
go home •for beer and crackers.
, o after
s
scribbling
some before
school
1s
i led it down - to the principal
office
to get
work on the board I high-ta
ih line with the othe r t~ac~ers
t o see a psychiatrist.
BY then the lin e
and after
mu.ch pushing
and shoving
I finally
got t::i. see
was twci ab r east.,
cine . However,
he was a.troubled
soul--not
only had his electric
train
broken
d'Jw.n bL1t he had f'.)1'.'g'.)tten both his lunch and his r ubbers..
After
sharing
my l unch . '.)f cottage
cheese
and an apple.:i he discreetly
popped a
· Libri ·um i11to his mouth and told me this
job was bad for my ne r ves,
At three · 0 .1 c1ock the bell
rang.
I clung to the wall in ter ,··'.)r as
o ut of the bL1ilding
like
they'd
the kids t ~ ampled over me and barreled
just ~on a ball
game.
After
I regained
consciousness
I weari ly put .on
my coat and crept
cautious .Ty '.)ut of the bu.ilding,
checking
Ol't all the
,f8r last
minute
pi~anksters
or dirty
old men offering
sugar-coated
exits
, · 11 bubbl.e
gum. 11 when I, g0t to ·my ca ;.., I checked
unde i· the hood and ail fou.r
tires ., thanked
God and headed
foi"' home . peace at last.
H0we ·11er , when I
'
a.rrived
I found a dunning
1.etter
':in_my mailb'ox along W
:ith two ·re ' jection
'
slips
fr,om a local
publishing
conipany--and
a very zealolxs
Jehovah
p0unding
0n my do0r . Jn his best ministej--like
voice he asked me
v,itness
if '.I knew why human beings
live
such sh0 r t lives.
11
yeah,
c;lggy,avation ! 11 I spat ciu.t' violently~
cutting
him .off . I
•
him a dime; picked
up .his disintergrated
body and laid
it gently
slipped
on the sidewalk,
re l ieved him of his literature
and took a well neede d
res t.
at 7 :45.
A little
less
The following
morning
the phone jangled
panicky . but w1th .great
cauti0n--wou
l d I tal:e the same class
aga ,in :t .oday .
I a1n.rE2ithe r the wo1 ld I s biggest
:'>
foo 1 or gi ~eate.st
masochist
or both,
bu.t
I consented,
th rew two Alka-selt~er
into
a paper bag along with a medium
onion and a half
a pound of liverwurst.
New strategy--the
kids give me
I'll
breathe
on ~hem .
.
_
- -.. ·
any troubleJ
Howev _r, a good substitute
e
needs more than bad bne!:lth 'to get
five hour voice
that
does
through
the day . To name a few --a non - stop,
• not
get hoarse
or crack
under stress,
a good supply
0f vitamins
and/or
tTanquilizers
, along w;Lth an ample sLJ.pply of J ronwear
hosiery
tha:t
·
doesn I t catch
on chairs,
a strong
wcioden pointer
that
do .esn 't break at
the board cracking
everybody
up, al6ng with built-in
radar
f~r findin g
the milk list
and '. the attendance
b . ok and the memor y of i:lD e lephant
o
for
and Whimazaki,
and finally
the imaginative
su.ch names as .s·eidenstriken
geni u.s of scott,
Foresman
and co. f0r making up wo,...,ksheets coupled
with
the combined
dete r mination
of eris
columbus
and Job himself
and the
you are very definitely
a drowning
man going down fo r
recognition
that
the third
time.
0
d:;
1:
~1
PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT
Jean o ' B •·ien
OCTOBER 7,1 970
,
on oct.
7, a public Education
committee
meeting
was held in
Dorchester'
at aail
and Jo I s apa r tment.
-,After
discu.ssing
·va, -·ious topics
of special
interest,
individual
assignments
were g :;_ en to the members
v
p ,··esent.
1t 1 s felt
b V the committee
that
a great
deal of progr>ess
can be
11 communication
OLt own special
r
gap'' by
. made this , vvay . ve hope to close
0.ti lizing
all
ot..r membe r s I ene 'igy and talents.,
not jus t those
of a few .
:cegarding
a speaking
engagement
in
More info Tmati:Jn· was re ·ceived
(cont . )
�10
verm'Jnt.
JVIr Leo .Emmerd informed
.
us he'd arrange
for us to stay the
night
afterwards,
as the ride to attend
his class
~ould t?ke three
and
decision.
was reached
9n this
one half, t~) four hours . · No definite
pa ·rt:ic"ti la r 'Jff er, as t r ansportation
and 'work s ched Lles a :re , a 'pro b1enf.
!.
The en t ire committee
feels
that
taking
the first
step in contac ·ting
the public
must be made by us . · we cann'Jt
be co ntent
to ,sit back ana
expect
them to act first.
To get things
going,
prom otiona 1 publi.c
releases
inf0rming
of 00 .r availability
· to speak were sent to womens 1
-colleges
.
Realizitig
.the ~iilipor tant
part television
and radio
play,
it was
decided
to wri te to l ocal stations
.
and contact
persons
in charge
of
prog; ~amming .
1
A genero Ls offe :" was made by WILD 's paul yates.
He su.gges ted that
!.
so we can practice
'Ju r ·
we mal-ce LSe of a 11mock set. up " in the studip
inte:rviews
and bec0me accustomed
to on-the- ·,;:Li procedu:re.
r
A file
of lette r c'Jntacts
is being _statted
in order
to have a
co 11e ges , womens I g r·oups , etc . ,
comp lete
back listing
of organizations,.
to which we send . The :records
kept will
give : a11 the info r mation
peT tinent
to our reaching
them . Names of specific
heads of depa r tments,
p:rogra6
coo r diriato rs ,. women in charge
of p rb viding
speakers
for thei r
clubs
- ~all thes e names and telephone
numb~rs w~ll be ~n the files
fo ~
futu r e r efe rience . ·
'·
When the invitations
sta 1;-- pou.ring
t
in (hopefully),
it wil 1 mean a
t o see a few familia r faces
in' the
great ·deal to those who are spe,aking
audience.
we ' 11 need the s Lt port
p
of al l of D . O.B. to make our committee
yo~ don't--riave
to stand
up and be counted-succeed . so plea s es gi:rls,
j ust be the r e!!
OCTOB
ER 13,
1970
·
The pu.blic tducation
c o.mmi ttee
met oct.
13 at aail and Jo's.
present
Diana,
Mary , Anne,· Kip; 'and Katy . The committee
dpafted
a
were aail/
suryey
to be distri
b uted to all members at the oct . 13
pub lic education
business
meeting~
The -survey
is a r esource
too l enabling
;the p ublic
Edu.cation
committee
to draft
willing
arid r esoL ,r cefu .l speake rs.
we wi ll
co mpetent
to speak and a li s t of
ask for those . areas
in which yo u feel
gro ups which yo u wnuld feel
ccimfo~table
speaking
t~ .~ we wi ll wor k irt
conju n ction
with ' the rn-Reach
committee
to train
tho se wi11ing
to speak . ·
The public
Ed uc ation
c omrnittee
h8pes to build
a tearri .: of adept
public
speakers
.
· . · •
, ·
.
. .
··
. ·· ·
.
Ed dcation
committe ,e have .p l anned a
The membe rs of the ,public
bib liog raphy to be available
t • D. O.B. and · th.e . public . The ,·committj;e
'J
has
vo luntee :C' to reprint
ed
articles
of interest
to the genera l membership
and
available
on ;-, que st .
e
.
to make :;:;uch art1cies
RECIPES
4 lbs . chuck
:Roast
FROM SANDY ' S
c ut in
Greek stew
1/2 inch
pieces
2 lbs . small white
onions
1 can tomato p~ste .
2 tbs . r ed wine .vinega r
2 tbs . da r k b r ".)wn s ugar
1 clove ga ,, 11 . .(minced}
c
KITC
HEN
2 bay leaves
o
1/ 2 t sp: ,g ;i7 und cinnamon
1/ 2 tsp~ ~ 0 ?und cl0ves
1 cup yvateY! .
cut
1/2 lo' . aauda cheese
·c u.l)e8
1/2 c~i ' tpasted
pe ~ ans
1
.
'
s p ri nkle meat with f.lou:r a nd salt
and pep1Jer and br~ir/ in frying
pan . .•
combine
all i ng r edients
exce pt cheese
and nuts . 1et simme r on low heat
fo r th r ee hours . sti~
in cheese
and nuts
just
before
se r vin g.
�THIS MONTH-LIBRA
'I'HE D.O.B • .S R GAZER
TP.
s ept . 24~oct: 23
11
LIBRA GOES EVERYWHERE, WITH LOVE.
n
Neve r unde J"
estimate
a Lib :,'an.
Her smile may be waJ'm; he r· to uc h may
be soft . But i nside he r velvet
glove lies a hand of steel .
s ympathetic
and kind, Lib r ans demand and give (air treatment.
If
abLlsed or imposed Lpon, howeve r ., theL " antagonist
-'
may as well be dead}
as fa r as Lib r a is concerned . she won 't fight.
She mer ely goes into a
deep f:reeze .
with Lib r ans} the most feminine
of all sig ns } you have a charming
evening ahead.
They f:'Lnd something
i n common with eve c:y one} even if it's
manufactu~eJ
on the spot.
Lib r ans are gene r ously endowed with imagination.
If they ~fen't
informed on the spot about a subject,
they are still
able
to generate
,in intelligent
Lnde r standing
::if it dL
1e, i n part.'I to their
fac ulty for acq uiring
broad experience
f ~om occ urr ences wi th others .
They love beauty,
and they love l ove.
Howeve r , they are not fli r ts.
Their affections
are deep arid always seek a prope l" plane,
although
what 1 s
pr oper in theeyes
jf '.a 'Libran may n'Jt be so in the eyes of anothe r sign.
Libra believes
in 11all fo r ' 16ve.'I and the wor ld well lost. " Her emotions
are cTystal
c l ea l".,; he ;,., affection
is direct.
whatever
she d'Jes, J"ight □'"
wrong, she d 'Jes f ,,om the hea :et, which to he r- mi rid makes it right. ·
_
Librans
do very poorly at physical
work.
In any type 'Jf job; th~y ·
hate to be tied down . a ·eat dabb)e :cs., they tend to be mo e 'dilettante
r
'
than artist.,
but their'. ' natural
enthusiasm
fo ;J- beauty provides
·
gre · t
a
enco w· agement to "boher s mo1° gifted.
e
Li b "a 1 L'.nlike S'.) many othe r signs ,
1
hasn't
an envi'Jus bone in he r body .
,
If yo u find you r interest
di rec ted towa r ds a Libra love r , you'l l
have t '□ be 10 0<:?1, ' :real.
fcF
~he inte ,~ests easily,
but becorrt~s bored
q L:
:ickly if y'Ju a r e n'Jt the gal fo r l':te . - . and s'he has 1 q knack for
,- :
getting
to the bottom of things
fast!
0
0
0
1
my '.)nly name!
VITA
dashing
and
clatte, ~ing and
bab"l;lling and
searc hing and
s t · u. g ling
g
0
on
'.)n and
on
pL
cshing and .._,:, ching a'Ba
ea
hrnting
and
c lLitching
and
falling
in the da:-k a:rms of
this f tagi le n i ght
I can n'J t find y'.) u;
the y'.)u that is me.
yet deep within
I see the r eal morning
ahd in this lonely moment ,
I knew what it was
that made
me in this shape.
I r eached o u.
t
of
t~ t~uch eve r y surface
life
my~elf in tht=
defacing
~nirro :,"
~ Llt
'.)n
and
'.)n
always
-
..
whil~ in that t~ fy {bl~ ·
cente :c"
;
something
spoke t'J me and said)
ii you
are not a l'.)ne. •i
and the tr uth of
this tho ught
:,- ise d me f r om my death.
a
�D O 13- R E
FE ..
R
l?
R A L S
GAY GRO
UPS
· · uomophi l e union of BOS
ton
H-U·B· s~nday meetings
starting
NOV. 8 and every othe ~ su nday
the r ~afte r ~ 33 Bowdin st.,
phone : 282-9181
Alan cook, Esq,, 151~ Dorcheste r Avenue,
Dor cheste r , Ma~s ., Ph?ne : · 288 -4041
· aa y women's Libe ratio n
,, '·
.
Cal 1: .· Mary-l~92-2281
Michael Buckman, Esq ·., 1·511l Dor cheste r Ave.,
·
or Nita-787-01.~39 ·
Dorcheste i , M~ss ., phone : 288 -4041
aay Liberation
F~ont
.
call:
stan - 868-8018
r
PsYcHiA m' c
D.O.B. r ecommends the se men listed
belciw to membe- s who want pr ofessional
advice.
LEGAL
'n-c. .Ri'cr1ar d
pi llaro,
6 BOnd s t., ·
Bost::rn, Mass., phone : ' 423-9722 or
262~4200 EXt. '.)251
'RliLIGIOUS
noMAN CATHOLIC
.
Fathe r Kevin, Newman cente r
( s t. element's
chm~ch)
.
1105 Boylston st ., BostonJ Mass .
ph:me:
536-2 376 o:r 277 -~-81.~7
D.O.B.
BOSTONOFFICES:
· · p-·esident
.. Diana Trav1s, Boston
::.
254-2714
T,"'easure ]"' - Andy cox, weare, I\T.H.
vice-p ~esident,
cor r es p onding
,seccetary
and Recording
secretary
vacant pendi ng elections
NEWSLETTER
STAFF:
'Editor-D •ane .
i
pfoductionaail,
Joan,
EPISCOPAL
Rev. Gilbe~t nent, Gh~ist chu r ch
zero aa ·!-den .st., cambridge,
]Vlass.
ph-:;ne : 876-0220
neadline
METHODIST
Mai l co nt ributions
Dr . Wil lia m Alberts,
Old west
Methodist
chu :rch, 131 camb r idge
Boston, Mass., phorie .~ _
277-5088
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Members may find gift : subsc · j_
ptions
to the Maiden voyage to be a most
convenient
way to solve this yea r 's
Christmas
shopping.
next
iss ue is Nov,2.
to:
The Maiden voyage
D.O.B., Boston chapte ~
P.O. BOX 221
pruden tial center station
Boston, Mass.,
02199
s t.,
Nonmembers may subscribe
to the
Maiden V~yage for t5 a year.
simply
send you 1." name, complete mailing
ess, and check -Jr money
mailing adld;"'
0r de r , along with a note fo :r cla r ification,
to the Maiden vo y age at
the ~.O.B. mailbox.
·
f'.)r
Kim, cha r,
Dori
october.,
V'Jl.
1,
1970
No, lJ
I am in 1-Jve ahd
I
Am
Happy., so impatient
am I to
Bite
The moon
And
Roar.
she says
she says I am a fool.
.le, yes!
A mu
aail King
aette,
�13
D.O.B.
1970-71
The following
is a •more complete
list
of the groups(discussion,
activity,
hobby, study,
social,
instruction,
etc.)
now ~eing established
by D.O.B. for all members and interested
non-membert.
'If
you are interested
in any of the below, have any questions,
or new
suggestions,
contact
us at any of the phone numbers listed,
or write:
p.o . Box 221, prudential
center
sta tion,
D.O.B . Boston rn-Reach,
Boston, Mass.
02199 .
JUDY - 787-9498
,3p'.)r
'
(after
5:00
p.m.)
s
Bowlin g, Baseball,
Basketbal l, Golf
Riflery,
Archery,
Hun ting
Discussion
Groups
aay women p~esently
or formerly
in
st~aight
marriages
aay mar r ied couples discussions
aay relationship
discussions
aay Black women
Adtivities-Hobbies
photography,
painting,
Art
camping, sailing
Tropical
fish
D'.)g or cat grooming
Misce l l a neou .s
weight-watchers
S .O.S. (stamp out smoking )
VIVIAN - 354-1318 (After 6:30 p . m.)
Instruction
aiven
spanJ.sh course
TYPJ.ng course
C'Joking
Activities
- Hobbies
scrabble,
probe, cribbage
poker, Bridge
Monopoly, pokeno, checkers
Music-singing,
jam sessio ns, etc .
Hiking,
Mountain-climbing,
Fishing
Disc L'SS ion Grou.ps
with Tamilies,
straight
Dealing
friends,
fellow employees
Dealing with religion
and
homosexuality
Butch-femme discussion
grou p
s tudy of Lesbianism
and the law
The aay student
sports
Bicycling,
Hockey, Boxing
REE - 335-0220 (After 5:00 p.m. )
Gay women w i fh~ cni---iare n
P . O. P . (put p'Junds :on Skinny
people) Also.,
Major
D. O.B. standing
committees
would
Jo-436-7913(After
4:30p . m. )
sports
skiing,
ska ting, snow shoeing
Tennis,
sw imming, Horseback-riding
snow -mobiling,
Motor cycling
Activities
and Hobbies
Karate or self-defense
stamp and coin co ll ecting
ECOl'.)gy
sewing, Knitting , crocheting
poetry
rnstr uc tion Given
lessons
Beginning
guitar
speaker
Training
Folk and square nancing
Discussion
~roups
in
Gro up interested
pemale Liberation
wha t is involved
in
pemale Liberation
aay women within
the
class
structure
Group interested
in
discussion
with gay
guys
Miscellaneous
"The Mother Truc ke r I s 11
moving company
career
guidance
and info.
ROSE-201 -1 130, .-,
-In~ ti;:,t.Tcl;i OD
··av e D · .. --~~~
r
· -.-. - · .
BE;;gini:irn:g piano lessons
Basic~car
mRchanics
Activities-Hobbies
cfiessJ vJhist
skin-diving
po0l, Billiards
Astronomy,
Astrology
LOVE your
help :
publ~c Education
committee
- - Gail - 436~7913
- Jo - 436-7913
rn- neach committee
program and Finance c'.)mmittee - Ginger - 453 - 6059 (L owel l)
~embership
committee
- Rose - 261 -1 130
1
WE ARE LOOKINGFORWARD HEARING FROMYOU! 1! 1! j!
TO
�Ml\IDEN VOYAG
E
PROXYFOHMFOR ELECTION OF OF CERS:
FI
Members:
This farm is ta be in our h ands no l ater than Friday,
BOX 221,
November 13, 1970 . Return ta D. O.B . Baston,
prudential
center
s t ation,
Boston, Mass . 02199
NAJVIB:
______________
I entrust
__________
OR I vote
my vote
ta: ___
_ ___
_ _ _
for:
PRESIDENT
Andy cox
- -- candi MCGonagle
---
VI CE PRESIDENT
Jo peckarsky
--Beth Hestrick
RECORDNG SECRETARY
I
Jean O' Br1en
---
ETARY
con.RESPONDINGSECR
Laura Rob1n
TREASURER
Diana
,signatu r e:
- --
---
Vi'J l a
Travis
------------
NOT VALID UNLKSS SIGNED
nev . Kennedy
MEMBERSHIP
APPLICATION
NAM:E.::
ADDRES_:___
_
S_
__
CITY: ~ -= -,.,.......
-TELEPHONEi1
_ ___
&
Date:
,signa t ure & Date:
,signature
STATE:------
~ ~--
I am a woman 18 years
,signature
_ _ _ _ ____
of age or ol der
_
ZIP: -----partia
pc,11
l
---
Ind i vi d ual
J ')i nt
--
-
-----------------------------------------
of Treasu~er
&
nate:
-------------------
neceived:
-------Membership rate
is
Full
includes:
membership
:ps
per
c-Juple
:fi!O single
Maiden voyage ( 12 issues ), reduced
voting p~ivi l ege
Admission t-J events,
partial
membership inclLdes:
everything
but vo t ing
~5 down , t h e rest within 2 months
Joint membership includes:
fui l membership f-Jr bath women
with only one subscription
t o Maiden voyage
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 October
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-10
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 10 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
Type
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197010
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
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Vol.1, No 11
.
ffovember970
1
�At G:1.nclid,:i.tes :·i c'r1t, 1 ~ s t · Fr id ay , Nov eD.b.=::r 6 a g roup of 11 Boston
,
D. 0 . B. 1
r,eE1ber ;=: 2n:nou_;:1e:: th:Jir
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Incl uded i n t~ i s g r oup ~ ere 4 c3 nd id ~t es for 3 o st o~ D. 0 . B. Offic es :
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Lau r a Job in , Car . Secty . ; ~nd Ros e Tuttle ~ Treas @ Add iti ona l n ominat i ons
m2,y be :n?.d e fr orn th e fl 0-:,r a t t he :-::lect:i..o~ a t 8 P. :i., F ove !nbe:r lJ,
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Th e f or m~tion
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LZTTERS TQ THE EJ I ~ OR
To t he Edi tor :
I' m m :·J.tin e.; t l: .s le tter
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a f ew observ a t i ons for the
of th o s e ~ember s who have
att end i ng our fun cti ons r2gu l ar ly
and ,;r'h0 na.y b e e onf u s e d. or u p se t by
t he s t atesen t mail e d out by the new
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I vrill not at ,t e r,.i t to cov r-., t he
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pro pos ~d N. 2 . Cha p te i ' s statemen t.
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su r e ly
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c ontinued
~n p. 2
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I hav e a f ew tM. ngs to say abou t the
re cc:1.T~s pliY1 te~c ..of 11 members
fr om
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Fir s t, I' m s orry t he y f oun:l it imposfJ ••
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In as much a s th e goa l s of the ne w
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I h ope it C Rn '·e e:f f ,':: t i v e , i t Ni ll
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b e pa rt ic ul ~rly v 2 lu q b le if it can
a ttr a ct pe ople who woQld n ot ha ve
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Se c ond i t i s i ncorre ct t o d es crib e
Bost on DOD as bs i ng :Ct. b ;'/ a mi norj_ ty
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sil entl y by , 11 2.s the t!.e'ir g ro up ··:
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i t in the stat e ~~n t r ead Nov . 6, and
ma:i..led t o 3 ost on ~ embers . I' ve been
to a l mJs t a ll mee ti ngs fr om ~e c. 5,
1969 to t je nr ss e n t and I' ve found
th a t the l e~~ership
ha s al ways made
to Ea t a ll members
a g reat effort
to a t t end and t ~ spe8k ou t, to
off ~r th e ir i deas fo r .the benef i t of
~1 1 . Moreover , a ll s i gnific a nt
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brJ.cl ,;e St ., Boston , ne ?.r Govert nrn nt
Centere
The Rev . Troy Perry s fo u n der o f the fi r s t Gay Church ,
vri ll E;i) 8 '? : : ::.i J: 30 P.H. 1.1, a re vrnlc ,)me o
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illet
- November 19
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:t
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·e 11 c~
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Pr i o 11 /13 EJ_ections-.i':rlh:
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JJ B~TTdin St . Ph one : 2 82 9 1 81 ~
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Gay ~ryne n 9 s Liber ~tion
N0ry 492-2281 or M a 7 87-0439
it
Gay Liber ~tion Fr on t - Ca ll
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a t Gai J. & Jots
(~36-7913
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1
are a f ew organiu:t!o n1
wh ere you Cl!ll get inf on:wiion ol1
Wome n's Li beration . l dedo :;ies
vary but we 're all probably more
irito this movem en t than pas!
others. Also include d here wil! bz
a listing of meet ings and special
Won 1erzs Liber atio n even ts.)
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LI BER ATIO N ,
Boyl ston
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For
(Nan cy: 445-3 937) .
DAUGHTE RS OF BIUTIS , P.O.
Box 221, Prud entia l Station Dos ,
02199 .
NATIONAL
ORGA NIZATION
F OR WOMEN (NOV,'), P.O .
Box 346 , Camb. 0213 8 . (4 925533) .
BREA D AND ROSES, Old C au 1151
Wm ,1EN 'S CE NTE R, at
B.U .,
23 2 Bay St Rd . 2nd floo r. },1oaF ri: 9-5 pm . F or info: (731 -
MEDIA W OMEN, P .O . Box 8926 ,
JFK P.O. Bos. 02 114.
6253 ).
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bri dp,e Bapti st C hurch ,
M~ Ave ( 492-4!30 ) .
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�l'!l.1\IDEN VOYAGE
PRO\'Y FQTU.j Fon ELEC'l'ION
Member s ;
OF OFPICE: -1,
s:
'rhis f'.)nn j_s t'.) be in DLtr h ands 11.'.) later
than rt0iday , .
N'.)Vembcr 13, 1970.
Ret ur n t'.) D . O.B. B'.)St8n , B'.)X 221,
pr udential
center
stati'.)n , B'.)St'.)n, Mass.
02199
I entj~ u.s t my v·Jte
NAME;
OR I
----------PHESIDEN'l'
---
VICE
PHESIDENT
____
Jo fe.c):r;arsky
- ECfrnT.1\P.Y
S
RECOPDH!G
·-------
fTr-:
c '.)X
l\ nctv
Con .RESPONDING
Jean
---
vote
t'.):
O Bri .en
1
---
Laura
Signature:
1 J\RY
.SECHE1l
}l'.)bin
-------------
NOT VALID UNI.ESS SIGNED
r11EMBEHSHIP
APPLIC/\ TI ON
Nf1ME:
J\DDHESS:
CIT Y :
----------S-cc'l'c-cA-='r=--L
TELEPHONE
,....-------=z
~-:
------
;1
I am a woman 18 years
'.)f age
or older
IP:
partial
},'L,11
Sign ature
Signature~
&
Date:
--------
1ncl i vid L,a1
--J'Jint
------
----------------------
nate:
-------
--
-------------
received:
Membershj _ rate
p
pull
is
~15 per
:po
C'.)uple
single
I·Ia~_den voy age ( 12 issues ), redL 'ce d
•
Admissi'.)n to ev en ts, voting p~ivi l ege
mem'oershJ.l) inc hc1es:
eve:ryth:Lng
bl,it voting
partial
~5 down, the ~est within 2 months
J'.)int member ship includ es:
fuil mcnfuership
for b'.)th women
with '.)nly '.)11e subscription
t'.) Maiden voyage
membership
1nclL .des:
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�
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
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1969-1983
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 November
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-11
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 11 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197011
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
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844d49b33fbc95a4ae00cb874fc43895
PDF Text
Text
f;ouo,
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DE Ei\1BER) J 70
C
I
�CALENDAR COMINGEVENTS
, OF
Fri ., 12/11--D POB meeting.
·niscussion on, ~can we function
in the
name of DOB?11 8 p.m. clarke Room,
Arlington
street
church.
sat.,
12/12--DOB Christmas
dance.
see details
page 8.
Tue., 12/15--Finance
and program co rnr::'...t.
:
committee meeting,
~ p.m. Ginger's
call:
453-6059 (Lowell)
meeting for all those
wed., J2/16--A
interested
in DOB's upcoming
production
of Hair, 8 p.m. at!
Jo and Gail 1 s,-i+J6-7913.
Thur . ., 12/17--officer's
meeting at
Rose and Julie's,
8 p.m., call
261-1130.
Fri.,
12/18--DOB business
meeting,
8 p.m . . c~arke room, Arlington
street
church.
open to members
and nonmembers.
sat.,
12/19--A class in basic selfdefense techniques,
3-4:30 p.m.
clarke Room, Arlington
street
church.
SUN., 12/20--HUB christmas
and New
year's
party,
call:
436-9181.
Tue., 12/22--public
education
committee
meeting,
7:30 p.m. at JO
and Gail's,
call:
436-7913.
sat.,
1/2--DEADtINE FOR COPY FOR
MAIDENVOYAGEJANUARY
Tue., 1/5--Finande
and program comm±tt
ittee
meeting,
Ginger's,
8 p.m .
call:
453-6059 (Lowell)
wed., 1/6--A second meeting for all
women interested
in DOB's production of Hair, 8 p.m. Gail and
call::186-7913,
Jo's,
sat.,
1/9--A second calss in selfdefense for women, 3-4:30 p.m.,
street
clarke Room, Arlington
church.
Mon. ., 1/11--MAIDEN VOYAGE
COMESOUT.
1/15--DOB business
meeting,
8 p .m.
1 Fri.,
1
clarke Room, Arlington
street
l
chu r ch. open to a 11 women.
1
sat.,
l/16--A third self-defense
class,
3-4:30 p.m. clarke Room,
Arlington
street
church.
DOB functions
are open to all interested women. when coming to a committee
meeting,
call the number listed
for directions,
to check for any
change of time or place and for
transportation
aid if necessary.
;___----
--
---~---------
MAIDEN::VOYAGE published
is
Boston DOB
by
Editor,
Diane.
Laura
contributors.,
Jo peckarsky,
Robin, Diane O"Keefe, Kim stabinski,
sandy cavanaugh,
Andy cox.
The opinions
expressed
in the
publication
are not neccessarily
those of the organization,
but
the opinions
of the individual
contributors.
DOB OFFICERS
president--Andy
cox
Vice president--Jo
peckarsky.
R c. secty.--Jean
O'Brien
corresponding
sEcty.--1aura
Robin
Treasurer--Rose
Tuttle
SPECIAL NOTICE TO READERS
Beginning this month the Maiden
voyage will be published
on the
11th of each month.
The deadline
will be the 2nd of each month.
on those monnhs when the 11th is
a sunday it will be published
on
the next day.
f
classified
ad rates are $1 for the
first
15 words and 20¢ for each
nFor sale",
additional
word.
"wanted " , etc. do not count as
words.
Anything given away free
will receive
a free ad.
Figure
your charge and mail your ad . with
check or money order to the Maiden
voyage, BOX 221, prudential
center
station,
Boston, Mass.
02199.
subscribe
now
Nonmembers may subscribe
to the
Maiden voyage for $5 a year. send
your name, complete mailing address
- m.o .the :Maiden :vow~ge.:. ·
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OVER THE FENCE (Garitinued
· fr om: page
2)
she was a great
one to find _fault-:-:-sitting
therewith
her hairy
arms
mortis · face . looking
like . a druck driver
in drag ··
·
and legs and rigor
waiting
for the undertaker
to . arrive
. . she bored me to deathwith
her
c3bout her sister
that mine would
lousy recipes,
crummy jokes a nd _ stories
have shot me at sunrise
for telling.
And every time she opened her bag
for ,a cigarette
her rotten
k1eenex
kept popping
out , along with a beat-up
1 s · book,
,. , 9opy of nrl Rueben
her coioring
book and crayons,
a half
a tube
of . ugly kids only she could have
of contraceptive
· jelly
and som e pictures
had. •·· Her psychiatrist
husband
s.itting
next to her was no prize
either.
- •,How ..did I know he was a psychi a trist?
Who else goes around
in argyle
socks,
high-water
pants,
patent
leather
shoes that
don't
match and a
dog-eared
captain
Marvel
comic book sticking
out of his back pock~t.
;,When ·he found out I was a Lesbian
his face turned
green
( the color
of
~
money) and ,he began to wring his hands and foam at the mo11.th. when they
g_ot up to dance there
was a short
discussion.
rmagining
it was over who
I su g gested
she put a bow in her hair
so as not to
was going t o lead,
confuse
people.
I don't
we ar chocolate
cream pie too well,
so after
" . regaining
my composure
I decided
to keep my mouth shut and mind my manners.
.
.
.
.
~
I can!t · 1magine them makjng love,
though.
she .probably
puts on tights
_and a -black
mask and ·dresses:
up like an executioner,
and he puts on a
Mardi aras
suit
so they ·cah 11pretend
. 11 r'm only kidding.
They're
probably a lovely
c o uple who enjoy cutting
their
toenails
over the toilet
together
and taking
in a stag movi e on saturday
nights
like any other
q,ou.ple.
1ate-r he whisp e red to nl.e that
his wife .was going to b~ away ; the
following
week-end
and would . I :like
to come up to his apart1ner1t
and .watch
.him do !'arouno
the world;! on his ;Jo -y o.
I wasn''t . fooled.
_·I know that
.~
type.
rrh'ey get you up to their
apartment
and all they really . want to do
is play jump rope and ride
their
hobby horse.
Besides,
it might crush
him to see how well I do :rwalk the dog" and nover the waterfall
. ,.,
: ..
.
:
.
.
-
.
so
after
gently
letting
him down, I gathered
up my schizop .hrenic
body
~hd headed
for home.
wheh I a rrived,
however,
I was overcome
with a
maJ8.i 9 e of euphoric
melancholy.
some unfinished
. business
plagued
me and
'I realized
it was the first
-time I'd been to a wedding
that
I h~dn 1 t shed
a tear .. Frustrated,
-I poured myself
a brandy >and put on Herschei
1
Fiddler.
' 'wnen it came to the band :iTo Life,n
I listened
. Bernardi
intently
to the words as his rj _
ch voice drove home their
philosophy.
I
it _ove~ and over ag~in .
·
played
s
. f-'If Monday w:a s ·rio VJOrse than sundaY was .-:-.,:drink
L ' chiam --to
life . .. rt
us, blessing
an .p bruising
us---,-drink---L'
chiam--'
has a way of . c'OhfuSing
to life • .And if good fortun e never
comes, here 1 s to whatever
comes --drink
L 'chiam--to
-life.,
: No longer
frUst:rated,
the tears
finally
came.
REV.
TROY PERRY: FE.ATUREDAT CONFERENCE ON THE CHURCH AND THE HOMOSEXUAL
old west church
was packed to capacity
Nov. 10 for The council
on
Relig ,ion and the· Homose.xua l's EC umenica 1 conference
on :'The church
an?
conferences
bE;gan at . 9 am with
Th~ Homosexual :;.n Registration
·and coffee
the first
address
at '' l0}
The Rev. 'Troy perry
spoke · in th .e afte rnoon.
-continued
on page 4-
�4
The Rev. perry is pastor of the homosexual,ly-orientea
community church in ca lifornia.
Metropolitan
'
nuring his opening remarks, David shannon, chairman of Boston CRH,
used as an example c_omments made , by DOBI s Gail in a talk at old west
some months back.
He told of how Gail had symbolically
placed her love
if any one of them wartted to
on the altar
and had asked the con~re~ation
step forward to remove that·offering.
rn his closing
remarks at the end
of the conference,
nave again referred
to this symbolic offering:,
stating
that no one had yet to remove it.
He did comment that perhaps it would ·
have been better,
.rather
than to let it lie there dormant all these
months, if respo~sible
parties
had ~emoved it in order to study and nurture what it Signifi ·es to the gay community.
speakers
and discussion
leaders
during the day included
clergy from a
number of denominations,
a sexologist
and marriage couns~lor,
authorities
homophile
in sociology
and psychiatry,
and representatives
of Boston's
organizations.
professor
R, A- Laud Humphreys, Episcopal
priest
and author of Tearoom
Trade, who .is With the s ..U.N.Y. nepartment
of criminology,
stated
that
the gay =litieration
movement is the fastest
growing, most dynamic of all
movements today, women's liberation
included.
prof. Humphreys predicts
a
coming .repression
of thought and free expression
which will hit blacks,
gays; the church itself.
··
·
· After lunch there was a discussion
with speakers .from HUB, SHL, GLF
addressed
the group for
and J)'oB/ on last minute no.tice .Kim stabinski
DOB, explaining
our formation,
purposes and current
activities.
A number
of clergy expressed
the desire to have DOB speake~s visit
their
congregations in the future.
There was an influx
of people just b~fore th~ featured
speaker,
the Rev.
spoke.
He discussed,
"The oay c urch:
A Neces~ary
Heresy? 11
Troy perry,
The R,ev~ perry began Metropolitan
community cHurch in LOS A geles oct. 16,
1968. , MCdhad a slow ' beginning ' with only a handful of the gay community
gathering
in the ·Rev. perry's
home. Now, two years later,
MCC has
literally
exploded.
rn . additiori
to regulare
attendance
of more than 500
persons at the home church·, . MCChas 10 other churches across the country.
MCC,. lcnown commonly as . "the gay church'',
does not close its doors to
comm4nity.
Th:i:s would be discrimination
in reverse.
rn
the heterosexual
fact, MCC lists
among · its memoership a number of heterosexual
singles
and
young married couples.
rn closing the Rev. perry said he does not like
the idea of a gay church as such . . He feels that as children
of Qod we
should worship as a family, heterosexuals
and homosexuals together.
He
ended with a plea and a challenge
to the clergy present--the
church of ,__
Christ
on earth will open its arms to the homosexul .a community, MCCmust
exist.
He received
a standing
ovation.
·
·
persons attending
the conference
saidthe
spirit
of the enti~e day was
and inspiring.
Near the end of the conference
many
warm, enlightening
members of the ciliergy expressed
the desire to see CRH sponsor another
conference
soo~.
�-5-
BAIR, HAIR; HAIR!!!!
..
The program and finance
committee is going to produce a GAY version
of HAIR. Those who have seen the stage ·production
will know this can
be aTot
of fun, and fun is what we are after.
This is to be an all female undertaking.
we have had offers
of our talented
male counterparts,
which we have gracefully
feeling
we can .do a really
great thing with just women.
from some
declined,
- we need all
you don't need to be a member, just join in the spirit.
sorts of help---actresses,
singers,
directors,
scenery,
etc.
we are
planning
a performance
in February,
so that means we must get started.
we have set up meetings fo r nee. 16,at Gail and Jo's (see their
phone
number elsewhere).
we can 1 t do it without you .... so h~ssle your bussle.
GINGER AND ANN WIN AUTO RALLY
held Nov. 22.
Fourteen women
Ginger and Ann won the DOB auto rally
started
at the parking of a supermarket
on Memorial Drive in cRmbridge.
Each car was given a set of riddle
clues.
The first
clue took them to
the Howard Johnson 1 s parking lot at Fresh pond Circle,
where they then
had to ,,find the next set of clues hidden in the aood Will box there.
:
This set of s ~lues took them to old North Bridge in concord,
where they
had to find berries
to bring bauk agd also the next set of clues,
hidden
under a stone in the stone wall.
Tis
third
set of rhymed clues
brought them to walden pond, where 'they ma:de their way to the site of
Thoreau's
house and cop~ed a part of the inscription
on the plaque there,
also bringing
ba~k pine cones from the area.
Then they were off to the final
destination,
Russo's Restaavant ~in
Maynard, where all met in the cocktail
lo.unge and later
had dinner.
Ginger and Ann had a winning time of an hour and fifty-five
minutes.
They received
a free drink and lots of congratulations.
COMINGAT'IRACTIONS
~
.
watch for the snow weekend in January.
This will be a trip to some
skate,
snow shoe and sit by a
snow spot where ·-members can ski, sled,
roaring
fire with a drink and watch the girls.
netails
will be in the
next ,Maiden voyage.
The program and finance
committee is in the process
of contacting
Martha
3helley
of the New York DOB· Martha has long been active
in gay liberation and female liberation
through several
organizations
and on an
individual
basis.
A frequent
contributor
toThe Ladder under several
pseudonyms,
she also does some related
free lance writing.
she has
recently
had chapters
in three books on women's liberation.
They are,
~he Hand That Rocks the cradle,
(editor
Robin Morgan, Random House)
·
' 'Sisterho')d
is powerful,
( edi t 'or Robin Morgan) and women's Liberation:
Blueprint
for the Future (editor
sooki stambler).
, : .
_ .
�-6LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
ACROSS THE EDITOR'S DESK-----
At the Nov. 20 business
meeting the
Boston DOB members voted against
granting
a charter
to the New England
DOB 0NEDOB) group.
The vote was
not unanimous because some members
near DOB friends:
The sentiment
behind the
I am leaving as of nee. 1 to go to the abstained.
action was that Boston DOB and NEDOB
unitarian
church of urbana,
Ill.
I
would be confused and Boston DOB
have certainly
enjoyed my association
could possible
be mistaken for an
with your group.
please take me off
affiliate
of NEDOBby the uninformed
your mailing
list
and put the Rev.
public and other gay groups.
Renford Gaines on at the same address.
nr . Gaines is a good person
we don't know how the other bOB
and you should not hesitate
to seek
chapters
will feel or whether the
him out on any problem you encounter.
governing
board will grant NEDOB
with every good wish, a charter .
w. Edward Harris.
(copy of a postcard
from the Rev.
w. Edward Harris of Arlington
stFeet
church)
GAY NEWSAND REVIEWS
prom L.A.--rt was recently
announced by the Rev .
pastor
of the Metropolitan
Troy perry,
community church,
that the LOS _
Angeles county probation
department
has approached
church officials
concerning placement
of disturbed
homophile youngsters
in the homes of
homophile couples as foster
parents.
s uch ·a move is interpreted
as a major
breakthrough
in communication
between
two communities.
prom Chicago aay Alliance--SEXOLOGY
PUTS DOWN
DR. SOCARIDESAND.
AMA • • . tiiri ting
in the November issue
of sexology
magazine,
nr. rsadore
Rubin, editor
of the magazine until
his recent death,
dePided .an article
in which nr . Charles w socarides
characterized
homosexuality
as a
"dread 11· and 11malignant n medic a 1
disorder
that had risen to epidemic
proportions.
He also questioned
the
of the
motivations
of the Journal
American Medical Association
in publishing
socarides'
obviously
unscientif i c piece of work.
ISN'T PHALLIC
STRENGlliH
we can understand
Boston DOB's ·
feelings,
but wonder what the solution is.
If the women who formed
NEDOBwant to be a DOB group and gain
approval
from the governing
board
there is nothing Boston DOB can do.
BUt the question
remains will the two
groups really
be confused?
we don 1 t
think so---each
group will probably
be very conscious
of pointing
out the
distinction.
what's
of more concern to us is
making Boston DOB so distinctive
it -will establish
a reputation
and
carve out a definite
identity
. :~
Now
is the time to redouble
our efforts
to
make ours a more visible,
viable
organization
serving
our own members and recruiting
more who will
make a real committment to the group
and the liberation
of her sister
lesbian ~
·
OTHERCHURCHES
OPEN TO GAYS
First
congregational
church
central
and Hamilton streets
saugus, Mass . 01906
. .,,617-233-3028 - (church)
(parsonage,
R~V- Kenneth
617~233-0085
c laus)
�'
-7SELF-DEFENSE TIPS OFFERED
some knowledge of basic self-defense
is a necessity
for all women, , especial:
gay women. The number of women raped, molested
or shaken up is large.
you may never be bothered,
but it doesn't
always happen to the other
person.
There are many problems involved,
making it impossible
for all women
to be able to study self-defense;
some of them are, time, expense,
and
the coordination
and energy requirements.
some of us have been studying
a Korean form of self ·-defense
called
Tae ~w~n no _ an excellent
,
technique.
we have set up three SJ turday
to show any woman interested
some of the basic and
afternoon,rnessions
surpisingly
easy methods.
see the calendar
for dates.
Julie,
Nancy, nee, Diana, Jo.
GAIL KING, DIANA TR.AVIS ON TV
six members of the HOmophile union of Boston
educational
television
WHDX
channel 44 (UHF)
on the
half hour discLrnsion among themselves
which offers
free use of the program time to
reaches
10,000 persons.
(HUB) appear.ed on
Nov. 16. T ey created
program, 11c2tch 44 11 ,
any groups who apply .
Mark
participating
were prank Morgan and Dick york, HUB officers,
Charles,
Joe Mccauley,
and Diana Travis and aail King who are also
members.
a
rt
DOB
The most impressive
aspect of the evening was that those appearing
were
exposing themselves
to employment troubles . one participant
works
with negotiable
securities
for which he is bonded and no bonding company
has been known to bond a homosexual.
Another worked in a hospital.
Gail King said,
"rt's
not only the economic business
of I you may lose
your job and have no money to live'
but the fact that our job for most
of us is something that we want to do--that
we enjoy doing--and
to take
away the job, and I think most gay people have this hanging over their
heads, would really
be a hurt to all of us. 11
I
RECIPES FROMSANDYS KITCHEN
Chicken Tetrazzini
3½ to 4 lbs roasting
chicken (cut up)
~ tbs
dry sherry
4 cups water
2 tsp
peppe r
ltsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
1 truffle
(finely
chopped)
½ lb fresh mus hrooms (sliced)
3tbs butter
or margerine
1 pkg think spaghetti
(cooked and
2 tbs fl our
drained
1 cup heavy cr eam
½ cup parmesian cheese
s immer chicken in water with 1 tsp salt about an hour or until
tender.
Remove chicken save broth bone , the chicken andreturn
to broth.
simmer
20 minutes.
cool and skin off fat,
cut chicken into small pieces.
yo u
should have about two cups of broth . combine all other ingredients
except cheese and simmer five minutes .
continued
on page 8
,',·
�'
-8SANDY",S
KITCHEN ( continaed
' from p. 7)
,
.
.
Drain spaghetti,
sprinkle
cheese
,
..
put on platter,
throw chicken mixture on spaghetti
then
on top and bake in hot oven for 15 mrlmutes at. 375 degrees.
THINGS TO DO/PLACES TO GO
nrama ---continuing
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living
Hotel, . for a limited
engagement.
in iarisi
at the cabaret,
soierset
nrama---coming
porty carats,
at the shubert
for two weeks, a touring
Barbara Rush.
comedy about the generation
Hollywood's
authors
of cactus plower.
opens Monday, nee. 21.
For the past
the Arlington
year Boston DOB has held
street
church.
its
meetings
company headed by
gay by the French
on Friday
night
at
some members find that this is an inconvenient
day and would like to
meet at some other t i me during the week.
sunday afternoon
has been
alternative
day.
suggested
as a ~ossible
To help us determine
a t;i_me convenient
for the majority
of members to
meet, please indicate
your preference
below and return
the block to
center station,
Boston,
the Maiden voyage, P.O. BOX 221, prudential
02199 tiefore Jan. 2.
I prefer
to meet
---
Friday
nights
---
sunday
afternoons
---
other
time
f. i \NCE
J,
/\Dl -t!ISShJN FREE
58 EAST ALBION STREET, MEDFORD.
FOODAND DRINKS AVAILABLE. ALL PROCEEDS BOSTONDOB.
TO
MUSIC AND DANCING. WOMEN
ONLY.
TELL YOURFRIENDS AND TELL THEMTO TELL THIERS.
l
�The History Project
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
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The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
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Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1970 December
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970-12
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 1, issue 12 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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application/pdf
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197012
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/33113cc3254b1deabc698cf6a418b122.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=DZXP8qw4J8KtYmAB6bhqgnYh0IdMILWU3amMzqonGAAqbVuUN9iB1Q4ja8VxvaKrugCmf91I85wcmabJkUp%7El%7E1luMVX0gRex0hsnKhgonYcbOfdiWEsGmNpJfAF8qQYxU9d-qgBl-CkjXxrQQAO-MmTvDkQsDeuENa-nDkNfqyNYaA%7E7t3bnICvQGP2KaQTBvYWNDpIq1dRyvkpFC5m9UKiyQazPsixygipHmLbtqZgB7aEcKbRmnNCwsC0vcXngziGuKvQzbdLUlzliTA8JlEpRpRnoDPKSjhQ5iMO3tdZLbisRtAWOAkYAvT5ncofwrVRQLKyqAlNMHAuLjQAJg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
e89b946de05f08a9f300b3b93bf282e2
PDF Text
Text
Vol.2 No. l
I
January 1971
,, j
I
�CALYNDAR ·~MTNG
- EVENTS
Mon., 1/11--Maiden
voyage comes
out.
Fri.,
1/15--DOB business
meeting,
8 p.m. clarke
Room, Arlington
street
church~
open to all
women.
sat.,1/16--A
third self-defense
c
class,
3-4:30 p.m. clarke Room,
Arlington
street
church.
Fri.,
1/29- ··•
Martha shelley
-::,f
New york DOB will be guest
spe~ker,
8 p.m. clarke Room,
Arlington
street
church.
MAIDENVOYAGE
·
IS PUBLISHED'
BY · -
BOSTONDOB
contributors
this issue, . Kim .
stabinski,
Andy cox, Diane o'Keefe,
Diane Benison, aail King
c-::,ver by Joan
The opinions
expressed
in the
those
publication
are not necessarily
of the organization,
but the -::,pinions
contributors.
of the individual
DOB OFFICERS
D'J you enj-::,y skiing?
president - -Andy cox
Vice president--Jo
peckarsky
Rec. secretaryJean 0 1 Brien
corresponding
secty--1aura
Robin
Treasurer--Rose
Tuttle
yes?
Then you should plan to
attend D,O,B- 's snow week -End1
The Maiden voyage is published
in
monthly so as to be delivered
the mails by the 11th.
Deadline
is the 2nd of each month.
please
observe the deadline.
SNOW Wr'EK-·END BEING PLANNED
,Sledding?
skating?
sn-::,w sh-::,ing7 :Riding
ar-::,und -::,nski mobiles?
DQ you
in front of an open
like sitt5ng
fire place,
drink in hand, with
1-::,ts of girls
all ar-::,und7
The prog ram and Finance committee
has been investigating
a lodge
in the sunapee area of N-H· At
this lodge, us ed by H.U.B. for
a similar
outing,
the cost would
r un approximately
$25 per person.
This would include
l~dging for
two nights with breakfast
and
dinner included
both days.
The first
week-end in February
has been discussed
as a tenta tive date . H-::,wever, since
advance reservati-::,ns
are quite
naturally
required,
NO PLANS
CAN BE FINALIZED until it is
known how many are definitely
interested
in such a week-end.
Definite
plans will be made at
the business
meeting 1/15/71.
If yoG. are interested,
please
If you
attend this meeting.
cannot attend,
notify
some officer
or member who will be the~e
Response
PRIOR to the meeting.
at the 1/15/71 meeting will
determine what definite
plans
are made .. ·. or n'Jt made.
1et
your wishes be known!
classified
ad rate~ are $1 for the ·
first
15 words and 20f) for each
11F-::>rsale,•
addi tiona 1 word.
: · ·
· 11
wanted,"
etc. : do not count as words.
Anything given away free will
receive
a free ad.
Figure your
charge and mail your ad with
check or money order to the Maiden
voyage, Box 221, prudential
center
station,
B-::,ston, Mass. 02199.
Thinking of a valentine
present
for your sweetie ... . give her a
subscrip_tion
to the Maiden voyage.
!:flt will~{$5 you 1 11 both enjoy.
send
your name, complete mailing address
and check or money order to the
Maidea voyage.
F nll page ads are $30; half page
ads $15 and quarte r page ads '$7, 50·
an ~ssue.
�-2 -
GAY GROUPS
1
GAY NEWSAND 'REVIEWS
Gay women's Libe~ation---call
or Nita--787-0439
Mary
ttomophile union of Boston--Meetipgs
every other sunday, 33 BOWdin st.
282-9181
WOMEN'SGROUPS
Boston women united,
P.O. BOX 278,
Allston,
02134 or 253-6498
Bread and Roses, old c ambridge
Baptist
church,
115 1 Mass. Ave.
492-4130
Media wbmen, P.0.BOX 8926,
station,
02114
JFK
Female Liberation.
1126 Boylston
st.,
Boston, Nancy - 445-3987
National
orga ~ization
for women
(NOW) P.O. BOX 346, ca mbrL 1geJ
62138.
492-5533.
women's center
a t B. U., 232 EBY
state
Road, 2nd flo or . Mon-Fri:
9-5 - 731 6858
DOB REFERR.A
LS
DOB recommends these persons
members who want professional
advice .
LEGAL
Alan cook,
norchester,
to
1514 DOrchester
Ave .,
Mass.
28 8 4041
Michael Buckman, 1514 Dorchester
288-4041
Ave . , Dorchest er, Mass
PSYCHIATRIC
Dr . Rj chard Pill ard, 6 Bond st . ,
Boston . 423 - 9722 or 262 - 4200,
ext. 5251
RELIGIOUS
Roman catholic
il05 Boylston
EPiS c ".)pa -pev
1
876 :)220
cont, on page
New york DOB and LOS Angelos
the~'ve
moved
DOB both report
which will
t ~ new quarters
for the '
be permanent centers
clubs ,
the jounnal of
Tod ay's Education,
The National
Education
Association,
(November) carried
a fair article
on homos exuality
by Dr. Martin
Hoffma n, aLlthor of a book on
male homosex uality , some brief
qvotatiJns
.. .
nr-tY C'.::mviction is that
we are going
~o ha ve to accept homosexuality
as
a valid way of life and remove the
social
and l eg al stigmas that a r e
now attached
to it 1'
''Actually
t i1e q clestion of why
peop le become homosexual is part
of t he larger
question:
what a re
the origins
and mechanism of sexual ident ificati
on and sexual pre ference?
when we do find the ans wer
to th is q uesti on we will know not
exists,
b ut
on l y why h omosex~ality
a lso why indi viduals
become het cro s ex
L,J. 1
. :,
'' only recently
have hom".)sexuals begu n
ta beli e ve that they have any
civil
r j ghts.
Hence they are sl :w
to respo nd to what rea lly amount s
to a n a tt ac k on their
human dign i t y. i ,
''1;.::• ,:-th2 l ess , if .. the parents
·,r::.:
se 2m
troubled
by the stedent 1 s behavior,
th2 c nt i~ e family should be refer red
for co~nseling.
In many of these
l at2 adJ l esc ent cases,
it is the '
parents
wh".) need help and not the
s tudent . I be lieve what the studen t
really
needs is acceptance
from t h e
fami l y , a nd in many cases this is
if t he parents
are
only ~ossible
told (b y S".)
meone they will listen
to)
chil d ' G
that they cann".)t change their
sexual preference.
The only choic e
they hav e at this stage is how
much gu ilt they will burden the .
child with ,
church)
- -pathe~ Kevin , Newman c2n ter (st . element's
st.,
Boston.536
2376 or 277 4847
-Gi 1be •'t Dent, ch ris t church , zero aarden st. , cambridge.
1
3.
i
·--
-··--1
!
�-3DOB REFERRALS, RELIGious ·cont.
from page 2
Methodist--Dr.
cambridge st.,
old west
William
Boston.
Alberts,
Methodist
church, "'
131 ·
277-5088
First
congregational
church,
Mass.
01906. 617-233-3028
Kenneth claus.)
central
(church)
The women of the Green cafe
by Diane O'Keefe
come
and Hamilton
streets,
saugus,
Rev.
617·-233 - 0085 (parsonage,
out
The Gr eeks had a word for it -- hubris--an
arrogant
self-destructi
act from which one can never turn back or emerge as the same human
being.
For Jacq ueline,
it happened in a cabin in New Hampshire
where she fulfills
her childhood
fantasies
at the age of fifteen.
causing his ultimate
she blatantly
seduces he r artist
father
· s uicfde,
which in turn brings on the e'arly death of her m'Jther .
Haunted by guilfl that no analyst
can remove, she emerges a strong
human being, however driven as she is by a life ··long need no man
·
can satisfy.
The women of the Greeh cafe
published
by Dell publishing
co.
remain anonymous.
is availabtle
#9635.
rts
After her father's
death Jackie
French convent by her mother.
Here
and the hypocricy
of religious
life
who graphically
depicts
the frequent
include
a little
more than the rosary
in paperback
for 75¢,
author choses to
is immediately
placed in a
her lesbianism
is engendered
is exposed by the author,
soirees
at the convent,
which
and benediction.
Life eventually
carries
Jackie to a chateau at the south of
France where she tries
to lose herself
in painting,
but instead
succumbs to both the sadistic
charms of the beautiful
Genevieve and
the psychotic
passions
of her homosexual husband, Bobby.
For
awhile they become a menage a trois,
but after
a cruel degrading
encounter
with Bobby she flees in horror to French Algiers
for,
Her self-destructive
instinct
ironically,
a little
more of the same.
drives her f:rom one man to an-Jther)
but her life reaches
its lowest
ebb after
she is caught up in a sexual circus with a group of
American sailors.
A breakd-Jwn ensues and she
a state
in which the mind breaks
functioning
without c-Jnscious di
amnesia and can last for several
is thrown int'J a psych-Jlogical
fugu edown but the b-Jdy goes on
r ection.
1t is acc-Jmpanied by
months.
nEach man kills
the thing he loves , 1' oscar Wilde said . wi th
this unconscio us thought Jackie returns
to the chateau and the arms
of Genevieve.
only death can quell Jackie's
wild cravings
and dire
need for Genevieve's
special
brand of love.
she inadvertently
causes the death 'Jf oenevieve
thus augmenting the guilt
'Jf her
already
overburdened
conscience.
(continued
on page 4.)
v2
�-4women of the areen
cafe~continued
'
TO resolve
her guilt
she reconsiles
with her own ~omosex~al
husband, .steve, who is only too willing
to feed her masochism
while she agrees through marriage
to protect
him from society's
ktigma.
·
women of the Green cafe is well worth :reading. - rt is a fast
will
moving human drama of' a talented,
g uilt-ridden
lesbian
who__
elicit
your list measure of sympathy and whose self-destructive
drive will move you to tea r s.
yo u in your window and
I in my cape,
Dark bl ue to my white shoe,
holding between
a load of light
the folds
lilac
buds.
The stream -::if my yellow bow lies
quietly
on the stiff
collar
of
my cape.
rt
is cold and I hold
lilac
tightly
the
light
And you stand
looking down at me
tired,
leaning
and laying your hand on
the wall for support·
your other flat on your hip,
asking the bone what to do.
And in answer
t'.) your bed
it
And you in your
and warm inside
I)lovesyou
light
Diane
And I in my cape
the folds tight
together
lob:king up
and you lie
Gail
King
Benison
HAIKU from 1962 by . Kim stabinski
down :
And I in my cape to cut the
inside.
and wind came
The ocean squall
but, we were three hundred miles from
the ocean
the desert
s un bu r ned us and heated us
but we were five times three hundred
miles from the desert
the thunder of the city reached us,
shook us
but we were alone
the pastoral
touched us
but we were surrounded
our bodies shook
but we: weNe lying quiet
our t ongues were silent
but our minds raced the garnet of
thought
we reached olympus
but we were on earth
we were siblings
to the mountains
in
thei ~ age
·
but we were younger than the summer
rain
our unity was consumated in our ljVe
and we were everything
and we were nothing.
cold
I have drunk too much
DO my eyes show
I love you
Here in this straight
crowd?
Fresh sheets,
clean body
and scented powder
wasted . ..
Off to bed alone
j
�-5THINGS TO DOiPLACES TO GO
r2::omrerts
Andres segovia,
3 p.m.
classica
l guitar .
17 (sunday)
Jan
symphon y Hall,
Boston.
Theatre
Headpla-y . Theatre workshop,
Boston.
Boston center
f'Jr the Arts.
549 Tremont st.
482-4778 . A new play about drugs and mysticism,
done
envir'Jnmentally.
perf'Jrmances
Thursdays
through su ndays at 8:30 p.m.
Ticket s $3-50.
How to Make a woman, caravan Theatre ; 1555 Mass. Ave., cambridge.
491-9579. 868-8520. satire
on male and female roles
in contemporary
perfo r mances Fridays
and saturdays
at 9 p.m. Tickets
$3society.
Excellent
and worth making an effort
t'J see.
Groove Tube . 24 Brig~ton Ave., Allst'Jn,
782-2235. A videotapped,
cl'Jsed c~rcuit
par'Jdy of American television
shown livingr'Jom
style.
performances,
Thursdays
at 7:30 and 9:30 p .m . Fri and sat at 7:30,
9:30 and 11:15 p.m. sundays at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
specia 1
Alternative
yellow
skills
or resources
864-3150.
pages now being compiled.
people or groups
to sh}e free 'Jr for a fee,
For info
call
------
LAVENDER
VISI ON
Boston 1 s newest
paper
sees
--- - --
the world
with
-through
the
eyes
of gays
Lavender Vision is B'Jston 1 s newest newspaper.
It's
a double
newspaper , half published
by Gay M~n~s Liberatioh
for men, the other
1
half by i G8Yr women-· Lib.
·s
If you 1 re interested
in working on it or in Gay women 1 s lib they
meet wednesday nj _
ghts.
call 782-5162 for inf'Jrmation
'Jr write
Lavender vision,
c /o Media collective,
2 Brookline
st.,
cambridge,
or 491-7809.
The women 'JD it cail · themselves
ra dical
lesbians
and
are looking
for contributi'Jns.
Maiden v oyag e is always 16oking for
material
t'Jo, remember.
Boston DOB's free Christmas
party nee. 12 drBw about 50 W'Jmen, ~any
non - DOB members, but ~ctive
in other aay groups or women 1 s organizations.
It was a slow m'Jving party,
but good t'J see so many different
women
together
despite
their
differences
of 'JpinionJ
and goals.
Note a correction
about b'Jbk titles
in last month's
issue of Maiden
voya~e.
Martha Shelley
of New york DOB has chapters
in two women 1 s
Liberation
books, sisterhood
is powerful
and women's Liberation:
Blueprint
for the F uture . The Hand th~pocks
the cradle
was the
original
title
for s:t.~ferh2=?=c1 -row~ _ _
=-~~_ff--C1 ----· --- ---L
--
�The History Project
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Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1971 January
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1971-01
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 2, issue 1 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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application/pdf
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197101
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/d984f3ee2bc858c32f4f9e7ff4548011.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=EYeR0863zWBtMeJQOvxzvsPvXX3ewc0qhkAFVgIfclBk%7EVwijWU%7E9syA-17gmEuEnjUsX4jDBs%7ELyLvJjNPx6XDkogPF%7ERniQPKKmW9u8EalAtpeRPno5VjV42s4YGotsVxRoLmhIw-fQqytn9Pwqq2Gf%7E7wT12L1LF5SSuCDpJPaadOgUJTaUW71OI4st%7EsAQMF17HKTe6vLsYjuGzF4%7Ee2H9NAYx-2TON6qi27f52BZQMKTq93HTyCKjIkFzj2PBnOcKscsnbQZkxyWa7qiqfXKUyPWcrkM4BWhsTDDBCQgMeWV0NTmq-bp11sqmljImBC2sFLN4f0W344h-VgkQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
a26892755d8b946cbda48b8dbbba530a
PDF Text
Text
MAIDEN
VOYAGE
Vol. 2
No. 3
February 1971
�CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS
MAIDEN VOYAGE IS PUBLISHED BY BOSTON DOB
.Thur., 2/11-Maiden Voyage comes out .
Myrna Lamb, female liberationist, 8 p.m ., Hayden
Kall, B:U., 685 Commonwealth Ave.
Sat., 2/13 -DOB Valentine Party at Diana Travis' house .
Call 5 22 - 1070 for directions .
Mon. - Tues., March 8, 9 - Women Today , WBZ, plans
to produce a program on homosexuality . More
details coming.
Fri., March 12 - DOB Business Meeting on incorporation .
Fri. - Sun., March 19 - 21- Congress to Unite Women at
Boston University . Kate Millet and Florence Luscome
will be among the speakers . Saturday workshops
include a session on gay women . This is the result
of the New England Women's Coalition Jan . 23 at
B.U.
.
Sun., March 21 - DOB plays football, l p.m. Lars
Anderson Park, Brookline . Rain date is Sunday,
March 28 .
Contributors this issue, Kirn Stabinski, Andy Cox,, Diane
_
B(!nison, Diana Travis, Martha Shelley, Pam Boy a, Laura
Robin
Cover by Diane Benison
The opinions expressed in the publication are not
necessarily those of the organization, but the opinions
of the individual contributors .
DOB OFFICERS
President - Andy Cox
Vice President - Jo Peckarsky
Rec. Secretary - Vacant
Corresponding Secretary - Laura Robin
Treasurer - Rose Tuttle
GAY GROUPS
Gay Women's Liberation -
Call Mary or Nita - 787 -0439
Homophile Union of Boston - Meetings every other
Sunday, 33 Bowdin Street, 282 - 9181
WOMEN'S GROUPS
o
Boston Women United, P ·. . Box 278, Allston, 02134 or
253 - 6498
The Maiden Voyage is published monthly so as to be
delivered in the mails by the 11th Deadline is the 2nd
.
of each month . Please observe the deadline .
Oassified ad rates are $1for the first 15 words and '.'.20
cents for each additional word . 'For Sale', 'Wanted',
etc. do not count as words . Anything given away free
will receive a free ad. Figure your charge and mail your
ad with check or money order to the Maiden Voyage,
Box 221, Prudential Center Station, Boston, Mass. 02199.
Bread and Roses, Old Cambridge Baptist Church, 1151
Mass. Avenue, 492 - 4130
Media Women, P.O. Box 8926, JFK Station, 02114
Female Liberation . 1126Boylston Street, Boston,Nancy 445 - 3987
Thinking of a Valentine present for your sweetie ....
give her a subscription to the Maiden Voyage. It
will be $5 you'll both enjoy . Send your name,
complete mailing address and check or money order
to the Maiden Voyage.
National Organization for Women (NOW) P.O. Box
346, Cambridge, 02138. 492 - 5533
Women's Center at B.U., 232 Bay State Road, 2nd
floor. Mon - Fri: 9 - 5 . 731- 6858
Full page ad are $30; half page ads $15 and quarter page
ads $7 .50 an issue.
DOB REFERALS
DOB recommends these persons to members who want
professional advice.
LEGAL
Alan Cook and Michael Buckman , 1514Dorchester Ave.,
Dorchester, Mass. 288 - 4041
PSYCHIATRIC
Dr. Richard Pillard, 6 Bond Street , Boston . 423 - 9722 or
262 - 4200, ext . 5251
~M'w
you
just
the
can
way
word
you've
your
always
printing
wanted .
(MaidenVoyage Printed Compliments
ACISME sE<J.VIcE
CORP.)
RELIGIOUS
Roman Catholic - Father Kevin, Newman Center
(St. Clement's Church) 1105Boylston Street, Boston .
536 - 2376 or 277 - 484 7
Episcopal -- Rev. Gilbert Dent, Christ Church, Zero
Garden Street, Cambridge. 876 - 0220
Methodist - Dr. William Alberts, Old West Methodist Church,
l3l Cambridge Street, Boston. 277 - 5088
Pr',ntins
t
t
t
t
f\c.l5me. Se:rvic...e.
LETTERHEADS
BUSINESSCARDS
INVITATIONS
JOB PRINTING
DEERINGROAD - WEARE; N.H. 03281
(603 l 398 - 2511
Ccr-\),
�-2-
Martha Shelley
---- 'A gay woman who's a feminist '
byPAMBOYD
More than 100 women crowded into rhe Clarke Room at the Arlin gton Street Church Jan 29 to heat lesbian radical Marth a Shelley offer
her views on subjects rangmg from her arrest for criminal tre spass to bathroom conditions in the New Yo::k City subway system ,
A free lance writ er whose articles have appe ared m 'The Ladde t, ' 'Sisterhood is Powe :fu1' and Women's Liberntion: Blueprint fo r the
Future', she described how attempts to establish a Women's Center in a 40 -year -old,
14story abandoned building in New York City were
thwarted by city official s
'The city sta _rte d an illegal pe rin on saying the building was unsafe and that people wanted the women out , 1be only people complatning were thos e
in the front office and the manage r of a nea rby stme,' she said, She accused the city of 'acting in bad faith' and claimedthat city building
inspecto rs 'deliberately'
damaged the prop eu y so they could declare it unsafe .
t
Now facing criminal trespass, Martha and othe rs involved in a pro rest leveled agains th eir eviction have seCllied the services of four lawy ers.
' If the case comes up right away, we can do a big deal because it will rnll
be fresh in people 's minds ,' she said 'We plan to generate
a lot of publicity to bring our plight out in the open . We even have a film chat makes us look great - it will warm the heart of any jw:y !
Although the re are currently more gay groups in New York
'rhnnyou can shakea stick at ,' they are not doing much beyond 'holding
dance s and sending out speakers, ' according to Mar-cha . · "!h ere is no concentrat ed effort to do much else A lot of people are talking, bur
that's about all .'
Martha, who describes herself as a 'gay woman who 1sa fenusisc,· hasn' t done much pub lic speaking in recent month ,, no r is she
active in the Radical Lesbians or New York DOB.
Members of the audience par·tidpated in th e program with qu estions aimed at discovenng mor e about Martha 's views on revolution,
gay philosophies and women's libera tion
In concluding she asked, 'how do you get
1t
into women' s heads that they need to be liberated, when they
think they've been free all along?'
FEAR NOT SHAME
Keepsthe closetdoor closed
..
'Wenwst no longerlook at our closetsas ourprotection \from a hostile straightzoorldthey areplacesof hiding
;
'
by DIANA TRAVIS
I think the only answer for real gay liberati on can come by aboh shing closets We must no longer look at ow do sets as om. ptotect 1on from
a hostile straight world --- e mus e look at them as what they a. e: places of hidin g.
w
c
What seems to me co be keeping mrn.t. people in theu closets is fear of one kind or another --not guile Fear:of what p.uemal 1eact1 will be,
ons
.fear of!~ ing a Job,~
fear of ,ocial..;ostndsm from suai ghc friend s.
WhenI havequeriedthe reasons
many of my fnends havefor remaining their closets,I haveneverheardone say, Im not letting anyone
in
know because ashamedof it'
I'm
Quite the contrary .
.1t
run s moce like , 'Now don 't get the wto ng idea, I 'm proud to
be gay, only i can't nm the risk 0£,. , ' etc . Again and again
I have argued my philosophy of re-evaluating what is important in one's lik- -but I wonde r how much one 's own phil9 sophy can mean to someone
ds e.
Anyway , my arguem ent runs some thing like thi s: ls h 1111po
! tam ro have 'good' family relationahips while denymg part of your self? And in
all reality , how good is th e relationship if you ar e failing to relate as a whole pe rson? Is it impo1 cant to keep the job you are now working ac,
if keeping it means lying about your personal life to your friends at wmk and
to your employer
(if you 're one of thos e few who actually have
that dose conrac t with her employer)? If you can't tecogniz e this as a day to day opp ression that you are putting yourself under, th en surely
(see page 4)
�DOB President And y Cox introduced Martha Sheil ey
Info rmal rap sessions were part of t he< eekend too .
w
·'
Martha Shelley as she spoke in Arlington St reet Church .
' Although
there are currently
more gay groups
in New York
than y ou can shake a stick at
the y are not doing much
beyond
holding
dances and
sending out speakers .
There is no concentrated
effort
to do much else .
A lot of people
o.re
talking,
but that's
about all.'
�Out of the closets
(contim
,
""
•'._'.j
you can see that you are denying part of your exist cnc,:, rati , )l}aii,i th at th is j ob is more important to you than being a c;,ompletein dividual .
112:
Th ere's also th e fear of Losing your friends, whether the 1 he liCc
-long churns or school friends or people y ou enjoy working with . ·1 can only
your 'frie nds ' in one way- don 't you really want to be liked and accepted
attack th e ration ale for hiding your identity as a h omosexual fr u111
for your whole self ? Is a person really what you'd call a friend if she or he would freak out or 'cool ' a friendship
if tha t persons learned you
are gay?
I have been trying to examine th .ese fears head-on and I firmly believe tha t wer are
making
mountains out of what often aren't even
mole hills.
For years my biggest fear was my family finding out I was gay. When it happened (not because I suddenly got any courage, but
because my mother found a letter) I received quite a surprise I found my family loved me a lot more than I thoUf11t I think most of us don't
.
.
give our parents credit enought to really love us as the individual s we are and to want us to be happy our way, not theirs . I thought
my mother would totally freak at my being gay; she only freaks at my using my real name on television , and she' s even changing in that
way .
Practically all my other friends who se parents know- parti cularly
if thye ha d sat down and told them-hav e had similar reactions, ranging
from 'so what else is new? ' to ' I wishyou had told me years ago, we could have been so nruch closer.' It's the rare oc=ance
for this new
knowledge to alienate one of us from our family,..and in the few cases that I've hear d of this happening, as soon as the initialshock
wore off, through open and unashamed discussions the same result of acceptance and continued love followed:
This is usually true for most jobs wher e any hurnaness is to be found--your fear itself usually far outdistances the actual risk oflosing your
job. I am a teacher and after a recent television appearance on Channel 44 the mothe r of one of my students came to me and said she had
seen me. She told me she was impressed that I would go on television, and that she thought people were changing and more
willingto accept
gay people . Other friends of mine ... nurses, secretaries, social workers, physical therapists, teachers, medical supervisors, etc., have not lost
their jobs and have not hidden their homosexuality behind closet doors, either . This is not to say that we don't lose our jobs when found outthis is probably the area in which we are most discriminated against in any concrete way ... and we should fight it, because we have the power ...
economic power ... to do it.
And now the last fear, and for most of us this ha,s;been the least of the fears to conquer because either all our friends are gay or
because we've just got to have some level of honesty somewhere . I've only lost one friend because she found out I was gay - and that
was my fault. I fumbled for words, I didn't know what to say, I looked at the floor, and I finally denied it. She came to me, wanting ,me
to tell her and fear is what kept me from being honest with her and what kept me from being honest with her and what consequently
cooled our whole friendship , I have no doubt that had I been able to speak for myself, •. or shall I say had I known-how t~ speak ~a
myself, things would have been nruch different. None of my straight friends whom I have told in an unashamed and honest manner
about my homosexuality - in other words by acting totally
if there was nothing to hide - have turned away.
How dnes one, then get out of the closetsucessfully For those of us u:Jw out, it didn't happenovernigh You haveto leamhow
,
?
t
are
t.
ther
radio
.
to talk topeople,uh.e they'reyour friendsoran unu:kntifiable audience
I think what helped me most t o come ou t of my closet was the knowledge of a real gay communi ty forming here in Bosto n '"""people
who want to work together so th at eventually no ne of us will have to submi t to opp ression
again. I am, personally, one of those people
who find strength in numbers . I lost my friend in high school because I h ad never talked with another gay person. If you want to get out of
your closet , y ou can start
by talking with people in th e organiz ed gay comm unity who have come out , You know, it's really not that hard to
do it ... an d each step y oo t ake away from y our closet becomes easier.
The resp onsibility for educating the public lies with all of us, not just the few of us who are willing to go on T . V. or the radirn, or speak
againand again to groups from this and that organization . Education comes with talking i with people, and not at them It 's quite hard tJO
( Seep age 5)
�-5-
Out of the closets
(continued from page 4 )
talk with whole groups of people . I remembe r reading an article last year that said if each gay person only told her or his immediate
andl deeply
family and six or seven friends, that that would take care of educating everyone . But we've got to know how to tell them"..:.
feel that it is telling them out side of our closets, where we are all free and proud.
'WHY I QUIT DOB'
by MARTI-fA SHELLEY
(With this articleexplaining
uily she left New York IXJB, MarthaShelley becomesa regul r monthly columnistfor the MaidenVoyage.Ed.)
a
Quitting an organization is not a decision one makes lightly, par ticularly if one has been involved in the inner workings of that organization
and given it a considerable amount of time and energy.
I was both treasurer and pre sident of DOB-New York for brief periods (not simultaneously), and I must admit that I was not
particularly competent at either position . At the time I accepted the posts , I was full of enthus iasm and ignorance, much better qualified
for public speaking (which duty I ful£lled) rhan for administration ( at which I was a good-hearted bungler) .
A lesson for other organizations: your most captivating spokeswoman is not necessarily . your best administrator.
And a good
administrator may be a dull speaker.
I resigned the presidency of the New York chapter after becoming aware of my inability to fill the
· post properly , both in terms
of the day-to-day supervision of work and as an arbit rator among the various factions in the chapter .
Somepeople aregood at beingpeacemakers, I uxis not one of those Blessedare the peacemakers If you know any, let'em run
and
.
.
.
for office,preferablythe "1ziteHouse
Aft er resigning my post, I stayed with the organization for a while, and finally my membership lapsed, as a result of the formation
of Gay Liberation . Front, and my activity in it Let me explain in greater detail:
Shortly after the Stonewdl Riot , it occurred to me that the gay organization in New York had to respond to the event or be forever
discredited in the eyes of the gay corrummity . I proposed to DOB that we spons or a rally, along wtih the other New York groups.
DOB was disinterested. I then went to a town meeting called by the Mattachine Society, and made the same proposal . The hierachry of
Mattachin e was also reluctant to involve itself , but the response from the general membership was overwhelmingly in favor, so Mattachine
agreed to let those who were interested in working on the rally use its office as headquarters . We did so, and some of the
younger women at DOB came down to help out.
At th e same time, a number of homos exuals and lesbians who had been working in th e peace movement and with various
radical groups began to meet at :a loft in Greenwich Village to discuss their problems as gay people .
They had beenfighting for freedomfor blackpeople, Vietnamese,
PuertoRicansand other oppressed
groups,but had been
hidingtheirhomosexual from straightcoworkersin the Movement,had beenafraidto fight for their own liberation.
ity
Eventually, the two groups-the committee that worked out of the Mattachine office and the group that met at the loftcombined to form Gay Liberation Front. I was one of these . At the time , I was still a member of DOB.
For a long time, I had been pushing for an alliance between DOB and other groups-not a coalition, but some sort of mutual defense
treaty . I wanted to be part of an organization which would not be afraid to take a stand on the · way, or join with black people in a picket
line, or support a cause which did not directly concern gay people . GLF was that organizat ion.
At the time, I felt that IXJB memberswere too selfishin their insiste that other organizationspoliticalgroups,etc., takepositions
nce,
,
with respectto the oppressionof gaypeople, but that IXJBshouldnot alienate possible member by takinga position on the uxzror any
any
other issue
.
We were delighted to have the support of some brave churchmen who risked alienating their congregations and losing their jobs by
(see page 6)
�-6-
'WHY I
QUIT
DOB'
(continued from page 5)
taking a moral stance in our favor, but w-ewouldn 't even ri, k the possible suppo rt of lesbians who dug the Ku Klux Klan .
Finally , I felt opp ressed as a human being by some of th e OOB women , Since I was also involved in GLF , I was suspected of treason by some,
and of Commu ni st tendencies by othe rs, (Tendenc ies have always been a problem with me - homosexual , he terosexual , Communis t,
Jeff ersonian, you name k
Actuall y, my worst tendency is procrastination,)
At one point, I even resigned from GLF , and had to endure a humilia ting cross ::..examination by th e governing board of the chapter to
determine
if I was loyal to OOB ., Th is was no thing official, mo re or less a private session to which I submitted in order to keep peace . The
peace was ruptured sho rtly the r.eafter. New York 's chap . ter still contains people who would like t o wring my neck and I daresay that in some
instances, th e feeling is mutual. On the other hand , ome of the ~ople
the re were very generous with me in many ways, and that
includes som e of the right -winger s with whom I had my bitte rest arguments .
As I ,growolder, I grow more uncertai n of my adolescent conviction , It seems to me that the best feature of the women 's mov ement
is plural ism-that
any group which sees its needs somewhat differently tt'otri anothe r group can form a new organization and go its own way .
Sometimes, sadly enought, two groups which are almo st identical to an outside observer are very hostil e to one anothe r- like jealous lovers who
have separated, and who cannot tole rate the minor diffe rences between them, Each takes the other's need fm separate developmen t as an
insult; neither can let go and wish the oth er peac e, So we hate each othe r instead of
Public Education
OllI
real enemies .
Committee review
DECEMBER 5, 19 Diana Travis, Laura Robin spoke to a sociology class on the family at Emmanuel College (Catholic, wome n 's school )
70
in Boston and afterwards stayed for informal discussion in school snack shop . 30
kidsin class, reception from the thir d who said anything
was friendly .
DECEMBER 1 1970Diana, Laura and 3 HUB Homophil e Union of Boston ) membe rs and one psychiatri st (HUB and OOB referal
7,
psych Dr . Richard Pillard) spoke in the evening toiORT group (Organization for Rehabilitation and Training) (a women 's service
organization for the temple) at Templ e Beth Am in Randolph , Mass. Men and women in audience , mo re oor less friendly .
JANUARY 12, Ellen and a friend of hers spoke to a class of teache rs, nurses and othe rs
taking comse
a
on youth problems like
drugs,seocalcohol at Braintree High School. Th e course has me etings once a week all semeste r. The re wasssome bad interaction betwe en
speake rs and audien ce.
JANUARY
1 Gail King , Jeb
4,
Boswell (latter fro m Harvm spoke t o a group ·of ~ clozen:rhlnisfernv.fil.oareclraplain$-at~
rd)
,iierletal,dl,;~
Hospital for .an hom, Discussion was friendly but slow m oving. Th e grou p meet s once a week t o hear people on sex .
,
JANUARY 18, several membe r~ of DOB (Gail King Diana Travis) talked with about 25 women in Femal e Liberation about gay
liberatio n, upon invitation of F! L
JANUARY 21, Lallia , Kathy Rowe from OOB and Harry Phillips from Harvard Homop hile Assn. spok e t o a similar class at Higham High
School. Discussion slow, reacti on 1ese::vedly friendl y.
JANUARY 21, 22 David Reuben , autho r of 'Everytlung You Wanted to Know About Sex ,,.! was on WBZ-TV channel 4, Boston 'Fo r
Women Today' show, 9 a.m, The re wer e many ques tions from audience. Diana made statement on the first day saymg his chapter on male
homosexuality and statements on~
µii th e.,chapter on prosti tu tion) only perpetuated unt re ste neotyp es, dealt wit h the se catego ries of
people as less than human, so the re were hardly any questi ons she wanted t o ask of him, Dr .. Richar d Pillard also spoke abo ut a new
counselling service, the Homophile Heal th Service, dudn g the que stion period and Rita Hecht was on 'Women Today '
(See page 7)
a.s some questions .
,king
�-7JANUARY26, Diana , Rita, Sharon Earll, and a HUBmember, Chucky, went to First Parish Church (Unitarian) Framinghamto speak to parents
and their children, a followup to a visit that was made·last year. It was lively, interestingand the kidsasked a lot of questions and made
a nwnber of comments.
CffN 1HAT~
'fure wil re
a~
d
IETTERS TO THE
to cb:m; vairu; tactics
~
farrilyam friem; \\ith
ycu ~ idn1ity ~wll
.
lme hm
~
re due
W10
it
,.
I don't like the name 'MaidenVoyage'. It has a flavor of maiden aunt
and voyeur about it It is emban assingto tell people this is the name
of our newsletter, I suggestwe callthe newsletter 'Boston Daughters of
Laura Robin
by Ki m Sta b ins k i
First leaf, gold and red
How enviable••.
I sent her, with
other falls'
Wee, fluttering
firefly
Tender memories,.,,
Dear Ediotr,
tter
Bilitis Newsle ".
Call Diana at 522-10 7 0
Ha i ku
EDITOR
Lighdng on her breast
TO ALL OF DOB:
I'm very son y to withdraw from DOB at this time, but I've thought it over
~ great
deal, and no other road is availabledght now.
ion
I am announcing my re:Signat as RecordingSecretary and also withdrawing
from membershi in DOBuntil a time when I can devote all my effort and
p
energy in the dght way,.
at
Glassy
--"eyed work,
SomedayI hope to be able to participate in this terrific gropu, but for
my mind accepts
,
just last night..
very important reasons now, it is impossible.
Then sunrisesnugglin
g
me
Thank you for making feel so wanted and appreciated;not just :,, for
Those soft snow-print trails
betray where we
side ~y side
_
being Gay, but for being myself.
Peace! Jeannie O'Brien
NEWPEUGEOTSRENAULTS
AND
ASSORTEDUSED FOREIGNCARS
SP£CIAL ATTENTlO 10 DOB
N
MEMBER ey
S
ARL REMINGTON(DOB)
ENE
NEW EN LA S ONLYCAR
G ND'
SALESWOMAN
CALL tt£R OR SEE. H-ERAT -
~9)-6/61
PARISIAtJGARAGE
665 CAM~RIDG E 57.
35 4-9883
CAMBR
IDGE., MASS.
�SISTERHOOD
IS POWERFUL
a review
by Del Martin
An anthology of writings from the women 's liberation movemen~ edited by Robin Morgan and publ ished by Random H0use , New York,
[970. 602 pages, $8.95. Paperback edition, $2;45.
This book , originally called ~an
d Th at Cra dled the Rock was prevented fro m using this title beca use of th reaten ed court
action by humo rist(?) S' J , Pere1man , wh o had wri tte n an obsc ur e sto ry by th at name , om e decades ago . Acmal ly , as it tu rned out,
Mr. Perelma n did Edi tor Robin Morgan a favo ir.. F or th e volum e, she with the aid of countl ess c wom en aci oss th e countyr, pu t together
is a def inir.ive stat ement of th e wom en 's mo vement (pa st, pre sent an d futu re - ) an d ,pells ou t for th e dou b ters tha t inde ed
SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL .
The int rodu ction by Ms. Morgan sets th e tone with milita nce , humo r , pathos , artistry and love t o b e found th ro ughtout the
book in th e wri ting s of women , in dividual ly and collecti vely . Th e book covers the testi mony of wom en fro m the profe ssions to th e
y
factory worke r , fr om a p oem by a seven-- ea r-old woman to a piece on th e ageing woman , from wh ite mid dle class to ra dical
lesbians and th e addit ional prnbl em s faced by Black an d Chicana sister s, from psychological an d sexual re pressi on to changing
consci ou sness of hjgh school women , from the lesson s of the ninete en th centu ry wom en 's mo vem ent to the h isto rical
document ati on of to day 's women's organizations , from a general bibliograph y t o soun seling rc:feranc es in maj or U ' U.S. and
Canadian citie~.
Member of the Daught ers of Biliri s will be partic ul ady in texested in the two p ieces by Gene Dam on an d Martha Shelley .
Ms. Damon wri tes a glow ing rep or t on effo ~ts to attain civil ti ghts for Lesbians by DOB as an organizat ion wh 1 is 8till, for th e
ch
mos t part , af ter 15yea rs of operat io n , plagued by the feais of those it w oul d h elp . She add resses herse.lf to h et eros exual wom en and
challenges them ro und e!Stand and accept Lesbians as the ir sb te rs. Ms. Shelley speaks fro m a m on. radic al stance , of Lesi
Lesbia nism as a road t o freedo m fro m opp ressio n by men , as a sign of mental health in a mai e=do m inat ed society , as a~ ;
alternat ive lifo style for wom en .
'Sister h oo d ' is pllp owerful b oo k th at can 't h elp but raise th e conscio usness of any w oman who re ad s it, Th e pages weld
rogeth er an alienated 51 % m ajority of th e popula ti on who h as he ret ofore 'enj oyed' mino ri ty stat us , bu t wh o will no lon ger
accep t any th ing less th an equal ity as pers ons in a socif ty tha-cmu st and will be reshaped .
Ms. Morgan indicat es tha t all prn ceeds fcom th e boo k will go to furrh er th e wo m en 's liberat ion mov emen t., Keep this in
mind wh en you do your Chnst ma, shopp ing '
Interview with the Speaker of the Mass, House of Representatives , David M Bartley, Reported in the
Phoenix, Janu ary 5, 1971
PHOENIX:
BARTLEY:
What about repealmg laws agarnst homo sexuality?
One bill iwa5 introduce d last year and it was summa nl y killed wi thou t debate ,.,, it is really in tha t nevet never
re
land oflegislative ducki ng, the legislarttu duc k s anyt h ing th at ihn't pushed upon it,, ,.
PHOENIX:
Do you see the need for these laws?
BARTLEY:
No, 1 have never felt any need for this type oflegi.slatiion on the bo oks
PHOENIX:
Well, 'what abou• •epe.J '
BARTLEY:
1 JU~t don't know
I 've neve( h ad tt pu t to me by any grnup just like that
, I mean, neve, had any g1oup rhat
,aid rhey we•e bemg pu shed around or hu!t by the law, .. there's never been any group p1e,su 1t "" ,gdn ning)
,
maybe because they hav en't had a full Orne lobby ist on th e hill """
(Editor's Note . This exerpt from the PH OENIX is impo rtant It shows NOT that Bartley is unp ercep tzve; he is quite
fercepti've , It reminds us as members of a homophile group that we haven 't made mu ch of an impact m the State
Legislature.)
�The History Project
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Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
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Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
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The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
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Title
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The Maiden Voyage: A Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter/Boston Chapter, 1971 February
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1971-02
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 2, issue 3 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971. This issue is labeled volume 2, issue 3. There doesn't appear to be a volume 2, issue 2.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-maiden-voyage-197102
Daughters of Bilitis
lesbian organizations
newsletters
-
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PDF Text
Text
50
cent s
FOCUS
a journal for
Vol. 2
March
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS
No. 4
1971
OF
B I LI TI S
GAY WOMEN
�FOCUS. Maret,, Pa111e 1
CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS
Fri., March 12-B usiness meeting, Arlington Street Church,
8 p.m.
Sun., March 14- Practice for upcoming football game at
1 p.m. Call Gail or Diane.
FOCUS is published by , Bost on Daunhtcrs of Bilitis.
.
Edit or- Diane Benison ·
Staff - Pam Boyd . Andy Cox. Kim Stabinsk i
Contri buto rs- Martha Shelley. Diana T ,avis. Mary Damon,
Gail King, Sharon Earll Cover by Pam Boyd
Fri., March 19- Orientation meeting for nonmembers and
those recently joined at Diane Benison's, 8 p.m. Call
Gail at 436-7913 for information.
l11e opinions expressed in this publication are not
necessarily those of the organization, but rather
they are the opinions of the individual contributors.
Sun., March 21-DO B plays football at the top parkinglot
of Lars Anderson Park, Brookline, 1 p.m. Rain date
is Sunday, March 28.
D. 0 . B. OFFIC'ERS
Fri.-Sun., March 26-28-C ongress to Unite WomenHarvard University. Fri. 7 p.m., registration and four
guest speakers, one a gay woman, at Lowell Lecture
Hall, corner of Quincy and Kirkland Streets. Sat. at
10 a.m., a series of workshops, two of them gay, at
Seaver Hall Harvard Yard. The first is 'On Being a
Gay Woma~'; the second, 'Gay Women in the Women's
Movement.' An 'ALL WOMEN'S DANCE' at 8 p.m.
will end the day. Sun., 10:30 a.m., a series of work•
shops and a gay women's caucus sometime during the
day, Seaver Hall, Harvard Yard. Cost is $2.50 to register for the whole week-end or $1 per day. Free
housing and child care provided-anybody in DOB who
is willing to provide housing should contact the Female
Liberation office. If you are bringing children, bring
their lunches. For additional information, call Gail
and Jo at 436-7913.
Fri., April 2-DOB meeting, 8 p.m., Arlington Street Ou•rch.
Wed., April 7-Meeting with Boston Women United on
being a gay woman, 8 p.m., Northeastern University.
Call Gail at 436-7913 for room number. This is our
chance to tell straight women what it' s all about, so
attend.
Fri. April 23-DOB meeting, 8 p.m., Arlington Street
Church.
Sat., April 24-Gay Solidarity Day-speakers, workshops,
gay theatre , a picnic and dance. Save this day to
spend with Boston's gay community. The placewill
be published in the next newsletter.
Early in April there will be a meeting on beinji a gay
woman-open to all women. Watch 'Phoenix' and
'Boston After Dark' for additional information, or call
Gail at 436-7913.
GAY GROUPS
President- Andy Cox
Vice President-Jo
Peckarsky
Recording Secretary-Vacant
Corresponding Secretary-Laura
Treasurer--Rose Tuttle
Robin
Classified ad rates are $1 for the first IS words and 20t
for each additional word. 'For Sale,' 'Wanted,' etc. do
not count as words. Anything given away free will receive a free ad. Figure your charge and mail your ad
with check or money order to FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB,
Box 221, Prudential Center Station, Boston, Mass 02199.
.
Full page ads are $30, half page ads $15 and quarter
,
page ads $7.SO per issue.
------
FOCUS is published monthly so as to be delivered in
the mails by the 11th. Deadline is the 2nd of each
month. Please observe the deadline.
Send copy to
FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB, Box 221, Prudential Center
Station, Boston, Mass. 02199.
Persons subscribing to the newsletter please make che cks
payable to Boston Daughters of Bilitis .
All members
of Boston D.0 .B. who do not have a copy
of the bylaws and would like one should write to Bost on
D.O.B ., Box 221, Prudential Center Station, Boston 02 109.
DOB REFERRALS
Gay Women's Liberation-C all Mary or Ni ta , 787-0439,
Homophile Union of Boston-Me et ings every oth er Sunday
,
33 Bowdin Street, 282-9181,
DOB recommends these persons to members who want
prof essional advice.
LEGAL
Ala n Cook and Michael Buckman , 1514 Dorchester Ave. ,
Dorchester , Mass. 288-4041.
WOMEN'S GROUPS
PSYCHIATRIC
Boston Women United, P. 0. Box 278 , All ston 02134 ,
253-6498.
Or. Richard PIiiard , 6 Bond Street , Boston. 423-9722 or
262-4200 , extension 5251.
Bread and Roses, Old Cambridge Bapti st Church , 1151
Mass. Ave., 492-4130,
MEDICAL
Homophile Health Services, 12 A r lington St. , Boston ,
423-6398 or 423 -6399 . MWF 7-10 p,m.
Media Women, P. O. Box 8926 , JF'K Stati on , 02114.
RELIGIOUS
Female Liberation, 552 Mass. Ave,, Central Square,
Evelyn , 491-1071.
Roman Catholic - Father Kevin, NewmanCenter (St.
Clement's Church). 1106 Boyl ston Street , Boston.
1536-2376or 277-4847 .
National Organization for Women (NOW) ,
Cambridge 02138, 492-5533.
P. 0,
BOK
348,
Women's Cel\lter at B.U .. 232 Bay State Road, 2nd floor.
Mon.-Fri. 9-5.
731-6858.
Eplacopal- Rev. Gil bert Dent , Chr ist Church, Zero Garden
Street , Cambridge. 876-0220.
Methodl at - Dr. WIiiiam Albert s, Old West Meth odi st Churc h,
131 Cambri dge Street , eoaton. 217,5088,
�FOCUS, March, Page 2
FEMINISM-Anatomy does not have to be destiny
by MARY DAMON
Men are generally considered superior
to women.
The rationale tends to work this way:
You can see men are superior because
they hold power. Men make history,
which men write. What have women
ever done? Why do men have the power?
Why , be cause men are inherently superior,
of course.
This circular argume nt is used to keep
women in their place at the bottom.
In a soc ie ty where money is status,
almost all women are unpaid domestic
workers, sometimes called wives, and/or
poorly paid clerical or service workers.
The m ed ian income of paid women workers is less than that of either white or
black males.
Major decis ion-making and financial
power rest in the hands of white males.
This is jus tified on the basis of two assump
tions: 1) There are separate and opposite
male and female natures; 2) The male is
bet ter. Feminism challenges both assumptions.
'Anatomy is destiny.'
Besides obvious
biological differences, ce~tain pd~onality
•
traits are also called masculine: aggression,
competition, the ability to think abstr actly,
rugged individualism, activity, physical
strength , pride, power. These are the important values in our culture, the qualities
we define as strengths.
However, they are
rather anti-social traits . A ~h ole society of
such people at close quarters would be
lonely , frustrated and murderous.
That's
where women come in. We are expecte d
to be sensitive, kind, good listeners, beautiful, emotional, concerned for other people's
welfare, tactful, fragile, humble, sensual and
passive, We make up the social glue that
maintains the home, the family, the office,
or the Movement while the men are off
conquering and making important decisions.
We carry out the detail work of the decisions the y make, provide them with
vicarious emotions and sensuality, and take
care of the sick, th e wounded, the helpless they leave behind.
In our scientific age, no one's ever
tried to find out whe th er an y of this really
(see FEMINISM
page
9)
TELL IT TO THE JUDGE
by MARTHA SHEL LEY
Here we go with anot her
installme nt of the Fifth Street
Women's Liberation Occupyin'g Army vs. the New York
City Adm inistration.
As you may remember
fr om my talk in Boston,
the
wom en who occupied an abandoned four -story building
(owned by the city) were
arres t ed and later rele ased .
Some of the projects which
we attempted to set up in
the building contin ue to function , such as the low-c ost food
co -op and drug rehabilitation.
However , we are operating on
a small scale out of private
homes.
The city administra tion ,
which normally moves wit h
th e speed and grace of an
arthritic turtle, has cut thro ugh
the re d t ap e and taken bids
for demolition of the building- at an estim ated cost of $150,000 .
Rehabili t atio n would cost the
city about the same amount ,
including pa rt s, plus labor, plus
graft. Our Women's :pberation
architect estimates that we
could do it ourselves (or
$10,000.
;
By putting press~re in
the appropriate places ; we have
thus far prevented the ~awarding of a demolition contrac.t. ,
We ar e continuing to round
up support from such groups .
and _individuals as the New
Democratic Coalition, the
National Organization for
Women (NOW), the Society
of Friends, East Side Tenants
Council, and Bella Abzug. ,Feb. 25 those women
who had been arrested went
.to court for a pre-trial he aring.
Five women pleaded guilty to
violations, four were dismissed
because their arresting officers
couldn't identify them.
We spent the entire day
in c6urt--a stuffy room pr esided
over by a nasty, petulant old
man. Although we were on
our best behavior, for fear 6f
being : jailed on contempt charges,
he managed to find reasons for
screaming at us and insulting
our manners and intelligence,
as well as th e same qualities
in our lawyers. At one point ,
he ordered a woman thrown
into j ail for arriving 10 minutes
lat e after lunch. Our lawyers
managed to t alk him out of it
by apologizing all over the
place .
R emember the worst
teacher you ever had in elementar y school? There you
were , an energetic littl e girl,
pee ping out the window at
th e new-fall en snow or the
blossoming trees in May . And
the re was the teacher, thr eatening to call your par ents,
flunk you, or take you down
to the principal's office if you
didn't sit still at your desk .
You couldn't eat a cookie,
draw a doodle, talk to your
fri ends , look at the other kids
in the back of th e room, or
go to the bathroom without
(se c MAR TH A SHELLEY
pagc10)
�FOCUS, March, Page 3
·
v
4
L
E
I\J
\
I
N
E
TR
E
E
VALENTINE POWER. ..Gail King probably has the best green thumb in Boston.
'grew' this special Valentine tree as a super Valentine's Day card for Jo.
She
�FOCUS , March, Page 4
EDITORIAL
Women's Liberation
Do you know what it's all about?
Maybe I've just gone through my own evolution, but I
no longer see gay liberation and female liberation as two
distinct and unrelated movements.
It's especially important
that more of us begin to see this aspect of our own struggle, because we in DOB are really the most active gay
women's group in Boston.
Whether or not we like it, we are political and will continue to be political by virtue of our public speaking programs and legislative work. What has been lacking, though,
and has dulled the edge of our sword is a definite affirmation of our political goals.
Let's cast off our amorphous quality . Those long business meetings of late about whether or not to incorporate
and whether or not to get a center are prime examples of
our indecisiveness. We've been kicking these two ideas
around now for . about six months if not longer. And the
arguments for and against haven't changed.
We should incorporate, get an office, and as a group
work more closely with the other women's groups in Boston. There are individuals in DOB who have been for
years and are still working for women's liberation, and it's
about time that we as a group took a positive stand. Th ut
doesn't mean we have to become an arm of women's liLqation. As gay women we have special kinds of strengths and
problems and we should retain our identity.
More and more we will see that the sexism they aw fighting is our fight too. Sexism is the first oppression
and from it all other oppression of minority groups has
grown.
Our worst offense as a group, though, has been not
knowing anything about women's liberation.
Just as for
the most part women's liberation hasn't been well enough
informed about gay women, who we are, what we are,
and how we live ... there's a lot to be learned on both sides.
The scene here in Boston is very receptive to that kind of
exchange now. The other women's groups want to know
about us. And with knowledge will come support.
Our
function as a social group, a place away from the bars,
won't be impinged by this kind of liaison.
We in Boston DOB have a two-fold goal and function;
and while we've been fulfilling both, it's now time to reevaluate where we've been and where we're going.
An opposing point of view
UNITED WE FALL---DIVIDED WE STAND
by SHARON EARLL
Today's gay women activists
are faced with a division of
movement loyalties. The prolem has arisen with the evolution of countless women's
liberation organizations dedi-
cated to the premise of women's equality, as individuals,
and as a collective class of
people.
The women's liberation and
gay women's liberation movements share to a certain extent
NOTICE OUR NEW LOOK!
It's still the Boston DOB newsletter, but
with a new, more appropriate name, and of
course the new look in typeface and pictures we started last month.
The newsletter staff, after great debate,
agreed on 'FOCUS, A Journal for GAY
WOMEN,' because we reach more than
just the Boston DOB membership each
month and feel it 's important to take advantage of our unique position in the
Boston area.
News about what Boston DOB is doing,
meetings, and activities are still the mainstay of the newsletter.
But we reach a
larger audience, and we've been drawing
from a broader base for material, especially with this issue geared toward examining gay women and their relationship
with the women's liberation movement.
We hope you like it ... we do!
similar goals--both demanding
freedom of women from a
male-oriented society. The
division occurs when the gay
women face alone the social
oppression of their sub-culture.
Women's liberation, with its
energies dedicated to children's
day care centers, abortion
laws and Hugh Hefner's exploitation of the female as a
sex object, could give a damn
about the gay community's
battles for sex-law repeals, income tax reform and the dual
employment discrimination of
female homosexuals.
The time has come for gay
women to stand independently
from their liberationist sisters.
'Sisterhood is powerful,' but
it's time Lesbians stopped playing the kid-sister role. We
were here fighting alone long
before the johnny-come-lately
girls untied their apron strings.
So why now should we accept
their positioning as a minority
group in the female movement-tolerated only because of our
biological sex?
The facts are basic ... our
rights as women will never
guarantee our rights as homosexuals. And female chauvinism can be just as socially
discriminative as its male
counterpart.
Gay sisters, where do our
primary loyalties lie ... in our
biological heritage or with our
chosen life styles?
'Congratulations'
To all on the staff:
Congratulations on M.V.'s
new look! Thanks for the
many hours of hard work that
obviously went into its production.
Diana Travis' article, I think,
is excellent and should be of
great help to the more timid
among us, to take that first
daring step 'out of the closet\_
even if it's only a toe at a
time!
Again, thanks to all of you
who work so hard in the interest of D.O.B.
Sincerely,
Loretta F.
�FOCUS, March, Page 5
'Not everyone should be an open homosexual'
To the editor:
Diana Tra vis ' article (Feb.
'71) recalls the exc iting point
made by an earlier letter
(April '70) to the effect
that 'who is thi s public we
are educating, after all--is it
not our acq ua intances , our
friends, our families?' Why
do we go so far out of our
way to scrounge up church
TIME AND NEED
if
the silence
seemed awkward
it was the ref lection
of my mind ...
needing,
not words
but understanding.
i asked
perhaps,
·too much
of one
who knows
me not,
but,
time and need
chose you
and
i
was not
disappointed
---Anony mous
SPARROW
Your love was a very warm
shelter to me
last December
Now I can't call my weaknesses
· I
sorrow
may be poor, but I am not
ashamed
of being myself
I've listened well to the people,
my teachers
Taking to Jesus the love
that he preaches
He's been through worse times
than this, my Lord.
--Jimi Shayne
groups and college classes to
speak our winning words to,
and yet treat people with
whom we have a more natural an d intimate contact (and
on whom we could therefore
have a much more profound
effect) as though they didn't
count. Should it not be
made explicit how fundamental a part such perso-
nal interactions play in the
whole public education
effort?
My point is not that
everyone should be an open
homosexual.
Public education is not everyone's bag
and that is fine. No one
should be afraid that by
being involved in DOB they
are going to be pressured to
,. be _
open . . My point is that
when it does come to public
educa tion, to tr uly persuade
people of our normalit y and
wellness, we will have to enter directly into their experience. We will have to let
them know us and see for
thems elves,
Laura Robin
IN PERSPECTIVE
it sprang up in fertile ground
although I'd tried
to cover those vulnerable fields
with a blanket of unfeeling stone.
I had no time, no energy,
no thirst , no need
for those speci al kinds of feelings
evoked by one-to-one relationships.
I wanted a very long winter,
a barren bleak time to not feel.
but I'd forgotten
that we are the playthings
of many forces
and we have no control
over th e mooring posts
and touchstones
of our lives .
We do not chose them
from a variety of options ,
like penny candy
in the stor e display case
we have on ly the choice
to accept or reject.
We cannot structureonly seek out what is therelike blind children
trying to climb a junglegym
--Diane Benison
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--Lora
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(FOCUS is printed compliments of Acisme.)
�FOCUS, M arch , Page 6
Ti-Grace Atkison speaks out on prostitution on 'Women Today'
by DIANA TRAVIS
Feb. 8 Ti-Grace Atkinson,
who is promi ne nt in the women' s liberation movement ,
taped a program for th e 'For
Women Today' televisi on show ,
Ch annel 4 .
The sh ow was don e differ ently fr om the usual format
of havin g th e guest intervi ewed
for a few mi nutes by Son ya
Haml in an d Ja ck Cole and then
ta kin g ques tion s fro m the audience. Ti-Grace was allowed to
ta ke over th e whole showwit h ou t Sony a and Jack-and
to ch oose five people from th e
audien ce t o sit with her and
discuss her t opic for th e daypros t itu tio n. Th re e women (I
was one of th em ) and two m en
were ch osen t o t alk about
their feeling s abou t pro stituti on and t o be confronted with
questio ns fr om Ti-Grace. A
few quest ions fr om th e rest
of the audi enc e were allowed
at th e en d.
It seem ed to me that TiGrace' s m ain point during th e
hour -lon g progr am was that
othe r w omen are n ot as far
rem oved from prosti tut es as
they might like to think. She
said that the prostitute's temporary contract of sex for
money is no different than
the marriage contract, which
is sex for a home and security.
Women have to start thinking
about prostitution and stop
ignoring it or looking upon it
as a despicable thing far removed from their own selves.
She said prostitutes are the
best example of what the women's movement is all abouttotal exploitation by me n.
What we call prostitution is a
class situation, often caused
because the women have no
other way to make any kind
of living-marriage for them is
not as lucrative a contract as
prostitution.
Ti-Grace has been making
a study of prostitution for the
past year, and one of her many
interesting observations was
that men seem to look for
total dominance in their sexual acts with the prostitutes:
by far the most ~ommon act
wanted by the men is for the
prostitute to perform fellatio
while down on he; · knees.
Prostitution, which can be
quite lucrative, is often very
tempting to the woman who
has nothing and has no hope
that she will ever achieve something sig'1ificant with her life.
Even Ti-Grace felt the lur e of
the money involved as she was
selling buttons to survive while
she did her study.
Even though as gay women
we may not feel any relation
to prostitution in any of its
forms , I still think it is an important concept to be able to
see that all women are looked
upon as a potential prostitute
by the male institution.
In
this way we can see that the
secretary who lets herself get
made or manhandled by her
boss in order to keep her job,
or the wife or the woman who
puts out because she owes it
to her date because he paid
for th e evening, or the prostitute are really not much different. And when you get
those cat calls walking down
th e street, you are lumped in
with all the other women as
a potential piece of ass.
Florence Luscomb-A history maker tells HERSTORY
by DI ANE BENISON
Florence Lus co mb, the 84year -old suffr agett e, wh o says
sh e at t end ed her fir st suffrage
mee ting at th e age of 5, continue d to captur e headlines
when she led 10 members of
th e wo me n' s libe ra tion movement in a protest of Georg e
Washingt on 's birthd ay at th e
Charles Stre et Mee ting House
in Bost on last m onth . Sh e
and h er gro up were demanding a nati onal h olid ay fo r
wom an.
Th e t enacious littl e woman
has be en act ive in Boston
and is schedul ed t o be on e
of th e spea kers at th e upcomi ng New England Wom an's
Women's Coalition and will
include two workshops on
gay topics open to gay and
straight women . Gay women
will also hold a caucus before
the workshops.
Co nference March 26-28.
Th e con feren ce is being sponsored by th e New Engla nd' s
men, 'at a Boston Women
United meeting. It was the
second in a two-part series
Gail King of D.O.B . is
coordinating the gay workshop as a private individual.
Several other D.O.B. women
and members of Gay Women's
Liberation are working with
her. The group is also preparing literature to be available at the workshops.
Florence Luscomb most
recently spoke to about 35
persons, including about 8
on th e hi story of th e wom en's
movement.
Mrs. Luscomb
made the history come alive
with many anecdotes of the
behind -the-scenes difficulties
and triumphs of the early
feminists.
The first woman graduate
of Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Mrs. L uscomb
said women's liberation is an
ongoing movement.
'It really
grew out of the anti-slavery
movement and temperanc e
movem ents.
'A few women were so
horrified at slavery they wanted to take part in the work
and found they couldn't until they won the right of
(see HERST O RY
pa ge 8)
�FOCUS, March, Paqe 7
Gail and Judy
Sharon
The core of homosexuality is that we sleep with
members of the same sex, but that is not all of it.
Sexual expression is no more or no less for gay
people than it is for straight people. It is a sharing of love between two persons.
These are th e t hings straight people have the most difficulty understan di ng... t hat we aren't different ... we're just like them. These
are the th ings we're telling people when we go on speaking engag ements like t his one with female liberation.
J o Pec karsk y, Gail King, Diane Benison and Sharon Earll of
Boston DOB , and Judy Hansberger of Gay Women's Liberation talked
on what it means t o be a gay woman at a Female Liberation orientation meeting. This night was typical of many. Other people spoke
with Bost o n Women United, NOW, and religious and educational
group s during th e past month. And always, re lentless ly before we
can really talk t o the audiences as people we have to first make them
realize we are th e people next door, the woman down the street, the
fellow wo rk er a nd student, a member of the family.
Th is wa s jus t one of the many experiences, but typical. The
facial expre ssions perp lexed and laughing tell the story of how we
tell our st o ry.
(Photos by Diane Benison)
Gail
�FOCUS, M arch , ParJ" 8
MORE ON SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Herstory
(continu ed
from6)
by GAIL KING
Speaking to a . group of strangers is a bit like the Roman
Holidays for the Christians. I call it IN THE ARENA.
That's a thought, a phrase for the following short lesson on
'speaking engageme nts.' When the good gay folk go out to
spread th e word the reaction runs something like this:
'Golly-gee!' Martha.
'Well, I never. .. ' George.
'WOW! They're real people ... ' Chorus.
They've just discovered that gays are people, persons,
human, same, diff erent, goo d, bad, like you and me. But
it's worth our time, good exerc ise for our hearts and spleens
if we can teach them about being HUMAN or at least trying. Be a MIRROR.
Show them the reflection of why they
are or at least who they appear to be. The questions are
raw, showin g a not knowing of just not knowing how people are.
I ,can see the emotiona l relationship between two
wom en, but the physical. ..
If the right man ...
Wom en were made to have babies ...
Are you just passing through a phase ...
God made man and woman, now how do you ...
try to squeeze my love for Joanne into some kind of
answer before I realize he has no ears. He has already defined me, given me a reason for life, babies , prick. My life ,
the people, mere women, are phased out. Women-people
are just scener y , a backdrop to the REAL action, the anger.
Flashes of the man-made world, their wars, napalm, missiles,
guns, de ath , alw ays death. Sigh. I must be made different.
They search and probe so diligently for a reason why I am
who I IS . And, and? They ain't. They -sure as hell ain't
like me. Cause if they saw any resemblance-well,
that
would/could possibly mean that th ey just might be, feel,
JUST LIKE ME .. ..
NOTED WITH INTEREST
Dear Abby recently offered rather
diverge nt views on the subject of hom osexuality. Here are two recent replies
printed in her columns.
(This is a reply to a 'Baffled and
Broken Hearted Mother' who wrote
asking advice about her daughter who
refused to end a Lesbian relationshi p.)
'Dear Moth er: If your daughter is
happy with 'what she is,' then you
who prof ess to love her must accept
her as she is or not at all. Freud
wrote in his famous 'Le tter to an
American Mother' (April 9, 1935),
'Homos ex ualit y is assuredly no advantage, but it is nothing to be
ashamed of, no vice , no degradation,
it cannot be classified as an illness;
we consider it to be a variation of
sexual functions produced by a certain
arrest of sexual development."
Abby's second comment on the sub ject recently was a confidential to her
readers.
'CONFIDENTIAL to the many who
wrote to blast me for my refusal to
put down the homosexual:
The most
burdensome problem the homosexual
must bear is the stigma placed upon
him by an unenlightened and intolerant
society. Their sexual bit is as natural
and normal for them as ours is for us.
They are neither 'sick' nor degenerate.
They are simply 'different.' Mine is a
plea for compassion and understanding
for these misunderstood and mistreated
souls. They, too, are God's children.'
equality t6 - work in --the movement,' she said .
One of the particularly
interesting comments by Mrs.
Luscomb was the description
of the struggle to keep the
issue before the public . She
said the first generation of
suffragettes 'found parades
were great attention-getters,
if occasionally dan gerous, '
but said 'the sight of large
groups of women was a conversion factor in the work to
get the vote for women.'
Mrs. Luscomb said the
early suffragettes held many
street meetings, and 'we spoke
and spoke to anyone who would
listen.'
On techniques used by the
early women liberationists she
cited the train-stop tours, door to-door campaigning and pressure on legislators .
'I hope this generation will
finish the job of full membership in the human race,' she
told the gathering ;
Asked about what she
thought women's liberation's
stand on gay liberation should
be, especially in relation to
the particular kind of oppression gay women suffer, Mrs.
Luscomb said she didn't have
an opinion because she was
not well enough informed.
At that point in her answer
the woman who was directing
the program, Tobas Singer of
BWU, said:
'This speaks well of the
dearth of information most of
us have about gay women .
But it's very important that
all of us make the effort to
inform ourselves and meet
with gay women.'
�FEMINISM
(c o n tinued
fr o m 2)
is nat ural by lett ing children alone to see
what trai ts would develop. Instead, we are
typecas t fro m birth . The pruning and selec tio n of the pr oper ch aracteristics goes
on constan tly from the first 'What is it,
a boy or a girl ?' Families, schools, churches,
employers, and a barrage of advertising make
manhood or womanhood not a state one
reaches ine vit able, but an unceasing strugglP to live up to a pr econceived definition.
'f)on' t do th at. It 's no t ladylike.'
'Lays don' t cry .'
'Want him to be more of a man? Try
bei ng mo re of a woman.'
They keep t elling us it's what will make
us happy. Anyo ne who admits to being
unhappy an d frustrated in this set-up is
neuro tic, at least, an d poss ibly even one
of those perve rt s. In any case, such a
person is not t o b e listened to, and should
be ignored, destroy ed, or properly adjusted.
The dama ge does not com e just from
a difference in rol es. The qualities called
masculine are th e dominant values of our
society. Th ey rea d like a definition of
Americani sm . Bu t the femin ine traits
are consi dered wea k and trivial . Important political or bus iness de cision s are not
made on the basis of whether or not they
would be kind thing s to do. That would
be, say men patroniz ingly , absurd. Women
are consi dered ab surd both by men and
by many other wo m en .
Every wom an grow s up in a fearful
double bind. If she lives up to the femi nine role , doe s what she is supposed to
do to get her rewa rds, she becomes everything her_ who le envi ronment has taught
her is weak an d silly. Sh e hates herself
and he r insi gnific ance . If she rebels , trying to be asser tive and strong , she is classified as a castra ting bitch , a deviant, and
still denied full huma nity .
The isolation of wome n from each
other reinfo rce s th ese process es. Men have
the power to rewar d and punish socially,
financially an d physically. Th ey divide
women into gro ups and play us off
against each other. Knowing full well
that they have a very precarious place
in society, base d on ly on a man 's favor,
th e 'goo d ' wome n are afra id of those who
• risk censure, afra id to los e what little
they have. Th e re bels denounce women
as stupid an d fearfu l t o empha size the
·differences bet ween themselv es and such
an inferior gro up. Many claim that all
their best frie nd s are men. They're so
muc h more 'int ere sting '--and powerful.
Apparen t in all th is is the self-hatred that
has been drilled into women , that has
kept us from acting on our strengths.
The systema ti c exclusi on of women
from the decision- m akin g processes on the
basis of a trai ned-i n 'infe riority ' is only
half the story. The other half is found
FOCUS , March . Paqe 9
in the values which govern those decisions. Those values are destructive and
will ' continue to be, no matter how many
women are integrated into the system.
The way men treat women and the
way they treat feminine values is part of
a whole world view. Primary to this is
the objectification of people and all other
living and non-living things according to
their usefulness to the group in power.
This can keep men from seeing the people to whom they relate as people. Instead they are competitors, supporters,
resources, enemies, mothers, things against
which a man must test his virility by
conquest.
The 'masculine' part of human
nature has raised to dominance
the norms of aggression, competition, power politics, and
distance of the person acting
from the person acted upon;
it brings abstractions into
power over human beings,
and the aims of institutions
over the needs of the people.
The pursuit of profit, the
rule of any and every dogma,
the protection of national
honor, the victory of the
workers, the victory of the
party, whatever it is, are
all the result of this kind
of objectifying thinking.
--Liz Fenton
The Feminist Manifesto
The logical extensions of a rigid masculine value system are power struggles and
violence, frequently rationalized as matters
of 'principle' or the necessities of progress.
The liberation of the human qualities
now called feminine is urgently needed
both for the liberation of individual
women from ,the stereotypes that have
kept us bound in the servicing of men
and for the c~ntinuance of the world
itself.
Power, the use of people, is wrong.
Men are not going to stop it. They're
getting what benefits derive from its
use. Women have, as a group , been
trained to see persons as valuable and
love as more necessary than power. We
can envision and start living a new kind
of society where loving would be divorced from conquest.
A desire for love would not have to
be channeled into either a desire for
power and ownership or a talent for
self-sacrifice, self-destruction and guilt.
The love of an individual for another
of the same sex could be seen as
beautiful with the abolition of the
power structure it now threatens .
People could be allowed to grow with out being limited to any predetermined
group characteristics.
Male and female
could cease to be tens e oppo sites and sex
could become merely one of a whole
range of individual differences.
Particular jobs would not be arbitrarily assigned to particular groups of people, nor would any group or person be
required just to type or do emotional
or physical maintenance without a share
in decision-making.
We could live ,,-ith nature instead of
fighting it. Institutions could be set up
to fit people and their nee ds, not to mold
them. Thinking and feeling would be
parts of one process. Education would
not be abstract, isolated from living.
War could be seen as a bizarre perversion of th e human ability t o act. With
the primacy of feminine values established, violence could be seen as the hurting
of a person who is like oneself, not
some kind of 'other' who is basically
different and frightening.
'It 's a lovely dream ,' admit the men
from their tanks and countingh ouses.
'Now would you please type this ulti matum to the Enemy?'
'Whose enemy?'
'Yours and min e, the fasci stpi gcommiefags!'
'Yours,' we say, and turn in our
typewriters and apron s.
Feminism starts wh en women first
refuse to accept that things have to be
this way. We begin op ening ourselve s up
Even the necessities of life have been
seen in terms of their use for quick profit. Men have been conquering the forces
of nature they see in earth and water, as
well as in women, and making the planet
close to unliveable. They have developed
technology to the point where matters of
'honor' are satisfied not by individual duels
but by the systematic killing of millions of
people. Technology and profit themselves
have become powers, almost gods whose
every whim must be carried out as if
there were no real people with real needs
to be met. People speak of protecting the
consumer from cheap useless, or dangerous,
articles, as if the consumer were someone
else and as if the men who produce such
articles had a right to their destructive
blindness. In conquering the wilderness,
they have built a new, more dangerous
to our own po ssibiliti es and tho se of
jungle, and they still don't seem to see
that they are answerable to anyone but
(see FEM I N ISM page 10)
their male competitors and their own
values. They still expect us to clean up
after them.
�Martha Shelley
FOCUS, M arc h , Pag_e 10
(continued
FEMINISM
(con t i n ued
t rom
9)
to our own possibilities and those of the
wom en around u s. It is not an organizati on but a mov em ent , encompassing indiv idu als, small group s, large groups, friendships
and love affai rs. As we cease to accept
th e myth of fe male inferiority and begin
to in sist on the social and personal importance of th e feminin e qu aliti es, our own
lives and th e so ciet y aro und us will continue to be alt ered .
With out u s to carry out the orders , it
will b ecome in cre asingly m ea ningless for
men to give t h em . With th e companionship in st ea d o f com petition o f other w omen, wome n nee d no t acce pt out of
loneliness th e lef tov er s th at h ave habitually bee n offer ed us. We lea rn to stop
growi ng inwa r d , tu rni ng in upon ourselves,
and begin t o grow up and out in various
directions. Th e m oveme nt is not one of
rigidl y st ruc t ured p ro gra m s, although
there are som e concre te re form s ne eded
jus t to p rovide th e spac e and time for
this grow t h. Some of th ese are decent
free chil d care, free ab ortions on demand,
an en d to th e har assme nt of gay women,
self -defe nse tr ainin g fo r wo m en, equal
pay and empl oym ent oppor tun iti es, and
an end t o the unfai r trea tme nt of prostit u tes, p aym ent fo r do m estic services.
We m ay wo rk at vario u s tim es in various
groups t o pro m o t e stru ctural ch ange and
to sprea d some ne w idea s to oth er women ,
to op en u p the possi bilit y o f alte rnativ es
to the way th eir lives are n ow. We will
no t t ell th em wh at to do. T hat 's som ething each o f us th in king alone and all
of us talk ing t oget her h ave to figur e out .
Above all we m us t build community,
end the ba rrie rs me n have put betw een
us, be tween marr ied and single, stra igh t
and gay , you ng and mid dl e-aged. It 's
very har d beca u se we 'r e all defensiv e,
as we've h ad to b e t o survive this long.
But women are starti ng t o do it in small
discu ssion grou p s and w ork ·group s across
the coun try. With m uch trial and error ,
fema le co m mu nit ies are be ing formed
and arc growing. Our self-lib era tion is
both our source of ac ti o n and our goal.
Our love of oursel ves, of ea ch o ther , is
our strength and our convic ti on.
A
G
NE S
11
page
from
2)
the -teacher's permission.
Those same rules prevail
in the courtroom.
No conversations ( except with your lawy er), no eating, smoking, reading a book or newspaper, or
moving about. If you go to
the bathroom and your name
is called while you're out, your
bail or parole may be revoked
and you may land in jail. You
can get six months for contempt of court, a crime which
is whatever the judge decides
it to be . Most of the time it
consists of the crime of exercising the constitutional right
to free expression.
Personally, I don't th ink
that anyone should have so
much power in his own hands.
Imagine the corrupting effect
of being able to hold a roomful of people in terror, every
working day for the rest of
your life--imagine this effect
on a man ( there are no women
judges in the city courts here)
whose sole qualifications for
the job are a rusty law degree
and an aptitude for kissing
the right behinds.
If you want to find out
what justice' is about in your
community, spend a few days
in the courts as a spectator.
Watch several different judges
in action. Be sure to bring
along a supply of asperins
and tranquilizers . Keep silent
while in court, for any vocal
protest will land you in jail.
This prescription is contraindicated for people wh o suffer
from ulcers or hypertension.
Remember that a knowledge
of the legal system--in practice , not in theory--is an essential requirement of a good
citizen (as opposed to an
obedient citizen or 'Good
German').
It's also fun to watch
the police--sort of like the
Theatre of the Absurd.
We saw a herd of about
50 to 7 5 narcotics agents,
wearing their badges over
their disguises. Narcotics
agents, unlike your average
husky white patrolmen, come
in all shapes, sizes and colors.
Most of the ones we saw were
black and dressed in a variety
of costumes and hair styles.
Some were female. I suspect
(according to the Paranoid
Theory of History, to which
I subscribe l tha,t the reason
for the preponderanc ·e of
blacks is that there is no cop
who earns as much hatred as
the man who arrests you for
possession of marijuana, no cop
more likely to die in action.
On th e oth er hand, it' s a great
opportunity for graft.
Policemen are very sensitive people-about
their own
feelings, not those of others.
One of our arresting officers ,
Murphy , is extremely upset
because he thinks we will all
be let off and get the building
back, too . He feels that his
work would be made more
meaningful if 'those dirty dykes
from Women's Lib' got stiff
sentences. Another officer,
whose nam e I forget , spraypainted our building with
anti-women obscenities, but
he was terribly hurt when
someone called him a pig. My
own corpulent arr esting officer ,
Maloney , has put on 10 pounds
since I saw him last and is now
sporting a pretty little moustache. I rather like Maloney;
he's not too bright but he's
very sincere.
As the gay mov ement and
the women's mov ement grow
larger and increase their efforts
to change the system, they will
me et with increasing oposition .
In New York we have had to
occupy buildings because of the
det eri ora tin g h ous ing situ ation
and the lack of adequate services. In Boston conditions
may differ; but soon er or later,
any group--from Nad er's Raiders
to the Weathermen- -wh ich tries
to change exis ting conditions
will run in to legal hassles. Your
worst enemies are fear of jail
and lack of knowledge of the
legal system .
New York D.O.B. has
asked me to make it clear that
my last column referred to
events taking place in the fall
of 1969 and was not intended
as a current description of the
organization. I am not sufficiently involved with it at
present to comment on its
activities.
�FOCUS , March, PatJU 11
Football Fans Fraught with Frenzy for Forthcoming Folly
,,
Don't forget March 14 and March 21, both Sundays ...
The first is practice for our football team (members and
nonmembers welcome); the second is the day we meet the
'Mothers' at the top parking lot of Lars Anderson Park in
Brookline. There are signs to the park from Route 9 and
Chestnut Hill Ave. in Brookline. Time is 1 p.m.
They'll be wearing white T shirts over other clothes.
Let's wear navy blue or black.
If you can't play, come cheer. help carry us off the
field of play or bring a kite .
Lars Anderson has a beautiful view of the city, lots of
green grass and a pond complete with ducks. There 's also
an old auto museum for car nuts.
MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT PRACTICE Sunday,
March 14, at 1:00 p.m. Call Diane for directions. We have
to practice, get the bodies in shape and learn our plays ... a
few new ones for the field of h1:mor, not the field of love ...
Wear sneakers ... gloves are advisable ... and bring thermoses
of hot coffee, tea, or whatever. NO BOOZE or we'll get
thrown out. And if you bring a kite, don't forget extra
string, repair material (like tape and sticks), etc. See you
there. BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND CHEER US ON.
AGNES DOES IT AGAIN ...
Have you been taking advantage of our Gay Community
Center ? It is located at 183
Prospect Street, Cambridge,
top floor. It's open for everyone all the time, an.d on Saturday nights there 'is a coffee
house . Come and meet new
people or talk with old friends.
An informa l get -together
of gay women in straight
marri ages to discuss mutual
problems is being planned.
If in terested, call Laura at
491 -0447.
RECORDING SECRETARY ELECTION TOMORROW
Th e office of Recording Secretary is open. Aggie Nanigian is the
on ly candidate running at press time. An election will be held at
the Mar ch 12 meeting, and nomina tions may be made from the
flo or at that time. Please atten d.
Agnes Cox, well known
wanton female of southern
N. H., is at the moment
of this writing preparing
to give birth to her third
group of illegitimate children.
As Agnes has already
expressed her desire to
avoid any further duties
of motherhood, finding
the daughter she retained from the last litter
to be too much of a
drain on her time, Andy
and Kim are seeking foster homes for the waifs.
Two of the children
have already been spoken
for IF they are moneycats like Agnes and
Scamp. Should they
be black or grey 1 oh,
woe.
Anyone who would
like to start adoption
procedings should contact Andy and Kim c/o
FOCUS.
�FOCUS, March, Page 12
DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS, INC.
BOSTONCHAPTER
Box 221
Prudential Center Station
Boston, Massachusetts 02199
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP OR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION
Application is for (check one) --
- -- Individual membership ($10/yr), ------Joint
- - ----
membership ($15/yr/couple),
Newsletter subscription only ($5/yr).
Application is (check one}- - -- -new, -----renewal.
Amount enclosed $ ____
(Circle one : cash, check, money order)
NAME (please print)---------------------------------------SECOND NAME IF JOINT MEMBERSHIP ____________________________
_
MAILING ADDRESS _ __________________________________
_
CITY _____________
STATE _______
ZIP _____
TELEPHONE ________
_
I am a woman 18 years of age or older.
Signature--------------------------Second signature__________________________
Date ___________
_
Date ___________
_
FULL MEMBERSHIP includes a newsletter subscription, reduced admission to events, voting privileges for one year.
PARTIAL MEMBERSHIP includes everything except voting privileges, Pay $5 down, the rest within 2 months to become
a full member. Any downpayments on partial memberships which are not completed within the 2-month period become
a donaflen to Boston Daughters of Bilitis.
JOINT MEMBERSHIP includes full membership for both women with only one subscription to the newsletter.
New memberships run for one calendar year from the date when the application is completed and payment made. Renewal
memberships continue on the same calendar year as the original membership even if payment is made shortly before or
after the actual renewal due date.
�The History Project
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Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
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Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1971 March
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1971-03
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 2, issue 4 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first 14 issues of the newsletter were called "The Maiden Voyage." The publication was renamed "Focus" in 1971, beginning with this issue.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-focus-197103
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1a5a9c59e8412878ce69627cc91dc154
PDF Text
Text
50 cents
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a journal
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for
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Vol. 3 No. 5
April, 1971
BOSTON
J
D AUGHTERS
OF BILITIS
..
�FOCUS, Ap ril, P.ige 1
FOCUS is published by Boston Daught ers of Bilitis .
Editor-D iane Benison
Staff-Pam Boyd, Andy Cox, Kim Stabinski
CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS
111eopinions expressed in this publication are not
necessarily those of the organization , but rather
they are the opinions of the individual contributors.
Sat., April 17 - Volunteers Forum, John B. Hy nes
Civic Auditorium, 9 a.m . - 5 p.m. Call Laura.
Women's Liberation Day Rally on the Boston
Common starting at 1 p.m. All-Women's Dance
at 8 p.m., probably at the Charles Street Meeting
House. Call Gail King.
I'
,.
D. 0. B. OFFICERS
President-Andy
Cox
Vice President-Jo
Peckarsky
Recording Secretary-Vacant
Corresponding Secretary-Laura
Treasurer--Rose Tuttle
Fri., April 23 - DOB meet ing, 8 p.m ., Arlington
Street Church.
Sun., April 25 - Softball practice, 1 p.m., Lars
Anderson Park, Brookline.
Call Diane.
Sun., May 2 Game time
Diane.
Classified ad rates are $1 for the first 15 words and 20¢
for each additional word. 'For Sale,' 'Wanted,' etc. do
not count as words. Anything given away free will receive a free ad. Figure your charge and mail your ad
with check or money order to FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB,
Box 221, Prudential Center Station, Boston, Mass. 02199.
Softball game against the Mothers.
p.m. Place to be announced.
Call
DOB meeting at 8 p.m. This will be an orientation meeting for newer members and for all
women interested in learning more about DOB.
The May 2 DOB meeting will be
John the Evangelist Church at 33
This change in meeting time and
approved by majority vote at the
business meeting.
held at St.
Bowdin St.
place was··· ·
April 2
Robin
J·
Full page ads are $30, half page ads $15, and quarter
page ads $7 .50 per issue.
·~- .. ~~·-----
··
FOCUS is pubJished monthly so as to be delivered in
the mails by the 11th. Deadline is the 2nd of each
month. Please observe the deadline.
Send copy to
FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB, Box 221, Prudential Center
Station, Boston, Mass. 02199.
Persons
payable
NOTE NEW MEETING PLACE MAY 2!
subscribing to the newsletter please make checks
to Boston Daughters of Bilitis.
All members
of Boston
D.O.B. who do not have a cop y
of the bylaws and would like one should write to Bo st on
D.O .B., Box 221, Prudential Center Station , Boston 02199 .
GAY GROUPS
INSIDE THIS MONTH:
Gay Wome n's Lib erat ion- -See Bosto n A ft er
Dark.
Homoph i le Union of Boston-Meetings
33 Bowdin St reet, 282-9181.
every othe r Sunda y,
WOMEN 'S GROUPS
Martha Shelley ...... 2
New England Congress to Unite Women ...... 2
The need for research ...... 3
Football pictures .... ..5
Editorial. ..... 6
Bost o n Women United, P. 0. Box 278, All st o n 0213 4,
253-6498.
Bread and Roses, O ld Cambridge Bapt ist Church , 11
51
Mass. A ve., 492-4130 .
Media Women, P. 0. Box 8926 , JFK Stat ion , 021 14.
Female L iberation, 552 Mass. A ve., Centra l Square,
Evelyn, 49 1-107 1.
National Organization for Women (NOW), P. 0. Bo x 346,
Cambridge 02138, 492-5533 .
Women's Center at B.U., 232 Bay State Road, 2nd floor,
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Homo phile Commun ity Health Council --what is it,
what doe ~ it do and who doe s it serve?
On Being a Gay Woman--A co llection of ideas from
DOB members on aspects of being a gay woma n including religion, stereotypes, social life, organizations,
etc.
�FOC US, Ap ril , Puge 2
NEW
YORK
REPORT
by MARTHA SHELLEY
Hope springs eternal in the
revolutionary breast, but some times even the youngest of us,
even those with the least knowledge of history, find our little
bubbles have burst. The latest
sad tale in the history of revolution is that the Venceremos
Brigade Committee has thrown
out homosexuals whom it had
previously accepted as brigadiers.
For those readers who have
not followed the course of the
Cuban Revolution, the Venceremos Brigade Committee is an
organization which sends young
North Americans to help Cuba
harvest sugar cane every year.
The volunteer harvesters, or
brigadiers, ~
are supposed to be
learning about life under socialism during their two-morith
stay, most of which is spent in a
model work camp, and the rest
on a guided tour. The venture
is financed by contributions,
dances and film showings in the
United States and, I believe, in
Canada.
Shortly after Castro's victory,
homosexuals in Cuba were herded
into 'rehabilitation' camps, where
Gay women praised
'Bubbles
Burst'
they were report ed to have
received rather brutal treatment .
About a year ago, I ran into
three young radicals who had
been on the brigade, and had
hidden th eir homosexuality from
the Cubans. They were extrem ely enthusiastic about Cuba,
and reported to the Gay Liberation front that the 'rehabilitation'
camps had been closed, according to a film the brigadiers had
been shown at the work camp.
Although sexism still existed in
Cuba, the government and the
people were 'struggling' with the
problem and could be reached on
the issue of gay liberation.
Struggling, in this context, is
a Marxist term meaning we're
working on the problem. You
don't have to make progress, as
long as you confess to having
diffi cult.y .awL.&iy " y..o.u .are
struggling.
GLF members approached the
people who ran the Brigade
Committee, and sure enough, gay
people were accepted on the
brigade and given priority over
straight white people. (Nonwhites get top priority.) As far
as I know, this was the first time
since the reign of Stalin that gay
for slide
(see MARTHA
SHELLEY , page 10)
presentation
Mor e than 250 women and men filed into
Low ell Lectur e Hall on th e Harvard University
Campus to hear th e op ening session of the N ew
England Congress to Unite Women, Friday, March
26.
people have openly entered a
Communist country.
I heard very little from the
gays who went on th e trip (both
wom en and men) . Some apparently liked the trip, some ran int o 1
trouble with North American
blacks and latins who were out
to prove their masculinity. No
~
public statements about that trip
were issued, to my knowledge,
either from the brigadiers, the
Cuban government or the Brigade
Committee.
Early this year, people began
applying for the next brigade.
Acceptance is based partly on
one's status of oppression (blacks,
latins, gays and women go before straight white heterosexual
men), and partly on one's political acceptability.
Gay people
were accepted; then, without
warning, it was announced that
all gay people were to be dropped from the brigade. Two lesbians were not dropped from the
rolls because they work on RAT,
a newspaper whose policies are
considerably to the left of the
Daily World. One of them quit
the brigade in protest, the other
,.
It includ ed speeches by Flor ence Luscomb, 85ye ar-old suffragist; Margaret Bengston from Vancouver I Canada)· Wom en 's Lib eration; My rna Hill, staff
\
,
m emb er of th e Black and Thi rd World Wom en s
Caucu s of th e Ne w York's Wo men's Strik e Coalition ; Flor ence K enn edy , black femini st and lawy er
for the Wome n' s Move m ent in Ne w York City; and
sp eakers fro m the gayco m m unit y .
The presen tati o n by gay wom en was esp ec ially
impressive and dist inc tive. Unlilw th e o th er
speakers th e gaywo m en presente d a mu lti-me d ia
slide produc tion on being CTgcv woman.
This was basically the same program p resented
to .'\'OW last month but with some new slide :,.
It is a solid piec e of work, showing the isolation
every woman experiences before finding oth er
gay women to the hope th e future holds for
mor e fr eedom. It was a strong statem ent of the
growth and maturation common to every
gay woman in her struggl e for self-affirmation .
Th e writt en matter, po etry and music used
is exc ellen t and refl ects careful thought and
planning .
Flor enc e K enn edy wh o follow ed th e
pr esentation was glowin g in her prais e and called
it 'very pr of essional. '
'T his is th e k ind of thi ng th e wo m en 's
m o vem en t needs mor e of,' she said.
The gay women d id no t tak e a po lit ical
stand abo ut the oppression of women as
st rongly as th e ot her speake rs, but were morq
concerned with getting across the idea that
gay women
are not so very different from other
human beings.
The Congress provided other pub.lie outlets
(see CONGRESS, page 12)
�FOCUS, April, Page 3
WE NEED TO KNOW
The public wants to know, but interest
in the gay world is not matched by facts
any comparable work on gay
women.
In the past 20 years a subAll gay women are not alike;
stantial change has occurred in
they do not all live similar lives.
public opinion about homosexAs a first step, we need good deuality. Twenty years ago, the
scriptions of the various patterns
topic was taboo, something not
of social interaction among gay
mentioned in either the media
women. Jess Stern's journalistic
or in polite conversation.
account, The Grapevine, was the
There were no homophile
sort of beginning study which
organizations in this country,
could be expanded to include
the second Kinsey volume had
areas of life other than the sexual
not yet been published (Sexual
relationship. Secondly, we need
Behavior of the Human Female),
to know what sort of experiences
and the only 'experts' were
influence or tend to lead toward
psychiatrists whose kno,'Vledge
each pattern. What sort of exwas limited to those unhappy
periences influences a woman to
people who seek out or are sent
adapt to her homosexuality in a
to psychiatrists for therapy.
particular way and not in others?
Today homosexuality is
'Is the 1% of homosexuals
High school and college courses
widly discussed. Several recent
in sex, marriage and the family,
films and novels have had homoand deviant social behavior often
sexuals as the central characters.
who join a homophile group
Anthropologists, psychologists
include homosexuality.
Today's
and sociologists are interested
students are being taught what
in and study homosexuals and
their teachers and professors
their subculture here and in
believe is true about the gay
similar to the 99%
other countries. Homophile
world, but most of that 'know organizations provide speakers
ledge' is unreliable. Homophile
who don't?'
for any interested group, and
groups try to speak for homomany organizations find the
sexuals, but most homosexuals
and background. Those people
demand for speakers exceeds
do not want to become involved
most dissimilar to an individual
with the homophile organizations.
their capacity to provide them.
are either never met or are not
The public, both lay and proIs the one per cent of homosexchosen for friends. As a result,
uals who join a homophile group
fessional, wants to know more
similar to the 99 per cent who
each gay woman knows how
about the gay world and the
don't? If not, in what way are
she feels, thir :ks and interacts
people in it.
they different? The straight
with others, and she also knows
Unfortunately, the interest
world might ask why gays will
something of the behavior of
in the gay world is not matchparade around, making demands
her close friends, but she caned by reliable knowledge, and
and creating a fuss, while the
not know hew all gay people
this is doubly true regarding
interact because she cannot know homophile groups might ask why
gay women . The traditional
other homosexuals don't join
'expert,' the psychiatrist, is
all gay peop le or even an unbiasthem. Sociologists would like
handicapped by the nature
ed sample of all gay people.
to know how experiences in
of his sampling procedure as
Research in recent years by
both the gay and the straight
those persons, either gay or
social scientists has attempted to
world serve to form, sustain,
straight, who see a psychiaovercome the faults of earlier
destroy and reform a self-identity
trist have a problem in adknowledge by studying homoand how this s2lf-identity injusting to social life which
sexuals in some systematic manfluences social interaction with
they consider serious. Furner. Work by Evelyn Hooker,
other gays and with straights.
ther, the results of clinical
Martin Weinburg and Laud Humimpressions are not reliable
There are many questions. You
phreys has begun to provide reas no systematic research is
have yours and I have mine. We
liable knowledge of male homodon't have the answers . We need
used (pathologists and the FDA sexuals, but we do not yet have
to know.
by DIANE FRASER
do not accept the clinical impressions of physicians as adequate either in establishing the
mechanism of disease or establishing the utility of a therapeutic program).
A more recent 'expert,'
the gay individual, is also handicapped by her sampling procedure. The tremendous variety
of people and styles of life 111
the gay world equals that within the straight world. Each person selects for her personal
friends those people who are
similar to her--who share her attitudes, beliefs, values, social status
�. . FOCUS, April, Page 4
NOTED WITH INTEREST
Several newspaper and
magazine articles dealing
with the homosexual in
society have appeared in
local and national publications during the past two
months.
LOOK magazine offered
a photo essay study of a
gay male 'married' couple
from Minnesota as part of
its special section on 'th~
family' in the Jan. 26 edition. It's fair and favorable .
L1 the Jan. 1 7 iss,Je of
the New York Times magazine section, Merle Miller
told readers 'What it Means
to be a Homosexual.'
Boston Globe columnist
George Frazier was once
'merely bored' when he
read about homosexuality,
but now 'enough is enough
and I am becoming damned
annoyed, for they traduce
aspirations that of them selves are entirely honorable.'
'Just as a female rights
can be nade to seem absurd
by the outbursts of the l~nat ic fringe in ladies' liberation, '
he continues, 'the adoption
of a sane and humanitarian
attitude toward homos~xual
acts betw een consenting
adults in private is being
jeopardized by the illogi c
of the spokesmen for what
Lord Alfr ed Douglas called
'the love that dare not
speak its name .' The column app eared in the early
part of March.
Another Boston Globe
article in Mar ch by Sunday
columnist Nc:than Cobb describ ed the eight homosexu al organizations in
Boston and outl ined their
efforts for socia l and political action. In h is overview of the gay community, Mr. Cobb noted that
Boston 'now ranks as the
cen t er of th e gay movement in America. '
From the gay community at large--THE CHICAGO GAY
ALLIANCE has announced
the opening of a Gay Community Center in the Windy
City. Although minor repairs are still to be made,
they are holding weekly
meetings and inf01mal rap
sessions there.
The 'CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE'--Philadelphia--has its own gay newspaper--the Gay Dealer. The
city now boasts three gay
rights organizations, more
than a dozen gay bars, a
gay church, gay dances and
a gay bookstore.
A NEW THEORY on the
cause of homosexuality has
been put forth by a scientific team of the British Medical Research Council. Dr.
J. A. Loraine, direc t or of
the Council's 70-member
clinical endocrinology unit
in Edinborgh, and hi's team,
suggest that 'abnormal endocrine activity dming the
late prenatal period, the
very early postnr.ital period
or at puberty may imprint
the subject with homosexual tendencies .' ~he re.search results are described
as 'strictly preliminary.'
IN OTHER MEDICAL
NEWS, an article in the
December issue of Medical
Aspects of Human Sexuality admits that a 'sur- .
prising number of med~cal
men are prejudiced agamst
homosexuals and that their
prejudice adversely affects
their medical treatment of
such patients .' Some 2139
active members of the
Oregon Medical Associatio 1 1
were polled and only 937
responded to the 27-item
questionnaire sent to them
by the authors of the article.
HOMOSEXUALITY IS
LEGAL IN CAN ADA .
FORMER PRESS OFFICER to the Archbishop of
Cantebury, Michael De-laNoy, suggested recently t~at
the church consider blessmg
some homosexual relationships. He accused the
church of making a 'disastrous effort' in teaching
that sex was intended solely
for procreation.
'There is
no logical reason why the
church should continue to
condemn homosexuals to
a life of furtiveness, false
friends and deception.'
THE FEMALE LIBERATION NEWSLETTSR in
Boston has a few good
words to say abnut Focus-'a really good looking newsletter entitled Focus which
is printed in two colors and
goes for only fifty cents.'
They follow up with a
reprint of the Women's
Liberation editorial from
the March edition.
THE HOMOPHILE UNION OF BOSTON has embarked on its third year as
a 'viable homophile organization .' Last year at this
time they counted 65 paid
memberships . That number
has almo~t bpled .
'SEEN THE GAY LIB
SLOGANS painted on the
stone columns at Hemenway Street and the Fens ?'
asks the HUB bulletin. If
you have, ask yourself if
this is the image Boston's
gay community wants.
THE WOMEN'S CAU CUS of Austin Gay LibPration held a gay conference
March 25 through 28.
. Workshops and rap groups
of special interest to women
were highlights of the
three-day event.
BERKELEY SOCIOLOGIST Carl Werthman, quoted in Time magazine Mar ch
15, says the ' city is be coming a place for all the oddballs and deviants of our society: the lower class , the
ethnic minorities, the homosexuals, the artists .' This influx is the reason that 'young
married couples seldom even
look at a pla ce in the city .'
�FOCUS, April,
Page Li
F
0
0
T
B
A
L
We
tried,
bUt
Jost
12 to 6
.-----
-----
-
.
Just
Wait
SOFTBALL
ti//
7
�FOCUS, April,
Pc1ge
6
EDITORIAL
Why the emphasis?
Maybe you've noticed the heavy emphasis on
gay women in the women's movement in this and
the last issue of FOCUS. It might give rise to the
question of Where our loyalties lie. FOCUS is first
and foremost a journal for GAY WOMEN.
FOCUS doesn't think the emphasis of the past
few issues is out of order, because gaywomen are
getting more exposure, and good exposure through
the women's movement than anywhere else.
When radio and television programs are done,
or articles written, the emphasis is on male homosexuals. The research to date has been heavily
concentrated on male homosexuals. Everything has
been male 'orientated.
The only place we get anywhere near equal time
is through the women's movement. More importantly
in the wo,men 's movement we 're reaching those
people with whom we relate better anyway, women.
The emphasis, as exemplified in the story on
the New England Congress to Unite Women in this
issue, has been to show how gay women are working
and using to their advantage a large and via "Jle
public outlet ... a natural arena.
These are the things some gaywomen are doing.
Boston DOB also conducts an extensive speaking program, but rea.lly what else are gay women
doing in the field of public education? What else is
there to tell our readers about?
There ARE questions and subjects of topical
interest to strictly gay women . FOCUS would like
to deal with these too, and will do so in future
issues, but that means when we send people to talk
to you and your friends, you have to be willing
to talk. It would be nice if we all took the fateful
step and used our real names, but FOCUS isn't
asliing for the impossible and unrealistic.
You are the news and have to be willing to
generate it for other gaywomen to read about.
Gay women in the movement have been doing
it for some time now, and that's what we've been
telling you. It's your turn next.
...And about those closets
Dear Editor:
Just before your newsletter changed its name, I
noticed an article by Diana
Travis about people in
'closets.' As I remember
this article, it pleaded with
those 'closet-bound lesbians'
to come out into the open
and be gay.
What Diana says is basically true, but life styles of
choice do not come with
mere invitation. I do not
consider myself such an inhabitant. Yet, I have been
part of this group of women
who do not wish to stick
their necks out too foolishly.
When a woman realizes
her homosexuality, she
must reconcile it with herself. She must decide what
she is to do and make the
best decision possible.
Hurting her friends and
loved ones unnecessarily is
part of that decision, a
decision that will govern
a lesbian's life style . Is t his
what is called 'living in a
closet'? How so?
One isn't born a lesbian,
and th t debate as to our
origins goes on constantly
among all sorts of 'fully
qualified persons.' The important thing to bear in
mind when using the term
'closet' is that by 'stepping
out' of this 'closet' one is
not gaining freedom--as
Janis sings, 'freedom is just
another word for nothing
left to lose.' It really isn't
fair to relegate some of our
sisters to the 'closet' because, Jntruth, we ALL lurk
in there at one time or another for whatever reasons
drive us there. Some of us
have a fake or 'pen name';
some of us live in another
area than our home town "
Who is really free from the
'closet'? ·
The 'closet' is a product
of the fears that our present
chauvinist society has ingrained into all of us .
Certainly it is a good
idea to educate the public,
attempt destruction of the
stereotype and promote the
truth of individualism. And
our sisters in the 'closet'?
Allow them their excuses
and educate them, too.
Help them to find their
image, but don't slap another label on them. Being
yourself is more important
than being gay. Rather than
ask us to come out of the
'closet,' come into the 'closet' and see the world there
created by the fears and
anxieties forced upon people who have made decisions to be themselves, even
though they are in a 'closet.' Find out why, see
and meet the real names,
talk to the children, and
feel the presence of parents
who breed hatred and mistrust. You might be surprised to find a small por tion of yourself there.
Public education is the
ultimate goal of DOB, but
(,.-. CLOSETS . oaae 7l
�FOCUS, April,
Closets
(continued
Pagr, 7
from 6)
'closet inhabitants.'
Reasons or excuses being what
they are, every lesbian desires the chance to be herself. Who knows what
price she paid and for what
reasons she fled into the
'closet.'
This, the last part of my
letter, is of thanks to Diana
Travis for prodding me to
think about her words and
express myself. There are
those of us who must speak,
those of us who must listen
and all of us who should
learn. It really makes no
difference whether it is
from within or without
the closet. Lesbians are not
unique or different; they are
true individualists because
they chose to live a gay life
style in spite of society.
And that takes courage-'closet' or no. Being free
doesn't mean one has a
great deal of courage; it
' means being yourself and
doing what you have to do.
The truth and reality of
the 'closet' is that we all
understand ourselves in our
individual feelings of what
we are and where we stand
in this life.
--Morreaux
it is important to educate
within and stop the flowing of unrest and dissent.
Perhaps the public will
accept us in time, but we
must realize that our goals
as a lesbian organization
can be met only with a
common bond--sisterhood .
I realize that Diana's
words were true ... good
strong words spoken from
the heart, words meant to
give courage, words to inspire, and words to assure.
The only purpose of my
words herewith is to remind those of you who
read them to be gentle with
HAIKU 1962
Takeover protest
I AM
DRUNK
ON
OF
by SHARON EARLL
with RITA HECHT and KATHLEEN ROWE
Armed with our constitutional right to speak
and driven by our unwaivering belief in the
proper 1.uayto advance our cause as women ...
we marched.
We marched ...
as three individuals totally opposing the radical
actions of the women occupying the harvard
building at 888 memorial drive, cambridge.
We marched ...
with signs verbalizing our idealogy:
'girls steal buildings,
'radical minority
women build them.'
unfair
to organized
womens' movements.
and
'women will be liberated,
radicals will be busted . '
We marched ...
and we talked with our sisters, who se go.Jls were
so similar, but whose meth ods for achieving them,
so diverse .
We marched ...
and the world made little note, nor will i.t long
remember, but because our convictions
demanded a response,
we marched .
GNAW
TONIGHT
MEMORIES
HER
, NG
FACE
...
EMPTINESS
KNEELING,
YOU
BRUSHING
LATE
FOR
SNOW,
EARLY
--KIM
AND
I
AWAY
SEARCHING
VIOLETS
STABll\!SKI
the child and i
and then we played
the child and i
we
tumbled and nlled
all
over the folds
of the dewed
grass
until in one
shape
we emerged;
the pale shadow
of youth
fled
behind us
--Morreaux
�.FOCUS, April,
Page 8
Women'sCe
nter-----by DIANE BENISON
It's history now. It lasted
10 days from Saturday ,
March 6. Their numbers
reached almost 200 at times
and dropped to ab out 25 at
ot hers. Th ey were mostly
u nder 30, white and from
middle class backg rounds.
Boston will lon g remember the women's takeover
of a Harvard Univ ersit y
buildin g at 888 Memori al
Drive and th e 10 -day seige
that followed.
Was it worth it? To
question its merits and
values is a subjecti ve appraisal and .the answer will de pend on which side is speak mg . .
What r elevance does it
ha ve to gay women .. ... .
plenty. We got gro un d
through the m r➔ d i a mill and
fur abou t three days bore
t1w brunt of the general
pc1blic's ino.ignation becau,;,e
,,t le ast ·.:inc newsp.1per (The
G!obe) sensationalized par1 .·ipat•o,1 'J:I 'lesbians' almost
t,, th(' ,'-.C'lision 0 1• fact. We
also got ci ,·,•c.1b,?r of editc-rial sLp:; (OlYl th, Bo~tc:-n
papers anl, SLLtL:L,,. · uapcis ,
like the Frami.;gham News .
The take ov er came after
a rally on the Boston Com mon and a m arc h to comme morat e Interna t iona l Women's Day by about 500
women. The buildi ng was
a run-down, ; two-sto ry concrete stru cture used by
Harvard's Architectural
Tec hnol ogy Workshop.
It
housed faculty offices, workshops, testing facilities, and
classrofl ms. It was unoccu pied at the time of the takeover
The wo men in the center
issue d press r eleases contin uo usly throughout their occupat ion. The women ranged
from gay to married straight
women with children. They
10-dayseige of powe structure
r
began self defense classes
held a party, child care c~nter an d ot h er women-centered activities.
They gathered some support from some women's
groups like Female Libera ti on an d in cu rred th e wrath
of indivi dual women, altho ugh no women's group
outri ght condemned the
action .
They \'/anted land reform
a women 's center, an d more '
considerat ion from Harva rd
University fo r t he commu nity aroun d it .
They cam ped out in the
building an d red ecorated it
with slogan s of thei r ideas
and visions for the future.
They outwitted attempts
to cut electricity, but lived
there without hea t except
from space heaters. They
escaped police action and
defied a court order to vacate the building .
They brought attention
to the need for a women's
center in the Boston are a
an d perhaps pola rized a few
more people.
Those wom en who -:;ook
part, gay and straight, all
~ay it was a great experience . They're proud and
glad of what they did.
Their crit ics say they caused
more harm than good by
raising publ ic wrath, es-·
pecially against gay women.
They withstood jeers and
provocation and returned
it in kind. They shook Boston by its colonial ro ots
and only history will lo~k
ob jectively at The Takeove r.
l\lecting Highlights
r
/u
.CdL;GHTS OF TH E
•·i r ? ,VIEETING IN-
Laura Robir, was authorized to continJ" investi gating the po-;s1l.1J'•,. of Boston DOB incorp(' ,:Ung. A
group of ymrn,; F'",vers in
Cambridge, wh1·0 ){Py could
not h elp u:, because we're
'too affluent,' strongly suggest ed we incorporate on
the grounds o f le gal protec tion for the n ewsletter.
Laura is con t acting another
group of lawyers which also
works for extremely low
fees.
Several future speaking
dates were discuss ed and
speakers recruited.
Support for the two functions April 1 7 was voted
and chairmen named. DOB
will par ticipa t e in a Vo lun teer's Forum at John B.
Hynes Civic Auditoriu m
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and
at Women's Liberation Day
from 1 p.m. on at Boston
Commons April 1 7. Laura
Robin is in charge of the
Volunteer's Forum, a city run show, and Gail King is
in charge of the Wom en's
Libe ra tion Day. Bo t h ar e
seeking help . If you'r e in interested, please call them.
A graduate student in
sociology from Duke Un ivers ity, Durham, N. C. ,
Diane Fraser, sp o ke wit h u s
about her p lans for research
in the Boston area.
She will be interviewing
gay women about their
experiences with and atti tudes toward a broad crosssection of social relations
and institutions.
She asked
for our cooperation with
her research by volunteering
for interviews and assisting
her in meeting and arranging interviews with other
gay women in thi s area. especially those who are iiot
involved in any homophile
group and do not visit the
bars.
We were reminded that
(see HI GH LI GHTS, page 10)
�FOCUS, l\pr il , l'"' J" U
Below is a reprint of the
Joint Tr eaty for Peace h~ing
circulated throughout the United States and for which DOB's
support is being solicited. A
vote on whether or not to support it as a group will be taken
at the April 23 business meet-
ing. The treaty is being included
in this issue to give all members
a chance to read it in advance
of any discussion at the meeting.
A JOINT TREATY OF PEACE BETWEEN THE PEOPLE
OF THE UNITED STATES
SOUTH VIETNAM AND NORTH VIETNAM
INTRODUCTION
Be it known that the American
and Vietnamese people are not
enemies. The war is carried out
in the name of the people of
the United States, but without
our consent. It drains America
of her resources, her youth and
her honor.
We hereby agree to end the war
on the following terms, so that
both peoples can live under the
joy of independence and can
devote themselves to building a
society based on human equality
and respect for the earth . In
rejecting the war we also reject
all forms of racism and discrimination against people based on
color, class, sex, national origin
and ethnic grouping which form
the basis of the war policies,
present and past, of the United
States.
PRINCIPLES OF THE JOINT
TREATY OF PEACE
Americans agree to immediate
and total withdrawal from
Vietnam, and publicly to set the
'I
I)
date by which all U.S. military
forces will be removed.
Vietnamese agree to participate
in an immediate cease-fire, and
will enter discussions on the
procedures to guarantee the
safety of all withdrawing troops,
and to secure the release of all
military prisoners.
Americans pledge to end the imposition of Thieu, Ky and Khiem
on the people of South Vietnam
in order to ensure their right of
self-determination, and to ensure
that all political prisoners are
released.
Vietnamese pledge to form a
provisional coalition government
to organize democratic elections,
in which all South Vietnamese
can participate freely without the
presence of any foreign troops,
and to enter discussions of procedures to guarantee the safety
and political freedom of persons
who cooperated
, ·-in the war.
with either side
-Americans and Vietnamese agree
to 'respect the independ enc e,
peace and neutr:ality ,ofLaos and
Cambodia.
Upon these points of agreement,
we pledge to end the war. We
will resolve all other questions in
mutual respect for the rights of
self-determination of the people
of Vietnam and of the United
States.
As Anferfcans ratifying this
,agre ern~Ht, 'we pledge to take
whatever actions ar e appropriate to implement the terms
.of this joint tr eaty of pe ace,
and to ensure its acceptance
by the government of. the
United States.
·
I/We endorse the principles of
the people 's peace treaty.
AND AGNES DID IT ...
Agnes Cox, whose pregnancy was announced in
the last issue of FOCUS, gave birth Monday,
March 8, at 2:30 a.m.--and 3:08 a.m.- -and 3:45 a.m.-•
and 4: 15 a.m.
The times could be recorded accurately since
Agnes chose with this litter to awaken her people
in the middle of the night and have her kittens in
bed with them.
For the independent Agnes, this was qui te a change
in style. She moved her last litter once their hiding
place was discovered- -when they were more than a
month old! With the current litter, she has purred
and watched as Andy and Kim have handled the
kittens daily since birth.
Agnes did produce the two requested mone ycat,;,
replicas of herself, along with two yellow tiger
males, miniature s of their father, whoever lw may
be. At present it appeus that only one t iger is
still unadopted . Contact Andy and Kim imnwdi ate ly c/o FOCUS if v ou would lik.P to offe r y our
home to a cuddly liitle tige r mJ ll' who is ,1i r:• ;1J y
thoroughly accustonwd to rwop le and d og~
�' •
FOCUS, April, Page 10
SHELLEY
(continued
from 2)
is determined to see Cuba.
The present assumption is that
the orders came from the Cuban
government. It might be noted
that Cuba has agreed to sell sugar
to the USSR at a price below
that of the world market; and
Cuba must buy Russian manufactured goods with the rubles
she receives.
In actuality, the Cuban economic picture is more complicated
than this. Cuba has agreed to
accept payment for sugar in the
form of 20 per cent hard currency and the rest in Soviet
manufactured goods. At times,
the price of sugar on the world
market is below the agreed-upon
level, and Cuba gets a break; at
other times, the Sovi2ts come out
on top-as · has been the case most
recently.
The manufactured goods have
not always been adaptable to
Cuban conditions (tractors may
rust in tropical climates), and
Castro complains about being
charged too high a price for
manufactured goods. Cuba is
completely dependent on Soviet
oil, which is not being shipped
in sufficient quantities to meet
the needs of her growing economy. However, she is getting
a far better price than are other
socialist bloc nations.
On the whole, Cuba has received massive aid from the
Soviet Union--but as a result,
she is so economically dependent ..as to constitute a Soviet
colony. Further information
may be found in 'The economics
of bloc aid and trade with Cuba,'
an article by Donald L. Losman,
Marquette Business Review,
Summer '70.
One of the reasons the Colonies went to war with England
in 1776 was that we were forced
to sell raw materials cheaply to
the Mother Country, and buy
back over-priced manufactured
goods. This situation has sometimes been called 'imperialism .'
Of course, all the facts are not
yet known, but I wonder if a
nation can allow anoth er nation
to determine its economic policies, without the stronger nation
also determining its politics and
morals.
***
In my last article, I commented that those who want to
change a system, by fair means
or foul, should study how that
system operates. I might add
that they should study themselves as well, just as a boxer
studies his opponent's style and
compares it with his own before
going into the ring.
A few nights ago, I dropped
into the Gay Liberation Center,
and was slithering about, talking
to a few friends of mine, when
I heard a large-sized hoot-n-holler.
Seems like someone had picked
up the phone to make a call,
and the police had their bug on
backwards. Instead of them
hearing us, we had a hot line to
the local precinct.
Unfortunately, the person who
made .this find didn't have
enough sense to keep his mouth
shut. I dragged a couple of people out onto the street to discuss the matter, but by then it
was too late. The cops had picked up our conversation through
the bug implanted in the wall,
and they quickly turned our
phone bug off.
It took me several minutes to
get people to come outside of
the building and talk-there
seemed to be considerable reluctance to make use of our new
toy. We could have taped the
police and found out what they
Highlights
(continued
one of our sta t ed gods is to
support legitimate research.
The chapter voted to cooperate with her on this project, and several of the women present volunteered
for an interview. All gay
were up to, and where they were
going to raid-a gay bar, the
Panther headquarters, somebody's favorite marijuana dealer-but that would have been a
really serious matter, and we
aren't real revolutionaries.
We're playing revolution with
posters and buttons. One guy
had the idea of taping the police,
not for our information, but in
order to play it back to the cops
and show them what fools they
were! As though the cops were
basically good guys ( even if they
kill a few gay people every year),
and the whole thing were a joke.
***
The building we took over on
Fifth Street has been lost for
practically the same reason that
we lost the telephone bug. We
view ourselves as children playing a game, not serious revolutionaries. The takeover was
beautifully planned, but as soon
as we got into the building,
everybody was supposed to do
her own thing and everything
would get done according to
someone's pet anarcho-communal
theory. As soon as the initial
enthusiasm wore off and all that
remained was work, that fell
apart.
After we were thrown out of
the building, we proceeded to
open negotiations with the City
Administration, only to have that
disintegrate due to a lack of organization and responsibility .
We spent more time wrangling
about 'elitism' than discussing
who was going to do what when.
from 8)
women in t he Boston ar~a
are invited and encouraged
to participate.
Interested
gay women may contact her
c/o the Sociology Dept. of
Duke University in Durham,
N. C.
�FOCUS, April,
Pu<J 11
e
PROXY FORM FOR ELECTION OF RECORDING SECRETARY
The election for recording secretary will be held at the first business meeting following May 11 in
order to conform to our bylaws requiring that a proxy be mailed to the membership one month
in advance of any election of officers, If you will not be able to attend that meeting to vote in
person, you should return this proxy so that it is received no later than May 11. At present only
one candidate has announced for the office , but nominations may be made from the floor at the
time of the election.
NAME:
I entrust my vote to
OR I vote for:
---------------------
Aggie Nanigian
Signature
NOT VALID UNLESS SIGNED
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�f=CJCUS, April, Puge 12
DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS, INC.
BOSTONCHAPTER
Box 221
Prudential Center Station
Boston, Massachusetts 02199
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New memberships run for one calendar year from the date when the application is completed and payment made. Renewal
memberships continue on the same calendar year as the original membership even if payment is made shortly before or
after the actual renewal due date.
CONGRESS
DOB REFERRALS
(continued from 2)
for information about gay women. Two workshops
were held Saturday; one on being a gay woman and
the other on gay women in the mm"~ment . Both
were well attend '!d and drew many straights.
About 30 copies of the March issue of
FOCUS were sold at the Congress Friday and
Saturday at a slightly reduced price. Many of
these, we hope, will continue to circulate among
the general population of women in the Greater
Boston area.
Boston DOB was one of the sponsors of
the Congress and DOB members worked with
women from Gay Women's Liberation on thi:
the workshop.i. One of
slide presentation and
the demands of the Congress was for the repeal of
all laws regulat ing private sexual behavior.
Many, many gay women attended parts of the
three-day Congress.
DOB recommends these persons to members who want
professional advice.
LEGAL
Alan Cook and Michael Buckman, 1514 Dorchester Ave.,
Dorchester, Mass. 288-4041.
PSYCHIATRIC
Dr . Richard Pillard, 6 Bond Street, Boston.
262-4200, extens ion 5251.
423-9722 or
MEDICAL
Homophile
Health Services, 12 Arlington St., Boston,
423-6398 or 423-6399 . MWF 7-10 p.m.
RELIGIOUS
Roman Catholic-Father
Kevin, Newman Center (St.
Clement's Church), 1105 Boylston Street, Boston.
536-2376 or 277-4847.
Episcopal-Rev . Gilbert Dent, Christ Church, Zero Garden
Street, Cambridge. 376 -0200.
Methodist-Dr.
William Alberts, Old West Methodist Church,
131 Cambridge Street, Boston . 277-5088 .
�The History Project
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document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1971 April
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1971-04
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 3, issue 5 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. This issue may be mislabeled as volume 3, issue 5, rather than volume 2, issue 5, which would be the next sequential issue in the series.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-focus-197104
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/d511bb7ef72cd1c3a26052c24f0dcc37.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=Dku6%7Etp7aWLZ9FURhboaKk4OXkEqlZDOT510loDwoFZIq-lVsMhB66ettwPeetKJq3w6ApNP9k0eBWPPFWnUlqFl6WlprK7sdIevU-oGwTOdHyTDU0OBxXdyeFVKKX8N-Uuyo66HYwm6gwwljxS62HAwpxCl6%7E6ogwCvmB8QPKpKiWtYGTP19V8325wzof1biORFoi0VJ8S5RJoqj3On95lEV58wMz5-6t2KJjSd7d45k2Xt2-rH0%7EiRvOZcS8RkNk0k2FMFiGK7GPo6X0szgbmP4x5HSHPeAY7gKymoRiKe3CWQmPK3sDh%7EMk2SkwJ--ncMJmoLer7TutBzJbNOxQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
8243ee94ad57cd458aaa4353fb81fa8a
PDF Text
Text
FOCUS
BOS T ON
D AUG HT E RS O F BILITI
a journal for GAY WOMEN
S
VOL. 2
,~
-.1
NO. 9
SEPTEMBER, 1971
50i
11~
It
AM
(
.
...
�FO CU !:J Se1w·1nt, ,·, . i ',111
,
,.
FOCUS is published
CALENDAR
OF COMING
EVENTS
Editor-Diane
Aug, 18, Wed. , 7:30---0rientation
supper at St. John 's Chur ch,
33 Bowdoin St . Bring a cold dish , hot dish , or $1.
For
information
call 254-4039 after 4 p ,m ,
Aug.
19, Thurs ., 7 :30 p.m.---Rap
session.
Call 969-8111
or
522-1070 for information
on locati on.
Aug . 22 , Sun., 1 p.m.---Softball
against the Moth ers, Magazine
Beach, Memorial Dr ive, Cambridge.
Aug. 30, Mon., 7:30 p.m .---Publ ic Edu cation Comm ittee meeting.
Call 926-3439 or 522-1 070 for location .
Call 969-8111 or
Sept. 2, Thurs., 7:30 p .m .---Rap session.
522-1070 for information
and location.
Sept. 12, Sun ,, 7:3 0 p.m. ---Candidate 's N ight before Boston
0.0.B. annual elections.
St. John 's Church , 33 Bo wdoin St.,
Boston.
Sept. 16, Thurs., 7: 30 p.m ,---Rap session.
Call 969-8111 or
522-1070 for inf ormat ion and location .
Sept. 26, Sun ., 7 :30 p.m.---ELECTIONS,
St. John 's Church ,
33 Bowdoin St ,, Boston .
Sept. 30, Thurs., 7: 30 p.m.---Rap session.
Call 969-8111 or
522-1070 for information
and location .
Boston
DOB phone
numbers
are 969-8111
and 926-3439.
Here we go again--anyone want a cute,
cudd ly litt le kitten?
Just let Andy and
Agnes and her
K im .':now, c/o FOCUS.
daught er Scamp have both delivered
kittens (both on towels in the living
room f loor with their people in attendance).
Between them, they are offering
for adoption to 0. 0 . B. friends : two
monev-kittens,
one yellow tiger male,
one yellow female tabby, and one black
and white male with perfectly
marked
white boots and vest.
With Emmy, still
another of Agnes' children, coming of
age, it appears Andy and Kim will have a
continuous supply of kittens.
Get in
touch with them f!llYJiJil_g you want a
feline addition
to your family!
GIRL,
equipped
with
18, with
Circula t ion and Business-Sharon
·staff-Pam
Bovd , And v Cox,
Rita Hecht ,
Ear ll
Kim
Stabins k i, Jackie
child
Roth,
Bev,
The opinions expressed in th is publication
are not necessan lv
tho se of th e organization , but rather thev arc the opinions of
the individual contribu tors.
FO CUS
the 2nd
copy to
Station,
is p ubl ished monthlv th roughout the vear . Deadline is
of each month.
Please observe th i 5 deadlin e. Send
FOCUS , c/o Boston 008, Box 221, Prud ential Center
Boston , Mass. 02199.
Classified ad rat es are $1 for the first 15 words and 20d for each
additiona l word.
'For Sale,' 'Wanted,' etc. do not count ..as words.
Anvthin g given awav free will receiv e a fre e ad. Figu re vour
charge and mail your ad with check or monev orde r (pavab le
to Boston DOB) to FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB , Box 221, Pruden tia l Cen ter Station , Boston 0219 9.
Full page ads are $30, hal f page ads $15, and
$1.50 per issue.
Persons subscribing to this new sle tte r should
to Bo ston Daughte rs of Bili tis.
PERSONALS
GAY
bv Boscon Daughters of 81!111.
s
Benison
BOSTON
quarter page ads
111akechecks pavable
0 . 0.B . OFFICERS
President ... ................... .. .... ... ... .. ............. .
........ .Andv Cox
Vice President ..... .. .. ..... ......................... ... .
.. ... Jo Peckarsky
...... Aggie Nanigian
Recording Secretarv .................... . ........ .... .... . ..
Corresponding Secr etary ................... .............. .. .. ......... Laura Robin
Treasur er .. .. .......... .. ...... ....... ... ......... ..... ... ....... .. ... .. ....... Rose Tuttl e
The DOB phone numbers are 926 -3439 and 969-8111.
Anv members of Boston DOB who do not have a copy of the bv·
laws and would like one should write to Boston DOB, Box 221,
Prudential Center Station, Boston 02199.
needs apt.
roommates.
Call Sue at 692-6084.
FREE PUPPIES AND THEIR MOTHER.
Mother is 10 months old, part beagle,
soft , furry, friendly.
Prefer country
homes. 492-1915 (Cambridge).
FOCUS still needs more information
fromolder gav women. We are sincerely
interested in doing a story about the life
styles of older Lesbians. It 's especiallv
important we hear from you because
every group needs to be able to know and
identifv with models . All replies will be
held in strict confidence.
Please include
address or phone if possible.
Thanks to
the one person who did reply to the pre vious ad. There are other questions we'd
like to ask, though . Can we hear from
you again?
ABOUT THE COVER .. .It's a reprint of 2 picture
used in Ecstasy, a news magazine put out by the
Gay Revolution Party in New York City. It is
probabl y from the Gay Pride maxch in New York
City in June.
INSIDE THIS MONTH:
Martha Shelley ........................................................
Gay Book Award ..................................................
Elections ............................ ......................................
Editorial. .................................................................
Socialism and Gays ...............................................
2
.3
3
6
7
COMING NEXT MONTH:
The candidates
elections.
speak for Boston D.O.B.'s annual
�NEW YORK REPORT:
'A publicimage
means
always
talkingto the crowd instead individuals'
of
when they don 't cooperate (trans lation: do things my way).
This past month has involved
July 14: (second meeting of
me in strenuous battle at the final
my consciousness-raising group)
outpos t of The Man--the fortress
After the meeting, I walked B-of mal e orientation inside my head. home . She offe red to buy me a
I am tryin g to deal with the star
beer, talked unti l t wo a.m. Then
system, the elite system, the preswe went to her apartment.
t ige orientation which says one
B-- is upset beca use of her preperson is wor th more than another. vious affai r with Kate. Well, the re's
As a writ er and speaker in the
no point in conce aling things in the
movement, I'm up to my ears in
group--it only creates an atmos it. Let my journa l speak for itphere of intrigue, suspicious ne ss,
self :
etc. We are all going to have to
June 26 (Christopher St. weekdeal with our feelings about K.M .,
end): Attended workshops on
th e star system, our sense of selfgay people in the arts .. .I walke d
worth in relation to others.
into the classroom where the
July 16 : Realized this morning ,
workshop was being held, was
through a series of paranoid fanhesitant ' about sitting down, and
tasies, that I don' t like sharing
was invit ed to do so by Kate
with K.M. any more than I like
~1illett. About six persons partici - sharing with a ma n . Then, how
pated in the discussion, although
muc h of my at traction to B-many more were present ... we
was based on my previous knowrange d over the effect of "Co rled ge of this relationship and my
sense of compet itiveness? And
rect line" -ism on ones wr itin gs,
by MARTHA SHELLEY
what about the future? What
future? The real question is what
can we learn from each other now.
Let tomorrow look after itself.
Conversation with Hy this morning. (Hy owns the candy store
downstairs.) I pointed out some
pathetic tale in The New York
Times about Laotian refugees. Hy
said all wars are alike, the innocen t
civilians always getting massacr ed
and kill ed more often than the
troops. He argu es that the nature
of man is evil, and God is
ferent, or rath er than the nature of
God is such that men cannot make
statements about God .
July 18: Met up with M-- at
the abortion conference.
(M-- is
an old lover of mine, whom I had
not seen sinc e the last time we
were in court. We had both been
arrested in the 5th Street Building
occupation, wh ich is where we
(see page
5/
Isabel
Millerwinsfirst GayBook
Award
A11 r;:rn Library
e·
Assoc. Task Forcemakespresentation
Gay
1
DALLAS, Texas (GWNS)--A Lesbian from New York has received
the First Annua l Gay Book Award
presented by an affiliate of the
...\.merican Library Associatiof'_
(AL\)
VVriter Isabel Miller accepted the
awa i0d for her historical novel, A
Place for Us, from the Task Force
0:1 Gay Liberation of the Soci al
Rl·,,pu 11sibilities Round Table, the
act i,·ist wing of the ALA, as part
o f .\L.-\ Conven tion activities June
20-27 in Dallas. Texas.
In a telt•phone convers ation with
:dOT HER. newly-elected Task
Fore<• Coordinato r Barbara Gittings
of Philadelphia explained that the
main criterion used in selecting the
c;, iy Booi-;:Award recipient was "a
h,Jok 11 hich presented a positive
1 mug(' nL,b.omosexuals
and their
!1:·(• ~1::IP."
A Place for Us is the first book
dealing with Lesbians written by
Ms. Miller, althoug h she has published two other works under
another name. "A Place for Us is
also the book I'm most proud of ,"
she emphasized.
"It is time for gay authors to
use our own lives as a subject,
creat ing literature and other arts
for ourselves, instea d of just for
the straight world as we've always
done before," advised Ms. Miller
in accepting the award June 23.
A Place for Us, published in
1969 in paper ba ck by BeechE-r
Street Publishers of New York,
is based on a real-life pair of
women in the early 1880s who
left their homes to pioneer a
homestead in Connecticut .
McGraw-Hill Publishers of New
York will release a hard -cover version of the historical novf'l late
this year.
In presenting the award to Ms.
Miller at the ALA Conference in
Dallas, past Task Force Coordinator Israel Fishman praised the
book for "handl ing Lesbianism as
natural and spontaneous as any
other mature friendship or marriage
should be hand led."
The task force chose a fiction
work, rather tha n a non-fiction
work, Ms. Gittings noted, "because
we know that a dozen or so nonfiction books on the subject of
homosexuality will be published
within the year . We wanted to
have a wider field to choose
from ... "
The Gay Book A ward was not
presented by the entire ALA, she
emphasized, but only by the Task
Force on Gay Liberation , which is
a sub-group of the ALA's Social
Responsibilities Round Table .
�FOCUS,
September,
Page 3
Two announce presidentialcandidacy
GAIL
SHARON EARLL
In recent months I have seriously questioned
whether or not D,O.B. was the organization to
which I could most fervently devote my energies.
As a member of the Public Education Committee, I felt to be a contributing entity within
a dedicated group.
As a member of D.O.B. at
large, my feelings became those of total frustration.
This frustration is due in large to my
feeling no defined lines of group direction or
purpose.
My doubts led me into the study of D.O.B.'s
statement of purpose and its bylaws, as well as
into the philosophies and ambitions of other gay
women's organizations.
The result proved to me
that, in theory at least, D.O.B . offered the most
conservative, yet productive, program to the Lesbian community.
There are many things about D.O.B. which I
would like to see changed, not in a structural
sense but rather on an individual motivational
level.
I believe in the Boston Chapter of Daughter s
of Bilitis. I believe we have the talent, the desire and the will whereby we can play a decided
part in educating society to the Lesbian culture
and in hastening the time when all people can
live in peace and be accepted as equal.
It is to this end that I pledge my energies as
I announce my candidacy for the office of
President of Boston D.O.B.
Sharon Earll
Laura
Robin
seeks
re-election
Editor:
I am a candidate
ing Secretary.
for re-election
Laura Robin
Weekly sessions
rap
opento all women
I
I·
D.O.B. is starting a series of
evening "rap" sessions to be held
initially every other Thursday in
private homes.
All women are
welcome to come and share their
thoughts, feelings, confusions,
conclusions---whatever.
Meetings
will be at 7:30 p.m . Aug. 19,
Sept. 2, 16 , 30. For locations
(in the Boston area) call 969-8111
or 522-1070.
as Correspond-
KING
"Day of the Dolphin is an absorbing
story ... which ... touches urgent moral and
philosophical questions."
Wall Street Journal
Provocative, chilling, scathing are all adjectives
used to describe the virtues of this best-selling
novel by Robert Merle. The review quoted from
The Wall Street Journal
has a perverse ring of
truth tor gay people.
There are truly "urgent moral questions" raised
and the answers given in this book, and I am
afraid in large part all to the straight society are
frightening.
Let me introduce you to three of the charac- ters in the novel:
"Bob came forward and C's eyes rested
on him, a tall, slender, willowy young
man, graceful in all his movements
with long, delicate, supple hands ... '
'H ow do you do, Mr. C?' said Bob
with a ravishing smile ... "
"Bob came forward, graceful and looselimbed.
'Don't disturb yourself, Arlette,' he said in his fluty voice. 'I'll
play hostess ... ' "
"There was a silence. C's eye passed
coldly over Arlette's body ... how obscene
a woman's body is, those big breasts,
those hips, everything so weak, so soft ...
naturally they're all the same, always
sex, always thinking with their vaginas."
"Lisbeth was .. tall, strong, blonde, athletic, with her regular features broad
forehead and square jaw, she looked
like a very handsome, intelligent and
headstrong boy, who at the last moment
had been given the wrong sex ... "
It does not take a particularly perceptive reader
to see that Bob , Lisbeth and Mr. C are all homosexual. More importantly, these same characters
are also the villains in the story.
Homosexuality
is used in all three characters as the indication of
an evil disorder, a premise made familiar to us by
the doctors Berger, Caprio and Ruben.
It would be simple enough for us to turn awa)
from these stereotypes:
swish queen, amazon
butch, destructive closet case. Yes, they are real
people, but few and far between in the gay community.
Or are t hey? The tragic fault in each
of these characters is his/her inability to reconcile
(see page 14)
�Ele
ct;ons set for S
ept. 26
Bosto n D.O.B. will h old its ann ual elections at
7:30 p. m. Sun day, Sep t . 26 , in St . John 's Chu rch ,
33 Bowdoin St ., Boston. Offi ces to be filled are
Pre siden t, Vice Pre side nt , Recor din g Secretary ,
Corr espon ding Secre tary, an d Tre asure r.
Candid ates' Night will be h eld at 7:30 p.m .
Sunda y, Sept . 12 , in St . John's Churc h . Cand idate s will give the ir view s and goals an d an swer
quest ions . No minatio n s of all can didat es, an no unced or unannoun ced, will be mad e from th e
flo or election night. Pro xy for ms must be received no later than elect ion da y . Onl y pa id
me mber s may run for office, no mina te for office,
or vote in t he elec tion . See pro xy form, page 4 .
The o ffi cers t o be elected and thei r dut ies, as
take n fro m t he by-laws:
Articl e C. The Cha p ter
Sectio n 2: The Presid~n t of the chapter shal l
act as resident agent of the society in the ar ea ;
she shall be respon sibl e fo r t he co nduc t of all
chapter meet ings and th e coor dination of chapte r
acti vitie s; she shall be responsi ble fo r ins ur ing
mo nt hly mee tings of all the offi cers and th e
newslet t er editor . She sha ll appoi nt th e editor
of the newsl etter but must place her n ominati on
before th e membe rship fo r ratificatio n .
Sect ion 3: The Vice President of th e chapt er
shall serve as actin g president in the abs ence of
th e pre sident ; she shall be ex-offici o m ember of
all committees and shall be respo n sible fo r insu ring a written re port of these committ ees at ea ch
business meeting .
Sect ion 4: Th e Recording Secretar y of th e
chapter shall be re spo n sible for th e transc ription
of t he minutes of regular and special chapter
meet ings. She shall forward copies of chap ter
documents, publications, forms, et c .., to th e
Governi ng Board promp tl y.
Sect ion 5: The Corresponding Secretary of
the ch apt er shall be responsibl e for han dling t he
cor responden ce of t he cha pter .
Sect ion 6: The Treasurer of th e chapt er shall
be responsible for t he collec t ion an d dispers ement
of chapte r funds.
She shall mak e a financial repo rt at each chapte r business meet ing. She shall
noti fy eac h mem ber 2 mo n ths in advanc e of the
date when her membership expire s.
Any member who wishes to run for electio n
should notify FOCUS immedi ately so that her
name can be added to the next proxy fo rm.
PROXY FO RM FOR ELECTI ON OF OFFICERS
This form is to be used only by full y -paid members of Boston D.O.B. who will no t be p resent at
the September 26 election . The fo rm must be signed to be vali d and must be in our hands by
election day. Send th e form via a member who will be present , or mail i t to D.O.B. Boston,
P. 0 . Box 22 1, Pr udent ial Center Station , Boston , Mass. 02199 .
Member 's name (print)
I _
entrust my vote to
PRESI D EN T:
----------------
----------------
Signature
--
- - - ---
Date
---
OR I vote for the fo llowi ng:
RECORDIN G SECRETARY :
Sharon Earll
Gail King
CORR ESPONDING SECRETAR Y:
Laura Robin
VICE PRESIDENT :
TREASURER :
If addit ional candidates announ ce, prior to the deadline for the Octob er issue of FOCUS whic h is
scheduled fo r releas in mid- September, their names wil l be added to the pr oxy form in that issue.
e
�FOCUS , Sept ember , Page 5
NEWS
ANALYSIS
Gayness in the Women's Movement
The issue of freedom of sexual
expression has become a central
issue in the women's movement,
consequently giving implicit support to the gay liberation movement.
Freedom of sexual ex pression,
as an additio nal demand of the
Women' s National Abortio n Coalition (spo nsored by SWP and YSA) ,
was voted down at t he J une 12
pre-planning meeting. This was
due t o confus ion in many wom en 's
min ds ab ou t t he connection bet ween fr eedom of sexual exp ression
and the abortion issue.
Th is confusio n was created by
the insistence of the Soc ialist
Workers Party (SWP) that there is
no connection between abortion
and freedom of sexual expression.
Hundreds of women left the Coalition and are now reforming. They
have also withdrawn endo rsement
from the Coalition and are endor sing a fo ur-d emand campaign organize d around: Abortion on deman d ; no forced sterilization;
co n trec eption; and freedom of sexual expression.
A group called FOCA S (Feminists Organization for Communication, Act ion and Service) state d at
a pr ess confere nce in New York
Cit y July 22:
NEW YORK REPORT:
(continued
met.) Aft er the conference, we
went for a beer and sandwich. M-said she' d be en having troub le with
her women's group in Queens, and
with their tendency to treat her as
a political heavy and bigshot since
she'd been arrested.
July 21: M-- bought a Peugeot
racing bike. (I have been reading
about these bikes, whi ch I covet
madly, and went along with her to
test the bik e, according to the instructions in The Complete Book
of Bicyclin g.) She beca me extremely nervou s, wanted t o gr'.1.
b
t he bik e and run . I felt an xiou s
and di zzy--test ing the vv
he0; .
"We can have a conference
focusing on abortion law repeals,
but including other issues pertinent
to a wpman ;s control of her own
body. Such a multi-issue conference with a main focus can
appeal to all women---including
those primarily interested in women's rights. By including related
issues, the conference will be
recognizing the right of all women
follow-up and could lead nowhere .
SWP and YSW hav e done the
gay liberation movement a great
favor by mak ing a spectrum of
wome n come to some clear insights
to complete sexual and reproductive freedom. Thi s right is not
predicated only on our ability to
bear children. Both freedoms are
keys to every woman 's liberation,
althou gh neither one freedom
alone can liberate any one woman.
Women interested in this larger
issue have no ot her choice but to
form such a coalition."
The list of women who ha ve
with dr awn endorsement from the
Jun e Coalition runs in the hundred s. A few prominent names
include Gloria Steinem; Mary
Daly, doctor of theology at Boston
College; Martha Shelley; Robin
Morgan, editor of Sisterhood is
Powerful; Jacqui Ceballos, presi-
dent of the New York Chapter
of NOW; and Kate Millett.
The withdrawal of endorsement for a single-issue abortion
campaign is significant because
it also testifies that many independent feminists and women' s organizations are not willing to be
manipula te d by SWP. SWP and
its affiliate Young Socialists
Workers Party (YSW) have
attempted to co-opt many movements. They have su ccessfull y
done so with the peac e movement. They filter out all ideas
save those wh ich they find po litically expedient, and they
build mass demonstrations around
one issue. The SWP and YSW
organizers of the June Coalition
have not in the past co ncerned
themselves with litigation and legislative activity. Nor do t hey recognize that the primary strategy of
an abortion repeal campaign must
con centrate on those methods.
The method of ma ss demons trati on
endorsed by the majority pre sent
at the conference lacks necessary
about what part gay plays in the
women's liberation movement .
The new found support is invaluable. But further infiltrati on of
SWP and YSW people into the gay
liberation movement is danger
that clearly only we can control.
a
from 2)
playing expert in the shop .
Challenging th 2 authority of
the male bicycle dealers made
my hands shake.
July 22: B-- and I went to
the press confe renc e after breakfast. (This was a press conference called by the feminists
who obj ected to the Socialist
Workers Party --SWP--domination
censorship by the left and the
right , purg es, the star trip. K.M.
and I monopoliz ed the conversation on the star trip--I told about
how it aff ected my perso n al life:
being trea t ed like a celebr it y instea d of a wallflo wer at a da ncP.
bein g pur sue d by movement
gro upi es, having every public
utt eranc e treated as gold--which
can t empt one t o wri te shit and
let it be taken for gold--being
asked to give opinions on things
one kn ows nothing about. K.M.
seemed quite moved by t he discussion, as did Tina Mandel (of
New York D.O.B.). Tina says
the Socialist Workers Party is
trying to make her into a movement star and their puppet gay,
or t ok en gay , based on a twominut e speec h sh e did in Washingt on .
(SPe ,oagP 11,I
�FOCUS, September,
Page 6
EDITORIAL
No time to retrench--- Our snowb all has started
This is no time to retrench, although ou r
bodies and souls may be screaming "St op, rest
for a while. " FOCUS is no seer, but the signs
are in the winds that we as gay people are coming into our own . Now is not the tim e to
slacken our efforts. Hundreds of women as distant in philosophy as Isreal and Egypt have rallied to suppo rt the idea that freedom of sexu al
expression goes ALONG WITH the abort ion issue.
They see control of women' s bodies as the issue,
inseparable into aborti on and gayness .
There are other signs too. The ever increasing
quality of publications which include more than
poetry and pros e gives eloquent testimony to our
economic and psychol ogical growth. How many
years aka was it most gay publications included
on ly fiction and prose? Today the balance has
changed. Today gay periodicals carry news of
what's happening in state houses, corridors of
government, and in businesses.
While this beginning is ever so small, it is probably the most momentuous of any step we gay
people will take as a movemen t. Like the pro-
verbial snowball rolling down a hill, we have
taken off.
Bosto n D. O.B. electio ns are coming up soon.
Bot h presidential candid ates are strong, forcefu l,
dynamic . Either one will take us a long way,
but beware. They are both slave drivers. They
will demand work, and those who don't give it
may be left litter ed on the wayside.
FOCUS is not planning to tal.e an editorial
3tand suppor ting one or the other. Rathe r, our
stand is to urge D. O.B. members to really give
the ir suppo rt, physically or financially, to the
mo vement.
If you do n 't want to do the work, then give
us your gene rous fina ncial support, and that
means also spreading the word among your
friends. You should fight your own battles. We
will fight yours in the course of our own if we
have to, but yo u, too, have dues to pay.
You pay them to the straight world by pretending to be som ething you 're not. How much
less painful it would be to pay them to yourself by working for the movement or financially
supporting it.
PR1n11n0
l)r,s,un ,duas, eqt1 ,pme n t. k n ow h ow, comple tt com p o-.; 11un go to ma ke
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(FOCUS is printed compliments
of Acisme)
�.-, • . • ~eptem ber, Page 7
Cuban
Communists Gays
and
Following is the statement of the First National
Conference on Education and Culture denouncing
homosexuality.
It is excerpted from GRAMMA,
Cuba's Communist Party newspaper. Along side
it is an article by Sue Katz, a member of gay
women's liberation and active in other political
arenas.
Katz wrote the article at the request of
FOCUS as a response to it.
FOCUS feels that it is imperative all gay peo-
ple realize what various political pru·ties have been
trying to do to th e gay movement, and thus has
reprint ed the excerpt.
No political party or phi losophy in any country offers any panacea for
gay repressio n, but recently groups like the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and others have tried
to cash in on the gay movement.
The issue is discussed here, and also in Martha
Shelley's column and the article on the abortion
fight, all in this issue.
RESPONSE
STATEMENT
by KATZ
The social pathological character of homose xual
deviations was recognized.
It was resolved that
all manifestations of homosexual deviation s are to ,
be firmly rejected and prevented from spreading.
It was pointed out, however, that a study, investigation, and analysis of th is com plex problem
should always determine the measures to be
ado pt ed.
It was decided that hom osexuality should not
be considered a central problem or a fundamental
one in our society , but rather its attention and
soluti on are necessary .
(see page
No socialist revolution has ever
really freed women or homos exuals , because every exi sting socia list govern ment has just been one
group of cock-minded straight
men replacing another. Revolution is my vision , but rev olution
in the ha nds of straight men is
just anothe r way of oppression
and repressi on.
Certainly no one who has ever
(see pa ge 10)
10)
LE'ITERS
Vacation
cottage
offered
Dear members ,
Believing wholeheartedly in your
organization and wishing to do my
part in assisting those who lack
proper finances to support a merited vacation, I am offering my cottage free to those desirous of relaxing in a pine-scented atmosphere.
I was an honorary mem ber of
D.O.B. San Francisco , having mad e
numerous monetary donations to
that chapter 's support.
My cottage is located in the
Lakewood Theatre Colony of
Maine, and I have room for at
least 6 members who wish to accept my offer . Those accepting
will at no time be under any obligation. If I can make any member happy, it will be a complete
satisfaction to me.
This offer is open after the
seventh of August (my present
guests will return to New York
on August 6) un til October 15 .
Hope to hear from you in
t he near future.
Paulette
(Anyon e interested may contact
Boston D.O.B.)
HUB
seeks
woman
columnist
Dear Ms. Benison:
Having recently assumed t he
editorship of the HUB Quar te rly, I
feel that one of the fir st steps to
be taken is the expansion of HUB 's
coverage to be come more representative of the entir e Boston homophile community. Here, a regular
column written by gay women and
addressed to gay men would fill a
major need .
This column could t ell the men
in the gay mov ement wh at you, the
women, want us to know about
yourselves, your problems, and
your achievements. Where are our
outlooks similar , and where radically
different? What is th e gay women's
movement in Boston doing, and
what would you like to see the gay
men do?
I believe that such a regul ar bywomen-to-men column is needed,
and I am eager to hear what you
and D .O.B. think about this suggestion.
Steve Wolf
(Anyone interested?
Ed.)
�FOCUS,
September,
Page 8
the movement isin
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FOCUS
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and Profiles Gay People
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�FOCU S. Sepw· ,,n,.
NOTED WITH INTEREST
REGIONAL GAY FESTIVAL ...
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Oct.
1-3 in Hartfor d, Conn., host ed
by Hartford's Kalos Soc iety. It
will be for the entire Eastern
Region of the country.
The Festival will include, among other
activities, a March for Freedom in
celebration of the Oct. 1 effective
date of the repeal of Connecticut
sodomy laws. For information
call 203-54 7-0940 or 203-3678950.
SENATE PRESIDENT Kevin
Harringto n told a Phoenix reporter
(7 /13, p. 21) "I don't car e what
a guy does with himself , as long
as it doesn't infrin ge on other
people's freedom.
But even if a
majority of th e legislators were .
symp athetic to the problem, their
constituenceies are dead against
homosexuals.
So there 'd never be
anything beyond sympat hy."
GAY INTRODUCTORY
BUREAU ... Parade Magazine, July
18, published a brief article about
a Gay Introductory Bureau in
Britain • Basically it's a dating service, but it is run quite openly by
a 26-year-old woman with the help
of a 28-year-old friend, also a
woman. There is no mention
whether they are gay. It operates
out of 30 Baker St., the heart of
the old Sherlock Holmes district
in London. Comments the owner,
Jane Lindsay, "I know that people
in America will be outraged at
such a service. America is such
a straight and puritanical country.
But I think Europeans are a bit
more compassionate and understanding. And that's what we're
looking for, some understanding
of people who have a ·different
way of life, some understanding
instead of outright, brutal condemnation."
FROM DOWN UNDER, we
finally got a newsletter from Melbourne, Australia! The group calls
itself the Melbourne A.L.M. It
was marked No. 14, April , 1971,
and is mostl y poetry, short stories ,
and announcements of activiti es.
One of the interest notes was a report of a guest speaker from Holland, Jerek Feykema, who discussed the status of homosexual it y
there. Apparently homosexual
relations are legal in Holland between consenting adults over th e
age of 18. A.L.M. stands for
Australian Lesbian Movement.
Apparently lacking underground
type newspapers like B.A.D. and
Phoeni x, A.L.M. has taken to running periodical advertisements
about the org ani zatio n in the more
legitimate newsp apers m Melbourne.
So far only on e ha s re fused to run
ad verising for it , while two h ave
accepted ads.
GAY COUPLES NEEDED ...
Phyllis Kaufman, a graduate student at Sacramento State College ,
is conducting a study of hom o sexual marriages with the purpose
of building a case for social/legal
acceptance of such unions (and
the legal and economic benefits
that attend such acceptance).
Ms.
Kaufman needs couples (female/
female and male/male) who have
been together two years or more .
Participants remain completely
anonymous; she simply needs addresses to which to send her ques tionnaire.
You can write her at
the School of Social Work, Sacramento State College, 6000 Jay St.,
Sacramento, Calif . 95819. FOCUS
urges couples to help or to refer
couples you know who qualify.
The end result could be most
helpful to us all.
MORE ABOUT BOOKS ... The
most recent we've heard about on
the subject is Homosexuality:
The Psychology of the Creative
Process, by Paul Rosenfels, M.D.
It's been parised by Mattachine
Midwest an d called an "exc · ·11g
experien ce in self-understan
"
From the pub lisher comes the
statement, "To be homosexual in
the 1970s is to be in th e vanguard of a supreme liberation
struggle that dwarfs political
movements in the scope of its
affirmations.
Yet most homosexuals are only dimly aware of
the dramati c role they are playin g
in psychological history. If an ything can dispel the cloud of
myths holding back the homosexual revolution and arouse the
creative spirit in each of us, it is
th e inspiring insights of on e
book."
Unfortuna tely, the flyer
FOCUS received did not say who
published the book, so we can't
It is
give you a book company.
available from the Oscar Wilde
Memor ial Booksho p , 291 Mercer
St., New York , N. Y. 10003.
KISSING CRIME ... We hav en't
he ard anyth ing yet about th e
court case whi ch was schedul ed
to be tried June 25 in Chicago
again st John Cantrell and Richard
Chinn , who were arrested aft er
they kissed good-bye leaving a
bus in Chicago. They ~ were charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency, and lewd fondling
and were released on $1,000
bond each after the ·arrest. Chicago Gay Liberation Front, in describing the incident, said it was
a "brief kiss ." CGLF planned a
public demonstration at the courthouse on the day of the trial and
urged Chicago's gays to help stage
a "Kiss -in." More when we hear
more .
ANOTHER PAPER ... The
Arbor (Mich.) Revolutionary
bians have begun publication
newspaper, SPECTRE. The
dress is P.O. Box 305, Ann
Mich. 48107.
Ann
Lesof a
adArbor,
BOSTON GAY BULLETIN ...
Two gay men have started a gay
bulletin getting together all kinds
of announcements from all the
gay groups in Boston .
�FOCUS, ·September,
Page 10
Cuban
statement
(Continued
A study was made of the ongm and evolution
of this phenomenon and of its present-day scope
and antisocial character.
An in-depth analysis
was made of the preventive and educational measures that are to be put into effect against existfocuses, including the control and relocation of
isolated cases, always with an educational and
preventive purpose.
It was agreed to differentiate
between the various cases, their stages of deterioration and the necessarily different approaches to
the different cases and degrees of deterioration.
On the basis of these considerations, it was resolved that it would be convenient to adopt the
following measures:
a) Extension of the coeducatio nal system:
recognition of its importance in the formation
of children and the young.
b) Appropriate sexual education for parents,
teachers and pupils. This work must not
be treated as a special subject but as one
falling ' into the general teaching syllabus,
such as biology, psysiology, etc. A campaign of information on sex matters should
be carried out among teachers and parents
to help them answer, in a proper and scientific way, the questions asked by children
and young people.
c) Stimulation of a proper aµproach to sex.
A campaign of information should be put
into effect among adolescents and young
people which would contribute to the acquisition of a scientific knowledge of sex
and the eradication of prejudices and doubts
Katz
(Continued
from
from
7)
which in some cases result in the placing
of too much importance on se:x.
d) Promotion of discussion among the youth
in thoses cases where it becomes necessary
to delve into the human aspect of sex relations.
It was resolved that it is not to be tolerated
for notorious homosexuals to have influence in
the formation of our youth on the basis of their
"artistic merits."
(Emphasis added.)
Consequently, a study is called for to determine how best to tackle the problems of the
presence of homosexuals in the various institutions of our cultural sector .
It was proposed that a study should be made
to find a way of applying measures with a view
to transfering to other organizations those who,
as homosexuals, should not have any direct influence on our youth through artistic and cultural activities.
It was resolved that those whose morals do
not cor respond to the prestige of our Revolution
should be barred from any group of performers
representing our country abroad.
Finally, it was agreed to demand that severe
penalties be applied to those who corrupt the
morals of minors, depraved repeat offenders and
irredeemable anti-social elements. (Emphasis
added.)
Cultural institutions cannot serve as a platform
for false intellectuals who try to make snobbery,
extravagant conduct, homosexuality and other
social abberations into expressions of revolutionary
spirit and art, isolated from the masses and the
spirit of the Revolution.
7)
visited or studied seriously the
group of straight men to another
new conditions in Cuba, China,
and end up with another system
North Korea, and North Vietnam
of social domination.
This is also
can deny that the quality of life
true of socialist and communist
there has improved immensely in
parties in this country.
Every
the terms of education, food, shel- party of this sort has a strict
ter, clothing and national pride.
hierarchy of power (which they
But since no one can be really
call Lenin's democratic centralism
free unless everyone is free, I feel and which I call communist prick
that all these countries need anot- power) and that hierarchy is inher revolution--a gay and feminist
evitably anti-gay and anti-woman.
revolution--to insure personal libe- Just as capitalism was an improveration ot all of their problems.
ment on fuedalism, so communism
Historically, socialist and comis a step forward from capitalism.
munist parties have never sought
But all are still male-dominated
to DESTROY power and the con- hierarchies, and none of them has
cept of power. Rather, they
liberated the most oppressed peotransfer that power from one
ples.
The Progressive Labor Party,
the Communist Party, and the
Socialist Workers Party (SWP) are
all male-dominated.
Until last
year it was against party rules for
members to be gay, just like in
Cuba today.
Some of them, in particular the
SWP, see the Gay Liberation
movement as one of the most exciting and vital movements in the
history of this country, and they
are trying to cash in. But they
are motivated by opportunism,
not understanding and identification. (Emphasis added.)
(see page 13)
�NEW YORK :!lEPORT:
(continued
trom 51
June 27: the March. Everyone
in the gay mov ement was there
(all the big names, that is). I was
busy marshalling, which for me is
a good way to spoil my fun . I
get too involved in having to run
the show, get annoyed at people
of the conference on abortion.)
The pre -conference meeting saw
us debat ing what to say--not
wanting to sound like red-baiters
or like women tearing each other's hair out.
Kate was very
upset- -felt as though she was
being asked to endorse something
when she didn't quite know
what was going on.
Each woman at the tab le
made a statement or read one .
There were statements of support (and against SWP's attempt
to dominate the women's movement) from Robin Morgan and
Gloria Steinem.
Cind y Cisler
from N.O.W. was very impressive; the press dug t ha t she
represented 20,000 women.
FOCUS, September,
Cameras finally focused on Kate,
who had elected not to make a
statement but to remain in th e
audience.
She could have declined to comment, but she did
it anyway, and went on too
long. We finally had to drag
her out for a drink.
That evening, I participated in
a panel discussion on "Feminism:
Reform vs. Revolution."
Most
of us wer e for revolution, or
saw feminism as incredibly revoluti onary in and of itself.
July 23: M-- came over during the afternoon.
I told her
about yesterday's adventures,
sensed her suspicio usness: finally
it came out that she envied my
acquaintanc e with Kat e and with
Robin Morgan. (Robin and I
worked on RAT newspaper for
four months together.)
It's the
same old sto ry : the star's toilet
paper is more interesting than
every on e else' s toilet paper.
And this affects me, in how
Page 11
people treat me, in how I treat
them, right in th e rotten attention-s eeking center of my guts.
I went home to my parents'
house for dinn er . Realized just
how chauvinist my father is. At
one point, our nex t-door neighbor
came by, and she and my moth er
were talking about their diet problems. My father drew me close
to him, put his arm around my
shoulder, and whispered, "Gabs ."
It was he who taught me to
despise my own sex--1 had forgotten until just then how much
of a chauvinist he is. And it
became apparent that he still
think s of me as a son. Later,
when he walked me to the subway, he seemed almost pleased
that Ma had failed the civil
service exam for promotion to
Grade Three Clerk, and he him self had passed it.
Afterwards, I went to the
D.O.B. dance. Kate showed up.
(see page 14)
A MAGAZINE
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�FOCUS,
Septemb er, Page 12
DAUGHTERS OF BIL/TIS , INC,
BOSTON CHAPTER
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�F OCUS. Septembe r, Page 13
Katz
(Continued
from
10)
The statement on homosexuality
by the Cuban National Conference
on Education and Culture shows
that conditions for gays are not
much different there from our
own country.
Many gays who
worked hard in the last decade to
establish communism in Cuba are
finding themselves, as soon as it
is known they are gay, interred
in "rehabilitatio n work camps."
They are excluded from the revolution's public arena. Cuba
seems close to hysterical about
gays having any contact with
children.
I have never understood the
ludicrous attitude and fear of
many straight people that homosexuals shouldn't be around kids.
After all, many, many homosexuals are parents, public personalities, teachers, nurses and performers. All these people have plenty
of contact with, and influence on,
children.
My feeling is that if
there is one group of people
which is dangerous to children,
it's straight men. They're the
ones who rape llttle girls.
They're the ones who teach little
boys the value of competition,
cruelty, repression, arrogance, and
physical terror. They're the ones
who teach little girls to forget
physical fitness, to be ashamed of
fighting, to limit their aspirations
to "womanly work," to spend
hours trying to transform their
looks, and to be obedient to men.
Why are active strong little girls
called "tomboys"?
They aren't
boys of any sort. They are active,
strong little girls.
It's the heterosexual trip to
structure the world to force people to be straight. It's a heterosexual masturbatory fantasy to
believe homosexuals are out to
trick the entire world and convert
everyone in it. It's straights who
create whole sciences of myths
( like psychology) and whole economic structures (family plans) to
coerce peoplP to be hcterosexu~I.
We never get taught the "facts
of life" at all, in this country, or
in any male/straight/dominated
country. We get taught a few
•straight facts of a limited life.
We are not permitted sensual and
emotional alternatives as children.
The limits aren't imposed by
homosexuals, but by heterosexuals .
The basis of the gay liberation
movement is not that everyone
must be homosexual, but that
everyone must restructur e his
head and live to the reality that
homosexuality does exist, always
has, and we hope always will.
But the whole of straight society
is terrified by that "fact of life."
Straights, here or in Cuba, aren't
really so concerned about our
being around children ...they're concerned about our being inside of
them. Children are just an excuse.
Children aren't anti-gay ... quite the
contrary ... they naturally seem to
dig open loving affectionate people
and don't make the kind of divisions pigs must make in order to
divide people so that they can
dominate them.
We know what this country does
to us. And Cuban gays can best
speak for their own country. I
quote from a letter by Cuban gays
written to gay liberation people in
NYC about anti-gay policy of the
Cuban Communist Government:
"Since its beginning, the Cuban
revolutionary movement...has
pursued homosexuals with methods
that go from the common ways
of physical aggression to the attempt of psychic and moral disintegration of such individuals ... Here
the homosexual is attacked, and
this is done obliging her or him in
many cases to join to a series of
formulas to 'conceal'' what the
authorities judge as an aberration
of repudiable fault, formulas that
go from confining them in marriage as a pretens e of living a
'normal' life, to confining them in
farms where they rec eive brutal
treatments , as happened with tlw
concentration camps of the UMAP ..
They have kep t farms of prisoners
who are exclusively homo sex ual.
"On the street we suffer persecution, aggression and a constant
abuse of authority, demanding I.D.
cards, arrest ing us for the use of
clothes, hair styl es , or simple ·
group m eet ings, which are righ ts
guaranteed by the Decl aration of
Human Rights ...
"The method s of psychological
repression, social isolation , cont rol
by districts, zone s and centers of
work and study, always with negative aims, are a common thing of
this regime."
As our Cuban sisters and brothers show us, we h o mosex uals must
not only be on guard again st our
obvious enemies--the state, the
police, the church, the psychological sciences--but we must also be
wary of those straight people who,
while they call th emselves revolutionary, seek only to grab the
power over us from one group of
fuckers and hang onto it themselves. We must always reinforce
in each other our feelings of pride
and the beautiful development of
our own lavender vision.
Auction
nets
more
than$80
Boston D.O.B.'s Great Auction
Night, Sunday , August 1, drew a
small crowd but profits after ex penses were more than $80. About
40 men and women visited the
auction during the night, with the
men being the big spenders.
While most persons took t heir
80% on items the auction sold for
them, several d ona tions of outstanding item s he lped signi ficantly.
On e man don at ed a wee k in his
guest hous e in Bermud a w mctim e
in Oc t ob Pr or :\o vcmbe i'. le wen t
for a steal at 3 33 to An d y C:m : a :1d
Kim Stabins ki :'Jmv th l;; Ju,;i, haw
to scrape up ti w money to fly dovm.
�,(
FOCUS,
Septembe.',
Page 14
presidential
candidacy
(Cont in u ed from
his/her sex ual self into a whole self, in other
words, to be fu lly and happily gay.
Life is something that comes in bits and pieces.
There are few of us along the way that have not
co mpro mised somewhere.
Gay people have learn ed, I think more artfully than any group, how to
surv ive. What a bitter price . We have all and
are still at some point passing for straight.
We
have no particular color, age, sex , or even acce nt
to distinguish us from any group we choose to be
in. We are invisible unless we choose otherwise.
Most of us cho ose to. survive in the only way
we as g~y peopl e have bee n allowed--by ap pearin g
strai ght.
Gay liberation is abou t taki ng those steps,
small or large, to a very personal acceptance of
our gayness.
As that ac ceptance and love of
our selves deepens, in a strange way that private
jo y becomes nuhlic . Remember if you can that
first love---th e joy so deep it had to be shared.
Gay liberation calls us back to that joy of love.
?,1ARTHA SHELLEY
/continued
from
I found myself focusing on her,
wondering how much everyone
else at the dance was more
aware of her presence tha ;1 that
of any other woman . Kate
ta kes up too much space in my
head. I do not know how to
deal with this problem.
The se are excerpts from my
journal , this column being too
br ief to permit inclu sion of a
whol e month's entries.
I picked
out those passages which deal
spe cifi ,:ally with the star problem ,
leaving out a few which might
be cons trued as slanderous.
They are presented, not as tidbits for a gossip column, nor as
a study in self-glorification, but
almost as mater ial from a conscious ne ss-raisi ng group.
~
3)
What else is being gay all about but loving?
We are called back again to celebrate that private
joy with the world around us.
Liberation is a freeing from.
Gay libera tion
involves many changes for all people, but for gay
people the initial change is a freeing from shame,
guilt, and all other remnants of self-hate.
I suppose I have misu sed the original intent of
a book review . Instead I l1ave presented to you
some of my views on gay lib era tion---and that, I
think, is on e of the fir st obligations fo r a cand idate for the presi denc y of D.O.B . I would like
to spend a lot of time talking with you about
what I have learned from gay liberation.
I
would like to explain why I am a member of
D.O.B. , why I think it is the most viable organization for gay women and some of the changes
I would like to see. I hope that on every occasion up to the day of election you will tak e
th e time to ask me some of these questions.
Gail King
7 1)
When I passed through Utah
last month, a shephe rd offered
me a job herding sheep with
him ( or perhaps he wa nt ed a
better companion than his favorite ewe?) out in the desert.
It
was a tempting fantasy--at least
the sheep were tempting--and
the solitude, and the stars over
the desert.
(Rigel, Aldebar en,
Vega, Polaris and Betelgeuse as
opposed to Millett, Morgan ,
Steinem, Lamb, Firestone, et al.)
But I 'm an ambitious woman
and l want someday to earn a
living as a writer--which means
havir.g a public reputation, like
it or not .
It means ha.:ing a public image,
and sometimes or always trying
to live up to that image ... playing
to the audience, talking always
to a crowd and for posterity ,
instead of to individuals.
Hearing yourself sound phoney ... saying to your lover you wish yo u
were an ordinary person again
and knowing you don't mean a
word of it, because it is bett er
to be a little star in the mov ement than to go to a strange
party and have no one ask you
to dance ...writing an article like
this and wondering how many
peopl e are goin g to think it is
trivial compared to an article on
gay people in China (are ther e
any?) ... or how many people are
going to say I'm name-dropping.
I still don't know how I'm
going to live with th is mess .
Any suggestions?
l;
k
it
I
�The History Project
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Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1971 September
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1971-09
Description
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Volume 2, issue 9 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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THP-0011-focus-197109
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/f033decd518c56d13e2a9c43cf159376.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=inEz1EqWez0G5I7VlHi7C%7EqvskF1K%7EztAaIbgrxZBiAj0tTRw%7EftKWbn2ahKTei2gKOo6MMlA7GfvFP29xhFXhobDmZT-XqxuForlSbFEJlXSTUtFzV8gRn52NrJ4eUcuiYPKbXMgqAbjluxHeb6cLpdX4dLBTxrCgBlexIrrQXgOr420NaDR95KqAWptbcQwqWFFlp6aiZjyvXFNAI7FH61k4mV-ZbWHDKOZjVXLYeIg4vZrVdwiFmXsyQeqYHGQ92e2Inb3vATzqBpSZ3zsZFAgsOi8d7H6-dEsV5r-Rsva%7Ei0qfhu2rfroKDj0z9CIjru4EgDhTw22EN4HC-CqA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
ef58c00a5e557116c30c4d521d321864
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Text
1
I
january-february
1972
50¢
�Boston DOB
Officers
Focus Staff
President .................... ..... Gail King
Vice President ............ Toni Kroger
Recording Sec.................. Margaret
Corresponding Sec.... Laura Robin
Treasurer ................... .. Rose Tuttle
Editor ........................... Pam Boyd
Advertising .................. Jackie Roth
Circulation ......... Toni Kroger, Lois
Staff ..... Andy Cox, Kim Stabinski
in this issue
women's caucus ................................. .......... ...... .3
·noted with interest ............................................ 4
martha shelley .................................... ................ 5
candidates on gays............................................. 7
janus concert ...................................................... 8
arrests................................................................
.10
letters ................................................. ................ 11
news from holland ........................................... 12
local news......................... ....... ..................... .... 13
gay co-op ..........................................................
14
vol. 2
no . 10
The opinions expressed in this publication are . not necessarily those of the organization,
but rather they are the opinions of the individual contributors.
FOCUS is published by the Boston Chapter of Daughters of Bilitis. All correspondence
should be addressed to: FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB, P. 0. Box 221 , Prudential Center Station, Bosto n, Mass. 02199 .
FOCUS is published the first week of each month. Deadline is the fifteenth of the preceeding month. Any copy received after the deadline will be held for the next issue.
This publication is on file at the International Women's History Archive, 2325 Oak St. ,
Berkeley, Calif. 94 708, and is available on microfilm through Bell and Howell, Drawer "E,"
Wooster , Ohio 44691.
2
�MWPCsupports
gay women
The Massachusetts Women's
Political Caucus has called for an
end to criminal sanctions on sexual activities between consenting
adults and has declared that discrimination against Lesbians and
homosexuals in employment, public facilities, accomodations and
housing be illegal.
The resolutions were passed in a
series of MWPC workshops held on
January 8 on the Smith College
campus at Northhampton.
Between 200 and 500 women attended the caucus.
Representatives from NOW, the
League of Women Voters, and the
State Republican and Democratic
Committees joined individual women in a "strong" show of support
for the rights of gay women in
society.
The following resolutions, dealing primarily with gay women,
were passed:
"We affirm our solidarity
with all women. We are distressed that we have failed to
bring together women who are
multiply oppressed because of
sex, race, sexual preference,
economic status, and social
disapproval.
"We intend to act as a positive force to reach out to all
women to establi sh a feeling
of sisterhood bas ed on our
common lot and t o work together to improv e that lot .
"Resolved that discrimination in employm ent because
of sexual preferen ce be prohibited .
(Majority vote)
"Resolved: Ster eotyping
people in any way is offensive, and whereas traditional
female stereotyping prev ents
women from parti cipating in
many areas of Am erican life,
including politics , resolved:
1.) The MWPC endorses in
its platform the eradication
of such stereotyping in the
educational system and the
mass media, and
2.) The MWPC supports the
repeal of all laws which restrict private sexual behavior
between consenting parties.
(Unanimous vote)
"Criminal sanctions on sexual activities between consenting adults should be removed.
"It should be illegal to
discriminate against Lesbians
and homosexuals in employment, public facilities and
accomodations, and housing.
"We support written marriage contracts between consenting adults.
"Maximize choices to insure accomodation of all
life styles.
"It is resolved that MWPC
urges the repeal of all laws
that restrict a woman's right
to control her own body :
laws that restrict contra ception, abortion, and priva te
sexual conduct betwe en consenting adults.
(Majority report--also
Minority repo rt)
" Resolved that youth and
minoriti es be reasonabl y repres ented in all levels of party organization.
"B e it resolv ed that all
women stud y and attempt
alt ernate lif e styles ... "
Boston DOB's Elaine Noble is a
memb er of th e st eering committ ee
of th e MWPC. She also serves as
on e of thre e wom en responsibl e
for th e functionin g of t he 21-m ember commit tee .
3
�Noted with
Interest
Telephone Co. discriminates:
Quakers change view of gays
Members of the GAA demonstrated
in front of the New York City office of
the Bell Telephone Company recently
to protest hiring and firing practices in
the organization. According to the
GAA, "homosexuals are refused employment and known homosexual employees become former employees ."
HUB has two job counselling programs-one is free and one charges a
"minimal ;-,- mount. HUB is also forma
ing a "senior citizens" group for the
over-35 crowd.
Socialist Workers Party candidate
Linda Jenness is running on a platform
that includes " equal pay for equal work ,
equal education and job opportunities
and rights for gays."
The third issue of The Second Wave
is now available . It features an article
entitled " Lesbian ism : A Political , Cult ural and Personal View ."
Th e Melbourn e, Austral ia group (similar to DOB cha pt ers) has its own club
roo ms. They were op ened to mem bers
on August 7. The organization charges
a 20¢ entrance fee for mem ber s and
50¢ for non-members durin g the week .
Coffee sells for 5¢ a cup , and members
are instructed to bring their own "grog. "
The club rooms have open fireplaces.
Photographs showing explicit Lesbian
sexual activity, including embracing,
have been ruled "obscene" by the U.S.
Court of Appeals. In the written opin ion of Judges Harold Leventhal , George
M. MacKinnon and David L. Bazelon,
pictures of two women "undressing,
caressing, fondling and embracing contain a dominant appeal to the prurient
interest and exceed contemporary community standards."
"It was the most shocking and, to
many Americans, the most surprising
liberation movement yet," says an article entitled "Homosexuals in Revolt"
4
in the special year end issue of Life
magazine. The eleven-page study highlights "a gallery of men and women important to the movement"-Barbara
Love, Jack Baker, Jill Johnston, the
Rev. Troy Perry, and others-and examines the gays' unwillingness to sit on
the sidelines while their basic rights are
abused. The feature concludes with a
full page essay, "Is homosexuality normal or not?"
The Detroit DOB newsletter, Reach
Out, describes several incidents of har assment and violence against gay women in the motor city. A gay woman
was sitting in a parked car near a gay
bar with a married woman when the
lat t er 's husband discovered them . He
reportedl y sent his wife on her way and
allegedly beat th e gay woman so severly
th at she lost t he sight of one eye. No
charges were brought again st t he at t acker beca use there were no wit nesses.
Anot her woman , involved in a disturbance in a gay bar , was arrested and
her arm broken by the police when she
protested th e arrest. She was "thrown
into jail without medical treatment. "
The next edition of MOTHER will
appear in February with a new name.
News of the Los Angeles gay community is broadcast every Friday evening over KMET-FM.
The Quakers no longer consider
homosexuality a sin . Rather, they define it as "the state of loving one's
own ... a state of affairs in nature." The
Quakers are undertaking a study to find
ways that will assure homosexuals they
do not have to hide their identities in
public.
�New Yori< Report
Fraudian
Slip
by MARTHA SHELLEY
... who may someday be given a medal for movement work and then face
the firing squad for bad puns.
Last night I went with Phyllis Chesler
to Douglass College, where she had a
speaking engagement. Phyllis is a psychologist who has made a study of rape,
in particular the rape of female patients
by male therapists.
Rape, as you may have discovered,
does not have to include physical violence. In the cases studied, the therapist simply manipulated and seduced
his patient, playing on those anxieties
which brought her into his office in the
first place. He then justified what is
widely considered unethical behavior by
calling it "therapeutic."
This sort of rape is more common
than one might imagine: when Phyllis
started her inquiry into the subject, she
found that one out of three women
who had seen male therapists alleged
that sexual intercourse had taken place .
But this startling figure should hold no
surprise s fo r feminists.
Think of th e setting. A t ro ub led
woman, oft en quite attra ct ive an d inte lligent, ente rs the priva te and lushly
decorated offic e of an affluent, older
man. She is encouraged t o lie down on
his couch, confess her most int imat e
secrets, including especially her sexual
fantasies and frustrations . Any sexual
interest she might dimly feel towards
the analys t is carefully cultivated by
him, under the name of bringing about
a "positive transference. "
The psychiatrist or psychologist is,
in most cases, no more an expert in human relations than the average parish
priest, and he is considerably more subject to temptation because the rules are
less clearly defined. Lik e the priests of
any religion, in any society, he is paid
to reinforce the values of that society.
And is it any wonder that, like the
priest, his payment is extracted from
the exploitation of human suffering?
Suffering which he is paid to alleviate,
but which he is strongly tempted to
perpetuate in order to perpetuate the
source of his economic security?
In a male supremacist society, the
values to be reinforced are--you guessed
it. And all the Latin mumbo jumbo of
the priest translates into "worship Big
Daddy in Heaven." If you are a psychiatrist in a more hedonistic age, the
Latinate phrases become "worship Big
Cock on earth." The male headshrinker's basic belief is that all a woman
needs is a good lay, and he proceeds to
give it to her. Some shrinks actually
have written books justifying this form
of treatment.
Others practice it more
covertly. Unfortunately, according to
Dr. Chesler's findings, most patients report that their therapists are lousy lays .,
lack the capacity to give affection and- worst of all-continue to charge the
patient for her sexual services to him .
A few years ago I was in a form of
"radi cal therapy ," where male th erapists
often slept with female patients-but
no
on e would sleep with his own patient.
This was de em ed un ethical. If a man
becam e int erested in such an affair, he
would t ransfer the woman to another
therapist and then sleep with her.
My first consultation was with a male
therapist who was treating my lover.
Later on, I found that he was quite seductive with her , but he never did take
her to bed . She did sleep with other
male therapists in this group, which
really burned me up-though it was as
much her fault in this case as theirsI felt that I could not compete, in financial power or prestige, with these
affluent males.
Please turn page
5
�NEW YORK
REPORT
As an obviously recalcitrant and not
particularly gorgeous-looking dyke, I
was sent immediately to a straight woman therapist. About a year later, after
developing "positive transference" to
her, I was sent to another straight woman therapist. I earned $7 5 a week before taxes and paid $30 a week to my
shrink . Among other things, I was indoctrinated with the notion that paying
for treatment was good for me (presumably because one values what is difficult
to obtain), that I should enjoy my job
as a secretary because it was the best I
could obtain without a Ph .D. Look on
the bright side . We all deserved to have
good thin gs in life. I deserved good
things like my therapist had. And I
would get them when I earned them;
but meanwhile, she wasn't giving any of
it up to make my lot easier.
I can't say that my shrink was totally bad for me . On the contrary, she
told me a lot of useful and good things
and helped me get through some extremely rough times. I can't blame her
(both of them) for not being feminist.
The women's movement was less than a
small cloud on the horizon, no bigger
than Friedan's fist. What I hold most
against her was her justification of the
disparity between our incomes. What
I hold against that entire group of therapists , in addition to their continuing
chauvinism and in addition to their assumption that we all started off at the
same place somehow, is their very tricky
anti-gay line.
They told me that one should not ignore half the world. Exclusive homosexuality was a self-deprivation, they
claimed, and one should learn to love
different kinds of people. However,
this line applied only to the gay patien t s.
The straight patients and therapists continued to remain exclusively h eterosexual.
Thes e therapists had city houses and
country houses, and every adult had a
6
car and a tape recorder. Some of the
men were inclined to motorcycles, but
none of the female shrinks rode them.
All of the women had at least one or
two babies. There was constant talk about releasing ones creative energies,
but most of the therapists' art work
seemed quite constrained and lacking in
passion. Thinking about it, I came to
the conclusion that their theories were
sometimes very good and beautiful, but
they were too constrained by their life
styles, too upper middle class, too much
into analyzing life, to be free in their
artistic expressions .
This saddens me, not for the menmost of them I avoided-but for the
women therapists I knew . I remember
when my shrink showed me a nine-foot
self -portrait, done in poster paint, in
what was almost cartoon style. She
was both pleased and surprised at herself for having dared paint her life in
such large characters . And I felt then,
and still do, that that moment was one
of our few experiences of equality, of
shared intimacy, in a relationship which
was mo stly one-way . Those few shared
experiences make me think now that I
really like the little I saw of her as a
person, and I wish that she were in
Women's Liberation.
Phyllis has written a book about
male psychiatrists who abuse their patients, and it will be published next
year. I am sure it will have male psychoanalysts clutching at their collective
castration complexes. She also tells me
of a woman in a consciousness-raising
group who was propositioned by her
psychoanalyst, and who told the other
women in her group. The women then
told their boyfriends, who were in a
men's anti-sexist consciousness-raising
group, and the men promptly went out
to beat up the therapist. The only sad
part of this story is that the women
didn't go out to beat up the _therapist.
I end with another pun: therapist,
the rapist, The Rapist ...
�Kennedy states positionon gay
rights:Muskieevades issue
felt it was a necessary and compulsory
move to take to ensure those rights.
Sen. Kennedy urged an end to all
Defense Department and other security
measures which deny homosexuals the
right to work gainfully in their pro fessions as committed Americans.
1972 Democratic Presidential contender Edmund Muskie was "visibly shaken" when a member of the GAA asked
him for his opinion on equal rights for
homosexuals.
According to those attending a seminar at New York University, the Maine
senator replied, "I haven't thought
about them." He also told a GAA
member who asked for his opinion on
the sodomy laws that they were "the
state government's worry."
Muskie did not reply to any other
questions and dropped a piece of gay
literature handed to him. Sources say
he was "whisked into a waiting car."
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass)
would issue an executive order if necessary to insure the basic rights of horn •
osexuals if he were elected President.
The disclosure from the Massachusetts senior senator came during a busy
round of speech making in New York
City November 16. Bruce Voeller, the
chairman of the GAA State and Federal
Affairs Committee, asked Sen. Kennedy
if he would, as chief executive, "order
the federal government to cease-in all
its branches-discrimination
against
homosexuals by the issuance of an
executive order."
"All citizens should be allowed to exercise their rights as guaranteed under
the constitution," said Sen. Kennedy.
He told Voeller that if an executive order were the necessary first step, he
10% off to FOCUS readers
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7
�A
Sunday
Once-not too many years ago-just
about everyone who moved in cultural
circles had heard of Gertrude Stein's
famous "Sunday afternoons" in Paris.
Expatriate and native artists, writers
and musicians gathered in the drawing
room of the left bank apartment she
shared with Alice B. Toklas. There was
always talk of work in progress, and
there were often exhibits or demonstrations of work completed.
It was a quiet time, a warm and sharing time, with them.
And so it was last month in Boston,
when the Janus Wind Quartet opened
the first in a series of cultural events
for the gay community.
The scene was different and so was
the execution of the program, which
was strictly musical. But the feeling
and intent were the same , and people
were brought together to share an experience .
The Janus Wind Quartet was formed
about three years ago when its four
members were students at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Katie, who plays the flute, is study-
�Afternoon
ing for her Master's degree at the N.E.C.
Diana, the clarinetist, is a teacher. John ,
who plays the French horn, is a free
lance musician and teacher. And Judy,
the bassoonist, has just returned from a
tour with a national orchestra . She has
two Master's degrees-one in bassoon
and one in clarinet.
Most of the group started playing an
instrument in an elementary school program .
As a quartet, they play established
classical pieces and contemporary work s.
"Only a few original compositions
have been written for wind quartets
and quintets . We play a lot of transcribed pieces," explained Diana .
Their program of works by VillaLobos, Mozart, Piston , Rossini, Debussy
and others was broken by a candlelight
brunch.
The Oberlin Piano Trio is scheduled
to present a program of works by Hayden, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky at the
Arlington Street Church on Jan. 24.
Ticket information is available from
the Homophile Community Health Service, sponsors of the series.
�Girlsappealfines; continuances
get
Four women, who appealed $100
fines following their arrest outside
Jacques this past October, have received six month continuances in the
case.
Originally eight women, including
one straight bystander, were arrested
outside the bar at the corner of Piedmont Street and Broadway in the Bay
Village section of the city. They were
charged with disorderly conduct and
spent a night in jail.
Two women involved in an argument
that ended in the arrests were fined
$100 and placed on a year's probation.
The others were found guilty and fined
$100.
According to observers at the first
hearing, the arresting officers were unable to identify any of the women,
claiming they were "dressed opposite
from what they are now. They looked
like men ."
The defendents, denying all charges
against themselves, charged that the officers used cruel and abusive language
and unnecessary force during the arrests.
In the latest development, the four
girls appealing the $100 fines appeared
at a hearing in Superior Court in Jan.
"The case took from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,"
said an observer. "The atmosphere was
extremely hostile and no testimony ~as
given. Counsel for the straight girl would
not let her near the other three defendents," she continued.
The judge lectured the girls and explained that he would "do the same if
you were my own daughters or friends."
Regarded as a "political trial," observers expressed the opinion that the
girls were judged "guilty before they ever
came before the court. Had the case
gone to trial, they would have been crucified."
Under the conditions of the six-month
continuance, the girls are restricted from
going to Jacques and other gay bars in
the area . They will appear in Court in
September and, if at that time their records are "clean," the case will be drop ped. They were not fined.
Police harassment and arrests in the
Bay Village will be stepped up in an effort to close all the clubs.
"The bars are Mafia-run and the police are not going to run the Mafia out.
They'll just harass the patrons of the
bars, drive them away, and succeed in
closing the bars completely," according
to a FOCUS observer. "We've been
warned by people who are close to the
situation, and they advised us to tell the
people we care about."
Boston DOB loaned the defendents
$100 to help pay legal fees.
Calendar of Events
January 30--008 open meeting on gay politics. St. John's Church , 33 Bowdoin St.,
8p .m.
February 1--and every other Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Open rap session.
February 5--Couples rap session.
February 13--008 meeting.
February 19--Couples rap.
February 27--008 meeting.
Classifieds
Femme, 30, nurse, desires friendship with
sincere butch. Must be discreet and employ:
ed. Lori, 875-1841 after 8 p.m.
Wanted: Ann Bannon's novel, THE MAR- RIAGE. Will trade; have duplicates on other
Bannon books plus novels by other authors.
Also want I AM A LESBIAN; not sure of
author. Contact Kim Stabinski clo FOCUS.
This combined issue of FOCUS
marks the beginning of a new publication schedule. FOCUS will be
published the first week of each
month.
�Letters to the Editor
To all FOCUS readers:
Senators Kennedy and McCarthy
have opened themselves to all sorts
of criticism by their public statements on behalf of job opportunities for homosexuals .
The criticism will be there--at
every hand they will be confronted for their support of us.
Now is the time for OUR support . Every one of us should sit
down and write to the se senators
to commend them for their attitudes and for having the courage
to state them publicly . We should
also write to any other politicians
who make favorabl e--or unfavorable--statements about us.
In addition , we should all write
letters to the editors of newspapers
whi ch carry comments about the
statements made by various politicians .
An editorial swip e was given to
Senators Kennedy and McCarthy
by The Union Leader (Box 780,
Manchester, N . H. 03105) on page
one of the January 13 issue. This
paper reprinted a story from The
Village Voice under the heading
"Gay Lib: Gene and Ted Say
OK." Editorial comment preceeding the story was most offensive.
The attitudes of both senators are
called "disgraceful," and Union
Leader comment further clarified
that the story was being run only
to give "an attitude of some of
the Presidential candidates which
has not been generally revealed to
the public." The Union Leader
implies that it would withhold support for either candidate on the
basis of their "disgraceful" views.
The Union Leader is known as
a very opinionated paper, to put
it mildly. Return addresses in
the Letters to the Editor section
reveal a nationwide r_ adership,
e
which is probably due to the strong
tone of editorial comment. However, we could not let this one get
by so easily. The editors, in their
haste to get in still more nasty digs
at Kennedy, also got in a hearty
dig at us this time. Since the only
support either Senator gave in the
article that was reprinted involved
job opportunities, and since the
editors found this "disgrac eful,"
we can only assume th ey feel that
all homosexuals should be denied
equal employment opportunities.
After talking with friends, we
know of at least five letters of protest in the mail now to The Union
Leader. If you have time, write
them (but write the senators
first) . For publication, keep all
letters down to 400 words. You
must furnish your nam e and ad dr ess, but you can requ est that
they not be published. The UL
boasts that it publish es mor e let ters to the editor than any oth er
newspaper in the U.S ., so your s
will doubtlessly be printed .
Gay liberation is bound to make
the news over and over during th e
pre-election political· battl es which
have already started . We should
all keep our eyes and ears open-we should offer written support
when warranted, and we should
blast out with letters to the individual politicians involved and
toward them through newspaper
letters when this is called for.
Some of us can't afford to take
part in public marches or demonstrations. But we all can wrjte.
And there was never a better time
to do it . Join our campaign.
Andy Cox
Kim Stabinski
Cop ies of t he Li mit ed Ed ition of
M OODS OF EROS by Elsa Gidl ow are
st i ll availab le at $2 , pl us 254 to cover
postage and hand l in g.
Each copy of t his collection of
Lesbian poetr y and oth er pieces of
parti cular int erest t o women is auto graphed by th e author .
Druid Heights Press
685 Cam'ino de/ Canyon
Druid Heights, Mill Valley ,
California 94941
11
�Reuben'sbook withdrawn
fromdistribution Holland
in
The Dutch Society of Homosexuals
COG celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary this past November. After facing
some years of opposition by the authorities and certain groups, the COG is now
generally accepted and valued as a social organization which strives for the
acceptance of a social minority and for
the integration of deviating patterns of
behavior . and relationships.
·
The ~ntegration of homosexuals has
progres!Ied further in Holland than in
most other countries, and the COG believes it has made a "modest" contribution in bringing this about. The COG
is no longer a league of homosexuals,
but rather it is a constructive force that
critically pursues and stimulates the development of society as a whole.
The following article was taken from
the COG International Newsletter. The
original text was written by Ko Sterken,
General Secretary , and translated by
(Miss) Willy Snippe :
Everything You Always Wanted to
Know about Sex, but Never Dared Ask
is no longer being sold in Holland.
Th e voluntary withdrawal of the best
sellin g American book from furth er distril?uti on by the Dutch publishing firm
A. W. Bruna and Son came on the heels
of a meeting between the Central Committ ee of the Dutch Society for Homosexual s COC and the management of
the publishing firm.
During thi s disucssion, the management of the Bruna company expressed
the view that regardless of arry possible
decision of the court, they had "come
to re cognize that (they) had previously
decided too hastily and therefore too
carel essly upon the translation of the
Am erican sexseller ."
Th e Central Committee had lodged a
complaint with the Public Prosecutor at
Utre cht against the management of the
Bruna Company because the COC found
12
the book "contained a large number of
exceedingly insulting and degrading passages about homosexuality."
The committee was particularly concerned about the fact that homosexuals
are, according to author Dr. David Reuben, not capable of a love relationship,
and furthermore that they are interested in sex exclusively. On July 26, the
prosecutor, Mr. Justi .ce W. H. Overbeek,
decided to dismiss the complaint.
In his opinion, however, the book
was very shallow, insignificant and bigoted, and he regretted that such writ ings appeared on the market. He said
he didn't believe the remarks about
homosexuality coulcl stand the test of
criticism: These remarks were based on
American assertions, but Mr. Overbeek
told the Central Committee that he fully understood that the Dutch homosexuals were grievously affected by them.
He chose to dismiss the complaint,
however, because "the Prosecutor
would judge it scarcely fortunate if Holland, with its traditional conceptions
about freedom of the pres s, were to become th e only country wher e action
was brought against the book .
Two weeks after the complaint was
dismissed , the COC met with Bruna
Compan y offi cials, who agreed t o cease
distribution of the book in th e moth er
tongue.
Meanwhil e, in England, the Campaign
for Homosexual Equality has started
circulating a petition to stop the sale of
Dr. Reuben's book. The group will try
to get the distributor to withdraw it
voluntarily from distribution.
The CHE statement said "passages
about homosexuality lend greater credibility to the popular misconception s
held about the subject and are , we believe, grossly inaccurate and insulting ."
�Gaynewspaper
comes
out
Boston
Highlights
The Gay Forum, "a gay newspaper
that has a little something for everybody," has just begun publication in
Washington, D.C.
Similar to The Advocate in layout
and content, it contains gay oriented
features, news stories, reviews, and a
number of articles about gay womenincluding Gene Damon's "Lesbiana."
Gay Forum is geared for national
readership. "If you can supply us with
news events, coming events, even little
trivia, we will be forever grateful. In
the case of full articles and columns
used, we will be glad to pay," says
Advertising Manager Bob Cramer.
Subscriptions are available-13 issues
at $6.50 or 26 issues at $13-from The
Gay Forum, P. 0. Box 385, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, D.C. 20044.
All copies are mailed first class.
The Women's Center office will
be opening at 595 Massachusetts
Avenue in Cambridge. There will
be a Lesbian section.
Kay Bourne, a member of the
Governor's Commission on Women,
would like to talk to any woman
who has served time in prison.
Everything is confidential, and
your contribution may be instrumental in bringing about necessary
changes in our penal system.
Boston DOB will be receiving
$500 from San Francisco DOB
sometime in the near future. The
money was left to the organization.
If you would like to join a
women's band or help start one,
call Joan, 423-44 7 8.
Photography and taping for the
Universalist Unitarian slide show
on sexuality will take place January 29. DOB's Media Committee
is working with the Unitarian photographer on the project.
008 rentsoffice
Boston DOB has voted to rent
two rooms in a " centrall y located
building" at 419 Boylsto n Street .
Members approved the act ion at
the January business meetin g.
The rent is $60 a mon t h , an d
the organ ization plans t o have a
business phone installed as soo n as
possible.
The Homophile Community
Health Service and HUB are also
thinking about renting other suites
in the building.
NOTICE
FOCUS is now available nationally
on microfilm through Bell and Howell
of Ohio, and it is also on film at the
International Women's History Archive
at Berkeley, California. If you are a
FOCUS contributor or the subject of a
FOCUS article, please be sure to indicate to the editor if you wish to use
your real name or a pseudonym.
Open:
6 days 10-10
and Sunday
12-6
Specializing
in Paperbacks
We also carry periodicals and newspapers
of interest to the gay community:
The Advocate
FOCUS
The Second Wave
Queens' Quarterly
HUB
Body
Fag Rag
BAD
Phoenix
107 CHARLES
ST.
BOSTON
02114
523-2361
13
�Gay Pride Week inspires Gay Co-Op
Inasmuch as the gay communitysince the activities of Gay Pride Weekhas returned to its regular state of affairs, with established groups maintaining the ir identities within the gay community, as well as each possessing an
appeal to a certain segment of the gay
comm unity, the Gay Co-Operative has
been founded to fulfill the nee ds that
are not currently being met by existing
gay organizations .
There is, of course, much to be done
at all levels for the gay communitypolit ic al action, public education, social
and advisory functions, etc.
The Gay Co-Operative is a new approach to organizing the gay community, one that aspires to fulfill the potential of the community in a directed
way. It seeks to mobilize and co-ordinate the talents and resources of groups
and individuals to solve specific problems.
Th e Gay Co-Op was inspired by the
example of the inter-personal and intergroup co-operation experienced during
the planning and execution of Gay
Pride Week; the Gay Co-Op has proposed to continue this "ad-hoc" approach on a mor e permanent basis.
And the Gay Co-Op seeks a broad base
of support, to be reflective of and directed to the needs of the entire gay
community.
The Core Group of the Gay Co-Op
has stated that affiliations with other
gay groups or the lack of such affiliations should not prevent co-ordinated
action when such action would be ef fective. The collective experience of
Core Group members and those on
specific problem-solving Task Forces in
other gay groups has provided us with
an awareness of some of the resources
of the gay community.
The Gay CoOp proposes to co-ordinate such resources when it will be towards the
greater good of the gay commun ity.
The Gay Co-Op does not intend to
14
infringe upon or duplicate those activities and services already being provided
by other organizations. It seeks to initiate action in those areas where there
is currently none.
Among its more immediate goals,
upon which Task Forces are at work,
are promoting greater co-operation between gay men and gay women, fund
raising, and the establishment of a Gay
Community Center. This last is felt to
·
be the most pressing need.
Having brought the Gay Co-Op to
your attention, we hope for the support of you and your organization.
That there can be much more done to
meet the needs of the gay community
is an unfortunate fact, but one which
the Gay Co-Op, in partnership with the
experience and resources of individuals
and established gay groups, seeks to
change.
For additional information on
meetings and other Gay Co-Op
activities, call 536-3233 or
536-8588.
p
h
for
0
the
gay
t
0
g
woman
r
a
p
h
y
call
pam
335-5249
�D.O.B. Referrals
Legal
Rose Z. Smith, 803 Washington St.,
Hanover, 1-826-6600. Mrs. Smith has
over 20 years legal experience, divorce
and custody cases in particular.
Regge Healey, Legal Action for Women
(L.A.W.), 492-5520. Ms. Healey only
handles casesoccurring in Cambridge and
only for those women who are in a low income bracket.
Rook , Roth, Rubino, 7 Water St., Boston, 742-2243. This is a team of male
lawyers with extensive experience in
handling casesof gay males.
Ruth Budde, call 926-3439 .
Medical
Dr. Joanna Perlmutter, Beth Israel Hospital, 734-4400.
Dr. Rita Kelly, Mass. General Hospital,
726-2000.
Dr. Emma Varvaro, General Practitioner,
894-0058.
Dr. Carol Nadelson, Psychiatry, Ext. 765,
734-4400.
Dr. Dorothea Hellman, Internist,
469-9550.
Religious
Roman Catholic: St. Clement's Church
has initiated a dialogue with gay women
and men. The priests listed below have
made themselves available to counsel gay
Catholics. Call 536-3476 and ask for Fr.
Terrance Dougherty, Fr. Brian Hennigan,
or Fr. Tom Mickey.
Ad Rates
Full page ....................... ......... $20.00
Half page..................... ........... 10.00
Quarter page ...... .. ..... .. ..... ....... 5.00
Less than quarter page ... .. . .... 2.50
Classified ad rates: $1 for the first
20 words and 15ri for each additional word.
"For sale," "Wanted," etc.
do not count as words . Anything
given away free will receive a free
ad. Figure your charge and mail a
check with your ad copy .
Methodist: Dr. William Alberts, Old
West Methodist Church, 277-5088. Rev.
Ruth Robinson, 277-5088.
Gay Groups
Gay Women 's Liberation, 492'- 1915.
Homophile Union of Boston, meetings
every other Sunday at 33 Bowdoin St.
Call 282-918 1.
Women 's Groups
Boston Women United, P. 0. Box 278 ,
Allston 03134, 253-6498.
Bread and Roses, Old Cambridge Baptist
Church, 1151 Mass. Ave., 492-4130.
Media Women, P. 0. Box 8926, J.F.K.
Station, Boston 02114.
Female Liberation, 552 Mass. Ave., Central Square. Evelyn-491-1071.
National Organization for Women
(N.O.W.), P. 0. Box 346, Cambridge
02138, 492-5533.
Women's Center at B.U., 232 Bay State
Road, 2nd Floor.
Daughters of Bilitis
Box 221, Prudential Ctr. Sta.
Boston, Mass. 02199
□
□
□
Newsletter subscription-$5 year
Single DOB membership-$10 year
Joint DOB membership-$15 year
Name ___________
_
2nd name (joint )_______
_
Address __________
City _____
_
State __
Zip __
PLEASE print the above information .
Make all checks payable to Boston DOB.
I am a woman 18 years of age or older .
(Only membership applications need be
signed.)
Signatur e _________
_
2nd Sig.__________
_
15
�A MAGAZINE
PUBLISHED
BY LESBIANS
FOR
LESBIANS
AND FOR All
WOMENCONCERNED
Wt r H
FULL
HUMAN RIGHTS
THE LADDER
P.O. BOX 5025
STATION◊'
◊RENO,NEVADA 89503 ".
WASHINGTON
A 56-PAGE
Bl-MONTHLY
MAGAZINE CONTAINING FICTION.
POETRY.NON-FICTION. ART COL.UMN.
BOOK RlVIEWS.LElTERS. ART. AND
A COMPREHENSIVE NEWS CO~UMN.
PR1n11n0
Design ideas, equipment, know how,
complete composition go to make a
quality product.
FULL LINE social and commercial
printing.
ACISME
603-398-2511
Deering Road -:- Weare, N. H. 03281
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1972 January-February
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1972-01; 1971-02
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 2, issue 10 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
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THP-0011-focus-197201
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/48c16d946651054922f8290b12e48eb1.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=SRiIwYioLSCuEDYLZ6pYNwiQ35bDv2J0g51aINEb3xgZU9nsRdKFa5b3UQW8iklNrl6zGRSORe7PclALZ-vviZmAqwbcYG715yeUTJ0O3dsHZrQTvsU8L-JUaXw36oPsE3fhQIehbj86OlAlVoEQfo7zVrypjNcaYPWOuq5S%7EutYEJOEA0Cg7tHv2kR-5ME0YO7s%7Ekdpk8iPRUeHSP9oZD3Mdk09EQOu5S7XrDaXXvUeKV9H2CrzrjugayH9leWnSIYryx2dOG0-C%7EiV11TZnDfJAIYKFnHRi7x-nR%7Ek-IQkCUghitvAV9Md2V12HM4V8wsTeWA8jxwRGgxwzsM-yQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
65bfa77b7098589a573d570a6e9474f9
PDF Text
Text
march-april
1972
�Boston DOB
Officers
Focus Staff
President ......................... Gail King
Vice President ............ Toni Kroger
Recording Sec .................. Margaret
Corresponding Sec .... Laura Robin
Treasurer ..................... Rose Tuttle
Editor ........................... Pam Boyd
Advertising .................. Jackie Roth
Circulation ..... .... Toni Kroger, Lois
Staf f.. ...Andy Cox, Kim Stabinski
in this issue
military life ...................... .... ................ .... ....... .... 3
4
noted with interest ............ ................................
gay life in turkey ..............................................
5
gaa declares war ..... ............................................
6
abortion ............ ... ...............................................
7
making of FOCUS............................... .. ............ 8
proud woman .....................................................
10
martha shelley ................. ... ................................ 11
gay marriage .......................................................
12
letters ..................................................................
13
classifieds ....................................................
........ 14
vol. 2
no. 11
The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the organization,
but rather they are the opinions of the individual contributors.
FOCUS is published by the Boston Chapter of Daughters of Bilitis. All correspondence should be
addressed to: FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB, 419 Boylston Street, Room 406, Boston, Mass. 02116.
FOCUS is published the first week of each month. Deadline is the fifteenth of the preceeding month. Any copy received after the deadline will be held for the next issue.
This publication is on file at the International Women's History Archive, 2325 Oak St.,
Berkeley, Calif. 94 708, and is available on microfilm through Bell and Howell, Drawer "E,"
Wooster, Ohio 44691.
2
�Militarylife difficultfor gay women
The armed forc es have for may years
served as an above-ground refuge for th e
gay woman.
However, no one in the military hierarchy will publically acknowledge this
well-known and accepted fact. The only
people who will talk about it at all are
the gay women-and men-who have
joined some branch of the military for
one reason or another.
In his book, Sexual Variations, Dr.
Frank Caprico cites an incident of overt
homosexuality on the part of several
women assigned to a branch of the wom en's service that resulted in the discharge
or transfer of those involved.
The discharge is termed "general."
And it is, therefore, subj ect to question
by potential employers, friends and relatives. Whlle a "general discharge" is not
a "dishonorable discharge," it is the closest thing to it.
According to one young woman who
served her country in a branch of the
military, the heat is on-at least in some
posts located in the mid-Atlantic states"to get all the gay people out of the
service."
Suspected by her superior officers of
being gay, the woman, whom we shall
call Joan, was "called on the carpet quite
a bit for little things because they couldn't prove I was gay."
One officer, a captain, referred Joan
to an Army psychiatrist who tried .,to get
her to admit openly to him that she was
a homosexual.
"He told me that if I wanted to get
over being gay," said Joan , "he would
go to bed with me. By this time I admitted that I was gay and told him that
I found no satisfaction in going to bed
with a man .
"I was then sent to an investigative
detachment where the personnel informed me that they knew I was gay and that
they had compiled a list of my friends'
names. They had also made note of all
my movements in the city," said Joan.
"I went AWOL and I was subsequently court-martialed," she continued. "The
lawyer who defended me-a gay military
woman-was later investigated herself.
She was suddenly transferred to another
post and demoted after trying my case.
The captain who exposed my life style
was also transferred, but instead of being
demoted, she was promoted to the rank
of major."
Joan's case is not an isolated one. She
describes incidents involving the discovery
of undercover agents planted in barracks,
surprise inspections at off hours during
the night, and a hands-off attitude toward
certain ranking officers.
Beyond the chain link fences of military bases, Joan found gay life in the
large mid-Atlantic city where she was
stationed to be as much of a problem.
"One night I was sitting in a bar when
a guy came up to me. When I refused to
react to his advances, he becam e abusive
and deliberately spilled his drink in my
lap. So I slapped him," she said.
"He and his friends were waiting for
me outside the bar after it closed," she
continued. "They slapped me around
and then ran . A cop, who had watched
the whole thing, came over to me and
asked if I wanted to press charges. It
wouldn't have done any good anyway."
In conclusion, Joan said "I guess I just
want to warn other gay women who
might be considering the Army or Navy
as a place to go, not to do it. As bad as
it can be on the outside, it is worse in
the Army ."
II
•
I
Women's center opens
The Women's Center in Cambridge
has opened at 46 Pleasant Street near
Central Square.
Child care, legal aid, medical services and educational programs are
available for all women. Fifteen courses, including Lesbianism, women's
history and home and auto repairs, are
being offered at the Women's Center
Schoo l. The Center is also offering a
room for Lesbians where they can
come together, talk and relax.
Call for additional information.
3
j
�Noted w it h Interest
Gay Pride Week planningbegins;
journalistchangesview on gays
Enthusiasm for this year's "Third
Annual Gay Pride Week/Grand March
and Central Park Gay-In" is already being described as "unprecedented ." The
Christopher Street Liberation Day Committ ee has begun initial planning of the
events to be held June 25 and the preceeding week in New York City. All gay
lib organizations from Virginia to Maine
are in vited to participate and send representativ es to the planning meetings. An
estimate d 15,000 to 20,000 gays are expected to take part in Gay Pride Week
activities this year. Additional information is available from Fost er Gunnison,
Jr., One Gold Street, Suite 22BC, Hartford, Conn. 06103.
The Boston Globe published an Ellen
Goodman story, "A Transsexual Tells
Her Story," in the January 28 a.m. and
p.m. editions. Subject of Ms. Goodman's
feature was Debby (Austin) Hartin, a
former Navy airplane mechanic, a husband and a father, who underwent a sex
change operation two years ago in Casablanca. Described as a "professional
transsexual," Debbie says, "I have one
cause in my life, the cause of the transsex ual in America."
Speaking of the Globe, columnist
George Frazier, who was ousted from
the staff last year for his lack of enthusiasm in gathering fresh material for his
co lumn, is back with a more mature eye
on the homosexual. In a March, 1971,
column devoted to gay lib, Mr . Frazier
wrote, "I am thinking rather of how it
seems almost impossible to open a paper
or magazine these days without seeing
some further words from the Gay Liberation Front. Once I was mere ly bored,
but enoug h is enough and now I am
damned annoyed." In his Jan. 7 co lumn
this year, Mr. Frazier writes "I cannot
imagine any intelligent person's not supporting the aims, if not the methods, of
gay liberation."
4
"Ms" editor Gloria Steinem became a
member of the National Press Club in
Washington in mid-January. "Ms," by
the way, has been variously received
throughout the country. Some critics
openly scoff at its existence, while other s
consider its publi cat ion a major breakthrough for women . The Spring '72 issue features an interview by Anne Koedt
entitled "Can Women Love Women?"
More and more cases of outright discrimination against women surface daily .
A doz en women recently picketed a
Baltimore newspaper that still marks its
help wanted columns "Male, Help Wanted"-" Female, Help Wanted," etc. A
company executive sald, "We do not feel
the classified columns discriminate." In
a Pennsylvania court case, the Commonwealth Court upheld a lower court ruling
prohibiting a Pittsburgh paper from advertising job opportunities on the basis of
sex. Judge Harry Kramer said, "The state
of a human being without a job is a neutral fact equally applicable to both sexes.
The finding of a job should also be a neutral fact equally accessible to both." A
large suburban daily south of Boston still
practices this form of discrimination in
its classified section.
-
- NO T ICE -FOCUS needs contributions from
writers, photographers and artists.
Written pieces should deal with some
aspect of gay life.
Photos and art
work along these lines are welcome.
We will also consider good quality
black and white photos for covers.
Send your work to FOCUS Editor ,
419 Boylston Street, Room 406,
Boston, Mass. 02116.
�I\
A lookat gay life in Turkey
Homosexuals in Turkey are an oppressed minority meeting and fun ctioning in the shadows of the underground.
They cannot go out and carry placards and march in demonstrations.
They cannot hire halls for dances and
social events. And they cannot send
speakers to go out and discuss homosexuality with university students and
the public at large.
But they do work for each other,
quietly and collectively from within
the structure of the gay community.
"We are a group oI women together-a sisterhood," says Vahan, a
young Turkish woman who is currently living in Boston.
"The traoitional closeness of the
family unit in my country is carried
over into the whole gay community,
not just to your personal partner," she
explained.
There are about 70 members in Vahan 's organization in Istanbul.
Although tne group does not have titled
positions such as president and vicepresident, four women lead the discussions and play an active role in decision making.
"All the members are very close,
and each one has a voice," said Vahan.
"Those who are quiet and reluctant to
speak up are encouraged to share their
thoughts with all of us. Sometimes
members who rarely speak have the
best ideas."
Gay women in Istanbul meet twice
a month and all members of the organization are required to attend the
meetings .
"There are never less than 50 in
attendance," said Vahan, who added
that new or potential members are
always greeted by a welcoming committee.
"They answer questions and try to
alleviate any fears the women may
have."
Turkish mothers tend to encourage
relationships between girlfriends, according to Vahan.
"In America, if a mother sees her
daughter in the constant companionship of another woman, she will start
pushing her to get a boy friend. In
Turkey, a mother does not encourage
relationships with men at all," she explained.
If a man does show an interest in a
young woman, he must ask her father's
permission to see her once a week, usually at a family dinner. If he wants to
take her to the theatre, a member of
the family must go along as a chaperone. Mothers prefer to see their
daughters wit h other women, and they
do not push them into starting their
own families," said Vahan.
Another important factor that serves
to encourage the gay woman in her
relationship with other women is the
family's understanding of the value of
education and career.
"We go away from home to a big
city to study. Our parents do not like
to see us go, but they understand.
They do not want us to live alone, so
they encourage us to get a roommate.
No one questions our actions or makes
assumptions," explained Vahan.
"Although we are oppressed, life is
not th at difficult for us," she continued. "We are individuals who work
together as one entity. If one of us
gets caught, we all go down together.
If a couple is having personal or financial difficulties, we will do all we can
to help them and make sure they will
be able to stay together in spite of
their troubles.
"In America, you call emerging into
gay life 'coming out.' In Turkey, we
call it 'coming into life.' "
SPECIAL PURCHASE
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5
�GM declares war
on candidate Lin
dsay
The Gay Activist Alliance of New York
called for a "total war" against New York
City Mayor John V. Lindsay in the wake
of the City Council General Welfare Committee's 7-to-5 defeat of Intro 475, a bill
designed to end discrimination against the
city's homosexual population.
Throughout the life of the bill, which
was first introduced more than a year
ago, members of th e gay community have
publkly accused Mayor Lindsay of mak~ing "only a token effort to see that 4 75
passes."
"GAA had to pressure him for months
to send even a weak note of support for
the bill," said GAA President Rich Wandel, who added, "and this man is running
for President on the basis of his 'strong
civil rights record.'
"Lindsay has toured the natio n championing the rights of blacks, wo men and
chican os, which we app laud ," h e continued, " bu t h e has not said on e word ab ou t
this co un try 's 20 million h omo sexu alsnot on e word about th e op pression of
800,000 gay New Yor ke rs, his own city•
mates ."
Although Intro 4 75 has been initially
defeated by the city council's refusal to
move it out of committee, it is not a dead
issue. The committee chairman may bring
it up again at any time.
Mayor Lindsay, who issued a statement
through a spokesman, said he was "disappointed" that the measure did not receive the council's approval. He viewed
the action as a "temporary delay in the
contin uing battle to provide equal opportunities for all our citizens." He has
pledged to continue his administration's
efforts in regard to the bill.
"The prime objection to the bill is the
issue of transvestites," said General Welfare Committeeman Saul Sharison, who
voted in favor of 475. According to Mr.
Sharison, some councilmen are apparently worried about the possibility of people
cross-d ressing in public office employme nt if t he bill be comes a rea lity."
Gay orga nization s in Bost on, San Francisco , Los Angeles an d Miami h ave been
contact ed and ur ged t o oppo se Mayo r
Lindsay 's presidential campaign .
Boston
Highlights
Th e third issue of the Boston based
female liberation magazine, The Second
Wave, is on the newsstand. An article
called "Lesbianism: A Political, Cultural and Personal View," by Ellen Chambers, discusses the family and its role in
gay and female oppression, the women's
movement and Lesbianism. DOB Presi dent Gail King is represented in the poetry section. The Second Wave invites
stories, poems, photos and drawings
from readers. Contributors are asked to
include a brief biographical note for the
"Not es on Contributors" column.
A recent ed ition of the Female Libera tion newslett er discloses that Harvard's
Widen er Library - on e of the world's
best kn own-carri es 83 titles under the
6
heading Homosexuality . All deal almost
exclusively with males, however. Reporter Ellen Chambers found six books in the
Lesbianism section, including bound
copies of The Ladder. Only one book is
available to be checked out; the others
are for library reference only. "The
fictional rendering of female homosexuality can be counted on one hand,"
says Ms. Chambers.
Boston DOB has officially moved into
a suit e of offi ces at 419 Boylston Street
in Boston . Offi ce hours ar e 8 a .m. to
4 p.m. Monday through Frida y. The
telephone number, which will be list ed
in the Yellow Pages und er Soc ial Services,
is 262 -1592. The " refu r b comm itte e" is
cleanin g and paintin g.
�I\
1,300 Women attend_abortion conference,
planAbortionAction Week
Over 1,300 women came to the Second
National Women's Abortion Action Con ference, Feb. 11- 13, and voted over whelmingly to support and build Abortion Action Week, May 1-6.
The women came together to mobolize their efforts in planning positive actions for winning total abortion law repeal. They came from every area of the
United States and several foreign countries .
The conference began on Friday with
a rally, the theme of which was "How to
Win Abortion Law Repeal." Among the
speakers were Florence Luscomb, who
was prominent in the suffragist movement; Dr. Barbara Roberts, a founder
and National Project Director of
WONAAC (Women's National Abortion
Action Coalition); Lana Clarke Phelan,
Vice-President West of the National
Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws;
Elma Barrera, a Chicana feminist; and
Shirley Wheeler , the first woman ever to
be convicted of manslaughter for having
an abortion.
A letter of support was read at the
rally by Jessica Josephson, legislative
assistant for women's affairs for Congresswoman Bella Abzug, who is introducing federal legislation called the Abortion Rights Act of 1972. If passed, this
would void any state or federal law
which restricts abortion and would leave
abortion entirely to the choice of each
individual woman.
On Saturday workshops and plenary
sessions were held all day. Seventeen
constituency workshops met on Saturday afternoon, among which was a large
Lesbian Workshop. Saturday evening
was devoted to discussion and voting
on proposals submitted by various
groups.
Sunday morning found most of the
women still going strong in organizational workshops on fund raising, building
new coalitions, press work, education,
and regional work. The final plenary
session on Sunday afternoon heard reports and proposals from Saturday's constituency workshops.
Among the specific workshop proposals that were accepted was one from
the National Legislation Workshop,
calling for the Conference to support the
Abortion Rights Act while remaining a
non-partisan organization.
The thre e main demands coming out
of the conference were:
1) Repeal all anti-abortion laws
2) Repeal all restrictive contraceptive laws
3) End forced sterilization
The three all boil down to one demand:
A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE.
I
H.C.H.S.
PROFESSIONAL
COUNSELING SERVICE
We have a staff of more than
30 men and women to counsel
individuals and couples
Homophile Community Health Service
is open weekdays
10 a.m . to 5 p.m.
NEXT MONTH:
On-the-spot coverage of the
Women's March held March 11with photos!
evenings by appointment
j
419 Boylston St., Rm. 403
Boston
266-5477
7
�,,
The typesetter
News and feature stories are written.
THE MAKING
The paste-up -artist pastes up the copy on specially
marked sheets of paper.
The making of FOCUS begins with
the making of the news that fills its
pages.
And it takes a lot of time, effort,
skill and 'equipment to bring news and
feature articles to FOCUS subscribers
each month.
Our six-woman staff begins to work
on a new edition as soon as the current
edition comes off the press ready for
distribution to newsstands and subscribers.
FOCUS is produced by a printing
method known as "offset"-a
modern
photochemical process discovered in the
early 20th century.
Nine important functions are carried
out by the staff with each issue of
FOCUS;
1.) News and feature stories are written and edited.
2.) The typewritten copy is then
sent to the printer, who sets the copy
and headlines on modern typesetting
equipment.
SE
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headlines.
The typesetter sets the copy that will fill
the pages.
OF FOCUS
The printer runs off each copy of FOCUS.
3.) The advertis ing manager solicits
ads from businesses and individuals and
designs the ads for publication.
4.) All typeset copy for stories and
ads is proof-read for final corrections
before
5.) it is pasted up on specially marked sheets of heavy paper.
6.) The final paste-up sheets go to
camera, where the whole page is shot in
negative form.
7.) A "stripper" then takes out imperfections in the negatives and makes
a "flat," which is sent to the
8.) platemaker, who photochemically etches the page onto an aluminum
plate, which is placed on the press and
printed.
9.) After FOCUS comes off the press,
it is sent to the staff members in charge
of mailing and distribution.
They mail
out individual copies and personally deliver a number of issues to newsdealers
in Greater Boston.
-,,--=-
....
,
""'"'
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.: , \
,
�'Moth changesname,
er'
expands editorial direction
What's happ ening today in th e women's moveme nt , ip.cluding open coverage
of Lesbian wome n , will highlight the expan ded editori al dire cti on of Moth er
Publica tions .
To facilitate t he expanded direction ,
the newspaper Mother has been renam ed
Proud Woman and will cover news and
fea tur es relevan t to the women's movement as well as to the Lesbian movement .
Explaining the change of directio n
fro m exclusiv ely Lesbi an to all-wom en,
man aging edito r Sasha Gregory said ,
"th rough our eight months experie nce
with the Lesbian public at ion Mothe r, we
learned that mo st mov ement Lesbians
are active in th e wom en 's mov emen t.
" We fo und, " she continued , " t hat the
active leade rship of some wom en 's groups
was from 25 % to 50 % or more Lesbian .
Proba bly three tim es mo re Lesb ian s are
active in the women's mo vem ent th an are
active in the Lesbian mo vem ent.
" So, it seemed logical that in ord er t o
ful fill our initial goal of serving all Lesbians , we would have to cover the women 's movement. "
Another motive for the change in edito rial dir ect ion, according t o Ms. Gregory,
is that "we have a strong com m it ment to
the belief t hat the wo men's movem ent
should represent all women- including
the Lesbi ans who are fre quently leader s
in thi s movem ent .
"We felt th at it was ironic ," she continu ed, "that publicati ons re pr esenti ng
th e women' s mo vem ent-a moveme nt
which is stron gly mot ivat ed and guided
by Lesbians-sho ul d consistently ignore
Lesbian issues in th e page s of thei r publicati ons .
" And so we concluded that there is a
large and unmet need for a wo men 's publication which would put Lesbian wo men
in a true persp ective ," Ms. Grego ry conclude d .
The name Proud Woman was suggest ed
by a mem ber of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Nati onal Organizat io n of Women
(NOW).
Mother Publica t ions was organized in
1971 to publish educatio nal and news
materials related to the wom en 's and
Lesbian mo w ments.
In its fir st year of operation , it achieved the status of being the publi sher of
the largest circula ting Lesbian pub lication
(Mother) in the United Stat es.
Among the publish ing act ivitie s of
Mother Pu blication s is the Lesbi an featur e service GWNS (Gay Wome n's New s
Service).
Plans for 1972 incl ud e the sponsoring
of the first national awards for writing
and graphics on the Lesbian theme .
MCC
reprintsarticles
In Unity, Metropolitan Community Church 's magazine, has reprinted an article written by Kim
Stab insk i of the FOCUS staff .
"Th e Roman Catholic Homosexual : THE OLD ORDER
CHANGETH ... " appears in the
December 1971/January 1972 issue
ofln Unity . It was originally published in The Ladder, same issue
dates but one year earlier.
Several years ago Metropolitan
Community Church also reprinted
10
an earlier article which Kim had
Th ey
published in The Ladder.
reprinted this first arti cle ("Wh at
t he Bible Says ...and Doe s NOT
Say ...abo ut Homose xu alit y ") as a
brochure , which they use as an
enclosure when replying to most
mail they receive. This bro chure
has been reprinted five times to
.·date.
For information about MCC,
write to 2201 South Union Ave.,
Los Angeles, California 90007.
�New York Report
Making Connections
by MARTHA SHELLEY
Lesbianism is revolution, it says on
the button on my jacket. My roommate Judy says no , women have been
making it with each other for centuries
and we still have no power in the world.
But I have sworn to leave no stone unturned in the quest for liberation, so on
Christmas day Mikki and I got stoned .
Sunshine. Best acid I ever turned on to.
We made love, our bodies formed a
circle. It was like making love to myself,
like a cat catching its tail, a worm coming across its other end in the burrow. I
remembered a line from a song, "Let the
circle be unbroken ." The circle dances
that we introduced in Gay Liberation
Front. Monique Wittig's "vulval ring."
I made up a haiku about it:
I woke up eating
My tail one morning an d found
It was my sister.
Myself, my m oth er. I am the flesh of
my mother who will go to the grave despising herself, her own flesh from the
waist down. Unclean, it says in the
Torah . She told me she couldn't bear to
have another woman touch her sexually.
B.T.'s mother told her, "Don't mix the
bathroom with the kitchen." Cut yourself in half, it's easy; the magician will
now saw a lady in half and put one half
in the kitchen, the other in the bathroom.
Morning prayer: I thank thee Lord that
I was not born a woman. My grandfather
said it every morning but I didn't know
enough Hebrew to understand what the
words meant.
I am the flesh of my father who fears
the flesh of women, who betrayed me
with his contempt for women. I am the
flesh of my father, the butch who has betrayed a thousand women simply by seeing them as beautiful, myself as the frog
courting the princess. But her kiss didn't
turn me into a prince. No, I'm a princess.
A grown woman, a six-year-old who got
her tail for Christmas.
Mikki: "Did you ever think you might
be my other end?"
A man can't make a woman fee l beautiful, and Athene knows I've tried them
more than once, and had the best of them
too. I must be beautiful in my own eyes,
in my own terms, must accept the beauty
of other women, before I can begin to
think of the male as a human being. We
will deal with them wh en we have reintegrated ourselves.
With Mikki I lived through many fantasies, buried in her flesh like a black
woman and her children in a wagon full
of cotton. We slept in the soft cotton, in
the wagon on a dark and starry night.
We took the cotton from Massa and left
him and we were free. I have heard
blacks in Harlem calling each other evil
names, putting each other down, reinforcing the ugliness that has been forced
on them by the oppressor. And heard
many times, from many people of my
parents' generation, that they find most
blacks unattractive, can't imagine sleeping with a black .
Men must really despise our bodies,
for we learn th eir values and d espise ourselves. Mikki gets angry when I touch
her behind in public.
"It's a gesture of possession," she says.
But it's more . A woman's behind is
always behind her ; she can't see it. The
gesture is an attack from behind. Kids
get spanked on the behind. Women get
pinched and grabbed and goosed. I remember the curses where I went to
school: "I'm gonna kick yo' ass in."
"Get her white ass outta here."
I was on the edge of life and death
with Mikki, knowing somehow if I came
then it would be through a process of
wipi~g out my consciousness, that high
degree of awareness which is the acid
state. Or, that it would be through making a new kind of connection with M~kki,
a telepathic one, a new level of consc10us ness beyond th e normal. Being aware
that sexual fantasies were always , no
matter how distorted , fantasies of union .
(Please turn page)
11
�NEW YORK
REPORT
We are such strange beings , our little consciousn ess the difference betw een life and
death, between animal an d human , union
and separation.
Fantasies ... for years I've been prey to
maso chistic fantasies, masturbation fantasies which replicated power relationships in our society. Mikki said, "This
wiping-out of consciousness, these masochistic fantasies, are reflections of the
fact that sexual union, for most women,
means self-obliteration, self-denial."
Then what is sex between equals? I've
been gay for ten years now--my god, it's
my birthday on which I'm writing this;
happy birthday to me!- -and I'm just beginning to find out. What now? I don't
feel like having fantasies anymore. I feel
reb orn- -no t in the blood of some miserable little lamb, but in my own m enstrual
fluid .
We attempt to assimilate the names
they call us. I remember one hot spring
day, during the time I was working on
RAT and living in one of the worst tenements in the East Village. I was walking
down the street with Wendy, wearing
jeans and a torn tie-dyed shirt. We passed the fruit stand, where the proprietor
was abusing a customer. Wendy swiped a
tangerine and we shared it. I thought of
Jean Genet, and compared myself to him.
"Homosex ual , thief, ragamuffin." I was
glad, perversely proud of my outcaste
status.
Her labia were like flowers, like sea
anemones... I wondered if mine were like
that to her. She said later that she was on
a hilltop, making love to me in the grass,
sunshine pouring down.
Lesbianism, I have read somewhere,
contains narcissism. A healthy narcissism,
I think, for the oppressed people are not
allowed to love themselves. You can always rule a people who have no self-esteem, no self-love. For me, Lesbianism
has been a ten-year search for myself in
another woman, an effort always amputated by my inability to see myself in her.
Always falling short un til Christmas day,
when acid completed the connection.
Plato said, "An army of lovers cannot
lose" - but first we must learn to love. A
profound change.
Chapter One in th e Field Manual of the
Women's Liberation Army will discuss
self-love.
Gay women united
in public ceremony
They didn 't hav e a marriage licens e,
but they got marri ed anyway.
Donn a Burkett an d Mononia Evans
exchanged vows in an Easte rn Orthodox
ceremony attended by 250 guests in Milwaukee on Christma s day.
They had tried unsuccessfully to obtain a marriag e license from County
Clerk Thomas Zablo cki. The young co uple is suin g Mr. Zablocki on the grounds
that his refusal to issu e the license violates the fed eral civil rights law.
According to a county corporat ion
lawyer, th e state hw does not spec ifically prohib it same- sex marriage, but it
do es "effective ly prohibit it because
trad iti ona l concepts of marriage ar e implicit in t he law."
12
Counsel for Ms. Burk ett and Ms. Evan s
argued t hat "if the law is to be int erpreted , it must be in terms of enlightened
modern thinking on the subject." Th e
case is continuing.
Father Joseph Feldhausen, pastor of
the church, told the congregation that
the coup le faces "triple oppression" because they are "wom en, black and gay."
Pre-wed din g publicity caused great
emotional stress and family and job
problems for the women. Ms. Evans'
father was strongly opposed to the marriage , and he and his daughter are no
long er on speaking terms. Ms. Burkett's
mother, some aunts and a few uncle s
attended the cerem ony . There were also
many curiosity seekers present.
�Letters to the Editor
Editorial gays
hits
To all FOCUS readers:
Well, it's time to zap the Union Leader again. Last issue we asked you to
join us in writing letters of protest to
the editors for the editorial swipes given
to Senators Kennedy and McCarthy for
their support of equal job opportunities
for homosexuals-support
the UL termed "disgraceful."
Undaunted by the letters of protest
which they are still slowly working into
the " Letters to the Editor" pages, the
UL editorial staff has now run a short
but biting editorial criticizing the Baptists, which is reprinted verbatim:
SAD, NOT GAY
An average, sincere churchgoer nowadays certainly must look in amazement at the goings on
at the headquarters of most national denominations.
Take the National Baptist Convention, for instance, and mark well the following excerpt from
its bulletin for January 20, 1972:
"Gay Liberation: Like it or not, the gay liberation is nationwide. The American Library
Association has a homosexuality bibliography
which can be obtained free ... " The article then
proceeds to give a name, an address and a city.
This writer feels free to criticize such an outrageous item. He is a Baptist and past chairman
of the Board of Directors of his church, and his
wife teaches Sunday School at the Baptist
Church .
Why in heaven's name should any responsible
religious publication call attention to homosexuality and actually state the name and address of
individuals who can supply more information on
the subject?
One can only conclude from this that the
people running the national headquarter s have
suddenly lost their sense of judgment, or that
someone has infiltrated the organization for the
purpose of helping homosexuals and thus breaking down the morals and morality of the nation.
It is tragic even to have to relate this disgusting item from the American Baptist Convention's
Iitera ture.
The paragraph beginning "Why in heaven's name ... " was set in bold face by UL
for emphasis. The editorial appeared on
page 13 of the Feb. 19, 1972 edition.
As we stated last issue, the UL has a
wide circulation-letters
published are
from all over the country. It's a good
place t o get said some of the things we
should all be saying-and the UL will give
us the space. They boast in eac h edition
that they publish more letters than any
other newspaper in the co untry-and a
look at their lette rs would indicate that
they do publish everything they get.
They do insist that letters be und er 400
words, though, and that you furnish a
name and address even if you request
the lett er to be published anonymously.
Write your protests to The Union
Leader, Box 780, Manchester, N. H.
03105.
Andy and Kim
p
h
for
0
the
gay
t
0
g
r
a
p
woman
h
call
pam
y
335-5249
13
�Publishersissue books about gays
Although some book publishers will
not reissue older gay books such as The
Price of Salt and Of Love Forbidden because there is "no demand" for them,
other publishers are printing books that
deal with all aspects of the gay movement today.
Some new and not-so-new books for
the gay reader include:
On Being Different: What it Means to
be a Homosexual, by Merle Miller, Random House, 1971, $4.50.
Homos~xuals and the Military, by
Colin Williams and Martin Weinberg, Harper and Row, 1971 (?). Sociological
study by members of the Institute for
Sex Research (the Kinsey Institute).
$8.95.
The Gay Militants Donn Teal e, Stein
and Day, 1971, $7.95.
The Gay World, by Martin Hoffman,
1968, Bantam paperback, $1.25.
Sexual Behavior in the Human Female,
Kinsey et al , 1953, Pocket Books, $1.65
or $1.95.
The Grapevine, by Jess Stern, MacFad den-Bartell, paperback, $ .95.
Homosexual Oppression and Liberation, by Denn is Altm an, Outerbridge
and Dienstfrey.
Dancing the Gay Lib Blues, by Arthur
Bell, Simon and Schuster, $5.95.
Calendar of Events
March 26-DOB
business meeting
March 28-Open
rap, Holmes Hall , 7: 30 p.m .
March 28-Speaking engagement, Tufts University,
7-9 p .m., on 'Lifestyles.' Andy and Kim.
April
1-Couples rap, call 262· 1592 for info.
April 4-Open
rap, Holmes Hall, 7: 30 p.m.
April 5-Speaking engagement, Tufts University,
Elaine and Gail .
April 9-Tentative
men.
conference on gay women and
April
11-Open rap, Holmes Hall, 7:30 p.m.
April
COMING SOON
FOCUS will offer a new column
of advice to its readers. If you are
having problems or if there is something about gay life that you would
like to understand better, tell us
about it. A professional psychologist will answer all legitimate questions. Please include your birthdate.
Address your letter to FOCUS-I,
419 Boylston St., Room 406, Boston 02116. Everything confidential.
15-Couples rap, call 262-1592 for info.
April 25-Speaking engagement, Tufts University,
7-9 p.m., on 'Being a Lesbian.' Elaine, Jo, Gail.
Advertising
Rates
Full page ................................ $20.00
Half page................................
10.00
Quarter page ...........................
5.00
Less than quarter page .......... 2.50
Classified ad rates: $1 for the first
20 words and 15e for each additional word.
"For sale," "Wanted," etc .
do not count as words. Anything
given away free will receive a free
ad. Figure your charge and mail a
check with your ad copy.
14
Classifieds
WANTED:
two 9 x 12 foot rugs for the new
DOB offices at 419 Boylston Street . If you have a
spare rug-or two- you would like to donate, please
call 262-1592 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
ROOMMATE WANTED: private room, kitchen
privileges, reasonable rent. At busstop in Dorchester.
Call Pat-825-5554.
ROOMMATE WANTED: Two Lesbians want third
td share old colonial house on North Shore. Own room
and phone. Near ocean and woods. 1-526-7387 .
ROOMMATE WANTED: 'Tit Sept., share furnished studio apt., Copley Sq. I work nights. $80 .
266-6340.
�0.0.B. Referrals
Legal
Rose Z. Smith, 803 Washington St.,
Hanover, 1-826-66 00 . Mrs. Smith has
over 20 years legal experience, divorce
and custody cases in particular.
Regge Healey, Legal Action for Women
(L.A.W.), 492-5520. Ms. Healey only
handles casesoccurring in Cambridge and
only for those women who are in a low income bracket.
Rook, Roth, Rubino, 7 Water St., Boston, 742 -2243. This is a team of male
lawyers with extensive experience in
handling casesof gay males.
Ruth Budde, 15 Court Square, Boston,
227-9122. Ms. Budde is a member of
M.C.A.D. (Mass. Commission Against
Discrimination).
Medical
Dr. Joanna Perlmutter, Beth Israel Hospital, 734-4400.
Dr. Rita Kelly, Mass. General Hospital,
726-2000.
Dr. Emma Varvaro, General Practitioner,
894-0058.
H.C.H.S. (Homophile Community Health
Service) 419 Boylston St., Suite 403 , Boston, 266 -5477. Professional psychiatric
counseling service.
Dr. Dorothea Hellman, Internist,
469-9550.
Religious
Roman Catholic: St. Clement's Church
has initiated a dialogue with gay women
and men. The priests listed below have
made themselves available to counsel gay
Catholics. Call 536-2376 and ask for Fr.
Terrance Dougherty, Fr. Brian Hennigan,
or Fr. Tom Mickey.
Unitarian : Rev. Barbara Halleroth,
862-8200.
Methodist : Dr. William Alberts, Old
West Methodist Church, 277-5088. Rev.
Ruth Robinson, 277-5088.
Gay Groups
Homophile Union of Boston, P. 0 . Box
217, Dorchester Station, Boston , phone
282 -9181 .
Daughters of Bilitis, 419 Boylston St.,
Suite 406, Boston, 262-1592 .
Gay Male Liberation, c/o The Red Book store, 91 River St., Cambridge, 354-1555.
Gay Co-Op of Boston, 536 -3233 and
536-8588.
Radicalesbians, for information call the
Women's Center, 661-9650.
Student Homophile League, 491-0128
and 776-7454.
Lesbian Liberation, for information call
the Women's Center, 661 -9650.
Women's Groups
Female Liberation, 552 Mass. Ave.,
Cambridge, 491-1071.
National Organization for Women (NOW),
45 Newbury St., Boston, 267-6160.
Women's Center at B.U., 46 Pleasant St.,
Cambridge, 661-9650. Will offer 15
courses, including " Lesbian Liberation."
Hypnosis
Patricia James, 825-5554.
Daughters of Bilitis
419 Boylston Street, Room 406
Boston, Mass. 02116
Telephone:
262-1592
□
□
□
Newsletter subscription-$5 year
Single DOB membership-$10 year
Joint DOB membership-$15 year
Name ___________
_
2nd name (joint) _______
_
Address.
__________
City _____
_
State __
Zip __
PLEASE print the above information.
Make all checks payable to Boston DOB.
I am a woman 18 years of age or old er.
(Only membership applications need be
signed.)
Signature _________
_
2nd Sig.. _________
_
_
15
I l
�A MAGAZINE
PUBLISHED
BY LESBIANS
FOR LESBIANS
AND FOR ALL
WOMEN CONCERNED
\VI r H FULL
HUMAN RIGHTS
Design ideas, equipment, know how,
complete composition go to make a
quality product.
FULL LINE social and commercial
printing.
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�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1972 March-April
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1972-03; 1972-04
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 2, issue 11 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197203
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/a9e66afb219e4096689cde4112b669a2.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=R-rj%7EEFN4sir55bvhXRu8i1hK2iGRIzqjmB2GkJoaxy9OoS3SLrdA8Eia3WUdVGn2CmMcvfWJoECLh0Vjqg%7EkmA5U0UWYqdqUpCADoA1QOtRaNStfw6O3zzVslJNY7h6HLlfRDEr8AYy3kdlDq1n4MEA4FNZA65VkUcskGVpMVN4pf5PuAKMiFVZE2ykrsD9qxiMSs0wk9feeB68iRm8uoobelJPssncdLEp1THmRgq84ZDCKzBLyiIRKYEL-sICe-vv%7EmFDu0lyx0kcKF4M7ddHyWe2aWPx2YpAzB7H%7EP0aACegPlVjF%7E9qcHEscRJSa4SuVNkAN%7EJmnO6DA9CTRw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
563cb469381e22e1cbad75ac999406ec
PDF Text
Text
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�Boston DOB
Officers
Focus Staff
President ..... .... ........... ..... Gail King
Vice Presiden t ..... ...... .Toni Kroger
.
,
Record ing Sec ..... ..Margar et Andree
Correspo nd ing Sec ... . Laura Robin
Treas urer ........ ............. Rose Tuttle
Ed itor ........................... Pam Boyd
Advertising ....... ........... Ja ckie Roth
Circu lat ion ............. ....... J udah, Lois
Sta ff ..... Andy Cox, Kim Stabinsk i
in th is issue
emil y d ickinso n .... ..... ........ ........ ...... ................ ... 3
abortion ........................................ ............. .... ..... . 5
noted with interest.. ................ ......................... . 6
cabaret:
a review.............................................
7
over the fence..................................... ...... ......... 8
globe issue.......................... ...... ........ .................. 9
women's march ..................................................
10
editorials .... ............................... ........ .................. 12
letters ..................................................................
13
attitude study .....................................................
14
martha shelley ........ ...................................... ...... 15
vol. 2
no. 12
The opinions expressed in this publicat ion are not necessarily those of the organization ,
but rather they are the opinions of the individual contributors .
FOCUS is published by the Boston Chapter of Daughters of Bilitis. All correspondence should be
addressed to : FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB, 419 Boylston Street, Room 406 , Bost on, Mass. 02 116 .
FOCUS is published the first week of each month . Deadline is th e fiftee nth of the preceeding month. Any copy received after the deadline will be held for the next issue.
This publication is on file at the International Women's History Archive, 2325 Oak St.,
Berkeley, Calif. 94708, and is available on microfilm through Bell and Howell, Drawer "E,"
Wooster, Ohio 44691.
�I
Much Madness is Divinest Sense
(Reprinted from "The Furies,"
February, 1972, by permission of the
author, Jennifer Woodul.)
by JENNIFER
WOODUL
Trying to find out something about
Emily Dickinson exposes some of the
more disgusting examples of heterosexual arrogance and stupidity ever witnessed by lesbian women. Books written
about her life tend to focus on the reason
mo st of her life was spent in seclusion.
That reason is generally assumed to have
been a love affair which ended badly.
That love affair is presum ed to be hetero sexual by 99% of the biographers who
attempt to explain or study her life . In
order to study the life of the poet, one is
forced to be bored by pages and pages of
biographical detail relating to practically
every man Dickinson ever saw-in the hope
of discovering the juicy reason that she
seemed a bit strange to everyone. And the
juiciest thing that they can come up withsince the poet is a woman, and therefore is
assumed to be susceptible to such thingsis an illicit love affair with a man.
Clearly (according to most of the biographers), the poet had the misfortune, all
the more unfortunate in her time, of falling in love with a married man. The shock
of this revelation is supposed to be enough
to convince us that it is true . Certainly all
the "evidence" is a bit obscure , if not contrived.
Men who were callers once or twice at
the home of her father are cited as likely
candidates for her lifelong affection. One
of the oft mentioned possibilities is a preacher whom she had met on a few occasions.
That this dry and rigid man would be the
object of her passionate love poetry seems
ridiculous, especially since their personal
contact was so rare. Supposedly her love
could also have been a judge who was a
long time friend of the family. Perhaps.
However, he was twenty-eight years her
senior, and their friendship did not really
blossom until she was around fifty years
old. Most of her poetry had been written
by then. It is suggested that the editor of
the local paper might have been the man.
After all he did visit her home (to call on
her fath~r) many times, and he did print
I
one of her poems in his paper. Many of
these stories were fostered and encouraged
by Emily's survivors in the Dickinson family and by editors. But it is strange that
few researchers have noted that while Emily
was supposed to have been enamoured of
the newspaperman, for example, she was
carrying on a vastly more ardent and affectionate correspondence with his wife,
Mary. In fact, the five to fifteen male candidates suggested as Emily's lover never received a fraction of the love-filled letters
that went to Susan Gilbert, Kate Scott,
Mrs. Holland, Mary Bowles, Abiah Root,
Jane Humphrey, Lou and Frances Norcross
and several other female friends. Strange
that the heterosexual mind sees no discrepancies.
Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst,
Massachusetts , in 1830. As a child she liked
to pretend she was a boy, and in later letters
she would refer to her "boyhood." She was
from a solidly middle class family. Her father was a lawyer and an associate of Amherst College (so that she was well fixed
economically when she decided to spend
the rest of her life as a recluse). She spent
a year at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.
That year turned out to be a dismal failure.
Religious conversions were the vogue at that
time, and Emily was a rebel. She could not
see converting to Jesus and giving up the
world and she said so. She felt disappointed and hurt as her young girlfriends began
one by one to turn to Christ and forsake
Emily. The whole conversion fad did not
make much sense to her. As she put it, she
preferred the " powe r" to the "kingdom and
the Glory." Although converting would
have been the safer, more acceptable thing
for a woman of her station to do , she never
did.
In 1847 , when she was about 17 years
old Emily Dickinson first met Susan Gilbert . Sue was about the same age as Emily,
and Emily was immediately fascinated with
her. She was a beautiful young woman who
was socially poised, popular and very interested in literature. Literature was probably
their greatest common interest. By the sum mer of 1850, Sue and Emily were spending
most of their time together. Apparently
they spent much time talking about books
'
I
I
(Please turn page)
3
�Noted with Interest
New Jersey teacher dismissed;
Michigancity ends discrimination
A Gay Cultural Exposition will be held
May 5-7 at Rutgers University in New
Brunswick, New Jersey. Sponsored by
the Rutgers Student Homophile League,
the exposition will center on the history
of gay culture and its future. Housing
will be available. Additional information
is available by calling the HUB office,
282-9181. .
A New Jersey high school teacher who
underwent male-to-female sex-change
surgery was fired from her teaching post
recently. School officials said Mrs. Paula
Miriam Grossman, 52, was fired on the
grounds on "incapacity because of the
potential her presence in the classroom
presents for psychological harm to the
students." The state commissioner of
education ordered the dismissal and indicated that there was a "strong possibility that students with uncertainties
about their own sex roles could be hurt
by her classroom presence." Mrs. Grossman's behavior was described as "abnormal" and "deviant." Legal action against
the school system in Bernards township,
where she taught, is underway.
The Kalas Society-GLF of Hartford,
Connecticut, recently cancelled its group
subscription to the ADVOCATE, citing
the "sexist policy" of the popular newspaper -·as the reason. Kalas members
agreed that the ADVOCATE is not the
"liberation publication it purported to
be and did not respond to the needs or
interests of a homosexual liberation
group."
The East Lansing, Michigan, city council recently adopted an ordinance that
prohibits discrimination against homosexuals in city government. An article in the
Detroit Free Press said, "The ordinance
specifically forbids bias against male or
female homosexuals in the hiring, firing
and promoting of city workers." The
action is the first of its kind in the naticn.
Women's World, a New York based
newspaper, has come out in support of
presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm.
6
New Y0rk Congresswoman Bella Abzug
has asked Secretary of the Navy John H.
Chafee to intervene in what she describes
as a "witch hunt" being conducted
against a Navy man accused of being a
homosexual. The sailor's personnel officer and commanding officer have admitted that the charges against him
would not stand up under a court martial. Ms. Abzug accuses the Navy of
"neatly circumventing established courtmartial procedures which provide many
basic constitutional rights." She also
warned Secretary Chafee that "the government is not privileged to penalize him
(the sailor) on grounds of vague suspicion ."
The Washington, D. C., Gay Activist
Alliance opened the city's first gay community center recently. Located in a
warehouse building, the new quarters will
provide adequate space for a library, a
possible clinic, a general meeting place
and a place to hold dances. Lawyers
are now working to incorporate the venture as a non-profit corpo rat ion.
DOB library needs donations
The DOB library has acquired a bookshelf and a little bit of order.
We would like the library to house a
complete set of newsletters. Anyone who
can donate originals or xerox copies of the
following issues, please send them or bring
them to the DOB office at 419 Boylston
Street:
Maiden Voyage: December, 1969January, February, March, April, May,
June-July, and November, 1970. FOCUS:
December, 1971.
We also need three-hole looseleaf binders desperately, and we could use looseleaf subject separators. Other library
aides would be helpful too.
And of course we need donations of
books, and we can even give some suggestions: The Gay Speaker's Bureau has
copies of The Challenge and Progress of
Homosexual Law Reform (1968, 69 pp)
and Homosexuals and Employment
�Cabaret: a review
by TONI KROGER
One measure of the health of a society
is the number of conformities in which a
people are caught up.
Germany during the thirties had one
holdout to the conformist trend-the
cabaret.
Well after Hitler had come into power,
and after all other opposition was silenced or driven underground, the cabarets were still functioning. They were
already underground. This was their essence.
Performers in these cabarets-Kabaretts
auf Deutsch-were artists who took chances few others were taking. One entertainer would walk on stage, give a Nazi
salute and shout "Heil...now what was
his name?" Brave indeed-he could have
lost his life . Those connected with the
cabarets were fascinating people.
Liza Minelli and Joel Grey star in a
motion picture mirroring these times.
The picture is called, appropriately
enough, Cabaret.
Sally Bowles-played by Minelli-is an
American gadfly, unreflective and unreflecting. She goes with the error-whatever it may be. Totally unconcerned
with realities, her life is the theatre-or
rather, it is to make a name, a splashtidal wave?-however she can, the theatre
being the most likely vehicle for her desire. Sally is funny, likeable, bouncy,
gay and tragic.
Joel Grey, while not exactly Mephestophilian, is hardly a figure of light and
warmth. He is, however, a typical cabaret personality-still
mouthing witticisms
against the authorities, he is aware of the
reality and the absurdity of things. It is
this awareness that enables him to function so well as MC. Germany is going to
hell and Grey is on the platform wishing
it "Bon Voyage." He does not suffer
from unconcern-only
despair, existentialist despair .
Plotwise, th ere is one major unstructured theme running throughout-Sally
versus reality. She wins or loses depending on your perspective . Many plots ,
dealing with love, hate, war, etc., surround this. Supporting characters are
convincing.
Technically, it is at least not badly
done.
Whether or not any movie is worth a
three dollar admission is a personal matter. If character studies are your thing,
you might give Cabaret some thought.
WANTED
Gay books/paperbound or
hardcover. Novels and studies
and out-of-print books.
If you have any books
available or know where to
obtain them, call
Ellen Ratner
266-5477
I
I
SPECIAL PURCHASE
Order at wholesale cost!
I
I
We have a large selection of brightly colored selfsticking vinyl decals-use on cars, walls, books,
windows, you name it-indoors
or outdoors.
Specify your choices:
Women's Liberation -Stop
War - Yield to Peace - War Kills - Shout Jo y, Live
Peace - America (stars & stripes falling apart) - Sun Defuse the Population Bomb - Recycle - Short
Power - Puberty is a Hair Raising Experience - Is
There Intelligent Life on Earth - Grammy Power.
I
Your cost : 25<1@, 5 for $1 , all 13 for $2. Retail
price for these decals is 49</to 69<1. Include postage:
1 to 3 decals, 8 r/ - 4 to 7, 16,/ - 8 to 13, 24". All
orders will be sent to you by return first class mail.
FOCUS will receive a percentage of all sales.
ACISME SERVICE CORPORATION
Deering Road
Weare New Hampshire 03281
,
7
�over the fence
__J~
- ~Lttwith DIANE O'KEEFE
Good writing, like an exciting dance
routine, must have spontaneity and flow
lazily like a quiet mountain stream. It
should be dotted sporadically with beautiful similes and metaphors and laced
here and there with colorful bits of
humor. · That's the way it should be,
but when the creative jui ces dry up and
. the muses desert you, it's time to move
on to something else.
So after a long hiatus and a few
months or so of kicking my cat and
contemplating my navel, I decided to
take up figure skating, suffering as the
consequence two sprained wrists, a nasty
concussion and a fractured coccyx . Sublimation-you know what you can do
with that, don't you? I've decided I'm
safer standing behind an easel. The worst
that can happen is I run out of Burnt
Umber, the easel falls on me, or I get
"high" from too much turpentine.
Oh, I must mention the swimming
meet I finally entered myself in this past
summer. I swam out to about five feet,
swallowed a mouthful of water, choked,
and went down like a rock . Do you know
how embarrassing it is to almost drown
in five feet of water in front of all your
friends, especially when you 're 5 '1 "?
But that's another story . Needless to
say, I hung up my snorkel and innertube
after that one.
I'm trying to feminize myself. Hot
pants and "cutzie" turtleneck sweaters.
No more chuka boots or sweat shirts and
dungarees. However, when you look
feminine and still talk like a stevedore,
it does leave something to be desired.
But I'm working on that.
As for my kids-the middle one needs
braces, the youngest needs tutoring, and
the oldest needs a r~p in the mouth. The
youngest keeps threatening to run away
and the oldest absolutely refuses. So
things are pretty much the same.
The radiator in my car still leaks and
my brakes gave out somewhere along the
8
Lynnway, and recently I got a flat on 128
and was caught with a spare tire with no
air in it . So my luck is running about the
same. I'm still the same delightful scatte rbrained dingbat I was a year or so ago.
In fact, I think that's why people are
drawn to me . I am completely una ccomplished, a born underachiever, an
absolute threat to no one and likely to
remain so.
Take test number five in figure skating. I've been working on it for over a
year and have failed it twice. Somewhere
along the line I've developed a neurotic
need to fail as a defense mechani sm to
keep people from disliking me. So far it
works. I'm known as the likeable klutz
with two left feet. You can't knock that.
Seriously, though, when the judge
comes on the ice just the size of her is
overwhelming (she looks like a top sergeant in the Israeli Army). My knees
(Continued
on page 9)
p
h
for
0
the
gay
t
0
g
r
woman
a
p
h
call
pam
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335-5249
�f'.o cu.s
M °c 1 1.
Globe refusesad, faces possible legal action
The Boston Globe has refused to accept paid advertising from Boston DOB.
Spokesmen for the Globe would not
give any reason for the action.
The ad, which had been subJ:T1itted
for inclusion in the Sunday Book Review Section on April 16, read as follows:
FOCUS, a journal for gay women. Publish•
ed monthly by Boston Daughters of Bilitis and
sent in a plain envelope . $5/yr.; for sample,
send 40¢. Boston DOB is a chapter of a national lesbian organization. It provides a place for
lesbians to talk, socialize, and work for change
in society . All inquiries are strictly confidential. (Address followed)
Two days after the copy was hand delivered to the Display Advertising De- .
partment, DOB President Gail King received the following lett er fro m Globe
National Advertising Director Millard G.
Owen :
Dear Ms. King: We have received your
check in the amount of $58.80, along with
literature and your advertising copy . We are
returning same to you, however, as we do not
care to publish this advertising.
In subsequent verbal and written communication with Globe hierachy, Ms.
King accused the liberal newspaper of
"discrimination against lesbians and
homosexuals," and she attempted to
meet with Mr. Owen to discuss what
was at the root of the rejection.
Editor Thomas Winship, th ro ugh
Lawrence B. Healy, Classified Ad Manager, pro mptly denied the charge of discrimination and enclosed copies of two
columns by George Frazier to show
"the Boston Globe makes every effort
to keep its editorial policy free of discrimination."
Ms. King had also written to Mr. Owen
asking for confirmation "of our meeting
at 10 a.m. on April 26." Mr. Owen's reply: " ...under no circumstances did I
from
page 8)
turn to water, my left becomes my right,
and I start grabbing for my blanket and
my Raggedy Ann.
So in closing let me add I would rather
lose my mind t han my sense of hum or,
and lest you th ink I' ve become a refor med dyke par ading aro un d in a miniskirt
and a sacchari ne smile , I'm st ill given t o
kicking my cat occasiona lly, t rippi ng
sweet old ladies who anno y me , and removing planks from cellar st airs.
I
I
..
•
'
We understand that the legal decisions deal•
ing with such situations have generally held
that the freedom of the press guaranteed by
the First Amendment includes the publisher's
right to be free from compulsion to accept advertising. However, the ultimate purpose of
the freedom of speech provision of the First
Amendment is to promote the public circula•
tion of diverse thought on political and social
issues.
To be sure, the Globe may feel an ad run
by a female homosexual organization is con•
troversial, and indeed it may be. But the ad is
tastefully done and does provide an organiza•
tion and service for a group of people who
have every right to exist and to extend them•
selves to those of like mind.
We sincerely hope that you will help to end
this pattern of discrimination in the media by
running their advertisement.
AA~
I
l
......,
Tu/J-
H
.C.H.S.
.2,3
PROFESSIONA L
COUNSELING SERV ICE
We have a staff of more than
30 men and women to counsel
indivi duals and couples
Homophile Community Health Service
Over the Fence
(Continued
agree to a meeting with you under the
conditions you spelled out in our telephone conversation of last week."
HUB and other gay or ganizations in
Boston have agreed to try to place ads
in the Globe.
In the meantime, John W. Roberts,
Executive Director of the American Civil
Liberties Union, has asked the Globe to
take a second look at the DOB ad.
is open wee kdays
10 a.m. t o 5 p.m.
evenings by appoin tment
419 Boylston St ., Rm. 403
Boston
266-5477
9
I
�Te
Women
' mare~
A contrasting group of women gathered to
listen as speakers called for reform in the
prison system, equality and gay rights.
The curious came, and some found themselves in the middle of the action.
All along the route of the march , several
participants armed with cans of spray
paint defaced public buildings.
And some just came to watch and share
an experience.
As the marchers walked down Tr emont Street singing, the
driver of the bus edged to within inches of them as he
blew his horn continuously.
One marche r fi nally t old him
"It's only a j ob," and he sto pped.
�EDITORIAL
Movement lacksrespect, dignity and pride
There is no reason why the women's
movement cannot be conducted with a
little pride and respect, dignity and maturity, and with a smattering of tolerance.
Male chauvanist society has made life
miserable for women, but that is no excuse for us to emulate their crude, vulgar,
destructive, unfeeling and violent behavior in our efforts to bring about the favorable changes we need so desperately .
We should approach the problem of
female -and gay oppression as mature ,
thoughtful and gentle women , not as a
bunch ·of hysterical, foul-mouthed , ugly
bitches parading up and down the streets
of Boston shouting obscenities and defacing property .
And this , unfortunately, is how a
great majority of women came across
during the International Women's Day
march in March.
Do the women who stood before the
crowd of 300 and whose every other
word was "fuck," "shit," "prick," "asshole," and ·other similar crude terms,
realize they sounded more like sailors
or like some guys who take great pride
in the number of rotten words they can
string· together in a single sentence?
Do the women who ran along the sidewalks and streets spraying paint all over
public buildings, historical monuments
and churches realize they were acting on
the same level as a conditioned soldier
who would much rather destroy something than leave it alone?
And do the gay women who look like
slobs with their mismatched clothes, uncombed hair, and breasts hanging at
waist level realize that not only are they
successful in making themselves unattractive to males, but that they are also
quite successful in turning off discerning
females who know what it is to be a
woman and who take pride in the fact
that they are women?
If the women's movement is ever going
to be successful, a lot of the women in it
would be well advised to grow up and
learn there is nothing wrong with carrying oneself with dignity, taking a little
pride in what others think, and having a
lot of respect for other people-their
feelings and their property as well.
N. C. homo
sexuals and the law
The foll owing editorial appeared in
the Charlotte (North Carolina) OBSERVER on March 17, 1972. North Carolina
has recent ly increased the penalties for
the "crime against nature" to sixty years
maximum. The maximum for first degree murder is forty years!
The Triangle Gay Alliance, a homosex ual organization which says it is
spokesman for the "gay p ower people"
in N orth Carolina, has taken aim at a
good target. It p lans to figh t for the
repeal of our "crime against natu re" law,
which prohibits what the state considers
abnor mal sex prac tices.
The law reads:
"If any per son shall comm it the crime
against natu re, with mank ind or beast,
he shall be imprisoned in the state 's
prison for not less than five or more
12
than 60 years."
We think the law should be struck
down for two reasons.
First, the medical profess ion is currently debating the cause of homosexuality, and the debate is often acrimonious. Some doctors insist homosexuality is a sickness. Others shrug and say
it is an alternative to heter osex uality
and that such laws as Nort h Carolina's
contribute to homosexuality rather than
deter it.
Second, as long as no child is molested, approached or harmed and no sexual
acts are p erformed between adults in a
public pl ace, we think the re should be
no laws abo ut sexu al prac tices between
he terosexuals or ho mo sex uals. What
happens in the bed is simpl y none of
the government 's business .
�Letters to the Editor
Dear Sisters:
It should be brought to the attention of
our sisters and brothers that a widely used
college text, Problems and Perspectives in
Ethics, by Thomas M. Garrett, S. J . (New
York: Sheed and Ward, 1968) contains
highly slanted and untru e information on
homosexuality in the view of ethical morality.
Statements contained within the text,
specifically on pages 236 and 237, are degrading, misleading, and based on clinical
observations only.
I enclose a mimeographed copy of two
pages of the text in which the slanderous
and grossly unfair treatment of the topic
will be self -evident .
This text, to my knowl edge, is used in a
number of Catholic colleges and tends to
reinforce misconceptions and fears whi ch
inhibit and greatly detract from the progress of our cause.
Two DOBers
Charlie and Max
(Editor's note: portions of the two photostatic copies enclosed are reprinted verbatim below.)
Despite a great deal of propaganda in favor of
the homosexual way of life, the fact remains that
most homosexual relations are short-lived, impersonal, and characterized by a great deal of promiscuity . There are some homosexual marriages
which may last for years, but they are excep tion s.
Homosexual relations offer little if anything to
human development , not only because such a use
of sex is relatively meaningless and unstable but
because it reinforces certain basic character traits
which are obstacles to development and maturity .
Harper , on the basis of his clinical practice, says
that the main psychological components of the
homosexual are:
(1) A basic antisexuality or puritanism-an
early instilled and well reinforced non -acceptance
of sexuality in general and heterosexuality in particular ; (2) low personal self-esteem and self-confidence-that is, deep-seated feelings of inadequacyimmaturity; and ( 3) compulsive adherence to the
continually reinforced homosexual mode of
orgastic satisfaction.
Harper also notes that the homosexual neurosis
is like that of the alcoholic or drug addict in that
it involves relatively permanent means of attaining
short-range alleviation of insecurity and low self-
esteem. In the long run, all such means are self-de
feating. Kardiner speaks of the homosexual as ha,
ing a low emotional regard for others and an incapacity for sustained tender relations with oth ers.
In short, the homosexual is a stunted individuala tragedy.
Some societies have tolerated homosexualit y
becau se they did not feel it was a real threat to
social order. Our own society has often been unnecessarily cruel to the homosexual , and there is
serious doubt about the wisdom and justice of
laws that make private homosexual behavior between consenting adults a crime. We should not
forget, however, that homosexuality is a tragedy
and a real block to development . We must, then,
be concerned with the proper sexual development
of children and young people , less they be tra pped
into deviance.
Dear Editor:
Organized revenge is at hand for all
who resent advertising's big put-down
of women (and occasionally gays)-ads
like Pristeen's view of two girls with
nothing more stimulating to discuss
than their feminine deoderant, or the
Playtex bit where the girl is actually
pleased that stupid male did not even
recognize her because she had rear ranged her bosom with their Cross
Your Heart bra.
For a buck you can become a member of CROC--Committee for Rejection
of Obnoxious Commercials. Write to
them at Box 1022, Minneapolis, Minn.
CROC is currently tabulating ballots
to determine the 10 worst TV commercials as determined by thousands of
viewers. The results will be released
in May. They are also balloting on
the 10 most enjoyable commercials,
hoping that the pros along with the
cons will encourage ad agency writers
to use a little imagination and to give
viewers credit for at least a little common sense.
Watch for the results in your newspaper. Or join CROC, get the news
earlier, and let them know how you
feel about ads which are insulting to
human intelligence in general and are
demeaning and demoralizing to women
in particular.
Kim
13
�Attitudestoward gays favorable
by PAT ROBERTS
In a classroom discussion at Boston
State College, it was recently hypothesized that female college students would
be more liberal towards homosexuality
than male students would be. This hypothesis was tested via a questionnaire.
A limited sample was used , and therefore the results would only apply to
Boston State.
With the best knowledge available, in
the history of mankind research relevant to th is survey has not been done,
although there has been much study
about the "sickness" of homosexuality.
My two assistants and I distributed
questionnaires to 30 male and 30 female students at the college, ranging in
age from 18 to 24 years.
Results of the total sample were:
25% have or have had friends who are
homosexuals; 65% favored the abolishment of laws against homosexuals ; 70%
were Catholic; and 94% were not mar -
ried. The null hypothesis was accepted ,
as there was no significant difference
between the male and female su bjects
in their response to the questions.
The fact that Boston State College is
not considered "liberal" (as comp ared
to Boston University or Harvard) yet
came up with a 65% favorable attitude
towards homosexuality projects that it
is very likely in the future that laws restricting the freedom of homosexuals
will be abolished.
With these unexpected results , we extended our study to office workers,
ranging in age from 18 to 30 years.
Again there was no difference in opinions by sexes. 72% of the sample were
in favor of abolishing laws pertaining to
homosexuals, and only 28% want ed to
keep gay persons restricted. Times and
attitudes change, and the futur e freedom
of gay persons looks good!
One woman's view:
a married lesbian
by KAREN POLLAK
I had reached my destinationBoston Chapter of DOB-after driving
more than two hours in a heavy fog .
I had planned to attend a meeting
and talk with another married Lesbian
like myself, but the meeting never
took place. However , I did meet
several other women, one of whom
could not comprehend my being
married and being a Lesbian as well.
I tried to explain that like most
girls, marriage had been the "utopian
dream" I had been told to desire.
It is difficult to remember what I was
more afraid of-being a Lesbian or becoming an old maid.
Marriage was a facade, a false sense
of security I thought I needed.
My husband and I were great buddiei,;, enjoying the same interests. We
both loved sports and nature and we
14
have traveled a great deal. My husband
is not a very sexually demanding man,
and I have been able to keep my preference a secret from him.
There have been other rewards-finan cial security , a beautiful home, and
most of all two adored children.
Money, however, cannot replace or
buy happiness. I plan to rai~e my children to the best of my ability and let
them choose their own life styles when
they are old enough.
Perhaps of late I have been thinking
more of my own desires and needs. We
cannot change the past, but we can plan
the future. For me the future means a
chance to share my thoughts, dreams
and love with a woman of my choice.
�New Yori< Report
More tales of mid-America
by MARTHA SHELLEY
Kansas City, March 28-My bones ache
from the transition-80°
in Los Angeles
to freezing rain in the heartland. If I'd
had the time, I would have arranged a
trip by car, but .....
The Rockie s were covered with a
yellowish-brown haze, and I couldn't
believe my eyes. Asked the captain and
he said "Smog." All over the Rockies ...
hundreds of miles in every direction. We
don't have much time left .
But even Kansas City is changing. I
turned B. on for the first time in her life,
and her response was, "I feel euphoric ...
it completely wipes out my sense of impending hurry." And I replied, "That's
why people smoke it-to get back into
enjoying the moment for its own sake."
Now B. is a pillar of Kansas City Republican society and has lived here without
budging since the year one and next year
intends to take a vacation in Berkeley, so
you can see that the country may yet be
saved.
B. says to tell you all that love is what
changed her, mainly that after 20 years of
marriage she met a rather striking type
with an Irish mug off a Missouri farm and
decided to switch partners. The result is
that various romantic types who are trying to "make gay marriage work" have
decided that B. no longer walks on water.
As a non-monogamcrus type, I think B.
has ju st become less obsessional than she
used to be.
There is a women's center here. Abortion is legal on the Kansas side of the
city, but not on the Missouri side. I am
holding in my hand a newsletter which
gives numbers for the Abortion and
Health Collective, Speakers Bureau, Child
Care Center, Karate Class, Auto Mechanics ... The Speakers Bureau has given talks
at such far-out places as Calvary Bible
College, and the Gay Women's Caucus,
and in its own words, "has come to identify primarily with Women's Liberation
rather than with the Gay Community
Alliance, which is male dominated.
B. straightened my collar this a.m . and
told me that I should find a wife to pick
up after me, at least until after the Revolution, when I will have to learn how to
hang my pants properly. But I can cook
and sew. She also tells me I should stop
wandering around and doing reportage ,
like this here article, and should concentrate on poetry and fiction. H. says I am
the Wandering Jew. B. says I am an "itinerant problem. "
I want to get more itinerant, not less.
Two weeks ago Ollie told me that she'd
met my folks back in da Bronx last summer, and my father seems to be under
the impression that I am doing all the
things he always wanted to do but never
dared , like wandering all over the country
and sleeping with all sorts of beautiful
women. Well, the wandering all over the
country bit is true. Does anybody know
a Lesbian, age 24-40, who likes to travel
by thumb, object semi-matrimony?
My old man used to bring me home
the Katzenjammer Kids comics and tell
me stories about these two Jewish boys
from Brooklyn who coincidentally resembled him and his twin brother. These
rascals, as Dad called them, played hooky
from school, put firecrackers in the principal 's office, hijacked a bus and ran it
out to Coney Island where they sneaked
free rides on the carousel and roller coaster, stole apple pies ... Unlike the Katzenjammer Kids, who usually got spankings
for their misdeeds, the rascals generally
got away with it.
And my mother wonders why I've been
into Weather/Y ippi e/Huckleberry Finn
fantasies all these years. "When are you
going to grow up, dear?" After realizing
at this grizzled age of 28 how much my
life has been shaped by my father's fantasies, I wonder. Like what is free choice
and how much of it do I have. Am I condemned to be Huck Finn, always light ing
out for the territory, while all the other
dykes in Lesbian Nation are looking for
a house and garden? Would I rattle
around in a house like a caged wolf?
(Please turn page)
15
�NEW YORK
REPORT
Saw The Godfather today. A woman
whom I met in Los Angeles said the
women's movement ought to use Mafia
tactics, and she gave me examples. Like
a friend of hers in Boston, whenever his
bookies didn't pay him what th ey should,
would say to one of them, "Hey, Charlie,
lend me a dime, willya?"
"Sure, Joe," t he bookie would reply.
"What do you need a dime for?"
"I just wanta call your widow,
Charlie."
The missing money would suddenly
appear.
Another story she told me was about
the time a girlfriend of hers, let's call her
Sally, was being hounded by an old boyfriend who couldn't take no for an answer.
My informant and Sally went out late one
night, found his car, cut through the convertible top, slashed the tires, destroyed
the wiring with tin snips, and left a note:
"The knife that did this car can do you."
Old boyfriend never showed up in the
neighborhood again.
So I thought I'd see The Godfather
and pick up a few pointers. But the
murders were a little heavy for me-I
could demolish a car without qualms,
but a car doesn't squirm and bleed.
The woman who Mike Corleone fell
in love with in Sicily (Mike is the Godfather-in-training) resembled Carol, whom
I was once in love with and somewhere
still am, and I got kind of teary about it.
Then I walked out , realizing that the romanticism of that image is directly connected to Mike killing a man who messed
with his sister , to the church services and
the dozen or so corpses spewed around
the screen. I am beginning to get a line
on some connections out of my ra cial unconscious, which I will explore in future
articles. Mike killed, after all, to protect
his family. B. once to ld me back in the
60s that she would consign a dozen regiments to hell before allowing harm to
come to a hair of her lover's head.
Which is all to say that I have gone
across the coun try and halfway back thus
far without any more solutions to my
basic problems. However, it has been a
pleasurable trip, and after dinner tonight
causes me to be in a good mood, to share
with you this apocryphal tale of the
month, which I heard from a student of
dialectical materialism at UCLA:
Male student: Well, if we are going to
talk about oppression, Miss Davis, suppose you are just about the worst thing
going ...
Miss Davis: Yes?
Male student:
Like, suppose you're
black, and a Communist, and a woman ...
Miss Davis, eyebrows raised: ... and a
Lesbian ...
Male student: ...yes, and also suppose ...
Yes, ma'am, stories like th at jus t make
you feel warm all over, even on a freezing
day in Kansas City.
Abortion
lawskilled
Connecticut struck down the abortion
laws it had carried since 1860 by split decision of a three-judge federal panel on
April 18.
In ruling that the laws violated a wom an's rights to freedom and privacy, the
majority opinion stated: "In 1860, when
the . e statutes were enacted in their present
s
form, women had few rights. Since then,
however, their status in our society has
changed dramatically."
The opinion also clarified "We think that
by these statutes Connecticut trespasses unjustifiably on the personal privacy and liberty of its female citizenry."
16
--NOTICE--FOCUS needs contributions from
writers, photographers and artists.
Written pieces should deal w ith some
aspect of gay life . Photos and art
work along these lines are welcome.
We will alsu consider good quality
black and white photos for covers.
Send your work to FOCUS Editor,
419 Boylston Street, Room 406,
Boston, Mass. 02116.
�Emily Dickinson
(From page 4)
'Tis true our futures different lay,
Your cottage faced the sun,
While oceans and the north did play
On every side of mine.
'Tis true your garden led the bloom ,
For mine in frosts was sown ,
And Yet , one summer we were queens,
But you were crowned in Jun e.
After Kate 's second visit to Amherst, at
some point she stopped writing to Emily
with no explanation. Emily waited for some months , continu ing to send letters to
Kate. She received none in return until
sometime in 186 1, when Kate wrote a letter terminating their relationship. Apparently she had somewha t of a moral crisis
when she had time to think about a lesbian
relationship and the p ossibilities of thei r
being able to sustai n it in the face of a violently hostile world. At any rate , Emily
later refers to that period of waiting for a
letter before the final blow as " murder by
degrees." From the time of Kate's letter of
rejection, Emily's poetry often describes a
woman turning away or curelly forsaking
her.
Her sweet weight on my heart a nigh t
Had scarcely deigned to lie,
When, stirring for belief's delight,
My bride had slipped away.
Whereas her corr espondence and her
poetry from the years 1859 and '60
indicate that Emily was very happy
duri ng that time, the work surviving
from the year 1861 is often preoccupied
with fear of madness and death. Some
of her letters to her cousins, Lou and Frances Norcross, talk about continual weeping
and depression . Yet those cousins, who
were the recipients of hundreds of Emily's
letters, who were often her shoulders to
cry on , severely edited or destroyed most
of her letters after she died. Thus there is
a lot of evidence of something being wrong,
of Emily feeling that she had been cheated
not only by a person, but by society in general-and yet , the reasons for her distress
were carefully edited out of the lettersleaving ner sounding a little mad.
As Emily's disappoin tment and hurt over
Kate began to cool a litt le, she again rea lized that she was a poe t, that she had an
audience and that all her love poems could
not be written to a woman. She began to
use masculine pronouns to disguise the
poetry that was nearly always written about
a woman. After she died, several of the
rough drafts, in which she used feminine
pronouns, were found. In later drafts she
changed them, or her editors changed them,
in order to make them "suitable" for pub lication.
Emily Dickinson's seclusion was not, as
heterosexual male biographers would have
us believe, t hat of a namby-pamby spinster
who was disappointed that she never married . She was disappointed over a love af- ·fair with a woman. But more importantly,
her withdrawal was for her a serious protest
against a society whose heterosexual imperialism had ruined her life. Her poetry
contains far less bitterness toward her lover
than understanding that it was another impediment which kept them apart and cheated their lives .
Much Madness is divinest SenseTo a discerning EyeMuch Sense-the starkest Madnes~
'Tis the Majority
In this, as All, pre vailAssent-and you are saneDemur-you 're straightway dangerous
and handled with a Chain.
In another poem which is long, she talks
about the parting of two lovers who are
kept apart by something which goes unnamed. Three stanzas of it follow here.
The Hours slid fast-as Hours will,
Clutched tight, by greedy handsSo faces on two Decks, look back ,
Bound to opposing land~
And so, when all the time had leaked,
Without external sound
Each bound the Other's CrucifixWe gave no other BondSufficient troth, that we shall riseDeposed-at length, the GraveTo that new Marriage,
Justified-through Ca/varies of LoveAfter her final parting with Kate, Emily
lived the rest of her life in almost total seclusion. She died in 1886.
The wealth of terrible biographies I con(Please turn page)
17
�Emily Dickinson
suited for this article is not worth mentioning. The heterosexual bias is stifling and
verges on the absurd in its crazy quest for
Emily's male lover. Only one biographer
was sensitive enough to see that something
was wrong with that theory. She is Rebecca Patterson , author of The Riddle of Emily Dickinson. Although she confesses to
be "ignorant of the subject" with which she
is dealing (we are not to think that she is a
lesbian), she manages a fairly unbiased account of a love affair between women. The·
author's attitude is more or less summed up
when she says, "In a moment of unguarded
passion she (Emily) discovered that the line
between emotional and physical behavior
was a social convention." I would recommend that people read her book along with
any one of the other various biographies in
order to appreciate the distortions most of
the others put forth. The Patterson biography also contains much research on the life
of Kate Scott Turner Anthon, before and
after her relationship with Emily Dickinson.
Patterson points out at the beginning of her
book that it is strange that there has been
so much mystery surrounding the identity
of Emily Dickinson's lover, since a clue to
the secret is given away by a poem which
Emily addressed to Kate Turner:
I shall not murmur if at last
The ones I loved below
Permission have to understand
For what I shunned them soDivulging it would rest my heart
But it would ravage theirsWhy, Katie , treason has a voice,
But mine dispels in tears.
Abortion
the conference and accepted by the
whole conference.
There are many women now joining
the abortion movement who are coming into contact with all the issues of
the women's movement for the first
time. It's so exciting to see them
learn and grow-and to know they
won't stop once the abortion laws are
repealed. The abortion movement is
the biggest tool now to make the
women's movement grow.
There are two activities during the
Abortion Action Week that I hope as
many gay women as possible will support . The first one is a discussion on
"Gay Women and the Abortion Repeal
Movement" on May 2, 8 p.m., B. U.
Student Union, Room 315. The second activity is the most important for
that whole week-the march and rally
on May 6. The march starts at noon
from Copley Square, and the Rally begins at 1 p.m. on the Boston Commons
across from the State House . Some of
the speakers at th e rally will be Florence Luscomb, Myrna Lamb, Dr.
Barbara Roberts, and representatives
from the gay, black, chicano, and high
school movements. You can call 5471818 for details on the whole week's
activities.
Gay sister s, help fight to end this
control of our lives and our bodies ...
support these actions!
Classifieds
TO DR . GWYN Mc. Have left England. Am in
N. Y. C. Do you know what has happened? Cannot
practice. Please say in FOCUS where can reach you.
Brett Winstanley
WANTED:
two 9 x 12 foot rugs for the new
DOB offices at 419 Boylston Street. ff you have a
spare rug-or two- you would like to donate, please
calf 262-1592 between 8 a.m . and 4 p .m.
18
ROOMMATE WANTED: to share 5-room, spacious mobile home in country. I work nights. Calf
1-603-332-7284 or write Irene Saipe, Cross Road,
Rochester, New Hampshire 03867.
WOMEN WANTED: ff you have traveled or lived
outside the United States and have observed gay fife
where you have been and would like to share your
experiences with other gay women, write FOCUS
editor, 419 Boylston St., Room 406, Boston, Mass.
�D.O.B. Referrals
Legal
Rose Z. Smith, 803 Washington St.,
Hanover, 1-826-6600. Mrs. Smith has
over 20 years legal experience, divorce
and custody casesin particular.
Regge Healey, Legal Action for Women
(L.A.W.), 492-5520. Ms. Healey only
handles casesoccurring in Cambridge and
only for those women who are in a lowincome bracket.
Rook, Roth, Rubino, 7 Water St., Boston, 742-2243. This is a team of male
lawyers with extensive experience in
handling casesof gay males.
Ruth Budde, 15 Court Square, Boston,
227-9122. Ms. Budde is a member of
M.C.A.D. (Mass. Commission Against
Discrimination).
Medical
Dr. Joanna Perlmutte r, Beth Israel Hospital, 734-4400.
Dr. Rita Kelly, Mass. General Hospital,
726-2000.
Dr. Emma Varvaro, General Practitioner,
894-0058.
H.C.H.S. (Homophile Community Health
Service) 419 Boylston St., Suite 403, Boston, 266-5477. Professional psychiatric
counseling service.
Dr. Dorothea Hellman, Internist,
469-9550.
Religious
Roman Catholic: St. Clement's Church
has initiated a dialogue with gay women
and men. The priests listed below have
made themselves available to counsel gay
Catholics. Call 536-2376 and ask for Fr.
Terrance Dougherty, Fr. Brian Hennigan,
or Fr. Tom Mickey.
Unitarian: Rev. Barbara Halleroth,
862-8200.
Methodist: Dr. William Alberts , Old
West Methodist Church, 277-5088. Rev.
Ruth Robinson, 277-5088.
Gay Groups
Homophile Union of Boston, P. 0. Box
217, Dorchester Station, Boston, phone
282-9181.
Daughters of Bi Iitis, 419 Boylston St.,
Suite 406, Boston, 262-1592.
Gay Male Liberation, c/o The Red Bookstore, 91 River St., Cambridge, 354-1555.
Gay Co-Op of Boston, 536-3233 and
536-8588.
Radicalesbians, for information call the
Women's Center, 661-9650.
Student Homophile League, 491-0128
and 776-7454.
Lesbian Liberation, for information call
the Women's Center, 661-9650.
Women's Groups
Female Liberation, 552 Mass. Ave.,
Cambridge, 491-1071 .
National Organization for Women (NOW),
45 Newbury St., Boston, 267-6160.
Women's Center at B.U., 46 Pleasant St.,
Cambridge, 661-9650. Will offer 15
courses, including "Lesbian Liberation."
Hypnosis
Patricia James, 825-5554.
Daughters of Bilitis
419 Boylston Street, Room 406
Boston, Mass. 02116
Telephone: 262-1592
□
□
□
Newsletter subscription-$5 year
Single DOB membership--$10 .:year
Joint DOB membership--$15 year
Name ___________
_
2nd name (joint) _______
_
Address.
__________
City _____
_
.State __
Zip __
PLEASE print the above information.
Make all checks payable to Boston DOB.
I am a woman 18 years of age or older.
(Only membership applications need be
signed.)
Signature _________
_
2nd Sig__________
..
_
�A MAGAZINE
PUBLISHED
BY LESBIANS
FOR LESBIANS
AND FOR ALL
WOMEN CONCERNED
WI r H FULL
HUMAN
RIGHTS
<
;f~:\
"':
;c
J
l
·t;lt',"""""'""
& "
MAGAZINE CONTAINING FICTION .
POETRY . NON- FICTION. ART COLUMN.
BOOK RlVIEWS.LElTERS
. ART. AND
A COMPREHENSIVE
NEWS COLUMN .
PR1n11n0
Design ideas, equipment, know how,
complete composition go to make a
quality product .
FULL LINE social and commercial
printing.
ACISME
603-398-2511
Deering Road -
Weare, N. H. 03281
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1972 May
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1972-05
Description
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Volume 2, issue 12 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. Pages 4 and 5 of the issue are missing.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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THP-0011-focus-197205
-
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PDF Text
Text
F0eus
a journal for gay women
�Boston DOB
-----Officers
Focus Staff
President ,....... ............... Sharon Earll
Vice President ....... ..... Phyllis Carroll
Recording Sec....... Margaret Andree
Corresponding Sec.... Laura Robin
Treasurer ..................... Rose Tuttle
Editor .......... .............. ... Pam Boyd
Advertising .................. Jackie Roth
Circulation ............... .... Judah, Lois
Staff ..... Andy Cox, Kim Stabinski
in this issue
gay speakers ........... .............................. ............... .. 3
anti-gay crusade .................................................. .. 5
Lesbian information service................................ ... 6
gay pride week ................. ...................................... 7
letters .................. ................................. ................. .10
Martha Shelley..................................... ................. 11
Millay&. Sappho ........ ............................................ 13
vol. 3 no. I
The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the organization,
but rather they are the opinions of the individual contributors.
FOCUS is published by the Boston Chapter of Daughters of Bilitis. All correspondence should be
addressed to: FOCUS, c/o Boston DOB, 419 Boylston Street, Room 406, Boston, Mass. 02116.
FOCUS is published the first week of each month. Deadline is the fifteenth of the preceeding month. Any copy received after the deadline will be held for the next issue.
This publication is on file at the International Women's History Archive, 2325 Oak St .,
Berkeley, Calif. 94708, and is available on microfilm through Bell and Howell, Drawer "E, "
Wooster, Ohio 44691.
1.U .
2
•oo
�.The Gay Speakers Bureau
reac· es out to morepeople
h
by LAURA McMURRY
Two or three times a week these
days , speakers from the Boston Gay
Speakers' Bureau are sallying forth into
college classes, church groups, and hot
lines to talk with the people about being gay.
What is the Gay Speakers' Bureau
all about? What happens at speaking
engagements? Do they do any good?
I want to give you what I see as the
highlights about some of these things.
GSB is a group of 25 to 30 gay. worn•
en and men from the Boston area. It
was formed last fall when individual gay
groups found it difficult to find enough
speakers of both sexes to handle requests. The speakers are affiliated with
different groups and some are independents. Three people, including myself,
co-ordinate speaking engagements and
keep track of money.
So far it has been all we can do to
keep abreast of the requests which have
come in unsolicited . For example, in
March, 197 2, there were eleven engagements involving 22 different speakers,
both women and men.
Where do we speak? In March, for
example, we went to a church youth
group in Chelmsford, a class on sexuality at Cardinal Cushing High School in
South Boston, a faculty group at Newbury Junior College in Boston, several
college classes at Boston University and
the University of Massachusetts, an evening forum on sexuality at Graham Junior
College in Kenmore Square, several Unitarian church courses on sexuality, and
a hot line in Wellesley.
Over the two years or so that I have
been speaking, there has been a change
in my attitud~ towards the goals of
speaking. I used to hope that by the
end of two hours, everyone would be
convinced by my winning ways that
gay was O.K. I now realize this is far
too much to expect. If it takes months
for personal straight friends to accept
ones homosexuality (if they ever do),
what can one expect from strangers?
How are strangers goin,z to know your
life is as normal as you claim it is
when they don't see you from da; to
day?
Another mistake a lot of us used to
make was to suppose that everyone in
the audience was straight. We talked
about "you straights" and "we gays."
But we_were doing the very thing we
co~plamed that "society" was doing:
actmg as though gay people didn't exist!
One of the main points now in going
out to speak is to reach the gay or the
maybe-gay people. We mention in passing that some people there may have
gay feelings. We give every individual
a sheet listing the Boston cu.tct gay
groups and a short bibliography.
The next reason for going is to improve attitudes a notch or two, even if
we can't get to complete acceptance
and understanding. I think most people
are affected for the better by our presence and that they do carry something
good away with them.
How do we go about our speaking?
We've experimented with different
techniques, and continue to do so. In
general, the smaller the group is, the
better. We try to get the other people
involved and, if possible, talking to one
another as well as to us. In the beginning, we usually give a short talk to relax them and to give them a sense for
us as individuals.
-~
People are usually interested in our
personal lives rather than in generalities
although to be polite they will often '
ask about the latter. Instead of -asking
"D o you have a partner and if so are '
you into butch and femme?", they may
ask, "In homosexual relationships, is
one the man and one the woman?"
Other things they want to know are:
How did you discover you were homosexual? How did you feel about it?
Did you tell your parents, your fri~nds?
Do you have feelings for the opposite
. sex? If rou could take a magic pill to
; turn straight, would you (I always ask
(Please turn page)
3
�GAY SPEAKERS
about the side effects)? Would you like
to have children? Do you think gay
couples should raise children? What
about promiscuity? Is there homosexuality in animals?
No one has asked me about my sex
life, and very rarely has anyone asked
about sex directly.
People are generally polite, rarely
hostile. At first this seemed nice. We
thought we were doing well. But we
began to realize this was actually one
of our problems-and still is. It makes
speaking less scary for us, but it makes
it harder to deal with real feelings.
People are also reluctant to talk
about any gay feelings they may have .
How can they in a group of peers or
others with whom they will have to
contend after the speakers are gone.
Would you?
So, people don't say they hate homosexuals, or that they think we are abnormal. They often say, "I believe
everyone should do his or her own
thing ... " But when it starts to get
down to the nitty gritty, biases do,
indeed, begin to show.
"What caused you to be this way?"
This implies: "I think it's abnormal
and abnormal things have causes." It '
also implies: "What went wrong?"
One lady in particular was very determined about this. "Can you think
of what in your life caused you to be
homosexual?" she asked.
"It's really a question of what in our
backgrounds led to your being heterosexual (assuming_you _ar~) and my being
?omosexual. It 1s a similar question to
what causes someone to be a musician
and someone else to be a scientist?'.
No doubt it has to do with both genes
and upbringing."
"Well, did you have an unhappy
family life?"
"Like I said, I'm sure family life has
to do with determination of what you
are, including sexuality. But why suppose a bad family life would lead to
homosexuality? You suppose that because you think homosexuality is bad
and must have had bad origins."
The lady then decided for herself
4
from other things said that one of the
speakers had very loving parents. "Well
.
1t can 't have been due to your parents, '
then."
She was still looking only for bad
things! Any good things or neutral
things could, by her decree, have had
no bearing on his homosexuality. We
never did get across to this lady.
Prejudices come out in other ways.
Straight people-adults-are
usually
the most transparent when it comes to
allowing teenagers an exposure to gay
life and people. Listen to a class of
school teachers:
"Teenagers are too confused and impressionable .... .if a girl has no dates, she
might join a lesbian group as a cop-out ...
kids need to be older with more experience before they know what is right
for them ... .if my kid were hanging
around with a gay group, I'd get him to
the priest immediately, then to a psychiatrist, to some people who are recognized authorities ... "
We reply, "The overwhelming pres. ure
s
in this society is to be heterosexual.
Why do you feel that a homosexual lifesty le merely needs to be mentioned and
everyone will flock to it? Isn't it more
reasonable to suppose that those to
whom it is unappealing will not be interested? Kids do need experience to
find themselves-part of that very experience is to be able to talk with gay
people if they wish, to consider that
alternative for themselves ...... If a girl
has no dates with men, maybe it is
because she is a lesbian and doesn't
want any; or maybe it is something
else; but she wouldn't turn to a gay
group as a cop-out .....gay relationships
are no easier to come by and maintain
than heterosexual ones; in fact, they
have pressures working against them ....
and who says psychiatrists know more
about homosexuality than homosexuals? Most shrinks are as biased as
anyone else."
In some cases a better discussion
occurs after the speakers have left! I
talked with the teacher of a class of
high school girls.
(Continued
on page 14)
�MUL intensifies
anti-gaycrusade
by KIM ST ABINSKI
An all-out crusade against homosexuality is apparently under way by the
Manchester Union Leader, which is,
sadly, N.H.'s only major daily. This is
the same MUL that crucified Muskie (and
wife) along with most other presidential
hopefuls, only to sue the Boston Globe
for some $5,000,000 or so when the
Globe counter-criticized the MUL.
It all started with the MUL lead story
on Jan. 13. A reprint from the Village
Voice, the story merely revealed that
Senators Kennedy and McCarthy felt
homosexuals should have equal job
opportunities. Both senators had been
quizzed on other points, but neither
would comment on any rights other than
employment. The MUL headline was
therefore a misstatement to begin with:
"Gay Lib: Gene and Ted Say OK.''
Editorial comment preceeding this
story called this view (employment rights
only, remember) "disgraceful" and implied
that the MUL would withhold support
for either of these potential candidates
as a result.
Andy Cox and I immediately sent protest letters to the MUL and requested in
the Jan./Feb. FOCUS that others join us.
Our letters, and some of yours, were
published. They inspired a number of
attack letters and an editorial in the MUL
Feb. 19. This second editorial swipe was
a severe denunciation of the Baptists for
putting information in one of their bulletins telling how to obtain the American
Library Association's homosexuality bibliography. It was entitled "Sad, Not Gay"
and was reprinted in the March/ April
FOCUS with another plea from Andy
and me for your help in zapping the
MUL.
February through May saw the homosexuality "debate" via the MUL's "Letters to the Editor" pages grow. The attacks continued Archie-Bunker style,
blind bigotry with few facts. The defense letters, which by April began to
come in even from heterosexuals, more
generally gave factual information (complete with reference sources).
A number of attack letters pointed out
our "shame" since all the defense letters
were signed merely "Name and address
submitted.'' The MUL editors didn't clarify their hand in this, of course; but they
did finally publish a letter from two earlier writers who stated they had requested
their names and address to be printed but
that the MUL had deleted them without
permission. To this letter the editors did
add an editorial comment stating that
they refused to identify authors of homosexuality defense letters for fear of our
getting together to organize a gay liberation movement in New Hampshire!
Finally, when the defense letters were
so obviously making more sense than the
attack letters, the MUL announced their
new policy on May 20 : they will publish
all letters received except those in defense
of homosexuality, those from known
Communists, those that are obscene or
libelous , and those regarding their legal
suit against the Boston Globe. Publisher
William Loeb stated, among other choice
morsels, "Homosexuality is a disgusting
abnormality, and history reveals that the
widespread practice of this aberation has
led to the downfall of a number of nations." His newspaper, he said, "has no
intention of helping in any way to spread
the disease of homosexuality."
And now that retaliation letters will
not be printed, the bigots (led by the
MUL editors) are going wild. Letters to
the editor are promptly publishe_q if they
mass-condemn all homosexuals, giving incorrect information and using those wellknown stereotypes to apply to us all.
And there are more editorials now. On
June 13 one explained the need 'for the
Byrd bill recently introduced in Washington-because a federal judge ordered security status restored for "an avowed
homosexual." The editorial called this
"insane," stating "Homosexuals are always open to blackmail, and history is
filled with stories of homosexuals spying
for the enemy." The editorial overlooked
the fact that a known homosexual can
scarcely be blackmailed and that history
is also filled with heterosexual spies.
(Please turn page)
5
�MUL
A June 27 editorial, "No Room for
Disloyalty," was aimed at servicemen at
Williams Air Force Base who demonstrated against the war . They should receive
immediate dishonorable discharges , the
editorial cries, just as surely as should
"homosexuals or saboteurs in uniform."
June 28's editorial is reprinted here
in its entirity:
HOMOSEXUALITY-COMMUNICABLE
In a June 13th front page editorial, Publisher
William Loeb cited expert opinion to the effect
that drug addicts should be isolated from the
rest of the community because addiction has to
be treated as a "contagious disease." Obviously
"contagion" in this sense is not bacteriological
but it has been estimated that one drug addict
is apt to "infect" as many as 20 others with the
drug habit. "In some cases, as many as 50 individuals," he pointed out, "have been introduced to drugs by one addict."
There is another malady going the rounds in
our society which is similarly "communicable"homosexuality.
Whereas it may be tru.e that some persons
suffer a biological imbalance which tends to
misdirect life drives, there is no question but
that many among the perverts now parading
themselves in Gay Lib demonstrations have
been ''recruited"-lured, enticed-at some particularly ambivalent stage of their development.
One may feel sympathy for these men and
women entrapped in perversion-without being
in any way willing to capitulate to their increasingly aggressiveefforts to establish themselves
as a socially legitimate minority.
Whereas the kind of strict isolation suggested
for the drug addict is in many cases not possible
or even desirable for the homosexual, it is nevertheless important for society to resolutely protect its members from being victimized. Thus,
it is unthinkable that these people occupy personto-person positions (teaching, for example) where
perversive presmres can so easily be exerted;
from those sensitive posts in the public domain
where weakness might be the key to national
disaster.
It is June 28 as I write this. The MUL
editorial columns have zapped us the past
two days, and we cannot counter with
protest letters since the MUL refuses to
print the other side of the story (despite
the large "There is nothing so powerful
as truth" on their masthead every day).
They are printing gross exaggerations , outright lies, about us, and refusing rebuttal
letters.
Other than the token protest or discontin • ing our subscription, can you
u
think of anything else we can do to help
squelch the MUL's anti-gay crusade? Any
suggestions will be appreciated!
Lesbian information service formed
A new national Lesbian service group
has been formed in San Francisco by Lesbian writers and professionals.
The new non-profit group, the National
Lesbian Information Service (NLIS), is
publishing a monthly 8-page newsletter
with a round-up of national Lesbian news.
There are lists of resource groups and
materials and articles on Lesbianism.
"There are several million Lesbians in
the United States, and yet they represent
one of the most invisible and oppressed
minorities in the country," said Sarah
Lewis, spokeswoman for the group.
"Unfortunately, too often people in
counselling or similar situations who want
to help Lesbians the most, cause the most
harm through out-of-date and misinformation," Ms. Lewis continued.
"The NLIS Newsletter is an attempt
6
to provide a source of accurate information on Lesbians and Lesbianism to concerned parents, educators, professionals
and individuals.
"We hope that readers of the newsletter will be able to use it as a useful
source of reliable, unprejudiced insight
into Lesbianism as well as a means of
contacting other resources," Ms. Lewis
concluded.
In addition to the Newsletter, several
informational monographs are available
from the group on topics such as "What
is Lesbianism," "Counseling the Lesbian
Student," and "Lesbians as Mothers."
NLIS may be contacted at P.O. Box
15368, San Francisco, Ca. 94115. Subscription to the newsletter is $12 per year
or $20 per two years. Sample copies are
504.
�"Tha sun cama out ... "
by PAT ROBERTS
"God loves us - the sun came out of its closet!"
Everyone roared. What a way to celebrate my com·
ing out.
The Boston contingent of gays arrived sopping
wet in the Village on the day of the Christopher
Street parade. Getting off the bus we felt stranded,
not knowing which way to go to get dry. The gay
bars hadn't opened yet.
Then someone called out, " If you need shelter, follow me!" It was a brother from the Mattachine Society office. Inside there was coffee which
we all appreciated. A sister gave me some dry
clothes. And Dr. Spock was there. He autographed
my press card and someone took a photo of us.
That was just one of the big thrills to come that day.
The fifty of us who came by bus, came by cars,
and one by plane, were somewhat weary from a
week - long Gay Pride celebration of films, workshops, raps, parties, dances, and a march from Copley Square to the Boston Common, where we had
a rally in front of the State House ("Straight House"
as John called it ...), while Sylvia Sydney cheered us
on. There were speeches, singing and poetry readings, one from Gertrude Stein reciting "we are
regular and gay, because we are regularly gay,
because we are gay regularly, etc ..."
Our week of celebration was only a prelude to
the Biggie in New York. The highlight of our own
group was Sister Catherine Jim attired in his nun's
habit. Sisters and brothers genuflucted and
kissed his cross, I did, too, and thanked him for
his miracle ...the sun coming out of its closet.
I wore jeans, yellow jacket, and to my own
sugirise - - a red, white, and blue necktie covered
with gay love buttons. In the Park St. subway
(Boston) I had bought a freaky flower and while
marching I plucked bits of its lavender petals
and sprinkled them on the spectators, saying,
"!J.avesome gay dust." That went over big.
The flower did look like a magic wand.
Sharon, our new D.'O:R' president, was
there; a professor from the college I attend; two
blind girls supported our march; one sister had
her foot in a cast and it split after an hour of
walking; another girl I'd met several years ago
in Straitsville yelled out, "P.J. I didn't know
you were gay!" When did YOU come out!" ·
We embraced each other, laughing and crying
out, "Sister, sister!" It was truly a happy day.
The scene was uplifting to my soul. There
were many newcomers like myself. I wasn't
alone. All these people were my kin. I needed them and they needed me. Like afterimages,
the chanting still rings in my ears.
The spectators seemed to enjoy our
"parade". But I hope they realize that it
wasn't just a parade with clowns and carringson. That it was, rather, a March for Freedom,
with Gay Pride as our message.
7
�Gay Pride March
9
�Letters to the Editor
To the editor:
Thanks for having the courage to
print your observations re the lack of
pride, dignity and maturity. As I spend
99 44/100% of my life in the straight
community, I can agree with you all
the way. Such conduct as you mentioned really does tum off people who
otherwise might be open, tolerant and
even understanding if we could command their respect.
Also, I want to mention that I was
delighted to read "Over the Fence" by
Diane O'Keefe. I really missed that
feature during the past months.
Best wishes for continued success in
the ever-improving production of
FOCUS.
Sincerely,
Loretta F.
Dear members,
Believing wholeheartedly in your organization and wishing to do my part
in assisting those who lack proper
finances to support a merited vacation,
I am offering my cottage free again this
year to those desirous of relaxing in a
pine-scented atmosphere.
I was an honorary member of DOB
San Francisco, having made numerous
monetary donations to that chapter's
support.
My cottage is located in the Lakewood Theatre Colony of Maine, and
I have room for at least 6 members
who wish to accept my offer. Those
accepting will at no time be under any
obligation. If I can make any member
happy, it will be a complete satisfaction
to me.
This offer is open after the 7th of
August until October 15.
Sincerely yours,
Paulette
(Ed. Note: Anyone interested may contact Boston DOB)
Dear sisters,
As you can see by the letterhead, I'm
a sister living forcefully under the regime of the pigs.
But though I'm not by myself in
here, I'm never the less lonely. I have
no correspondence, due to having been
in prison for over 10 years and losing
contact with whatever female lovers I
had in the past.
Therefore, I would appreciate it if
someone would write to me. Let me
know something about the movements
going on out there that concern people
like me.
I will gladly write to anyone that will
write to me. All letters will be answered
the day received. It is awful lonely in
here. Please aid me.
Yours in gay love,
Bernice
(Ed. Note: Persons wishing to correspond with Bernice should send first
letter c/o DOB to be forwarded to
her.)
Dear Sisters,
I've been looking over our files and
groups for gay women seem pretty
sparce.
Since I'm sure it is only our files that
are incomplete in listing established organizations in America, names and addresses and phone numbers of women
willing to talk to gay women travele:s
and give counselling, I would appreciate
any help your organizati?n. or FOC{!S
readers can give us in bnngmg our files
up to date.
In pride and love,
Susan Lashley
Co-ordinator, National
Gay Student Center
FOCUS
a journal for
. gay women
HURRAHJ
.:
J'Uly · 23
Boston
Globe
►
$60 worth
10
1>ubllsbed
monthly · 1w ·Boston
Dauirhteni of Dibilltls and 9'!nt in
a ;:,lain envelo1>e, $5/year: IJM. a
sam~le, send 50c.
.
Boston DOB is ·a ch&l>ter of a ·n._
tion,rl lesbl ·an oriranization . It 1>rovides a 1>lace for ie.bians to talk,
socialize, and work for chan1e in
society , All !nquirlea are ■trlotb
confidentlal :•;,
DAUGHTERS
OF BILIT,S
419 BoylstonSt., Room406
Boston,Mass.02116 262-1592
�New York Report
Hands acrossthe dollar gap
by MARTHA SHELLEY
This message is urgent: seven women were arrested last month in Chicago,
each charged with three counts of abortion and three counts of con spiracy
to commit abortion. They face a total
of 60 years each in prison . The rumor
which reached me was that these women had been part of a collective and
had performed over 3,000 safe abortions,
although none of them was a licensed
physician. Such rumors should be
squelched at the source, since (a) they
could land innocent sisters in jail and
(b) it should be obvious that a woman
could not possibly perform a safe abortion unless she was licensed by the state
and the American Medical Association.
It has been further stated that these
women were actually doing free abortions for ghetto women. This is also
patently untrue, since anyone who was
crazy enough to work for free could
not be trusted to do a good job.
These seven women need your help.
Send checks to Abortion Defense Fund,
c/o Bizar and Pildes, 127 North Dearborn, Chicago, Illinois 60602.
I seem to be facing a crisis of trust
here in New York. We move so slowly
in the Movement. Sometimes I and we
get mixed up, and I can't separate my
problems from the problems of the
Feminist Movement. This is either advanced political thinking or advanced
schizophrenia. Recently I started to see
a shrink, a gay radical therapist who
works on the pay-what-you-can-afford
system. She keeps trying to focus me
on my peculiar problems as a writer,
while I am trying to save the world
single-handedly--but rather ineffectually,
I must admit.
I'm still not clear about my own
right to be an individual versus individualism, and if we can move collectively
as women. My shrink has made some
speeches for the Movement, so we've
had similar experiences and common
goals--and similar problems with stardom. I see women around me who are
burdened with children and who will
never make it to the top--and women
who feel the best thing they can do for
the Movement is to make it big within
the system. Meanwhile, according to
the New York Times of the last few
months, reports issued by the Department of Labor indicate the number of
job opportunities for women is shrinking rather than expanding --and has been
for the last ten years . We are still the
marginal workers, the last hired and the
first fired. And yet so many of us are
working separately, trying to make it in
a system which is slowly, inexorably
squeezing us out.
A few are making it--yet I am not
about to fight for women's capitalism,
for the right of a few to succeed over
the failed lives of the many. Nor am I
happy with the notion that I can be
pacified with a book contract, or a
job teaching college, or a few more
speaking engagements.
Speaking of college teachers, my
friend Joan threw a party last week.
She and her lover teach college, so they
aren't exactly starving, but neither has
tenure. They bought some food for
twenty expected guests. One of the
guests, who was unaware that she had
been invited to a private party, invited
all the patrons at Bonnie and Clyde's.
This Lesbian bar was filled with students, welfare recipients and the un employed, each nursing her beer and
waiting for the free buffet which ,arrives every Sunday afternoon. The
hungry horde descended on my friends'
apartment and quickly reduced their
offering to crumbs and cigarette . butts.
Later, Joan complained to me that
she wasn't in the business of feeding all
the "welfare chiselers" on the Lower
East Side. "They never bring anything
to a party--they are always mooching."
As I sometimes am a recipient of welfare and unemployment, I took offense;
but she explained that she didn't mean
me--that I'd never mooched off her.
And this is true, because I don't see her
as the enemy. I think the "welfare
chiselers" she is referring to see any
(Please turn page)
11
�NEW YORK
REPORT
woman with a middle class income as
an immensely rich person who is fair
game.
Joan doesn't know any of these welfare chiselers personally, but she is offended by the way they come stomping
into a party in patched dungarees with
outrageous mottoes stenciled on their
army jackets and with imitation afros.
She assumed that none of the attire, including the hair, has recently seen soap
and water. When Jill Johnston comes
into a party in crazily embroidered
jeans and flying hair, no one complains.
People assume she is sanitary. If she
makes a few "male chauvinist" remarks,
gets roaring drunk and dances riotously,
Joan defends her as a lesbian who has
really been oppressed by straight women
and men--in particular the straights who
send obscene letters about her to the
Village Voice.
Jill used to live on welfare. After
the collapse of her marriage, when her
kids were taken away from her and she
was hospitalized in the looney bin, she
came out determined to make it as a
writer. She obtained welfare and lived
on it for two years while learning the
writing profession. Nobody dares say a
word against Jill in Joan's presence--or
in mine.
Now who are the welfare chiselers on
the Lower East Side? My friends forgive me for taking unemployment while
I write these articles because I'm contributing something to the Movement,
but everyone is sure that the Lower
East Side Dykes, as they call themselves,
are lazy dropouts from Scarsdale who
do nothing but smoke dope and figure
out schemes for ripping off the middle
class.
Three of these women are acquaintances of mine--! don't know the others
except by sight. One was orphaned at
an early age. Her grandmother committed her to the looney bin for being
truant and unmanageable, but she managed to convince the Chief Psychiatrist
that she was sane and not in need of
electroshock therapy (which had been
ordered for her). He sent her home,
and she ran away to the East Village,
found an "old man" to take her in,
and progressed from LSD to speed to
12
heroin.
After she kicked drugs, without the
benefit of "therapy," she went home,
obtained a high school diploma, attended college for a while, then left her
grandmother again for her own apartment in the East Village. She helped
found the Queens Women's Center,
writes poetry, and works on the Come
Out newspaper collective.
Another welfare chiseler of my acquaintance was raised by a bitter and
violently puritanical mother. She too
left home, after getting a clerk's job.
She worked for several years in the
same office, coding cards and mailing
form letters. When she was laid off,
she managed to get the New York State
Employment Service to assign her to a
work-study program in electronics. She
was the first woman admitted, and is
strikingly attractive. Consequently, she
was hassled by the male students all the
time. She quit that school. I don't
know much about what she's doing now,
except that she has worked on the Lesbian Food Conspiracy and put in quite
a number of hours keeping the Women's
Liberation Center open. None of her
services to the Movement are paid for.
She doesn't write articles or make
speeches, so her name isn't known outside her collective.
The third woman recently left home.
She puts in day after day answering the
phones and doing general office work
in the Women's Liberation Center,
which is the only real home she ever
had. I don't know much about her
background except that when her mother found out she was gay, she forced
this young woman to have a nose job,
or else leave home and quit school.
Presumably the theory was that a cute
"Christian" nose would make her so attractive to men that she would lose her
interest in women. The psychological
effects of such mutilation must have
been devastating. My friend submitted
because she wanted to finish the school
year. She didn't want to be a dropout-but eventually she found that the home
atmosphere was too detrimental to her
survival, that she couldn't concentrate
on her studies anyway.
These aren't "Scarsdale hippies."
�I don't know the other women in
this group of Lower East Side Dykes-but I do know that they come into
parties together, they make noise, they
are not always sanitized and deodorized,
they don't always bring a bottle, and
they don't wear bras. They wear tom
dungarees, and crazily patched jackets
and construction boots. They look like
ragged versions of Jill Johnston. They
are angry at the churches and schools
and families that have rejected them,
and they scrawl epithets on walls.
Finally, this is a response to the
FOCUS editorial of last month, which
put down the unkempt women with
"breasts hanging at waist level" who
"sprayed paint all over public buildings"
on the International Women's Day
March. I don't know who your dropouts are up in Boston, but they are my
sisters and I defend them against the
churches that burned us at the stake
and still condemn women to butcher-
job abortions. My sisters' lives, however ruined and scarred with needle
marks, are far more sacred than your
historical monuments. Their scrawls
contain more truths than any number
of Sunday sermons. I ask you not to
judge each other by appearanceneither by construction boots nor vinyl
platform boots--just as you don't want
to be judged by the size of your breasts
and the shape of your legs, and the encroachment of grey hairs. If someone's
appearance seems to be deliberately
offensive, perhaps she is offended by
your "respectability."
Who in hell did the Founder of your
churches associate with?
And as for my friend Joan, who
seems to have borne the brunt of my
rage today, don't you dare say a word
against her either. She teaches, writes,
lives and breathes feminism, and she has
one overriding virtue: she listens to the
other side.
Millay--and bit on Sappho
a
PRAYER
TO PERSEPHONE
Be to her, Persephone,
All the things I might not be.
Hold her head upon your knee ,
She who was so proud and wild
Flippant, arrogant and free,
She who had no need of me
Is a little lonely child
Lost in Hell, Persephone.
Hold her head upon your knee,
Say to her, my dear, my dear,
It is not so dreadful here.
--Edna St. Vincent Millay
Regardless of what Edna St. Vincent Millay's intentions might have
been when she penned "Prayer to
Persephone," what she did accomplish vVas leaving a poem which Lesbians would forever hold dear.
In contrast, Millay's suggestive title
of another poem, "Sappho Crosses
the Dark River into Hades," leaves
us disappointed.
This poem deals
with Sappho's love (?) for the ferryman Phaon, a love for which one of
the Sappho myths would have us believe she committed suicide. But we
must remember that in an attempt
to justify her classification as one of
the greatest ancient lyrical poets; a
straight "defense movement" has for
years projected Sappho as everything
from a devoted wife and mother of
highest moral standing through a prostitute--anything but a Lesbian (in the
literal as well as geographic sense).
A prostitute can be classed as one of
the greats, they seem to think, but
God forbid that a Lesbian could rate
the same classification!
Do you have a particular favorite
from one of the known poets such as
Millay? Share it--send it to FOCUS.
13
�GAY SPEAKERS
"We had a more stimulating discussion afterwards among ourselves than
we have had about any other topic.
Even people who usually said nothing
chimed in. People .said they had been
afraid to seem too interested. They
were afraid the speakers could see right
into them (see their gay feelmgs, maybe?). Several admitted that, although
they knew it was silly, they had been
afraid of being attackea. They were very
impressed that homosexuals would be
open about it, and that there was more
to a gay person than his or her sex life.
The students still felt ambivalent. They
felt more accepting, yet if it came right
down to it they would be afraid to talk
to a homosexual one-to-one. They would
probably not stand up in front of their
peers and defend a gay person."
Yet this encounter had accomplished
quite a bit. It got the students to begin
to think of homosexuals as persons.
Maybe homosexuality was not the evil
they had thought.
People in the "audiences" have mentioned over and over the importance of
just listening to and talking with an open ly gay person. Some long-held misconceptions can be removed just by our
being there .
Occasionally groups open up. Just recently at a closely-knit hotline group one
of the staff asked, "How many people
here have had a homosexual episode in
his/her life?" When 5 hands went up,
including his own, we went on from there.
Once we talked about problems in relationships between two people--the gays
and straights found that they had much
in common! People also occasionally
ask about going to one of the gay groups.
We usually inquire about a donation
from groups where we speak and get one
about a third of the time. Sometimes
these are substantial, like $50. GSB
keeps 20% for transportation, phone
calls, printing leaflets, etc.; 5% goes to
the gay group which referred the engagement to GSB; the rest is split evenly
among gay groups as designated by the
speakers at the engagement.
What of the future?
We need to reach out to more people,
to develop better ways of getting through
(perhaps films, slide shows ... ), to write
literature ..... to reach more people who
"shape our social and legal environment,"
such as legislators, psychiatrists, social
workers, teachers .....to educate ourselves
more, update ourselves .... and we need
more speakers.
WHYYOU SHOULDWORKWITHTHE
...
SPEAKERS'BUREAU .
1. You are the expert. You know more
about homosexuality than most people
do, since most people are straight!
2. It gets you out of the house.
3. We have many references to books an<'
articles, we talk with each other, we
welcome newcomers to attend engagements as observers.
4. You are needed.
CONTACT
GAY SPEAKERS'BURE,c\U
C/O DOB OFFICE
Classifieds
Windy, there are too many alternatives well with·
in your interests and capabilities to let what's happened sink you. It's something I come closer to
every day. Come to Boston. Won't print phone
number, address here. Write Box 241. Winchester,
Mass. Do this Brett, please. Gwyn.
Looking for an apartment to share with
another mother. I have one child. He is two.
Call 244-3952 between 9: 30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
14
Five female mongrel puppies free to good
homes. Thev 71be ready to leave mom in
August. Contact Julie c/o D.O.B.
WOMEN WANTED: If you have traveled or lived
outside the United States and have observed gay life
where you have been and would like to share your
experiences with other gay women, write FOCUS
editor, 419 Boylston St., Room 406, Boston, Mass.
�D.OB. Referrals
Legal
Rose Z. Smith, 803 Washington St.,
Hanover, 1-826-6600. Mrs. Smith has
over 20 years legal experience, divorce
and custody casesin particular.
Regge Healey, Legal Action for Women
(L.A .W.), 492-5520. Ms. Healey only
handles casesoccurring in Cambridge and
only for those women who are in a lowincome bracket.
Rook, Roth, Rubino, 7 Water St., Boston, 742-2243. This is a team of male
lawyers with extensive experience in
handling casesof gay males.
Ruth Budde, 15 Court Square, Boston,
227-9122. Ms. Budde is a member of
M.C.A.D. (Mass. Commission Against
Discrimination).
Medical
Dr. Joanna Perlmutter, Beth lsraP.IHospttal, 734-4400.
Dr. Rita Kelly, Mass. General Hospital,
726-2000.
H.C.H.S. (Homophile Community Health
Service) 419 Boylston St., Suite 403, Boston, 266-5477. Professional psychiatric
counseling service.
Dr. Dorothea Hellman, Internist,
469-9f-50.
Religious
Roman Catholic: St. Clement's Church
has initiated a dialogue with gay women
and men. The priests listed below have
made themselves available to counsel gay
Catholics. Call 536-2376 and ask for Fr.
Terrance Dougherty, Fr. Brian Hennigan,
or Fr. Tom Mickey.
Unitarian: Rev. Barbara Halleroth,
862-8200.
Methodist: Dr. William Alberts, Old
West Methodist Church, 277-5088. Rev.
Ruth Rol:-inson, 277-5088.
Gay Groups
liigh School Gays United, by and for ages 14-
18.354-1555 anytime; 282-9181evenin~ ..
Homophile Union of Boston, P. 0. Box
217, Dorchester Station, Boston, phone I
282-9181.
Daughters of Bilitis, 419 Boylston St.,
Suite 406, Boston, 262-1592.
Gay Male Liberation, c/o The Red Bookstore, 91 River St., Cambridge, 354-1555.
Gay Co-Op of Boston, 536-3233
Anyone interested in the idea of a United
Gay Church at the University of Conn. this
fall write: Sr. Cher, Box 38, Cromwell,
Conn. 06416.
Student Homophile League, 288-8765
and 776-7454.
Lesbian Liberation, for information call
the Women's Center, 354-8807 ..
Women's Groups
Female Liberation, 552 Mass. Ave.,
Cambridge, 491-1071.
National Organization for Women (NOW),
45 Newbury St., Boston. 267-6160.
Women's Center
46 Pleasant St.,
Cambridge, 354-8807. Will offer 15
courses, including "Lesbian Liberation."
MYPNOSIS
Patricia James, 825-5554.
Daughters of Bilitis
419 Boylston Street, Room 406
Boston, Mass. 02116
Telephone: 262-1592
□
□
□
Newsletter subscription-$5 year
Single DOB membership-$10 year
Joint DOB membership-$15 year ~
Name___________
_
2nd name (joint) _______
..;._
Address.
__________
_
City _____
State __
Zip__
PLEASE print the above information.
Make all checks payable to Boston DOB.
I am a woman 18 years of age or older.
(Only membership applications need be
signed.)
Signature _________
_
2nd Sig__________
..
_
15
�A MAGAZINE
PUBLISHED
Tff t;~;.l-1 e E ll [~fI:;.:f::'"
~ fl e
\VI r H FU L L
HUMAN RIGHTS
,,.
"
~'?
.·.·
THE LADDER
.·.
P.O. BOX
: : WASHINGTON
5025
STATION• ~;_';
:_'.
◊ RENO, NE YA DA 89503
i
if > ~
.:'.)'_;;;
:..
+
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,
A 56-PAGE Bl-MONTHLY
MAGAZINE CONTAINING FICTION.
POETRY.fiON-FICTION . ART COLUMN .
BOOK RlVIEWS . LElTERS. ART. AND
A COMPREHENSIVE NEWS COLUMN.
Women's Library Full of Info'
After four years of acting as a clearinghouse
for women's literature for this country, the
Women's History Research Library, 2325 Oak
St., Berkeley, Calif 94708 is making an appeal
for donations ( tax deductible). The library
collects women's publications (we send FOCUS
every month), songs, letters, bibliographies,
information on women's studies courses--everything. They put the periodicals on microfilm
and offer this to libraries across the country.
Boston D.O.B. has received several inquiries
about FOCUS because of the microfilms .
The women's library operates on a slender
budget. Especially they need donations to
demonstrate the public support needed to
receive grants from funding agencies. Why
not send them some$$ . More information
is available from them for a stamped envelope
(and hopefully a small donation). We have
some things in the D.O.B. office also.
Design ideas, equipment, know how,
complete composition go to make a
quality product .
FULL LINE social and commercial
printing .
ACISME
Service
Corporation
603-398-2511
Deering Road -
Weare, N. H. 03281
I
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1972 Summer
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1972-06; 1972-07; 1972-08
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 3, issue 1 of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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THP-0011-focus-197206
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�FCCUS: A JOURNAL GAY
FOR
WOMEN
nI THIS ISSUE
Focus is published monthly by Boston
Daughters of Bilitis,
Room 406, 419
Boylston St., Boston, Mass. 02116.
Phone 617-262-1592. Subscriptions
are $5/year,
FOCUS
staff for this issue:
Lois H., and Ann.
Calendar of ovonts ••••••••••••••••••
l
1
Wh.:1ts Up Politically
in Boston ••••• 2
11
Goc1 Gay c1.roCompatibl e " •••••••••• 4
&
5
High sch ool gays unitod •••••••••••••
More high school gays •••••••••••••••
6
Canc1.ic1.o.tos stato legislature •••• 8
for
Business neoting minutes ••••••••••••
?
Poo1 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
i1s
7, 12
Feminist F ~ir••••••••·••••••·••••••·9
Classifies
ads •••••••••••••••••••
9,10
10
Boston Gay Scono •••••••••••••••••••
N.::i.tiono.lgay scone •••••••••••••••••
10
Lot tors to Frcus.,,,,,. ••••••• .•• .••• ,, , .J 1-.
Geri, Laura,
.Articles in Focus reflect the views
of the individual authors, and may not
represent D.O.B. as an organization.
BOSTON
D.O.B. OFFICERS:
President •••••• , •••••• Phyllis Carroll
Vice-President •••••••• Peggy
Margaret .Andree
Recording Secretary...
Treasurer•••••••••••••
Rose Tuttle
Corresp on-::
l:i.nz_ So , \:i.·r.·l: ~,ryV111r:::t Robin
CALEND1\R COMINGEVBNTS
OF
ABOUT
BOSTON
D.O.B.
Tuesdays and Fridays, 7:30 pm.
RAP SESSIONSON BEINGGliY, whore
all wornonarc invited to share
feelings about being gay. At tho
D. O. B. office.
Because of prejudices and fears passed
down for centuries,
our society has
trented homosexuals as lepers, perverts,
and fools.
Both women and men with
homosexual feelings have been made to
feel worthless.
Sundays, 7:30 pm. GAYCHURCH
ORGANIZING
HEETDJGS. For those interested in
helping form a . Boston community
gay church. Soc Letters to Focus.
Kinsey reported that 13% of women have
had some homoscxu:Q expor:i.once by age
45. Boston D.O.B. is one of many gay
groups formed in tho 12.st few years to
give gay women a chance to t.:.:.lkwith
one another, suwort one another, and
h~lp create a bettor life for all gay
people.
Sopt.ombo 9, Saturday, 12noon.-5pm.
r
AUCTIOH-RUHH,1GE Soc <1nno11ncn_
Sf,LE,
_
mont on b.:1ckof this issue. Old
Host Church, 131 Cambridge St,,
Boston. Hon welcome.
September 17, Sunday, 7:30 pm.
C,'iHDID I NIGHT. Candidates
...
~TES
for office in D.O.B. will answer
questions and discuss th eir ide as.
.:\ got- together, rap- together about
D.O.B. :1t tho D.O.B. office.
perWomenof all ages and political
suasions participate
in Boston D.O.B.
Because many gay uornon .:1ro not iJl a
position to make their gayness known
publically,
D.O.B. provides safcgu£>.rds
for those wishing to work quietly within
tho organization,
planning the social
program, ,;,-1riting, typing, organizing
tho library,
and so on. For those able
to bo more open, there is public speaking, political
activism, etc.
September 24, Sunday, 7:30 pm.ELECTION
MEETING.
Officers
NIGHTMID BUSIIJESS
will be oloctred. :1t tho D.O.B.
office.
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NOTICE Cl,Im
TO
ID:,TEs FORD.O.B. OFFICE:
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If you sand in a stG.to1'.1ont your candidG.cy [l.nd plntforr,1 or t-rho.tovor,
of
i-ro will try to send a bullmtin to mot1bors containing same bef ore tho
elections.
If you clon1 t, we won't.
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�UI-L\ S U:I?PO!::ITICAI ,1,Y -.7TII GAYS I~T DOSTOH by Jilo.ine
T'
I
This olocti on yoo.r has b e en o. go od
c ons ci ousn oss -ro.isin g ono for
many of t}10 hoter o soxuc:,lly
orion ted
members df our society.
Tho
na ti ono.l lovol
of p o litics
s2-u
such condid 2tos as Goorgo McGovern
mo,l;::i11.g
lc..r go np::c)oo.ls f or tho go.y
vote.
Full po.13:c 2-ds r10rc t2.l;::cn
out in such CPY pc..pors o.,s tho
Los j\.ng clcs Adv oc c,t c ~ picturing
LcG ovori'l 9 tic 1.mc1no 9 shirt
o
slightly opo11 9 l oo l::i11e:; c o:i.1
cori1oc1 bclon
2s
c2-pti ons s2-y ing 9 1tH imy ri:ilo Dono
Anytl1ing F or You 12-toJ.y? n.
Onl y
s o;i10 strni gll t dude fr ::i;1 :IcGovc rn
·.
c ould oc oblivi ous
ho,o.dqu 2.rtors
t o the hrn:10r in tho nd.
I-Io v or 9 tho rco.l hm w r in tho
no
l:cGo vo rn c o. pc..gn surfo.ccd
m i
uhcn
tho Go.ys r10rkod 2c voly 9 openly·
cti
in Alb2.11y 9 Neu York f o r IlcGovorn.
To ovory stro.ight
pers on's h orror
in tho IJc Gov e rn ho o..
dqu2,rt c r.s 7 tho
gc..ys did 2, mo.gnificcnt
job of
2.dvcrtising
:.~ G'Jvorn' s st2.11d.
c
Bvoryono
lm cu e,b out George IicGovo rn
ond tho go.ys in Albc'...,,'1Y l 1 Ihcn the
!!
it bcc 2.1i
10
opini on s rroro i·n :1.lod,
o.pp2.ront tl1 0.t suc ll publicity
· hurt
George I s pro- p rirno.r y cl1c11ccs .
0s
'.':l
ucro
Tl10 only o;,1 11 rrified
: :cG ovorn pe ople.
·.·.110 c2.upnign
11
in
hoo.dq_ut ,rtcrs
ucro cstc-,blishcd
Ba ston,
gnys uoro n o t o.ctivoly
rocrui tad t o :~olp.
lTobl e
2
tics ; th o p o1 itic nlly
o.ctivo
30.ys
in Jos t 0n hc ,v c tcJ:::cn t o np1Jly .:..
in ~ J re ss ur e o~ o. l oc2.l l eve l,
leo.vi 11g =:c Govern t o the str2igh ts.
Tho polit ic 2..lly o..
ctiv c go.ys 2-rc
ratd6 ftp nf repr c s6nto.ti~os
fr oo·
D.0.:3.,
H.U • .3. , H.C.H.S. 9 G. lI .L.
The ~ o.jor f ocus ho.. b oon on
s
sto.to re pro sc~1t2. ti vc s 1;,l10 2..ro
.7
ru~'.!.nL'l f or bff ic o in Yo.rds
g
21 9 22 9 211d 5~ Those \72.rds incluc1doc1 t h o co.y bnr o.rco.s, -2..s rroll
c..s Bo..:rVill o..c(); The P.cm ro..y9
Bo.c k B2..y, 211d 9 . f c aurso , "The
o
Blo ck ['__ro2.
Tho ~
:3loclc nroo. 9 f or th o se of you
n o t fci.,;_ 1 i o..r rri t h it I is tho o.roo.
;1i
of .!.rlL1gt o~1 Street
fr o::i :Joo.c on
t o n oylst ~n, up Boo.c on t o
Bor\:oloy 9 r'nd bo.cl;: d or m :aoy lston
Street 9 f or :i1
L1g o. bl o clc of streets
on uhich no..lo honoso:x:uo.ls
ei thcr
cm f oo t or dri vo
cn1isc
sl on ly by in o. co..r.
Tho Block ho.s ~Jean used f or fifty
11 nro2...
yeo.rs 2,s o.. 11cruising
In
tho po..st yoo.r, OSlJOCic-l ly the
,
lo..st six i:10nths 9 police
ho.ri' ,SS- ·
mont c.nd 2.rrests
h c,vo oncrco ,sod.
Thorof orc 9 tho politico.llyrs
o.cti vc g c.~ h2.vo oogi_m t o focus
on The Block rrhon doo.ling
uith
pol ice corn:iissi onor,
city
1o.n:ro rs
o.s noll
2..s poli ticio.iis .
Tho J ost on Coii1 i t ·coe t ,) :Cloct
n
Goorgo : :cGovorn · d ocs n o t try to
The Bl oc: : is 2.. bl o. i ,1g 2..ffir ;:2['_ on
r
ti
hodge t11e - issue 9 but stD.tos
of h on undergr ound t l10 S')cj_o.1
11'tl112
blnto.nt ly , thnt
,t ho.pponed
in
· lif e of o, g2,y person
c2..11be .
n nt hq)pon
in 3o st on 11 • Pc rh 2,:1Js if uo h2..d o, c o1
.lDUi.1it y
Albo.ny should
They fool they 2.ro being h miost.
center
of our orm; o.ctivity
on·
it is their
t l1c bloc\: '.7o
uld coo.s o t o exist .
Pcrh2.1)s they o.ro ~ since
brc..nd of politics
under rrllich tho
tuo-pc ,rty c onvont icms o.nd primo.ry
In do2,ling
rrith Deputy Cou :Jissi onelections
functi on.
or Blo..iro o.nd Ls sistc: :n t Di.strict
Att ornc~r J ohn Gl o.ss 7 t he p o li tico.l
hc..vo stress ed tho.t tho
Since t ho UcGovorn f olks ho.vo to. k en o..ctivists
2. st2cnd 011 go.y is::mo o 9 but
r.mst bo Bloc~ rofl c cto (c ) n't next pg .)
b ound t o their
"clos o t-c2,so 11 poli~
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FCCUSneeds writers,
nrtists
putters-t ogether
hur.1o
rists
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* subscribe to Focus
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�I
1-lHfiTS UP POLITIC
.~LLY(c ont)
3
a soc i a l co, J '. l1.it y v7
U
:Jj_ch n ill
onl y 2ri so L1 2..i.10 r c. 'Co., if
-chc
t.l
pol ic e ar~osts
c on tinu e . Both
no n hc1,vo fina1ly
agro o d thnt
the proble ,;1 will
not be solved
b y harac ;sing hoi i10S(;:nw ,ls,
or
arres tin g tho@.
Tho a ctivi sts 1
positio
n is ~ ha t uo as homoshoxc the ·
ocx :ua1s aad l esbians
same c1isc ri ;i1 ;:,.,i on f r om soc i ety
in t
as do the □ e n on tho blo ck .
Their
ap1n ~
o2ch lla s oco ~ that
'so n oday the Blocl : nil l ,Jc
cl c arcd 9 but not b y p olice
o.rrcst 9 bu t b :l c;2.ys theli1s0Jvcs
rrho rri ll no lo :,1gcr h2-ve a need
to cruise
on tho stree ts j_f a
via bl e opt i on is provide d .
~h o only
option
open to gays vv o
li
have '--' fey, or no c ay frd..Qnds i s
m
to go to 0111.;: of the bars c: d
co ~p e te with tho din of lou d·
music 9 tho stench
of t o il o ts 9
and a frenetic
f oo ling
in
gen e ral.
F e a ll knor, hoH dif fici 1l t it is to ta l k in a gay
bar.
·so , many men take to Tho
Block . · At laast 9 the Block is
from that k in d · of ins an e
free
The Blocl;:: i s 7 at
s tL ;mli.
l c2s t 9 quiet
most of tho ti; :10,
quite
contrary
t o wha t the
vo ye uristic
nei ghbo rs say· the'
a c t l, vi . t y on che Bloc2c is quiet .
J
'
Bu t oven th e quiet
has its
draw b acks . · Hhcn a hoi10scxl1-8.l i s
ro obcd 9 beaten
on or nccr the
Bloc :. , tho vi ct im rc i:iai ns quiet
:
ni th th e thouc:;l1t tho..t ho r1 st
m
have deserved
i t for being·out
a lltric!: l 11.
tr y in g to solicit
He n ove r r epor t s tho r obbc ry ·t o
the po lie c I n or tho ass 1~ul ts.
agairi~ t
Th oroforc , such crimes
the Lmle ho i;10sc:::ual continu e .
to
Th o ho :-.iosexual is suoj acted
sec ond-cl ass citizen
tr ea tof f ic brs in
ment frora police
clothes
apparrel
. Th ere
plain
arc tw o officero
nho scei ;1 to
get t he ir "r ocks off 11 oy
:iay not be
h a rr ass i ng gays r,ho rn2.y or 1
s o liciting
n e a r or around
Tho
11
B:tock.
Yet, their
1::ick - a - Queor 11
ht.mior r,lE"'..J be s h ov e d out the other
side of their
□ ouths, f or Deputy
Co□□ issionor Bla ir e has
agr e ed
that ~ if homos oxu2-1s u2.ke con-
sistent,
positive
identific
a ti on
of th o office rs 7 su ch police
nill
be fired. fron t l1e 0.epa rt: 1ent,
or,
a t t l1. v e r y l eas t, trs.nsf erred
e
to
lli1,other area not unli ~;:e ~-on go li a .
Bl2.i rc is a h 2,rd, tough co p \7ho
is :Deputy Co ~- ssi one r b ecause
~
;.:i
of
h is ability
to pla y as r,ell
2..
s
soc t hings
f ro u tuo sides . He is
r,el l 8.\72.re that
the ::no e l:: rrhich
h o hL:1Sel f h2..d . t o patrol
as a
foot policc ,i1
m1. i s s till
in
op era tion
t ue nt y years
l a t e r for
t h.a vo..ry same .. reasons .
Th us,
Blaire
h 2s ag r ee d to pu t only
around
thn B l0 ek _ _
_
unif ormed police
It is a ges tur e on his part
to
u a~;:c i(entification
of a cop
and to stop th e v 2.rious
easier
i·1en L1pc rson a ting
1
pl a in clot he s
n on in order
to inti midate
and
ose
rip off tho h0i .1 J-..'1.mlon the
Block .
John risl:e 7 corporation
la rr~~r
c
for the city
or Joston 7 h a s
been su pp ortive . I~c uould like
to ~cc us have a center
of our
orm .
He is in a po sition
to
help us go t first
bid on priLlc
prop e rty t ha t the city may rn:mt
to unlo a d .
Assistant
Distrj _ct AttoL1 cy John·
Lca-demy .
Glo..ss h2 ,;. cs tho Police
1dl
He ho..s f 0D;12.lly 2.grecd to h o,vc
repres e ntat i v es fro □ ea ch gay
org an ization
s::_Jca~: to ea ch pol.i ce
cl 2.ss tho..t is being
tr aiHcd a t
th e Acade dy . De for e eo..ch cc:mdi d a tc is c1ubood an offici~l
cop9
he n i 11 h2.vc h2 ,d th o op po rtunity
of t a l lcii1.g r,i th gay pco :Jl e about
gey probl c~s in - relati
onshi p to
l an e11f orc e~ t.
_1en
Of cour se ; the
pol icc - main -in~trai
n ing □ay not
rmnt t o listen
.
But tl1is th 1e , -ho nill
b e forced
to faco honcstto-God 0; e6rs ns pa t of his
u
curricu
l um.
h2,vo fo..11Tho l ocal poli tici2.l1S
t , :o c 2.t ogo ri e s on t-he.
on into
Gay Rights
I ssue .
The fir s t is
obv i ous, n o co op eration
cat egory:
t lie second is :·.10.. c up of t llc
d
politic
2.ll.y 2..ese;rcss i vo u p and
t
c o; 1crs n:i:10 rr2,:n t ;10 g2.y vote and
1.-r i:·~ ho.rd
o :
t o e et it .
r:ill
�14
\7EI\T' S UP POLI'I'ICA T~ Y
(cm1' t)
There arc only t\lo c2.ndic"2.tcs
rrho f 2,11 · into
this
12.t t c r
c2.tcgory 9 2nd nho h[' ,V ,; occn
a
coopcr2.tivc
en ough to urita
position
paper
t o 2.11 t he loco..l
itj
ncTTS-LlCdi2.9 or go TT 1 U C to sec
tl1c po l ice c oniJ i ss i on c r 9 · city
lar.7;';
rcr.
These tr10 2.r c Robin
runnin g f or st a te rcpTaylor
rcsontati
vc in \7ards :::: 22 ,
L
· (Brighton)
2.lld :aar ~
1cy r;m1l~ run~ing for Stat e Rep res entative
in
,lard 5 ( Jos ton) .
1
TI.ooin is a co ix: ittcd
}:ci.1i11ist
rrho · h is rrorkcd cl ose l;,r rri th
D.O. B~ □ ambers for 2.t lcns t trro
yc2.rs.
Her l oolJ ~
ring (;f forts
to ro1Jc2.l 2.11 s e xual cm 1dnc t
lm7s, c spcci2.lly
2.bortion,
h2.s
cnuscd cvcn ·i.
;thc Spc2.~cc r of the
House Bartley
to get c rnz y u ith
211gcr to r.'c'..rds h e r . R,JlJin hc .s ·
"
been a true
sister,
2.nd c1cscrvcs
A
011y help r.rc c2.n g ive }1cr.
copy of her position
uap cr on
sexual
conclfrct can be --•
private
obtained
fhom the D. O.B. office .
Bnrncy Frnnl: i.s the Oj1ly other
c211.did2.~e openly
supp orti vc of
gnys.
~ic h2.s set up : 1cc tings
rri th
the l)Olicc
co ,,1i ission ur, city
1
12.nycrs
2.nd 2.ttc~1c1cd ~1 1 of th c111
1
1.c
y
rri th us to o..rg1., f or r~o., rights -~
?n iil[my occ2.sions 9 32.rncy stepped
in nhcn \7C rrcrc vcrbo.. l ly being
t2.l : cn, putting
his po 1i ticc..l
muscle v6ry stronGlY
beh ind his
rhetoric.
Bo..r:ncy Fr['jlk hc..s d one
a great
do2.l for us.
i~
o..ny of us
lmor: he hc..s c ouro.,g c t o 1:12,kc the
gay issue
a maj or p o.. of his
rt
c2mp2,ign cspc ci o,lly r1 c11 ho is ·
h
.thirty
tr1 0 yco.rs old o..nd single .
Bo..rncy F-r~1l: hc..s done c. c;ro2.t dco.l
for us 2nd rrill
be irl o. position
to do more for us o.nd Hith us if
elected
o..s State
Ra u £ r om Dc..
rd
Five .
Both ~l.obin T2.;y-lor 2. d .B2r11ey Fro.i1.k
n
i
o.rc tnc only trro c2w.1.dd2.tcs out
to 1y trron ty. rrho 2,rc
of q)proxLw
of their
go.,~ c 01
~
1sti tucncy
amrc
in 1.7ards 21 922 7 ~1d 5 . T~-ic other
C2.i.1d_i~o..t?s vi~\? homos cxuo..li ty o.s
a c on~o.,gi ous QlS C2 co ~ h ut t h6v
th emse lv es rrish not t o c 2.tc~.u
11
00D
AND G~ ,"iRE COMP,\TI BLE"
·iy
..
4
'
by Lincl°a...
Marsi151
w_-_rc the on ly min ority
' re
in
f,1Jcricc- ; that
you c2.11 still
hate
publicly,"
so.id the Re verend
Troy Perr~r on· t h e Paul Bcnz o.quin
shorr r ecen tl y .
The rrords of a
co.ll cr hcd just been blipped
out,
being o..ppc..
rcntly
t oo strong
for
02,rl y 1:10rnL1g vic rring .
The Reverend
?c rry no.s f orced
.nily 211d his
to J.ec,vo his f [1
church
in the co..rly 50 ' s nhcn
h is h o1,
1oscxu2.li ty bccc.. i,lC ::norm .
This o..nd the events
tho..t f o llorrcd c,re report ed in his book:
Tho Lord Is II:v Sho nhcrd o..nd IIe
Knons I' u G2.y. In · 2.b10 st 2.ny :":tor-: roYigio:i.1 o..t thc-.t tiuo 9
.i-o'Y
·
homos exuality
uc..s m1othemo..-2.ccurs cd --0ccordin.g
t o :. r . Perry.
Nor.r ther e· is c o:i.1sidorc..bly less
prcjudicc
most dcnom 7 although
in~ti ons continue
to believe
th2.t ho iilOs e xuo..li t y is unc..ccopto..blo .
According
t o Iir . Perry,
nh0
rc i;io.ins in i:1211..y spec ts 2, fund ro
o..mcnt2li s-t Chri stio..n 9 11Sin is
thcrc 9 then
just
lust;
if lovc·is
g
it ho..s to be right . " Believin
this 9 : ~ . parry
preaches
to c
lo.rgc c on g rcgtt i on 9 80% of rrh ich
is h odo scxuc..l.
Alth ough one co..n be gratcful
·f or
the cxiste i1co of ~- f cr1 clergymen
such c..s .r . Pcrry 9 ond f or the
fcrr g2.y · c ongrcg c;ti ons in this
c ou .1.tr: 1 1 it is 2..
,
bsurd
th c.. one ' s
t
soxu2l
pref crc 11 o..lcmo sh oula .
.cc
h c..
vc t o deter .inc one's
ch oice
of 2 church,
or indeed
one ' s ,_
choice
of rrhctllor
t o c oi1.tinuc
in one's
reli g i on c..t o..11.
The Rcver on c1 Perry □ cdc scvercl
e:.nr,,loGic:s oct rrccn the g2.y r. ovc1
L
1c11t: l'.s :: crtin
Luther
Kii1 0 s2 i dj
11.!hy should
1
Sund2.y li10rni:a g oc the
of the rrcck ?''
mog,t sc gr cg c:i.tcc1 tine
conin c; up:
costume party ar ound
Ho..llo · oon
�HIGH SCHOOLGAYS UNITED BEGIN
NING STATEMENT
HSGU (HIGH SCHOOLGAYS UN
ITED)
is an organization
for the purpose
of bringing
together
all homosexual high school students,
and
gay people under 18 years of age,
female and male.
A separate
segment of the gay
movement is being formed because,
although
there are several
people
in the gay community who can be
contacted
by phone or mail, many
of these do not want to become
involved
in any way with people
under 18 for fear of being
charged with "contributing
to
the delinqus.incy of a minor." The
mere fact tnat they cannot give
us the help we seek IS contributing to our delinquency
and
possible
self-destruction
by
leading
us into reinforced
depression
and loneliness,
hostility
for the society
that
forces us to hide, and in some
instances
excessive
drinking,
drug abuse--and
maybe even
suicide
for others.
Being gay and in high school
presents
many problems,
the
worst of which, in my opinion,
is having to hide our sexual
identity.
We cannot reveal
ourselves without
running the risk
of harassment
and rejection
by
peers and teachers,
the first
of
which hurts more deeply.
We cannot walk arm in arm with our
lovers as heterosexuals
do without being ostracized.
A generally
quiet,
non-joining
type of
person's
loneliness
is augmented
because of the "front"
he or she
has to build.
The outgoing class
officer
or member of the Student
Council is forced into a "role"
--a code of behavior
dictated
and
reinforced
by the heterosexual
student
body. Many popular
students
who do not want their
homosexuality discovered
may "go steady"
with members of the opposite
sex
who are in the same limelight
simply to limit
suspicion
and
maintain
a "straight"
reputation;
and they are miserable
because
they must hide th e ir natural
5
pref e rence and portray
a
diff e rent person,
M
any become
ashamed of their
homosexuality
and think it is a sickneSSi
but, on the other hand, there are
many who are proud and want it
to be recognized
as a lifestyle
--a way of expressing
love for
a person.
During adolescence
and early
teen years,
some people experience a phase of homosexuality
which usually
consists
of a
"crush" on or admiration
for a
member of the same sex. HSGU is
not suggesting
that everyone with
a degree of homosexuality
restrict
himself
or herself
to a
homosexual pattern;
but being
able to discuss
one's feelings
can eliminate
some of the guilt
and fear that may prevail
at the
time of coming out. Perhaps some
people will discover
that the
heterosexual
life
suits
them
better.
That is fine.
But, perhaps if a group like HSGU is not
within reach,
a lot of confusion
will still
remain.
Many young gay women and men get
caught in the "Butch-fem(me)"
syndrome in which a person is '.
either
ultra-masculine
(tough~
aggressive,
domineering)
or
super-feminine
(submissive,
fearful, quiet),
Some people are this
way from a very early age and to
them, it is naturali
yet others
groping for security
choose this
as a means--and
it usually
does
not work out. A person simply cannot be something he or she is not.
HSGU, then, is functioning
for
several
reasons:
to give homosexuals
under the age of 18 a
way to socialize
with people
their
own ages, to give th em a
phone and/or address
to contact
where they know they will not be
turned away because of their
ages, and most of all to give them
the security
they need and the
assurance
that there ARE others
like thems e lves who are fi g hting
the same battles.
June 1972
�*********************************************************************
6
APPLICATION FOR D.O.B,
➔!-
re turn
this . or a, copy
* Enclosed is $__ _ for
* i.7 Memb rship in Boston
,e
*
*
-l(-
it
Of,
the
*
to th G DOB
···office.
*
*
following:
D.O.B. ($ 10 per year for a single,
$15
for a couple ( joint membership).
Includ es one FOCUS
....
subscription
and all voting privile ges . Can be paid by $5
down, the balanc e within 2 months.
If the balance
is not
paid then, the $5 becomes a donation
to the organizationJ
Members r eceive calendars.
Membership is open to all women
18 years ol~ or over.
*
*
i7 FOCUS subscription.
i7 Calendar subscription
*
DOB events.)
Anyone.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
-l(-
($5/12
issues).
($1 for
Anyone may subscribe.
6 months.
Calendar
of
*
-!:·
*
PHONE (MEMBERS)
___
_
_
Second NAlfiEif joint membership _________________
ADDRESS
__________________________
-=-=:=-:--*
Nl\ME.___
_________________
*
*
*
* SIGNATURE (for members only) I am a woman 18 years of age o~Ib:1.der
*
date
--------* -------------------------*
*
date
------------*
(second name if joint)
*
Send to: DOB, Room 406, 419 Boylston St., Boston, Mass. 02116
*********************************************************************
HIGH SCHOOLSTATEMENT
UPDATED,
Aug '72
by Nadel
HSGU (High School Gays United)
was formed in June to bring
together
all gay high school
students
- male and female - for
two reasons:
to meet and get to
know each other without being
hassled
about our ages, and
because we believe
that gay men
and women must work together
to
end all discriminatory
laws
concerning
homosexuality.
My only disappointment
is that .~
many women avoid us because we
are a mixed group. This is wrong
because we are all fighting
the
same battles
and certainly
not
out to hate each other.
As a h.s. gay woman, I know
there are more gay high school
women out there,
so please write
me. NADEL, HSGU, c/o HUB, Box 217,
Dorchester,
Center Station,
Boston, Mass, 02124
At present,
we are having
weekly meetings,
rap sessions,
dances,
and other activities.
.
in High School gays can call 354-1555 or
Those w~,i;)are interested
J54-155~ ftanytime;
or Saturday,
1-4, or evenings
282-9181
or Write: HSGU, c/o P.O.Box 217; Dorchester
Station,
Boston 02124
JOIN DOB! JOIN DOB! JOIN DOB! JOIN DOB! JOIN DOB! JOIN DOB! JOIN DOB!
�HIGH SCHOOLGAYS UNITED BEGIN
NING STATEMENT
HSGU (HIGH SCHOOLGAYS UNITED)
is an organization
for the purpose
of bringing
together
all homosexual high school students,
and
gay people under 18 years of age,
female and male,
A separate
segment of the gay
movement is being formed because,
although
there are several
people
in the gay community who can be
contacted
by phone or mail, many
of these do not want to become
involved
in any way with people
under 18 for fear of being
charged with "contributing
to
the delinquency
of a minor," The
mere fact tnat they cannot give
us the help we seek IS contributing to our delinquency
and
possible
self-destruction
by
leading
us into reinforced
depression
and loneliness,
hostility
for the society
that
forces us to hide, and in some
instances
excessive
drinking,
drug abuse--and
maybe even
suicide
for others.
Being gay and in high school
presents
many problems,
the
worst of which, in my opinion,
is having to hide our sexual
identity.
We cannot reveal
ourselves without
running the risk
of harassment
and rejection
by
peers and teachers,
the first
of
which hurts more deeply,
We cannot walk arm in arm with our
lovers as heterosexuals
do without being ostracized.
A generally
quiet,
non-joining
type of
person's
loneliness
is augmented
because of the "front"
he or she
has to build.
The outgoing class
officer
or member of the Student
Council is fore ed into a "role"
--a code of behavior
dictated
and
reinforced
by the heterosexual
student
body. Many popular
students
who do not want their
homosexuality discovered
may "go steady"
with members of the opposite
sex
who are in the same limelight
simply to limit
suspicion
and
maintain
a "straight"
reputation;
and they are miserable
because
they must hide their
natural
5
preference
and portray
a
diff erent person.
M
any become
ashamed of their
homosexuality
arid think it is a sickness;
but, on the other hand, there are
many who are proud and want it
to be recognized
as a lifestyle
--a way of expressing
love for
a person.
During adolescence
and early
teen years,
some people experience a phase of homosexuality
which usually
consists
of a
"crush" on or admiration
for a
member of the same sex. HSGU is
not suggesting
that everyone with
a degree of homosexuality
restrict
himself
or herself
to a
homosexual pattern;
but being
able to discuss
one's feelings
can eliminate
some of the guilt
and fear that may prevail
at the
time of coming out. Perhaps some
people will discover
that the
·
heterosexual
life
suits
them
better.
That is fine.
But, perhaps if a group like HSGU is not
within reach,
a lot of confusion
will still
remain.
Many young gay women and men get
caught in the "Butch-fem(me)"
syndrome in which a person is ~
either
ultra-masculine
(tough,
aggressive,
domineering)
or
super-feminine
(submissive,
fearful, quiet).
Some people are this
way from a very early age and to
them, it is natural;
yet others
groping
for security
choose this
as a means--and
it usually
does
not work out. A person simply cannot be something he or she is not.
HSGU, then, is functioning
for
several
reasons:
to give homosexuals under the age of 18 a
way to socialize
with people
their
own ages, to give th em a
phone and/or address
to contact
where they know they will not be
turned away because of their
ages, and most of all to giv e them
the security
they need and the
assurance
that there ARE others
like themselves
who are fi ghting
the same battles.
June 1972
�THEY WOULD
NEVERBELIEVE
What a handsome couple we are
if only they could see
The world would never believe
That you're
in love with me,
Title:
No Roles, Just Love
Dedicated
to: Solura
W
ritten
by: Lana Mavro
(copyright
applied
for)
I love your cat
I love your cooking
I love to watch you
When you aren't
looking
They see you at your ~ob
you have the office
in a whirl
Wouldn't they be surprised
to know
Their sweetie
is really
my girl,
I love your records
I love your books
And I lov.e your
Sensuous,
musky looks
I wonder what they would say
how jealous
they woultl be
If they could see our warfu embrace
When we're alone and free.
I love your choice
Of movi e or place
Your sense of humor
Your passionate
face
If only they could know
how passionate
your love can be
Wouldn't
it raise their
hair
To know that love is for me.
I love making the bed
And washing the dishes
As your lovemaking
is exquisite
And my response
feels delicious
We sure could give them a shock
And wouldn't
it be fun
Cause they would never believe
That I'm the lucky one.
- Ann Vernon
I love your individuality
I applaud your initiative
I love your sensuality
Where nothing
is prohibitive
In cherished
darkness
you come.
A dusky silhouette
but for your eyes,
blue lanterns
in the night.
A bouquet of kisses,
and then, impatient,
You are off
to face the impotent day.
--P.M,
BUSINESS M
EETING
AUG. 20
•
•
in
1. The Treasurer
was retained
office,
2. A subscription
to the DOB ·,
of $1 for 6 months
calendar
was created ,
3, $5 appropriated
to get Guild
Guide to gay bars.
4. Voted that only members shall
or lend r aps.
hold office.
7
I love your heart
I admire your mind
I adore your pussy
And your ample behihd
I love you hungry
And I love you sated
But I especially
love
Lubricat e d.
you
JL'~.11.J[_ll }LJLIL II Jl If IL ILJIJL 11
_
~,,...,, ·;n1
11
1L
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ti
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,rJI II ,r II ir I( II w·,r-r,r
,
d\
u
1
~
#
Focus is c.loo by m moo anc1.
n
i
not
i,1
offset this r.10nth, and pr obably
::\
f or several 1-:1oro n ths, t o
r.1o
{fbring th o*cost of production mo · 7\~
re
in lin o with subscripti on r ates.
if
Wo oxpoct t o go back t o off sot
:~
1
in tho nonr future. Wo trust tho {fcontent hD.snot boon affoctoc'L.
JI.
V
4,b
.,,.
,r
Jt
;r
}/.
,,.
.IL
7;,_
_
11
1
if
A
*
V
#
A
~~
KUDOS THE MONTHt o th o r ap commi
OF
tteqF
for clo opin g tho r ap sessions int o 17,
vol
I
one of DOBs most successful onc
1eavo .;;
rs }
*yearly
i~
!\
:P~ /h.'11~:,,::...'&: 1~/ =: 'L::'t 1
.'f-/1_ =
'~=!b- 1 tt~;. '1=.'t
!1=:Jl::
L
,, _1L_.JL
,
L
'~::-"~)lJI__ ''-1!.J.'.JL_ 1~ IL)LJl.1'-. 1/_JLl ::J_
__,, 1
/I
,r
1(
II II
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n(·u--,t·11i,. -,(-,( -,(;(;(· 1r7r1( "
1nt·,r
�8
C:1N
DID/iTES FOR STliTE I.EGISL.\T"URE
.'iRE .A
SKSD ,\BOUTGllY RIGHTS
l-'.I
by Laur a 11c urry
for tho Hassa..
W
hor0 do th e candidates
chusotts
le gisl ature st.md on gay ri ghts
issu e s?
1:Jha about
t
those
in your
About 20 que sti on n air es havo boon
r otu rn od , mostly f o.vor o.b o . The :a 1i:-il
nco is att end in g "Moot t ho C::indidato"
nights,
pho nin g C.'..cndid.::ttes, and mooting
Tho goo.1 is t o publicize
with them.
the st at ed st.:i.nds of o.:i. co.ndidato
ch
in t he candidate I s arc 2. before th e
prin w.ry e lecti on Scptombor 19.
Si mil ar
u ork u ill be done f or the ge ner al
r.
Somo indivi dn ::tJs
oloction
in Nover:-ibo
arc uo rkin g for p,1rticn l c1r crlndicl:1tos
who have to.ken positive
stnnds on f,clY
ri gh ts.
aroc1.?
Tho Gay Ri ghts J~li anc e , an inf or mal ly
organized
gr oup of Boston area gay men
o.nd women, hC1.sbeen askin g tho c.:indid ates.
"Gay rights?
Uho.t 1s tb2t?",
asked one.
"I have no stand.
I havo no co1 nt,"
;-mio
~ n
s aid IIrs. ,'ignos E. Ilooro, o. black wo1 1.'.:l
runnin g from Roxbury, wo.rds 8,9, and 12,
.md whoso slogan is 11Hooro f or Mo
re".
If you want to kn ow where tho c 2ncli dato s
runnin g in your area stand, or if you
wan t to help (or gi ve st amps for
post age ), contact
G.il.h. t hr ough tho
il
~
D.O. B. r,10.. or talk with r,10
"I don 1t think it I s an issue in rrr.r
district,"
s o. d Christine
i
Bullen (GroHany co.ndido.tos don 1 t think thcro
ton).
area.
arc any gay peopl e in their
1.iysolf am o. mother of 8 children,
to mo",
so I don 1t think it applies
.
was tho first
res po nse of Ruth M Fitzgerald (13th l1i dd los ox , W.'.:lrdsli-,5,6,8
in Newton).
11I
d,
On the other h ,:m Doreen Blanc ( Cnm
bridg c Uards 1,2,3,4)
s nid as she was
handing out hor l eaf l e ts in ContrJ.1
Squ are, "I'm all for it.
I would intr ointo .the St o. c House
t
duce l og islcltion
if ol oc tcd. 11
incl Barney Fr ank (Boston , wo.rd 5) :1.:i
s
actively
s olicit ed th o go.y vote.
"I
nm glad to soo th o. g2,.y groups in MassJ.t
chusctts
intend t o mobiliz e to fight to
end the oppr e ssi on of go. peop l e , 11 ho
y
announced.
l
On Ju gust 15 tho Gay Rights .'i li2 .nco
sent a questionnaire
on go.y ri gh ts t o
f or th o
300 Boston area c 2.ndidatos
st ate l eg isl a tur e . The e;_uoti onn air e
s
o.sks if they would, if ol octe d, support
ant icliscri min at i on l aws for g .::t f or
ys
ompl oymont, , housing,
in su r ance , and
public acc ommodati on , and if they uould
support r epea l of th o state sodomy and
unn atur al ac ts l o.us.
*
>',cSPECi OFFER -f,L
* i'.SBT.~N/1-Jm ,
,-.·<Lf
-1;,N
t
JO 6/oOFF TILL OCT
.1
by Dol Ma
rtin
Phyllis
Lyon
*
and
*
*
*
*
*
* This book has boon acclo.imocl by all
2.s ono of tho first
ro .:tly good
l
*
books on l osbi o. s.
n
It was written
,;,
* by two of tho f oun do rs of D. 0. B_
._
*
•~ ou t of th e ir two docaclos of oxpcr i oncc ,,.
* in th e l csb i 2n r:1ovcr ont. Chapters
,1
~,
*
,~ on LIFESTYLES, MYTH~ RE ,\J,ITY, SELF
* I H:DE, GRO
HilJG UP G;,y, IBSBIJ; HS ,'iRE ,:.,
.:;LITY ;,ND SEX ROLES ~
, '
,~ HO
THERS TOO, SEXU
ond ot hers.
*
*
*
Boston D. o. B. wc.nts o.s n1ny people
t o r oad 2nd 01, this
m
s
.o. possible
* book .:t cl to giv e it to th e ir fri end s
n
; o.nd l oco.l li bra ri e s ••• so we h o.vo a
* sp ocio. l of f er. Wo go t Ct disco unt
* on bulk orders,
2nd ::c o willing
r
to
* pass ne st of this on t o yo u s o you
can affo r d th o book.
)~
*
*
,;~
RET.!,L PRICE
I
DOB PRICE
~
$7.95
$5.80
(t his includes
:
no.Hin g).
TH '.l:G
LIMIT! ! Jill orders r:mst be ro1,
Our C7~do
r
coi v od by CCTOBER 1972.
t o tho publisher
goo s out th en . Mctrn
chocks payo.ble to DOB. Inclu de your
~1 1,1c, .'.lclde ss, . <1 ZIP! I !
cr
r
· .nd
* **
* *
**
*
* *
*
**** **
*
**
~
�9
"A REAL NEED FOR D.O.B.
IN THE OU1'SIDE WORLD"=_FE
M
INIST FAIR VISITORS
by Chris and Jane
In spite
of the bad location,
intolerable
heat and dust, the
Feminist
Fair received
a generous
number of visitors.
The Fair
commemorated the 52nd Anniversary
of women's suffrage
and was held
Saturday,
August 26 in the Cambridge Common, DOB, invited
by
the National
Org anization
for
Women who organized
the fair,
was present,
even though the
newscameramen carefully
avoided
our booth.
It was our first
official
involvement
with DOB
and we were rather
surprised
by
the reactions
of some of the
visitors,
who, after
furtively
reading
the posters,
looked at
us with puzzled eyes, expecting
maybe to see something different
on our faces.
But on the whole,
the people who came to ask for
information,
buy FOCUS, or talk
about their
experiences
were
quite interested.
Several women
expressed
delight
and surprise
at the sight of the booth. Some
were more timid and just took
information
from the table
without
a word, and perhaps with
just a hint of guilt
on their
faces.
We were impressed by the
number of mothers with children
who stopped and talked
freely
about their
problems as lesbians,
women, and mothers.
Obviously
these women were in need of·
-~~
informative
help and were
waiting
anxiously
for some kind
of answer. In fact,
everybody who
stopped at the booth impressed
upon us the necessity
of further,
involvement
of an organization
like DOB in the outside
world.
There is a real need for it-that!s
the deepest
impression
left on us by the Feminist
Fair.
Aside from a few disdainful
startjs
and a few .cutting
remarks,
fully
expected
though reprehensible,
from a few superstuds
milling
about (whenever more than two
women are gathered
they do tend
to show up), the interest
expressed
by the women there
made it more than worthwhile.
CLASSIFIEDS
1973 Calendar"' Anonymous' was often
a woman", with dates important
historically
to women. $1. Women's
Commission, Viking Union, Western
Washington State College,
Bellingham,
Wash. 98225
Available
in Sept ... 2 Furnished
Bedrooms and bath in private
home
w/kitchen
privileges.
Parking free,
& 20 min. from Boston via train
or bus. 2 working persons preferred
Call or write D.O.B, Office.
FOR RENT: 2.beautiful
rooms plus
bath, 2 closets,
stove,
refrigerator,
1st floor,
pets allowed,
parking,
near Ashmont Station.
$125/mo. Other gays in bldg.
287-0307 after
6pm.
CLASSIFIED RATES 5¢/word
THE LESBIAN TIDE. A monthly
lesbian
publication,
written
by
and for the rising
tide of gay
women today; it will speak of
their
numbers, their
lives,
their
ideas,
and their
pride,
$5 in
$6 elsewhere.
50¢ sample.
Calif.,
Tide Collective,
1124½ N. Ogden,
Los Angeles,
Calif.
90046
WOMEN LI 'TERATURE. An annotated
IN
bibliography
covering
prose and
poetry by women, and works about
women in literature.
Summary
checklists
of works by black
women and books dealing
with
lesbianism.
50¢ plus 25¢ for
mailing
from Cambridge - Goddard
Feminist
Studies,
1878 Mass. Ave.,
Cambridge,
Mass. 02140. (Checks
payable to Gill Gene).
�THE BOSTO SCEJ\J'E
N
Gay Community Center,
People
planning
for a Bos ton gay
community center are me etin g ,.,,
every Tuesday, So far few women
have been involved but they ar e
more than welcome. Call 354-1555
or 282-9181 (eves) for information
Fag Rag #3 came out in June,
prepared
by gay male liberation,
and is available
for 25¢ (call
354-1555,
354-1556).
Gay Teachers , Anyone interested
in forming a gay teachers
group
call Charles at 536-9 826,
Gay bars. 1270 Boylston St.,
Boston on Wednesday is Women's
night.
The Hiway Inn, Byfield,
on
has a bar,
Route 95 north,
swimming pool, and motel, We'd
like a· comprehensive
article
on
the bar scene for women,
Lesbian .MQtbers. The summer 1972
issue of Mother Lode is devoted
35¢ from
to lesbian
mothers,
It's
Mother Lode, Box 40213, San
Franscisco,
Calif.
94140, Boston
DOB has a copy in the office,
Mattachine
gets $10,000, One of
Mattachine
Society
New York's
members died, leaving them
$10,000.
MORECLASSIFIEDS
PSYCHOLOGY
AND WOMEN
An annotated
bibliography,
25¢
plus mailing,
Checks payable to
Sheli Wortis, CambridgeGoddard Feminist Studies,
address above.
Sidney Abbott & Barbara Love
wish to invite
you to a
CELEBRATION
of the
Positive
Attitudes
& Beautiful
Feelings
that made
Sappho Was a Right-on Woman
possible
Thursday,
Sept, 7, '72 8-12 p.m.
Aboard the WAVER
TREE, South St.
Seaport,
Fulton & South Sts, NYC
music, poetry & song
NA
TIONAL GAY SCENE
..
10
... '7
...
-
Discrimination
barred
Ann Arbor, M
ichigan
(population
100,000) b ecame the first
place i
in the nation to prohibit
discrimination
against
homosexuals
in em
ployment,
housing,
and
pµblic accommodations
within the
city,
The city council
on July
10 amended the city's
human
rights
code to include homosexuals,
Similar
laws in East Lansing,
M
ichigan and San Francisco
apply
only to employment by the j city
or contractors.
The Ann Arbor oan does not apply
to transvestities,
Democratic Convention.
Two days
later,
July 12, the gay rights
minority
platform
was defeated
at
the Democratic National
Convention
in Miami.
S.I.R.
fire.
A fire,
confessed
arson, caused $25,000 damage at
the Society
for Individual
Rights'
Community Center in San Francjsco
July 9, The center was not
insured,
**********************************
AMAZON
QUARTERLY
·,
A new lesbian-feminist
arts
journal
coming out this Fall with
stories,
plays,
essays,
reviews,
poetry,
black-and-white
drawings
and prints.
Send manuscripts
and graphics
to:
554 Valle Vista
Oakland, Ca, 94610
1 yr. sub
$4
Bulk order rates
*********************************
Women's Video Festival,
Sept, 14
thru Sept JO, at 1he Kitchen,
Mercer Arts Center,
240 Mercer
St~, N,Y,C, Write there for info,
or call 212-673-3457,
SUBSCRIBE TO FOCUS
AND GET MANY
FOCI!!!
�11
IETT:SRS TO FCCUS
Donr friends,
Ls go.y peop l e in this city of R)ston ,
wo hccvo much f or which we c an be thc .nk One grc o.t blessing
in po.rticul o.
r
ful.
is that there .::ro so 1 0.ny of us; OlT
;1
conr.n.mity is rol.::i.tivoly l2rgo he r o ,
and moot in g poop lo and nc:kine now friends
isn't
t oo dif f i cu lt.
• • • I .:::ir:1 iti ng this letter
wr
to share
with you yet .:m
other good thing (in
add iti on t o existing
groups) planned for
our people he ro in Hoston; t o l ot y ou
knou t ha.t provisions
o. o be in g r:wdc
r
with r cg.::t ds t o the spiritual
r
wollboing of our peoplc , , .::tn c.spoc t of our
liv es whi ch hc.s f or too l ong been negl ected .
•"i comr;mnity church gr oup is now boinr;
nnin pur pos e is t o pr ov i de
f or r:1od Its
.
a cor..forto.blo,
noan in gful, and satisfyin g spiri tu .::i. life f or gny r,1cn nnd
l
wcr,1 n in this city.
o
Ther o is now a s1;1.::t gr oup of us workll
in g on this project.
Once a week, en
Sunclo.y even in g c1t 7 : JO, HO have ~in inf or r.ia "r 2.p session"
l
ovor coffee ancl/
or teD. t o discuss those ma.tt or s; to
cxch~ 'ngo iclo ... and c omnonts i to o. k
s
s
quest i ons 2nd t o geno r o. ly do all t ho
l
planning o.nd grounc1. k nocos s .". f or
:uor
ry
a successful
venture cone o.utum
n.
The l ocd i on of th e r:ioot in gs c.:i.n be
obt o.inod by c o.lin g mo at 723-3'+18.
l
Wo 11;: to extend a nost warm welcome
,nt
t o o.nyono uho u culd li ke tr:l attend .
TELL YOURFR.::!:ErJDS •
! ••
If you have any que stions
or u ould lik e
,
l
t o t.:tlk u i th r.10 please c ::tl.
Both Di.::-cna:mcl nwsolf would lik e t o
t h.:::inkth o su ppor t we have boon r ocoivinG fr om D.O.B. members , Tho
<1o gr eat , oven tho
r
toloph ono calls
ono s at 2 ;:ir:1
•
ro
r
Ho do nood a r:io s oli d fl ow of c o. cls
PLEJ,S . Tho Pr es i den t
E
o.nd letters.
of Bos t on University
thinks Gl:JJ-lNI.
sh oul d go (it is on B.U. r ad i o),
has put thenEveryone at tho station
s olves on tho lino for tho show.
Such .:i. show of s olicl.:ir i ty has bought
ti moo Pleas e help us sto.y
us little
on tho :1
ir.
Ho need, noocl, need
your supp ort •
Pl eas e tune in tho show if you h<'.'.
vo
not hoard it.
It 1 s on ovary Friday
ovoning 90.0 F11 on tho c'.. al, fr on
i
8:JO to 9:00 pm. Ear ly enough so
th o.t you 1r o not out to tho b ars or
whatever yo t.
Do listen
and giv e us your opinion.
W nee d to hoar fror ,1
e
Just wri to.
you, or olso you may not be hearing
fror;i us.
\"Jri to: HBUR R.'.ldio, , G.\Y 1 Y
:Us
c/o Bos t on University
.
nho ns
Sch ool of Public Co~1r.1unic
640 Commo wealth .\vo .
n
Boston, liass ,
Yours,
El ain e Nobl e
Di .:tn[l.Tr o. is
v
Dear r.10r;1bo of D.O.B.,
rs
I htbpo to soc s ome of you SJ on ,
Yours in Gcd,
R.ov. Lawr ence G. Bori1ior
I .::tr,i candicl.:J.to for ro-oloction
n
as c orr esponc~in g socroto.ry.
I woul d
.:md
bo gl.'.ld to answer questions
o.t any tir .10.
c.ccopt sur;r:; stions
o
--------------------------------------NOTE: The Homophilo Comr.mnity HoJ. th
l
Service receive d a lotter
from a wor:io.n
in Yorkshire,
Engla;1c1 who wants a
corrospondont
i n tho U.S. l. . She is
35, ,go.y , and o. froolo.nco photog r o.phor
0.11c1. c'. lik e
woul
with nany interests,
to ,ir i to to o. honiosoxucl, fo n::tl o or raclo .
l otte r to DEll!ISE,c/ o DOB.
Uri to first
Lo.u a Robin
r
=-----------------------------------JOI N DOB JOI N DOB JOI N DOB JOIN D
~-----------------------------------------------------------------------
�12
OH IIIRnons
The poem 1@ r· :Jol'.t th2.t yc2.rG-l oi1g strt!.gglc
.
thr ough -" t:J tr: r . t 'J be . "butch 11 9 f o rgcttii1g
crc ,-,,.,"' \-:,···1c'1o
Tl1c .v 1u11·"r 1 -i· cl,.,
v6
,"
r .Cc.".llv ,-1
_
J
. ._..,u
.
.1
...
_u?
j_10t g o in g through
it c.o 1.mch 9 out I :.10st
- JL
0
-......:
.
_ ;_
s r,uc of us ucnt
th.:i.. rrl12.t ,:,c
t
-·l,-11 G-0d 1 c.....-~
".L c·
.· '"'nloccrtc.inly
dic1 .
1...-
_ _
_
They hc.vc 02.tchad
uo in my bc.thr oo~ 1
c2.rcfully
o.ltcrin~
the figure
nithin
them
rri th brylcrcc:
br onzing
go 1 9 2.i.11.d
Ec.u So..uvc.ge .
9
They h2vc seen ::ic in the j uhns · of r2.uco1.1s gc,ybo.rs
hopefully
rco.:;,."rcmgi_ng post1'.1rcs 9
Acc -c o;_ibing reflected
h2.ir 9
so tho.t the result
uight· i nprcss
sonc ncnclcss
pretty
brm10ttc .
~
They hc.vc
uc-,tchcd r. c o.ppr ovc the reflected
1
po.re.de
Oj_1de.nee fl oo rs 9
Strutti_ng
Jc .cgc r-li lcc in blc,,zcr,
j c o.ns 2nd b -:id;s 9
c
tryii1g
]2.C,rd to l o ,Jk ns in-c on tr ol r,s the LlC!.clw
bo..rtcnc}crs,
ns c oo l
2nd Eu o .J t l1 c.s the :ccflccti
oi1 i n t he j olln .
And once ,-,hen I rms11 1 t l oolc:L 1g,
they \70..tchcd DC light
the jo.si.linc co.ndlc nco..r LlY bed,
wr,tahod mo rn~1ilc ten sely d orm c.t tho softness
on r.iy
p ill orr,
o.nd rmtc h c d tho liquid
n2,rr.1th in hor br onn. eyes
solidify
2.s she rcc.c hcd up t r) :.:i ss D.l ot hcr n o:·~o.n w1d t ouched
l
.
:ao thi;.--1g but c:. colc1 9 frig htci10d forn
in o. piece
of glnss
trc.ppcd
PROEI~
Ycu tr{lV-Ol fc.r
I n re .:i ns cf tho u c;ht ..
l
~ .. You,: f · n cl pe.:tce.
i
.n
·; t
· Now ,yotFreturn
. cor:o hone one.a no ro,
You .:tro ch 2ngocl •
Yot· -thoy arc not
Those J.bout you
.'i e th o sc1no.
r
.C ...
Tho worlc.l f or you
Is not the so.no ,
Yet t hey o. e •
r
You hc.vo lcc:. :ci1cd ;-. ch 1
m
You r. SCODC is oro2d, I .
.
tl 1eii~s 1 s nnrrou.
.c
All the '.Jcc.uty
is Si)Oilcd
i10i7_ .:__
you - ;_re crus~1cd .
They don 't knorr
Tl1cy C[!.j_1: sec
1ot
I ::;noro..ncc
'.?HY?????
NEX MONTH N FOCUS: "Over t ho Fence"
T
I
wit h Dione 0 1Kcefo.
'
Gori
��The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1972 September
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1972-09
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. With this issue, Focus discontinues volume/issue numbering.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
Type
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197209
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/98f5a794ff47b5f11cb7adedd80449a8.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=XC%7EbEOtyWPn%7E0Pp8rYl-VOKnxAB4ICQzLaamf9JMHUQ0VGleg10hxNWw4pWDUPgkim0xNSxvV5XckwfwrjnUpnepfew0ya7H0TCjCJsgvQ4EeDNomFyPBj46NscXzlArXvnGowTzyTcGxOpqoITzmSjAcPtYmSpR%7EBkZ15KYj%7EXBgvetGHFrX9jnQQrFFFSCY3qAqp1oPjEi9cKA2CYa733%7E851X2-9UCLlhugF9Lmx8%7Eu%7Ed0jiJsQDOWUhYV3RDhlTrZvCpQoERYW5tbnl6KyvpHnMM9V5QeXp1udn-p2T3uvlTrJlDzVGn9qmfgm9LfR2BheCpr-6TOwNnAzfGWw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
50c3c4321f23a7b3c6b60b0bb4a2baac
PDF Text
Text
�FO
CUS: A J O AL FOR GA WOM
URN
Y
EN
1
Oct ob er 19?2
Focus is publish e d month ly by Bo3- FOC~S s taff for this issue:
ton Daug hters of Bili t is, Room 406, I,c,is H., Ann, Geri, Laurai,Chris 9 Jano.
Cover b y Kristin
419 Boylston St., Bos t on, M
ass,
o
02116, Phon e 617-2 62-15 92,
Articles
in FOCUS reflect
the views
Subscriptions
ar e $5 a y e ar.
of the individual
authors,
and may
Boston D.O. B, Offic e r s :
not repres ent D.O,B. as an
Treasurer ......
, ..... Geri Bidw e ll
or g anization
.
Re cordin g Se cr etary, ... , .. Lois H.
Corr e sp ondin g Se cty, .. Laura Robin
This publication
i s on fil e at the Int e rnational
Women"s History
Archiv e , 2325 Oak St., Berk e l ey, Calif,
94708 , and is availabl e on
mi c r ofilm thr ough Bell and Howe ll, Drawer "E", Wooster, Ohio 44691,
***********
*********************************************·
*
*
IN THIS IS SUE
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
About Boston Daughters of Bilitis•••••o•••••••l
*
Calendar of coming ovonts ••••••••••••••••••••2
*
*
Tho primary oloctions: candidatos for state
le gi sl ature back away from gay rights •••• 5
*
*
*
*
*
*
Roport from tho D.O.B. auction scono ••••••••••
*
*
Sistorhood
*
Comnn.1.~ity
car.tor for Boston?••••••••••••••••••8
*
*
*
St alkin g: a guide to gay bars•••••••••••••••••3
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••7
*
Around Boston/tho countrY•••••••••••••••••••••9
*
Over tho fonco •••••••••••••••••••9••••••••••10
*
*
Studv
J
*
*
6
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
shows womanoxcludod from Mass.
st ate govornmont•••••• ~•••••••••••••••••11
* NowHam
*
pshiro gay womangetting to gothor · ••••l2
************** ABOUT BOSTOND. 0, B. ************
Because of prejudic e s and f ears
Women of all ages and political
pass e d down f or c enturi e s, our
persuasions
participate
in Bos ton
soci e ty has tr eat e d homos exuals as D.0.B .•. Because many gay wom ar e
en
lep ers, perv erts,
an d fo ols, Both
not in a position
to make their
wom and men with homos exual
en
gayness known publically,
D.O.B,
f e elings
hav e bee n made to fe e l
provides
safeguards
for those
vvarthl e ss.
wishin g to work quietly
within th e
organization,
plannin g th e soci a l
Kins ey r eport ed th a t 13% of wome n
pro g ram, writing,
typing,
or g anihave had so me homos exua l exp e ri ence zing th e library,
and so on. For
by age 45, Bost on D.O. B. is on e of thos e able to be more op en, th er e
many g ay group s f or med in the last
is political
activism,
etc,
f ew years t o g iv e ga y women a chanc e
to talk wit h on e ano th er, s up p ort
on e anoth e r, an d h e l p cr ea t e a
b e tt er lif e for all gay pe op l e ,
�CAT,FNDAR OF CO ING EVEN
M
TS
2
Tuesdays
at
7:30 p,m. RAP SESSIONS ON BEING GAY where all women
,
are invited
to share f eelings
about being gay.
T
'~rv -:i•nrl L :::i
w
HO "-1"F" 1--,/, T ,L ( fJ rst: +'l o o r 10 1 !"' ( , ) . a >Sch oe l dc) mi t ory, be si de par k ing gara g e which is on
r
corner of .Everett
St . and Massachusetts
Ave. in
Cambrid ge (several
blocks north of Har vard Square).
0
J..JJ !.- ~ ,:)
,
Thursdays
Sundays
-
J
1... 17.,_O ·"
...
.l.. ..!-
9- 9:30 p.m. GAY W Radio Show for
AY
WB - FM, 90,9 on dial.
UR
- - C...
l
,
the
,_
....,J_•
....l.
._.. , ,
gay community.
7 p . m. Boston Me
tropolitan
Community Church (gay) discussion
and worship , Arl in gton St. Church, Hunnewel l Chapel,
& Boylst on Sts. , Boston.
(for info call
Arlington
723 - 341 8 . The Boston church has r eceiv e d mission
status
from the national
M
CC).
Oct , 7 , Saturday
Oct.8,
.J.. .1."\... .,
J
, 1 p.m, - New England Gay Conferenc e , 484 Chestnut
St. , Holyok e , M
ass . D.O.B. is going . For ride ca ll
office
or ask June or Geri .
Sunday , 6:30 p.m., POTLUCKSUPPER AND SPEAKERS FROM
OTHERGAY GROUPS (seep.
8 ).
Bring you r special
food item to sha r e . St . John's Church,
33 Bowdoin St. , Boston.
D
November 5, Sunday f 7:30 p . m. POTLUCKSUPPER (6:30 p . m.) AN
BUSINESS M
EETI NG), Br i ng your food speciality,
St. Joh n. s Church, 33 Bowdoin St ., Boston.
Oct , 28,
~
K
on c ri mes against
1 p.m. SPEA OUT RAGE. Pub lic hearing
women r elating
to abor ti on , contraception,
sterilization,
etc . Organ iz ed by Boston Womens'
Abortion Action Coa liti on (266-3574)
and
Female Liberation
(491-1071),
S-0-R seeks to co ll ect
testimony
from women, doctors , lawyers , counsellors
to ultimate ly present
to the legislature,
etc .
·
Boston Univ ers i ty Law School Aud it orium .
N ov . 19, Sunday , DON'T
.
St . Johns
no charge
Please be
FORGETlVIEM2lERS Thanksg ivi ng d inn e r at
at 5:30 P. M. DOB Members on l y.
There is
for this dinner,
DOB is supp lyin g a ll.
on time .
THE POT LUCK SUPPER AND THE SPEAKERS INVITED ARE
FOR YOU. THIS WILL BE A TI M FOR ALL OF US TO
E
ACQ INT OURSELVESWITH THE O'I'HERGAY GROUPS
UA
ARO D BOSTON PLEASE CO E .. . , ... . . WE NEED YOU
Ul\:
.
M
!
JOI N DO ... JOIN DOB
B
......
JOI N DOB
.....
JOIN DOB
FOCI ARE ON SALE IN DOB OFFICE ON
LY 501
NEXT M
ONTH IN FOCUS:
"Foll owin g M Partne rs' Lead"
y
By Kay Silk
Any articles
, poetry , sk e tch es for Focus pl e ase
a
send to DOB, 419 Boylston St. , Boston , M ss .
�STAIKUTG
.
B~r Torri
3
Most woman aro shorto~
than mo:=;tmcu
It vs O[WY to over
look us
As tho role-conceptions
of gay women
have ch~ngod ovor tho past few years,
. tho gay bar scene has booh changing as
well.
Womenarc steppin g away from bein g pseudo-males and tho powers that be
aro provid:l:n.g more clubs for those
actua li~.od woncn to pa~·tronizo.
Thora
has boon :1· def inite movo fr om sorony
cornbat-:. ono hideouts stuffed into
noi gl1
bo:::-hoodside pockets, to clubs with
hoalthior
aspects out of roach of tho
spo ci a].iz. cd coll ecti ons of ovorone 0 s
fav orite porvorsions dov-.rntown .Explor•
ing tho~o gathering places in tho Boston
Arca:
Thora is, of cour se, old Ja~quos, on
tho corner of Broadway and Piedmont St.
~
near tho now lbwar c J ohns ons Sky Scraper
in Bost on ~s Bay Vill~ go aroa. Women
is
Gather hero on tho first floor--thoro
a downstairs bar f or men. Sadly, in
order to roach tho roar aroa of tho first
floor, you must pass tho front section
bar whi ch always manages to collect for
itself
a patr onag e of straight
man
present either .for tho 11look at tho two
11
womon soxu E fantasy, or f o:r tho more
,l
91
active "I wonder If I can tako ono homo
kick.
You 0 11 probably notice an occain tho ladies room.
sional transvostito
is a little
Tho la<l~os room itself
questi onable and was probably import ed
from tho Titanic just barely bof ore
sho sunk. Bo ready for any and all
typos of hustles to come your way •••••
, varitios
arc endless ••• obut some say
tho olomont of danger gives J.Q.s 11
an aura of excitement.
Drinks hero
cost 65¢ with no cover except Tuesday
whon drinks arc JO¢and cover is $1.
Across tho street is tho Other Si da
where you can leave tho procatory
atmosphere of Jacques behind and lose
yourself in tho people both male and
female who come mostly t o dance to
multi-colored
disc oli ghts and wollamplifiod music from a jukebox or spum
by a D.J. Wednesday ni ghts and weekends arc popular with women. Thero is
a $1.00 cover but on Wodnosdayi, drinks
arc 30¢ •
Tho 1270, at 1270 Boylston Stroot was
formerly patronized by males but it is
fast becoming tho nicest bar for women
in town. They've made Wednesday ni ght
d
women°s night and ovory Worlnos ay tho
ba~k room is fille d with women. 1270
seems to attract
a nicer sot of women
than Jacques; a good place to go with
l jg ht shows
friends for conversation,
on tho wall, and a little
dancing.
Tho drinks there arc avorag ol y priced
but a little
on tho wcaksido uhloss
you know th bartender.
If you like
~ruising,
for get it here unless it O s
sublto--tho
tone of tho 1270 is almost
intolloctual,
hero you 0 11 find tho
tho hospital
fominists 9 tho teachers,
administrators
otc.
If you have a car, go over tho Mystic
River Bridge and take Route 95 North
oc.t of Boston and oxlt about 45 m.in-utos later at tho Byfield oxit whore
Inn. IVs
you will fin d Tho HYWay
a motel, bar, dance hall and swimming
pool complex. WHICH,a good sounding
womens band, plays horo every Tues day
and Thursday.
Drinks arc 50¢, and no
one presses you to buy them every 16
minutes.
On Tuesdays, thoro is usually
a buffet,
all you can cat for $1.50.
About 45 minutes in the opposite rlirootion is tho Cabana'in Providence, R,I.
Drive along the Southeast Expressway
and take tho Post Office .Exit noar tho
State House. Tako tho first right, tho
first loft and tho right.
Go up tho
hill until thoro 0 s an intersection.
Boar left, NancyFillipi'S
Cabana is at
tho bottom of tho hill, it 0 s tho building with Christmas lights all year
around.
Thero is usually a band on
wookonds and $1.00 cover • .Expect to
bo harrasso d if you smoke on tho d .".?:J.Co
flo or or put your foot on the chair s.
This club is homo base for Carol and
ti10 Burgundies, an ·all girls band rem--
�4
STALKING
con°t
cniscont of tho 50°s. When tho Burgundies
arc thoro tho covor is $2. to walk in.
You will be pressed to buy drinks.
Tho
Cabnna is froquontod by tho older cr owd
of women.
Thoro arc two othor Provi dence bars
worth some considerati on. _ you taJ.,e
If
the Central Falls Ex:it to Railroad St.-you just may find a small bar called
the Railroad which has just begun to
become popular for tho young sot.
"Which" plays there on weekends and
thoro is a $1 covor. Tho Railroad is
a good place to go if you 0 ro with s omeone you care about and you like gr oping
around in tho dark for your drinks.
Tho other bar is called Tho Jail.
Tho
rumors have it assi gned tho nico to bo
at colors of good atmosphere.
Got
directions
there fr om a friend.
At Provincetown thoro arc basically
two aroas which draw women. Tho ~r own
and Anchor has tho Back Room which
welcomes male and fomalo patronage and
what was called the Edwardian Room, tho
room nearer the fr ont which is larger
thQn tho Back Room and is predominantly
female in tono--it
has s cmo really ni.co
pict-:.u·os of women t ogether on thq walls.
Thero is a $1 cover on weekends ••
Tho Pied Piper is a woman°s bar further
up tho stroot.
Thero is usually ontortainmont on tho holidays.
Drinks arc
well mado and the atmosphere is pleasant.
If you are in Provincet own on a holiday,
don°t forgot Tho Moors around 4 p.m.
They havo
sing-a-lon g happy hours
which are very popular with both males
and females, but of course got there
early.
Gay bars have more res ponsive to tho
realities
of bein g a woma and bein g
n
gay. Bars arc not tho foreign places
Tho feelin gs of
of short days past.
being stalke d by str ai ght society in
general and predatory men in particular
can be now avoide d . W
omen now have
s ome docent social options all their
own.·
*********************
**************
Editors 0 No
to: Tho followin g bars
about
also exist but wo know little
thorn. Wo woulc't appreciate rea ders .'
commen on those and other places in
ts
No Englan d .
w
SSACifuSEI'TS
. MA
Lowell
Majestic
Bar, Me
rrimack St.
(mostly men).
Now Bodfor d
Baylios' Squar e Cafe
1759 Acushnet Ave.-~somo strai ght<North Chelmsford -- Tho Lantorn(somo
Spdn gfiel d
women)
Tho Arbor
8J Worthington st.(off
Main St.)
women downstairs with woman
barton<lor ••••• dancin g ••••
W
orcester
,Ports O °Call
700 Main St. ( gay women, dance)
CONNECTICUT
Hartford
Tho Cafe Lib
1J2 Newpark Avo.(Gay owned••••
oporatod)
Tho Warohous e
61 Woodbine St. (off Capit ol Ave.)
men and women
Wa.terburv
Tho Road House
l ·J88 Thomast on Ave. (Now Gay Bar)
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�5
THE PRIMARY
ELECTIONS: CANDIDATES STATELEGISLATURE
FOR
BACK
AWAY
FROM
GAYRIGHTS
by Laure. Nc:1
urry
The scene: Candidatosv Night, September 8, at the Arlington Town Hall.
Six
had
candidates for State Repr esentative
spoken their alloted fow minutos oach.
Tho chairwoman, Mrs. Maytum9 prosidont
oft.ho
Arlington L0aguo of WomenVoters,
asked for questions.
' I was thoro with Tom Horman from tho
Gay Rights Alliance.
His hand wont up.
1 would liko to ask each of th o can::l.idatos if ho would support anti-discrimination laws to protect gay pooplo in
c,mplu_ylf1, _ nl > lwnc::5nr:.
,
aurl p;1blic accom-
• 11
..
Ino d r-,
.t
:i , )l'iS
• "
Suddenly heads turn ed to stare
There was a momoul.'l.ry uJ lence,
at us.
followed
For example, as mentioned in last month 9 s
FOCUS, tho Gay R~ghts Alliance sent ou~
300 ·questionnaires
to Boston area candidates for State Ropresontativo
and .
State Senator and got about 20 favorable
responses.
Now, half of \ hose 20 wo:e
not willing to make their stand public.
"Wait till I 0 m olectod," they said, reflecting
what they saw as tho public
opinion
Ono candidate who said this
turned out to be gay himself. Another
"Furthermore, if
candidate elaborated,
r 0 m elected the first thing I 0 m concerned about is re- election.
I could
not give you a..:tivo bupport, only a
"yes " vote ".
John J~ Crapo, Republican
St.ate Rep. from north
Cambridge for se~bal hours on°'evening,
thon rose to ans~
-ror.
A couple of weoks'la.ter,
we received
"My gut reaction has to be, NO, I WOULD tho following letter:
NOT", said John W. Bullock.
Tho audience
applauded loudly.
Dear members of the Gay Rights
Alliance:
"Tho present laws cover race, color,
sex, etc; I would not support further
••• I personally feel that omr socadditions,"
said Michael Callahan.
iety and c
rovernmont as it presently is has boon very tolerant
to
homo-soxuals and within reasonable
Andrew "Hawk" Zamparolli said, "I'd
have to see what my constituents
said. 11
limits allows them to pursue their
activities
among consenting adults
I -,
in private.
To go any further,
David Skorry (magna cum laudo, Boston
University)
said, "Would I support
believe will open our society to
legislation
in favor of a sickness?"
chaos and to make a complete farce
of it ••• frankly speaking, you aro .
Amato Lepore said something too.
I
boating a doad horse.
Tho impli, donvt know what. I wasnvt listening.
cations of some of your views are
By then I was complotoly stunned.
very dangerous, and I think tho
voters would repudiate them •
.I asked tho next batch of candidates
Sincerely yours,
if they supported legalizing
homosexual
John Jennings Crapo
behavior between consenting adults in
private.
That would soem oasior to say
yes to since it was just a matter of
Crapo won his primary fight on Sopt.19.
private rights.
But every candidate
said no.
Of tho two or throe candidates in
Cambridge who had supported gay rights
Having boon previously nu~turod on tho
openly, not a one won in tho primary.
Speakers• Bureau circuit,
whore the
non-gays aro usually polite and someTho only bright point was tho vote
what friendly,
this forray into tho
for Barney Frank in Boston°s ward 5
Roal World was quite interesting
to mo.
(Beacon Hill-Back Bay). Ho won tho
I learned some moro things by other
Democratic primary ovor throe other
encounters with candidates,
too.
candidates for State Rop. 9 two of whom
by
an omi11011.~ l )lJ!.1:l'.tjng..
Th.1;
~--✓.)n ~-:i ;_ d.,...,· ho .~
..
We met with
,,,.;,.Iidrito
;for
�6
had foll owod Frank 0 s lo ad to s ook gay
support in an area roportodly high in
gay populati on .
Tho noxt thing is tho gonoral oloction
Novombor 7, whon Republic ans and Democrats will vio against ea ch other as well
as against Indopendents.
Aftor that,
logislation
must bo submittod to tho
State House by December. And aftor that,
ofcourso, comos treatment of tho proposod
legislation
by tho Legislaturo •••
***************************************
BUSINESSMEETING
SEPI'EMBER
17, 1972
1. $10 appr opriat ed for stickers to advertis o DOB.
2. Voted not to son d anyone to proposed
DOBconvention in San Francisco in
1973, nor to contribute anything
towards a convontion 9 s expenses.
3. Discussion of social activities
and
raps.
4. Now officers
eloctod for the coming
yoar.
*****************¥**********************
REPORT
FROM
THE D.O.B. AUCTION
SCENE
by Miriam
"Going, going, gonol t o that
for fifty conts! 11
gontloman
And another treasure
was finally partod
fr om its grateful pr G
vious owner. So tho
rangafternoon procoodod, with articlos
ing from a tiny pink ni ghtie t o a book
Is Sox Nocessarv? boing off ered to tho gallory.
Occasion ally two pooplo viod
briskly for tho same it om, onriching
ovon more tho coffors of tho DOBtraasury
as they uppod tho bi dding.
Tho scone was tho Old Wost Church l obby
in Boston on Satur day , Soptombor 9. Isabella, Miriam, and Ginger ovon hired a
U-Haul to bring in from tho north things
saved just for tho occasion.
The hoavons
opened up just as th o cartons wore being
brought in. · Eyes anxiously scanned tho
skies as people scurried past the outdoor
sign.
But slowly tho weather cleared,
bringing in cust ome to fill the seats.
rs
Certainly wo had runple r oom for many more,
and it was a disappointment
that so few
came to share tho fun.
Somo of tho items wer e a guitar, accordian,
chinose gong, cameras, artwork, lamps,
lin ~ . ., , small household . furniture,
ns
plants,
kn1cknacks, ice skat es , old shoos,clocks
and radios that di dn°t work and didn 9 t
soll •• -but a hot pink ladios 0 hat wont
for a quarter.
Surpris e pa ckages als o
ged madly thr ough
wont well.
Juno rumma
tho boxes for thin gs to bo sold.
Anybody havo a tapo of tho Paul Bonzaquin TV show oarlior this year on
PARENTS GAYPEOPLE? Ono of the
OF
parents would like a copy. Writo DOBor
toll Laura Robin.
Jackie had a table for books and rec or ds .
Pam showed her photographs.
No one
could resist Laura 0 s table, spread
with tomatoes, cold moats, onions,
lettuce,
and spicy oils, all tho
fixins for delicious grinders she
proparod f or our hoartt appetites.
Thorb ' wero throe pe ople who had come at
noon and stayed for tho entire auction.
They had tho most fun of anybody,
thorou ghly enjoying Gori tho
and incidontally
auctionoer 0 s antics,
buyine or bidding on just about everythin g that was put on tho block.
Tho
crowd kept Miriam busy hoppin g back
and forth with change, and Lois tho
cashier scribbling
quickly in her
book to koop up with tho sales.
Just when it was time to loav o, and
our industrious
workers had started
cloaning uu, it started to pour again,
sendin g th~ last of us dashing to our
cars with our loft-overs
and brand
now dolightso
And, oh yosl After
done and accounted
itself
$70 richer.
all was said and
for, D.O.B. found
**************************************
*
*
STARTTODAY
*
*
*
*
save those treasures
*
*
.for next yoar 0 s
*
*
*
*
AU
CTION
*
*
*
*
**************************************
�7
SISTERHOOD
by Sheri
Statistically
speaking there are 'conservative
old ladies
still
10,000
lesbians
in th e gr eate r
locked up in their
closets,"
She
Boston atea, give or take a few,
was ,chagrined
that we were not
not to mention the many hundreds
willing
to lay our jobs on the
more in a radius
of 100 mi les of
line and perhaps risk being fired
Boston.
to pave the way for future
ge n e rations
of gay sisters.
I
I do not know how many lesbian
admire this young woman and the
· organizations
there are besides
many thousands
like her who are
Boston Daughters
of Bilitis.
D.O.B. fighting
for all of us,
I cannot
has a membership of 65-70 members though, • for g et my friends
who like
' and the Focus is mailed to around
myself have been gay for 20 or JO
157 women.
years and who in our own quiet way
are doing our own thing,
We cannot
forget
the exile,
the persecution~
Almost a year ago raps were
the closed doors, th e dishonorable
started
by a f ew inte rested
discharges
and for most the years
women, It started
slowly.
Some
of loneliness.
Can we forget the
weeks only 8-12 people came until
degrading
bar scene, the only
it grew to such proportions
as to
place to go to be with or .to meet
hold them twice a week. One night
other lesbians.
"Those were the
I counted JB faces all strainipg
good old days," somehow does not
to hear or be heard in that tiny·
room. Never a week goes by but we fit here.
don't see at least
3 or 4 new
faces.
In D.0.B, we are coming out into
the sunshine
and rather
than
meeting in bars, we are meeting at
The first
ni gh t we held one on
picnics
and raps
Friday two strangers
arrived
from camping trips,
which brings me to the point of
out of town who were only here
why I wanted to write this.
Out of
for a few hours.
It was a small
rap and not a very good one but
10,000
lesbians
within the sound
we received
this note:
"Thanks so of my pen only about 200 will be
much for being so nice to a
r ead ing this.
Out of 200 lesbians,
only 65 belong to D.O.B, and at '. any
couple of strangers
in town. We
social
function
only 15 or 20
enjoyed our evening and everyone
lesbians
show up. I concede that
made us feel welcome. That's
a
not all lesbians
are going to like
good, warm feeling
when you don't
one another
and there is indeed a
know a soul in the whole city,"
generation
gap - the older
professional
versus the younger
Some women only come once; talk
generation
of lesbians.
Whatever
abc,ut a particular
problem they
we all belong.
' are having,
seem relieved
to know our status
that others
share their
problems
We belong to the gay community
and then disappear
into the night.
Some women come again and again.
and I have seen in the last few
weeks lesbians
standing
behind
Some are verbal and others don't
talk at all;
for th em it is a
one another
in a network of friendplace to come for a short time
ship and that's
beautiful.
"I' 11
each week to be with other
never forget the gay women in
lesbians.
"We don't go every week Boston,"
but it's
a good feeling
to know
they are going on and if we feel
"But what did we do?" I asked.
like it we can go," says one
woman.
"You were there when I need e d
you.' .'
"I hate the raps",
said one
That's
Sisterhood
and it can be
young lesbian,"a
bunch of
powerful!
!
�8
COM!vrJ CENTER
NITY
FOR BOSTON?
WHERE
ARE THE WOM2~N?
by Gori
I hoard about tho gay guys gottin~
togothor rapping about how they can
start a gay community center in Boston
for all gay people.
They have asked
DOBseveral timos to send somo women
to participate
in tho planning sta ges.
I know we as gays have many problems
that you may think are more important
th an a community center, but just think
how nice it would bo to havo a place
to drop in to rap, havo a coke and what
over to drink, play some pin gpong or
no0l, and hold dances and parties whoro
It is moro than appar-y*************************"',.***~*ll<***':wo would.not bo
POT-LUCK
SUPPER&
1 hassled by tho police.
ont that wo nood such t
a cantor hero in Bos- t
SP& RS
I\.KE
:+
ton--but it takes
f
Wo women would havo
pooplo who care with t What 0 s going on with other gay
* our own portion of
time and effort to
T groups in Boston?
'I< this building
for
f How do they de al with their prob- * a DOBoffice and
spare to got off
t loms? What do they co ? What aro * access to tho entire
our asses and attend
those meetings~ air
their members like?
* cantor.
t DOBh~s invited speakers from
~
our views, and just
plain help.
All gay
Homophilo Union of Boston, Lesbian*
Think about it, gals.
groups in Boston moot; Lib oration, Gay Cummunity Center,
'!' Tho guys are asking
* Gay Malo Liberation,
Gay Speakers O * for our ir".oas···.
in churches and
social clubs such
* Bureau, Metropolitan Community
* and need our support.
* Church ( gay), and other groups to ~ to got this off tho
as Odd Follows Hall,
t ground from tho
but they aro not ad- * a special program foll owin g tho
'l' talking
sta ge to a
equate for our needs--'!' potluck su ppe r.
we aro restricte d t o * This is tho fj.rst t .:lnn jp ::ipos that+ reality.
sot rules and ro gula- :i: DOBhas had spea kers at its moot- t
tions such as no al- tin gs. In tho olden days, this
• Tho mootin g October
coholic bovora gos
* was a popular form of mooting.
8 (soo box on this
(it would bo nice to t
~ page ) will boa
have a glass of wino 't' OCTOBEP.. SUNDAY 6: 30 pm
8
i groat chance to moot
or boor with a spa ghot~ St. John's Church, 33 Bow
doin St., ~ and talk with tho
ti dinner, ri ght?).
t Boston. Bring foo d !
*f pooplo fr om tho ·,
Also, wo must, in
,\c--'*¼:lt<l********************************:ic
community cantor
group. As we all
most churches, bo out
0 clock.
know, our stay at
by 10 o
419 Boylston Stroot
Our community cent er must bo lar go--bi g
will come to an end ovontunlly whon
enough to accommod
ate 100-150 pooplo for
tho buil din g is torn down, and this
may not bo far away. Our facilities
discussions.
It must bo well located,
hero aro limited hero anyhow. So
and convoniont t o tr ans portation.
It
I
c ~mon you boautios, lot O s participate!
must also provi do tho facilities
wo
nood.
1
+
+
f
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GAYHOUSE,I.NC., 216 Ri dgewood Avo.,
Minneapolis, Minn. (612-333-6088), is
a gay community cantor starte d l½ years
ago. They have a hotline staffed 7
days a wook, drop-in cont or, womo
n°s
and mon°s rap groups, a spoakors 0 bureau,
and an M typo group for gays with
alcoholic or drug problems.
Thay started
with $2000 sood G
rant fr om tho Joint ·
Urban Mission Rrojcct.
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What do you think
of FOCUS?
.ll
JL
1r
su ggostiohs
criticisms
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�9
AROUND
BOSTO
N
G WA a ra di o pro gram for tho gay
AY Y,
comm
unity on WBUR-F1-1
(90.9 on di al)
has a now tim o sl ot--Thurs c'tay ovonin gs
from 9 - 9:30 pm. Pro gra"l1rncrElaine
Noble th anks th os e who havo writt en in
sup port of tho pr ogram 9 anc woul c welcome moro lottors,
common 9 su ggesti ons .
ts
(a dc1.
ross: Bost on Univ drsit y 9 640 Commonwealth Av, Bost on).
·
G YLINE publicati on of Ho~ophilo Union
A
9
.' of Boston 9 out in shin y now edition,
. ' 35¢ ( 282-9181).
,~ ars was r ece iv ed within a wook.
oll
Meet in gs, tho publication
G
aylino,
and s peak in g coul d continu e, but
th o other functi ons would be t oo expensive.
Somod onati ons of $50 and
$25 wore t aken at tho mootin g . J ohn
Fisko, cor porati on l awyer for tho city
of Bost on, spoke about th o police/ gay
situ ati on in public plac es lik e th o
"Block", a cruisin g area . Two other
officials
fr om th o polic o dept. di d
not sh ow up •
THE PSYCHOSURG CO ITTEE of tho M
ER
Y MM
edical Committee for Human Rights hold a
!\. O D THE COU Y
R UN
NTR
r ally Sept. 20 at th o . JFK Focloral Bldg.
in Boston t o pr otest against allocation
PROJECTREP
AIR is trainin g women to bo
of $1 million f or dia gnosos and tr eat. carpontors 9 electricians
9 plumbers,
ment of violent indivi dua ls.
Tho bill
otc.
Tho pr o,joct is funded by United
was to come before th e US Senat o, and
tho r ally was dir ected at Senat ors Br ooke Community Sorvicos, is run by women,
and can be contacted at P.O. Box 3942,
and Kennedy whose offices are in tho
San Di ogo , Cali f. 92103.
JFK Building loc ally.
Tho HCHR se.ys
such money may be used to stu c1.. how to
y
THE LADD&~,a lesbi an r eview published
givo vi olent pors ons--su ch as ghetto
with
f or 16 yoars 9 ondod publication
pooplo or other pr otestin g th eir
tho August/S ept em
ber 1972 issue. The
conditions--br ain oper ati ons t o make
editor Geno Damon wroto · in pa rtin g ,
them more passiv e . Such res earch may
11 For th oso of you who ••• s ometimos
inalso apply to homosexual behavior, and
ton dod t o subscribe,
but novor quite
several gay pe ople wore at tho rally,
got around to it, we wish you whatever
For moro inf ormati on write MCHR
9
you deserve and leave it to your own
1151 Mass. Av. 9 Cambridge 02138 9 or call
conscioncos t o decide just what th at
298-5i71, 277-7046, or roa d tho pamphlet
might bo." Tho Ladder was originally
11Violonco
Upon tho Brain n in tho DOB
published by Daughters of Bilitis,
and
library.
every membership t o DOBinclu ded a ·
subscription.
In 1970 it became an
HIGH SCHOOL
GAYS
UNITED has hi gh scho ol
in depe ndent publication,
and enlarged
students answering tho phone Satur days
its focus to include feminist as well
1 to 4 pm at 282-3294 { unless HUBphono
as gay issues.
In addition t o stori es
shuts off).
and poetry, it carri ed an oxcollont
GAYCOMMUNITY
CENTER
mootings--call
11lesbiana
11 bibli
ogr aphic secti on and
776-745~ f or timo and place.
a current ovonts run-down. Boston DOB
has rec ently obtainoc: back issues of
GAYGROW7H NTER t o pe rh aps havo a
CE
,
Tho Ladder fr om 1962, 63, 64, and 65
etc; for gays 9 men and
farm, crafts,
fr om a fri end, anc1 has some rec ent
women, to got to gethe r, 354-1555., or
·issues fr om an oxchango with FOCUS.
write 53 Hommonway , Boston 02115.
St
HOMOPHILE N OF BOSTON AN
UNIO
D CE, Friday
Sept. 29, 8:30 pm--l am, Arlin gton Stroot
Church, live band , $1.50 .
HOMOPHILE
UNIONOF BOSTON its Sopt.
at
24 m
ootin g announced th at it woul d
have to close its of fice and 24 hour
phone line unl ess several hundr ed
JOUR L October 1972 r epor ts
NA
LADIES HOME
results
of a poll of wom on whether
en
they .proforrod to be addressed as M
rs.,
Miss, or Ms. Tho r esults:
prefer Ms.
pref er Mrs.
or Niss
Marriod •••••••• 1794 ••••••••• 4005
Sin gl c ••••••••• 561 •••••••••••
701
Div orco d •••••••• 286 •••••••••182
Widowod••••••••••
81 •••••••••• 464
�10
OVERTHE FEECE
.~
By D
'..l.ano0°"' "'o
.,.oo ~
I am so sick of kids.
I 0m fe el up to tho
car lobes with them. I can°t wait til
tho first day of scho ol when that
thundering silence comes crashin g down
over my hoad . It seems tho wholo world
is pooplod with nothin g but ki ds and
ovary one of them is out to got mo.
However, if ho has early dismissal ho
may bo ho~o as early as 12:JC>bugging
his mother fDr a little
lunch after
alr eady having had 11doublos 11 at tho
ca:ot oria or ho may gathor with tho
other local hoods at tho cornor garage
which offers an open campus courso in
how t o pick bicyclo l ocks. Cynic I--If thoy 0 ro not kickin g sand in your face novor. Now Phase II is just for juniors
at tho beach, thoy 0 ro bombing into you
and seniors.
If as so phom
ores they have
at tho skatin g rink, elbowing you in
' sh own thomsolvos to bo responsible
si.:,uonts during phase I they arc eligibl e .•
d
tho ribs in tho dressin g r oom at tho
shopping cantor, or roli O g you of
vin
That is if th ey havon°t driven a st olon
your pocket book and/or ono l og with
car ovor tho state lino or bombed tho
a sh opping cart at tho supor market.
principal 9 s office tho previous year.
I 9 ll tell you there is no haven from tbem.Rowovor, those adventurous stu dents nocd
'l'h o 1-H 1:1.,, ,5a :r1;ne;s
8."t'O back fr om Grandnot s-w
oat;,. Thay will bo quietly roma0s and summer camp and have gathered
moved fr om tho general society of tho
en masse ready to do battle on the homo student body arid place d in tho office
front.
You would think tho l oca l libr ary of tho co:m.~issionor at Walpole to study
Not
prison reform or they may enroll in an
would offer a t omporary ropriovo.
so. Yester day I 0m r oaching f or tho solo open campus course in aut omotive repair
W
whore they will learn how to successfully
copy of Shakospoaro 0 s Soloct ec1. orks
containing tho only copy of Hanry IV
remove hub caps, hook up a bomb to tho
r
ignition systom or loarn how to koop a
part I and part II (smnmo rea din g for
Groat Books) whon a grubby hand belongrun away car in good working condition.
c<luca ing to an equally grubby toona gor interNow that 0 s what! call progressive
copts said book and marches away with it. tion.
Keeping it rclovant and preparing
each individual
student for his own
I could have smashoc her smile button
dostiny.
Don°t got tho idea because Pm
right in tho mouth. Tho' · final indi gnity that clay, th ough, was with my own
so negative Pm against progrossivo
education.
I do fool thou gh that a little
kids.
I had f ound what I thought was
of tho old discipline
wont out of tho -,
an exciting now rocoipo for moatloaf,
but which was in reality
only another
system along with mothor 0 s apple pie
Don°t misfiasco as throe voices in chorus came
and fathor 0 s back hander.
I 0m all for unisex, lon g
scroamin g across tho tabla: •ryuk, it has understand.
hard boil od eggs in it. :i Whore is tho
hair, faded joans and tho wearin g of
Alice in Wondorland worl d whore kids oat tho amorican flag as l o,"lg as what Os in
ovorything on their plates,
arc soon and thoro is pleasant and courteous.
As a
of fact to show tho kids my hoart
not hoard and arc in bod at eight o'clock.matter
Help is on tho way, thou gh. Dayli ght
is still
in tho right place I have signcd up for an open campus course myself-saving time is sl owly slipping away and
tho little
darlings will so on be neatly
you guessed it---noodlopoint.
It may
tucked behind their little
desks.
Of
bo just what I nood to got my non-es
course, tho toachors havon°t boon sloopback to tho shape they woro last Juno.
ing all summer either you know. Tho
clover devils have doviso d their o't-m
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
mothod of survival callo c1_
"open campus",
phaso I of which consists of early disNEW
ENGLAND CONFERENCE
GAY
Thoro 0 s a
missal and late arrival.
goodio. If tho kicl9s a so phomore ho
October 7, Saturday in Holyoke, Ma ,.
ss
may havo tho choice of spendin g a cultural
A chance to talk with other Now England
m
orning swin ging back and f orth on tho
gay groups.
Everyone is welcome .
refri gerator door til it 0 s time for
DOBpeople are goin g--if you want to
school or ho may l oun ge in bod listening
go along lot us know. Seo calendar of
to tho l atest' all time classic 11Put tho
events for place.
limo in tho "
coconut and drink it a 11 up".
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&:&&
�11
STUDY SHO HOl1 EXCLUD FROM
'.TS
Zil
ED
MASS. STA'fE GOVERNI YC
,IEJ
Ninety-throe
per cont of tho top positions
in tho executive branch of the
Massachusetts government arc hold by men. Ninoty-scvon per cont of tho
Comrnonwealthws judges are men. And 98 per cont of tho legislators
in the
~
General Court arc men. Those arc among tho findings of a roport 9 Wh Rules
~assachusetts
Women, which has just boon published by tho Womonws
Research
Center of Boston.
Tho roport 9 which breaks down tho
statistics
for each of tho three
branches of state government, found
overwhelming male domination at all
top policy-making levels.
As tho
six women who complied tho study write,
"it was worse than wo imagined."
Thero arc only five women out of 280
members of tho legislature,
and no
women servo in top leadership
or
staff positions.
Nono of tho stato,s
six oloctod oxocutivos is a woman.
Several key executive departments
have no women in important positions,
and tho 61 women out of 906 who can
bo said to boat policy-making levels
aro usually either a lone woman in an
all-male department, an unpaid member
advisory board 9 or in
of a citizens:
a position concerned with 11womon°s
which is required by law
affairs"
to bo hold by a women. Until two
1972 appointments, out of 258 judges
in tho eommonwoalth only eight were
women, with only one woman judge
serving above tho district
court level.
Womendo not belong to tho nold 1;,oy"
network through which appointees are
recruited
for top administrative
and
judicial positions.
And women do
not control corporate sources of wealth
to allow them to take tho campaign
contribution
route to tho rewards of
public life.
The report recommends throe strategics
to
give women effective
control over
political
doscisions which affect their
lives.
Ono is to put many more women
into public office (this year more than
twico as many womon arc running for
office as in 1970). But there is a
caveat:
such women must be responsive
and accountable to their female constituency,
for 19we do not need more
women in office; wo nood moro feminists
in office."
Second, women must work'
to bring about institutional
changes
such as in provisions for birth control
and child caro.
This moans creating
power basos of women so there will b~
tho strength to effect change. And
third, concludes tho report, women must
:to
come together to build alternatives
Tho analysis of those statistics,
which prcsont institutions
which will bring
forms tho heart of tho report, shows
a liberated
and humano socioty. ·
that malo dominance of state government doos have an advorso offcct on
Tho W
oman's Research Center of Boston is
women. Bills passod--and not passed-an interdisciplinary
colloctivo
research
in tho last two legislative
sessions
group of women social scientists
conshow tho sexual bias in tho General
cerned with feminist social change.
Court. Administrative
decisions
Center members sock to link their reaffecting women show tho samo kinds
search skills to action, focusing on
of discrimination
and over-protection.
problems faced by women in tho society.
Court decisions on divorce, child
support, abortion,
and prostitution
Who Rules Massachusetts Womanis priced
servo to keep women in their place.
at $1.00 Copios may bo obtained from
Women's Research Cantor of Boston,
Womenaro shut out from high public
Center for tho Study of Public Policy,
offico for several reasons, tho re-123 Mt. Auburn Stroot 9 Cambridgo, Mass.
port continu es. Tho party structure
01138. For further information call: ·
is malo dominated.
Tho women make
547-6919
876-2138
coff oo rather than 11participato
in
864-0997
739-1233
decisions over boor and cigars. iv
969-1890
262-1583
�,r-➔f--1_1~ ➔r {('
..
'l}
~.. -?f- ➔r ➔r
➔r
-~- ➔r ➔=- ➔~ i}
a;}
1} ?r 1'" ~:f ..-:r -::- -?:- ➔~ 7} -?!-?}-:f- iri}
if -;~ -:= a;}
➔~➔r
{}
-:r ;rit-- } * i} *
➔=7
➔~
AN OPEN APPEAL TO NEWHAMFSHIRE SIS 'I1ERS
An Open Appeal co gay sisters
in and
➔} around
New Hampshire- A srnll
gr cup of
''" women are trying
to organize
a Homophile
* Organization
for women here in N. H.
-:~
*
,,
*
-r.-
*
*
*
-:,
,~
➔}
We are fortunate
to have the promis e d
a~sistance
of Boston D.O.B. to help in
our new endeavor,
,}
We have for some time been aware of the
problems gay sisters
face and wish to
* provide a place where we could meet
* socially,
humanly, to support one
* another and to help create better atti''" tudes toward gay people,
-:i-
"I-
➔}
We have tentative
plans for Rap sessions,
group functions,
and a Qualified
* Speaking Bureau to provide the public with
* a better understanding
of "Gay Life".
* If you are interested
or would like to
* give your support s end your inquiries
in
* car~ - of Boston D.O.B., Rm, 406, 419
* Boylston st., Bosten, Mass. 02116
''"
* talks,
*
*
*
*
1*********************************************************************1
*
APPLICATION FOR D.O.B.
~
* return this or a copy of it to the DOB office.
* Enclosed is$ __ _ for the following:
D
*
Membership in Boston D.O.B. ($10 per year for a single,
$15
for a couple (joint
membership).
Includes
one FOCUS
subscription
and all voting privileges.
Can be paid by $5
down, the balance within 2 months.
If the balance
is not
paid then, the $5 becomes a donation
to the organization.)
Members receive
calendars.
Membership is open to all women
18 years old or over,
*
*
L7
FOCUS subscription.
D
Calendar
subscription
DOB events.)
Anyone.
($5/12
'~ Second
NAME if
joint
issues).
($1 for
,~ NAME
________________
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
,,
Anyone may subscribe.
6 months.
Calendar
_ PHO ( !V'illi
NE
i'I
BERS)
membership
of
*
--------
--------------------
. ''" ADDRESS
------------------------------"7"'1..,.-,.,r--➔~ SIGNATURE ( for memb
ers only) I am a woman 18 years of age or older
* _________________________
i}
elate __________
_
*
date
(second name if Joint
Send to: DOB, Room 406,
*
419 Boylston St., Boston, mass. 02116
*
***********************************************************************
*
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1972 October
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1972-10
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197210
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/27c55d71a5449ee90b3dd4082d749aca.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=H02VSCwyxSqLV5NMwnT3XHpwB1-qvfbG-P5PbiXw%7EQx04oM7evlSVe6xV23gCHLg3rCdt%7EWHoOE3GDuPq5UbfwlRlORenFg2baGkKmI1GkTFhavDNTQDPIlwZDw6wgS7tNv1-%7E1AmQ66MWuTQhy3F4PgRav1amzPuwqpkMvoVckQiZQaVTR7kWrFuOvRpm2OEyJC-bKRlikAwiJIzhnHwdlS3qJd90To-KxvH4KbA87J4NPluBXpbqzqpWgoc6TcD357PvjSCaTY5pYNQlF%7EEuEF%7ErvCEmmHiAwyHbmO5Xb4diCxhMY0PEfv-moKd4l9KLGO8Jc2uI-hBz6gzumfgw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
7f02a1c11cc3d1db30ab2fcc952a6e86
PDF Text
Text
Nov.'72
Feeus
a journal for
•I
50¢
�..
.i.
FOCUS A J"O
I
TT"?.NA R GAYWOl\ill
L FO
N
N;J
vem.be::.. : 97:~
-Fo6us i~ published month ly by B~s- FOCu3 8taf f for this iasue,
ton Daughters of Bilh,i u. Hoom 4J.4 ~Lois If. , A
nn, Geri Laura,
419 Boylston St. , Boston 1 Ma,:;; e
s
S!1 ~ Lois, Peg, Margie
bri
02116. Phone 617-262-15 92 .
Subscriptions
are $5 a year,
the vie ws
Art icles in FOCUSreflect
Boston D.O. B, Officers:
of the individual
authors,
and may
Trea surer •••.••.
, •. .. Geri Bidwell
Recording Secretary ......
,Loi s ·H. not represent
D.O.B. as an
Corresponding
Secty ... ~aura Robin organization.
j
Women's History
This publication
is on file at _ the International
Archive, 2325 Oak St., Berkeley, Calif.
94708, and is available
on
ooster,
Ohio 44691,
microfilm through Bell and Howell, Drawer "E", W
****** ***********~********************************
IN THIS ISSUE
*
J
O About Boston Daughters of Bilitis •••••••••••
1 *
*
I Calend4r of coming Events ••••.•....•.•....•.
2 *
N
D.O.B •. MO
VES to room 414 .•..............•
, .2 *
*
* Pollowing My Partner:s Lead •.••..•.•.•...•.•
3 *
*
*
D Following (cont.)
and poem ........
. .........
4 *
.; Around Boston & Around the Country ...•...••.
..
5 *
,ll~ Thank sgiving Supper Announcement .·•......
. .. 6 *
Classj _
fieds .. , .. .......................
, ·. 6 *
,
B
* Mornings of ~-1 . .•.•.••.•.....••.•.....
en
, . , .. 7 *
*
~11- i\1r n ings
o
of Men (cont,) & More Poetry . • . .•.• 8 *
*
* Letters to Focus
*
-11from Nancy W
ilson ••............••.•......
9
~{-
;:
*
~~
*
from Toni Scott ..................
, ......
10
*
*
*
*
*
Application
to D. O,B.,,,.,
..•....•••..•
,, . . 11
Gay Womens' Group
Beginning in New Hampshire ....••........
11
**************************************************
AB
OUT BOSTON
D,O,B.
an:l help c r eate a
one another,
Because o:f prejudices
and fears
better
life for all gay people .
pa ssed down for centuries,
our
s ociety has treated
homosexuals as Women of all ages and pol itica l
lepers,
per verts,
and fools. Both persuasions
participate
in Boston
women and men with homosex ual
D.O,B. Because many gay women are
f eelings have been made to feel
not in a position
to make their
gayness known publically,
D.O.B.
worthless.
provides safeguards
for those
within the
Kinsey reported
that 13% of women wishing to work quietly
ha ve had some homosexual experienceorganization,
planning the social
typing,
organiby age 45, Boston D.O,B. is one of program, writing,
m
any gay groups formed in the last zing the library,
and so on, For
few years to give gay women a chance
those able to be more open,
activismp
etc .
to talk with one another,
support
there is political
➔~
I
�CALENDAR COMING
OF
EVENTS
2
,
Thursdays
~
c.:~ Gae 1 whei·e a.i.1 wom
·.:
en
are invited to share feelings
about being gay.
HOLMES
HALL (first
floor lounge), a Harvard Law
Schoo l dor mitory, be si de pa r kin g gar age which is on
corner of Everett St. and Massachusetts
Ave. in
Cambridge (several blocks north of Harvard Square).
J
:
•
_ ,.
_
.• ,
,_
,;
.....
;~.
9-9:30 p.m. GAYWAY
Radio Show for the gay community.
WBUR-FM,90.9 on dial.
etropolitan
Community Church (gay) discussion
Sundays 7 p.m. Boston M
and worship, Arlington St. Ch~rch, Hunnewell Chapel,
Arlington & Boylston Sts., Boston. (for info call
723-3418. The Boston church has received mission
status from the national
MCC).
Oct. 27, Friday
at 7 p.m. D.O.B. Bowling, big balls,
at Turnpike
Bowladrome, 195 Concord Turnpike (Route 2) Cambridge.
SUPPER - bring your food
Nov. 5, Sunday at 6:30 p.m., POTLUCK
speciality
or $1. 7:30 p.m. BUSINESSMEETING
at
St. John:s Church, 33 Bowdoin St., Boston.
Nov. 8 Wednesday at 7 p.m. Female Liberation
lesbianism.
55'2 Massachusetts
Cambrid ge. 491-1071.
Nov. 10, Friday
is having a meeting on
Av. (Central Square),
at 7 p.m. More bowling - see above.
to be sure.
Nov. 15, Wednesday at 7 p.m. - Female Liberation
Medical Self-Help.
Check with office
Meeting on
Nov. 19 Sunday, 5:30 p,m. THANKSGIVI SUPPER free for D.0.B. members,
N
G
St, John's Church. Please be on time. See menu on p. 6 ·
*#*#*#BUY F0CI*#*#*#BUY F0C! ➔}#-.'}#*#*#READ F0CI* //*#*#*READ FOC
I*l/*#*#*#* :f
*
*
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J.'
ff
D,O.B. MOVES
DOWN
THE HALL
The Homophile Community
expand into D.0.B. 's rooms
St., and asked us to move.
to rooms 414 and 415 (turn
elevator).
Health
Service
➔f
needed to
406 and 407 at 419 Boylston
So, we went around . the corner
getting
off the
1g_fi after
The rooms are sunny and the same size and rent as
before.
In addition we have a sweeping view of
Boylston St. and can put a big "D.0.B." in our windows
to let people know we're here.
!I
*
*
#
*
#
�FOLLOWI MY FARTNE 'S LEAD
NG
R
a
by ;,~ y Silk
We were having our first
slow
dance at the place Carol had
described
in the car as "wall
to wall girls."
After th e hours
on the road, this was how we came
together,
nos ~ to ear among other
couples.
In Carol's
arms now,
following
he r l ea d, I moved on a
light
steady curr en t of pleasure,
Carol danc ed well, as she did well
in all physical
thin g s.
I was
glad I could match her at least
in this way. To yield willingly
to another person was new for me,
something
I was still
testing
out
for comfort.
I was strangely
contented
to let Carol take the
le~d in dancing;
as in other thi:r!~s.
Yet my contentm ent still
surprised me. Sc my pleasure
just
then had a number of strands:
that we wer e together,
that Ca~ol
w~a lea~ing me, th~t I accepted
anct enjoyea following.
It was
hard to explain.
In answer to
Carol's
question---what
was I
smiling at?--I
could only say
that I was thinking
of when I'd
first
learned
to dance.
Twenty years ago, when the suburb
I grew up in was still
a small
town, my classmates
and I attended
Miss Marian Keeney's dancing
classes
every week for the three
years before we entered high school.
To prevent
one of the social
catastroph
es , a surplus
of females, Miss Keeney first
invited
the boys' parents
to enroll
their
sons.
Only when the boys had
been signed and delivered
did
she approach an equal number of
girls'parents.
In this way she
re~ched a balanc e between th e
sexes, but it was up to our
parents
to s ee that we came to
class regularly
.. So it was that
Miss Keeney played ev e ry week to
a full,
if captiv e , house.
No~
thing less than a hundred-~egree
fever or a broken l eg could
excuse us from dancing school,
3
Miss Keeney taught more than
ballroom
dancing;
she taught
the social
graces as well.
The classes
were held, appro-priately,
at that local center
of propriety,
the Women's Club.
When we entered
the "common ·
room," the first
social
grace
we practiced
was passing
along
a receivig
line.
The girls
·
shook hands and curtsied,
the
boys shook hands and bowed
their
way along the row of
parents
who acted as chaperones,
all the way to Miss Keeney
herself.
Her dresses
were
always cut low; the boys tended
to take longer bowing to Miss
Keeney than to the rest of the
ladies
in the line.
Miss Keeney seemed to belong
to a different
breed from the
women we knew.
It wasn't only
her necklines.
She wore the
dark lipstick
and the elaborate
curls that were popular
in ·'>··
·
those days, although
not with
mothers.
Her taste
in clothes
and cosmetics,
combined with
her thin,
straight
dancer• s -~
body, set her apart as a
woman at once more exotic and
more austere
than our mothers
or the teachers
we had in
school,
To command our attention,
she would click the
pair of castanets
she always
held, and then demonstrate
the waltz or the foxtrot
while
we sat around th e edge of the
room, straight
in our folding
chairs.
But ther e was nothing exotic
about what Miss Keeney taught
us, with the blessing
of all
our parents.
Her lessons
nourished
the attitudes
that
lived in their
purest
form in
ballroom
dancing:
the boy led,
the girl
followed,
and, unless
it was decreed otherwise,
it
was the boys who chose their
partners.
I didn't
mind the
�4
actu a l dancin g , wh ic h g r oun de d
i
s ome of m en er gy , and M ss Ke:eney
y
I f oun d r at he r f asc i nat i ~g ( I ' d
sn ea ke d a fe w l ook s down h er
de coll e ta ge , myse l f) , bu t the r e
wa s a g en er a l f ee li ng , wh ich I
pri va t e ly sha r e d , t ha t my a t t it u de
was n ot t he pr ope r on e . I r e member tha t in my f i rst y e a r a t
M ss Kee n ey ' s , t wo b oys a pp e a r e d
i
in fr ont of my ch a ir at t he same
mom~nt t o ask me to da nc e . I n
my b e st s ~ iri t of f a ir n e ss , I t ol d
th em to go t o th e oth e r s i de o f
t he ro om and r ac e b ack towa r d me,
an d I pr omis e d t o dan c e wi th
which eve r on e r e a c h ed me fir s t.
Har des t of a ll t o a cc ep t was th e
i dea of f oll owi ng m pa r t n er's
y
l e ad.
I r e s ent e d th e ru l G t ha t
a s t he g ir l , I was expe c t e d t o
adj u st t o th e b oy ' s s t y l e of
ost of m p a r t ne r s ,
y
da ncin g . M
th en an d l at e r, we r e e i the r oa fi sh
or wea k .. Th e fir s t k i nd I f ough t,
an d th e s e co n d k i n d I usu r ped t he
l e ad fr om wit ho ut t h i nk in g t wic e ,
The wh ol e syst em s ee me d t o be o ff
t h e mar k so mehow ; I c ou l dn 't s ee
t he p o int o f str ugg li ng a r oun d in
s ome on e 's a r ms when I mi ght be
s itt i ng a n d ta l k i ng t o h i m.
Of c ours e we we r e dr es s e d su it a bl y .
We wor e ou r "goo d " dr e sses ,
ti ght in .t he bod i c e a n d suppo rt ed
by t h e f emi n in e ha r n e ss of t h e
fif t i e s:
g a r te r b e l t , sto c k in g s,
crinolin e pe t t i c oa ts . Sinc e we
wer e still
c ons i de r ed t oo y oung
f or hi gh h e e l s , our sh oe s we r e
thin flats,
sk i mpy ac r oss t h e t oes
a nd l oose a t th e hee l, which
scrap ed th e Ach ill e s ' t endLn with
ev ery st ep . All of us , bo ys and
g irls a li k e , wor e whi t e c ot t on
g l ov e s.
Our c ost umes , a n d th e b oys
da rk suit s , b e l onged t o th e t i me
a n d t he p l a c e , pa r t s i n th e
sc o i a l mac h i n e r y t ha t f or me d u s
int o pa ir s: boy - g i rl, b oy - g irl .
I n r e pl y she he l d me c l ose r, an d
we mov ed on t oge t he r , ea sy i n our
po l o sh ir t s an d be ll b ot tom s.
And b e c ause it was a n ew exp erienc e , I f e lt ev en mor e s ha r pl y
how much I was enj oyin g what I
ha d a l ways r e sist e d b e f or e ,
i
a l th ough i n a way th~ t M s s
M ri a n Keen ey c ou l d n ot ha ve
a
f or e s ee n.
**************************************
THE LESBIANTIDE
A Voice of the Lesbian/
Sisters
subscribe
Feminist
Community
now!
$5.00 in California
$6.00 elsewhere
$ .50 sample copy
send to: Tide Collective
1124½ N. Ogden
Los Angeles, Ca. 90046
Bulk rates available
upon reque st.
*********************
*
***********
*****
Ther e is a cold, long in my heart,
hard enou gh to carve.
(Hard enough to etch ·,,
with tho fin e lines,
of a rar e kind of
beauty).
Li ke a rose betw oon two pa ges,
I have hold to love too lon g ,
tho colour all but f aded,
tho sc ent, a coffin ono.
And al~ tho r ost is candl es,
of
' windows full alot. r ain,
o. d cloc ks
n
Thor o ar o no simpl e words now,
--- So I' m smilin g , I s a i d t o Ca r o~ or maybe th or o arc suddenly none but
·
simple words,
b e c aus e I' m h e r e wi t h yo u ri ght n ow.
and all with tho si m es t of meanin gs,
pl
·
I lov e you.
B.E. ROGERS
�5
AROUND
BOSTO
N
New England Gay Conference.
Saturday,
October 1., despite heavy morning rains,
participants
did travel to Holyoke, Hass.
for a meeting of the New England Gay Conference.
Persons from h.alos (Conn.),
DOB, SHL at .Amherst, and Ne~Hamps,hire
gay women s group met and express 'ed a
°
desire to cooperate and create a regioncoillll},unications.
al orgil.nization and better _
Five persons from Boston .DOB_
attended.
The second meeting ·of the NE will be
GC
December 9, 10 am--6 pm, third floor,
ain St.,
Valley Women°s Center, 200 M
Northampton, M
ass. Following the Conference will be a dance at 8pm in Farley
AmLodge, University of M
assachusetts,
herst.
Overnight space can be arranged
if needed. If you want to go, contact
DOB.
AR D TH COU T
OUN E
N RY
Nati onal Student AsSociatmon. As part of
a quota system for minorities, 2 gay
positions . out of 28 on the Supervisory
Board of the National Student Association were voted at the association°s
annual convention this summer. One
The
woman and one •man were elected.
N is an association
SA
of college and
university
student groups. The National Gay Student CentEir, 2115 11S11 Street,
NW,Washington,tlC 20008 has more info.
The Seattle, Washington gay community
center was closed . September 30 because
the landlord did not renew the lease.
Gays in Portland, Oregon are trying to
. get the city to pass an anti-discrimination law for city employment.
Homophile Union of Boston and M
etropolitan
QQmmunityChurch move to 419 Boylston.
HUBhas room 509 and NCC has 408.
10 copies of Lesbian/Woman sold. That 0 s
0
right, during DOBs special 3ot off cffer.
All books were mailed by October 24 to
purchasers.
Representativ~
from the Gay Speakers 0
Bureau, Homophile Cornm-µnity
He~lth Service, Gay Community:Center, Gay Ri.ghts
Alliance, and Homophile Union of Boston
spoke at a DOBmeeting Sunday October 8.
Both the speakers and the DOBpeople seemed
pleased to see and talk with one another.
Some women signed up with the, ··community
center and the speakers 0 bureau.
~on
Metropolitan Community Church,
for gay people particularly,
has a new
woman co-pastor (see Letters to Focus).
M
cGovern
&
Gay Rights,
cont.
tell you that I don°t believe .in discrimination · against people on g;roupds,.of
sex and that 0 s as far as I 0m going to
cGovern, as ·recarry the issue, 11 said M
ported in a press release from the
FOUNTAIN, reputable gay paper.
a
~
The June 22 AWAKE
magazine (Jehovah Os
Witnesses) reportedly has an article
suggesting gays be put to death; we
haven°t seen it but would welcome a
copy.
McGovern workers in New York City found
one of their campaign buttons making a
big ,hit in Greenwich Village.
The
c
buttons said, 11 Queens for 1'1Govern 11 •
McGovern denies gay rights statement.
A an October 13 press conference in
t
ca~Portlandl Democrat.ic presideritial
didate George McGovern disavowed the?point homosexual civil rights statement
issued by his campaign offices in l'J
ew
York and California to the gay press.
The statement included federally-related employment, illli:nigration, housing,
and insurance.
It originated out .of
the Northern California office on Feb.
2, 1972, and was sent to New York Gay
Activists Alliance, with an accompanycGovern, s~ying .
ing letter signed by M
u ••• this
statement represents my positio1111. Boston DOBreceived a copy of
the statement from a group of Gays for
M
cGovern.
*Portland, .Oregon!
At the October 13- press conference, a
.a
reporter for the Portland . FOUNTAIN,
gay paper, asked McGovern about hi$
po'sition on the statement, since at various times it had been both affirmed and
"We0 ve never put
denied by his staff.
out any statement ••• that was cleared by
me, and I 0 m not going to take responsibility for ••• those statements ••• I can
·
�6
THAKSGIVING
N
SUPPER
FREEFORD.O.B. NEJ.vlBERS
Membership in B,oston D.O.B. isn°t all trials and tribulations!
Members are being treated to a Thanksgiving
supper with all the trimmins', and it 0 s all freet
We hope particularly
to draw a lot of those members who
.
have rarely appeared at other D.O.B_ events. Let 0 s get
acquainted I
Although this is mainly a supper for . members, since it
is Thanksgiving, non-members. accompanied by ~embers may
also come for $2 apiece.
THEMENU
Roast tom turkey
Dressing and grii.vy·.
Buttered .peas
Niblet corn
M
ashed potatoes
\ •"
..
Rolls and butter
Cranberry sauce
Relish tray
Pumpkin pie
Mince pie
After dinner mints
Coffee, tea,
and milk
NOVENBER at 5:30 pm. St. John·the Evangelist
19
SUNDAY
Church, 33 Bowdoin Street, Boston. Near .>
g6vernm~nt
center off Cambridge St.
QUESTIONNAIRE SEXBEHAVIOR.The New
ON
York chapter of the National Organization
for Womenis asking womento fill out a
questionnaire about their sexual activities.
The main point seems to be that 11statistics
show that (heterosexual?)
women are having
orgasms only a small percentage of the time
during sex ••• this study has been undertaken
to find out what women°s real (but often
unspoken) preferences are in sex, and to
publicise them so that they can become a
widely known and accepted part of sex
life " . The questionnaire seems to be ·,
directed primarily at women engaged in
sex with men, though there are some questions about sex with women. If you want
to fill out one, DOB
has some, or write
to N.O.W., 28 East 56 St., NewYork,N.Y.
10022. Answers are anonympus.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
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CLASSIFIED
ADVERTISEMENTS -:;
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(5¢ per word)
&
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2 lesbian feminists desire
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lesbian roommate. Own room,
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near Harvard Square, $67/month
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Write
plus heat and utilities.
&
care of FOCUS V. Harper.
to
&
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Career Counselling.
FREE DEI'AILS
9
&
career search aids. .·Determine ·
&
your full potential thru compre&
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Also, creative Resumes
&
that open closed doors. Be prepared to take advantage of oppor&
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tunities.
WRITETODAY!
&
Consultant, 4172 Emerald Lake Dr.,
Decatur, Ga. 30032.
�7
7'HEMORNINO-S hEN
PF
"I want to be romcmborcd••• , ••• or
t
in _ho mornings of mon. 11
· Jorge Luis Borges
_'.
on a mountain once -whcnwalk~ng, · 1
. a;arbo ·saw _ w~mtm ~th a must~cho ···
a
and ·wont· back :and to.ld everybody,
Sho.
commenting; . 11 0 s the most
beautiful · woman in' tho world~·ii
&
another timo,, whon on tho n:iountil.i'ii, ~alking, _ . .
o
Garbo came. upon , a man who camo. ~t-h_ r
with his .cane upraised.
: obviously~ tho women'~cw Garbo
wanted to be let alono,
but men didn°t.
&
Bojanglos,
,'
after a year on tho mountain, came down,
his mind cloar at last,
and walked by all the troos
without noticing thom, ...
but, . tho _ , Bol:.byKennedy had . bo9p
n
I
.
.
.
•
·•
assasinatod two years be.fore, ·· ·
& Bojanglos had forgotten
where ·
California was
·
ovon though ho was the ·contor
of it.
but, then,
Gloria Steinem is a member of Womon°sLiberation
& is probably tho most beautiful
member
but onlv bocauso she governs. tho mountain so woll
under tho li in the · sky · that Rilke put there ·
right after tho youth with a lovor 0 s lament.
&
who0 s to know if it 0 s requited .
tho mustache sho wears
hides so well the involuntary
that wou~d b~ so revealing
acknowlddgomont
11
or, maybe, simply, like in Maris.cl, tho · 11wry' laugh in the center
of . tho mountain, .
.· the left and right .sides crouching down,
afraid .of . he:r:.hands, . .
·
but being in love
is like going outside,
lik 'e Creeley snid, .
& being ·outside of anything,
Marisol is inside in her hands,
silence,
or her voice which is a~
but is as eloquent as Gloria Steinem
when sho talks,
especially whon she says,
11W0
o.xchange sexual excessibilities
for housework or, say, hcstossing 11 ,
putting her head
·. ·
·
in tho center of your ego
& beautifully
whore it is easiest to kiss.
)
�8
THEMORNI OF J:. (cont.)
N
GS
:lEN
&, then,
&
&
Robin Morgan said, 11Whichmornings",
& in my lovor 0 s arms,
I laughed a bit and smiled lightly along her breast,
& she pulled me closer to her, murmuring,
& I thought of her then in the mornings of men,
them wohdering who she spends her nights with,
wondering, too, why Garbo never married,
& wondering if Gloria Steinem 0 s body
is as beautiful~
as it is fully clothed
& wondering why Marisol looked so perturbed•
so sullenly bitchy
in that photograph in the Sunday~
I.2!:!£
Times
that they took of her at the Venice ~ienalle
I got up then,
called them all up,
said, Yes,
this poem is about them;
the evenings of women,
where I want to be remembered
& I heard her then in her bare feet
padding across the floor,
yes, to get back to me,
but not before I heard on the other end of the phone,
a murmuring,
evening becoming lonelier,
this poem,
longing.
M. TRAP
###H,'l=#=#-#
/HFH#'1/:#-i-'HNFI
H ~
Nfa
~#H##### m:ff##H=4f=IHl#4
1'1=lb
fH#Hffl1fHH##t-##HH#
This ring speaks to me no more
I 0 ve listened many times
Believing I was deaf;
But it was a trick
To confuse me, to, perhaps; astound ma,
For this ring speaks to me no more.
Metal molded in a symbol of eternity.
Pure gold depressed by a black stone.
A sounding-board for humanity.
O, animated symbol of . love, speak!
But it listens no more.
What can one say to a ring that doesn °t listen?
W should one wait for an answer
hy
From a ring that speaks no more?
¥J.ARIE
MONA
�9
LE1'
TERS TO :FuCUS
Greetings to all my sisters from tho
new ijetror,olitan Community Church of
Boston: ·
·
, to be living in
I feel vecyfortunate
this time in history.
Obviously it
is a revoluti9nary ,tim0 in the history
of .women and 'of gay :people: .qut, it is
also a revolutionary time for the
church . .. It is ,tho time in history
when the church :must ·decide that it
is inclusiv e and riot exclusive; it is
the time when,the church must begin to
embrnc'o as ; equals women, gay persons,
and all oppressed paople, , or perish.
It is that time in history lvhen the
church must awaken to the realities
of the 20th century or become a fossil.
The Metropolitan Community Church is
not a building (we are too poor), nor
is it another gay organization.
It is
those people who gather together
to commit themselves .to .the spirit
mcivement of the 20th century, who
decide to take their own history · and
the history of the world· ·into their
hands, who want to re-humanize the globe.
There are many ways. in which gay ·people,
have -oeen
and gay women in partieular,
with ' :
dehumanized-..;We are all familiar . ..
that process - nd have suffered from
a
it.
One of the ways in which dehuman~:
ization is accomplished is by re- ~ · ·
moving or denying human structures, institutions
and celebrations
to'
One of ·the goals of
certain people.
the Metropolitan Community Church is
and
to re-create those structures
celebrations
which symbolize our
unique humanness.
An example of this is our .intention
to re-discover . the ,11 covenant" relationship.
We want to . provide severAl
ways for lovers to express the beauty
and fullness of their relationship:
~
ways to express co~ nitmerit, and ways
to share this commitment :with others.
It is not 11marriage" per se: Rather,
recover -.
it tries to self-consciously
the best that marriage is .without
falling into the routinizatiori
and
habituation that the institution
of marriage is often reduced to in
A covenant is a mutual
our culture.
promise that a couple make for, say,
one year. During that - year, this couple
will meet with other . couples ·to share
the problems and joys ,:5ueh a relationship . .affords. ' At ,the end of that year,
the couple may.decide to nenew the '
covenant or to dissolve it: or, if they
are so inclined, they may decide to eno
ter i11t. tiHoly Unionll, which assumes
If we are
a lqng-t.erm relationship.
to be full human beings, as God intends
of
for us, we have the respon~ibility
rediscovering the covenant dimension
of our lives.
Our capacity for covenant
(formal or informal) is ou~ capacity for
making promises and agreements with .•
people we love and respect: gay people
must reclaim their right to covariant.
Our church is ecumenical, it is concernAd with your needs and your talents.
Is it possible for there to be an
assembly .of gay men and womenwhich ~s .
not male dominated? It may be possible
with7.'woman co-pastorf '•it J,t.i.11 . · ·
. ript
be possible if th~t wom{ln
co:-pas.t,· ;o
-,-:
(mysolf) does not have , the. a_ct,i~e co~7 ·
· ·
cernod support of other ·women.
I need you~
I run ently a· seminarian at B•U•.~
pros
School of Th~ology, and am thrilled .~.
at the : opportunity to b_ gin the ad- .
e
with many of you. If
venture of MCC
you have any questions about our
church, ca.ii me at 266-06.51 (Boston).
Services are at 7p.m·. Sµnday eves~ at
the Hunnewell Chapel of Arlington st.
Church--J° oin us! ·
·
· ·
Grace and Peace
Nancy Wilson
D.O.B. 'REFERRALS(p lirt~al list)
LEGAL
ROOK,~oth, and Rubino~ 7 Water St., Boston, 742-2243. Experience in cases
particularly
involving gay men.
WOMEN°
S Law (follective,
698 Mass. Av.,
C_mbridge, 02139f 661-3850. Wiir :.
a
refer.
discuss ; problems and
0s
THELaw Commune, same address as Womeri
Law commune; 498-3900. Movement
lawyers, foes on ability to pay.
MEDICAL
Dr. Joanna Perlmutter, Bath Israel Hospital, 734- 4400. GynGColo
gist.
�10
LETTERS FOCUS
TO
(cont.)
Sisters:
It is always a pleasure for me to get
FOCUS
and I hope the change from
offset to mimeo does not forecast a
radical change in over-all publishing
policy. I bear ·in mind the demise of
The Ladder.
In the Summerissue of FOCUS
there was
an excellent item regarding Edna St.
Vincent Millays ·· poem on Sappho and
Phaon. As stated by this writer the
poetical allegation of Sappho's
suicidal love for Phaon by Millay was
fantasy which has been for a long time
questioned, denied and preferably
ignored by those . who bear in mind
Sappho's life style which led to the
terms-- 11sapphism•1 andHJesbianismn.
Millay has written other poems that
must please those who are not too
happy with the oft-quoted Sappho-Phaon
myth. One of these .poems is "Evening
on Lesbos 11 • Another, -of great emotional
impact, at least to me is "Interim".
And there are others ,.· like gems to be
sought and uncovered.
I wish I could find among my packed-~p
effects the words of a well-known ,
literary critic and friend of Millays
who is quoted as saying sadly: she
loved men but loved womenmore.. I
think Millay had the all-encompassing
loving heart, not bound or stifled by
the common,narrow conception of what
love is or should be. She was a great
one-and rare. There was no isolation
in her on any level-she knew the pain
and joy that comes from loving. Her
double-lit candle may have given
"a beautiful light" but the depth of
feeling she wrote about diffuses a
marvelous transendental glow that will
never fade.
Not long ago I was introduced to Swinburne, who devoted a fair number of his
lyrics to Sappho •• His ANACTORIA
and
SAPPHICS · quite beautiful I think.
~re
The metre he uses is not alien to the
subject matter.
But thy bosom is warm for m;y face and
profound as a manifold flower,
Thy silence as music, thy voice as
an odour that fades in a
flame;
Not a dream, not a dream is the kiss
of thy mouth, and the · bountiful
hour That makes me forget what was ..
sin, and
would make me forget ware it
shame~
HESPERIA-Swinburne.
Right OnV
Stand Fast'J
Toni Scott
************************************
I've explored the hills and valleys
The twists and turns
The soft and warm
The cold and dry
The tender and the tense
Of your .body and your mind
And still it seems after
Wandering from Gethsemane to Utopia
That a million miles I have yet to ·cover
Rush forward
Into the wilderness
You lovestruck fool
Tho fool I am
A happy jester wiser men would wish
_: · - .• • · 1
to be
MARIE
MONA
*****************************************
D.O.B. office hours as of
Oct. 26, 1972
(SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
days:
TUESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
FRIDAYS
aves:
MONDAYS
WEDNESDAYS,
THURSDAYS
FRIDAYS
�&&&&&&&&Yo&,M&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&:
FOCUS
writers
artists
11
AN OPENAPPEALTO N. H. SISTERS
A small group of women are trying
to organize a Homophile Organization
for women here in N.H.
We are fortunate
to have the
promised assistance
of Baton D.O.B.
to help in our new endeavor.
reporters
staplers
WA~TS
advertisihg saleswomen
story ideas
EVEN
We have tentative
plans for Rap
sessions,
talks,
group functions,
and a Qualified
Speaking Bureau to
provide the public with a better
understanding
of "Gay Life".
If you are interested
or would
like to give your support send your
We need inquiries
tNo HD.
O.B~, Box 1 .37•
poets
We have some ideas for .stories.
~
.
_j_h
people to do the roporving
on t; ese or
<;J,dd :i- Of-1.fl p.n:,Jo,1{,S
•
We need ads to (;O
back to offset,
We can usa covers#
f\1ortliwood,
,
,
And,what do you think of Focus?
&AA.9.9,JJ,.Jl.9,/1,/l,.9,R.Jl,,9..9,l? M.Jl.R,.g,B,,p,g,M,&JM,
..
./ic&&&&&&&&&
-·•********************************************************************
*
*
APPLICATIONFOR D.O.B,
*
*
return this or a copy of it to the DOB office.
*
*
*
*
*
*
Boston D,O.B, ($10
for
* D Membership in (joint membership). per year one a single, $15 *
for a coUple
Includes
FOCUS
*
*
*
subscription
and all voting privileges.
Can be paid by $5
*
down, the balance within 2 months. If the balance is not
-~ *
*
paid then, the $5 becomes a donation to the organization.)
*
*
Members receive calendars.
Membership is open to all women
*
*
18 years old or over.
*
*
*
*
*
* D FOCUSsubscription
($5/12 issues).
Anyone may subscribe.
*
*
*
* D Calendar subscription
($1 for 6 months. Calendar of
*
*
DOB events.)
Anyone.
*
*NAME
______________
.-PHONE (M
EMBERS)
______
_ *
*
NA E if joint membership __________________
M
_
*
*
-!:-ADDRESS
__________________________
ZIF *
*
*
*
*SIGNATURE
(for members only) I am a woman 18 years of age or older
*
*_______________________
date __________
_
*
*
date
*
*
' *
(second name if joint)
*
*Send to: DOB, Room 4-14, 419 Boylston St,, Boston, Mass. 02116
*
*
*
*
*
***********************************************************************
Enclosed
is$ __
_ for the following:
➔~
l
➔~Second
. *--~---------------------
-----------
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1972 November
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1972-11
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
Type
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Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197211
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/a4ff9852f85f9c29d0b2984159ccd7fe.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=N%7EDyEjAq9uD5J-9HKRcHC78p75x2pwpR9Agj-HwH5PEnNj8TNMrXv1uBfJXr-iS7QdmDEqfxc%7Exg2ImuUevp9mOkQlVHJ9Ka0XZPzMI17xcv3-K338JOmhJuH6%7EFVoGpU7h2OwBHTXzDsFrCiiCIvw6tN68t5V45bt%7EONw6uc-hlR5tbxADB%7Egxj43WqybdSalhYJHVa0bj%7EcJOl3uUoIa-9ixxaUS-y6bH0b1q4R0%7EvQZslBjSDuy%7E21zf8kOlQHkj22ypbPHuzZv1xa7ry6HUTKJnwKx6NOpMtm5v3j2DmTda9BeIOhfKGSl0ADdqRvRjBitNeO3g2jggJa7IQ9g__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
13c9fc394d86f0465248f2ce365b7b60
PDF Text
Text
F0eus
w
"A tin,e tor
b
us
,,
Jan,'73
~ ~
--
'~-
l
-
TheState·
To the lferaJd T
S Duty
. I am boiled b rave/er editor:
. "' .
onists of th
Y any and a]J
out our lawe Pendingbills to Protag.
crimes. The s for Punishment canceJ
~;~~
~~J
it::
:!~~uJtJin o1rt~~o:::~
ing bod· the functionof II counter
1
es to
a gaver
enforce al] th preserve, Uphold nSu
e comm
and
P,remeCreatorof andmentsof the
the lJniverse
Mrss LI
Somerville LLI,W LEBONvjLLE
-------
N.H, moves to ,e11d:rp~rriage two men
·
of
t
I
1
' /..- t , ,
,
J
f' ('
·' I '
(
J,-
"(--".
-..;,
MANCaci,,i,R, - · J,.,; had taken the ""'""d
N.H.
The State of New Hampshire moved yesterday to
dissolve the marriage of
two men, one of whom had
impe rsonated a w o m a n
ing
when .t!lay his wedding
vows.
blood tests in Concord after
th ey had at tempted and
failed to get married in
Lowen,
Mas,.
They
w,.-.
married by a justice of the
peace who ·didn't r ealize
tbe bride was a man.
�FOCUS: A JOURN FOR GAYWO
I.L
HEN
J nnuary 1973
FOCUSis published monthly by Boston
Daughters of Bilitis 9 Room 415 9 419
Boylston St., Boston 9 Mass. 02116.
Phone: 617-262-1592
Subscriptions
aro $5 a yoar. Samples .
aro 50¢.
Boston D.O.B. officers:
Treasurer .•••••••••••••
,Gori Bidwell
Recording · Secreiary •••• Lois H.
Corrosponding SecretaryL aura Robin
FOCUSstaff for this
Lois H. , and Gori.
issue:
Laura
9
Articles
in FOCUSreflect
tho views of
tho individual
authors and do not
necessarily
represent tho views of
D.O.B. as an organization.
FOCUSwelcomes contributions
.
from
ovoryono.
Please sand a stamped onvolopo if you want thorn_ returned.
This publication
is on filo at tho International
Stroot 9 Borkoloy, Calif. 94708 9 and is available
Howell, Drawer 11E0 , W
ooster, Ohio 44691.
'
Womon°s History Archivo1 2325 Oak
on microfilm through Boll and
IN THIS ISSUE
Calendar of coming ovonts •••••••••••••••••••••••
.• ••••••••
Around Now England ••••••• ·• •••••••••••••
Around tho country••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••3
January D.O.B. · newsletters
of yesteryear ••••••••
4
Advcrtisomcnts
5
•••
0 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Directory of gay groups--Boston•••••••••••••••••6
Directory of gay groups--Now England ••••••••••••
Legal and health referrals.
·•••••• •••••••• •••••••
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS BILITIS is a womon°s
OF
organization
formed in October 1969 as
a chapter of tho oldest lesbian organiDaughters of
zation in tho country.
Bilitis
was started in 1955 in San Francisco - Bilitis
.
was a lesbian poot in
Pierro Louys 0 Tho Songs of Bilitis.
Tho name was chosen bocauso tho founders
would know
hoped that only gay wor:10n
was about.
Since
what the organization
than wo all have discover ed that fow
lesbians knnw ~.ny n0r o -~bout Bilitis
_
than
anyone else.
THE BOSTON
CH.API'ER now, as aro all
is
tho chapters,
autonomous. It has bylaws, officers,
an offico, and a
monthly publication
(th at 0 s this).
2
3
?
7
Women of all ages and political
persuasions participate
in D.O.B. ·
D.O.B. ACTIVITIES include regular
evening rap sessions whore both nowcomors and oldcomors share feelings
about hoing gay 9 suppors, parties,
sports,
otc. as schoduied; public
speaking and education; work for civil
rights of gay people; and work with tho
women°s movomont
D.O.B PROVIDESsafeguards for those
wishing to work quietly within tho
organization,
planning tho social program, writing,
staffing tho office,
otc.
For those ablo to bo more opon,
thoro is educational
and politic al
activism.
�2
C!J.,lTil-AR OF CCMINGDOB EVEJ'JTS
i
TUESD S at 7 ~ JO pm RAP SE33 IOt .3 ON BEI HG GAY FOR WGME9 whore all women arc inAY
Q
~
T
vited to sh r:·t o f;_;olin gs about being gay . Newcomers wolcomoo
For loc atio n (in Cam:-Yr.idg,'))call _ tho D~B officoo
i
THU
RSDAYS 9-10 pm GAYW!lYR.\.DIO SHO\,.J WBUR-FM, 90o9 on dial.
9
SUNDAYS at 7 pm sharp FEl -1A LJJ3E;RATION
V LE
POErRY READINGS, bonofit
for THE SECOND
W1WE. Roadors:
J an. 7, Sus an Wilkins~ Jan. 14, Elizabeth
Fontan; Jan. 21, Adrianna Rich; Jan. 28, Mary Damon. At
552 Massachusetts
Avo, Cambridge (Central
Square).
For child
care call Karon at 491-1071.
January
*
January
11, THURSDAY,8:JO pm ICtSKATING, DOB. ON THE PRUDENTIALCENTERRINK (OUTDOOR). Moot at Brigham 0 s in the Prudential
Center.
Skating
lasts
for 2 h ours.
Cost is $1.50 to skato 9 plus $1 if you n ood
· to rant skates.
t"(
18, THUR$~ , 7:30 pm sharp D.O.B. BUSINESS MEETING, St. John°s Church,
.33 fl,:-wc:,:iinStq Boston (near government center),
in tho basement.
February
*
9, FRIDAY.evening,
Arlington
D.O.B. VALENTINE'S DANCE, Arlington
Street
Church,
Streets,
Boston (at Arlington
MB'I'.i\stop).
& Boylston
11, THURSDAY,?: 30 pm MASS. WOMEN9S
POLITICAL CAUCUSOPEN MEETING for
all womon intorestcct
in working in the caucus on legislation,
etc.
Library,
Room 308, tho Fenway, Simmons College,
Boston.
D.O.B. office
hours: Wodnosda:rs and Fridays during tho day, Mondays and sometimes
~hursdays
in tho evenin g . Occasionally
at other times. Also usually
Tuesday evening.
also
January
MEMBERSHIP OR SUBSCRIPTION FOR OOB
Return this or a copy to tho DOB office,
Mass. 02116 (262-1592).
is$ __
Enclosed
_
for
419 Boylston
St.,
Room 415, Boston,
fl
Momborship in DOB. $10/ year ($15 for a couple).
Includes
ono subscription
to FOCUS plus voting
privileges
and roducoc ~ admission to some events.
_ Opon to all women 18 years old or older.
il FOCUS subscription
$5/yoar~ Jmyono.
Calendar
subscription
$1/ 6 months.
Anyone.
17
-----------------------
NAME(S)
ADDRESS
___
---------
PHONE
-,- __________________________
_
zip!
I
SIGNATURE (ME1113ERS) am a woman 18 years
of ago or older:
__________________________
DATE.
__________
--------------------------
DATE
·----------
_
�ARCUfilLN~L.filLG.1b.ND
3
Emorson Homophilo Society for tho Arts,
Student Homophilo Leagues (U~ Mass; · at
Gay rights legislation
in lfas.sachusetts - AmherGt and Boston) , Holyoke Homophilc
(R.I.),
Loaguo, Kingston Gay Liberation
Have You Been Denied Your Rights?
and a now gay womon°s group from Rhode.
·
Island.
Also prosont wa:s o:ho person
Cases neede~
fr om tho National · Ga:y Student Cantor in
We are presently collecting
cases of
Washington, D.C~, arid ono from tho Gay
discrimination
against gay people, to ·
I\.llianco in Now Yor!c City. •
'
Activists
present as testimony during hearings on
bills to make discriminati on ngainst gays
Regional confo:roncos ·havo also occurod ·
illegal.
Cases used in tho tostiniony
or will do so in tho Pacific-Intormountcan remain anonymous. Ploaso contact
ain states in tho Wost, in tho . south •
D.O.B. with ·your inforpiation.
oastorn tJs, tho midwost and on" a stato
level, in Pennsylvania,
NowYork and
];IT.Q]:
·
Illinois.
Tho Docemb FOCUSwas in error in
or
saying that tho East ern M~ss. National
ltROUND
THE COUNTRY
Organization for Wom (N.O.W.) was a
an
cosponsor of the Mass oqualrights
.
San Francisco D.O.B. bans transsexu als
amondmont including gay pooplo. ·Wo
San Francisco D.O.B., after a long conworo misinfcrmcd by a hopofui N.O.W.
troversy,
voted to bar · malo-fom alo transmombor. N.O.W. is filing its own equal
sexuals from mombbrship. Such transsexrights amondmont to include Taco, color;
uals arc persons who wore born as biologand sox, but not soxual p1·oforonco.
ical mon but who felt thomsolvos .psycho- ·.
logically
to be women and who as a result
Another ogual rights amohdmont
undorwont a sex change via hormonal troatThe Boston Globe roportod on December 17 monts and an operation • . As a result of
this vote, the staff of tho S.F.D.O.B~
that a Ludlow paraplegic,
Rosemary
nowslottor SISTERS, one of whom was a
Barszcz, has filed D. :Massachusetts equal
transsexual,
resigned their memberships.
rights amondmont for handic apped people.
Tho pro and con arguments on this issue,
Noxt ·Now England Gay Confororico to bo i~ · given by · membors of S.F.D.O,B. arc posted
·
in tho Boston D.O.B. office.
Ji~
As a result of tho Now England Gay ConlmProvomont in East Lansing laws
foronco hold in Northampton, Ma.on
In East Lansing, Michigan, all discriminDocombor 9, a more ·extensive wookond
ation against gay people in employment,
conforonco is being plan .nod for March ·
housing, and public accommodations is
in Boston.
.
.
illegal
as of October 17. Formeriy disTho twonty-fivo participants
-present at
only for tho city
tho December 9 mooting wanted more t:i.mo crimination was illegal
in municipal hiring. (ADVOCATE
· 12/2C_
)
to talk with pooplo from other groups · · itself
about such mutual cohcorns as how to
Houston Community Center
how to cokeep a group flourishing,
A gay community center, Tho Montrose Gazo 9
ordinate political
activity 9 otc. They
has oponod in Houston, Texas. It is in an
decided to hold a longer conforonco
old two story house and ·has a dance ro om ·
focusing on workshops on such specific
with a juke box, a game room.with pool, a
topics.
kitchon 11 library,
livihg room, offico.
Tho rent is $150 monthly which is paid by .
Boston D.O.B., Tho Ho~ophilc Union of
Boston (H.U.B.), will coordinate arrange- 12? members of tho · conter at $1 ' por month ·
Tho
apiece p~us benefit dances, etc.
ments of spacc 9 housing, and scheduling
and
place is run by a b6ard ·of directors
of workshops.
Suggestions for workshops
cornrnittoos, with final .say on all things
or offers of housing 'may be sent to
up to tho mombors. If you 9 re in Houston,
grou:r•
oithor _
chock it out at 504 Fairview (P.O.Box
66411), Houston, Texas 77006
Groups represented
at tho December 9 con713-528-9069
.
foronco woro Boston D.O.B., H.U.B.,
g ay rights
le gisl ation
�JANU!lRY
D.O.B. NEWSLETTERS YESTERYEAR
OF
VOYAGE.
January 1970 MAIDEN
Editor: Marty Kelly
reproduced by mimeographing.
subscription
to MAIDEN
VOYAGE. You
had to be 18 to join.
Tho news was:
Pnosidont •••••••••
Vice Prosidont ••••
Secrotary •••••••••
Treasurer •••••••••
D.O.B.'s address
dential Station,
Ann Haley
Diana Travis
Donna Forguson
Andy Cox
was P.O. Box 221, PruBoston.
Membership cost $15 per person, which
included a subscription
to THE LADDER
and to MAIDEN
VOYAGE.You
had to be 21.
Tho Christmas dance hold in Medford
December 12 on a smowy eve drew 50
women. Tho party was free to all.
Tho coming events wore:
Martha Shelley was scheduled to speak
to DOBJanuary 29 at tho J,rlington
Stroot Church.
Tho nows was:
Rev. Edward Harris, Arlington Stroot
Church (where DOBhad its meetings)
.
spoke to tho first mixed (mon and women)
DOBmeeting.
He had boon scheduled
to talk on "What organized religion
says about homosexuality 11 1:;mt abandoned
that to givo · somo pf his more personal
thoughts.
January/February
1972 FOCUS: A JOURNAL
FOR GAYWOMEN
Editor: Pam Boyd
reproduced by offset.
Prosidont •••••••••••••••
Gail King
Vico President •••••••••• Toni Kroger
Troasuror •••••••••••••••
Rose Tuttle
Recording Secrotary ••••• Margarot
Corresponding Secretary.Laura
Robin
(now tho BOSTON
PHOENIX)The news was:
BOSTON
AFTERDI\.RK
changed its policy against accepting
ads pertaining
to homosoxuaLs.
At a January 8 conference at Smith
College, the Mass. Women's Political
Thorb was a report on tho first DOB
Caucus supported resolutions
in favor
a big social/dance
Christmas affair,
-,
of gay rights.
in Weare, Now Hampshire. ·
Four
women who appealed fines given
And tho coming events woro:
for "disorderly
conduct" outside of
Jacques' received 6 month continuan6os.
The first mooting of tho committee on
The cases would bo dropped aftet' that
law reform and _
public education.
time if they got into no further
trouble.
Four other women involved in
11Should
_ open discussion
An
.
you tell your . the same case received $100 fines and
straight
friends?"
at tho Arlington
two were given probation.
Nono of the
Stroot Church on a Friday night.
latter
four had appealed.
Boston DOB
gave tho womon $100 for legal foes.
January 1971 Vu\IDEN
VOYAGE
Ecitor: Diano Bonison
reproducod by mimeographing.
Boston DOBrented
ston Stroot.
its
office
on Boyl-
Tho coming events were:
Prcsident••••••••••••••••Andy
Cox
Vice President •••••••••••
Jo Peckarsky
Treasuror ••••••••••••••••
Roso Tuttle
Recording Secretary •••••• Jcan O'Brien
Corresponding Socretary •• Laura Robin
Membership now was $10 f or a single,
$15 for a couple, and included a
Rap sessions
evory other Tuesday at 8pm.
../LJLJ'
JLJL#JLJL.JUl.JL#########.JLJL.JL#.JL##.JL#L.JL#.lL
1nt1F1nr 1nnnnr ,
, r r 1r1nr 1r
1 1rnnr 1nr 1r1r
r
Mon do not stumble over mountains,
over molohills.--Confucius
Mon always wore kinda dumb.
but
�5
CLASSIFIED,'\DS
(5¢ a word)
CAREER
COUNSELING
WOMEN°S
CALENDER
1973
Froo details,
career search aids. Determine your full potential through comprohonsi vo, ·.meaningful, · supporti vo analysis.
Al~o, creative Rosumos that
open closed doors. Be prep ared to take
advantage of opportunities.
Write todayl
CONSULTANT
4172 Emerald Lake Dr.
Decatur, Ga. 30032
Original
$2.00 each
$1.50 each for more than
five.
DIANA
PRESS, 12 Wost 25th St.,Bal~imorc, Maryland 21218.
FOCUS
SENDSITS BEST TO YOUALL IN THE
COMING
YEAR OF
xxxxxxx xxxxxxx
xx
X
Couple seeking r.cliablc apartment-mate,
preferably in 30°s, to share modern
3 bdrm. apt. on tho beach in Hampton,
N.H. aroa. Own bdrm., no cooking or
cleaning responsibilities.
All tho
comforts of homo. Please ho foms.
Contact D.O.B. for inform ation or letter
forwarding.
Britain°s
sample 33p
1 year scaled
1 year scaled
SAPPHO
only national
magazine
lesbian
%
BCM/Pctrcl, London
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surface mail bl.86
air mail
b3.50
Sappho Publications,
WCIV, 6xx, England
graphics prepared and printed
by women in Baltimore
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Feminist, closet gay, 32, educated,
intelligent,
intorcstdd
in meeting
other feminist-oriented,
closet Lesbians
ln upstate Now York (Finger Lakes area).
J anc Cechs, 152 W. 42nd St., Room 504,
NowYork, N.Y. 10036.
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A voice of tho lesbian/feminist
community A
sisters
subscribe now!
1rLL
$5.00 in california
iJ
$6.00 elsewhere
lf
$ .50 sample copy
4,1
# T \-\£ PR\CC
WILL
11\G'-fT
1"1.. r
bulk rates
upon request
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1124½ n. ogden
los angeles, ca. 90046
BE . t
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354-4 1 90 $
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Jan.1,73
DIRECTORY GAYGROUPS BOSTON
OF
DAUGHTERS BILITIS (DOB) Open to all women. Rap sessions every week on being
OF
419 Boylston St., Rm. 415 gay, suppers, parties,
sports, forums; public education;
political
activities;
publishes monthly journal FOCUS.
Boston 9 Ma. 02116
262-1592
A group for gay Catholics,
branch of a national organDIGNITY- BOSTON
1105 Boylston St.
izati0n.
Boston, Ma. 02215
SOCIETYFOR THE ARTS To dev elop comml.).nication through tho arts,
EMERSON
HOMOPHILE
social and political
-advancement.
_
Pro,c/o Box 455 Emerson Coll ege
96 Beacon st.
·
grams open to all.
Boston, Ma. 02116
FAG RAG
Newspaper published by gay male liberation
group.
_
6pportunity
for writers,
typists,
artists,
otc.
354-1555
Working towards opening a gay
GAYCOMMUNITY
CENTER(GCC) Sponsors gay dances.
·· coffee house and community center.
Mon and women. __ .
492-7871
GAYPHONE
_
Manned by gay mon. Raps; ·-info on gay· community events; .
35h-1555; 354-1556
legal, medical, psychiatric
referral;
V.D. info.
O
GAYSPEAKERS BUREAU GSB) Coordinates public speaking activities
(
of Boston .gay
-ty
i
c/o Homophilc Commun
groups; sends gay woman and men to groups wanting to
Health Service (soo below) know more about homosexuals and homosexuality.
GAYWAY gay radio, 9-10 'pm every Thursday on WBU:R-FM
is
90.0 me. Now has callins from listeners.
HARVARD-RADCLIFFE STUDE~'TS 0 N. 498-2J01
GAY
ASS
HOMOPHILE
COMMUNITY
HEALTH
SERVICE (HCHS) Professional
counselling
service. ,-In419 Boylston St., Rm. 403 dividual and group therapy; religious counselling;
0
medical, legal, and employment referral.
HCHSs attiBoston, Ma. 02116
266-5477
· tude :is that homosexuality is a valid lifestyle.
Foos
to pay. Confidentiality
assured.
based on ability
HOMOPHILE
UNIONOF BOSTON
(HUB) Social, educational,
civil rights and service
419 Boylston St. , Rm. 509 organization.
Open to all men and women, straight
or
Boston, Ma. 02116 24'gay. Legal, medical, job, religious
counselling;
536-6197
hour roforral.
Publishes BOSTON
GAYLINE. Regular
meetings.
HIGH SCHOOL
GAYS
UNITED(HSGU) Group for gay mon and womon of •h;igh school ·ago.
.
536-6197
Moots Sundays.
·
·,
LESBIANMEETINGS
ANDGAYCONFUSIONRap meetings on Thursday evenings for _ wom9p;
c/o Womon°s Contor
.- other projects;
not political.
Call for info.
3548807.
46 Pleasant St.
Cambridge, Ma. 02139
METROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY
CHURCH,
BOSTON
MISSION (MCC) A church for all pooplo servRov. Larry Bornj,.or, Nancy ing tho ,gay community. Prosoritly moots at Hunnewell
·
.Chapel ( in the Arlington Stroot Church) at 7 pm on
Wilson, pastors
419 Boyl·ston St. Rm. 408 Sundays~
Boston, Ma. ~2116
266-7491
RED RIVER DYKECOLLECTIVEA now group of radical
planning actions.
43 Willow Ave.
Somorvillo, Ha.
666-8753
gay woman in .tho procoss _ ·
of
_
STUDENT
HOMOPHILE
LEAGUE sHL) Group of young gays, mostly men.
'·(
492-7871
political,
social activities.
SHLat M.I.T. 492-7871
Educational,
�7
DIRECTORY GAYGROUPS NEW
OF
ENGLAND
MASSACHUSETTS
RHODE
ISLAND
Holyoke Homophilo Lea gue
c/o Bruco McKean
484 Chestnut St.
Holyoke, Ma. 01040
Kingston Gay Liberation
Memorial Union
University
of Rhode Island
Kin gston, R.I. 02881
Student Homophile Loaguo
R.S.O. 368
Lincoln Campus Center
University
of Massachusetts
Amherst, Ma. 01002
Caroline Overman
Diano Chain
184 Angell st.
Providence, R.I. 02906
401-274-0239
545-0154
( got ting
gay wor,10n
together)
NEW
HJ'J-1PS
HIRE
CONNECTICUT
Kalas Society
P.O. Box 403
Hartford, Ct. 06101
Occupant
Box 137
Northwood, N.H.
(tho equivalent of D.O.B.)
This directory
is incomploto.
We welcome up-to-date
additions.
REFERRALS
LEGAL
Rook, Roth,
7 Water st.
Boston, Ma.
&
Rubino
Malo lawyers with experience
gay cases.
742-2243
Mass. Lawyers Guild
595 Mass. Ave.
Cambridge, Ma. 02139 661-8898
Will refer you to an individual
general help.
Tho Law Commune
(Flynn, Goller, Miller, Taylor)
698 Mass. Ave.
Cambridge, Ma. 02139 492-5200
Will give advice,
case themselves.
1,EALTH
Community Sox Information
232-2335
9
Womcn s Yellow Pages
c/o Sanctuary
1151 Mass. Ave.
Cambridge, Ma. 02138
60¢ (+ 15¢ postage)
\
in handling
OTHER
Poople 9 s Yellow Pages, 1973
Vocations for Social ChanG
e
353 Broadway
Cambridge, Ma. 02139
$1.45 by mail, $1.25 on nowstands,
$1.00 at VSC.
Caucus
Massachusetts Women"s Political
P.O. Box 261, Grove Hall Sta.
Boston, Mass. 02121
lawyer;
referral,
or handle
Womenlawyers on staff.
Information and referral
related to sex.
on any problem
All kinds of information on clinics and
other facilities
(plus other info useful
to women). A copy of WYPis in D.O.B.
office,
also on bookstands.
A directory
alternative
of all sorts of movement and
groups.
D.O.B. has a copy.
Works to get women elected to public
office and to support women's issues.
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 January
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-01
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
Type
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197301
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/f6043fe769e1211f23ea397460307257.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=vgl6AHJyYiIXr8%7EiHHkyXditap-EVmTrY6JirSB4NY0aR7g0yxDlyuCOd8Dy5e0hZbkLkSeGrSh38bITk6xKMZPiKIpXcbI63SHFIKJtP2mSI5OGc0pZ5e%7E9BryYZDG1Ggyc59dyZ00xCCHvepHLj--oeiKK-kA2tEfzcEgewzexcgNm5Q75FwCaTFfvvztdaqjkMjHPGj41vGtjG%7EAAUbD7QRAqH%7EuKrxZw-Zgch8TW3Wz78ga11PLnwBbRb2fNeMaZ4N25NZ8IsoH5TrqIOJCKmfDNdX%7EI%7ECBAI0g5hCXV-23uBwfplLOoJDESCkzf3tFRytGuGXpVCCbA520p0A__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
3b8d730e1ab84e967d43308c761ec3c3
PDF Text
Text
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�FOCUS: A jf 1Un.NAJ..
FOR GAY
WOMEN
I:'t=.ibruary 1')73
FOCUS published monthly by Boston
is
Daughters of Bilitis,
Room 415,
419 Boylston st., Boston, Ma~s. 02116,,
FOCUSstaff:
Geri . Lois H. 9 Laura.,
,
Bost.on D.O.B. officers:
Tr0asurer ••• q.•o•c•••~••0Geri
Bidwell
Re~ord1ng Secr~tary••e•••Lois
H.,
Corresponding Secretary •• Laura Robin
THE COVER: Our cover this month was
ta.ken from THELADDER's
cover cf Dec./
Jan~ 1969/1970 and is appropriate to
our lead story on P• 3,. The quot0
occurs at the very end of Th~ Well ot
~1i,ness,
as Stephen :hne.gines past
and future "i:~werts" aj"'Jsing and calling out to her 9 and,we may envision,
to the rest of the world.,
Articles in FOCUS
reflect the views
of the indi·n.dual authors nnd do not
necessarily represent the views of
welcomes contributions
frcm
FOCUS
everyoneo Please s:4!rl a stamped envelope if you want them back~
Phone: 617-262-1592
Subscriptions
are $5 a yenr.
are 50¢. Give us your zip#.
Samples
D..O..B~
This publication is on file at the Intern.:i.tional Women°s History Archive, 2325
Ot.k Street, Berkeley~ California 94708~ and is available on raic rofilm through
Bell and Howells Drawer iiEn, Wooster, Ohio 44691.
###/f4Hf#i¥##=!hf#{/:1f#ffe##ff###-##1f##i/:###H####H#H###H#ffl#'1/:#
#
#
#
IN THIS ISSUE
#
#
#
# Calendar of events•••o•••o•••g•••••••••••••o•••2
#
# Our place, past and future, by Kay Silko ••••••• 3 #
# Poem, by anonymous........ o •••••••••
~ •• o ••••••••
7 #
# D.O.B. business meeting of January 18 •••••••••• 7 #
1fa Transvestism,
by J. Mo:::-ris
•••••••••••••••••••••
8 #
# Letters to Focus•••••~•••••o•••••••••••••••••••9
#
# Advertisements .............
~••~••••••••••••••lls9
#
# Around Boston, ••• ft••••••••••••••••••••••••••••lO
#
# Around the country •••••••••• o •••••••••••
.• c •••
• 10
#
iHfi'=#####ffl####H#1ff###H# H #H##=ll4fo####ffl#-r1H#####
##1f=!f
~
I'f 'S TTI1EI
FORTIIEANNUAL
VALENT\NE'S
$1000 for members
(tho join-toB-inoantive)
$J..50 fer non-mffi!1bers
music
nibbles and dribbles
door prize
women only
.1
DANCE:)
(non-ethanolic)
yyy
FRIDAY,February 9
8: JO p:u--12~ 30 am
ARLINGT S1'REET
ON
CHURCH,
Arlington & Boylston Streets, Boston ( at the
Arlington MBTA
:3tcp) • . Use the side entrance by the alloy on Arlington
St
�2
CALENDAR ' EVENTS
OF
TUESDAYS 7:30 pm RAP G:&;SIONSON B:&NG GAY~Fon -WOMEN,
at
where all women are inabout boing gay. We usually go out
vitEid to share feelings
for a sr.ack afterwards.
Newcomers always welcome • .· For location j_n Cambridge, call the office _ write.
or
THURSDAYS
9-10 pm GAYWAY
RADIO
SHOW,WBUR-FM
90.0 FM, Ela1ne Noble ' arid Bob Jones
·
are the h~sts and you · c~n call in.
FRIDAYS, 9 pm GAYDJU1CF.S the Charles St• Meeting House, 70 Charles St. , Boston
at
(about 4 blocks from the Charles MBTAstop). $1.50 donation.
SUNDAYS 7pm sharp FEMALE
at
LIBERATIONPOETRY
READINGS, benefit
for THE S}fiCOND
WAVE. Readers for February; Feb. 4, Celia Gilbert;
Feb.11,
Ellen Ba~s; Feb. 18, Pat Rabby; Feb. 24, Marge Piercy, author
of _pa.nee the E~gle to Death and other books.
At 552 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge (Central Square)• Child car'e info° Karen
· 491-1071..
Contribut _ons asked. i
•'
SUNDAYS,7pm MEI'ROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY
CHURCH
WORSHIPSERVICE, Hunnewell Chapel,
Arlington St. Church.
.
February 4, 4pm Troy Perry in Boston--see
below**
February 9, FRIDAY, 8:J0-12s30 prr. D~O.B. VALENTINE'S DANCE,Arlington St. Church,
Arlington & Boyl~ton Streets,
Boston ( at Arlington MBTAstop).
Use s.l.do entrance 0:1 Arlington st. Door prize! WOMEN
ONLY! t
t
$1 membere, $1.,50 ;-ion-members.
February
ll,
February
12, MONDAY,
7:JO pm FOCUSMEEI'ING, for all women with ideas
February
12, PBS TELEVISION Ge!'Illaine Greer vs.
February
Z6, MONDAY7: JO pm D.O .B • BUSINll:SSMEETING, at the office,
11
March
SUNDAY,7pm F&v
IINIST LITURGYat the METROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY
CHURCH
SERVICE ·(see above).
and h9lp for
FOCUS, 12 Remington St., Aptc 106, Cambridge, off Mass. Av.
between Harvard Square and the Orson Welles Cinema • .
Wm. Buckley
on womengs libel"atio~
.~
l.i 9 Boylston
1
Sl
9-11, FRIDAY--SUNDAY,
INTERNATIONAL
-ABORTION
TRIBUNAL, NEW
YORKCITY, public
testimony by women a."'ld others in support of abortion law
Follo,1s prali.."llinary hearing3 held all over the country
repeal.
· · in Ootobar 1972. For info 0 BOWAAC
266-3574i Room 323 at
419 B.>ylston St•
D.OoB• OFFICE HOURS
ARE NOW: Tuesday J-6 pm, Wedn'9sday and Friday :tn- the day,
If you want to help increase
Monday evening, and sometimes Thursday evening8
these hours get in touch with Geri Bidwell or leave a note in the mail box.
..
hl A5H 0
~ - *Troy Perry, i' e.mous gay minister
from Los Angeles and
fou."'lder of the Metropolitan
Community Churches, will officiate
at a special
service SUN. Feb.4,Arlington
StcChurch
·
SM_etua,ry 'lt 4 _pm for Bost({n M.C.c. ALL ARE WELCOME.
TO JOIN BOSTON
D.O.B. send ~10 tor ~15 ror a couple) plus a signed statement saying "I am a woman 18 years of age or older"•
M-nnbership is per year a.id includes ·
one subscriptmon to FOCUSplus reduced admission to some events.
Anyone any ago , Sample 50¢.
TO SUBSCRIBETO FOCUS se11d $5 for a year.
TO SUBSCRIBETO THE CALENDAR
ONLY
,send $1 for 6 mo. Anyo:1-9any age.
ANDZIPl
OUR PHONE:262-1592
OON;T FORGETTO TELL US YOURADDRESS
II
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS BILITIS,
OF
419 Boylston
St~,
Room 415, Boston,
Nass.
02l16
�3
OUi PLACE, PA..STAND MJJ'GRE
l
by :1. .y Sj1k
a
·;
We l ik e to -read · abotrt. our s elvei;~
Howeve 1• 't>:r.pa.d sympat.M.en~ h?~evar
, our
friendly - our relations
..r.tt h .
st:raj_ght
nei.ghbors, -wa a1·e most at · home w:l.th the
char.a.cte:r.s ·whose .:feeling~;
ficttonal
whose joy:s .9 whoze difficul tie.s re ·semble
oul' own.. . We walcome the chance to read
a.bout other le ribians.
Althcitlgh t.he homophile movementandthe
new-feminism
have
been good for us, neither
1s altogether
what we he.d hoped fm"; · one is . dominated
by males, the other by heterosexuals.
As the le - st regarded
a
members of each
_
g::-oup, we h3.V ·,j become '1nore~ avva.re of 011r
particula1-naed n 9 · among theni .the need
for pel"sonal and ·.artistic
· expres.:,ions
of our mm.
our
·
Siuca 1928 9 when Radclyffe
Hal1° s The
liill' £f Lonel} !l!!:::-~'was published in
Gre~ .t Bl"itains
the lesbian
novel h<'l.s
been on e of the mbst 1.rri'tJortant of these
t,xpr.essions , - (The term ~1•lesbian 11ovel•1
/
is-applied
here to works of fiction
in
which at l(3ast cne of the major chnra.cters
i.s a lesbian~)
The Well of' Lonelinesr.:i
was the first
of its-kfna:- Among
the
most :'·recent is Isabel
Niller 0 s _Patience
£:l~d ~,
published
by McGraw ·.Hill i;.1
1972. •'
.
Public outrage,
fanned by .popuie.r . jour:nali~J.n, caused ~ ~ o{ : J.,6110lin,2ss
to he. tried _
and then banned from G:::
·eat
Brit&in as obs~ane 9 altho~h
j.t was defendeq. by su~h thiukers · ·as Hayelock
Ellis 'h.nd .George Bernard Shc:.w. 'l'he
Joriathat Cape, was
Engli~h publisher~
forced 'to pri:::it and dist :r-:3.
bul.e the bool<: ~·
in Paris.
Eventually
it i•vas transla.ted
into elev-en languages
and s old "in the
.
h1.
mdr0d ·s cf thoi1sands 9 but it ' r~:mained
coatraband
in B:l'itain ..
.
.
Patience
..£!.1.i
Sa.ra_h was . , fir at printed
and distributed
by · the . _
_
author herself
in 1969, under the titla
A Place fm:- Us• After three y0ars ·1 the
book ;;s ·r-;;s~ed
from its underground
status by McGraw Hill, and 'gained public
recognition
through an artic _e in tha
i
!J-6.2!
York T~
Boo,_!s
-R9\--±e (Ap:.."il 23,
!!'
By contrast,
1972) (>
·
- · ··
: -
Th.a d:tff.aronc~ between the h1ntories
·of these twq novels reflects
th~ cha11ga
in societyv s ll.ttitude
tow ard us. Things
are improvi r.! a little: 9 a:lthough we
g
still
suffer the double sbcial
and
e•
Jonomic handicaps
of being female and
bei:cg homosexual ., Our eimotiona.l
once nearly tll1nlentionabla r
pre;f erences,
have beon transf 01·roed by th~ · changing
t:imes into a:1 object of 0p ;,n a.nd - ev e4·1
r a spectab1 e curious:f.ty, ·. iwt vd thout
its comme:rcis.1 possibili:f:,ies,.
Hence
McGraw H:i.lP s purcha:ne · o.f Isabel
Hiller 0 s novel., .
Of greater
conce ,~ are tha attitudes
n
towards lesb:ta:cdsm to be ffru .. in th 0
11d
nove1.s the:mselves~
. _, . ··
The W-311 of Loneli .;,
_ _
.n.alU?.
preserves
t,h3 facts
of the recent
past: .J:1
.tit?P -9..~3;\E,g r ~ is a possible
Sa
on c,f things
to come.. At proindicatj
ser it w~ are in t:i:-ansi tio:n 9 no longer
b ott.-id entirely
by the conventions
and
traditions
of Radclyffe
Hall 0 s de.y 9
but :not yet freefro:m
them.
Patier;ce
and Sarah 9 who do not fit the roles of
butch and fenun~t and who never doubt
the rightnes ·s of -their
feelings
fqr
each otherv personify
thf) net~ fel!l1.l'.\1.st
ideal
of lesbianism
ii if rwt the · rea .1:Uy
( t he old•-llne
gay bars are still.
floui·-~
ishing,
along with all tho attitUOtlB
·
that keep them.i:nbustness)~
In our
current
tr an;:;itional
state,
we may .
benefit
by looking
both ways, to see
where ' we b e gan and where we may yet
a:i:rive.
-------..-:.
f ~~ _
Us--the
O!iginal title
"
s LJ:->ok--ide:nt
:lfies the goal
sough t by ali _of us 9 · 1iv:i.r,g or fic t i- ,
tious~
A i;place9 92• a se:bse of br:;long- ,
i .r.g somewhere~ -. is t-he quest of tho
. ·.
ch:lef characters
in both novels-, There
are many · ciiff~z-ences between the two
books, but · noi e mo::.·~ striking
1
th2 .n
t h e contrast ' 'between the ::i
:uthors O conc 0ptj,.ons of our 11place 9 11 both in societ; )
, and - in 61U' ·own estimation.
A
Plac~
of Miller
0
.'.th~
}Iell .9~:f
Lon~lj.ne2&,
plex 1 given to close
rr.otives and acti<;ms.
(Gant. p_ 4)
.
is long and com~
oxami:nation of
Often it seems
�4
OURPL 11 PA AN FUTURE,CO T. from pa.ge 3
ACE
ST D
N
more like a study than a novel, for it
is the only alternative.
is written as carefully as a pioneering
work ought to be written, taking nothing
Stephen°s idealistic
nature makes her
for granted about the readersv knowledge
masculinity somewhat less oppressive
of the subject.
Hall displays almost a
than it might have been. Still,
her
clinical interest in Steph~m., the heroine. · idealism is of the traditional
male
In particular,
the section of :the book
variety.
Her relations .hip with Nary is
concerning Stephenvs childhood an~ youth . a high-minded blend of . passion and ·
reads like a Krafft-Ebbing case historyt
protectiveness:
.. she erideavo:i:';5 win .·
to
brought to life and given full human
·
acceptance for herself and the girl by
her achievements as ·a writer.
dimensions.
The book contains little
actual plot. It
consists for the most part .of . a series .
of illustrative
episodes, whose cumula:.
tive effect is to conveythe sense of ·
Stephen° s homelessness.
Stephen ·11 stood
midway between the sexes " in a society
whose sexes were not merely biological
divisions but armed camps, each with
its own infiexible
code of behavior. In
this setting, Stephen felt confined within her female body, filled as she was
with aspirations
and energies that were
permitted only to the male .. Unwilling
to perform the female role expected of
her, she suffered the ostracism of nnormal1: society ( the novel is peppered with
the word 11normal 11 and its opposite, 11invert 11. Stephen was an exile in more
)
than one sense, not only standing :outside the recognized sexual categories,
but forced by the pressures of family
and society, and by her own damaged selfesteem, to leave her home. Even when
settled abroad, she was compelled to
remain outside 11normal " humanity.
The saddest part of this unhappy tale
is Stephenvs acceptance of the general
attitude toward herself and those lik~
her. The book is full of words like
this, spoken in an age when religious
11I 0 m some
feeling was considerable:
awful mistake--God 0 s mistakeo •• it 0 s
pure hell. 00 Or this cry to a deaf
Heaven: "There are so many of us ••• who
have no right to live, no right to compassion because they 0 re maimed, hideously maimed and ugly--God 0 s cruel; He let
us get flawed in the makingo 11
Stephen, though exiled, is also imprisoned in her surroundings.
She has nowhere
to look for models o~ examples except
within the very society that rejects her.
Having refused the female role,Stephen
must adopt ready -made the male part;
it
.she was writing this book for
M
ary• • .She did not entirely neglect
the girl Ior whose ~aka she was
making this mighty: effort--that
.
she could not have cio11eeven had
she wished to, since love was the
actua'.l source of her effort. ~ut
quite soon there were days when
she would not go out~ or if she
did go ••• she seemed abstracted •••
And.soon there were days when all
that she did apart from .her writin es
was done . ith an obvious effort
w
to be con,sidez:-ate. 11
, • 11 ••
Stephen h~s falien into the w:ell-known
pat~rn of the husband who. is so fuily
absorbed by his career that he neglects
his wife in daily, pers~mal matters•
Mary runs true ..to _
the pattern.
Hardly
more than an ornament, she is by far
the least interesting
character in the
novel.
Her attachment to Stephen i .
s
she
described with pathetic accuracy:
wants to do Stephen° s typing and mend
her socks, having no other ambition
than to devote herself to her partner.
11
Hall refers to her as 91all woman ,
1
"perfect woman1 , for whom•1love is an
end in itself 1i . We cannot fault the
author for describing the 11 perf ect
11
woman in such terms--she was merely
echoing the conventional wisdom of her .
time--but we would be more likely to
say that Nary filled the feminine role
to perfection.
M
ary is only a part of Stephen°s life,
ary
but Steppen is all of M 0 s:
nsomet:imes there were poignant if
. small disappointments,
when Stepher :
had -failed to keep a promise.
v1isten, Mary darling--will
you
ever forgive me if I don°t come
(cont.p.5)
�OURPI.ACE PAST ATi!D
FUTURE CONT from pago 4
,
9
9
with you about tho:::,;efurs?
I 0 ve a
bit of work here I simply must
finish.
You do understand? 0
0 Yes,
of course I do. 0 But M
ary,
left to choose her new furs alone
had quite suddenly felt that she
did not want them.ii
9
With the longing of an outsider to whom
ent~y is . eternally denied 9 Stephen feels
a 1icrmring for the normal '' • Lacking
:;.ny other model 9 and U.."'lable see beyond
to
the convent.:i.o:ns of her own society 9
Stephen attempts to create w:lth Hary a
nnormHl1i domesti .n lifeo
But she is
doomed in this;
any union of man and woman :ls enough to make a mockery of her
effort.
At the wedding of her housemaid to a young soldier 9 Stephen reflects
that whatever else the couple might lack 9
the man can g-lve rds b:dde '' sec:irity 9
peaca 9 love with honorn. All of Stephen°s
v.:-ee.lth and accomplishments cannot purchase
these things.
The wedding 9 a milestone
;n a way of life she can attain only
irnperfectly 9 serves to sharpen her sense
of futility
and defeat.
Shame9 self-loathing
for
9 the striv-lng
the goodwill of a hostile society 9 are
illustrated
in the episodes and details
that Hall has recorded so abundantly
The emd of
and with such precisiona
the tale draws these elements together 9
showing us once and .for all the hopelezsPretending
ness of Stephen°s position.
that her love for Mary has cooled,
Stephen surrenders the girl to a young
man with whom she senses IIary is now in
love , (A fu-cther twist~
the man is an
old friend of Stephen°s).
The coolness,
however, conceals StephenQs true reason
for releasing Maryg her balief that she
is unworthy 9 unable to give Mary the
nhonor 11 , the good name, the ·status 9 as
we would say 9 that a man could providea
Her action is chivalrous 9 the expression
of her strongly masculine wish to do the
right thing.
But the unfcrtunato
Stephen, who has accepted the difficulties
and obligations
of the masculine ideal,
Sha iE;
cannot share in the advantages9
truly without a place in the worle:~
Hall has succeeded in cormnunicating her
lost quality,
her positlon iimidway between the sexes", if not in a biologicnl,
then surely in a social sense.
5
out of this despair emerges a single,
very slend(lr threRd of hopee Steph on
and her companions are struggling for
acceptance~ both self-acceptance
and
I~ Stephen° s
acceptance by others,.
own words, 11wa Ore all part ·of nc1.ture1i .
But it is Stephen°s friend Valerie
who prescribes
the approach to be
taken before the day of acceptance
c~mes: to ,:cultivate
more pride! ; •
Here 9 as in other respects,
Hall a~tici pated what would come ;:i.fter her · tima .:,
for the pride urged by V8lerie is whG.t
is meruit today by " gay pr ide": the
freedom f r om shame.
In contrast,
pride lives at the heart
of Patien .ce .filld 2!1.T.~: pride of
womanhood and the heroines 0 pride in
their feelings for each other.
Patience and Sarc.h does riot have the
d;;~1;;ntary quality of Th~ Well of
Loneliness.
It is the work of contempary author, who feels no need to explain every dutail to the better-inInstead,
she
formed readers of today.
chooses to concentrate
on the two
crucial years in which the women meet,
fall in love, and embark upon a life
cf their own makinga The book feels
more like a novel than do'3S The ~+1
.Qf. 1on~li~..E~ because Isabel Miller
is not recording the events and
attitudes
of her own t:hna.. It ls ·&
reconstruction,
as she tells us, b. sed
a
on a few survi vi .ng s cra.ps of inf or:mation about a pair of women who liyed
and farmed in upper New York State
century.
early in the nineteenth
From these scraps, M:i11er has created
the atmosphere that we may believe
existed in the years following the
American Revolution.
She conveys the
sense of wilderness and open spaces
waiting to be tamed~ containing not
only the physical challenge of fresh
territory
the opportunity also
9 but
to carve out new emotional freeholds,
new ways of living.
The old New
England restraints
still
eY..ist, but
they are no match for the promise of
freedom lying to the west,. Patience
and Sarah, sett¥1g out together from
their Connecticut farms, blossom in
this atmosphere.
Where I.h2Well of
(canto
P• 6)
�6
OURPLACE, P.AST D FUTURE, Cm1T., from page 5
AN
J.,on~1:ine$.;E. shows the first
cracks beg:i.ri,;.
ning to . open_ in the encrust eel conventicms,
and the anguish of' those , engaged in the .'
opening process, the world ,of Patience
and Sarah is full o:f open space, so
that the rebels have : only to remove
themselves from the old to establish
something ·new. We·must ·;t>egard them as .
adventurers, notas exiles.
Miller -has created a brave pair of in- '
novators•
Th_i f buoyancy, their optie
mism, their pride touch those of us who
have begun to feel a similar pride:
that it i~ a fine thing to be a womll?l
and a lover of women. Patience and Sarah
may be maq,e to suffer, .but their pain,
like that of today 0 s ,feminist lesbian,
originates outside , tr.a self; not within.
Unlike Stephen, these women have not
taken to heart society 9 s judgment of
them. They . are . seen to struggle not
at all, or only bri-efly, .with misgivings
about their own feelings.
Unimpeded by
self-hatred,
.they can save all their
energies for maeU.ng the opposition.
11W can be an army of two.
e
W can
e
be Plato 0 s perfect army: lovers,
who will never behave dishonorably
in each other 0 s sight, and invincible.
Let the world either kill
us or grow accustomed to us: here
we stand. 1;
What an encouraging book this is.
Compare Stephen°s shame before her God
with Patience 0 s statement to her .pious
brother, who is scandalized: -
°I
prayed to be fulfilled
(my love). 0
'1
in
He thinks it over. It is impressive that God didn°t strike me
with lightning for such a prayer.
There is a chance that God is not
offended. 11
11
It is the new courage, transplanted
into
nineteenth-century
New England. The
0
Lord womt mind.
In the face of this .womanly ~alf~~ssurance,
what are we to make of Sarah 0-s . male
clothes and her knowledge of ,traditionally
.
male skills?
·
Hero, Sarah, 0 s apparf)nt resemblance to
Staph ~n is only a·s deep as her clothin :::
The underlying motives are quite different.
It is economic need, a need
unknown to the waaltby Stephen, that
has placed Sarah in the role of the
boy. Har family is all girls: . her
father, who cannot afford to hire a
man, must tr$in one of his daughters
to help with the heavier work on the
farm. A purely practical
step, but
a source of gossip in the na~ghborhood.
Later, when Sarah takes to the road
alone; she travels in boy 0 s disguise
to protect herself and to avoid notice.
She passes as male, but makes a dis,;.
covary: "I began to see how boys
aran°t much batter off than women.
Men are the ones who get their way
and run the warld. 11 Only at th~ . beginning of the novel, when Sarah ·
wishes to impress Patience with her
plan to go west, does she assume a
genuinely masculine manner. Patience
is determined to remove this:
1: •••
she was only trying to play
man, all slow and steady, not
impulsive» weighing carefully.
I was amused but didn°t say so.
Time enough later to teach her
that it 0 s better to be~ real
woman than an imitation man, ·,
and that when someone chooses a
woman to go away with it O s bacause a woman is what°s prefarred,.
This is the most cheering thing about
once
the novel. The relctionship,
begun, is never anything but woman-towomn.n. Patience finds herself glad
to be a woman with a woman°s re9
sponses. And Sarah tells her younger
sister,
"I 0 m not ( a man). I 0 m a
woman that O s found my mate 11 •
What, then, of their division of labor
along the traditional
lines, once
they have found their farm?
We must be careful not to confuse
role-playing
with differences in
skill,- although Patience works in the
It is
house and Sarah in the fields.
true that Sar . h can ha..--idle
a
axe and
(cont. P• 7)
11
�7
.AROU!IID COUNTRY,
THE
CONT. from P• 10
believe homosexual activity is _
normal
behavi _ r and unfortunately most people
o
have a tendency to equate any and all .
abnormd.ities with sin, disgrace, and
shame. "
·
OUR
PLACE, PA AND
ST
FUTURE,CO T.
N
from P• 6
and rifle,
and has braved the open
road by herself, but it is Patience
who is the organizer, and Patience
who takes the lead in their lovemaking. Things balance out; we are made
Ann also said she was against entrapment
to feel that they share, or take in
and for repeal of victimless crime laws.
turn -, the responsibility
and the initiative.
Both women are strong enough
(--BOSTON GLOBE, Jan. 99 1973)
to meet the demands of their surroundings.
There is
&&&&
&&&&&&&&&
&&
&&&&&&&&&&:&&&&&&&&&&&&:&&& no room in their world
.
for anyone like ·Stephen°s Nary, who
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&:&&&&&&&&&&&8
c&
&&8&&&&&&&&&
is distinguished
by nothing but her
· need to -be protected.
·
FIRST DAY/ LASTDAY
_
.
· (November 7) _
A fine story, Patience ,,e!.ld
~rah. It
I saw; her put her hand through her lover 0 s leaves us with the feeling that they
live~ happily ever after.
Happy
· arn:.
endings, rare enough in real life,
And it was the most beautiful · gesture.
have been almost unknown in lesbian
It spoke above all the spoken words.
fiction.
But Patience and Sarah re- .
fleets the change that is taking
··
It was night, and not too wail lighted .
place in our ideals, and in our con~
there
·
'
capt of -ourselves.
In spite of its
But enough to see,
early-American settingp it is a •vision
And the girl took the arm of another ~irl
of a possible future.
And I can°t get ov~r the pict\ tr e.
_;
The new ideals, of course, will not
be realized tomorrow, or even next
year.
Ingrained shame dies hard, and
the rigid sexual roles are dissolving
at somewhat less than glacial speed.
As beautiful as music, o:, the night, _ . __ But meanwhile, Isabel Miller 0 s vision
may help us to develop the pride we
Or the pattern _ of soft r~indrops nodding
s
need to hasten the process of r9ali ~
Against a still pond, making circular
zation.
It is encouraging to know __
waves .
that even one woman could hav~ pre~
•
That bump into each other like old ft-iends _.
sented us with such a vision, e~pressing for all of us the conviction
So simple was it ..
that we, as women and as lovers of
It broke rriy mind.
women, have the rig ht to places of our
own in the world.
·
And while it .heals
I 0 11 remember those t~o
A simple picture
Quiet,
Gentle,
Just, natural
%%%%%%% %%%%%%%
%% %%% % % %%%
%%%%%
% %
lo%%%
%
And simple gestures
D.O.B. BUSI~ESSMEETING
. JAN. 18, 1973
And simple env"Y
And simple
And
--ANON.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&8
i
&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&&:&
&&&&&&&-.&&&&&&&&&
&
The meeting ¥as on a Thursday evening
at St. John°s Church.
W voted $30 for the library for the
e
next year, to b9 spent by the three
me bers who volunteered to select
ra
materials. · · Lois H. agre ed to
appear on GAY
WAY
representing I:OBon
Jan. 25 with HUB. The treasurer
announ_ed several donations .of $25 to
c
D.O.B.We
discussed the 1ow
, England
f
Gay Conference, the raps,office,dan-ce.
:
�8
. ·TRt' :l VESTISM
US
by J. Morris
In Europe royalty proscribed ·anyone from
wearing crowns. _ . ho rich merchant classT
es dressed elegantly as feudalism and
Transvestism i:s known. as crossdressing
or wearing , the apparel generally consid- . then nation states came into being.
ered to •.be that of tho opposite sex.
- Wh Marking, tho people dressed as they
on
This article will discuss transvestism
could.
Transvestites
cross dressed
throughout those timos ,dospito severe
(TV), its origins,
the various fo:::-msof
oppression.
Joan of Arc was burned at
TV, oppressive laws and attitudes,
the
tho stake and on6 ef tho reasons was tho
of . TV, and whore
political
implications
an isolated TV can got more information.
"masculine" clothing that she wore.
heterosoxual,
and
Thero ar.c bisexual,
When oppressed religious
people, debtors, ,
homosexual transvestites.
Transvestism
and revolutionaries
came to this conis simply a way of wearing clothes.
But
tinent they brought all of this conmany people are confused about TV. First
fusion about clothes with them. Eng.
of dressinglet 9 s look at. t-he beginnings
land had many puritanical
laws against
period.
cross dressing and so did colonial Amerika.
Colonizing tho land and keeping it
Thousands of years ago people wore
safe from tho Indians for Amcrikans
clothes to survive.
The beginning of
hardened tho "masculine" - 11f cminino 11
civilization
saw the rise of class-divdross codes ~nd mores. They bocamo tho
ided societies.
Significance
was attachmainstream of Amerikan dress.
TV, deed to the clothes people wore. Women
spite extreme social sanctions continwere tied biologically
to the umbilical
ued t~ exist in Amerika. TV has excord of child bearing, and in male domisted almost since the beginning of reinated societies,
were given a "special
corded history.
Dress codes, mores, and
place" in the home and clothing that
laws banning TV are related to the rulwent with it.
People, esp ecially men,
ing class mindfuck that is still
going
competed with nature for food and power.
on in this country today.
With tho development of clothing techNow lot 9 s look at the various forms of
nology, pants - as protective
gear _or
f
TV.
hunting - came into being.
STREETDRAG
QUEENS
Drossos also around that .time wore beMany people cross dross on tho street
ginning to bo worn. They arc more comall tho time.
Groat risks arc taken befortable for pregnant women who arc
cause of' anti-drag laws and social attitudes.
A street drag queen gets a
nursing babies.
Wearing "masculine" and
groat deal of pioasuro from being soon
"feminine" clothing began then with
social organization
based on tho nuclear
in public passing as a person of tho
other sex. Many street drag queens fool
family and male dominatton.
The rise of rich rulers and churches
more comfortable being with people of
kept tho forces in motion for a whole
tho same sex in drag.
Pathologists
say
set of dressing mores that ~cant power,
that drag queens are apologizing for beclass, sex, and religious
oppression.
ing homosexual.
Drag queens fool it 9 s
Tho bible says:
"Tho women shall not
a part of a full acccptanco of their
wear that which portain eth unto a man
homosexuality.
neither shall a man put on a womanvs
TRANSVESTITE
PERFORMERS
performers arc ono of tho
garment: For all that do so arc an abom- Transvestite
most accepted typos of TV, often appearination unto tho Lord thy God. 11 , Tho
ing in shows in which tho drag queen or
bible is widely quoted by churches to
king is fully cross dressed and lip
oppress people in a sexist and racist
synchs a record.
Somo transvestites
use
way. Many people such as serfs and
slaves wore made to wear certain stylos
their . own voices.
Jim Bailey docs Judy
Garland, Barbra Streisand and many other
of clothing to show who thoy wore, much
performers almost identically
in appeartho same as a prisoner.
In male dominated sociotics
(with rare exception)
ance and song. The crowd is just as much
classes drossod differently
and trends
a part of tho show as tho performer.
pr ogres soci,.ward -~sseuJ,ixie.• ~ 1":fem~
"'
Many people arc thr eatened, runuscd, i. :i.nine."'
denti£y. heckle,- or just plain got into
...;_:;.
•
con°t. on pg. 9
Reprintedfrom
.LIBER TOR no. 2J
A
:GAY
�TRANSVESTISM
(con°t.
9
from P• 8)
it.
Whan a drag show goos off well it
has a moving offc~t on tho crowd and
people really have a good time.
SCAGDRAG
Many males arc now, putting on a few
items of vifominino'i and some 11mnsculino 11
clothing.
Malce up, jewelry, purses,
shoos 9 blouses, · hats, etc. that .wore traditionally
considered rifominino 11 attire
arc now being worn by men. Womenarc
not considered cross dressers or in scag
drag by tho law whon they have 19masculino
clothing.
Scag drag is not unisex.
Scag drag is whatever tho parson wants
it to be. In many ways it is street .
theater. a future shock. It is a way
of dressing.
If people aro shocked by
clothing they aro threatened.
·Mon arc
as good looking as woman, 1.o., men don°t
have to dress · rugged to prove someone.
People shouldn°t have to fool threatAmorikan society does
ened by clothes•
that by its dross codes, m
ores, and laws.
Scag drag confronts uptight laws and
glamour trips in a gay way,
Psychologists,
pol1co, and sociologists
can theorize forever, imprison, and try
to cure transvestites
but more sexual
repression in a society that too often
transfers
sex desires into power is not
needed. More oppressive lecturing and
treatments from those professions are
not needed.Too often in Amorikan society people are
put on tracks and told to run on them.
Some people go in drag to commit crimes
and not be recognized.
Criminal transvestites who rip off people are just
that - rip offs.
People are programmed by the institutions
one
in society to perform certain roles.
of these is to conform to the codes of
sexual dress.
The' uniforms we wear contribute to how we feel and see ourselves.
Rigid adherence to either glamorous or
rugged clothing can track .the personality
into frustrating
roles.
·
There is a cross dressing ordinance in
Detroit which is curr9ntly being challenged. The penalty is a misdemeanor.
Police can use the criterion of three
items of 11feminine apparel as grounds
for arrest.
·
You can get information on TV by calling
577-3367, Wayne State GLF. Literature
is there that helped put this article together.
Legal referrals
and help are
available
in case of arrest.
--------
Editor 0 s note: ~
vayne State University
GLF, 329 University Center Bldg. 11 P.O.
Box 23, Detroit, Michigan
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LETTERSTO
FOCUS
11
Dear Focus,
I would like to say that I am thankful
for your journal!
Keep up the work
because we need .good journals like
Focus ••• I have enclosed $5.
--from Georgia
Dear Focus readers,
We don°t get many letters
at the
Focus office about Focus, so we0 d
like some. We0 d also like more contributions.
In addition to features,
book reviews, reports, stories,
poems,. ,we0 d love to get clippings and
And funny
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thingst It
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######H##H-##ff##H1Hf-##1/##f-lf=#:H#H#H
#
#
GAYTHERAPY
GROUP
#
#
AT THE
#
ffo
HOMOPHILE
COMMUNITY
HEALTH SERVICE
#
f
#
#
#
#
#
#
WANTS .WOMEN
NEW
MEMBERS.
.
#
#
#
#
#
JI,
.,,.
#
1lf
###Hik4f###HH#ffl###H-#1HH=
fffl 4ftHf##17r
# AftiAZON
QUARTERLY-A
LESBIAN/FEMINIST
#
ARTSJOURNAL
#
ii~ 72 pages of fiction,essays,po
_
et,ry,. •#
# 1 year sub. ,plain wrapper $5
#
# Amazon Quarterly, 554 Valle Vista,
#
# Oakla.~d, Calif. 94610.
#
###1Hl#HH#4f:#1h
1F
###=IHHHHHl=#Hff####=#H#tll=
�10
AROUl BOSTON
':D
it conts 60¢~ For places to buy call
HUB, 536-6197.
Holy UniQ.n cer em
ollYi.• . Two gay women9
Geraldin~ Azzata and Nancy W
ilson 9 were
united in a holy vnion ceremony Dec.28
at the Hunnewell Chapel in the Arlington
.
was Larry
Street Church. • Offtciating
etropolBernier 9 pastor of the Boston M
itan Community Church. The two wom
en
wrote their . own service; which was
attended by fifty friends • . The union
is not 9 of course 9 a .le€jal ma;rriage in
·
the eyes of the state. .
W M IN ITA
O EN
LY, about the feminist ·
'ioovement in H,aly, is the first of a
series by the Europe_.Amerca Comnmnii
cation Service.
They sent DOB copy.
·a
&&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&8.
-& &
&&
&&&&&
&
&&&
&&& &
& &&&&&~&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&
&&
&&&&&;&&&&&
AROU THE COUNTRY
N
D
Nancy is also the copastor of the M.C.C.9
and is available at the M
.C.C. office
M
ondays (266-7491 9 Room 408 at 419 Boylston St .;
Q.ay grou are a threat . -t::· homosexual ~"
ps
b
mental hetJ.lth, · said _Dr. Robert J.
McDEjlvitt,, Director cf Psychiatry at
CinoinnitiVs Good Samarit an Ho
'spital .
at the 26th clinical ·convention of ·
the Americrut Medical Association.
Center group ' ha~ a ·
:rhe Gay Communit,:v
coffee house in the works• Triey have ....
been holding regular Friday night dances
at the Charles st. Meeting House.
While such groups . eek to alleviate ·
s
loneliness
and isolation
of their
members, they alienate them from sigwith ·their
nificant relationships
friends, arid colleagues •••
families,
their attack on .recognized and _
effective treatment of 'the homosexual male may prevent treatment _ the individual ·
of
and ·.
resolut:l.on · of his · diffj_cul ty, n · , ·
Dru J.l'
lcDeYitt said.
·
(--LOS ANGELES
TIN.ES,Nov. 28,
1972, as reported in DIGNITY,Jan.5,73).
11
~
on Homophle Society for the Arts
i
has meetings Wednesdays at 8 prfl at
96 Beacon Sto, Boston (room is listed
on board inside t .he building) • All , are
ap
welcome. :EHSAwill be getting _ office
and phone soon. ,·
Jl!± is , oµt 9 publi shod qy · the
old gay rn~le liberation
anq _
others.
Price is 25¢. · Call for ·where _i:,o buy
it: 354-1555~
FA£: RAG
Ann Landers:
i•It O s unn~tural
fore illegcbh• _
i1
l:_ESBIAN,MO~.AN reviewed in the Jan.
was
16, 1973 Boston After Dark by Dora
·
Diesel.
2
th~~~"".
llDear .Ann Landers, 0, wrote a gay· man, .
9
why ·ca.'1 t I hold hands with my.
lover in public and dance with him
the way heteroGexual lovers do? Surelylove ·is not ind ecent, to be scorned
and despised ••• ! do not understand ·
why so many people do not understand.
Cah ·you explain ·1t1 11 '.
11 ~ • o
Fire mi.§.:~ OOB. A ·daytime fire two
ed
doors down from the Boston OOBoffice
at 419 Boylston Street gutted the building. Perhaps someone objected to the
cons\ll.ate housed therein--or
to
Israeli
the Irish consulate--or
to the .Berlitz
School of Language?
·
Lesbian Liberab .on has been supplanted
by Lesbian Meetings and Gay·Confusion.
They meet Thursday evenings for raps in
private homes. Call 354-8807 for info 0 •
Dignity-Boston, a gay Catholic ·group,
had 60 people at its first general meet- :
ing, Dec. J. Address is 1105 Boylston
St, 9 Boston 02215. ..
·
BOSTONGAYLINE, publication
of the .
Homophile Union of Boston; is out.
.
'
Ye~; sha can. · She repl i ed 9 iiWhy can°t ·
members of the same'.sex." •• p:roclaim
··
their love as heterosexual lov · rs do?
e
Because homosexuality is unnatur al.
It is, in spite of · lilhat some psychia- ·
trists
say, .a · sickness-.;.a ·dysfunction~
In our culture, i.n the year 1973; we
homosex"".'
are not cond;itioned to accEJlpt"
uality as the normal hum n conditie>:p.
.a
For 18 ye~rs I have .been pleading for
compassion and 'und~rstanding and ..
equal rights .·for homosenials; and I .
w:i.il continue to do . so• · ' But .I ' do not
(cont. · P• 7)
··
�II
~THE
Federal
bESSIAN
and State
income
tax
' 119E~
returns
A VOICE OF THE
LESBIA N/ FEMINIST
COMMUNIT Y
expertly
made out!
siste rs subscr ibe now!
$5.00 in california
$6.00 elsewhere
$ .50 sa mple copy
• save yourself money
• I've had seven years'
experience
• the price will be right
send to: tide coll ective
1124 ½ n. ogden
los angeles , ca 90046
bulk rates available upon
request.
call
354-4290
JUNE ZILLMAN
CAREE R COUNSE LI N G
Free details, career sea r ch ai ds.
Determine your full potential thru com •
prehensive, meaningful, suppo rti ve an alv•
sis. Als o, creative
Resumes th at open
closed doors, Be prepa red t o take advant •
age of oppor t unties .
Write today!
CONSULTANT
4172
Emerald Lak e D r .,
Decat ur, Ga. 30032
FREDERICK S. HILL
Registered Electrologist
announces
the opening of his office
for the practice of
for
gay wo men.
Electrolysis
"Permanent Removal of Unwanted Hair"
Male and Female Patients
That's us, folkst
OFFER: s end FOCUS
to
VALENTINE'S
your sweetie, f ri end, or parents
(or self) for $4 fo r a year.
OFFm GOOD
TILL FEBRUARY 1973•
28,
(Regular pric e $5).
DOB,Room 415, 419 Boylston St.,
Boston, Mass. 02116
Suite
# 1 - 1151 Hancock Street
Quincy
by appointment
only
773-1330
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 February
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-02
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197302
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/31db84b7c1e45cedf84a6ea79c054074.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=kORb32QmEzmvLED%7EZc8CCBcFE0qg6JIUpx4YFeD4ujJ2ZuEB36CYA96Dv0x3WgC2kJr5owvo%7EcnfIWhTfzm99o8GglvyY4pMX9dYdfasEUM6CpwSfnK9ISV1sdpiTNi6DYn4leWJYv0mEpt6r8IGYHqUBWDzK4OJSVMjDscgHBT5m%7ETdbHVt8V3MWvP9cFgalQG2F3iz1JVeA1rrJWD7rf17aGpuPTj-mSivP66Pkon%7Eiae2UJgW7MTBl9PGX%7Epc1DwTcgRKqrVRB8QWbIPv9w5v1Bn0rBDSfaxw6qLIhOeJqD0ZDOIfaWwLwcYRzPyGZCnw47L1Wpuvs1ItLnOvTA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
36ab6cc95c32dfb70b8a348146223ea3
PDF Text
Text
A JOURNAL FOR
GAY WOMEN
' I_-:';•
~,.··
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. ...
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�FOCUS:A JOURAL FOR GAY O EN
N
WM
:March 1973
FOCUSstaff: Laura Robin, Lois H., Geri
FOCUS published monthly by Boston
is
Bidwell, and others.
Daughters of Bilitis 9 Room 415,
419 Boylston Street, Boston, Nass. 02116 • .·
FOCUS
welcomes contributions
from
everyone. If you want back whatever
Phone: 617-262-1592
you send us, please include a stamped,
self-addressed
envelope.
Subscriptions
are $5 a year, and a
sample is 50¢. Give us your zip 1f.
Articles in FOCUSreflect the views of
the individual authors and do not
Boston D.O.B. officers:
necessarily
represent the views of
Treasurer •••••••••••
• .• •••• Geri Bidwell
Boston Daughters of Bilitis.
Recording Secretary ••••••• Lois H.
Corresponding secretary •• Laura Robin
This publication is on file at the INTERATIONALO
N
WHfilJO HISTORY
S
ARCHIVE,2325
Oak Streets, Berkeley, California 94708, and is available on micro.film through
Bell and Howell, Drawer ··E'1 , 1
:fooster, Ohio 44691.
Calendar of events••••••••••••••
..•••••••••~~ •••••••••••••
2
State House committee split on discrimination
bills •••••• 3
Letters to · FOCUS• • •• ••• ••• •••• •••••• • ••• • •••••• 4, 5, 6
•••
arshal ••••••• 6
The Gay Liberation Book, a review by Linda iVi
Gay news around Boston.• •••••••••••••••
·•••••••••••••••••
•7
Business meeting February 26•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••7
8, 9
Gay news around the country••••••••••••••••••••••••••
News from D.O.B. chapters••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••9
Ameni by Laura M
cMurry •••••••••••••
•. •••••••••••••••••••
•
10
ABOUT
BOSTON
D.O.B.
Boston D.O.B. is a women°s organization
formed in October 1969 as a chapter of
the oldest lesbian organization in the
country.
National Daughters of Bilitis .
was founded in San Francisco .,in 1955•
All the chapters are autonomous, with
their own bylaws, offices, · and publications.
Womenof all ages and political
persuasions participate
in Boston D.O.B.
Membership in Bo$ton D.O.B. is open to
The
all women 18 years old or older.
cost is $10 for one person or $15 for
a couple. This includes one subscription
to FOCUS. The organization derives a
significant
part . of its monetary support
from memberships. JOL~ USl
A
FEWREFERRALS
HOMOPHILE
COMNUNITY
HEALTH
SERVICE
.
266-5477
. Counselling service: individual and
group therapy; religious counselling;
medical, legal, and employment referral.
Fee on ability to pay.
ROOK,ROTH,& RUBINO
742-2243
Law. firm with experience
in gay cases.
co~
~iUNITY I N
SEX FORYlATION
232-2335
Any information and referrals
over the
phone about sex or related subjects.
�CAL DAROF CO I NG D.O..B. EVENTS
EN
M
RELATED
E.
'VENTS
AND
OTHER
TUESDAYS 7: 30 pm RAP SESSIONS BEIN G Y, FORW M 'J. Share feelings about
AT
ON
G A
O El
being gay. Newcomers especially welcom~. For location in Cambridge call the office.
.
.
·
'I'HURSDAYS pm GAY AXRADIO ,,l , W
9-10
W
SHO
BUR-FM 90.9 on dial.
•' ·,.)
.
. -.
:
..
,, ,. :~UNDA!S 'l µn sharp. FEN
' at
ALELIBERATIO POEI'RY
N
READIGS, benefit for THESECOD
N
N
WAVE. Readers: Mar.4, Jane Taverelli; Mar.11, Judy Katz; Mar.18,
Arlene Stone:; Mar.25, Joyce Peserof.
At the new FL office, 639
Mass. Aveu Cambridge (Central Square), Room 314, Info:491-1071 •
..
SUNDAYS, µn METROPOLITA
7
i\I COMHU CHURCH
!\.
TITY
W
ORSHIP, Hunnewell Chapel, Arlington
Street Church, Boston.
9
THURSDAYS, pm LESBI J 1'
8
Al' 1iEETINGS
ANDGAY N
CO:
FUSIO At the W
N.
ome~ s ' Center, 46
Pleasant Street, Cambridge (near Central Square).
·
·:Na.rch 9, · 10, 11 NEW El GLAD GAY
"\J N
CONFERE PEOPLE
N
CE-FROM
ALL_OVER
NE\f ENGLAND-_;,
see schedule below.
·
Ma..roh
17
GAY WOME GROUP
N°S
.i"lEEI'ING, place write Occupant, P.O.
for
ew
Box 137, Northwood, N Hampshire. This group is about 15 in
size, composed in part of Boston D.O.B. people who found it hard
to get down here all the time. Write them if you live in N. H.
NEl>l HAMPSHIRE
March 30, x8;30-pm-12m D.O.B. APRILFOOL DANCE,
~s
Arlington St. Church, Arlington
& Boylston Streets •in Boston.
N
ear Arlington MBTA
stop. Use
ONLY. $1,50 donation.
side entrance on .Arlington St. WOMEN
Mar6h ··26, M
OND
AY, 7:JO
p m D.O,B,
BUSINESS
MEETI NG, At the
office,
N
D!!
THENEWEIJ LAD GAY
G N
CONFERENCE,
MARCH 10 ' 11--A WEEKE no charge
9,
·
far the
_fllIDAY
MARCH
9
.
conrerence.
Charles _
St. M
eeting House
9 pm - 1 am
Dane-a
(donation $1.50)
SEE BELOW KEY~
FOR
Sill:tJB.PAY.a.
~
lARC_H_lO
10 am - 10:30 am Registration
and information ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
LHl
10:30-11:30 am Orien'h'htion•?- a few SHORT
speeches and presentations
of 1 minute each by all groups attending the conference •• LHl
11:30 - 12:00
•
WOME CAUCUS• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • LH3
i\ O
JS
12:00-1:00 pm
LUNCH
(bring your own or go out)
1: 00- 2: 30 pm
-i J E:
••••••••••••••••••••••
~ •••••••••
LHl, LH3
LA REFORl' \, ORSHOPS
W
COUNS N WORKSHOPS
'ELLI G
2:45-4:15 pm
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
LH1 LH3
9
DiNNER ( •a.11 you can eat for $1.58)at Governor 0 s House9 150 Beacon
4: 30-5: 30 pm
in9luding how to get into
PUBLICEDUCATIO
N WORKSHOPS,
5:45-7:15 pm
public speaking, publ:i,sh- ·..
the news-papers & television,
ing your own book or journal, the arts, etc ••••••••••
Ft~24,45
7:15-8:15 pm
GAYPRIDEW
EEK1973 PLANNING,I
••••• ~ •••••••••••••••
~ •••• FL
8:30-10:30 pm
GAY TERTAINME
EN
N ••••••••••••••••••••••
T
~~••••••••••••••
:LHl
11:00-2:00am
DACE AT HARVARD
N
UNIVERSITY
(details at conference)
SU DAY ARCH
N
:
M
11
lo:00-11:30 am COFFEE,OONUTS, N
I FORMAL
DISCUSSION, N DISCUSSION
AD
OF
1:HOLD
HANDS (a program for nationwide ·communication among
:,
gay groups) by New Jersey Gay Activists Allianca •••••••••• LHl
11: 00-11: 30
WOMEI\JOS
;s_
CAUCUS
••••••••• ·•• .•••• ·••••••••• .•·• • .! •••••••••••••••••
LH3
· ·PRIDEW- II •••••••••••••••••••••••
EEK
; ••••••••••••••••••
LHl
11:45-12:45 pm · GAY
12:45-lg45 pm
LUNCH out or bring your own)
(go
1: 45- 3: 15 pm
RELIGIO W
N ORKSHOPS
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
·••••••• •.•LHl 9 LH3
GROUP
ISSUESW()RKSHOPS
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
LH1 LH3
3:30--5:pm
7
KEY LH1,LH3 = Lecture Halls #1, #3 at 69 Brimmer St. 9 FL9 24,45 = Faculty Lounge
:
and Rooms 24 and 45 at 96 Beacon St. ALL EVENTS El ERSO COLLEGE,
AT 1
N
BOSTON.
�STATEHOUSE
COMMITTEE
SPLIT ON DISCRIMINATION
BILLS
For the first time in hassachusetts
history, · there is a chance that some
bills for ~omosexual rights will get
out of committee in the State House.
On February 1 the Commerce and Labor
Committee heard testimony in favor of
H. 3218 and H. 3220, two bills which
would bar discrimination
against homosexuals in the Commonwealth. As of
February 23, the committee had made no
formal decision on the bills,
but reports
from "'informed sources" say the commi.ttee
is closoly split on the bills.
Although in the .past few years there
have been bills to repeal the sodomy
laws, these had never been sponsored
by th .a gay co:mrnunity, had never received
organized support from gays or from
within the legislature,
and had n,-,aived
· little
media attontionu
'l'he:y had always died in committee.
. This year gay groups presented a sound,
diverse testimony, lead off by that of
Representative
Barney Frank, who introduced the bills.
· Several other members
of the legislature
went on record as
being in favor.
To top it off, media
coverage was good. The six o 9 clock
news on Channels 5 and 7 showed important
segments of the hearings, the
Boston Globe had a sizeable article,
and several radio stations had reports.
Even the Herald American had a tiny
notice.
Barney Frank convinced Chairman Allan
McKinnon that the crowding in the
hearing room was due to gay people, so
. the gay testimony was put early to
relieve the congestion.
The people
9
for women s and handicapped people 0 s
rights, being supposedly fewer in num:t,ers, had to wait.
Speaking in his fast, chatty style,
Frank told how his ideas about gay
people had changed during his campaign,
from believing in stereotypes to recognizing the diversity
and normalness
present.
Many gay people had worked
in has campaign effectively,
he said.
"I'm here to oppose the unfair
immoral act of discrimination,
and
11
announced Robert Dow, president of the
Homophile Union of Boston. i :r was
denied a driver's
license for 7 years
by the Registry of Notor Vehicles becaus e
of a phrase 'person of good moral
11 •
character'
The committee members
were impressed by his personal , ,.::count
of discrimination.
Others who testified
included Dr. Richard Pillard,
Associate Professor of
Psychiatry at Boston University School
of :tv
1
edicine and .Hedical Director of the
Homophile Community Health Service,
Joan Tuttle from the Civil Liberties
Union of Massachusetts (who announced
that C.L.U .I.Vi. was looking .for gay test
cases), Charles Shively, a teacher, Tom
Oddo, a Cat.ho1ic priest of the Holy
Cross v1-dor, and Elaine Noble from
the radio program Gay Way.
Elaine said that statistically
speaking
one in five on the committee could be
a homosexual. 110h, we always sit
together this way,' ' said the chairman
referring
to the co-chairman.
The
gathering laughed.
Then the one
leaned over and kissed the otherl
Larry Woodward from H.U.B. turned in
cases of disc .rimination gathered from
persons who could not testify.
A complete transcript
of the h~aring
is available · from H.U.B., and _
D.O.B.
will get a copy from them.
If the bills come out of committee
favorably, then the fight moves to
the floor of the House, and all House
members must be contacted.
H. 3218 adds the words "sexual preference'; to the list of categories against
which discrimination
in housing, em. ployment, insurance, mortgages, etc. is
prohibited in Chapter 151B of the Hass.
General Laws. H. 3220 does the same
for public accommodations in Chapter
272 Section 98.
Hearings on another bill, H. 3313, to
repeal Chapter 272 sections 14, 16, 18,
34, and 35 (which prohibit adultery,
lascivious
unmarried cohabitation & open
and gross lewdness, fornication,
crime
against nature, and unnatural and lascivious acts respectively)
were Feb.26.
See next month 9 s FOCUSfor a report.
�LETT
ERS TO FOCUS
4
Dear FOCUS,
Since I have read both }
{.ell of Loneliand Patience and Sar:_~~ just within
pleased
the past . year, I wa,s especially
to find the article
contr-asting them in
your Februar .y issue.
.lli!2.§.
· I would find it interesting,
as I think
many of your other readers would also,
to see a geographical • listing
by state
of FOCUSsubscribers.
I mention this
because when I put a notice in FOCU in
S
late 1972 ~sking for contacts with
minded 1 readers, the
other ''literary
assachusetts
and
responses were fropi M
.California.
Best wishes from a New York State
reader who would like to join you in
Boston.
Sincerely,
M
argaret Ryan
Box 346
North Baldwin, N.Y.11510
Dear FOCUSreaders,
We thought the above a good idea.
Here
·1s the . breakdown of FOCUSsubscribers:
Australia, ••••••• 1 hichigan •••••••• 6 Br :':' sh Columbia •• 1 M
innesota ••••••• 5
r
Cc.J:l ." e; nia ••••••• 20 Netherlands ••••• 1
· c,\ ..-:, .H~O o • • · • · • • o e • · .4. New Jersey •••••• 3
c
:"
Cc,:, ;·,··•,( : i cut ••••••• 7 New Ha.mpshire ••• 5
~ ,
F r J::; ;: .::-~ ••••••••••
•1
New York ••••••• 18
Geor~ ~a •••••••••••
l Nova sc ·otia ••••• 1
· ·Haw<ii .: •••••••••• l ·ohio ••• _ ••••••• 5
i
.~
· I clr!.1---:i) o •••••••••
. o.
l - Oklahoma •••••••• 2
11. ~~:.-~J ~ .. .......
: ,_::_'i~:.~
,
•5
Oregon •••••••••• l
In d.~_..) -:\.
;::·
6 Pennsylvania ••• 14
I O'lj,:·~~~ ·(;,,., ,. c , ,, ••••••
• 1 · Puerto
Rico ••••• 1
Ka ~ ~2 s •• • •• ••••••
~1 Rhode Island •••• 5
D _
...
· !vs.~:- = .. ~
i
~·
Mar j ... :n~
~~2. i;)
-!
,,
)
•
••
•••••••
o ••
~
I!' ••
3
Texas ·•• • •••••••
•5
W
ashington state4
M achus etts •••• 82 W
ass
ashington,DC ••• 2 .
M ~ou?~ • • •••••••• 2 W
~s
isconsin ••••••• l
North Dikota •••• 1
o o •••••••
2
Dear FCCJ
S,
ve
••• 1 have deciq.ed to st art a women°s
g:c _ c.t th ::, i:- t ro politan Community
.·:--~::i:.,
C!,,·.-:',-_. ~~:-; •:<:d a group that is com,, ;
f c:••·:.,-' i .·1:;,:;_ s an open atmosphe .re,
_ _·
.;f
>:o
sF< - ::·>:,:-., x•-:;::. group that D.O.B. has
+
d F· (-'
·:.<.,.::. , ·1:,1 al so want a group where
:::. _,
·wc1ier1i. p~1 e; la 1•ly lesbians~ can
1
,·ci u
discuss reli gion, the church, and the
relationship
of the women°s movement
and lesbianism to these institutions
•
••• To find the time . and place of the
next ·women°s meeting, please call the
church office 266-7491.
Nancy W
ilson
assistant
pastor, M
CC
Dear editors
of FOCUS,
. I appreciate your starting
a letters
to the editor section, but more than
that I appreciate having FOCUS, and
your keeping it alive as one of the few
horns to reach our community. What
I need to ask and tell is as follows :
M
etropolitan
Community Church of Boston is growing by leaps and bounds.
Close to 200 (193, I think) people
attended our Charter Sunday service,
and, after only 4 months of · existance,
we have at least 80 people in regular
attendance.
Perhaps l } of these are
&
women. At our recent Feminist Liturgy
service the chanel was filled to overflowin g, but there were only about a
but not good
dozen women - better,
·
enou gh.
1',,· I first · attended M
Jhen
.C.C. it was as
,a favor to some new .friends I had met
who were involved there. · I went as
a skepti¢, doul:>ting-Thomas, ¢.th mind
- my ~
spiritual
open only to negativity
needs did not include the desire for
hat
any institutionalized
religion ••• W
I found totally
shocked my system of
thought and rearranged my feelings
about group religion,
because the
love vibrating throughout that little
chapel, even . then with many fewer
people, was so astoundingly visible both between congre gants, pastors,
and
between pastors and congregants;.. that
I could not collect my thoughts and
feelings back together for days.
Truly I had walked into a living,
breathing representation
of the things
I felt faith meant. Certainly there
are the realities
of adjusting to the
strangeness
of the structure
of worship for some, or the strictness
of it
for others; there are problems and the
trials
of any new organization ; and the
tempers .and conf3.icts found in any
But they want
group of human beings.
(c•nt~ P• 5)
�s
LETTERS,
cont•
to improve - they ~re worldng to improve.
And most important, in ·the frame· of ·
reference of institutiqnalized
religion
in America today, •they are working to
improve the situation of womenin the
church. They are _
striving desperately
not to be just another male-oriented,
•le-dominated
church. Howmany churches
(or for that matter any other place)
cpUl.d you walk into . and find _
some man
· cprrecting his fellow male cong~egant
on some sexist word he has just used?
P~rhaps that is only .a Slllall step, but
t~ey .!I! working to raise their level
of awareness, to change their consciousn•ss, to be ,truly . h'llillanistic; but how
C@ll they become less male dominated when
99% .the congregation are men? Here
of
is an orgeni11.ot:lot'l
~t
bogei,:ne;
where are we?
.
t"o~'
. ···.
ou,:-
.
.
If women.won't come to the church office
to rap about problems, or questions they
have about God, religion, or the reality
of the church in 'their lives; if women
don°t come to services to see ' if there
just might be something for them; if
wo~en won't help men who want t~ be
he:J.ped over the difficult
hurdle " of
societal role-playing and ingrained
ma).~ orientation;
then .how do we reach
thtmi to tell .them ·we ~ them and
w~t them?
teel ~•~ M.C~C•of Boston
is ' the beginning '·of ;1something phen~m~~~
allywonderful _ :whfch· oo-i.µd, unfqrt1,1~ '
,ria~ely,
?~t \9.~ot;ow' without our
~e'.\,p ~,h~ t W~t t?, ~a~ · ~,~~ething~ to
i~
'-1
1.
S~9'f
~8~,A>p).y-th~ ,•gar, ~r!4•-qt_,
J.
~ \_ (ll}ore
p
~p<>~ant~Y, ~ l stra~gHt w~r,}~, it:h~ · \.•,the
·
I personaµy
:di,,
,
l \ ::·.:
1~ - .
10
\ . • c\}•~ •
,
~
' '
•
• .-~
~
, :;··i / ·
i· _( "l .
\_ :•'
\:_·"
ST·•:,\, \ _,,.
,·: ,· ,\
..
· .·!
·1' ' .
L, ')
1:•
•
i
'
I
>
,
I
, ., ~ - ~ - • )
.
t ; 'i ~
\
'. lU
Bo~ton, 02115 .
. h"'lp,.
several different committees by men who
wanted me to work, not just as · a token
ge~ture, or to be the little
secretary
of the committee, but as an active
so that
vital part of their activities
t.hw could better l<nowand understand
how womenthink and feel about all the
many social actions and community out. re.ch programs they are planning • . But
how can I, or any of the several women
in M.c.c., or Nancy, the co~pastor,
,pretend or even attempt to try ·to repr~sent the feelings of such · a vast
community?
};::·;.f' ;J
,
With love,
Linda Lachman, friend
of M.C.C.
.
.541CommonwealthAv.
,
I myself have been asked to serve on
i • ~ ,, L,. J J ' •1• ~~• .
fallacy of the masculine/feminine role
split, and the feasibility
of men and
womencooperating and lea.rning from each
other, ·happily so, in a social _ structure
that does not have t1t1es .just ·.tor
Him and trash for her. · If you or any
reader have any suggestions or solutions
to this vital situation,
of how to
reach my fellow lesbians and make them
feel wanted and at home, I would
greatly appreciate getting them. God
bless you and keep you.
1· .\
!.~ \' !·• · :
:
i·i •.1 \ .! tO
Here is a suggestion - something women
can do for our movement who because of
their situation can not be as active
as they would like. Watch the mail
for •imale,-oriented pieces" and return
them with an appropriate note. For
instance, this week I received two I
responded to.
One was. from NewsweekBook Division.
It was ,a Qirect mail pi~ce advertising
the book Wonders .Q! !'!!!!• It had a
business reply envelop~ in .which to
remit my acceptance of' the book (no
I took a sheet of
stamp required).
paper and wrote across it in large,
'1Sisterhood is Powerfuln .
red letters,
just to grab their ,·attention, then typed
in a ~essage about their title that
told them how offensive it was.
Cause,
The other pi~ce was from Common
also with a free .reply mailer. · These
are always to be taken advantage .oft
It listed their program for the year,
including congressional reform, environment and , pending, not a -word
s
to
about the Causes that are Common
52% the population. Again with a
of
red pen I wrote •sister~oo.d 'is .powerful
. and then typed . a me$sage 'about the
caus,es WEwer~ intereste4 in, _ women
as
first~
We can engage ·1n ·an active
~8t~
'campaign·, ~~e · o( ~~~f pe~~.~~
, <?st ~.,. ~~P.l Let.·0 s f1~~4
c
~
,
"~p~ir,
gff~ee$
'1
with reminders that wometiout ··ther.e.
arf ''n~~' \,It . 9. :takenfor.,,•,·•.y,.,,·.T,t,;0. _,,, - ··
· ),'.~ 6) . ,.. grant~ .'~~~
~
( .
". ·
i'l'
·-
: , 1'•..
:
rt:: •~- { :
~ : ,.~,~
,r,~~:
;
·Con•
onp.
:r,
10,
,
, , - "··--
.
�6
LEI'TERS, cont•
they get out these pieces of literature.
Let 0 s preface all our return replies
with our fight.;ng
slogan, 11Sisterhood
:}s Powor.!'111 ' 1 •
Clue Dennis
Naples, i'J . Y. 14512
Dear D.O.B. 9
I 0 m writing this to relieve myself of
some st ored away anger. I 0 ve written
5 letters to the 'D.O.B.--all unsigned.
Natchi! Today, I 0 m wondering if you
people ever have people like me ther~•
How can people be so afraid of themselves? For over 10 years I 0 ve thought
that maybe I 0 m gay. Then rove turned
that thought off because 91well.,..broughtup girls like me don°t end up like that"
or 11 only girls who :L 0k like men and
-:1
can°t get men11 turn out l:i:k~ that. So,
you play the 11well-brought-up girP
part and still keep womdering.
No Pm not sure where I am. It
w,
really scares me that still after 10
.years I think I 0 m gay. I date a lot
of men but, somehow, it se ems like I 0 m
kidding myself. It really is a frightmaybe I am gay.
ening thing to thin~~
Somehow, I . think I 0.m the only woman
who has ever felt this way> t .know
there 0 s a counselling service ~ut I 0 d
have a heart attack from fright before
:Z even got 1;,here. There O s a Gay
Speakers 0 Bureau but I 0m too afraid to
call to find out where they speak th en I 0 d be too afraid to go listen to
them anyways ••• Then there 0 s the phone
nutabers you can call .but my family
would die when the phone bill came in.
them more than that.
I guess I owe _
(ED. NOTE:pay phon~?) .. ·'.
So, this letter accomplishes little
except truth - frightening
as it is.
I hope you 0 re able tq help 11more
courageous 91 girls vµt:h fearf! like my
own. This world does not accept anything or anyone that is diff erent and, .
I 0 m afraid, 'it ·never will, but I really
believe organizations like yours can,at
l east , help to make
people feel they
ar G i:.':!Cl:l ed. a.s they are and aren °t ex~
, pt
pected to be a.r.::;t hing .· else ••• Thanks for
bothe ri ~z ':,::-:ead this mess. I 0 m sure
, ~
it makes lit tle sense.Peace, ____
_
THE GAY
LIBERATION K
BOO
edited by Len Richmond & Gary Noguera.
San Francisco: Ramparts Press, 1973.
$3.95, paper. Half the royalt i es go
to the gay community.
review by
Linda M
arshal
This book of readings in gay male liberation is not a history, hot a. coherent
statement, but rather a beautiful collage, a collection of varying viewpoints
Included are Huey Newton on the fact
that a gay male may be a revolutionary;
a statement on the deficiencies
of the
gay movement in Brazil; a portrayal of
sexual 91liberation' 1 ~- excluding cocksucking -- from the cocktail parties ·
in Berkeley; the testimony of a man
for whom giving up homosexuality, together with its unrealistic
fantasies
a.bout what a man is, was ·a step towards
a freer sexuality;
a much-needed article
on the problems of the older gay man;
1
Gore Vidal on :1Bisexual Politics ~ , etc.;
in short, unpredicta.ple,
original,
and
presenting novel points of view, even
to ..
someone who is familiar with the
movement.
A word on the fact that the book is
about males and for males: it is what
it claims to be and therefore it does
not pontificate
about women; however
it is worth reading for any lesbian,
.bisexual, liberated woman, or anyone
el~e who wishes to be knowledgable.
Frank pictures are a great help. There
is no reason to suppose that lesbians
are more accepting of gay males than
the straight populatton; the photographs crysta.lize ones emotions and
force one ~o an~lyze one 0 s own reactions.
The ..book ha.s several major themes,
some inconsistent
with each other;
since it presents so many perspectives,
it will be a different book for every
reader.
One major theme that struck
this reader was the often-repeated
continuity between gay male liberation
. ~nd femal~ liberation.
The gay ·male,
rightly .or wrongly, is often seen as
choosing . the f.emale 0 .s role.
Acceptance of gay males by society is therefore c. nnected with .a positive evaluo
ation of women. An example is the
GLF il) France with its 11Revolutionary
lcont. on P• 7)
�7
THE GAY
LIBERATION
BOOK
(cont.
GAY
NEWS
AROUND
BOSTON
from
P• 6)
The New England Gay Confe:r_rn will be
• held at Emerson College in Boston on
·M
arch ·9,10,11.
There will be a dance
Friday night the 9th, an .entertairnnent
. Saturday night, and diverse workshops
Saturday and Sunday. This has been an
or-ganizing effort of rnany groups and ·
and participants
are coming
. individuals,
from ~11 . over New England as well as
from farther reaches.
This · is the first
well•organized New England Conferenc~.
More details accompany this issue in
the calendar of events on p .. 2.
Boston _D.O.B. _ Val!lntine 0 s dance on Febru_
ary 9 was attended by 50 women and for
the first time in a while made a small
profit • . 'l!;he next dance is .for April
Fool 9 s • .
The D.O.B. librar_y_ is growing. It
recently received donations of l'iaurice,
by E.l:'I. Forster, ~ 2
2]:, by Robin Mor- ·
.ga:n, Gav Militants,
by Donn Tea.le, An
·Introduction
to Psychoanalysi~, bys.
Freud, several old L_adders and Arena
Threes, and a Off£ study of lesbians,
among other things. . The library,
located in the office, welcomes donations
of books, magazines, money, or whatever.
Anyone may use it when the office is
open. D.O.B. members may take out books.
Effeminism 11 : 11We · are what is feared
most: . effe.minists.
Men who are
. struggling to become urnnanly, men who
oppose the ideology of a masculine
fasc~sm that requires domination of
·one person by another, of one sex, -·
race 9 or class by another. 11 (p.159)
Or better still the poem: . 11I 9 m not a
ma:n;: •• r dislike violence; ••• I like to
express my feelings; ••• I have never
_
raped a t4oman;••• I do not feel superior to wome~;••• I donvt want to destroy
you. 11 ·
...
.
Gay tne.le.libe:ralion and the women°s
.,
movement are natural . allies.
#1N
r#######
###############lfif · f#!r## lf
#1r
f
1fo
BUSINESS
MEETING
FEBRUARY 197)
26,
main topic was raising money. All
persor.1s. interested
in helping with a
talent show to be in mid-May write to
DOBor see Geri Bidwell.
.
We want to
make· it something big. Can you sing,
dance~ do magic tricks, play the comb,
sho~ your .slides, get up a skit, or
bring your performing elephant?
The
.
.
..
\
The r~p leaders, upon the suggestions
of several .new members who attend the
raps, .will ask a little
louder for dona-:·
tions.
H. U. B. 4th b,irthday.
The Homophile
Union of Boston celebrated its fourth
birthday on February 17 with a banquet
.
:
.
at Stephen James House in Cambridge.
# rH###1h1H####1NHHf##########1f
######
Elaine Noble .(Gay Way radio program) and ' #. 1
Barney Frank (state representative)
were
TOFOCUS
READERS
given . bronze plaques for their contributic>ns .to . the . gay movement.
.· Keep those letters
and clippings rolling
int ~e have been , glad for your response.
H.C.H.S. institute.
The Homophile Community Health Service is starting an
We_have had some good offers by people
Institute
for Homophile Studies, which
. who are writing articles.
We want to
in
will giv~ com:-ses and certificates
make FOCUSa wide-ranging, interesting
homophiie st . dies.
u
The first course, ·
journal and we welcome more articles-an introd'llctory overview, .will begin in
c
the more we get the better.
We _an
rnid-March. It will meet once a week in
· give suggestions of research articles
the evening for 10 weeks and will cost
to anyone who wants ideas.
$99. Ann Haguire and Ken Dixon are the
instructors.
For information call
. We also want cartoons and funny things.
H.C
-~H.S. at 466-5477.
can
offset.
. · $####J##ff.##H####################
###1r## We blackprint cartoons to . size. Do them
in
ink and .make
·. ~4
BACK
ISSUES OF Focus· AVAILABLE #
# · And some from the days when it
# And al$o, ofcourse, we welcome ideas on
• wha:t you would like to see in FOCUS
t
#. was called MAIDEN
VOYA~Ei
50¢ ea.#
.
~
#####H-###11f####=IHr##ffe#####H#H#.####H##
.
.
�8
GAYNEWS
AROUND
THE COUNTRY
· Ohio.
As part of the first
comprehensive
s. i.nce 1815, the
:
criminal
code revision
Ohio .legislature
wiped otit laws against
. adult homosexual sexual activity.
The
age of consent is ·16. Rape as a crime
· against either 'sex ( e.g. rape of a man
by a aan) was defined.
The new laws go ·
. into effect January 1, 1974 • . Other
·· states with '' consenting .adult laws are
now Colorado, Connecticut,
Hawaii, Illi- nois, Oregon, and ·as of April 1, Dela. ware. ··
.. . (ADVOCATE,
January 31, 1973)
a 1·center for perversion 11 , the attorney
11indeed 11 for
the perversion
replied,
O s Rules
of Robert
of .Order" • G.A .A.
now wants the state to reimburse them
the expense of the legal fight.
(ADVOCATE.
February 14, ~97J).
M
urders.
Three and possibly more gay
men have been murdered in New York
since
City under si.rnilarcircumstances
January 4. The gay community .there has
set up a hotline
for leads and information~
(ADVOCATE,
February 14, 197J).
Lesbian Resource .Center in Ninneapolis.
Perry church burns down. The Los Angeles
Just opened.
For their calendar write
Metropolitan
Community Church building
was de stroyed by fire January 27 during
them at 710 W. 22nd st., Minneapolis,
the n:tcht.
The cause was unlmown but
M
inn. 55405 (phone 612-374-2345).
c
The loss was estimated
arson ~usn ':l ted.
at $10~~0c0, much of which was insured.
W
est Coast Lesbian Conference April
The L. A~n .c .c. started
in 1968 as the
.. 13-15 in Los Angeles.
Speakers,
performers will include Robin Morgan 11
MeC.C , 11 with Troy Perry as minister.
first
·· Judy Grahn 11 the Chicago Women° Libers
It bou c:J, t: c-'3building in 1970. As of
t
.ation , Rock Band, Sacramento Gay Women°
s
:;.
y
early Fct-rn.:.;.• 1973 some $5000 in pledges ·
The_
ater Group, and many others. There
tp reh u:'!.l i. ha d been collected,
c
and mes.
.
sa ges of c011
cern were pouring in from
will be workshops on lesbian Mothers 11
Socialist
Feminism,
Lesbian Sexuality,
all over the co~try
(address:
L.A.IvI.C.C.,
c/o Advocate 11 Box 74695 11 to ·s Anglles,
. . ~pr,ession in M
ental Ho.spitals/Prisons
11
February 14, 73) •
C3.lif • 90004) • . (ADVOCATE
and many others.
Some 400 women are
expected to attend.
For information
~ 2::-:.ra.r s. A 47-year old homosexual who
see fliers
in Boston IDBoffice or
El ..'?.~-:t:l fe r admission
:c
:
c
to the New York
write Barbara McLean, 508 N. Alta
S\:,.-r. Bar W3.S denied it by the Appellate
:i, 6
_
90036,
Vista Blvd. 11 Los Angeles,Calif.
D~ ~_,;lo ri of the New York State Supreme
•.+
phone 21J-9J4-6593 or 656-1049.
c ~<•:-t b eca t:s e he had been arrested .on a
s , c.'..
c.ty cha r ge in Florida
16 years ago.
Fat PowerL Another minority ris .es to
Ne ·y;i.,son g":..: y of a felony can be
, .U
break the shackles of discrimination
a(1 V·te d to th e bar•
:.:::.
The case will be
and derision.
According to Parade
::v:
.
a·, ._ · -;i ,,:1 ( t,J.v TT11cES , January 10 ' °73·9
Magazine of January 21, 1973 11 the
.LJ.·.i.
AD:/JCATE, Ja 1
mary 31, 0 73) • .
National Association
to Aid Fat Ameris
cans has a chapter in Bo_ton.
Gf:'f_ ,':!~ r-9.ff ice.
.J'1~!;' f.,;,
.
Jim Owles II former
p;::·&s5 ,:!·~~ of N.Y. Gay Activists
..
.:_
Alliance,
Speaking of discrimination--unrnarried
in NYC.
is 1·ur,:n:i 11g for city councillor
straight
couples get it too.
In an
article
in the December~•
Magazine,
G.}..~
_
_-rpq,!, tes.
:
a
The Gay Activists
Lindsy Van Gelder -points out the legal
Al iian ca of New York won the right to
difficulties
of being an unmarried
in co:i:
·porate after a 2 year fight.
Initheterosexual
couple.
It sounds terriial l y the Secretary
of State and a lower
bly familiar.
Insurance
companies
N.Y. court had denied this right on the
When one party
won°t write1 . policies.
grounds that homosexual behavior was
is in the hospital 11 the other will not
in New York. The G.A.A. attorney
illegal
count as immedia.te · family for visiting
argued that the purpose of G.A.A • .was
rights.
Citizenship
was refused one
to demand repeal of the sodomy law, not
Landwoman, child custody another.
ne oe s : arily to advocate · its violation.
3
lords or ladies may refuse to rent to
A gro ~p is not illegal
merely because it
unmarrieds.
It took a Supreme Court
adYocates change ::: in the . law. When a
decision to prevent welfare mothers
ot
ju dg e a sl :E-J.w:1. h er G.A.A. meetings were
from being cut off if a man were
'
]
'.:
' ~ -- - ....
.•
•
... . 'et -
•
�9
GAY
NEWS
(cont. from p.8)
found in the house. Says the author,
11The concept of 0 single
couples 0 has
never beezi recogu.i~ed in our 1egcll ~-ys. ·tem1i, and ·she (he?) wondered when unmarried heterosexual couples will join
. w.tth the issues presented by the gay
rights movement.
recommendation for the annual A.P.A.
meeting in May in Honolulu.
(i1J.1, 'l'IHES :ft'~fa·uci.ry 95 'l9'())
Discriminatory enforcement,_of disorderly
conduct law in Los· Angeles. ·· A' study of
at-rests made in Los Angeles from June-September ·1972 showed that Section 647a
of the California Penal Code (prohibit. ing Solicitation
ahd ·performance of
. ~wd acts ., in public) was enforced mainly
l
:
against homosexual men. 663 cases were
reviewed. Of the total arrests, ·only
.4•5%
involve9- heterosexual conduct.
Most _
,comP.laining witnesses _
(97%) were
pl;a1:ncloth~s policemen.
New Jersey D.O.B. hassles with N.O.W:
The January newsletter ·rrom - ewJersey
N
Daughters of Bilit ·:s :tells how a D.O.B.
member was apparently kept from r~ng
for New Jersey National Organization
for WomenState Co1>rdinatQ1" an unfair
.
.by
tactical move. A previous :request by
lesbians to form a N.o.w.chapter .
dedicated to minority womenwas denied
Natiohal Board on the
by the N.o.w.
basis that such a chapter would be
discriminatory ·( However, membership
would have been open to everyone).
1
One fourth of the arrests -were for
solicitation.
In this category the
arrests wer~ clearly discriminatory and
uncalled for. While male offic : rs were
e
used to encourage solicitations
by gay
men in bar ·s and ori' the streets, no
·
female officers were used to similarly
·
snare heterosexual men.
Three fourths of the arrests were for
ii'enga~g · in lewd· ;conduct:=~· the majority of these apparently involving
' masturbation in (gay male) movie houses
and restrooms.Almost 0% these arrests
of
resulted from a complaint from an
off~nded , ~~iyate citizen.
Most of those arrested were found
- guilty, many a related charge
of
11trespassingv i 9 but
were released with
a two year probation (and perhaps a
fine).
Sixty-seven, however, were
req'liired 'to register as sex ' offenders
_or ·the rest o~ their lives~
f
. The· ~tudy was ·made by two law students
with the financial assistance of H.E.L.P.
lnc., and the Wlµ.tman-Redcliffe
Foundation of San· 'Francisco.
.(ADVOCATE,
February 14, 1973)
NEWS
· FROM
D.O.B. CHAPTERS
Social meetings of OOB-NJare held in
the Orange, N.J. YWCA• The group
. celebrates its second al')lliversary on
April 20.
Correction about transsexuals in S.F.
D.b.B. The recent vote in San Fr~cisco D.O.B. to . ar . male to female
b
transsexuals from membership applied
only to pre-operative transsexuals,
i,e., those who have not . undergone the
sex change operation, sai .d Sharon
Crase, president of S.F.D.O.B •. The
report of this vote in the Decembe · : ·'
.r
1972 FOCUS
implied that both pre- ~nd
transsexuals had been
post-operative
barred. · Ms. Crase said that after
the operation a 'male--female tr~ssexual was legally -a woman arid therefore eligible for D.O.B_ membership.
.
The San Francisco D.O.B. House Fund
now stands at $1610. The go_ l is ·
a
$7500 to put as a dowripa:yment a
on
home for ·OOB.
·
·
1
Snrinks debate ·classification.
.A. debate
onwhether hom6sexu~lity should be
:corisidered a form ·of mental illness
began February ·a in: a committee of the
American Psychiatric Association~
The c_ mmittee hopes to have a
o
.
-,:.·.-
A new D.O.B. in Texas. Dallas D.O.B.,
Womenfor Action, Bo:ic5944, Dallas,
Texas 75222.
. Addresses of · other D.o.B.s:
San Francisco OOB, 1105 Mark~t St,#208,
San .Francisco, Calif. 94103
!:£wJersey D.O.B,., P.O. Box 62, Fanwood,
;
.. · New Jersey 07023 .
�10
AMENI
by Laura McMurry
At the Charter Sunday Service of the
Boston M
etropolitan
Community Church on
February 4, I sat in ·church for the .
. .first time in • 6 years and saw 34 gay
men and 2 gay women
·received as charter
melllbers.of the .Boston .congregation;
Let me give you the facts.
• . some. of the f eeli~gs.
And then
Rev. Troy Perry, pastor of the 11Nother 11
· 11 C.C. Church. in Los Angeles a:nd origi..
nator of the whole M
.c.c. idea, officially informed .the . Boston congregation
of the approval of its charter.
He
didn't have the actual charter because
they had all been burned up in a fire
other Church
·· which .had destroyed the _Ivi
a weal<before (ED. l~
OTE: see Gay News
Around the Couri,try).
Larry Bernier became an official
pastor
,an~ Nancy Wilson, who hasn°t completed
training for the ministry, became an
exhorter. · .·The service took place at
. . pm.in , the sanctuary of the Arlington
·~
~treat Church (Ur:iitarian;.Universalist)
· in Bost~:m .9;t1dw~s attend .ad by 173
persons (Larry 0 s courit), of whomabout
15 were women . .The Charter Service
•
f oliowed a regular service with a sermon by Perry • .
-So much for the facts. ·· v
fuat a:bout the
of being in
impressions, the feelings,
ell, some of
church after so long? W
. them aren°t even resolved yet, as you 9 ll
see. The best I can say is that the
feelings were not ones of apathyt
A little
bacl<:ground. As a child, I
went to Sunday School with my brother
and sister because my parents went to
church. I sang 0 Jesus Loves Ne°"and .
orld 11 , and greatly
' .. "This is Hy 'Father 0 s W
.
admired Jesus.
As a teenager I cont .inued to go, mostly
becaus . · of .pressure fr~m' my parents.
e
My father was a pillar: of ·so:rts in the
church, and I was a smaller pillar in
· the youth fellowship. · · even taught
r
Sunday School. Our church was Methodist
and a fairly liberal place which did
not require belief in literal
interpretations of the Bible and which believed
in social action.
Yet on the whole I
found the services, serlilons, ·and
general holiness . rather deadly and
certainly irrelevant
to real life.
W
hen I moved awayfrom home to college,
I still kept going to church (to my
surprise!).
· I guess I felt it was
good for me. It got me away from
campus and made_me mingle with other
11young adults '' over punch and cookies•
But that wore off a.ft.er a
I was going only on Easter
Christmas.
'About 6 years
go~ng at ail.
·
·
year. S'oon
and at
ago · I stopped
· ·
However Sunday February 4, i973 found
me walking . on a nice day into the
Arlington Street Church for a service.
·
What for?
Well, I felt like some ritual and
singing,
I felt like seeing people
I knew. I was curious to hear Troy
Perry~ whose name appears in ·almost
every issue of the Los Angeles
ADVOCATE.
Amid a sea of strange faces _I spied
:
Ginger and r-iriam and thought oh good,
· and sat :with them and a new• woman
from their New Hampshire gay women°s
group.
The service began a little
late.
We
sang a hymn, heard words of cheery
WE1lcome,
and after . a silent prayer
began to recite the corporate con.fession;
Have mercy on us, o God•••
according to the multitude of
Thy tender mercies blot out our
. · 1transgressions.
· \,,Jsh us thorougha
ly from our iniquities,
and
cleanse us from our sins.
For
we acknowledge our · transgressions,
. · and our sin is ever before us •••
I began · to . feel uncomfortable as I
I
read along with ·everyone else.
w.a:nted to participate,
but something
was wrong. I didn't believe what I
was saying, I knew; but only in looking back does it really hit me what
was happening. I was reciting that
�11
(AMENI,
cont. from P• 10)
man is at bottom sinful.
1
rJhat a de grading, destructive,
anti-human attitude!
W
rong and right, yes, I believe in that.
And I believe in somethin g big ger than
man - how can you escape that when you
consider nature, life, the sun, the past,
future, time, space, and the universe?
But sin? A constant beg ging to be elevated from our evil ways? No. Gay liberation and women's liberation
have
made me sensitized
against such notions.
One of the leaders, reading next from
Troy Perry's book, said the word 11homeisexual 1 I sw:ldehly remembered - this
1.
was a homosexual church!
I had been
so entangled in my feelings about it as
a church period that I had forgotten.
Troy Perry gave the sermon. He was a
tall,
well-built
and good looking man
who spoke energetically
in a southern
drawl, with a lot of gestures and smiies.
It was easy to see how he has become an
important, charismatic figure in the
gay world.
He was tal kin g about joy
' Sometimes Pm driving
and happiness.
along in rrry car with some other people
and a joyous feeling will come over me
0 ,
noise 0 hmrmnmm
and I'll make a little
0 m nuts, 11 he told
and everyone thinks I
us.
nr
do that! ,; said Ginger.
He told us his church had burned down
a week ago and they had held the next
service in the street.
A thousand members came. They collected $8000 to
start up again.
He told stories about
his visit to Europe this winter. Everywhere he went there were large crowds
and lots of fellowship and happiness.
It seemed that everything he touched
bore fruit.
At the end of his sermon, people
applauded and began to stand.
Then I
felt funny again.
W ever heard of
ho
such a thing? said my M
ethodist background. Why not? said my liberal mind.
said another
But it 0 s like idolizing,
part of me. So? Don°t you applaud and
stand for other people at times? But
I sat.
Thon he came back for an encore.
love you" , he said.
' 1I
Come on! I thought.
''I love you, n he
sa ys to a room full of strangers.
And when you went up for communion the
minister kissed you. W
hen the ministers
m
arched doi'n the aisle at the end they
kissed you. 1rJhenyou went to leave,
there were all the ministers lined up
at the back ready to shake your hand,
pass a few choice words with you, and
kiss you again if you didn't watch it.
I didn°t trust it.
What kind of love
is it one has for a mass of strangers?
What kind of
W
hat kind bf caring?
kissing urge? Yet at the same time
it would be nice to be able to feel
f~ee to love and kiss strangers,
to
HEN
shout A i on occasion as others ih
the congregation did throughout the
service, to let go. So I didn°t trust
my mistrust completely eitheri
And
that made for real discomfort.
Several small things lightened the
general oppression I felt.
When the
organist in the rear balcony began
to play loudly out of turn as Perry
was trying to consecrate the wine,
Larr y called out, i;Grovet t Not yet,
honl " W all laughed.
e
In my church
the minister would have sat embarrassed
hoping someone would go whisper to the
organist.
I also liked holding hands
and singing 0 Blessed Be the Tie that
Binds 11 •
The H
.c.c . in Boston has grown from
half a dozen last fall to eighty or so
now who attend.
It obviously fills
a need for many people.
For me, my
disenchantment with churches had nothing to do with my sexuality (of
which I was not really aware at the
time anyhow). It had more to do with
a dislike for hypocricy and irrele.c.c.
vancy. I learned from the M
Charter Service of my feelings about
M:El\l
For
sin, A ts, and pastorly love.
that, I 0 m glad I went. And who knows,
I may go again someday -- when I 0 ve
recovered.
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$ .50 sample
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tide collective,
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with a covered
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�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 March
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-03
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-focus-197303
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/23d7cbc7a922bda1135170505f88a871.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=UC0X7szInwi7jTTon0OI0FDXfHNKIPSAThovXdE5E2ogGDkuXYdTjgMMQ0e6x%7ERuG9sK-2zvPfukc0FDpTIBR6KzBWlt6XVa3gs82hbtmfZeGRwEgS2eyNQGKOMiDKJOpLg2YsS1mSvgEvehndB4IO6nnN6by0IEs%7EN7vJ6G5FW0VFTFmUCZlJ3Cgt2SkMuXSiUm4kdIxR-74ZK-2u3ViINnHGzgwBIjU6bmgKhMhm8C8vbAmxlU%7EN-VfarKXY6NyEsN7Okzs-jtxxdQ6sXYJsBFB0blRFJwMxfeu0ukeWbHUscMpWL8ol3J5TrZYJ0Fc3BHwKqV7KBqw2yI46RAbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
cd23c7f50355c34cebc8b4fc1211bc2b
PDF Text
Text
HOUSE
•
•
•
•
•
•
No.
3220
By Mr. Frank of Boston, petition of the Daughters of Bilitis,
Barney Frank and others relative to discrimination in public
accommodations on the basis of sexual preference. Commerce and
Labor.
~bt <!ommontutaltb massact,usttts
of
In the Year One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy -Three .
AN ACT
RELATIVE
TO
DISCRIMINATION
TIONS ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL
IN PUBLIC
ACCOMMODA-
PREFERENCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in
General Court assembled , and by the authority of the same, as
follows:
1
SECTION 1. Section 92A of chapter 272 of the General
2 Laws, as most recently amended by chapter 4 18 of the acts of
3 1971, is hereby further amended: 4
a. By the insertion of the words "sex , sexual preference"
5 after the word "color" and before the word "denomination" in
6 the first paragraph of said section 92A .
7
b. By the insertion of the following paragraph after the
8 second paragraph ofsaid section 92A: 9
"The term 'sexual preferen ce' means choice of sexual partner
1O according to gender."
I
2
3
4
5
6
SECTION 2. Section 98 of chapter 272 of the General
Laws, as most recently amended by chapter 418 of the ads of
197·], is hereby further amended by the insertion of the words
"sexual preference (choice of sexual partner according to
gender)" after the word "sex" and before the word "or" in the
first sentence of said section 98.
�/
FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
·
April 1973
FOCUS published monthly by Boston
is
Daughters of Bilitis,
419 Boylston St.,
Room 415, Boston, M
ass. 02116.
FOCUSstaff for this issue: Lois H. 9
Geri Bidwell~ Holly, Himi, Laura Robin,
and others.
Phone: 617-262-1592 .
THIS MOl'JTH
(see p.6).
The
THE COVER
cover shows one of four gay rights bills
presently 11in the works :, in the Massa.chu..:
setts lagislatui eo You can get your own
copies of the bills in the Legislative
DocU1
nents room at the State House.
Subscriptions are $5 a year, and a sarn~
ple is 50¢. Give us your z~p # .
Boston D.O.B. officers:
Treasurer ................
Geri Bidwell
Recording Secty ••••••••• Lois H.
Corresponding Secty ••••• Laura Robin
1
FOCUS
welcomes contributions
from everyone. If you want back whatever you
send us 11 please include a stamped, selfaddressed envelope.
Articles in FOCUS
reflect the views of the individual authors
represent the views or tastes of Boston Daughters of Bilitis.
and do not necessarily
N
AL OMEF HISTORY
QS
ARCHIVE 2325 Oak
This publication is on file at the INTERNATIO W
9
Street, Berkeley, California 94708 9 and is available on microfilm through Bell and
Howell, Drawer E, W
ooster, Ohio 44691.
Calendar • •••
o • • •••
~
••••••••••
·••
• ••
2
o ••••••••••••••••
J/_
1.,,
d!
,
;,_
Influence of the ga y subculturo on·pop music nnd
po·p culture, by Christy •• • ••• o ~ .,. ~ ••• • •• • •••• , • •••
.:3
'1i
'
JL
7;-
ff,
Pew England Gay Conference,
by Geri Bidvell •• •. •. • .5
#
JL
1r
Gay discrimi'nation bills-- "They 0 re back .in
committee again 11 » by Laura h cl"i
urry ••••••
JL
i f'
0 •••••••••
Gay news around .N England ••
ew
•
o.
6
7
o o ••••••••••••••••••
Gay news around the country••••••••••..,•••••••••••••7
Classifieds••••••••••••••••••~~••••••••••••••••••••8
e ctory •• .••••••••••••
:;_,J England . gay groups di:..A
ew
#
Letters
to FOCUS~.••••e••••••••••••o••••••••••~
·
•
~
•••• 9
•• 10
�2
DA T&1. OF BIL I TIS
UGH S
CAL
ENDA
R
April 1973
TUESD
AYS at
7: 30
pm RA SESSIOHS ON BEI NG GA 9 FOR i, Q1'
P
Y
J 1
EN. Share feelin gs about
bein g gay, newcomers es pecially
welcome.
W go out for a
e
in Cambridge, call or wi:i te
sna . k afterwards.
c
For location
the office.
THU
RSDAYS 9-10 pm GA W RADIO,SHO , W
Y AY
W BUR-FN
90.9 on dial.
'
N
bat, glove if you have any of _
SUN
DAYS1 pin D.O.B. SOFf BALL AGAI i Bring a ball,
those.
Someone will be there every week with a ,bat .and ball.
Na gazine : Beach field,
Cambridge, • across
Come play or watchi
and along M
emorial Prive in
the r:i.ve:r from the Cadillac-Olds
Cambridge n~~r the Boston University
Bridge and Stop 8c Shop.
o:tIEN°S CI NEl:vJACamb!idge YW
CA, 7 Temple St. ·(C~ntral Square}~
SUNDAYS 7:30 pm W v
9
·
Devoted to the talents
of women ·writers,
directors,
actors
filmmakers.
$1.50. Info O : 491-1071 (Female Liberation).
FIRST
sm1DAYOF
THE i'I TH,
ON
10 pm LAV DER HO WB 'J- FM 104.1 radio.
EN
UR,
C~
· be on call
Littlejohn
51
If you want to
at 1, H.
JBC
Apr il
5, THURSDAY,7:30 pm !'Is the . bisexual
April
15, SUNDAY, 5~30 pm D.O. B. POTLUC SUPPER followed
K
April
11, 12 W NESDAY& THURSDAY,7:30 pm TEN
ED
TATIVE AUDITI0iTS FOR GAYVARIEI'Y
1
gay? '' _Paul Shanley,
street
priest.
Homophile Union of Boston meeting,
St. John° s Church, 33 Bowdoin St., Boston.
by a discussion
on "Thera py ··
led by .harion Tredeau from the Homophile Community Health
Serv i c e . BRING A DISH OF FOODTO THE POTLUC--money will not
K
do to get you int Bring it in whatever it has to be heated in 9
etc. so there will be no dishes to wash belonging to St.John Q
s.
St. John°s Church, 33 Bowdoin St., Boston.
SHOl 9 St.
rJ'
April
John°s
Church.
Call
D.OoB. office
for
confirmation.
30, MO
imAY, 7:30 pm D.OoB. BUSINESS NEEI'I1'1G, at the D.O.B. office.
,SATURDAY,SU
NDAY ANIT-SEXIS :MW
EEKE I N KI NGSTO RHODE
ND
N,
May 11, 12, 13 FRIDAY
ISLAN
D. Sponsored by Ki;.1gston Gay Liberation
and Kin gston
W
omen°s Liberation.
For information
read FOCUS or wr i te
Nemorial Union, Univ. of Rhod e
Kingston Gay Liberation,
Isla nd, Kingston,
R.I. 02881 (401-792-5817).
6-9 pm; TUESDAY3-6 pm; W
ednesday 6-9 pm9 Thursday
10am-3 Frid ay sometimes day.
pm;
D.O.B. OFFICE HOURS: Honday
in
D.O.B. welcomes your participation
our efforts
to reach other gay women,
to provide raps and social
events, to
change the laws ar,d otherwise
·work for
gay civil rights,
••• to educate others.
Membership is open to all women 18 and
older and provides
an important
support
for the organization
in terms of both
people-power
and money. D.O.B. has a
spot for every one from closet dwellers
to T.V. stars.
MEJviB
ERSHIP is $10 ($15 for a couple).
It includes
one subscription
to FOCUS.
Send the $ with a signed stat ement th at
you are at least 18.
FOCUS is $5/year (monthly) for anyone~
CAL DAR alone is $1/ 6 mo.
EN
BOSTO DAUGHTERS BILITIS
N
OF
419 Boylston St~, Room 415
Boston, Nassachusetts
02116
617-262-1592
�(
INFLUEJ."iCE THE GAY SU
OF
BCULTUREN POP MUSICANDPOP CULTURE
O
3
b: vr::Lristy
_
The gay subculture has probably always
influenced straight pop culture in some
ways. By pop culture I mean the subculture which surrounds rock and some
folk music -- the subculture of mari- •
juana smoking, hip dressing, and rock
music audiences -- including pop music
and pop fads and styles.
It seems to
me that the gay influence has increased
and become more open in tho last couple
ye~rs, and I wonder why and what effect
this will have bn straight people's
feelings about gay people?
Camp sensibility
in tha 60 9 s lookgd
back to the pop culturos of the past
and was the first instat1ca of which I
was aware when gay cultu~e influe~ced
pop culture.
Camp resurrected King
Kong, Tiffany lampsp platform shoes, and
k
made possible phenomena l .!. e '1~.nyTim.
It loved the flashy, tacky, and funo
Susan Sontag, in her art~cle on ce.np
for the Partisan Review i n the 9u~ly
6o0 s, said that the essenc9 of camp was
its love of the artificial~
She a.lso
sa i d t hat homosexuals wor ,:3 ·:.he vanguard
of the camp sensibility.
Camp pop culture was, however~ never
really a national phenomenon. It probably had some influence on pop styles
mqgazine, but
nationally,
and made~
the line between camp and n~t-camp is
subtle (camp is not good taste, but not
bad either ; just the right kind of artificial),
and it wa~ really a fairly
intellectual
tripo
So it becm;ie mostl y
a snobbish urban middle cl ass eastern
hip pop culture term. And I think
th at very few people were aware that
i t originated i n th e gay s,:,,
ccultura.
In a way it was a,n eXploit.ation of
gay subculture by the str:i.ight pop industry.
The gay subculture vs influence once.mp
pop culture was partly a result of an
influence on stra1.ght. pop music, and
that influence has cont~1ued. M
ick
1
Jagger of the Rolli ;1g Stones was the
first pop musicia,"1 who seemed to project a bisexual image on s·c.age. He
wore velvet a."'ldsatin , brigM:.-colored
peacock clothes, long scarves 11 and
make-up, and raceCA.
imd p::.•a
uced about
the stage.
M
any gay man believed he
was (is) gay, but he ·married a womru1.
N there are many pop musicians who
ow
look and act bisexual; gay, or even
transvestity
(including the Stones 11 Ed gar. W
inters Alice Cooper, the N.Y. Do ::.
ll
and Gay Glitter).
There is also at
ieast one openly gay or bisexual rock
musician, David Bowie. And occasional- •
ly th&re is a song about sex identity
1
confusion ~ like "Layla" ( ~she walks li k:::
a woniartbut she talks like a man" ). I n
addition, there are a few -musicians who
first became popular performing to gay
audiences.
Bette rvi
idler and Roberta
Fla~k are instances of this.
The out-fro11t homosexual tone of the
performances of many rock groups is a
big change from the sort of closet influa nce gay styles eXl!li-~ised on camp
pop cult~ra.
HoweYer, the picture of
h0mo1:.1exna.lity
presented by pop musiciar.c
is far from being entirely poslt i ve .
Fi ~st of all, I think it 0 s basically
a
dramatized version of the g~y imago, pr ~
.
s ented by basically e:qloitative
straights!> consisting mostly of m
ake-ur, :
nail polis hp sequins~ and extreme clo t ~
1ing. Also, most of the rock performances that involve homosexuality ~~o
also ver-y heavy on violence.
Lo11Reed, who has written seYeral song1:;
about homosexuality includin g a 11 gay
national anthem" called 01'i .ke-up 11 , was
c1
leader of the Velvet Underground in thP
60 °s. That group sang sadomasocM.stic
songs ( '1Venus in Furs •') and songs aµout
heroin self --destruction
( vi r ' m W
aiting
fo :i:" the Mann), and, by the way, included a woman drummer. Now Reed ha.s
added homosexuality to his other ma11W
terial.
alk on the W
ild Side 11 is a
song that includes it all.
The Ston es
sing about violence and anti-social
feelings.
The symbolic epj.tome of the
connection between rock mus~.c and vio-•
lance was the murder of a man by the
Hell 0 s Angels at the 0 69 Altamont,
California Concert right in front of
the stage whar3 the Stones were playj n:-:;
Pop culture seems to have gone two
ways, toward a hipp y ideal of peace,
love, and_ n~:i::11ralliving ~ and toward
�4 (INFLUE CE ON PO~ M
N
USIC9 contofrop.3)
a post-acid drug culture trip which is
anti-social
in the Charles M
anson 9 devil,
cult manner, and extremely artificial
It is the second sector which has adopted homosexuality, particularly
the most
artificial
elements of gay male dress
and behavior.
In my more cynical moods
I believe that being offensive to the
11straightn
(non-drug using) world helps
sell rock groups to the second sector
of the pop audience, as does an exxggerated image and show. Perversity
fulfills
these requirements,
and also sells on its
own these days. This explains the wanton
violence of many rock performances.
It 0 s
not so different
from the wanton violence
of a man like Charles Nanson. And since
most pop musicians, their audiences, ~nd
straight
society consider homosexuality
perverse, it makes a perfect addition to
the show9 and is presented ~s a perversion.
Since its not safe to be openly gay, however, rock .musicians tend to go the bisexual route, or are simply sexually
ambiguous.
That 0 s the negative side.
The positive
side is that a generation of kids is
growing up in an atmosphere which admits
that homosexuality exists.
Kids are
conscious that some of their pop stars
are probably homosexual or bisexual,
and thus that they or their friends may
be gay or bisexual too.
Certainly the
big pop industry record companies that
push musicians like David Bowie don °t
intend to make kids more open to homosexuality or gay people, but I think
they have done this.
Besides the blatant homosexual references of pop musicians 9 there are many
elements of pop culture which encourage
sexual ambiguity and a relaxing of sex
roles.
The most important of these are
in the area of .personal appearance.
Haircuts, for instance:
everyone has
shags. Many straight women have very
short hair, and men have very long hair.
However, there is still
a general tendency for women°s hair to be 11f emininevi
and men°s hair 11masculine 11 • This is
a fairly subtle difference
to describe,
but I think all of us can recognize a
(feminine) shag,
man with a beautiful
and know that he 0 s likely to be gay.
Among long hairs, all but the freakiest
women keep their hair neat and wellcombed, while men generally don 9 t.
There seems to be a tendency in pop
culture for men and women to have masculine and feminine versions of the
same fashions, but there is also a lot
of room for cross-dressing.
Unisex clothing certainly
discourages
dressing according to sex roles.
Everyone wears the same Levis, shirts,
jackets, and sweaters.
M wear high-heeled
en
shoes, and women wear motorcycle jackets and army boots•
Even underwear is
becoming similar: now men too have bikinis in pretty colors.
In some hip or sexually liberated
circles, bisexuality
has become accepted
and even desirable.
I discovered this
personally a couple years ago when the
sister and brother-in-law
of a friend
tried to seduce me. They seemed to
think it was the expected thing 9 and
were surprised at my annoyed refusal.
They were young business types, not
frea ks by any means. And there are always ads asking for bisexual men and
:unwomen for threesomes in the local q
derground 1 papers.
1
The increased coverage of the gay
scene in the underground press is an
important change in itself.
A few
years ago the Village Voice and many
other counter-culture
papers didn 9 t
carry articles
about gay people and events, or ads or announcements . for gay
activities.
Now the Voice has at least
one gay columnist and often has a~ticle8
about gay events.
It also carries ads
and announcements that are aimed at gay
people.
Our local Boston underground
papers are not quite so liberated,
but
they do occasionally
carry articles
about gay people, books, or events 9 and
run gay announcements and personals.
The February 14 issue of Rolling Stone,
the most important newspaper of the
pop music industry,
had a long article
on Bette M
idler,
and a short article
on
the Continental
(gay) Baths in New
York, where Bette 0 s popularity began.
In both articles
the attitude
toward
gay people was mixed, and the description of the Baths emphasized their decadent, flesh-market
aspects.
But they
also assumed some knowledge of gay life
styles on the part of their readers,
and
that 11s a change.
Of course the traditional
press is a
�different
matter.
The Glob~ until very
recently would not carry any kind of gay
ad or announcement. An occasional article about something gay turns up in paerle i~I
ilpers like the Jlfil:!Yg k Times 11 M
ler0 s coming-out article
of last year,
for instance.
It must be obvious by now that it is
male gay culture that has influenced pop
culture 11 not lesbian gay culture.
This
is probably mostly because pop culture
is very much male dominated and male
oriented.
Pop culture may be liberating
men in terms of their sexualit y and appearance11 but it · isn ' t doing much for
women. Perhaps if .there were nationally
known female rock groups instead of just
si ngers 11 we would sea lesbian-influenced
rock groups.
What effects do all the things Pve listed have on straight
attitudes
toward
gay people? First of all 11 gay people
are becoming acceptable as pop culture
personalities
to come
11 and are beginning
out publicly.·
Many people 11 especially
of
kids 11 are becoming more tolerant
people 0 s various modes of exi:stence 11 and
5
particularly
of gay people.
On the
eth er hand, I think there are many
people who can accept straights
being
freer and more unisex 11 or even bisexual
and still be horrified
by gay people.
These are the same sort of people who
still
ewect people to function according to traditional
sex roles.
Certainly the attitude
of pop culture is
mixed. There are anti-gay articles
in the underground press as well as
pro-gay articles 11 and much of the interest in gay people is sex-deviant 11
voyeuristic
interest.
I think that 0 s
what brings hip straights
to gay bars.
:B there has been an opening up of
ut
discussions
about homoseXNality 9 and
of sex roles and attitudes.
The
closet door is open 11 and the straights
are peeking in. Perhaps some of us
have finally yelled loudly enough to
be noticed.
NEW GLAND CONFERE
EN
GAY
NCE
by Geri Bidwell
The weeks of planning 11 the sweating out
whether or not the Conference would accomplish its goals 9 are now in the past.
~ Confer™~
~ !! ~uccess -- as a matter of fact 9 it was much more than anyone
who attended had anticipated.
It was a time when beth women and men
worked side by s:kfefor a common goal -it was exniting. SBme of us are not down
yet 11 and hope that the excitement will
last so we can go on to big ger and better
projects.
There were o: rnr 200 people present, from
i
all over New England~ each looking for
something different.
The amazing thing
is that from the feedback sheets about
the conference the only gripes seemed to
be a.bout housing and where we ate.
The workshops in most cases were wellattended.
The intake and output were
amazing -- people listened
intently
and
asked sensible 9 const r uctive que stions.
It was a time that each of us who attended
Special
will look back to with pride.
thanks should go to many indi vidua .ls 11
but for fear of leaving someone out 9 I
will not attempt to list them.
Gay Pride W
eek workshops were held on
both days. Lists of committees to work
eek
on various aspects of Gay Pride W
have been rrailed out to everyone who
.nference.
If you would
attended the ,.,co
like one, send DOBa stamped 11 self-addressed envelope.
A new group called Hold Hands made a
smashing presentation.
This group ia
mainly an ' endeavor to halt the news
blackouts between groups both nationally
and locally.
As it has been said 11 onl y
th:i:-ough working together will we be abl e
to accomplish our goals.
See you all hopefully at the next Gay
eek planning session.
Pride W
1
�6
GAYDISCRii·lI N
ATION BILLS-.
0
THEY RE BACJ:\ N CO I'l'TEE AG¥,N••• 11
I
MH
by Laura. HcEurry
·
11
The question is--with
what vote will
The joint Committee on Gorm
uerce a11d Labor
. they be sent out-.,.favor~ble
or un- _·
·
of the :tvlas
'sachusetts . :).;e islat~e
g
sent
favorable? . If up.favorable,
tho bills
•• the · two gay antidiscrimination
bills
H• . 3218 and H. 3220 (see the J.'ilarcl1 FOCUS)
will not have a c~ance in the House.
to the state Senate with a favorable
on -about M
arch 21 ·(earlier
vote officially
What do wec;lo7 #. f Keep up the f:ightt
i
{12) Contact any ·senator
Representareports
of a fav6rable '.vote. :11"ere essenwe found. · tive from your a~e.awh0. is '.on the · ·.
tially
correct but not. official,
Several votes were ta.ken in .Committee but
on the committee
comrntttee (Senators
ar e · lYl
cKinn .on ,.· ~
fall, I:iurke, ·.Atkins,
it is only when the prope _ doc:1~me11t
r
arrives
at the House Clerk 0 s office that
M~cKEinsie, . ~d ,Hall .9. Rep~esentatives
it counts)'. ·
are Scalli,
Demers 9 ,Howe, Harris,
Raposa, Bowler, Campoba~so, Boffeti,
The rioI'Il'l pfocedur ·e would have been to
al
Bolling Jr., Buxbaum, Fimiegan, Orlandi )
ne :, t. send the : bill to tha le 'gisJ _atiVe
c
Nordberg, .Shor:te];l, Lion~tt).
_
.
. .
1
branch in which they had ·'originatedll
in
4,3) Since we d6ni£ know when :th~: bills
this case the House 9 since · a· House member,
·
may roach ' the Ho se floor, ;Contact
u
representative
Barney Frank, had filed
yol.1!' state 'Representative
n~m, a,he;B.d
of time • • To find who that is, call
them.
the Hous~ ,Clerk a£ ,617-727'.'"2356. ·· ·
However, some committee members from the
114) Keep tabs on the b:iJls by cal;Ling
House did not want to vote in favor of
the House _Clerk• Ji .epresentative
Barney
Frank (727-3974), . and the DOB office
the bills
if their peers in the House
as well as thomseives were to be con( 262-1592).
fronted with whether to pass the bills :
on the House floor.
These committee
TW OTHERGAYRIGHTS BILLS
O
members agreed not to vote at all, or to
would be
give a 0 yes" vote 9 if the bills
Committee hear~
The joint Judiciary
sent to the Senate first • . That · is how
test:i.mony ori ·H. · 3313 · (to repeal · laws
the . bills managed to .be ·!~port,ed qut
ag <1.
inst &dultery,forriioation,
crime '
.favorably.
against nature, : unnatural
acts, . cohabiRobert Hall, state Senator from Worcester
tation)
on -Febrfrary ?6.and , o.n H· 3312
~
and a Republican?
volunteered
to lead the
( to amend the state cortstitution
so no
. fight in the Senate (he is al .so a member
right should be denied on .the basis of
of the committee).
·
i-ace, creed; sex,' sexual p:t<efef~ nce; •• )
on M
arch 6. Lois HUrst arid Elaine ·
'
>.
· The fight was mighty short. .. It •o.ccurred
Nobl ·e spoke briefly
onbehal:f
D.O.B.
'.at the respective
hearings ·.
· · ·
tb,e day after the bill was . eported _
r
•out
of . co:ami.ittee, on Harch 22. The Senate
voted to send the bills back to the
The reception
was cooler than ·t11a£ by
·
Commerce and Labor Committee.
The me sCommerce and Labor.
Some committee ,
sag~ W~S
essentially,
: ''Let the House '
members were rude to the testifiers;
0 •
handle its . own hotpotatoes
· .thou gh it must be said they did ' not
c.6nfirie . themselves
to ·being rude to
; the gay people only-.
Tliris
what seemed to be a very clever
political
ploy fell f latter
than a
.
.
.
. .. .
The ,.Judiciary
has not "yet reported
on
fallen
oak ·treeo
these bills.
Again, contact the
those
- 'c6:m.."llitteemembers, particular1:y
Now.what? . ,
.
.
.
.
fror-a yourarea
repre9 rind your state
. sentative
(Judiciary:
Senators Bulger,
An aide to · Senator Hall r eported that
t he bills
would probably be brought up
Si sitsky,
Wall, .Nuciforo, Conte, Locke;
again in committee and se nt to the House
Representatives
Kiernan, ' LeBlanc 7Doyie,
by around April 14. ( Previous experience
P. N. M
urphy, M
ofenson,Brov.'llell,Grimley
7
suggests this date would be only ve r y
Brennan,Early,Phelan,Schneiders~R.E.
hc
Carthy,Danovitch,Bliss,
Zeiser).
approximate).
or
of
·-
,l
'
'
(
.
.:
�GAY JS AROU NEJ EHG ;D
NEv
N
D
LA~
NOTE:At the New England Gay Conferenca
in . M
arch we began to think in terms of
New England. The Gav i iews Around Boston
has .therefore chan~ ~ into this
Gay New~ Around Nfil:!~ngland.
1
Gav Liberation in conjunction
omen°s Liberation is havwith Kingston W
eekend M 11,12,13
ay
ing an Anti-Sexism W
in Kingston ., Rhode Island.
Tentative
plans include a dance, gay art exhibit,
films, athletics,
community supper, and
gay and women°s follies.
~!:.Q!i
For housing a.~d other information write
Kingsto n Gay Liberation,
c/o Jvi
emorial
Union, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, R.I. 02881 or call 401~792-5817 or
401-789-7183 ♦
University of :tvi
assachusetts
Boston Homophile League meets informally over coffee M
ondays from 5-6 pm at 100 Arlington
Street, Boston in ,Room 213. The group
is trying to overcome the isolated feelings of gays at a commuter college; it
is for students, faculty, and staff, and
the gettogethers
are open to · all members
_ f Boston°s gay community. For more
o
x
information call Jim at 5Li-2-6,500 607
Tuesday and Thursday mor:n:ings.
Lavender Hour on WBC-FM (104.ll will
N
occur the first Sunday of every month
at 10 pm. The program will concentrate
on gay music, playlets,
interviews,
poetry, etc.
If you have ideas or want
at 482-6410.
to be on, contact Littlejohn
He
He welcomes everyone 0 s participation.
will also put announcements on.
Women° cinema in Cambridge. Female
s
Liberation,
in conjunction with the
W
omen°s Center, opened a film ser i es
devoted to the talents of women writers,
directors,
actors, and filmmakers.
The series began M
arch 18. One of the
films shown was nHomeMovie11 9 a journey
through the life of a gay woman as seen
through home movies her parents took of
her.
Showings are Sundays at 7:30 pm at the
.C.A., 7 Temple St., Central
Cambridge Y.W
Square. Cost is $1 •.50 at the door.
A discussion follows each showing. For
more information call 491-1071.
GltY i'Jif.W
S AROU THE CO lTRY
N
D
Ul\
7
,lliu:th Dakota repeals sodomy law• As
part of a revision of the state 0 s entire criminal code, homosexual acts
in private between consenting persons
18 years of age or older will be no
longer criminal.
The law takes effect
on July 1, 197.5 unless next year 0 s
legislature
has a change of heart (as
happened with a similar revision in
Idaho).
The vote was overwhelmingly
in favor of repeal.
The same legislature
voted against the
Equal Rights Amendment to the US constitution
to give women equal rights.
According to the Advocate, there ar~,
no . gay organizations
in North Dakota.
(ADVOCATE,
l'Iarch 28, 1973) •
Homosexual father fights for visiti..ng
One of the men from New Jer£,ights.
sey who was at the New England Gay
Conference is initiating
action to get
visiting
rights with his two sons aged
5 and 3. He is separated from his
wife, who will allow him to see his
sons only in a certain room and when
she is present.
The judge hearing
the case will discuss divorce proceed ings only after visitation
rights
have baen resolved.
(BERGE RECORD,
N
Hackensack, N.J.,
M
arch 12, 1973)
W
est Coast Lesbian Conference is expecting over 1000 women to attend
from all over the country, judging
from inquiries received.
The dates
are April 13-15. For information
see M
arch FOCUSor write Barbara M
cLean, 508 N. Alta Vista Blvd., Los
Angeles, Calif. 90036. It will be in
Los Angeles. FOCUS
.would welcome reports from any of its readers who
attend, especially from east C'Oast
women.
~ational Organization for Womenresolutions. About 2000 women attended
the 6th National Conference of N.O.W.
February 17-19 in W
ashington,D.C.
The conference adopted a resolution
calling for the introduction
and
11 support
of ci vll rights legislation
to end discrimination
based on sexual
orientation
and to introduce, with
legislation
designed to end discrimination based on sex, the . phrase 0 sexual orientation°
in areas such as,
· t c_ nt. on p.8)
o
�8
(GA NEWS O D THE COUTRY,contofr. p .7)
Y
AR UN
N
but not limited to 9 housing 9 emplo:,'lll nt. 9
e
credit 9 child custody 9 finance, and public accornmodations n.
(EASTER NASS. N.O. W N SLEI'TBR,M
N
. EW
arch
1, 1973)
Ann Landers on the warpath again~ In her
nn
M
arch 5 column 9 A printed one of the
no doubt hundreds of ir ate letters
from
, gay readers about her l ast column on .
homosexuality ( see llarch FOCUS). · The
rea d er said he ·(?) was ··shocked and outraged.
Ann said that she could listen
to and respect opinions different
fro m
her own ->
without becomin g angry 9 shoc ked 9
or outrag ed. •· After this chastisement 9
she quoted l etters from several HD0 s and
one ex-queer who agreed with her that
0
homosexua.ls are sick.
The MDs gave
their names and all.
But we have to give her a little
credit.
In her M
arch 8 column she comforted a
parent who had just become aware that
someone close to the family was a homosexual and who was worried about the kids.
· 11Dear Afraid 1; 9 wrote
Ann, •1the percentage
of homosexuals who are child molesters
is actually smaller than among heterosexuals.
Your little
boys would probably
be safer with this friend t han with a
0 funny 0 heterosexual
uncle. )'
Tamn1t2.J'1-_ rida M
.
o
etropolitan
Community
Church has a congregation of 150 9 half
with
of who are women, contrasting
m
the male majority in most H. C. C• 0 s including ' Boston ~s. The Tamp h .C.C.
a
recently bought a church building for
E,
$40 9 000. (ADVOCAT Narch 28, 1973).
Q.!:~gon gay Bolitical
caucus. The first
meeting of a coalition
political
caucus in Oregon was Jan.13 (FO TAIN,
UN
Febr uary 1973) • .
f:=i
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23-30, lovely Bri ghton Apartment
$110. Own Room. Am fairly togather person, only hassle is
strong need for discretion.
Available Nay 1, 1973. Call
254- 0479-
#
#
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FREE CLASSIFI D ADS I N
E
M
AY FOCUS. MAX UM25
IM
WORDS, ONE AD PER PERSO
N,
N CO ERCIALADS. D
O MM
EADLI NE APRIL 17.
{
c;'.~
So cut 1hat one out and send it to your
legislator.
#
ROO:IATEWAflTE
i'Jl
"
D.
i,k
#
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.II.
#
#
4,',
#
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1r
1r
First openly gay m~nister in a major
The United
Prote stant denomin~ion.
Church of Christ ordained l•illiam R.
J
Johnson on June 259 1972. He has not
been able since to find a parish, and
is presently executive director of the
Council on Reli gion and the Ho
mosexual
in San Francisco, a job with no firm
salary.
At the General Synod in st. Louis
this June 20-26 9 there nay be attempts
made to 11 defrock ;1 him or to make guidelines against ordaining more gay ministers.
(THE GAY
CHRISTI N, Feb. 1973)
A
J~d,I 7r / 1i I,r· I.f. /1 1' Ilr I ti #W .l , ,· 1 J. / , ,4r d I ,!/I ll ' 1k I, II '•', • IbJ II
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1)
All-Ohio Gav Conference will be in Columbus M 4-6 at Ohio State Universi,ty.
ay
There will be wor kshops, entertainment,
a march 9 rock concert, and Del Ma
rtin
and Phyllis Lyon. For information:
David Treadwell, Gay Act i vists Alli ance,
1739 N. High st.9 ColumbUS9 Ohio, 43210
phone 614-422-9212.
·
·
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{ RUTGERS IVERSITYHO OPHIL LEA
UN
M
E
GUE
{;',
is having its Jrd arinual
,f, CO FER CE ON GAY
f
N EN
LIBER
ATIO & CULT R.
N
U t.
fit
April 26-29, 19?3.
Jb
,,
1,bThere will be lectures 9 seminars 9
# exhibits,
social events, etc. For
# information; S.H.L. 9 R.P.O. 2901 9
ff. Rutgers University,
New Brunswick,
# N.J. 08903 9 201-247-1766 x 6886.
ff
New periodica l s received by Boston
D.O.B. librarv i nclude SAPP IRE (from .
H
Calif.) 9 EAST H·HA •.. N.O. W NEW
ER
SS
.
SLET
TER, i.1-IORN GLORYW M °S VOICEOF
I NG
O EN
7
GRE ER HART
AT
FORD, GOLDFLO
W
ER. W also
e
have a copy of the book OURBODIES,OUR
.
SELV
ES, a women healt h care referenc e as
,
�NE ENGLAND
W
GAYGROUS
P
Mass~, cont.
Connecticut
Kalos Society -- GLF
P.O. Box 40J
Hartford,
Conn, •.06101
Trinty College Gay Liberation
c/o Kalos Society - GLF
Univ. of Bridgeport
Gay Alliance
Box 115, Student Center
Bridgeport,
Conn.
Gay Community Center, Boston
617 - 491-5669, 288-8765
Gay Phone,
Boston
Student
Homophile League
R. S. O. J 68
Lincoln Center
Univ. of M s .
as
Amherst, M
ass.
01002
413-545-0154
Holyoke Homophile League
c/o Bruce McKeon
15 Berkeley St.
Easthampton,
Mass. 01027
Hampshire Gay Friends
c/o David Reynolds
P.O. Box 607
Hampshire College
Amherst, Mass, 01002
Univ. of Mass. Gay W
omen's Caucus
c/o Southwest W
omen's Center
Cramton- M
cKimmie Faculty Lounge
Univ. of Mass • .
Amherst~ Mass·. 01002
354-1555
155q
Gay Speakers'
Bureau ., Boston
419 Boylston St., Room 40J
Boston, M
ass.
02116
617-266-5477
Harvard-Radcliffe
Ass'n.
617-498- ·2301
M ssachusetts
a
H.A.L •.P.
c/o Damon
Box 674
Provincetown,
9
Gay Students'
Homophile Community Health Service
419 Boylston St., Room 40J
Bostoni Mass. 02116
617-266 ...5477
Homophile Union of Boston
419 Boylston St., Room 509
Boston, M
ass.
02116
617-536-6197
Boston Gay Youth
c/o Homophile Union of Boston
Lesbian M
eetings & Gay Confusion
c/o W
omen's Center
46 Pleasant
St.
Cambridge , Mass,
02139
617"".'.354-8807
Metropolitan
Community Church
419 Boylston St., Room 408
Boston, M
ass.
02116
617-266-7491
Red River D'Jke Collective
43 W
illow Ave,
Somerville,
Mass.
M
ass,
02657
Daughters of Bilitis
419 Boylston St., Room 415
Boston, Mass. 02116
617-262-1592
Dignity-Boston
1105 Boylston St,
Boston, Mass. 02215
Emerson Homophile Society for the
Arts
148 Beacon St.
·
Boston, M
ass.
02116
6+7-227-0448
(6-8 p.m.)
Fag Rag c/o The Red Book
91 River St., Cambridge, Ma. 02139
Student Homophile League of Boston
617-492-7871
Univ. of Mass. at Boston Homophile
League
,
For info, call Jim
617-5~~-6500 x607 Tues., Thurs.A M
New Hampshire
Occupant
P.O. Box 137
Northwood, N.H.
(This is a gay women's group)
�10
New Hampshire
.E_hode Island
con't,
Kingston Gay Liberation
c/o M
emorial Union
University
of Rhode Island
Kingston,
R,I.
02881
401-792--5817
Mattachine
Socie~y of N.H.
P.O. Box 694
Concord, N.H~ =
03301
Rhode Island
Gay Recipients
of' W
elfare
Box 2433, East Side Sta.
Providence,
R.T.
02901
Providence Gay W
omen
Caroline
Overman
Diane Chain
184 Angell St.
Frovidence,
R. I.
02906
401-274-0239
Brown Gay Liberation
Eftort Giles,
Chairperson,
Student Activities
Office
Bro wn University
Providence,
R.I.
02912
401-726-3374
Morning Glory
ox
P.O. "3 194
02881
Kingston,
R. I.
401-789-7183
LETTERS TO FOCUS
con't.
( GROW)
Vermont
Jr • .
Gay Dorm
Eox 501, Greatwood
Goddard College
Flainfield,
Vt.
Donald Poole
RFD #1, Box 155
Bristol,
Vt.
05443
('dill help organize a group)
Hello!
I am very sorry that we have neglected to keep in touch with you.
GLF is a small organiiation
with
Ue hold meetings
high aspiration~.
every Sunday eveing, staff an office
for counseling,
spon _or social acts
ivities,
take political/legal
action
publish a monthly newsletter
and ·a ·
sporadic
literary
edition · (The Empty
Closet),
and provide speaker~ for
classes
and other groups.
As a
result
we come up short in other
important
areas,
e.g. correspondence,
I cal"mot promise tha,t this will
change, but I will ·make sure that ·
you are on our mailing list~
·
I thoroughly
enjoy read~ng FOCUS
and consider
it to be one of the
fin~st gay publications
around.
The article
on Emily Dickinson a
few months back was especially
good.
You might also be interested
to know
that there is a new gay womem
's
group in Rochester.
The nam~ -of the
'i,
of
group is GRC\ Gay Revolution
W
omen. Their address is:
185 East
Ave., Rochest _
er, N.Y . .
Sincerely,
U.
·t
f
M
arjory David
niversRoih~st
r
for GLF
Todd Union, ~iver Sta., Roch., N.Y.
Letters
Con't.
Dear Focus,
W
here are you? Every day I rush
to my box anxious for your · arrival.
Did you -forget me this
month or are you only late?
Anyway I will be waiting. -. .
I thoroughly
enjoy Focus and ·
wish I were up there to help ciut
in the publication.
I love the
p6etry and would like to see
more of it.
A special
hello to Lois & Sherry ;
I met them at a rap session before Xmas.
Love,
Judi - (Conn.)
Ed. Note:
A few people did not get the
l.~
arch issue - we don't know why • .
Usually,
if you live in N.E. and
haven't
received
it by the 10th
of the ~onth, you should write ·
to us. If you did not get the
M
arch issue,
let us knoi,
Dear Focus,
Have been reading Focus for · several months--mybetter
half subscri bes and we wait for it to
arrive.
Both enjoy it.
Some of
the activities
a~e · a bit far
from Toledo, Ohio, but we enjoy
seeing what's happening in the ·
�11
East and book reviews and opinions,
etc.
In re g ard to the book reviewFatience
and Sarah was very enjoyable ( we both bm.1~ht it and read
it after
readin g the review).
The freshness
of the b ook was pleasant.
It was g ood to read something
happy about gay •.•
The February 20th Toledo Bl . de ran
a
a short article
"Two Lesb ians \1in
Custody of Children-- W
omen Ordered
to Live Apart".
Seattle.
•J:womothers
both self-avowed
lesbians
and fundamentalist
Christians
have been
awarded custody of their
children-on the condition
that t hey no lonuer
live together.
•
0
"You can continue
the relationship,
even care for each other's
children," Superior
Court Judge James
A. Noe ruled,
"But live separately,"
(Ed. note:
See the Dec. '72 Focus.
We hope to have more on this case
in the future)
Also in the February n s. in the
letters
(dy k e had been misspelled
dike):
"Lesbians
are 'dykes'
not
'dikes'.
W are not dams, although
e
some people consider
us damned".
.•. Thanks for
book reviews,
Focus.
etc.
Keep up the
Ann Richardson
c/o Linda Haldvogel
3145 Cambridge
Toledo, Ohio 43610
NOTE: FOCUSWE ME ALL LETTERS,
LCO S
NE fHGH SHORT N THE OCCASIONALLY
T
E
M
FLEASE LET US
FOR PRINrrING.
KNO IF YOUDO N W
W
OT ANT YOURN E
AIVi
PRINrED, AND IF SO, W
HAT PSEUDONYM
RITI N
G!
WE CAN USE. ANDKEEP W
****************************************
LOA FOCUSTO YOUR
N
IBIENDS.
D.O.B. BUSINESS MEEI'ING VlAR 26
CH
At this meeting the 16 members of
D,O.B. present voted:
. 1. To approve Dallas as an official
D.O.B. chapter,
2. To participate
in Our Bag (four
sold in
New England publications
one packet at a reduced price)o
3. Not to set up a D.O.B.-sponsored
rap group for persons breaking
up wlth their lovers.
J
JL##L# , .JJ.,IJ
JLJ UL# #### ,/ 1111id/,4
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#J~#fiLJL~J.#JL#¾# 1T"1r1r1r-t'" , ##Jt1 dr, 7/"
• # . 7rT ,· :r 7T" .. T.1
,
(
1, .,
THEUN ENTIONABLES
M
WCVB-TV
(Channel 5) advertised a
series of short spots on homosexuality to accompany the 6pm and llp..~
news for the week of March 26. However, bofore any had been shown
they withdrew the 6pm showings.
They had received complaints from
(parents? advertisers?)
that young
people would be watching.
Various gay people are in the process of calling the station and
contemplatirig &n appr opriate response as we go to press.,
-1ri,,: ,, d~d~ftJJi " ,, 1r J. I ; , ' !,',JLJLJrL.I , , 11 , 1JJ_ . 1 1
u 1 _.11 I, ,, I :fJkJ!:df-!;l,Jf=.#1r1T1i/( /,~#-!!,,,'',,, ,J1r1;y,ur'·Jb#J
~
L
4,-1r1
.J1
,bJb.lJ,!1'.
1 t, ,
ti
t
I. 1, 7f,
j,
i
Lil i: RICKC011T
E
EST 2 i 2 i i
if:
~~
# For the best limerick
wlth a .
#
/,~
#
# gay theme we will give two
,ff tickets
to the next DOBdance
or a free FOCUSsubscription
to
anyone you designate.
DEADLI
NE
ff
:tviAY
15,
1973.
Here is what a limerick is--we
assume you will do BEI'TERiii
# J\iona Lisa lived in pure misery
# Till she finally found D.O.B.
r
.!L
I. .
don °t care,Leonardo
1/c
JI_
# About all your art-o
1r
# At long last my smile will be free ·.:,
1,
~
--RD,LR 5 GB
1,',
11
1t
HOLD N
HA DS.
FREE~ A Yfill.I
USEFULlist of all Massachusetts State Representatives
and Senators
and Senators, members of state
town by town, also Unit~d States Representatives
committees, and addresses of everybody.
Massachusetts Legislative
legislative
Directory,
from the Mass. Taxpayers Foundation, 145 Tremont St., Boston,Ma.02111
or call in and have them send you one: 357-8500.
�12
As a little
girl,
balancing on knife-edged cliffs
of need and fear,
love and rejection,
I never thought the world would be easy.
I never presumed to hope that the odd knots
and spirals,
angles and edges
of my unsatisfactory
Self
could ever be smoothed and straightened
enough to be acceptable,
to fit the shining mold
otherhood.
of Marriage and M
I approached becoming a woman
with~ I thought, a sufficient
degree
of caution and realistically
low expectations.
But somehow nothing prepar ed me for the pain-the losses of self and vortices of panic,
moon.,;,haunt"'d nightmare roads
of doubt and self-hatred:
world-given side-effects
of
mrncceptable and una.ccaptod
selves and loves, my deepest places,
what had bacome my being.
And if I now live in love 'tvlth sureness
(and oh my darling,
sweetness and joy and passion),
and if the special shape of myself is now
part of rny Personhood,
it did not happen without suffering,
and it is only after yea.rs of struggle
with indoor and outdoor demons
that I now proclaim, with pride,
the love of woman for woman.
Holly
THE NE.vlNARRATIVE
You placed women from your old life
in a tied
ribbon.
You broke Dylan°s records into pieces, pieces like your old
cowgirl boots that had nover been admired.
Your three volu..~es of poetry you said were that and no mere.
The cleaning lady stopped dusting them then and the landlord
pointed to the single papers on your desk and saj_d,
even a little
like a. mother,
Imagine, all those
people passing by on the sidewalk and not one knowing
a.bout you.
Your elbows behind typing hands run over to the dress shop
earns you.
for the ball the latest phone conversation
She says it 0 s because you 0 ve been discovered doing
attractive
things to men, but, then, she has switched,too.
Every ~vening, now, you do the same thing: climb into bed
with a man and ·every morning, in the early light,
you install
things that have come from it into the
world and none of them are poems.
M. Trap
�+IHHIH#fflHIIWlll#♦il#lil
ADVERTISING
RATES
FORFOCUS
Full page •••••• $17
Half page •••••• $ 9
Quarter page ••• $ 5
Eighth page •••• $,
CAMPING
SEASONS
FOR
CAMPING happy people
for
ALL
~
with tents.
Classified Ads s, a word.
Discount on repeat ads.
ffl##IH♦fflH#l#ffllHIHI###
SWIMMING
along a river with a covered
bridge.
PRIVACY sunbathing,
and
skinnee-dipping.
SISTERS
MAGAZINE
Published by San Francisco
D.O.B.
$5.00/year
S.F.D.O.B., 1005 Market St.,#208,
San Francisco, Calif. 94103
THE LESBIANTIDE
a voice of the lesbian/feminist
community
$6.00
$ .50 sample
bulk rates upon request
1124½ n. ogden,
tide collective,
los angeles, calif. 90046
te\\ 6~ve.r~,,t~
~OU
Stl.W
it \~
l½hours
from Boston.
SEASONAL
RENTALS
ONLY, June through
September (or additional months).
Responsible, mature nature lovers
call:
(617)-566-7041 after 9pm
Taylor
Box 49
Waverly,Ma. 02179
Would like to meet women age
30 to 40 for aft. or eve. geta few drinks,
movies,
toget~ers,
shopping and some good fun times
together,
I am not around on
weekends
so please call any time
days or ~ights on week days only.
Maybe this can be a permanent
thing for us.
Hope so.
Phone
237- 4723. Ask for Marge.
Foe.us/
[~~;;;mp;_i~;reR~~]
•72 pa9~,
of
f1<t1on e1,dys,po<!try,
,
rev
e11,;sar1•
,
one year 5ub.scriotwn
1Lf.
(pJa1n
wrapper out 6( u.5. 45.)
or
bulk ra1e5: 80¢per 15sue
We welc.ome your correspondence 1
manuscnpt.5, co0tnbui1ons.
<Jr7W(>rk,
"
,·
AMAZON QUfiRTlR_LI.J
55'-/- Vall e 'J15ta
Oaklond, Ca. 9'-f('o)O
KINGSTON
GAYLIB. &
KINGSTON
WOMEN'S
LIB.
Announce
AN ANTI-SEXISM WKND.
May 11, 12, 13
Tentative
plansi
Dance
Art Exhibit
Films, etc,
For info writes
Kingston Gay Lib.
c/o Memorial Union
University
of R.I.
Kingston,
R.I.
02881
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 April
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-04
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197304
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/7358ce5aa0e3a63a2da5db1c5fac0cbd.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=NbIL5MvMEKu2vacebziwYSMST5NDF74w3pj%7EQatL6ElFfFwhEEPzj9juu1%7EW7%7EfHz8ntunCHzEc8zCIuizSwjODhD4aiez3zSz2xY4pGpI2u-PBrjzkp7uoBXHfnAJ6ivF6ehqt1JCQ9FPml%7E84pAPcznVBNcOjmCmruWcLuSE60yStAtCfDW0ZvYOhDeqtoYv9HilF26HMsorBcondgKc6m1MwaTALIjjIlBniVfByMmKosAl4LRNSrySHxg2I1nWf65Nh%7ERQh83WG1ulY0Cr%7ELgNE8CzPglnWEE0XIoWwpqHNTz2qqaEHYR7P9%7ETs2MDYkq2Cf4gZSx6A1QOyttA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
391bbc4cb6d26697d16adbf6198ee3c9
PDF Text
Text
A JOURNAL FOR
GAY WOMEN
�FOCU : A JOURNALFOR· GAY W
S_
. OMEN
M 1973
ay
FOCUS is published
monthly by
Boston Daughters of Bilitis,
Rm.
415, 419 Boylston St., Boston,
M
ass. 02116.
Phone:
617-262~1592
FOCUS staff:
Holly,
Robin, Geri Bidwell,
others.
M
imi, Laura
Lois H., and
FOCUSwelcomes contributions
from
If you want back what- 'ever you send us, please include
a stamped, · self-addressed
envelope.
Let us know possible
titles
and how you w~nt to sign
your name.
everyone.
Subscriptions
are $5 a ·year, . and
a sample is 50¢. Give us your zip
#. If you move, let us know;
otherwise
it costs us 10¢ per issue
to forw a rd jrd class mail, and
sometimes it juet g e t s l o st.
Boston D.O.B. officers:
Treasurer ••••••••..•...
Geri Bidwell
Recording Sec't'y •••••• Lois H.
Corresponding
Sec't'y •. Laura Robin
Articles
in FOCUS reflect
the
views of the individual
authors
and do not necessarily
represent
the views or tastes
of Boston
Daughters of Bilitis.
This publication
is on file at the INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN'S
HISTORY
Berkeley,
California
9470~, a~d is available
ARCHIVE, 2)25 Oak Street,
on microfilm
through Bell and Howell, Drawer E, W96ster, Ohio 44691.
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Gay news around the country •.•.•••••.•.•••••
·•• ~ 4
"Lament of the Romantic", by Geri ••••••••••
~.~.4
Turn about: , · Gay Speakers'
Bureau asks _thl;:l ·
audierice~ •.••• 5
The case of the Seattle
lesbian motheis ••••• ~ •• 6
M
s.: not quite what we'd hoped for, by Kay Silk?
Classified
ads .•••••.••••••••••••••
i••····~···lO
''Untitled",
by A. Richardson ••.• ~., ••••• · ~ •••. 10
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-"The M
irra g e
by Terri B~ ••••••••••
, •• , • . •• • ~ 10
• ~
- They Never Know", by C. N.••••••••••••••••
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.••.• 11 .
!'S'_isterhoodll ~ by A.G •• .• ••••••••••••
·• •••••••• • 11
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ADDRESSES OT
OF .HER D. 0 • .B. CHAPTERS
:
·,
San Francisco
D.O. B.
100 5 Mark.et St~ , Rms .402--404
94103
San Francisc _ , California
o
New Jersey D.O. B.
Box 6_ ?
Fanwood, New Je-~s~y 07023
Dallas D. O·, B • .
W
omen for Action
Box 5944
Dallas~ Texas 75222 ,
�2
:3
CSTC DAUGHTERS BILITIS
N
OF
CALE DAR
N
M 1973
ay
TUESDAYS
7:30 pm RAF SESSIONS ON BEING GAY, FOR WOEN, Share feelings
M
We
about being gay, newcomers especially
welcome.
go out for a snack afterward,
For location,
call or
write the office.
THURSDAYS
9-10 pm GAYW RADI PROGRA, W
AY
O
M BUR-FM 90,9 on dial.
SUNDAYS pm D. 0 , 3 . SOFT ALL. Bring ball,bat,
1
:3
glove, and/or self,
play or watch,
M
agazine Beach, Cambridge, a.cross
the Charles River from Cadillac-Olds,
along Memorial
Drive west of Boston Univ. Bridge.
E D
HERST, sponsored by U, M
ass, S,H,L. FRIDAY
M 4,5,6 GAYWEEKN IN AM
ay
M 4, Dance, 8pm-lam, with THE DEADLY
ay
NIGHTSHADE,
W
orcester ·Dining Commons; SATURDAY
May 5 Registraorktion SHL office,
Student Union Rm. 41.3B, $2 • . W
shops in the afternoon
include S & M, T.V., female
sensitivity,
women's
gay-male gay relationships,
workshops, and a concert with Peter Fisher, M
arc
Rubin, Madeline Davis.
In the evening a party.
On
M
SUNDAY ay 6, a GAYFICNIC at the Hop Brook Commune,
12 noon,
For more information
contact U. Mass. SHL,
RSO 368, U, Mass., Amherst, Mass. (413)-545-0154,
MAY6, SUNDAY,10 pm LAV
ENDERHOUR, WBCN-F 104,1 radio.
M
MAY10,11,12,8
pm COMIN OUT, New England premier of Jonathan Katz's
G
documentary play about gay life and liberation.
The
play, adapted from fiction,
poetry,
autobiographical
and historical
accounts,
traces the story of homosexual men and women in this country from the 17th century to the present day. The Boston production--the
first
since the original
one in New York City in June
1972--is
produced, directed,
and acted in by Boston
trf~.~~g~t!dge~onation
requested. Boylston Hall,Harvard
M 11, 12, 13. ANTI-SEXISM W END IN KINGSTON, R.I.
ay
EEK
For info' write
Kingston Gay Liberation,
c/o Memorial Union, Univ. of
Rhode Island,
Kingston, R.I. 02881 or call 401-7925817 or 789-7183,
M 17,18,19,
AY
at 8pm CO ING OUT! (see above) Ferformances at Charles
M
St. M
eeting House, 70 Charles St., Boston.
M 18, RRIDAY, 8:30--12:.30 pm D. O, B. DANCE the Arlington
AY
at
Street
Church, corne~ Arlington & 3oylston Sts., Boston,
(near Arlington M13 stop).
TA
In basement (door on
$1.50, Women only.
Arlington
St. side on right).
M 19, SATURDAY, EW HA PSHIRE D, 0 . '3, meeting.
ay
N
M
For place write
Occupant, Box 1.37, Northwood, N.H.
M 24,25,26 at 8 pm, CO I NG OUT! (see above).
ay
M
Performances at Emer1rimmer St., Boston.
son College,b9
M 23, WE
ay
DNESDAY
7:30 pm D.O.B. BUSINESS IVJE N at the office.
ETI G,
GAY FRIDE W
EEK PLANNI G CO MITTEE--call the office for info.
N
M
BOSTO DAUGHT OF BILITIS, Room 415, 419 ~oylston Street, Boston,
N
ERS
M
ass. 02116 Fhone 617-262-1592.
Calendar is $1/6 mo, FOCUS: A JOURO
is
M ERSHIP is $10/year
EMB
N FOR GAYW I'fJEN $5/year or 50¢/sample.
AL
($15 for couples),
includes a subscription
to FOCUS, for women 18 & ove:
�3
LETTERS
Dear FOCUS,
tt.lways enjoy your wide ran ge of news
o
Hope to read r,, re gay
and views.
poetry.
now I am cont ent to keep in touch by
reading.
Thank you FOCUS, and anyone who raight
be interested
in correspondance
I was surprised
to learn others in Ohio
also get your paper.
Is t~ere a D.O.B.
chapter so1:,
eplace in Ohio? (Ed. N
ote: :No.)
I would like to correspond with other 'sisters'
in Ohio.
It can be somewhat
diffi cult for a discreet
woman over 35
years to learn where the gay group is.
FOCUS, keep up the good work.
Yours truly,
Belle Ja ckson
129 E. Lorain St.
Oberlin,
Ohio 44074
Dear Friend ,
.- you will note in our state :1ent of
,s
1
? arty is
principles,
the Libertarian
dedi cated in principle
to the right of
every individual
to exercise
sole do@
inion over his own life,
to live his or
her life in whatever manner, so lonB
as the rights of others are not violated.
Our intent is to create an at m
osphere
in Massachusetts
(and around th~ country)
in whi ch this prin c iple can beco me a
politi cal reality.
If you · would be
interested
in helping us achieve this
goal, please let us know.
Yours truly,
Paul L. Siegler,
Mass. Libertarian
24 Pres cott St.
Cambridge,
Hass.
Dear FOCUS staff
I an, writing fro
Ham
pshire to let
appreciat~
your
refreshing
relief
of isolation
it
Chair m
an
Party
0213 8
and readers,
:,i a s:·,
,all town in New
you know ho-w rn
uch I
m
onthly issue and the
fro m the monotonies
brings.
Less than a year aso I was cor,,p letely
i gnor _
ant of the existen ce of any lesbian
organi zation and sin c e then have been
a;~- zed by the ar,ount of a ctivities
a
and
interest
and especially
people who
really care about us.
I still
haven't
attended any □ eetings or a ctivities
partly fr or:, being so far away and partly fro m fear that what -exists in bla ck
and white so boldly r.tight elude ;,i e. For
Susan Grover
Box 75
Elkins , N.H. 03233
Dear FOCUS,
Since graduating
from basic training
FOCUS
at __
, I think that receiving
puts me in jeopardy.
So please cancelmy subscription
tive immediately ••••
Thank you so much for
just
effec~
'being.
1
Sincerely,
J.
Dear Brothers
and Sisters:
On June 23, 1973, the Gay Activists
d lliance
of New Jersey will be holding its Gay Pride Parade
in Hackensack.
We cordially
invite you and your group
to join us in our march for Gay Rights.
It is suggested that those who will be
in attendance
bring signs, posters,
and/or candles,
as the parade begin~
at 8 :30 P•.M.
rlny signs or posters,
which your group
brings may not have a pole attached
to it, as this is in violation
of a
city ordinance.
Following our parade, we will return
to our headquarters
for a dance, free
wine and cheeses.
Our group has plans to attend your
Gay Pride Parade, and it is our hope
that you have similar
intentions.
Please forward any and all information
for your parade.
W are looking ferward to seeing
e
and your group.
you
YOU~S IN LOVEANDUNDERST
ANDING,
Stephen P. Rice, G&~ N.J., Box 1734,
South ijackensack,
N.J. 07606
(cont,
on p. 4)
�4
from p. 3
LETTERS, con.
G.::.YNEWS
.
rtROUND
THE COUNI'RY
Dear People,
Barbara Gittings
spoke here at Indiana
this week-end · and passed
,
University
around a bibliography
of · gay writings,
in which FOCUSwas listed.
I'd be very much interested
in receivr
ing it, since Bosto · i' is my home base
and eventual destination
when I am
finished
here.
Enclosed ·1s· f.ive dollars.
much.
Thanks very
Ruth
of fla :ning
Ror.t ,
e
shack liiogenes
The brilliant'
Caesar
ns Hor,er _nd his
a
And Cleopatra's
Achilles
left
::alled
came before
fai :ous verse
hm,:e.
r,,y ti ,:: .
e
sublL :e
char ~s are obsolete---
? aid Gay Lobbyist
The New York State Coalition
of gay
organizations
is paying for a lobbyist
on gay issues at the New York State
Legislature.
He will receive a hµndred dollars
a week until the end of
ier.
Major gay
the session this sunm
groups such as Mattachine were assessed three to four hundred dollars.
(..i.DVOC april
A
TE,
U)
us on his magi c feet.
I only know of dre8!"1s, of love and hate,
For I was born a thousand
years
too late.
Geri
~~W
State of Washington
proposed penal code revision
is in
co□u ittee iri the Washington State
Legislature.
If passes, this revision
would abolish all laws against hom
osexual behavior over age 18. Solicitation to cmnm a hom
it
osexual act would
,\pril 11)
not be a cri me. (,1DVOCATE,
Oregon
a bill to prev~nt discri mination in
eits loy 1,1
p
ent, hou_
sing, etc.,
is in the
(,illVOCrtTE, .1.pril 11)
Oregon legislature.
Lament of the Ro,,1
antic
The little
New York City . Gay Women
Me bers of the Lesbian Liberation
m
Col'.lm
ittee of the New York G.d.. rt. are
considering
for ming a separate
lesbian organization
in N.Y. City.
~
Peac .e,
I have not seen the fires
G. rt. n. Newspaper . .
.
In February the Gay Activists
Alliance
of New York published its first
combined male/fe ra
ale gay newspaper with
a ru~ of 20,000 , copies.
BOOKSIN THE DO~ LI BRARY
Lesbian Nation,
by Jill
Johnston
The Outcast,
by Anna Weirauch
The ·Scorpion,
Color Photos . of the Atrocities,
by Kenneth Pitchford
Testimony from the · hearings before the Commerce & Labor
Comm. of the M
ass, legislature
Gay People's
Union News, a monthly
from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
11
11
· 11
Ja ck Baker, Minneapolis gay activist,
is runriing for Minneapolis City Counb
cil this Nover:i er.
Atlanta Lesbian Fe,>inist alliani:e
(Georgia) was for ffi d in June 1972 and
e
has an active progra m. W
rite ALFA,
1190 Mansfield Ave. , N.E., n tlanta,
Georgia 30307 (phone 524-3192)
Gay Iride .ieg lc-:Fhiladelpliia.
_
T~e week be g ins June 2 with a
Gay Arts Festival
and ends June
10 with a parade and street
fair.
The theme is "Celebration
of Gay
Life".
For details
write PGPC?J,
P.O. ~ox 2350, Fhila.,}enn.
19103.
�5
TURN-ABOUT: SPEAKERS
GAY
BUREAU
ASKSTHEAUDIENCE
Forty•f'ive ·w~e~ ,, ~n~ two men at a Natick Jewish women's organization
meeting filled
about homosexuality before listening
to a
out a questionnaire ···C>ntheir attitudes
Gay Speakers' , B1.n:eau
;·presentation
April 11.
They were most - in their twenties ·. Their answers showed they believe that homoly
sexuality
is not immoral and ought to be legalized.
They were divided, however,
in opinion on whether it was a psychological
illness,
and many would turn first
to a "professional"
if their own child was gay.
Although the sample was small and select,
the answers were surprisingly
similar
to those given on May 18, 1971, by a class of fifty-eight
teachers and guidance
counselors,
a third of whom were men, in Avon, Mass.
.
Natick,
Do you think homosexuality
illness?
if your child
were taught
45%
36%
11%
8%
Yes
No
2%
96%
10%
84%
92%
8%
86.~
11%
Yes
No
Don't know
Other
is immoral?
Do you think homosexual behavior between
consenting adults should be legal?
Would you object
by a -homosexual?
60%
Yes
No
Don't know
Other
Yes
No
is a psychological
Do you think homosexual behavior
1973 Avon. 1971
31%
57%
8%
4%
26%
64%
261
14%
As an adult with responsibilities
towards
young people, what would you do if you found
out that a young person was homosexual?
Send _
him/her t9 a psychiatrist
or other professional
T~lk with the person myself to see if they understand what 'they are into
Do nothing special
Try to understand
Send to gay groups
Other answers given
Have you ever known a homosexual?
Yes
No
36%
16%
13%
6%
2%
13%
36%
59%
52%
47%
¥:&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&i&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
&
' FO S LI IVlE
CU
RICK CONTES
T
& D. O. B. welcomes your partici&
&
& pation in our efforts
to reac~
& Deadline
M 20, 1973.
ay
& other g ay women, to provide
&
& First
prize 1 FOCUS s ub scri p& ra p s and social
events,
to
&
& tion or 2 ticket s to n ext dance. & chan g e the laws and otherwise &
& M
ust have a gay theme.
& work for gay civil
ri ghts, to &
&
& educate others.
There is a &
& W
HERE ARE ALL YO LI IVlE
U
RICK
& s p ot for everyone fro m clo&
& W
RITERS?? WE HA RECEI VED VE
VE
RY
s et dwell ers to T.V, stars.
·&
<Sc
Jo in us.
&
& FEW ENTRIES, COMEON!
i&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
&&&
&& &&&&&&&&&&&&~&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
1
�6
THE.CASEOF THE SEATTLE
LESBIANMOTHERS
In a landmark case in September, 1972,
a Superior Court judge in Seattle,
Washington, gave child custody to two lesbians who had divorced their husbands
and were living together as a ,gay couple.
The case had been initiated
by the fathers a year earlier.
Judge James A. Noe ruled, however, that
the six children,
ages 4 - 9, were in
a "potentially
destructive
environment"
and ordered the lovers to maintain
separate households (see April FOCUS
in .letters
section).
He did not order
the relationship
to end.
The judge apparantly
compromised. The
views of several psychiatrists
and a
court-appointed
social worker were that
the children were "well cared for physically,
emotionally,
and intellectually"
and were showing no identification
problems (as to their sex).
The chil•
d~en wanted to stay with their mothers.
Some of the letters
to the editor of
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
which
had printed a sympathetic feature article on the case, showed the opposing
views: " ••• an article
of this type is
the gravest of moral pollution";
"excuse me, please, time out to vomit 11 ;
"We know homosexuals exist, but must
we give this type of relationship
credence by this undue publicity?"
The two women, Sandra Schuster (two sons)
and Madeline Isaacson (four children),
are now living in homes a block apart.
The next step is unclear but may in•
volve re-opening the case if more evidence is obtained.
The women want the
right to live as a single family unit.
(Information
taken from the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer,
February 18 and 19
and March 11, .1973; and the Seattle
Times, September 23, 1972; copies supplied by Sandra Schuster.)
Sandra Schuster explains to FOCUSthe
_
present situation:
Dear Friends,
We will either reopen the case with
new evidence or some unusual judge will,
someplace in the country, say its okaf
for gay relationships
that are stable
to have children live in a family situation with them.
Maddy and I live a block away from one
another.
We are quite sure the judge
was worried about cu~ sleepipg in the
same bed confusing . th.e children because . it would be two women instead of
a man and a woman. There is virtually
no evidence gathered to show what chil•
dren who come from gay environments
are like.
Most people think they are
probably confused about their sexual
identity,
i.e. whether a boy or a girl,
and that their sexuality
is confused!
My master's
thesis in psychiatric
nursing is on this very issue.
All I need
are gay mothers and kids willing to
share where their heads are.
If there _
was any way possible to gp throughout
the U.S.A. and talk to gay mothers
and their children,
collect the data
and report it, I believe we would have
evidence to reopen our case and appeal
it if necessary.
I believe .that lesbian parents in particular
provide a
better balanced home environment than
the heterosexual
ones s~ widely researched.
We need quality and quantity
when the study is done.
If you don't
have a good sized sample no-one will
l i sten!
If only there was someone who
had money who cared about this whole
issue enough to sponsor a study!!
I
know where to find the gay mothers, it's
just the problem of speaking , to each
on a personal basis th~t will make a
big difference!!
All in all I would say the credit for
our case belongs to God. Without our
faith in Him we would not have lasted
past the first month of pressure!
We appreciate
your interest.
We would
very much like to have a copy of the
FOCUSthat this appears in • .
Thank you
Sincerely,
Ms. Sandra L. Schuster
P.O. Box 15312
Wedgewood Station
Seattle, -Wash. 98115
Contributions
to "The Gay Mothers' Legal and Research Fund, 11 which is attempting to provide educational
material
can be sent to
and legal assistance,
Sandra at the above address.
�7
M NOT ~ UITE wa ,"\T W 1D HO
S:
E
PED FOR
By Kay Silk
W
ithin
the first
year of its life,
i1S
ele ment
r.~
aga z ine has beco me a fai iliar
between fe minists
and antiin the battle
fe r>tinists.
Mentionin g M is consider .ea
S
an accurate
test of a perso n I s attitude
10ve rnent; like lit r,i S
U
tciward the women I s 1'
paper ~ the person in question
will react
to the sound of the magi c n~~e either
true blue.
as radi c al red or as traditional
the frequency
of true-blue
rea c tions
is
surprising,
· f or MS is really
very ta:;;.e.
It addresses
itself
to that m
ost con:fortably
situated
of WO:T en, the white,
hetero~exual,
urban or suburban dweller,
with tho business
or profesaffiliated
~i u nal _ c lass.
The fori ~
,at, by no coinEW YORKr,1
agciden c e, rese mbles that of N
azine,
and advertisers
like Dewars Scotch
tl,.ierican
Express,
and T}lE SL.\
TURD REAY
appearan c e in quest of
VIEW make their
fe ~ale dollar.
the newly liberated
The content
of MS refle c ts the scw.e un. adventurous,
big- ;-.on ey spirit
indi c ated
and _the physi c al
by the advertising
co1
,;position.
Many of the . artides
are
infor ~ative
enough , btit they merely tell
us more of what we already · knew or sensed:
by airline
stewt he inj~sti c es suffered
ardesses
(Jan. · 1 73) or by fe male ewploy1 72)
ees of READER'S DIGEST (Oct.
or
by beauty queens (Sept.
'72);
f e1°ale
c ontributions
to politi cal and artisti
c
life;
the iniquities
in woi..en Is legai
and e c ono ~ ic status;
the sexist
atroc ities
preserved
in the wedding cereri:ony (Feb. '73).
Sorr of the topics
.e
are as glossy
as the paper they're
of
printed
on, su ch as the dis ,;ussion
cos rneti e:s and the cos ;.1 c s ,industry
eti
(Jan.
'73).
In one . issue we find an
interview
with a dor,1
estic
worker (Feb.
,;ember pf a b reed un f amiliar
'73) , a 1
to ,·1any of us, though evide ntly . not
ol: M ·
S.
to the staff
M
ore often than the _editors
r,.ight wish
S
that
to a~ .it, M deals with subjects
have lon g o cc upied the conventional
wor.,en I s d 1ga z ines a nd newspaper
se c tions.
1 72) ,
These in c lude being f a t (Sept.
t ur n ing f orty ( Nov. '72) , a nd con traThis l ~ st su b je c t is s ometi mes
c eptio n . __
se rved with a scoop o f popular
ps y chiat
a try , as in '' Wh Contra c ~ptive Type
( Mar ch 1 73) . . rlnd r,, st f reo
a re You? '
1
quently
o f all , there are arti c les about the drearines
s o f housework , presu i.,ably wri t t en '.f or those who lack doTh e shocking
revelation
~esti c help.
t h at housewor !< is a bore , whoever does
a
be
it , is prese n ted in a n Er _,. 3 9"1 d c
tone,
ex c ept that the sel f -pity
is
un S
be
leavened
i n M by any o f Bo;.:. ck' s atte 1tpts at hur~or.
~
Yes, M is very ta u e, behind its bold
S
f ront.
The defense
(Feb . . 1 73) of comf ortable
c lothes , o f pants and lowoi. the skirtheeled f ootwear instead
girdle-stockings-high
heels harness,
sounds like the argw l ents we used to
be f ore we left
have with our ,,.others
ho o e.
In an early issue
(July
'72),
.wearGer r,1
aine Greer speaks out against
ing u:1
derp a nts.
So what?
In the sa me
an
h
issue we read that a wo,1; I s body _ air
1
is the 'last
frontier.
By refusing
to re ~ove hair f ro m the traditional
pla c es , a wo,..a n is assertina o her freedot,' fro r,; traditional
f ei:, le roles
a
and
stereotypes.
This article
was good
f or an un e xpe c ted laugh.
Of all the
wome n I know, the r.i st s c rupulous
o
shavis a s on f in ed
er of legs and ar mpits
butch.
·
The freshest
material
is to be -foun d
omen , 1
i n the depart ments oi ' Lost W
'Found W
omen,' · and ' Notes f ro i,., Abroad.•
•~ou nd W
omen' brings
to our attent i on
worr, n who are r., king contributions
e
a
in
every field , a n d who have go n e ge nernow . . . ' Lost W
oally un noti c ed until
such f igures
fro L th e
::- n ' presents
.,e
pa s t as M
aud Younger , a su ff ragist
and
e
t ra d e un ion orga n i ::: r (Ja n . '73), a nd
Tho ,:ip s o n , who worked
' Bo ,ecar i3ertha'
to i i.,prove the lot o f the iti n era nt
The 1 rlotes
f e ,ale la borer (De r:. 1 72).
on the pof r or., ,-,.
broad, ' which report
,en
sit ion o f wor.- i n other cou n tries,
ca n be enligh t ening to an A,ileri c an.
These depart , e n ts are ge nuinely
i nf oraterial
·o f ten deserves
,_
;ative .i and the !i1
,
t o be 1:a d e g en eral knowled g e, to h e lp
corre c t the □ale bias o f our histor :ords.
i c al re ~
Th e s a.,.e c a n .b e $aid when M deal s
S
1
with wo. ,e n i i1 · relat io ~ t o - lar g er probo,.
le ;;.s.
Th e pho t o grap h s th a:t a ,::::: pany
t he e s y~ys o n wo, ,en in pri _
son ( Feb .
c ont.
on p . 8 )
.
�8
the troubles
in Ireland (March
or the three rtppalachian
women
(July '72) speak for the mselves, to all
of us. The horrors attending
our society or Anglo-Irish
politics
are everyone's concern, and in fact
merit a
wider exposure than the rarified
air
of MS.
1
73),
1 73),
rlS a publication
for women, MS confines
itself
to a few themes, presented with
m
any variations.
The editors have i mposed even m
ore limits by devoting
themselves to the · reader who is urban,
prosperous,
and all the rest.
(To her
.-1. men I s depart ment appears
man, too.
regularly.)
The price,
for example,
a dollar an issue,
is typical
of magazine prices these days, but · it is prohibitive
to the truly poor woman, the
woman who has the m
ost to gain from
any reform in the social and econo mic
syste m. She needs that dollar to buy
as many of the necessities
as possible.
More disturbing
is the limitation
on
what might be called the em
otional atmosphere.
In particular,
MS reflects
the hostility
that fe minists
of the
Friedan-Steinem
variety
feel toward
lesbian women. In the early months, we
were encouraged to see that MS printed
an excerpt fro m rlnne Koedt 1 s 1 Notes
from the Third Year, 1 presenting
the
idea of women loving wom (preview
en
issue, spring 1 72); that Del Martin and
Phyllis Lyon discussed
aspects of lesbian relationships
(July 1 72); and that
Jill Johnston introduced
another proble m, fro m another viewpoint,
in an artazon Mother' (Sept. 1 72).
icle on the 1 Arr.
It see med for a while that MS was interested
in reaching all women.
But then something happened.
Maybe
somebody took a survey and discovered
ost
was inthat 111 of the MS readership
different,
or worse, to the subject
of lesbian women. Or m
aybe there was
whose sucpressure fro m advertisers,
cess depends upon the continuation
of
aybe
the heterosexual
status quo. Or m
the editors
the r.i elves felt it ne cess
e:"l
sary to prove theii- detach m t fro m the
'lavender m
enace, 1 in order to gaih
acceptance for the brand of fe minis m
oting.
W
e'll never know.
they were pro ra
But since last Septe m
ber, there has been
no m
ore m
aterial
for or about lesbian
wom~n, and no poetry , short stories, ·
or. graphic work that
photography,
might even suggest the love of one wom for another.
an
If not for the pre1
QU
sence of the ~MAZON ARTERLYs classified ad in the March issue, an oniooker rd ght think that lesbians had
beco me extinct
in the last six wonths.
In general,
MS has . approached the subje ct of lesbianis m by not approa ching
it, by hoping to ignore it out of existence.
Usually this discri mination
is genteel and ladylike,
but it becwne blatant
in the March issue.
,
'The First Feminist Comedy Tear.-, 1 consisting
of Patti Harrison and Robin
Tyler; was reviewed in the M
arch MS.
W find that their opening rocitine ine
cludes the following challenge to the
audience:
1 You see us up here,
two women
in olue jeans, and you're thinking: they wust be ... yeah.~. they 're
·1
After a pause to m
ake sure
the audience has f illed in the
obvious, Harrison and Tyler added,
'Coh,e on now, how many of you
thought that •.. ? ... Well, we're
not, 1 they said defiantly.
Their tone set the audience on edge,
L.,age was still
inbut their straight
,"l.ndnobody really .sot hurt, extact.
cept for lesbian women.
In the sa. ,e issue, Gail Rock reviews
Ing m Berg man's f il rn, 'Cries and
ar
W
hispers, 1 which is dominated by women.
The rel at ion ships am
ong these won\en
are varied and complex, but never, God
.~lthough the serforbid;
unsavory.
va nt ~nna cares for the dying a gnes
with •strangely
erotic tenderness , '
the reviewer clears away any Llsuni
derstanding,
or understanding,
that
m have arisen in the reader's
ay
i nd.
1 Berg m
an concentrates
on the woLl n's i nterrelationships.
e
He
has always see med fascinated
with
the capacities
for eroti c is m between women--a kind of open, ani,,,al sensuality
that I don I t think
he intends to be taken for leshianis ,,-. 1
,
Certai n ly not. 1
Finally there is Letty Cotton Pogrebin'
arti c le on women's rap groupsi, also
known as cons c iousness-raising
(or
�9
C-R) groups,
AS ~e all know, the C-R
group occupies
a central pla ce i n the
wo1.en's rwve rrent, occurring
,
at the grass
roots level. · The C-R group is the pla ce
for wo1 en to shat"e their their . griev.1
ances, to find that they're
not alone,
and to gain the support of other women.
The C-R group, a1
.,ong heterosexual
wo,;.en, helps the ;,_ to ei,a i ine their feelings, but not too closely,
and to love
their fellow wowen, but not too well.
b
It is L ,.portant that mer.. ers of 'the
Qf c loseness and
group develop feelingp
?ogr~bin detrust for one another~
e
scribes
one of the ;.: thods by which the
group can en courage these em
otions:
to
hold meetings
in the nude.
,,en
'The wrn :.talk about tI-ieir physical vulnerabi~ity,
about revealing their bodies for the first
ti ree
to a ru
an, about their rea ctions to
seeing .other wm en's bodies •• ~a
thin wor• tou ches a plu mp · wor1 I s
, en
, an
buttock and re ; arks that . fat would
be less thr~atening
now that she
has perceived
the loveliness
of a
full figure.
Several overweight
. woc.en r.,arvel as they trace the planes
and angles along a lanky wor;.an' s
back •
..i.ttbough . there was 1:1 tou c.hing
uch
and inti mate talk, wor,en report that
:
nothing overtly
sexual see@s to develop in this group encounter. 1
'Nothing'?
Co1- on, Letty.
.'e
The truth is that nobody would acknowledge such feelings,
even if they arose.
the ,.: is too great.
The pressure
against
My rea -::ion to this article
t
recalls
r:y
and that of Solli of my lese
dis crncfort,
bian friends,
in C-R groups of straight
wor.en. The dile mm is . this: . .either
a
to
hide one•~ · lesbian affinities
and be
wel coLl in the group, or ro de ~lare onee
self a lesbian and be ostra c ized. ; •· The
MS variety
of love ar. ong women keeps
1
this dile :.-. alive,
,.a
for the so-called
feeling of sisterhood
is governed by
conventions
as seve~~ as a~y in cest-taboo. The f ree flow .of affe .c tion is less
free than i t see i,is; it s.tops where it
risks being ~rarisfor□ ed into attraction
or passion;
. For all the fe 1:". loyalty
ale
and pride advertised
by the HS fe idnist,
it ia ordained that her m
ost p~ivate
territory
-- her h~~rt, ' her body , her
t
of ,·:en
bed - - L.ist ' re c ain the preserve
on ly.
Is it a~1 wonder that a lesbia _
y
n
wo1:an feels uneasy a.s ong non-lesbians?
Espe c ially now that they're
playing
g&Jes of grope-and-feelhands-on but
not turned-on.
1
onth?
So why do I st i1 l buy 1'1Sea ch ::,
Certainly
not fro ,. any _lingering hope
us
that the editors
have war ;..ed toward
non-MS types.
d.nd not . to read yet another pie ce about Florynce Kennedy or
Sylvia Plath, interesting
though thes~
woL; n are.
e
nnd not even the 'lost worn ,'1 the 'found
eu
women, 1 or the women
are quite worth
fro m other countries
that dollar.
I r.ont inue to buy MS because it usually
in s lud~s a section
called ' Populist
1'1ehani c s. 1 To judge by . he ,. odest
c
t
for ~at and lo cation,
this is not the
se ction in whi ch MS takes the greatest
pride.
The type is pale and spidery ,
.and hard on the eyes, and the ·arti c les
the c selves are crowded humbly into the
very front or back of the ;,1
agazone.
But the content of, these poor relations
is worth the in (:onvenience;
They are
'service
articles'
in the best sense,
presenting
the basic fa cts of such •
subje ~ts as cars and electri cal syste L•s
'Populist
Mechani r:s 1
and stereo sets.
is worth the pri ce of the m zine to
aga
those who know nothing of u e r:hani cs
and to those who are unsure of their
knowledge.
Best of all j the fa ~tua1
quality
of the . ~aterial
does not le nd
itself
to editorial
co~. ent beyond the
indisputa b le suggestion
that knowledge,
of any kind, is power. ·
Fro rr: the viewpoint of one who is not
the MS drea: .. girl,
the ,,iagazine is ...ost
su c~ess Zul where it teaches without ·
~n understanding
of the disprea ching.
tributor
cap and the -::rcuit
i
breaker is
usefµl to every one of us, whatever our
e:,otional
in clinations
h ight be.
�10
CLAS
SIFI ED ADS
(5 ¢/word)
DIGNITY/ BOSTONi s a national Catholic group open to all people, W
e
are organized to provide a place
where gay and bi-sexual
men and
women can bring to gether their sexual preference
and t heir religious
beliefs,
M
eetin gs on the first
Sunday of every month include a
liturgy,
a discussion,
and .a social.
For more information
write:
Dignity/
Boston, 1105 Boylston St,, 1oston,
M 02215
a,
.
FIFTEEN YBAR OLD GAYGIRL would
like to receive mail from sisters,
Any age.
Brenda Sue M
ines,
105 Fine Drive, Union Foint, Ga,
30669, ph. 486-431 6 .
IS A~CT THER unmarried,
O
childless
reader adopted ? W
ould like to discuss feelin g s about this,
M
argaret
Ryan, -S 346, North Baldwin,N,Y.
ox
11510.
Everybody
U. CON GAYALLIAN~
N
welcome 1 Men' s,r,G. h'·; ·Sundays, 7pm,
Stude11t UnioN 30i; Gay W
omen-2nd
and 4th Sundays,7pm, W
orr3n 1 s ·center.
Joint meeting-Thursdays,
8pm,
Commons 313.
Info' 203-486-4738,
ATTRACTIVE
,PRUF
ESSI ON FEM E
AL
AL
early JOs, would like to hear from,
some interested
females, to spend
some time, at summer home, this
summer, June--Sept.,
lots of fun,
sand and sun, please send photo for
immediate reply, nice time to be
had.
Patricia
Raferty,
P, G, Box
141, lfi nsey, N.Y. 10952,
o
THE W
OMEN . CENT in Cambridge is
•S
ER
looking for a woman to live permanently in the Center starting
wit h
the end of April, and another to
live in during May only,
There
would be a 24 hour commitment to
what goes on at the Center,
For
information
call 354-8807 or visit
the Center at 46 Pleasant
Street
on M
onday ni ght at 8 pm,
SUPPORT THE W AN OF YOURCHO
CM
ICE
~iiiiiiiii~ii~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i
Florida
12/15/71
i come here alone
and i go away the same
but in between the day and
the ni ght i sometimes
reach out in the
darkness in hopes of
finding you again.
--A,
RICHARDSCN
THE ~ RAGE
U
From t he dar kness of m s ou-1 .•
y
I watched you f'.li t:ter here g
flutt er, there,. ..:~·, .,.: _.:· ·. . . :_:i,~<._ _·:.·:.:_~..
·'.
·./_: . :.
hover round, ·~--.;
~
··
.
always close> but ·' never near.
. A,n<;l ..gazed with fascination
._I
·
"lovely hues in your dis .;play,
i:'i'ostal g ic blues
·"'·
and shiny golds,
the warming reds in the lighter
gray • .
Enrapt,
I stared as you drifted
closer.
Oh, Sappho!
The beauty now in
my hand!
But, no, you only flicked
my eager fingers
·and as I grasped, you flew away.
I watched again with hopeless
yearning
·
the fading glow of your fettered
wings
whilst in my heart
the anguished cry:
"Oh, Love, why me?"
<t
~
--TE RRI B.
&&& &
& &&&& & &&&&&& & &
&&&&&&
&&&&& &&
GAY LI BERAT
OR, published
monthly for women and men.
$J.OO for 12 issues.
Sample
copy 25¢,
Gay Liberator,
.
Box 631-a, Detroit,
M
ich.48232,
TELL ADVERTISER YO SAW IT · IN
S
U
FOC
US!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& & &&
&
&&&&&& &
&&
COM
ING OUT!
A gay play.
See the calendar
p.2.
& &&&&&&& &
&
&&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
&&
&&
�11
THEY NEVER KNOV
/
anl
Hey M
Dig it
There is a world out there
Bleak and dismal as · it seems
I've found the light,
I've seen a dream
Though it took all joy of life
I took a chance and paid the price
I made the scene at her advice
I live a life and kept a dream
They took me here, they took me there
Let me go from corner to corner
But held me back from border to border
Set .me free within their order.
M
ant
How great it was
To make a choice within the order
To dream a life or live a dream
To play each day a game of life
And at the end know only strife
But if I chose to live a dream
I'd say Good Nite but once in life
And know I'd dream and dt·eam
For somewhere out there,
there is a scene
Made from all the joys I dream
Perhaps tonight
will be the night.
--C.
., .u ,
. ·. •·,
~~
:..
"f, .
.
.- .,. ..
~. i '· : . -
.
. .
. • .r \ ..
J J,. •
::
•
:;
I love yo,x 'ft!y :ii~t~~• -. ,,
~ ,; : ; :
~ :.
•
' ;'
'.
I .
·,
~
'
.
:
~
.
. . ..
.
-..
~
:.
.
(
.
I wilhl · ~ elp ~ou ,,,
~pene _ e:r, _
v
yoq 11,Ei)ed
e 1 p.
I will shake you from lethargy.
I will protect
you when you need it.
I will make you uncomfortable
in
your rut.
I. will arouse your discontent,
·.
and your energies.
I will
not try to dominate you or
make you paft of me.
I will never look down on you, and
will discourage
you from
looking down on yourself.
I will give you my respect,
my time,
my assistance.
I will defend your individuality,
walk with you when you don't
want to walk al .one • .
I will work to assure you the
of life.
necessities
I will
,. . .,
. I will :·~
fight ' ;for, :jdur
,.
.-
,- ,.
, ...
$ISTERHOOD
• '"j.
Because you ·a:r;-em~, "al}d .I a_Jl Y:OU,
I
Be6'ause - wesn~re in • the- same life·:
. · s·tyles ;a'.nd, . 1;.imft_tions • .
a
.
. ~ ..
·
.
N.
'figh;t}/~
· : . to make ,yotf free .,· - · · ··
·
Y.ou.will al-ways ·come first:
I will applaud your streng~hs ·,
And gently . pb-int 'tfut I .-you:r ·:, .·)..., _
.
. , ,- .
.. :.:~ weakr-lesses~ · .J•'- ·· ·) ,· -~
·
f
:I will encourage ·,you ' to lf tfr-'ther
.,: .• accomplishments.
' ' · ' ·..
-I will stand by ·you in ' your · '
failures.
I will never turn on you, or
·
turn my back on you,
I will be constant
in my suppori
of you.
I will
I will
turn to you for guidance.
teach you everything
I know.
M successes
y
will .be yours, and
yours mine.
I love you my sister; ·
W
ithout reservation
o~ qualification,
·
I love you as I love myself
Together we can celebrate
our
.lives.
--A. G.
...
�12
BOOK REVIE"i : TIIE LOVE THAT DARED NOT· SPEAK ITS i1bME 5 Y H. MONGOMER
,
T
Y
HYDE (Little,
Brown,
1970)
by Geri
T!1 LOVE THAT DARED HOT S? EAK ITS It ~ME
E
is an ex c elle nt a nd well-do c u_;ented
survey of the legal vi c i~situdes
of the
fro ir, the t L.,e of
ho ,..ose xual in England,
day.
the l'lor u an conques t to the present
In 1533, during the reign of Henry VIII,
the first
statute
appeared
which r,.ade
vi c:e of
the 'detestable
and ab0i .·inable
with ,,ankind or beast 1
buggery c oi,,. itted
a c ri ,~e punisha b le by death.
It was a
roa d that led fro ~
long and painful
there to the passin g in 1967 of the
Sexual Offe n ses t1.
r:t, whLh legali z ed
ho Ll sexu a l a 2ts b etween conse nt ing ao
i r. private.
The in f or r..ation given
dults
i n this book is invalua b le to anyone
con :erned with cha nging the · legal
status
of the ho :,,ose xual in this cou nt ry.
It
is worth noting
that Mr. Hyde lost his
seat in ? arlia n ent , whi 2h he had held
for ten years, as a consequen ce of his
,.I·~; . :~· ?vk.· ~.:
•
:·..,
·.-·\ ..,
,\. p
) !' .. ,, :,:
1
f . : &f-.
·, ' .: ~- ~ ..-Jl: .~ .:.
:
Cow.:-:i t ee ls r e eomn~nda t ic,ns.
it
For those readers
interested
i n in f ornation a nd ane ':dotes about well-known
this book will
ho : ose xual figures,
definitely
prove t o be worth reading.
two books
The author , having written
on Oscar Hilde (THE TRL;.LS OF OSCAR
WILDE a nd THE AFI'ERl'fa'I'H) ;' is so ·:iewhat
b rie f in his treat ~ ent of the best-k nown
Bri t ish h c ~o s ex ual li t erar y f i gures .
This deficien ,-:y is , ,ore tha n c o, pe n sated
e
for by detailed
a c counts of so ,:~ other
fa,;.1
ous c ases.
One learns
with sor::e surprise .that the b a n on Rad : lyf f e Hall's
TaE W
ELL OF LONELHJESS has . never b een
is · still
te chni c.alli ft ed and therefore
ly in effe c tw Never t6 eless,
a f ter j orld
War II t he !:i ok was re-published
o
a nd
i nterferen
~e f rQ
sold f reely without
the poli c e , i n the wor d s of Lord Justi :.e Nor ,a n Birket t, 'a n i ndicatio n of
t h e world ·of rapi d ::han8e i n whi ::h we
1
o f taste.
live a nd o f the vagartes
I n 192t , an atte i:: t was . a cle i r: ? arlp
i~ en t to pe nali 7e lesbia ns i n the sae
1
The argu . e n ts
way as · ·ale ho ._0.sexuals.
speakers ,
brough t f or t h by the various
both £or a nd agai n st the
ea sure , displayed t ·he ge n eral i gn oran c e o f lesb ia n is :' whh :h ap p ears t o b e un iversal.
One ,~a nn ot help f eeli ng that t he Leasure was f i n ally de f eated not out of
i
li b ertaria n .:;
o,1siderat io ns,
a ny ::. vil
con se n sus
but ra th er f ro ~ a general
that to re cogni ze les b ia n is t.. in any
way was t anta r,: un t t o re cogni ::i n g the
o
: apa c.ity of W0 1en t o enter i nt o rela'..
t io n ships t hat e xc luded De n .
The last
:h apter,
entitled
' Whither
th e r,ost L :portant
bl w? 1 is perhaps
o
It
: ro ,· an a t ivis t point of view.
f
deals with th e pro b le ~ s le ft un solved
by th e Se xual Off enses Ac t, su .h as
th ose posed by the ho ,.iose imal servi ng
i n the Ar . .ed For c es, an d by ho . ose xuals
under th e a ge o ~ con se nt.
The au th or
~ en tio n s th e e[f orts bei ng ~ade by
British
ho . .ophile
or ga n i :,ations
~
to
i ~prove the situation.
0
Mr. Hyde f eels
:.J ,.:., .......
_ g.i: -:- ~
-
t tc'~
a g~eat
that
·..,..... .,'
;_
-:A,! ~
•:'"
,j 1 - ~
·1 ~ -
deal
of
j 't :' <' \ -J ,.
~
6
th ~ B1:it ish pu b li c 's k nowle dg~ a.nd
attitudes
about ho1;.oseXUAlity, . but _
u
e
The
that r.i ch prejudi -:: re ,· a.i n s.
a c lose look at th e
author
suggests
ho . ophile
groups i n Hollan d a nd Den,,,ar k as wor k ing ,.odels.
On this
si d e o:c the At la nt i .:, we .:a n also
pro fit fro ,. t hat c:i.dvir·e.
.·
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)...
)...
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>-.
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DOH'T FORGET.'!
NEXT DOB DAN
CE:
;t. Y le
8 :30 - 12:30
s~ H!GTON S1.
RL
CifURCd
A
~
)...
)...
A
>..
>-.
A
)...
)...
)...
AAAAAAAAAAAAA>-.>..>..>-.>..>-.)...>..>..>..>..)...>..)...>..>.
"TIG S p rr •s ,said to be run by womn.
ope n S1\T. 1: Sm.'. 112 3road st.,3oston.
Phone 423-4333.
...
�[;;;;;m;;_ {~] C} ~MP]N G
i~;1;;
• 72 pa9t!<,,of
f1(t101 \
e~>il
ys,po~try, r<2.vl!
I',,./J.1 al"t•
(p)a1nwrapper or ou/ 6( u.5- i5.)
cull< ra1e-5: 80<t
,
per issue.
<'Jr1r,,.Jk, manu scnpt .s, cd0 'nbuT1on.5 .
or
[
li/v'I.A,ZON
QUfiRT[R_Ci
55 4- l!a,Je..
l/1:,io
Oak~n~ Ca.
Published
9~~10
SISTERSMAGAZI
NE
by San Fran ci sco D.O.B.
$5 .00/year
S.F.D.O.B., 1005 Market St.,#208,
San Francisc o, Calif. 94103
ALL
SEA SONS
one year 5ub5cnott0n .
1Lf
~J we /c.o,n y our cor ..--aspond
e
e
enc.e1
FOR
CAMPING
for happy peop
with tent.
~
~
~
SWIMMING
&long a ri v er with a covered
bridge.
I
~
PRIVACY
and sunbat hing,
skinnee- d.ipping.
l ½ hours fr om Boston.
RENTALS ONL , June through
Y
SEAS
ONAL
September (o r additi onal m
onths).
Responsible, mature nature lovers
call:
(617)-566- 7041 af ter 9µn
Taylo r
Box 49
Wa erly, Ma 02179
v
.
Would like to mee t women age
J O to 40 for aft.
or ev e . g etto g ethe r s, a few dr inks 0 mov ies ,
shop p in g and so me go od fun t imes
to g ether.
I am not ar oun d on
weekends
so pl ease c a ll any time
days or ni g ht s on wee k days only.
r,: yb e th is can be a per manent
a
thin € for u s . Hope s o.
Phone
237- 4723, Ask f or M g e .
ar
A VO ICE OF THE
1
LESBIAN / F EMINIST
COMMU NI T Y
s is ters sub sc r ibe now
ADVERTISING TES FORFOC
RA
US
$6 00 per
$ 50 for
Full pa~e •••• • • $17
Half page •• ••• • $ S
Quarter pag e ••• $~
Eighth pag e • • • • $•
Cl&ssified Ads 5d a word.
Discount on repeat ads.
HIIIIH ♦IH#li#+u#HII-Jt l ~l•~
year
samµle
111
1
U S
copy
sen d to : tide c oll ec tiv e
3 73 No . Western
Los Angclt>s, Cal,f
• Roo111 202
90004
tJL.lk r0te s i-1'.clilat 1 lv u;'l ,1
rcquPst
11
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 May
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-05
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
Type
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197305
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/b22be12ad5ffd36217d056eb21ca801d.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=hJmflEWJM9PBeqHNYdSkLCe--57feVUUmYXDAaQjewt7BZbcIO22T2ryXYLiBYC42SHr4-JLR-nVA3-k6SIOsRv7RALglUVg49dKHkUFgg9JIvf66jg73S7rTNc9NhgBSWUx8b7ehawBhuLDK0jAUKmCwwQKYwZjzXXFskjjWJCsPKKZyM7Dhhku3YdE0GQYFcFqLR9FT9q%7ETUlNx%7ENuqsfB9vTcgwXCkavYYrrJ3LoyGfAV39qW599w41XGm5yEyEAKmAytUfmYnNJuL6rY1qCxQjf2loejCUR1xVuuIEaC-RbS5fjlayY1ZB-Z0Gd09VhipQjfGa3kq8yo2yTB0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
55c5b0066d266982e64cec9459f97054
PDF Text
Text
A JOURNAL FOR
GAY WOMEN
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lUNE '73
$.50
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FOCU ~ A JOUR
SNAL FOR GAYW 1EN
01'
June 1973
FOCUS is published
monthly by
B
oston Dau~hters of B1litis,
Rm.
415, 419 Boylston St., Bostoh,
M
ass. 02llp
Phone:
617-262-1592
Subscriptions
are :j~ a year, and
5
a sample is 50t.
Give us your
zip # . If you move, let us know;
_
otherwise
it costs us 10~ per
issue to forward Jrd class mail,
and sometimes it just gets lost.
Boston D.O. B. officers:
Treasurer ••••••••••
Geri Bidwell
Recording Sec't'y •• Lois · H.
Corresponding
Sec't'y •• Laura Robin
FOCUS staff:
Holly, M
imi,Laura
Robin, Geri Bidwell, and
others.
FOCUSwelcomes contributions
from everyone.
If you want
back whatever you send us,
please include a stamped, selfaddressed
envelope.
Let us
know possible
titles
and how
you want to sign your name.
Articles
in FOCUS reflect
the
views of the individual
authors
and do not necessarily
represent the views or tastes
of
Boston Daughters of Bilitis.
This publication
is on file at the I NTERNATIONAL
WOMEN'sHISTORY
ARC
HIVE, 2325 Oak Street,
Berkeley,
California
94708, and is
available
on microfilm
throu gh Bell and Howell, Drawer E,
Wooster, Ohio 44691.
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I N THIS I SSUE
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Lett e rs to FO
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meetin g •...•...•.
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Ca lendar of events .............••.•.•
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1scr1m1na 10n 1 s e ea e •.••••••
~ · Birth of Boston Feminists
for
#
Le sbian Liberation,
by W
endy •••. 8
If . Gay media watch .•.•.•••••••••••.•••.•
9
#
Cape Cod, by M.D ..•••..•••••••••••..•
9
# Limeric k contest winner .•••. ••••·••·•9
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Gay news around New England •••••••.•
10
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Gay n ews around the country ..••.••.•
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AD
DRESSES OF OTHE D.CE. CHAP
R
TERS:
D. O. B.
San Francisco
1005 M
arket s t.,
#.402-404
San Francisco,
Calif.
94103
New J ersey D. O. B.
Box 62
Fanwood, N Jersey
ew
07023
Da llas D.O. B.
V en for Action
v'om
Box 5944
Dall a s, Texas 75222
New Hampshir e D. O, B,
write to:
Cccupant
Box 137
Northwood, N. H.
M
W
t
Jf
#.
#
¥
~
# .
#
#
#
11
ff
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··
�l.
LETTE TO FOCUS
RS
Dear Friends,
Little
more than ~ ' year -a g o the
Boston Women's Collective
committed : itself . to an affirmative
project
procommunity action
vidi _ g information
n
and ·service
assachusetts.
to ·the ·women of ,,M
• • • The need for a comprehensive resource
manual, presenting
the "}:low" -and 11why 11 • of assistance became obvious~ · It was ·
natural,
then, that the Collective should publi-sh and distribute
the _ omen's Yellow Pages ••••
W
Consistent
with our expanded
community service
goals,
the
establishment
of a visible
and
central
referral
center and an
expanded publication
of the
Women's Yel:iow ' P?,ges are ·now our
priority
concerns.
• • - • ··
·
By focusing
on the practical
day to day needs of women living
in the city the Collective
has
won the endorsement
of nearly
a score of M
assachusetts'
most
respected
communi.ty programs
including
Action .for Boiton
Community Development,
the Boston
Family Plannin g Project,
Catholic
Charitable
Bureau of Boston,
National
Organizati .on for Wome.n,·
Opportunities
.Industrialization
.
Center and Sanctu~ry.
• · • · .The task ahead . i$ _great;
the
financial
need is great.
Pursuing our goal of servin g the
widest possible
spectrum of
women' s neec;ls, and under the
pressure
of matching foundation
grants,
we are askin g concerned
men and women to participate
in
this innovative
pro gram by contributing
to our 1973 fund drive.
Donors a.re ..encoura ged to contribute
accordin g to their
means.
•••
For your contribution,
you will receive
a complimentary
copy of thE;l W
omen's Yellow Pages.
For further . inform a tion, ·please
.
.
~
feel free
547-9104.
to contact
us at
Thank yo-u. .
. Sincerely,
.
· . Car61 F; Edry
President
Boston Women•s Collect1ve
·
6 51 Concord'. Avenue
.
Cambridge, _l'iT
a~s. 02lj8
Dear
·n.o.:s. :,
H.A;L~P stands for Hbmophile
Assistance
League of ' Provincetown.
W were . put together
e
three s'easons ago when: a bunch
of locals
got : 'it ' :tqto their
heads to beat ·up "fags" for
spring sport.
Ri ght now we do counselling
and housin g wo.rk ~hrough the
"P" town Drop-In Center and
ge nerally
help out gay people
who seek us out.
We have a doctor on call,
a
psychologist
and offer legal
counsel in emergencies.
Aside from that we have a ball.. ,
livin g in the most free gay
community in America.
Bill Damon
Box 674
P town 02657
DOB BUSINESS M
EETING M 23,'73
AY
Voted:
To approve the use of the name
Daughters . of Bilitis
by the
New Hampshire group.
That keys to the D.O.B. office
and front door be given only
to officers
and persons who
answer the phone.
That up to $80 be spent on an
an swer-p h one m
achine.
That Bonnie join Lois on the
mailin g committee.
�BOSTOr D. GI ERS OF BILI 'I"IS
l.\ AU -FJ:
CALENDAR
June . 1.9?3
TUESDAYS
7:30 pm RAP SESSIONS ON B
EING GAY, FOR WOMENShare feelings
.
about being gay, meet people, newcomers especially
·· . welcome. Thru June 12 at the _ usual location
in Cam. bridge (call office}; : after that at the D.O.B. office .
AY
M
UR-FM 90 ,9 on dial. '
,
THURSDAYS
9-10 pm GAYW ~ADIO PROGRA, WB
SATURDAYS
8-9 pm GAY POETRYREADINGS, Gallery Coffe~ House, Charles
Street M
eeting House) 70 Charles St., Boston (see
particular
dates below) ..
SUNDAYS .pm GAYWOMEN'S
1.
SOFT
BALL, Magaz.ine: Beach, Cambridge (across
the Charles River from Cadillac-Olds
and along M
emorial Drive west of the Boston University
Bridge.)
. Bring glove, bat, ball,
if you ·hav~ them.
June 2 , ·SATURDAY
GAY POETRYREADING: John LaPorta ( $ee . location
above).
June 3,S'J NDAY 10 ·pm LAVE DER HOUR, HB
N
CN-FM 1d4,l radio.
June 9,SATURDAY GAY POETRYREADING: M
ary Damon
June .10, SUNDAY
D.O.B. PICNIC at COCHITUATE
STATE PARK,NATICK. There
·will be someone there -grabbing tables
starting
at
10 am; there will be a small sign on a tree or table
showing the location
ih .the picnic table area.Bring
softball
stuff and your own food (or there is a
co ncession).
Entrance to the pa,rlc is $1/car.
If
you need a ride be at the D. O.B. office at 10:30 am.
'10 drive
there take the Turnpike west to exit 13,
go Route JO east l½ miles.
The p~rk is on the right.
If you can give a ride · call the office weekday eves.
June 11, M
ONDAY
1pm '!DE
BATE IN MASSACHUSETTS
HOUSECF REPRESENTATIVES
.
on H. 3313 which would repeal the . sodomy, etc.laws.
. . F,or last minute ..change of time call Barney Frank
. 727-3974.
.
..
·~
.
.
·June 16, SATURDAY
1pm BOSTON/l\lEW
ENGLAND
GAY PRIDE. WEEKSTARTS W
ITH
. A M
ARCHleaving from . Copley Square Plaz :a·. . Rally
. : at end in 3oston Common. THAT.NIGHT AT 9pm, dapce
,
!ITCH women'·s .,band at the Charles S-treet ·
· to .the V
·,
·
·M
e·etirig · House.
itchell
8pm. GAY POETRYREADING:Alliso11 M
f\!EW HA PSHIRE D. 0. B. . ICNIC/S W M Saturday
M
P
I
and Sunday.
Bring food, tent if' y'ou want to camp over.Children
invii;;ed.
For place write :Occupant, Box 137,Northwood, N.H~
·
·
June 17,SUNDAY 3pm RELIG.ION WOKSHO at C.S. Iv
_
R
P
1.H~ 1}(PART OF GAY PRIDE WK
)
7pm GAY CRUISE OF BOSTON BOR·aboard the new M.V.
'HAR
·· "P.rqvincetown".
Bring your own lunch and booze if
you wish.
W
omen will hgve their own stateroom.
Mu
sic of George Graham's orchestra ·. Q:;
5.00 (D.O. B.
·ge ts $lof
this).
Loads ·. 7:15 . pm at 20 Long W
harf,
Boston.
G~t tickets
from Sheri or wiite D.O.B.
June 18, M
ONDAY
8pm HO HAN W
LD
DS ORICSHO~, discussion
a
of stereotypes
and preju_dices within the gay community.C.S. M
.H.
➔~c. S. M H. = Charles
.
Street M
eetin g House, 70 Charles St. , 3oston.
·· ,.., v· ,.::,'.r < ·
' I
1
.
'
\
. l_.1
..
·'
-
'
�ul
::J ST0N DAUGHTERS BILITIS
0
OF
CALEl'TDAR
p.
2
June 19, TUESDAY
8pm WOEN'S \'JORK$HOP S. lVI, There will also be a
M
C.
H,
..
_separate M
EN'S \10RKSHOP .THE SAllE PLACE in another
AT
\i
room,
June 20, WEDNESDAY YOUTH KSHOP, for those 19 and ypunger.C.S.M, :.
7pm
WOR
7pm RELATIONSHIPWORKSHOP,
. discussion
of life and
love, · C.S, M 0
,H
8:30pm THE PLAYCOMING
.illIT, will be performed,C,S.M.H,
June 21,THURSDAY
8pm LAWANDPOLITICS HORKSHOP,future plans--where
do gays strike next? c.s.M.H.
June 22, · FRIDAY10 am ART.FESTIVAL ANDTEA, place to be announced
6-10 pm A NIGHT OF ART ANDENTERTAil\TMENT the
at
Gallery Co£fee House in the C,S.M.H.
9pm DANCE C. S, M. H,
June 23, SATURDAY
ART ~STIVAL, TEA ON THE LAIN,place to be announced.
V
8pm GAY POETRYREADING:GAY
PRIDE WEEK
GROUPREADING
C.S. M
.H.
9 pm-lam DANCE C.S.M,H.
IN
June 24, SUNDAY
CHRISTOPHER
STREET LIBERATIONDAYMARCH NEWYORK
CITY. Assembles at 11 am at Central Park West and
59th Street.
The march will go south and end with
a Gay Pride Gala from 4-6 pm in W
ashington Square
North,
There will be a bus from Boston,
Call H.U,B.
at 536-619? evenings.
JUNE16--23 the GALLERY
COFFEE HOUSE, 70
ALL DURINGGAYPRIDE WEEK
Charles St~ in the Charles Street Meeting House, will be open from
·
noon to midnight.
June 29, FRIDAY. D, 0, l. POT UCKSUPPER/ BUSINESS MEETING, The ~upper
.L
·is at 6pm, the meeting at?:30
pm. Come to either
or both.
Business meeti _ gE? are for the general
n
inemb rship (visitors
_
e
welcome also).
Bring a dish
Bring
to the supper, · or something to drink, etc,
whatever utensils
you might need.
Place: 12 Remington Street,
Cambridge, Apt. 106, That's about 4
blocks from Harvard . Square south along Mass. Av.,
-1 block from where Putnam Av. interse2ts
Mass. Av,
. 2 blocks fr 'om the Orson Welles Cinema,
Remington
goes between Harvard St. and Mass. Av. and has a
13 story apartment bldg. on the corner
unfinished
at Mass. Av.
June 30, SATURDAY pm GAY POETRY
.8
READING: David Eberly, c.s.M.H.
0
'
.
YOURPOETRYAT TH..E
GAYPOETRYREADINGS
NOTE: IF YOU1.iANT TO· RE.AD
call M
ary Damon 864-1954 or- Charles Shively 536-9826,
l OST0N DAUGHTERS BILITIS
OF
419 Doylston St,, Rm. 415
Boston, riass. 02116
phone 617-262-1592
HOURS: Mon. , Tues . ., \led. , Thurs~ , Fri.
T~es 3pm-7pm; Wed. llam-4pm.
evenings
�GA OH STRAIG
Y
HT
s
By s. Regal
For a long time, lesbians have had
1 e never
..v
had
trouble with identity.
a chance to define ourselves;
it was
already done for U$. We were women
who had sex · with women.
This purely sexual definition
pigeonholed any woman who had ever had a
homosexual experience, when many of
thsse women weren°t actually lesbians.
If you went to _
bed once tdth a woman,
you were 11labelled 11 for life.
The meaning of the word 11lesbian 1• g0 t
more and more confusing, even for lesbians themselves, until recently,
when
some of our spokeswoman, gay liberationist leaders, were finally heard.
These
sisters
insisted we steer away from
Nanglish dictionaries,
and start concentrating
on ourselves.
They began
to emphasize that we nre not .@.2_1ely
sexual persons, but we are w01 en who
:
1
get our emotional suppor t, e:n~ouragement, and ins pir ation from wcmen.
,
This seems to clear up a lot of the
1ictictiona:.~y:
confusion: a lesbian is
a woman who counts on, has faith in,
and whose main emotional ties are with
women.
Yet somehow I feel that this new definition is still
lacking, for if we
are talking about a woman who loves
women, -we are not . restricting
the
lesbian°s
affections
to any particular
category of women. The definition
as
it stands also allows the lesbian to
love (count on, bank on, and put her
trust and faith in) heterosexual
women (whom I call male-oriented
women).
I do not want to i:put downn these maleoriented women· ( or · even be gin to discuss bisexuals,
whom I do not include
in this category because they do have
a love commitment to their own sex,
at least part of the time), but I do
want to discuss the kind of love arrangement between the lesbian woman
and the male-oriented
woman.
This kind of relationship
call the •1 self-exploding
simply cannot work.
11
is what I
couple.
It
No matter what wonderful points the
couple has, such as complete honesty,
shared interests,
hobbies, etc., the
gay sister is constantly being hampered
and "put down•: because she and her
straight
lover don°t agree on one thing-•
themselves.
If you and your lover
(lovers,
spouse(s)) don°t agree on
your 11gayness 1;, i.e. yourselves,
the
relationship
that you have, then you
have nothing.
In other words, if you are having a ·
relationship
with a woman who claims
she is heterosexual
(male-oriented),
by her mere admission of this, she is
saying that gayness is unimportant to
her, and that you, gay sister,
.are
helping her merely pass the time until
:Prince Channin gi; comes along.
her c
W
aitin g is a part of the game. You
will bo waiting a long time, perhaps
for her to 11stand by youai
a lif8time,
and support lesbianism and, particularly, yo1.:.1~
:eight to love her.
Also, her desire to clin g to the word
,;heterosexua1i : may· be an _excuse for
her to avoid admitting to herself that
she is 11one of those people, '' and thus
she cuts herself off from the neg~tive
connotations
of the gay world. · Inevitably, this is a put down on the gay
sister.
W
hen you point out to her that
you are gay, and you aren°t a horrible,
violent,
criminal person, she hits you
with, '1Well, you 0 re different,
you 9 re
11
not li ke !:.hfiln.
Perhaps this seems believable
for a whiL
After all, it is rather difficult
to
throw off society 0 s images and indoctrinations
as to what •a lesbian is like
immediately, even if a woman has come
out several years before.
Eventually
though, a gay woman makes ati attempt
to meet other gay women, out of curiosi"by if for no other reasc;m. She begins
and
to wonder about her own identity,
i;Just who are these gay homosexual
people? 11 And so she goes out and tries
but
to fi11d answers to these questions,
always alone.
Her straight
lover won°t
attend any gay social activities
(she
refuses to call herself gay, and she
�t,. is really afraid to give· up her haterob sexual privileges 9 or be as::;ociated
with these ndown and outs 11 ) o .A funny
thing happens to the gay sister after
she begins attendin g gay meetings or
gay dances: she starts to realize that
the women she meets are actually like
her 9 and that there 0 s nothing wrong or
horrid about them ( in time, the conscj .ousness phases out this word and substitutes B,€.).
The straight lover will not be drag ged
· to a gay meetin g or a gay dance. She
will not be found in a gay bar. And
the womanwho loves her knows that the
only thing to do is to talk over the
problem with her partner.
The couple begins to ar gue again. The
male-oriented womanmight say that as
a Christian she loves everyone alike;
she doesn°t need to be in a gay bar to
love her sisters.
But the point is
that she doesn°t love her partner as
she would love a man9 if she intends
to i;throw you away~;as soon as a man
comes alon g. (Somehow a relationship
with a male would be a permanent one:;
a lesbian one 9 a passing fancy.)
She
is using you.
Furthermore 9 if this type of woman
loved everyone alike, she would agree
to make a commitment to the .lesbian.
The
But she won°t do any such thing.
same church that tells her to love everyone somehow frowns on same-sex
marriages, or any sort of sanction for
gay people.
What is happening here is the disintegration of a relationship.
The women
in this situation must make a number
of choices.
The gay sister seems to
realize the inequality in the relationship, and that her energies are not
being returned to her 9 and are being
wasted on men. She has before her a
1) she can be a
number of choices:
1i
,1man to the woman she loves (butch9
f emme) and then she can .deal with her
as she was taught to deal with men;
2) she can become her i 1girlfriend, 1:
and begin restraining
her affection
(no love poems, no anniversary presents,
no kissing 9 no sex 9 etc.) ; or 3) she
can bac k out of the relationship.
W can°t she make it last?
hy
W
ell,
she
might hoJ.d out fer a while, but eventually the closet life that her lover
.· lead, the little
nasty cracks
makes h-::;-~
and the queer jokes will get to her.
The gay sister will become so tired
fighting with her lover that she will
finally have to leave this woman.
There is little
else to do. This maleoriented woman is not going to suddenly learn so much about lesbians that
she will O awaken1; and one day understand and agree. Her partner cannot
teach her, or coerce her. Besides,
isn°t this what gay people have been
fi ghting all alon ·g, brainwashing people
into asexual orientation
they don°t
want??
Respect har, womanto woman. Give her
.
credit for knowing what she wants. Sto :i_
seeing hel:', and break off the relationship.
She will no longer be hassling you about touching her in public, and you
won°t have to listen to queer jokes.
You won°t have to struggle along tryin g
to justify yourself to her and your
I'ight to love her.
Talk with your gay sisters.
I think
you will discover that, in spite of
everything you had going for you in
your relationship,
you actually have
more in common, more communication,
and more understanding with gay women.
I realize how terribly
difficult
this
is to do, but I do believe that this
is a necessary step if we lesbians are
really going to try to define oursel,ve 1:
To .avoid a lot of heartaches caused by
this kind of gay-straight
relationship I suggest we define ourselves as women
who love womenwho love women. In thi .
manner, we will be directed toward
ourselves.
W will define ourselves,
e
and by doing so we will have a better
idea who we are, and how to explain
ourselves to others.
�DISCRIM
INATION BILLS DEFEATEDIN M
ASSACHUSETTS
The Massachusetts
Senate on Jlf y .
'a
7 voted 29 to 6 against
two bills
which would have banned discrimination
in employment, housing,
insurance,
mort.gage s , · and public
accommodations
on the basis of
sexual preference.
This vote
H.3218 and
killed
the two bills,
H.3220, which would have amended
existing
state discrimination
laws.
hot
"I am advocating
the principle
of
tolerance,"
said Senator Robert
Hall (Lunenburg),
leading
off in
11They
a short floor debate.
added
have to make a living,"
Senator Allan M
cKinnon (Weymouth).
Both Senators
are members of the
joint Committee on Commerce and
Labor which had heard the testimony on the bills
February 1 and
had been impressed by the need
for protective
laws.
M
cKinnon
is chairman of that committee.
Hall is one of only seven Republicans
ln a 39-person
Senate.
-----------------------------
"We can't vote for these bills
unless we are going to scrap all
traditional
values of unity and
s• id Senator David
a
the family,"
Locke (Wellesley).
"Homosexuals
have been getting
along fine for
hundreds of years Only now when
.they become public do they get
any discrimination,"
he continued.
The roll .call vote showed that
most agreed with Locke. Those
who vo:tect i_n favor of .th~ gay bills
were, . be~ides Hall and llIcKinnon .•
'
Jack Backman, Irvin g Fishman,
Edward Burke, and John Olver,
most known as liberals.
The bills
had originally
received a favorable
report
on
:M
arch 21 and had been sent to
the Senate.
They were returned
to committee with a note that
they be sent to the House instead,
since a House member,
Representative
Barney Frank, had.
introduced
them~ The Senate did
not want to deal with the Houso':s
issues.
Ultimately
it was discovered
the
that according ·to rules,
bills
had to be dealt with by
the Senate.
The second report
out of committee was unfavorable.
The vote in the Senate on M
ay
7 was actually
on whether .to upr
hold the ne gative re p::, t of
the committee.
-----------~-~--------------BILL TO REPEAL SODOY LAWTO
M
BE HEARDBY HOUSEJUNE 11
H. 3313, which would repeal
.laws a gainst adultery,
fornication,
crime against
nature
(sodomy), unnatural
acts,
and
lewd cohabitation,
was given
an unfavorable
report
by the
Judiciary
Committee and will
go onto the M
assachusetts
floor Monday, June 11 (unless
there is a last minute change),
for debate.
The session
starts
at 1 p.m.
Visitors
can sit in
the gallery.
If your representative . is on the right side,
~ive him or her .a ring to ~emind them to be there to vote
·,
for us.
H. 3312,
an equal rights
amendment to the state
constitution,
received
an adverse
report by the Judiciary
Committee on May· 9 and was "placed
on file"
( in the dead bo_ ).
x
..
---~-----~--------~-------------------------------------~~e
r evi ew in .the vl as t iss1
. of FCCUS wa s
wrltten
by
. Ada Be.llo fr om t :1e HomophJle
Action League , i n I ~ila de lphia.
~ooi
�CAPE COD
by M.D.
GAYME:QIA
W
ATCH
May 18, 1973
A group of men and women have formed
a Gay .Media Watch which is trying to .
keep t:tackof radio, television,
and
press · pres,entations .' of homosexuality, .
and in gene-rai to pus~ for fair and .
accurate povtrayal.
·
·
Summer is here once again, and tne
vaqation
problemof
_
wher.e , to spend
a week or two.
Ha:ve you . tried
Provincet - wn at - the tip of Cape
o
Cod? :· There are three very .nice
clubs that I would recommend that ·
you v:isit while you are there.
The WCVB-TV
{Channel ·5} ·series 11Homo-.
1) The Pied Piper on . C:omrnercial
· sexuals in Boston," Narqh 26-30, startStreet.
2) The MS at .th .e Crown
ed it all.
Gay view.ers ·liadlooked for}) The Back Room whfch
ward to this first regional documentary, 8° Anchor.
features
Arthur Blake I s ali-male
but when theysaw it, many-l'elt somerevue from 4 to 7. Cocktails;
thing had to . be .done • .
sun decks, pool playing
dancing,
11Complete lack
and other entertainment
are availof ,coverage on female
During . the
homosexi.lals ••• limited selection of homo- able at all the clubs.
day you can take your girl or . go
sexuals interviewed ••• narrow range of
alone to Herring Cove Beach and
emotional attachments portrayed ••• the
there ·you. 1 11 meet all the peciple
entire concept _ f gay love vfas left
o
you saw at the clubs the night
unexplored ••• failur.e to show the corbefore.
While vis _ ting .the 'Gape
i
of the
relation between those qualities
make it a must to have -dinner at
gay lifestyle
perceived as ·negative
the Provincetown
Inn ,. This is a
and the socie~alpressures
·responsible
straight . Thn but you will never
for creating them •• •'° wrote the quicklike it on the Cape,
ly formed group _ a ·letter to the broad- see · anything
in
so be sure to make it.
casters.
I
.
.
.
-
.
Now for motels, ·well there are two
very nice ones I've stayed at ·and
would recommend highly.
1) The
Moors and 2) The· Boat -Slip.
Call
for _reservattons
early as they
will be 'full duringJ:uly
and
August.
You will be surprise .,
d
The media group has been approaching
at
. at the 'people ,you will meet _
etc., and keeps its
other stations,
They will be from
Provincetown.
· eyes oper:i for cov,erage ·. It meets Sunall over New England and Canada.
Let us know ho~1·you l _ked ··the Cape
day nights at 7i 00 P~M ·a.t the Charles . ._
.
i
Street Meeting House in Boston. For
and if you were . not satisfied,
information or to report a piece of
you ~eren 1 t with the right
coverage, ., call 277-0687 or 868-5729.
person.
.
.
A meeting with .station officinls .result. ed in opening com.munication between
· gay people . and the station, · and gave
the -atter many contacts.
l
Program di·rector La:rry Pickard said they were part'icula~ly .interested
in news coverage.
!
-----------------~--------- ---------------~--~~---~---- --- - ---------------------------:~~-~---------------------------~---,;,...-~--~
- ------ ~
..
itJINNEROF LIMERICK CONTEST
.
,.
...
.
The winner is Linch Lachman, who gets her choice ·of a subscription
to FOCUS or two tickets
to the next D. O. B. dance. The D.O. B. dances are fine
(:C:t !!.;!lt.2~~ .:~ .t ,3,3[.i__ .t_l:. <.LD.,{t8: &&
_
:1 :~o.. _ .:
,
8~
:
&& &
and Focus is right up my line,
0 r, n._(jo "r · <;
Cr ·o·o 0.r r ·0• 1>&&!)&&&& p&&
& .0 ~ r . :c.:c &
~:c~c-- .,,...:,( -.'---( .'. v (_,~;~:c r,~C:~<l.': -~~--- t:t. r e,:
but best of all _things
is the memory that sprin ~s
~" .
B OSTON .
. .
&
of the Tuesday rap t hat helped
&
0
m~,rmind.
(~
GA ·FRI D~ JE EK
Y
&
A limerick
has a strange
ring.
c,
,Jur-m .;;; ! ti :
16- 23
&
Its rhythm can suddenly cling.
&
t
n
And once you 1 ve be gun
&
your mind is unc.one
when tryin g to stop the whole thing!
,o · •
r
(.
o
�THE BIRTH OF
BOSTON NINISTS FORLESBIAF LIBERATION
FE
by
Wendy.
At a DOBrap several months ago, a proposal to form small rap groups was presented.
Reactions to this idea were
However, a few
almost non-eXis .tent.
women did keep the idea in mind, and on
April 10, two friends approached me about starting
a CR (consciousness raising) g:.-oup. The month before I had unsucces3fully tried to start one thr"ugh
Female Liberation,
so I was eager to get
involved in this one. I immediately
shared the nsws of the group with another friend.
Her rea~tion was also
positive.
Now all we had to do was to
find more women. The next Sunday at
softball,
I happened to mention the group
to two other women. Their enthusiasm
was overwhelming, and thus we had the
raw material for our new experience.
On Monday, April 23, we hed our first
official
meeting.
Some of us did not
know each other, so we structured the
meeting as a discussion cf the vsi"ious
purposes we each saw for t!1e group. After that we proceeded i-d.th a general introduction of ourselves,
our personal
histories,
and our feelings about being
gay. At the close of the meoting we
all felt confident about the group and
its goals.
On Sunday, April 29, we had our second
meeting.
Basically,
we started from
where we had left off at the first
meeting.
We defined as best we could
where our heads were right then, and
from there we got into a discussion of
personal and political
material,
from
which emerged an agreement that we all
defined ourselves as lesbian feminists.
In the course of a lengthy discussion
about feminist versus gay issues, a
consensus emerged that:
1) lesbianism
is definitely
a valid feminist issue
(the right of eve'y woman to fulfil
her human and sexual potential
in whatever way she chooses being a necessary
element in women's liberation),
and
2) the women's movement ~an and should
provide a forum for the airing of gay
issues iind work toward ending the op-·
presiion of gay women. We therefore
decided td form a small core group
which would have as its major goals the
improvement of gay - straight relations
within the women's movement and enlisting the support of women°s groups for
gay issues.
As one cf our first actions, we have
w.rH;l.en a letter to the editorial
board
their lack
of Nl!.• Nagazine protesting
of coverage of anything gay. There has
not be~m a single mention of lesbianism
in !i§;. since September of 1972 (see
Kay Silk's article
on~in last month 0 s
FOCUS), and we feel strongly that this
omission contradicts
the stated policy
of Ms., which is to speak to and for
all women. In our letter we offe~ed to
write articles
about gay women's issues
for ti§.~, ar.1.d
suggested several specific
ways in which the magazine could improve its coverage in this area. ·
Besides writing to~.,
we have written
to other women°s groups and plan to
participate
in the Women°s W
orkshop at
Gay Pride Week. We are all working
toward the same goal -- to combat oppression.
If we cannot be supportive
of each other, can any of us succeed?
We need an honest and open flow of
communication between women°s groups..
We need a means to work together and
a way to recognize differing
needs
between groups, both gay and straight.
We could not meet the following week,
so we resumed our group on l-londay, M
ay
14, our third meeting.
We were feeling
frustrated
about talking about what was
.
happening (Rev. w Alberts being thrown
out of his church for marrying two
homosexuals, the seeming disintegration
We hope and believe that we and DOB
of jj§_. Magazine into another Ladies 0
can work together to produce some means
Home Journal, the difficulty
of decidto healthy and positive ends. We ening what directions
and tactics would
coura ge any support, help, information
best be used for the Gay Hovement). We
and ideas you may have and welcome you
decided it was time for action.
to work with us toward our goals.
imi, Holly, Andrea, Lois, M
argo or Wendy
CO TACT: M
N
OR \i RITE: Boston Feminists for Lesbian Liberation,
J
P.O. Box 408, W. Somerville, Maf:.
�GAY NE,WS
AJlOU NE ENGLA1D
ND W
l1
GAY l~E\1 AROUI:lD
3
THE COU TRY
N
µ -;1J:.:.:
. . u
Furor ,ln New Hamn.§Jl:u:E
A newly-approved
student
gay group at
the University
of New Hampshire at
Durhnm has encountered
objections
on
the part of • state
officinls:1
fueled by
an article
in the lfanch . ster Union
e
Loadar on May_ 20. According to a member of the gay g1"'oup, the Union Leade1·
called them . lfpansies 11 s.nd "f airiesn,
and the Governor of the state
fqund
11
0 s approval
11repulsive.
the University
Old T-es·t mi.
,J
i!'l. trouble
- ·...;..~;;..;;;,_;"-"==""- nister
'r..=---=.o,_
;=.; :;..:_
·. On Apl"il 7 the Rev. William Alberts
J
e
·of Old (, est ivl thodj_st Church on Cam..-bridge St. in Beston per-formed a marriuge ceremony for b-ro cf his parishioners:1 Bob Jones ar.d Hn.rry Freeman.
On April 30 · Bishop Edward G. Carroll
1iYou are
told Albertsg
not a,ppointable
in June.
You a:ce sick and wlllbe
put
on disability
leave. 11
The two men and Alberts
had spoken wtth
the Bishop - efore tr..e 1wddir-.g and know
b
that he was cppcsed to the cer8 monyo
At that time 9 . accordi n g t.o Alberts?
..,...,J ._
t.here was no mention ti ::.a h0 mi.ght not
t
' ' .-.;,,l)re-appo1u-,Je d a.t Old .,;,~~c.
· • ..
I ,
'
oe
Tne mat ··..ter is now in the hands of the Board
of Ivlinistries
is suppcsed to
9 .;,hich
give a recommer.dation.
The annual meeting of the Southern
1
Jlew England Conference · convenes June 7
in South Hadley? Nass.
The conference,
from each
composed of · two delegates
pm"'ish 9 could take a stand and would
have the final
say 9 except for a pos. sible e.ppeal to the National
Judicial
Council of the Methodist
Church.
T- controversy
l:ie
has .received
muc. Bosh
·ton press coverage.
At time of FOCUS
printing 9 an article
by Alberts
was
scheduled
for the Boston Globe Hagazine
on June 2.
Gay Pride vJeek in Boston
Don°t miss it -- see the -calendar.
G.:.v:_cy1~:r. bi..:.rns
New York
The now gay center in Buffalo,
was burned out on r1Iarch 23. The cause
was probably
faulty
wiring.
The loss
represented
several
thousands
of dollars.
One person was ·seriously
burned.
(ADVOCATE Arf.ril 259 1973)
9
and
,I':r.·er:;byter
·ian .
_Methocflpt groups .f~
Ga.vs. The Le6bia:n Resource Center in
M:i;-neapolis h::i.s 'rece ·ived $2500 for op0
erating
expenses from 'the Presbyteri.ans
Women in Leadership
Project
and $1800
Voluntary
Serfrom the United Nethodist
vices.
(ADVOCATE,April 2.5 and June .6)
on h-Jmomaga.zine features
July/ August issue of by.the United
TRENDS Nagazine 9 published
Pr0sbyr;erian
Church 9 will be about
"Homosexuality:
Neither Siri Nor Sickness,
For a copy send $1.00 to Room 723 9 Witherspoo~ Building 9 Philadelphia
9 Penna.
PrGsbvtertan
~~JQJ2Iitv.
The
19107.
P.n<:.':ric n ... vch:l::ttric Associatton
.1. Ps
- ---...--- ma:.ie no change in its . -~-The A.P.A.
.-....,.,
.
clasdf~ L
catio;:1 cf homosexuality
as an ill11ess in ifs nnnual convention
in Hcmolulu in } 'lay~ (ADVOCATE Juna 6 9 1973)
9
'Siom.~ History
Archive
in Berkeley
lust its meager ftmding early in i''iay.
They are in desperate
i1eed of money and
help.
The library
maintains
a c6llectio
and
of hnnd:-..~eds of wom~n°s periodicals
other publications
including
FOCUS.
9
If you want to help 9 the address . is on
the front page of FOCUS.
Phiiadeluh:\a
Two ne~iv se1·vices for gay women~ Lesbian Hotline
6:00P.M.--2:00
A.h. Sat.
through Tuesday 9 215-SA9-200l;
Gay
Women°s Open House Saturday
nights
at
8:00 P.J:. ., Women°s Center,
I
4634 Chester Ave., Philadelphia
9 Penna. 19143.
lf1:lg,land
· A FOCUS rea.d~r has told us that the
English magazine ARE A THREE has beN
.
· come GAY PUBLICATIONS, which you can
g6t for 35 p from Gay · Publications
9
. Englan c'
P . O. Box 20, Newbury, Berkshire,
�, THE ONLY GAY LIBERATION ANTHOLOGY
WITH ARTICLES BY
WOMEN
AND MEN. BY AND FOR GAY PEOPLE.
OUT OF THE CLOSETS:
VOICES OF GAY LIBERATION
EDITED BY KARLAJAY & ALLEN YOUNG
MORE THAN
so
ARTICLES
ON sllcH
TOPICS
AS sEx
ROLES,~
PRISON, CUBA, WOMEN'SLIBERATION, INTER-RACIAL
•~
RELATIONS, HEALTH CARE, PSYCHIATRY, THE MEDIA,
LITERATURE, ETC. INCLUDES PERSONALTESTIMONY,
POEMS, ANALYTICALESSAYS, MANIFESTOS, DOCUMENTS,
AND PHOTOGRAPHS,PLUS A BIBLIOGRAPHYAND AN
INTERNATIONALDIRECTORYOF GAY ORGANIZATIONS.
404 PP.
$3.95
$7.95
PAPERBACK
HARDCOVER.
AVAILABLE BY MAIL ORDER FROM:
GAY LIBERATION BOOKSERVICE,
FRANCISCO, CALIF. 94140
.,
BOX 40397,
SAN
OSCAR WILDE MEMORIALBOOKSHOP, 291 MERCERST.,
NEWYORK, NY 10003.
Note to libraries
and bookstoress
To obtain
this book, write directly
to the publisher:
Douglas Books, Apt. 34, 905 West End Avenue,
N.Y. 10025,
copies
of
New York,
�CAMPING
SEASONS
FOR
ALL
SWIMMING
along a river with a covered
bridge.
PRIVACY sunbathing,
and
skiMee-dipping.
1½ hours from Boston.
SEASONAL
RENTALS
ONLY,June through
September (or additional months).
Responsible, mature nature lovers
call:
(617)-566-7041 after 9pm
Taylor
Box 49
Waverly,Ma. 02179
. all gay women
should
read
SAPPHO
the regular
monthly
magazine
6 months
I; 1,5 8
,t 2,lJ
Surface(wrapper)
Surface(sealed)
Airmail
E 2,95
SAPPHO
BCM / PET~FL
LONDON
~THE
bESl3IAN
'IEE~
A VOICE OF THE
LESBIAN/FEMINIST
COMMUNITY
$.50
now!
per yea r in U.S.
for
sa mple
AMAZON QUARTERLY
A JOURNAL LESBIAN- FEMINISM
OF
72 Pages of:
VISUALART
FICTION
POETRY
sisters subscribe
$6.00
WC 1
REVIEWS
EXPLORATION
copy
send to : tide collective
373 No. Western • Room 202
Los Angeles, Calif. 90004
bulk rate s availabl e upon
request.
$4 per year (inside U.S.)
$5 per year (plain brown wrapper; outside u.s.)
$1 for sample issue
Amazon Quarterly, 554 Valle Vista, Oakland, California,
94610
,J
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 June
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-06
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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THP-0011-focus-197306
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~ ~
A JOURNAL FOR
GAY WOMEN
$.50
.,
WENfORfi
VERSTARS&DY
AAS8. ~ FORE ·
~
&D
T
&
JULY '73
...
�·.;" ·" ,;;n,c .. •nf"'.r;;,,,, . 1
,·,·
",,. ,, 11·., " F0OUS:
" 1,::JetJRNAL .. FOR GAYW
-OME
N
July 1973
FOCUSis published monthly by
Boston Daughters of Bilitis,
Rm.
323, 419 Boylston St,, Boston,
M
ass, 02116
Phone:
617-262-1592
Subscriptions
are $5 a year, and
a sample is 50¢. Give us your
zip# •• If you move, let us know;
otherwise it co"sts us 10¢ per
issue to forward Jrd class mail,
and sometimes it gets lost.
Boston D.O.B. officers;
Treasurer; .. , ...••• Geri Bidwell
Recording Sec'y •..• Lois H.
Corresponding Sec'y •• Laura Robin
FOCUSstaff:
Linda Lachman, Schel,
Wendy, Laura Robin, and Geri
Bidwell.
FOCUSwelcomes contributions
If you want
from everyone.
back whatever you send us,
please include a stamped, selfaddressed envelope.
Let us
know possible titles
and how
you want to sign your name.
Articles
in FOCUSreflect
the
views of the individual
authors
and do not necessarily
represent the views .or tastes of
Boston Daughters of Bilitis.
This publication
is on file at the INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN'S
HISTORY
Berkeley, California
94708, and is
ARCHIVE, 2325 Oak Street,
available
on microfilm through Bell and Howell, Drawer E,
Wooster; Ohio 44691.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Calend~r ••• • ••• • •••• .•• •·• •••• • •••••• • • • • • • • • •
2
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Letters to FOCUS••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••3
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11• • • • • • • • • • • • •
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D.O.B. gets new office •••••• • •••• •.• ·•••••.•••••••••••••••
.3
HowI thought I was going to O.D. on one more rap group,
but didn°t••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••4
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Gay pride week in Boston -- a collage•••••••••••••••••••••5
Montreal: where the gay scene is legal and the bars are
plentiful•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••6
Gay pride march, 1973 (poem)••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••7
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Women°slobbY•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••8
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Journal entry ••••••••••••••••
•.••••••••••••
·••••••••••••••
.8
fr
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Sodomy bill defeated;
Senator Hall explains his stand
1f:
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to constituents•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••9
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A review: OURBODIES, OURSELVES••••••••••••••••••~•••••••lO
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A review: LESBIAN
NATION•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••ll
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Poems••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••l2
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Photographs of Gay Pride Week••••••••••••••••••••••••••••l3
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H
THE COVER:
This flag
flew at the Gay
Pride March in New York
City June 24 in the Lesbian
Feminist contingent.
Photo
by Laura Robin.
GAYPRIDE WEEKPHO'l'OS 13:
P•
First one by Laura, last two
by Schel.
More photos on display in the
D.Q.B. office.
...
-
. .:. ....
·-
�2
BOSTO DAUGHI'ERS BILITIS
N
OF
CALENDAR
July 197'.3
. TUESDAYS
7:30 pm RAP SESSIONS ON BEING GAY, FOR WOMEN. Now located at our new big,
Boston.
Share
beautiful
office,
Room 323 at 419 Boylston Street,
feelings
about being gay; newcomers especially
welcome.
-WAY
RADIO PROGRAM,
WBUR-FM
90.9 on the dial.
THURSDAYS
- 9-10 pm GAY
8
.
70 Charles St.,
SATURDAYS µn GAYPOEI'RYRF.ADING. Meeting House , gallery,
If you want to · iead call Charles at536-9826.
·.
S TJ.I\TDAY
S
J.
Boston.
rmD¥o.'B.
SOFI'BALL. Bring ball, bat, glove, and/or self; informal games.
Magazine Beach field,
Cambridge, across the Charles River from
Cadillac --dlds 'and along Memorial Drive west of the Boston Uni ver.
si ty Bridge.
7pm GAYMEDIAWATCH. Concerned with p~esentation
of gay .issues · in the
media.
Charles st. Meeting House, 70 Charles st., Boston.
July
1-28 EXHIBIT OF PHOTOGRAPHS EILEEN FRIEDENREICH. Panopticon,
BY
·
Road, Boston. 267-8929.
. 187 Bay State
0S
July 12 at 8 pm WOMEI-J LOBBYORGANIZATIONAL
MEEI'ING; For place call 489- .2414.
THURSDAY
For more information
on the Lobby call Fran Henry in Room 275
at the State House, 727-6198 11 and read the July FOCUS.
July 14
D.O.B. PICNIC NUMBER AT COCHITUATE
2
STATE PARK, NATICK. Rides leave the
SATURDAY
D.O.B. office promptly at 9:30 am. Bring your own food or buy
at the concession.
Bring your toys.
There will be horseshoes
a.pd softball . (bring - gloves, bats, etc). · Get there early or
_you may not be admitted-to -the Pfrk as it fills
up. Turnpike
west to exit 13, Route 30 east 12 miles.
Park is on the right.
· · .If you can give . or will need a ride, call the office weekday
~ve~ing~ .or .W~dnesdays. P.• s. Fr&Sh water sw.i.mming& a beach too.
July 30 at 7:30 pm ·n~o.B~ BUSINESS MEEI'ING:for all
lVIONDAY
At the . D.O.B. .office. ·
.
members.
'
August
others
,
may attend.
.
5 at 10: pm~VE}JDER
_·.!{OUR,.
WBC~F.M.,104,.l on radio · dial.
',
August 12
SUNDAY
..
..
D.O.B. PICNIC. - Pls,ce to be announced.
·
August 18, 19 D.O~B; ·CAMPING
·TRIP, HAROLD
-PARKER
STATE PARK, READING. Details
SATURDAY
,SUNDAY
rim month.
. . . ..
· ·
· ·· ....
. .
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BOSTON
DAUGHI'ERS BILITIS, ROOM
. OF
323, 419 BOYLSTON , BOSTON,MASS. · m6
ST.
o
PHONE: 617-262-1592
. ":
Open to . all women 18 years old and oider. · $10/ ~ar, -$15 for a couple
MEl'1BERSHIP:
Includes one suc s ~ription to FOCUS. Send your - name and address and
~
ph:me number wit L a signed stateme~t that you arc a· woman 18 or over.
FOCUS: A JOU ,.I, FOR GAYWO N. Monthly. $5/ year, 50 ¢ .for a sample.
RN.i
H.S
D.O.B. CALEl'
JDAR:'M
onthly. $1 for 6 months.
.
ALL D.O.B. EVENTSARE OPENTO ALL WOMEN
REGARDLESS MEMBERSHIP
OF
STATUSIN D.O.B.
D.O.B. WELCOMES NT
CO RIBUTIO OF MONEY
NS
ANDTIME IN ITS EFFORTSTO REACH
OTHERGAY
W ME TO PHOVl!) RA ANDSOCIAL EVENTS, TO WORK
O N,
I::: PS
FOR THE CIVIL RIGIITS OF GAYPEOPLE.
41/
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LEl'TffiS:. e- FOCUS
.
·. . • .·.- T
.
'·
,
Hey gangDear :People:
It has £inal],y happened. There 0 s a l(1Qme_11°s As' of May 1st the American Civil
bar open every : .night of the week just f-or
Liberties Un~o11
has begun a new two
of which I am the Diracyear p~oj~ct · - _
us, and if we::fion°t support it we0 ll be . .
£
-for~' ·This ' . is~' national pro'ject on
cutting our ownthroats.
.
·
·. S8'tllai Privacy, a project w~ch seeks
The Saints, at ll2 Broad Street in Boston
to repeal all : laws througho~~ the
country which invade sexual privacy
a
is a straight b_r by day and gay by night.
and e~peoiallythose
laws that disSome of th~ . women.that work there during
the '.' ay decid.°Eid -see what they could do
d
~
or:µninate against homosexuals and
about usirtg ·the .· ):,ar. on weekend· nights
prostitutes.
(Sat. and Sujl~) ; Tpny, the owner of tne
Saints, decid~~ -to take a chance and
In -pursuit of these ends we are seek0. K. 0 d the ven1;.v.reand the women° bar
s
. ing as much information as possible
opened. The women.managing the bar are
to provide an adequate background for
it
committed to J11ald.ng a success. It was, _· · the consideration of these issues. As
and now it is open every night of the
we are operating under limited funds,
·
week.
would you be able to suppiy us with
the foil owing:
It is possible 11 however 11 ·that they may
have to reclose it on weeknights · since
FOCUS:AJournal for Gay Women
they are losing money. If the Saints lose,
we lose. We lose the chance to meet each ·
We feel this would prove quite helpful and informative.
At the close of
other in an amiabi~ atmosphere~ . We0 11
lose Q.YEplac,e. . :
·'
this project all requested~fterials
.
.
will be incorporated into the ACLU
Now.come to ·t)ie Saint1;1, have a drink,
library which is a major civil librelax, play paddleball, chess; watch T. V.,
erties resource for scholars and
dance, be with your friend, make new
re ·s earchers.
i
.
friends.
place.
Please
comep. pati-oriize OUR
·
· .· ··<~"
,
· ·
Th~nk you for any help you may be to
USf ..,
Directions: tp.ke MBTA either State St.
to
Station
iquarium.
It 0 s :near the corner of ·Brotid st. and Atlantic Ave. The
phone nupiber if you get lost is: 423-4333•
or
Sincerely,
Marilyn G. Haft
Director, Se~al
~ivacy
Project
A.C.L.U.
22 E. 40th St.
NewYork, NY10016
Love, .
Wendy and Schel
Dear Friends,
I look forward .to Focus every month. It 0 s
one of the few ways I have of keeping up
w.i. the news.
th
·
NowI am wond~ring if there are ·ot~er
womenin the Pittsburgh area wn6 read
your journal • . :i;;rso I would l.fk~
_
correspond w;lth. some, 35 and older, who
are interest~ ; in organic gardening and
health · food· .
s
·
:to
Thanks again Focus and donvt ever quit.
Sincerely,
Ms. Ann Vernon
P.O. Box 152
Irwin, Pa. 15642
#H###H##HH####H-11-H####H### #H
###
#
.
#
#
D.O.B. GE.TS
NEW
OFFICE
#
#.
#
# At the June 26 rap, we held open #
# house for our new ~pacious, com- #
# fortable quarters in Room323
·#
#. in the same building at 419
f
# Boylston Street, Boston. About #
#. s_xty womendropped by to enjoy
i
#
# the punch and conversation. The #
# rap room is as nice as Holmes
#
#
# Hall and is all ours t
#
#
# Special .thanks go to Val, Paula, #
# and Geri for all the work they
#
# did cleaning, painting, and
#.
# moving.
·
#
###HH/1-####H##H#Hffl#H#HHH#### ...
�4
HO I THOUGHT AS GOI G TO O.D. O ONE
W
I W
N
N
MORE GROUP,
RAP
BUT DID
N'T
by Linda· Lachman
I have , -attended - a good numper of gay rap
groups run by various organizations,
because . I enjoy .throwing words :llround and
I
chewing on oth8r peoples' thoughts.
don°t . know what it . is I really expect of
a rap sesion -nor do I really know what is
clearly accomplished by a rap, or what
exactly makes a good rap or a bad rap.
om@n°sRap Tuesday night of Gay
The W
•
. Pride Week was a good rap session .
and form a united front and plan to
!!2 something fo~ the gay women's
community. That was the accomplishment I was looking for ,Tuesday nigpt.
Perhaps I expected more nitty-gritty
work and less heavy talking - although
as I want to keep saying, what was
discussed was done well and certainly
that alone has merit.
few ideas were thrown out and went
the way o,f all words - a community
center. for all gay women in the area,
and comm~the need ;for -unification
ication between gay groups, and between feminist and gay groups, and
• so on, but the -- eeds werfit,all ,that
n
was discussed and not what could Qe
done for . a solution.
Perh$pS I wa~
asking t~o much. At the end of the
evening lists were hastily passed
out for people to sign . and just as
h~phazardly madly signed by a crush
of people. But I have signed lists
· before, and ?lothing Jlas dev~M.
A
Ifit
took _ll).eawh,ile to come around to
.
saying that the r.ap was good, it 0 s
becasue I 0m not . sure if raps _!l:2 entirely
good. Oh, .of course, there .is some purpose. For some people raps .are a catharsis - letting out thoughts that couldn°t
be said elsewher~; or somet~es it may
be an exchange of information and a
gathering of new facts; for others it
may be a discovery of happy i~~c:>iin~
. or
•
"sameness_" - when they hear someone else
say something that they thought only
tbey f~lt and experienced; .w~le . last,
but certainly - ot leas~, it may simply be
n
the strength of the comraderie experienced in the presence of the fifty or more
women jammed together all trying to share
and unite on one wave length. · Certainly
these are all v~lid, and I have experienced all of thes~ conclusions at various
raps, ,but sometimes I, also, feel as
though all thatis ever really accomplished is the release of alot of air and
feelings, and then a quiet nothingness
follows as everyone settles complacently
back into their pre-rap boxes, with the
same people carrying on as they did
before - the same leaders leading and
active, and the same lookers~on talking
and doing nothing.
Many excellent thoughts were expressed
Tuesday night and I think most people
felt, when they left, as if something
had been accomplished; but, again, what
really was that accomplishment? Perhaps,
afterall,
I did go· in with some expectations and uneasi~asb'. ,•• I guess I didn •t
want it to be just another rap session they are always readily available three
nights of every week~ I had hoped for
something more·, for action to be initiated, for an · the ··groups to · c~m~ together
conclusion then, afier almost being overwhelmed by the good feelings
that came out of the rap is: I am
guilty, we are all guilty, .of listen:- .
ing to ourselves s~y wonderful things
t
in the fever of _he spirit . of an evening and then the morning-after
vacsets in • . And
uum of forgetfulness
nothing gets done ••• and then the next
beautiful rap occurs and we remember
what still hasn't been done •• while .,
the same steady workers .and patient
ieaders keep tring to get the lists
of signatures t,o be live people and
helping hands.
My
l
I,f this sounds like a "who-is-sheto-be-shaking-a-finger-at-us
'} call to
action, the finger is being pointed
as much at myself as at anyone in
our community.- it is so easy to talk
and make it sound right, but it's not
so easy to do. Good raps are a · great
help sometimes, and ruesday .night was
certainly not a, wasted evening, but
it seems to me as though it is time
to make $ anething of all the wonderful . words .,and ;!!2 something.
�5
GAY
PRIDE
WEEK BOSTON--A
IN
COLLAGE
by Laura McMurry
The Parade.
June 16
What0 s a parade without a band, rignt?
For the first time in the history of
Boston gay marches (1971, 1972, 1973),
we had a band. There didn °t seem to
be a Gay Marching Band around so the
planning committee hired a band. I
had heard it was a high school band and
figured it would be our luck to get one
that sounded like the one that plays
at Magazine Beach during softball on
Sundays.
But, parade day came and there they
were--at the head of th . procession,
e
right behind the GAY
PRIDEWEEK
banner,
American flag proudly flying--the
Braintree Brav.es Drum and Bugle Corps-and they were little
ld.dsl The oldest
was maybe twelve. It was really nice • .
Workshops.
Women's workshop. There was no
effort in advance or at the workshop
to make it achieve anything for the
As Linda Lachman says in her
future.
article ., · it was ·a rap. This was fine
wit ·h me since I •m more into rapping
these days and less into organizing.
The most interesting part was the talk
about relationships
between individuals
·& couples and of individuals in a
couple to others.
There were too many
people to get into anything very far,
though.
Relationships. Both men (more) and
womenwere there. · A lot of routine
talk about the legalities
of marriage
and adoption, though f ,ew people said
if theY were personal'ly interested
in ·
adoption.
What about a coupleship
where one works and the other stays
at home? At ·first ·people thought this ·
was not good, but later decided it
depends on "how the people ·concerned
feel about it".
Men brought up "tricking out a lot" as though it were a
commonexperience for everyone in the
room.
The coffeehouse.
One of my favorite evenings was spent
sitting at a sidewalk t&ble on the
patio at the Gallery Coffeehouse at
the Charles Street Meeting House,
talking with a friend, drinking 25¢
lemonade and eating 45¢ delicious
cake, saying hello . to the people I
knew who walked by, and reading the
first Gay CommunityNewsletter.About
forty people were sitting there enjoying the warm evening. The sense
of COllllllunity
was fantastic.
New York City.
June 24.
In contrast to past years, the march
went at a pace that even the most
snail-like
could manage, and I had
no trouble running from one end to
the other snapping historic shots.
The'·sea of people at . the end at the
rally in Washington Square was so
huge that I couldn °t find anyone I
·
knew for over an hoi.:r. · A lot of disunity errupted between the transvestites · arid the lesbian feminists.
The
latter objected to the way the men in
drag portrayed women, and many w01,11en
whooped.during a ·drag presentation.
The t · ans . estites in turn accused the
r
v
gay movement of leaving them in the
lurch and ignoring the plight of · some
of them who were in jail.
An icecream vendor had a near fight
with a "goddam cocksucker•J Within
hearing distance of the main rally,
a smaller circle gathered around a
minister and three dozen missionary
followers, both men and women. He
said, "NowI don°t mean to offend you,
but we just cannot go along with this
idea of homosexuality." A tall, barechested man broke into the circle and
began shouting about gay love. "These
are the sinners," he screamed, pointing
at the congregation.
The earnest young
womenand men began to sing a hymn,
never faltering, · in beautiful harmony,
as the gay man became more frenzied.
When he took off his belt, I expected
a riot and got out ofthe circle.
Just .
then there was a huge furor ''from the
Gay Rally. I ran over there with every ;
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ONTREAL: W
HERE THE GAY SCENE IS LEGAL Al'-D THE BAR ARE PLENTIFUL
:
S
.. .. by W
endy
On Thursday
ni g ht ·T got .:. great
a
W not g o t _ M
hy
o ontreal?
idea.
W M
hy ontreal?
Bedause I've never
c ourse.
I found
been there,
of _ _
the airfare
to · ·be : comparable
to
so I made
that of NYC fr6'm' Boston,
for the ·next evening
reservations
with Pel ta · arfri · off I went.
,
i:
('.
.
' .
•·,
.
,,
I
I
,
•,
,
Vi first
y
encouf:iter
in the city
When asked
was a freak .cabbie,
a
s
about , the g_y ..:s'eene he-:,· eemed offended,
but confessed '-.thelr.e. .was
a cafe - f~ ·,·me'n : only ;., ,.that he
,
knew about.
Discouraged,
I continued
to walk around town, and
found a threesome
of effeminates
I img liding
down the street.
mediately
approached
them and inquired
about gay bars ·, After a
discus ·qion of my serious
lengthy
intent,
they iri'lited ' me to join
, ;~~ ·l? h ~r~{:gith~g~ Cj
?~;/~1~:~i1;t
across
from where the cabbie
had
been parked,
but did not knqw tts location,
Other women came · 1n ·but : I .was ·.-unable to spea}{ with t _
h.em because
·There: ·must be ' more
of the crowd.
information
~omewl'lere I thought.
.·,
Finally,
· I found :Pierre. · ·tte
spoke little
. :EngJ:ish,
but his
enthusiasm
tp h~l~ directed
me to
· I · found
Madame Actzoo on Bishop.
adame . Actzob. is really
that M
M
adame Artr,i,ur ., on Bishop ·St, and ·
is the stra .ightest
g ay bar I've
ever encountered,
It
It is a bar . for women only.
is small . nd in almost all ways
a
oppressive.
The women were thirtyish, well dressed,
with airs
of
secrecy
and elitism,
The dance
floor
is tiny and .the mustc · the
worst I've heard in years.
· It
was quiet
with little
intermingling
or talk.
I asked if .the bars were the only
way gay . women have to mee.t e.ach
the smokeAt . PJ's my eyes pierced
other.
The reply was an emphatic
light
to ' flnd _:another
woman, yes.
filled
There are few group 9 .: that
to no a,vaiJ,:. '1 'milled · around some, meet in any capacity
to discuss
drank .,· .smiled · and t'c;> in the
'bk'
gay issues.
Surprisingly,
it is
decor (-:the wallpaper
of which
o
for two conlegal
in I-1ntreal
looked like a fancy brocade).
senting
adults
to engage in homoThe ent1re
interior
w~s : impressive,
+t seemed
sexual
sexual
activity,
well furnishe -d and surprisingly
stran g e that women would not orgcomfortable
(althou g h it was a
anize in a supportive
way in the
bit crowded),
city,
..The drag sh .ow b_gan with a slender
e
ing a · iftripper,
hostess
. introduc _
Ann- M
argaret,
.. ih drag: '~Next came
Liza Minnelli~ • also in drag, who
did some fantastic
· ba:ck bends,
but as .an eirtertairier
was poor,
When she pegan: · her _econd · :number,
s
"I Am W
. oi:nan," 'there s ·e~med to be
a surge . 6 f ·. i'd~ . ·swe 11 in g up from
the more etfem!hat~'.
~eh .
.. .
. ; ·:
·
There was a remarkable
difference
irt the · feelings
I got from the
men ·only bar and the women only
bar ·, At :PJ~s I felt
very comfQrt.Nl went out
en
able and accepted.
of their
:viay to lend assistance.
At M
dme. Arthur's,
because
the
· wome·n were so .-reserved,
I felt
ill
at ease and inh .d.:bited. No one said
as mt:ich as h!el-lo to · me,
Later,
I did find ty,o ··women sit- ··
at ':Pi' 's • . The
ting in a corner
first . one · i3pokel 'itt1'e · 15:ng!fsh
'
. so she . got _;
.her · friend
to ·help me.
Her .friend
l~new of · one ·b'ar - for
men and · women - the Bat'on Rouge,
Next, I · -hit .:Love •·which is above
Cafe La Boheme. · A: bar . for men
and ·women, it is ~just the ' opposite
of M
dme. Arthur's,
Peopl .1=-felt
..
good and you knew you couid
easily
approach
anyone to dance .
pr
.,
.J
. .
;.
�M
ONTREAL:CO
N'T.
The music was great, everyone
was into dancing, and a friendly
atmosphere prevai~ed,
l~ _
\vas
comfortable
and lively.
1.n fact,
I highly recommend this bar to
anyone bound for M
ontreal
women and men.
·
I was very . curious about gay political
involvement
in the city
and learned of a gay woman at
M
cGill University
who knew of
gay activities
at the school,
She informed me ofa group called GAY that is sponsored by the
university
and funded with monies
from the student center.
They
receive between $7-8,000 annually.
Supposedly,
most of this money
is repaid.
They are strong on
campus and are amazing fund
raisers.
They holddances monthly
and draw close to 1,000 people.
Only 10-20 of this number are
women!
Jackie,
of M
cGill,
said that most
women in M
ontreal
are very clo::eted; "although the laws have changed, _hat doesn't · change public
t
opinion."
She says women are now
becoming part of GAY and asking
for a part .of the money. The
men contend that they ini~iated
GAY and are a majority,
there~
fore they are not obligated
to
gay women for financial
support.
The women are trying to organize
a women's center,
but without
finances
and female help they are
facing difficulty.
In a later
letter
I receive .d from Jackie
she says that the Women's Place
had an opening date of early May,
so it may w·ell be that it has indeed opened.
The feminist
groups in Montreal
seem comparable to those in
Boston.
There are varying attitudes
within the groups arid
Jackie finds that some women just
don't like lesbians.
She. says;
~I -~uess .the first
step 6f overcoming oppression
is to publically
label yourself
even if · you · don't
believe
in labels . " One thing
seems certain;
nothing happens if
nobody knows about you.
M TREAL GAY BAR GUID
ON
E
M
dme. Arthur
2170 Bisho p St.
W
omen only Love (above Cafe La Boheme)
1418 Rue Guy
W
omen & M
en
La Bistro
St. Cathrine
W
omen & M
en
Pont De Paris
St. Andre near
W
omen & M
en
St.
Catherine
Baton Rouge
St, Denis
Vi
omen& M
en
P J Cabaret
1422 Peel St.
Mostly M - Some Women
en
Rocambole
1426 Stanley
Men only
St.
#ffff##ff####ffl#ff#######ffl#######
GAY
PRIDE
MARCH,
1973
I am
a shoutl
The bluest sky _ barely worthy
is
··
of my joy~
no longer the remorseful .being
that used to call me for a name.
I am a sun
wi~h light to spr~ad
and wannth to share!
I sing,
I play
out in the streets
shining with the other stars.
Our l _ ve
o
outshines creation.
--Linda Lachman
7
�8
W HEN°S LOBBY
O
· by W
endy
Over fifty womenwere in attendance in an
attempt to expand the women°s lobby on
M
onday, June 11 ·at the State House.
In an introductory statement, Roberta
Benjamin, the Homen°s Lobby Chairwoman,
explained that the activities
of the lobby .
are a collective
effort to have wanen°s
voices heard in the processes of government. The Lobby is an organized venture
t . influence decision making policies of
o
state goverment ;
Shelley Cohen, administrative
assistant to
Barney Frank, emphasized that the system
is responsive and the pro.cesses of government are infinitely
easy to understand.
Everyone can be involved in the lobby
process no matter how much or how little
time can be volunteered.
Contacts, writand talking to .
ing, phone work, testifying
your representative
do not consume an
enonnous amount of time.
Six to eight thousand bills are filed
annually and the · reps cannot go through
each and every one. Outside citizens can
change and influence voting in the chambers, bu~ it takes some recognition on the
W will not
e
part of the representative.
change legislation
if we do not make ourselves known.
Anyone can file a bill. All ·you have to
do is find a legislator , to sign _it, preferably - someone mo will StJ.pport it. If
state
·you cannot find .anyone, your o't-1?1
rep M
UST file the bill. Each bill gets a
public hearing; this is where the lobbyist comes in. You must make contacts and
is• The llomen°s ·:
find out what · the interest
Lobby is a public interest
lobbyist group.
It cannot work if there is no interest
in
what is happening.
The meeting proceeded with a legislative
summary of the bills set forth in 1973.
Inclusive in the summary is: N
ame Change,
Credit, Tax Deductions for Child Care,
Naternity Leave, · Divorce, Day Care, Jury
Duty, Sexual Preference, Equal Rights
Amendment, Property Taxes, Education,
Abortion Repeal and Contraception,
and
W
elfare and Employment. A copy of the
summary may be read at the OOBoffice • .
For information --about upcoming meetings · ·
see the FOCUS
Calendar.
ENTRY
JOURNAL
by Jan Clift
JAP--J ewish American Princess. The
bad things in life don°t happen to
us. W always thought.
e
You grow up
knowing you will be successful at what
you do, you will marry a bright- young
man who will give you security.
Or if
-not .marriage you will have a profitable
career.
Good things will come to you.
ommyand_Daddy will :always help
And M
you • .
Because you 0 re a JAP -~you 0 11 never
really worry ab.out money. You0 11
never worry abQut loneliness,
you 0 11
never worry ~bout the prospects of an
social security, alone,
old age · on _
financially
and emotionally.
You0 ll nev:er worry about sitting in
your room waiting for the phone to
ring .~- f cY"-~eone to answer your
roommate ad--and only getting guys
who want to talk about ·•
sex. Being
scared out of your mind first that
no girls will call, and you 0 ll have
to pay next month 0 s rent alone, and
walking around with that awful tightness because .you can°t spend money
becaus~ you have to save it because
next month you may have to pay the
rent alone, and already being broke
to boot • . And then being scared out
of your mind becsuse you 0 ve got this
ad in the paper for a roommate.
i1Gay · emale mte.
f
wanted 11 e It says•
And it 0 s got my phone number on it,
_
and it 0 s in our local . weekly newspaper and Pm ' scared out of my mind
that someone who knows me will recognize the phone number. Because I
gre.w up in this town, my family live
here, my straight friends live here.
And there 0 s my phone number right
beside an ad for a gay female, like
me.
RA
FFLE
Boston Feminists for Lesbian Liberation is having a raffle- A $50 gift
certificate
to the Harvard Coop will
be awarded to the winner. The Draw
].~.ing will be Aug. 31st at the Saint 0 s.
Buy tickets from Wendy, Geri, Lois H.,
Schel 2 50¢each, $2 for five.
�9
SOOOMY
BILL DEFEATED; SEN
ATORHALL
EXPLAINS
HIS STAND CONSTITUENTS
TO
The last of the M
assachusetts
gay bills,
H. 3313, came to its end in the House
with a favorable vote of only 16 out
H.3313
of some 240 representatives.
was the one which would have repealed
the laws against sodomy, adultery,etc.
The representatives
of the bill were:
who_voted in · favor
Royal Bolling, Boston
Royal Bolling, Jr., Boston
John Buckley, Abington
Doris Bunte, Boston
John Businger, Brookline
Lawrence. Buxbaum, Sharon
Barney Frank, Boston
Paul Guzzi, Newtonville
David Mofenson, Newton
Lois Pines, Newton
James Segal, Brookline
George Sprague, Sherborn
Nils Nordberg, Reading
asnik, Worcester
Peter i1
Jon Rotenberg, Brookline
Max Volterra, Attleboro
The vote was not easy for some of these
people, and all would appreciate a
thank you from their constituents.
The bills will be submitted again next
year.
Senator Robert Hall, Lunenberg, who
led the floor debate in support of
H. 3220 and H. 3218, the two bills
which would have made d;iscrimination
against gays illegal,
sent D.O.B. a
copy of an article he wrote for his
W
e
local paper explaining his action.
reprint that article here:
Fitchburg Sentinel, June 7, 1973.
SENATOR
HALL
REPORTS--HO
M
OSEXUAL
VOTEDEFENDED, Senator Hall
by
I have received much comment and
several letters
about my stand on
H. 3218 and H. 3220, two bills
which would have prohibited discrimination against homosexuals. I
spoke in favor of these bills and
voted for them, and I think that
I should explain my stand. These
two bills would not have made any
homosexual act legal, but would
have forbidden discrimination
against homosexuals in the areas
·
of employment, housing and public
accomniodactions.
First let me say that I oppose
discrimination
against any group
• •• catholics,
Jews, Blacks,
French, Irish, women, or homosexuals • . If you want a Senator who
believes in discrimination
and
prejudice, I am not your man.
All the religious and medical
leaders who came before the
Commerce and Labor Committee said
that homosezuals could not help
being that way and should not be
discriminated against.
I am
grateful to the many religious
leaders who have supported my
stand, including Father Oddo, a
Catholic priest who has counseled
many homosexuals and who wrote
letters to the local papers supporting my stand.
Secondly, I oppose more taxes and
welfare~ If the thousands of
homosexuals are fired from their
jobs, they will be forced to go
on welfare which means more taxes
for you. One of the homosexuals
who testified
before the committee
was fired for it and is now on
welfare.
If you are against these bills you
are for higher welfare and taxes.
You can't have it both ways.
To those people who have said I
shouldn't waste my time on homosexual bills, I would like to
point out that they were brought
before the Senate where you pay me
to speak and vote. I spent about
five minutes on these bills,
just
as I have on hundreds of other
bills.
However, only the controversial ones make the papers.
I
don°t believe that the people elect
ed me to be a political
hack, to
hide my head in the sand and only
do what is politically
safe. I intend to do what is right and let
the chips fall where they may••• As
I told the Senate President 9 'I may
only be here two years, but it 0 s
going to seem a lot longer1°
�10
A REVIE : OllR BODJRS, OURSELVES
W
SI M & SCHUSTER
ON
N,Y,, 1973, $2,95
Paperback,
$8,95 Cloth
By Pat M K
, uras
The cover reads; Ql.u:.. Bodies, ili.u:.se)ves with · the subheadings a
book by and for women. That in
itself
tells
what the book is
all about.
Perhaps the best way to review
this book is to give a brief rundown of why and how it came to
be written.
In the spring of
1969 there was a women's conference which had a rap group of
"women and their bodies",
The
group discovered
they had all had
similar
angry and frustrated
feelings
toward the medical
field,
These women came to the
realization
that they had much
to learn about themselves
-their bodies.
They spent a
summer researching
and gathering
in the
information,
and later,
fall,
they presented
their results as a course for women.
·The raps and researching
have
been continuing
since '69, The
initial
group of women that began this research
has changed.
At the present
time the authors
(known as the Boston W
omen's Health
Book Collective)
are twelve
women who act as a group to help
other women understand,
accept,
and be responsible
for their
physical
selves.
The first
chapter deals with
changing our internalized
values.
Women have always been seen
(and thus influenced)
as being
1) inferior,
2) passive,
3) sex
objects,
4) wife and mother.
W
hat women should intend to do is
reclaim the human qual.it-ies that
have been labeled as all-maleoriented.
our society
should be
one in which all qualities
can
come out in all people.
In writing
this
review
I find
it
very hard to refer to Our Bodies,
Ourse1ves as a "book".
It is
so much more than print on paper
and pages bound together.
Each
chapter
is packed with individual
personal
experiences
that are
shared with the reader.
W
hen
I read these sections
of the
book I know that I'm being told
something intensely
personals
other's
own feelings,
fears,
perceptions,
and ideas.
The
book discusses
growing up, virginity,
fantasies
-- all amplified
with actual thoughts and ·
experiences.
The book is unique in its approach to anatomy and physiology of our bodies.
At no point
does the book fall into cold
clinical
literature.
The book
gives diagrams,
descriptions
and
explanations
of reproduction
and
sexuality
in plain easy-tounderstand
terms.
The book progresses
in a responsible chronological
order beginning with sexuality,
exercise,
venereal
disease,
birth control,
abortion,
child bearing,
and
menopause.
Two chapters
in the
book I feel are especially
noteworthy.
One chapter deals with
rape -- how we can defend ourselves in such a situation;
how
the law treats
a rape victim;
what can we do as women. (M
any
women's organizations
are setting up rape squads that will
be beneficial
to rape victims -accompanying them -to hospitals,
letting
them express their
anger, etc.)
The second chapter
that I felt was very important
was the book's chapter on lesbianism (which was not written
by the W
omen's Health Book Collective,
but rather a gay collective from Boston).
. '(continued.2nd·column
P• 11)
�A REVIEW:
LESBIAN
NATION, Jill
by
Simon & Schuster,
11
Johnston
N.Y. 1973, $7.95
by Schel Paul
.
.
..
10ve been trying to remember how to write
0
a book review and i can_t so i'll have to
write some:t.hingi want to write or like to
right praps you 0 11 see that i 0m streaming
my consciousness a little
the way JJ does
an:1 maybe that is where you O11 read the
book is like.
i could ..never be as impossible to understand ;or .as outright brilliant as in glowing as JJ but these minor
drawbacks shall not prohibit my own adventures ·. on this page. to begin with all you
sisters out there must find JJ 0 s book that
is it is .absolutely essential · and
other
phrases of necessary 1:;hat you read it
becauae it is about you and me and the only
way we are ever going to have a revolution
and change this heterosexist oppressive
society is to withdraw from the male into
the lesbian nation.
stop oh please don°t
give over yr prime energies tp the oppressor says JJ give them to yr sisters understand as the blacks did that first we must
build ourselves into strong ~entally and
physically .self-fulfilling
womena and we
need .all our .efforts ani time and energies
now to do this it sounds so unbelievably
simple really i 'don°t understand how anyonecould use the word radical it should be
as obvious as every womanwaking tomorrow
morning and looking at herself in the
mirror and saying yes i want to help myself
and help my sisters it is the same thing
donate me to me and my sisters not to my
oppressor this is ·'what JJ asserts and yes
indeed it makes sense • .i have. to give you
just this one quo~e i mean i started marking impo~ant t~gs
the . second love experience : i spent with the -book and found
that i was. underlining the whole lesbian
lovely literature ·
thought that a waste
soi stopped but there is this one quote
which is a premise that the whole book
.comes from. "All womenare lesbians
except those who don°t know is naturally
they are but don °t know i.t yet I ·am·.a
womanwho is a lesbian becnuso I nm a
womanwho
loves herself naturally who is
w
is
other .; omeri .a .lesbian a womanwho loves
other womenloves herself naturally this
is the case that a womanis herself is all
. woman: s ·a natural born lesbian so we
'i
. dorivt mind
using :,the name like any . name ·
_t is , quite ·meaningless it means naturally
i
I am womanand ·whatever I am we affirm
·a
being what/ we are ••• 11 it was very .hard }
and
,,
for me to : stop ti.here and not type out
the whole rest of the book for you
becaus~ ··by ·the time she finishes she
has one f~el.ing awfully terrific
and
stup~ndous about being oneself and i
think thgt is · where it begins especially for us lesbian women. lesbian
.
feminism is · the thread and the core
and the birth and the life of what JJ
writes -about and she take .a · ou. there
y
through her own autobiograp}:ly and JJ
experienQes of all sizes and universes
and if you can follow her everywhere
o
she goes then please get in t . uoh ·
with me at amazon headquarters
real
soon.
Our :Bodies,
Ourselves,
·. . .
. don•t.
f'roril
p.10.
In ; concluding
this review, I
·must say I feel very honored
to have been asked to write
this.
I feel there is something I should share with everyone reading this.
I am alesbian, and this book, Our Bodies,
Ourselves,
is what helped me
out of my closet.
Cne evenin g , after a DO rap, a
B
group of us were discussin g
why we came out.
I mentioned
this book, and said that r · was
into photography and was attracof
ted by the pictureessays
women in the book.
In the
chapter dealing with lesbianism,
of two women
there is a picture
embracing.
I remember staring
for a very lon g
at tMt .picture
time and feeling a great warmth
and serenity
that I had never
felt before.
It was then that
I decided I didn't want to be
alone anymore.
I wanted to
meet more people like myself.
I came to DO (DO was the
B.
B
only lesbian organization
I · ·.
knew of).
After I gave my
spie _ on why I came out, the
l
woman next to fue, Laura, asked
·lr I would write a review of
Our Bodies~ Ourselves.
I have
no degree -in journalism
and I
have n~~er '. been asked to write
an articl:e before., so I felt
· ,'very hpnored to have been aske ~
to write :this.
�12
.·u" YOUDO IT GOOD
Sister
blueshirted
sister,
standing
toiling
just down
the line
from me,
at Station #2
winding wires
for GM
distributors
you do that
good.
better than
most of the m~n,.
better than
some of the
other sisters.
you do it
'good •. .
Sister,
· · welding with,
sparks and name,
riveting
small bolts
from your
hand-gun,
sister
who makes
jets
that don°t
fall from
the sky,
you do that
good.
better than
most of the men,
better than
some of the
other sisters.
but
you
do
it
good.
--ginger lox
.I wish
I could
spear songs
like fish
and string them
in a garland
to adorn
your fair head.
--ginger lox
AM
ODER FABL
N
E
Please do not scold me for r.rry joy & glee
Or weep at my lack of responsibility,
For I am myself you must admit,
And do not care to sew or knit.
I ·0 d rather
jump and
like the grasshopper
You.ha,s.ten like the
oarfugnot
for song
play in the sun-I 0m out for fun.
busy ants
or dance.
You tell me when my youth has past
M songs of joy will never last.
y
iike . the grasshopper
I 0 11 have my fill ,
But like tho ant you never will.
--Geri
·M love came quietly to an end
y
Upon an autumn day;
.The Indian sunn:aerpeace was here
And. had its way.
11She has no need of ine, 11 I said,
And saying 11 closed, the door ,· And found myself on another road
That I had never traveled before.
--Geri
Sunshine and heavy roses
And utter quietude
Whatever life . discloses
This is ·my interlude.
This still content I borrow
This calm beside the way
Against a strange tomorrow
I hold this mfue today~
--Geri
t!Hf##H#'-#-1J# falHNHHHH! !########### IHi'#1
###IH
###ffi
'-### H/=#####1Hr##HH##f ffi f########H
r#####
SATURDAY 14
JULY
COCHITUATE
STATEPA'RK
NATICK
The one we had in June ther e
was so fun we0 re having ·
another.
SWIM
M
ING, BOATIG, SOFTBALL,
N
HORSESHOES, NG,,
LOAFI
See the caiendar
on page 2.
#HHHHH##1J:###H#j#####ffl#IHJ:H###ffir'-4HHHHl=lf:#1t#
###Jf:
H1NHr#1Hf#####fflH#
#l#=INHl=#WJ##
...
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
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1969-1983
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Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 July
Date
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1973-07
Description
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An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-focus-197307
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A JOURNAL FOR
GAY WOMEN
.
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS
OF BILITIS'
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�FOCS: A JOURAL FO G WM
U
N
R AY O EN
August 1973
FOCUS published monthly by Boston .
is
Daughters of Bilitis 9 Room3239
419 Boylston Strset ,9 Boston 9 M
ass.02116
,,
Phone: 617- 262- 1592
Subscriptions are $5 a year, and a sample
is 50¢. Give us your zip # . If you
move, let us know. The post office will
not forward 3rd class mail to you.
Boston D.O.B. officers:
Bidwell
Treasurer••••••••••••••Geri
Recording Sec 0 t~y •••••• Lois H.
Corresponding Sec 0 Vy •• Laura Robin
FClCUS
staff:
Laura Robin 9 Geri Bidwell
.
.
FOCUS
welcomes contriqutions from .
everyone. If you want back whatever
y:ou us:9• please include a stamped, ·
· send
s~lf-addressed ,envelope. Let u_ kriow ·
s
possible titles and how you want to
sign your name.
· reflect ·.the ,'Vie'ws
Articles in FOCUS
of the individual authors and do not
necessarily represent the views or
tastes of Boston Daughters of Bilitis _
.
0 ••
Linda
COVER:
WOM.El'J
ARCHIVE 2325 Oak
This publication is on file at the INTERNATIONAL 0 S HISTORY
9
Street, Berkeley 9 California 94708 9 and is available on microfilm thr¢ugh rBell and
Howell 9 Drawer E, Wooster 9 Ohio 44691.
##############H#################H
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###HHHH## H ##H####H### #
. .
.J
#
I N THIS ISSUE ·
. , .,
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,,
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# Letters- to FOCUS••• ~•••••••• :••••••••••••••••••••••••2
•.
if
# Ads••••••••••••••••••••••••••;••••••••••••~••••••••••3
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# LESBAN N
_
I
OVELS -THE
IN
FIFTIES, by Kay Silk ••••••••••• 4
#
# Poetry, by Judy ;Greenspan••••••••••••••••••••••••••••7
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# News•• •.-•:•·•.- ••••• • -~•.• •·• •••••••• .• • ·• •••••••• • •••••••••••
8
#
0S
# PRINCESS
. RUBY ROYAL
BLUEBLOOD
BAND,by Karen
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l~itnick •.•..•.
•. • ...••••
~ •.••••••••.
..•••.••••••
•9
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# LISTEN9 M SISTERS, by Andrea ••••••••••••••••
Y
~ ~~
, -••• •11
#
# : Poetry, by gingerlox •• :••••••• •••••••· ••••••••~•• ·• ••• 11
# ·_
._
# - Poetry, by Patric~a, Linda Lachman, Desi Gesheri••••• 12
#
· # Calendar .••..••.•
.•• •· « ••••••
a ••••••••••••
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• 13
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.ADDRESSES OTHER
OF
D.O.B. CHAPI'ERS:
.
,
.
San Francisco D.o.:B~
arket St., #402,-404 ,
1005 M
San Francisco, California 94103
Dallas D.O.B. ·: _
Womenfor Action
Box 5944
_
Dallas, Texas 75222
New Jersey D.O.B.
Box 62
Fanwood; NewJersey 07023
Occupant
Box 137
Northwood~ New Hampshire
. ·,
. .: .
'
..
-(this is N.H.D.O.B., but do not
_
addr.ess them as such on the
-,envelope. )
.
�2
LE
TTERS1'0 FOCUS
Dear Kay Silk,
Your article in the May FOCUSon the "demise "of ~- Magazine was a well-articulated criticism of many middle-class attitudes which a magazine of this breadth
inevitably roust encompass. However, we
feel that your criticisms
regarding the
lack of lesbian material is both unfair
and unjustified.
s.
The task before M is staggering since
it is the first large-scale
woman°s magazine which speaks to the evolving female
in the feminist
consciousness~bodied
movement. The compromise ~- has had to
make between espousing radical feminism
and giving in to the format of slick
woroen°s magazine has perhaps, in the long
run, enabled its greatest . service to the
feminist movement. While neither extreme
•
it
has found the magazine satisfactory,
has appealeg to a large body orunconµnitted women and, thereby, disseminated more
effectively
basic feminist principles.
A~d, it is upon a well-established
groundwork that genuine acceptance of lesbianism and other female alternatives
in
society will be built • .
To accomplish its purpose, equal time
has necessarily been given in~•
to a
range of feminist dilemmas--including
lesbianism.
Fixing sinks, dealing with
men, families and each other, dispelling
female and male stereotypes,
reinforcing
instincts,
and, in general,
professional
redefining the position of womeh in
society have all been dealt with. - Lesbianism had not been ignored, evidenced
by the articles you yourself cited
(Ed • .il.2:t&:
and criticised).
Lesbian
lifestyles
have received as much attention as domestic servant lifestyles
or
stewardess lifestylese
This is only fair
in a magazine which hopes to reach a wide
variety of people.
editing or publishing material will
probably be stimulated by pressures
within the movement.
We are sending a copy of your article
to Ms. :Magazine because we feel many
of your criticisms
are valid
In Sisterhood,
Jeanne F. Alleman
Clara Willing
and -eight ·others
c/o J.F.A.
8228 Broadway, Apt. 41J
Houston, Texas
staff;
Dear FOGUS
I have just finished reading my first
· issue of FOCUS~
' :July 0 739 and I had
to write immediately to say CONGRATULATIONS a fine publicationliThe
on
and poems is revariety of articles
. . freshing, especially with such a
Iain equally impressed
small staff.
.with D.O.B. 0 s calendar of events.
My lover and I are planning on moving
to the Cambridge-Boston area sometime
in December or January and wevre both
looking forward to getting involved
in your organization.
We0 re both -~
willing to work hard and hope to get
involved in several of the activities
in your area. And9 we0 re especially
anxious to meet a group of womenwho
. seem very dedicated in the struggle
for gay liberation.
.
~
.
.
,Keep up the good work and try not to
become too discouraged with those who
,our
.are . not yet willing to~.
longer,
..struggle may take a little
. but . it will be won.
Yours in Sisterhood,
The discrepancies in attitude toward
is a
lesbianism that you found in~.
sub ject apart from amount of space given
They reflect into lesbian materialo
constancies which exist within the feminist ideology itself
and are the responsibility of the movement to cori:-~9t. li§. •
does not initiate
change but supports · and
Whatgives validity to changing values.
ever power the editors exercise in
S.L.
NewYork state
**************************************
NOTE:W
hen in ..doubt we do not print
~sand
addresses.
Please let us
know what to do or not to do when you
write to FOCUS. Thanksi
CORRECTION: you want to call the
If
SAIN
TS, the gay ·women° bar in Boston
s
mentioned last month, call 338
-776'3.
*************************************
*
Y,
�MORE
LETTERS FOCUS
TO
Dear Friends,
An announcements
9
We d like to let you know about an exciting project that may be significant
at
least for academic gay liberation.
We
have been chosen as guest editors for a
special i~sue of College English, an
official journal of the National Council
of Teachers of English, to be devoted
critientirely to homosexual literature,
cism, and teaching.
Please see the enclosed general ' invitation for more details
about what we have in mind ( ED. NOTE: in
the D.O,B, office).
We0 d really appreciate
it if you could spread the word in your
area, and could give copies to professors
and students who might like to contribute
articles to the issue.
In 1970 a group of women started the
9
women s press collective in Oakland,
California.
We are feminists with
widely different life-experiences • .
For three years we have been learning
to run a print shop, as well as to
collect materials to publish.
We are
beginning now to build a broader distribution network for feminist books,
with prices most women can afford.
Although we still barely meet ou~
expenses, we are working towards
supporting some of our group through
the press. ·
Gay peace and love,
Rictor Norton
604 Eastway Drive
Lakeland, Florida 33803
Louie Crew, Prof. of English
Claflin College
Orangeburg, s.c. 29115
We think of the press as a resource of
the women°s movement••• It is a school
where we can learn skills and new
It is also
ways to work together.
a tool for spreading new visions of
ourselves and analyses that are useful to us. Though financial backing
must be found for each individual
project, we welcome manuscripts and
all forms .of feedback.
The Women°sPress Collective
5251 Broadway
##1f##WHf-4f##H#W.Ji/=ll##Hl!###=IHl=l/4/:1/4,'=lf:###1f-#
Oakland, Calif•
SISTERSMAGAZINE
ED. NOTE: Publishers of Edward ,ih2
Published by San Francisco D.O.B.
$5/year
~,
Woman Woman, Lesbians
to
S~F.D.O.B., RM. 402, 1005 Market St.,
Speak~,
and others.
.
san -Fr an c is co , Calif • 941O3.. JLJurn#JJ..JiJLJL.JJ.JLJLJLffJL1r1r1nr1r1r
_.1LJLJLJLJL#JLJ LJLJLJLJJ.JLJL#JLJLJLJ1.JJ.JLJLJJ.JJ.JJ.JLJJ.JULJLJJ_JJ.JL
'
1.
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1F1/=#fr#~Hffl#1Hf##=ffl1r1r1
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· 1 r1nnnn,·1rrr
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nr11Ti1nr11
CLASS,IFIEl)
ADS
{5¢/word)
0 d like
We
to be friends, we0 re gay
JOIN THE INSURGENT
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Read
womenin our thirties.
Please call
0s
Ma,jority Report, women- liberation
429-1741 area of Tolland, Manchester,
newspaper. Reliable news of woment
c
Vernon, Storrs, Willimanti _, Glaston- , .
changing status, full and fair cov~r0
bury, etc. We re on 44 in Ashford.
age of feminist events, expos&s of
Ask for Betty. We have each other but
sexism in high places, humor, irrevwe're lonesome for friends and companions.
erant reviews, calendar. $3/ 12 issues.
Majority Report, 74 Grove St., N.Y.C.
GAY
CO:lVJMUNITY
NEWSLETTER.
Keep abreast
10014.
of what is going on in the Boston area.
Comes out every_ week. 25¢ on the newsfil/JAZON
QUARTERLY.
Lesbian-feminist
stands or $1.50 for 10 weeks. G.C.N. 11 .·
arts journal with stories, plays,
c/o Charles St. Meeting House, 70
essays, revie~s, poetry, black and
Charles Street, Boston, Mass. 02114.
white drawings and prints.
Send
News can be submitted by writing or by
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calling 523-8729.
subscriptions to A.Q., 554 Valle
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LESBIAN
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A voice of the lesbian/feminist
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for sample. Tide Collective, 373 N. Western Av, Rm. 202, Los Angeles, Calif.90004
�4
LESBIA NOVELS TH FIFTIES
N
IN _
E
by Kay Silk
Nostalgia for the fifties
is in fashion
these days 9 mostly among those who don°t
remember what the fifties
were really
likeo It 0 s fortunate for the rest of us
that an atmosphere 9 once vanished 9 can
Today 0 s admirers of
not be restored.
the fifties
can only try to revive the
cultural forms, especially the rock
music 9 that flourished in those years.
Except for the music, it was a bland
and prissy time~ The clothes and the
social customs and the interior decoration (beige on beige) were bad enough.
the
Far worse was the public attitude;
repression of anything suspected of
being 01different n 51 coupled with almost
a total lack of concern for social problems. The militance and the violence of
the late sj xt.:i.es were the reaction to
this head-in-the-sand
attitude.
Things
are calmer n6w9 but certain sections
of the 'population, not to mention the
~lf
environment its < 9 are still suffering .
from the long years of indifference.
The situation of the lesbian was one
product of that climate o . As womenwe
were disregarded, but once identified
As
as homosexual 9 we were persecuted.
was so often true in the fifties 9 it was
thought best to remat n inconspicuous.
In the days bef ore D. 0 .B, 51 and when
D.O.B. was in its in fa ncy, books about
lesbians were among the few links we
had with each other, especially if we
Host of
were too young for the bars,
the books were poor, but we had to be
satisfied
with what we could get. Even
the trashiest
lesbian paperback novel
on the drugstore rack was a welcome
change from_Betty Cavanna and the rest
of the fiction in the high school library,
Lesbian novels were our assurance that
there were others li ke us. At least :
vicariously,
at least for the moment,
they re l ieved the sense of isolation
many of us suffered.
It was for this
re] j ef th B. we bought lesbian novels
t
y
wi th t1, e mone we ea"rned baby-sitting ···
o,•
:
'
e
or rr. ':;ng l e.wls, W read them with one
ear tu ned for interruptions,
and hid ·
them, between readings 9 in the back of
the closet.
There was a closet atmosphere about
these books. Almost all of them
assumed that lesbian attachments were
forbidden and the lesbian condition
b
Nost were written
hopeless at . est.
by men and for men, and they upheld
the myth of male superiority.
In
these novels, the myth took the form
that a man was the only possible sexual
partner for a woman.
The authors · were unconcerned with
any emotions not directly related .to
sex. As Martin and Lyon point out in
Lesbian[Woman, the lesbians in these
books were one-dimensional beings,
with no identifying
traits
except
their sexuality.
They gave the impression that the lesbian was no more
and no less than a sex machine, and
a seducer of innocent young girls,
.They were sultry11 or
And the titles!
they hinted strongly at the lesbian°s
status as outlaw, . The plots were
simple enough 51 although the variations
could be bizarre.
!:1;ySister,
MY
Beloved included some incestuous
act:ioofor
those who were tired of
reading about sex between just any
two women. Or the · heroine might 1:5e
an unhappy wife who consoled hersf;'3lf
with a wo:uian.· In one-British novel
whose title I have forgotten, the .
main character was shocked back into
her husband 0 s arms (and bed 9 presumably) by a glimpse into the depths 9
an encounter with a friend of her
female lover.
The friend, a heavily
butch type, wore 11great thick clump,-;
ing boots. ' 1 God forb:i.do
But these were .special c·ases 9 departures from a standard formula,
Usually the heroine was unmarried,
She was always young and pleasing to
or no experience
the eye 9 with little
in sexual matters.
She tended to be
sensitive.
(Lesbians, :or potential
lesbiarls 9 were always iisensitive n.)
As the story unfolded 9 she would meet
and become enthralled by an older
and more aggressive woman a confirmed
9
lesbian.
This womanwould seduce her. ·
�5
(Incredibly often, the seducer was a
physical education teacher. · Athletic
women, being active and strong, were the ·
favorite villians.)
After an idyllic interval that might last
anywhere from hours . to months, the younger womanwould be overwhelmed by guilt or
disgust or the prospect of spending the
rest of her life as one of society 0 s
outcasts.
Or else she would be 11savedv1
by a man who :iunderstood i1 • In any case,
she would undergo a conversion or a return to 1inormal 11 ways. That is, . unless
she committed suicide first.
These
stories were strewn with the corpses of
fallen innocents or of their seducers.
Somebody had to atone for the sin of
lesbianism.
iisin n is not too strong a term here. The
novels were morality tales, written
according to the old formula: sin, suffer,
and repent.
The morality rested upon
traditional
male attitudes.
What the
authors opposed was not the hunter-prey
pattern of these seductions by women.
They objected because the hunter was
female. That phys. ed. teacher was encroaching on male privilege,
taking
what belonged properly to the male. She
was spoiling the ·merchandise.
She might
have her temporary pleasure, which
would provide reading as juicy as one
could find on the open market in the
fifties,
but she would pay for it in
the end. Inevitably she did pay, with
anything from loss of face to loss of
life.
And the wronged heroine, if she
was still alive, would return to the
straight path. The moral was always the
same, and clear enough to fortify even
the shakiest male egog woman must be
kept in her place.
This was poisonous stuff, but as an antidote there were a few books written by
lesbians or by those with lesbian sympathies.
Unlike the male morality tales,
these novels spoke to us and for us,
expressing in black and white the feelings we had feared nobody could share.
The authors O purpose was to examine and
explain a .life they understood, not to
titillate
or preach to the readers.
Although these novels cannot be reduced
to a single formula or pattern, they have
certain qualities
in common. First of
all, they are concerned with emotions
and motivation.
The main characters
are involved with the examination and
of self, in the attempt to
definition
come to terms with their lesbianism. A
second concern is tied closely to the
first:
having identified
themselves,
the characters must establish relations
with the society they live in.
Stephen, in The Y:lill of Loneliness,
faced exactly the same tasks.
Like
Stephen before them, and like us, their
these women are
living counterparts,
struggling not only to recognize themselves, but to find their places in
the general scheme of things.
The honesty and the continuing work
of definition
often extend to the
s
heroines O partners. · · The women°
lovers, like the womenthemselves, are
portrayed for the most part as human
beings with complexities of their own.
The sexual passages in these books
are part of the emotional climate; sex
is not introduced into these stories
merely for its own sake. In general,
the merits of the good lesbian novel •
are those of any good novel about
human relationships,
in which the
greatest attention is given to whole
persons, not to bodies alone.
There are no pat endings in the better
novels.
The endings, like those of
real life, are not true endings but
stages in the characters O growth, with
the suggestion of more change yet .to
come. We are left wondering ·and
caring what will become of them. They
engage our sympathies and our imaginations as the women in the morality
taies do not.
Most of these books are almost unobtainable now. The three I was able to
find share the qualities mentioned
above. They also show the variety
that exists.
Diana Frederics 0 Diana: A Strange
Autobiography was first published in
hard cover in 1939, but it was reprinted in paperback during the fifties
when it was widely available.
The
cover illustration
on the paperback
edition may have helped sales; it
shows one womanpreparing to remove
9
�6
another .woman°s bath towel 11 her only
garment. Sti11 ·11 it is ~ serious book 11
though somewhat Qld-fas;hioned.
Diana
is only a step or so away from Stephen.
The word 11strange 11 in 'the title reveals
',fhroughout the book 11 Diana
her bias.
uses 11norma111. as the opposite of n1esbian 11 She speaks of ,:the masculine
.
in me1111 and of her "masculine abhorrence
of scenes. 11 A daughter of her timep
Diana has accepted without question the
prevalent notions of 11masculine ;1 and
:ifeminine 11 11 although she has ' come to
accept her lesbianism more fully than
Stephen.
The account of her struggle for self acceptance is convincing and realistic.
As others have done 11 she even attempts
what was then called a ntrial marriage 11 •
When this fails, her development as a
lesbian can begin. Diana 0 s growth, and
that of her partners 5 are treated with
scrupulous attention to motive and ,c:~arThere are no cardboard figures
acter.
here 11 only womenwho ar~ trying to make
peace with themselves and with the ,, est
r
of the world. Diana herself leaves , us
with the impression that she will be ·
balanced for the rest of her life on ~he
line she has drawn between her priyate
life and the "careful fernininity d she
presents to the outside world ·. N all
ot
of us would reach a settlement like this,
but it merits respect as her own11honestly developed 11and maybe· the only one
possible in her surroundings.
If Diana seems antiquated, Claire :Horgan° s The Price .Qf §al!:, appears to be
ahead of its time. Probably the most
popular lesbian novel to emerge after
The }iill of Loneliness 11 it was first
published in 1952 and reprinted in 1969.
Unlike Stephen, who is openly masculine 11
or Diana 11 who is secretly so, the lovers
in The Price of Sal~ are simply two
womentogether II with no claims to masculinity.
(The protectiveness
that the
older womandisplays toward the younger
is not that that of a husband. If anything11 it is maternal.)
In this respect,
.I,he Price~
Salt foreshadows Patience
~ Sarah 11 the most joyously female of
all lesbian novels.
Another forecast of
today 0 s gay pride is to be found in the
women°s freedom from inner misgivings.
Once their feelings for each other are
clear 11 they feel no shame11 no sense of
abnormality.
Their difficulties
arise
outside
themselves.
T-he greatest of these difficulties
is
distressingly
familiar to us. The older woman who is in the process of
11
being divorced 11 is fighting for the
custody of her daughter.
The: persecution she suffers under the law 11 and her
husband O s efforts to prove her an unfit
mother 11are the same obstacles that
confront the lesbian mother today. Even
the methods, the spying and the shadowing11 are believable 11and the end of the
.story is realistic
rather than blissful.
Yet 11in spite of the pressures and the
penalties inflicted
by others 11or mayb~
because of them 11the women emerge with
an undamaged belief that they belong
together.
No wonder The Price .Qf .§ill
has been received so well over the years .
But the .courage of these women is extraordinary.
A final selection is more
typical of the time. The following
quotation comes not from a complete
lesbian novel, but from the portion of
N. Jvlartin Kramer 0 s The Hearth 1!lli! the
Stra~ness
(Pyr _mid Books, 1957) that ,
a
deals with one character, Aliciane.
The chapter called 1)
The Boors of
Astonishment " describes Aliciane 0 s
discovery that she i's in love with a
woman. There is no playing of sexual
roles here 9 and no shame• . The women
are as contented in their lcve as they
were in the long friendship that preceded it.
As before, they continue to
follow their own careers and to live
apart.
Fair enough. They have made their peace
with the world 11 as we all must. But
one passage reveals the cost of this
peaceg
'·Society asked 11 in return 11 only this
for payment: a particular
constant
silence 9 and an occasional trifling
hypocrisy.
And then of course the
small additional fines 11the open tax
on the hidden tax -- they were to
seem amused at jokes they did not
find amusing; they must be ready to
hear themselves bracketed carelessly
in ordinary conversation with traitors one day and with the criminally
insane the next and to make on these
occassions no protest whatsoever;
and above all they must protect at
every moment the very prejudice and
�(LESBIAN NOVELS,
CONT.)
ignorance that forced them to deceit.
7
TO DIANA
Very faithfully
and very skillfully
they paid this price.
And they never
really thought it dear. "
Billie Holliday
will always
make me think of you
and the distance
Here is the spirit of . the time. It is
you have drawn
not the adaption to their surroundings ...
between us .
that makes this passage a voice from
the days you .
·
the · past 11 but: :their compliance, their . .
preferred to be alone
· lack 9f openprotest, their unquestion~
with a paint can
ing acceptance . of the need for secrecy.
•spraying the words
That ,ithey never
In short 11 their fear.
of her songs
.
on appropriate buildings/
really thought it . ciear.:1is exactly what
:
..sidewalks /telephone poles
sets them apart from us • . Our own proyoung, but the
test is still new~still
· sitting in ti: smoky bar
.
listening t ·o Diana Ross
price paid by those women seems alre~dy
to be t.oo high, even prohibitive,
to
I 0 ve been with you
our way of . thipking • ·
when I shouldn°t have
been there ·
JLJL##JLJ/..1!
.JLJLJLJl./J..JLJLJL)LJLJlJL
J .JLJUL.JLJLJLJbJL#JLJLJLJLJLJ/,# stayed overnight
f--//
!-lL
I 8 ve
1nn 1nnnrrn , 1nf1nnnnr1nnnnr1r1nnn, r, nnr1r1nr J
,nr
when I should have
slept outside
you 0 ve been good
ANDSOMETIMES FEEL LIKE .
I
·
only your eyes
have complained
I am an ·old woman ··
I 0 m getting to know
the times now
living in a mountain
when I should
cabin alone
be reaching for my jacket
writing passionate
:·
heading for the door
lesbian history/novels
if .you had paid something
trying to remember
I would have been gpne
the dates of our marches
long ago
the · sound of our laughter
that afternoon
as we filled Central Park
at your farm
: recalling images ·
,.of strong amazon>
Sisters
you stood digging
.··now crumbling/fading
in the garden
·
· in · those et ·ernal
I sat on an
lesbian bars
old raft
25 feet away
you said you
--Judy Greenspan
liked the distance
between us
and I smiled
your breathing
was back to normal
#
11
11
·
#
#
#
#
SATURDAY
AUGUST
25
!'
, - ; ..
--Judy Greenspan
'
######f/f##il#####1f##H##1!########1Hl##f#jf#
The third 'monthly D.O.B. picnic ·at .
Cochituate State Park in Natick. · _
Bring your own food--there are fireplaces--and .charcoal if you want that,
your swim stuff II games9 etc • . Read the
·
calendar for mare details~
�•'8
NEW
S
~ ae~.s 1 ·-v;r1smsvsrl
STATEEQUAL
RIGHTS ENDMENT
AM
UP'.FORVOTE
.
On August 15 at 2 pm a joint session of
the Massachusetts House and Senate,
sitting as a constitutional
convention,
will take up a proposed equal rights
amendment to the state constitution.
The bill, H. 5313~ states 11equality
under the law shall not be denied or
abridged because of sex, race, color,
creed, or ·national origin. " The sponsors
of the bill are : women° groups.
s
A similar equal rights amendment to the
U.S. constitution
was ratified by
Massachusetts but is having trouble in
some other states (the federal ;amendment includes onlyt~e category of sex).
A Massachusetts amendment would protect
women here if the federal amendment
does not pass. It would also bring
this state in line with federal law if
the federal law should pass.
Supporters of H. 5313 · ·report that
legislators
detect · less interest in
the state amendment than there was in
the federal one, and they urge . constituents to contact their legislators,
both representatives
and senators.
To pass, the bill must be approved by
two separately-elected
state legislatures
and then passed by the 'voters in a
referendum.
H. 3312, a proposed amendment which
would have added the words · 11sexual
preference" to H. 5313, died in the
Judiciary Committee earlier this year.
JOURNAL
()F'HOOSEXUALITY
M
A bimonthly Journal of Homosexualitv
is scheduled to begin publication in
of
November. It will publish articles
original research and practical significance from a]J. disciplines.
The
cost is $15/year. . For information .. .•
write Haworth Press, 53 West 72nd ·st•,
New York, N.t. 10023..
.
I
i ef;i Y
iu oa ef!o y,Lr10 ovsd I jiJS:
0S
JEHOVAH W
ITNESSES
WARN · 9 'f( oT
.
··
·· · •·
•·
·
·
. ··
sM
ed oT
The June 15, 1973 W
atchtower 19 ~ ! -p~i;;- T
cation of the Jehovah vs Witnesses, asks
its readers 11Where Does l'P9I '1~_ph
Stand 'on Homosexuality? 11 ·
After referring to statements and
actions in favor of homosexuality by
the Episcopal, Presbyterian~ ·
Baptist, and Lutheran Churches and •
by Methodist ( our own Alberts),
Catholic, and other ministers, the article
concludes, ilYes, eminent religious
leaders of the 9 mainline' churches
do approve of homosexuality.
They
have rejected the Bible ••• If the
leaders of the 'mainline' churches
say such things, can you really be
sure that your minister does not feel
similarly?
Why not ask him? n
.is in the D.O.B.
The complete article
library.
~o! :f1\t ~!J1~I ~ 2 t:iy
rJ~U 7
GIVINGBLOOD
As a result of t1ii/ Fe - 1<:'11~~ :r;xJ
f:i'. fil{ i
I.
Orleans gay bar which killed a num •T
~f
of Metropolitan Community Chur&1)1 1:1/:
an: r;
other gay people and injured'
CJ G r
more, Boston area gay. peOP,~ ~tr e '
¢}.
some 60 pints of blood , dH
'J\dy' ·29'1n
a special ·collection.
Blood crecti,.ts
were transferred
to the New Orleans
victims and also used to relieve the
shortage in Boston.
1n; ,;
an
Negotj ations are undel1'7aywith the
Red Cross to make arrangements so
that gay couples can give blood to
cover each others blood needs in the
same way that married heterosexuals
can. Presumeably unmarried heterosexuals would also be considered •in
these negotiations.
For more information call Penny Perrault at M.c.c.,
266-7491 • .
: .!
i.~-~
"{:__.,:J; -lru·,
~
~
·i.~.'' ,;_·.~. )
:
· .trJ(I
v
,,.r.a,(f
~-,1'i/f.'
..t·
~)t
;;.
1:_!
·
�9
0S
PRIN
CESS RUBY ROYAL
BLUEBLOODN
BA D
a children°s
rhyme
by Karen M
itnick
There once was a princess in a wonderful land
W only wanted to have a rock band.
ho
11 her name and a joy to behold
01Ruby
To the King and the Queen who were both growing old
Except for one quirk they were quite content
W
ith the daughter they felt had been heavensent
110ur daughter
has music too much on her mind, n
Said the old K
ing, who although very kind
Constantly worried about his young daughter
· 11She just
don °t act the way that she oughta 11 •
For when guests arrived at the cart1e gates
They thought the country was beseiged by fates.
· Loud 0 lectric
guitars blasted over the land
frdm · Princess Ruby 0 s Royal Blueblood Band.
The King ·sighed, 11\t hy can°t she like something sweet
J
A harp or a>flute that can · put you to sleep?
This isn°t the daughter I meant us to raise;
I sure hope this music is only a phase. ';
But phase or not Ruby 0 s song list grew
And Ruby, fancy that, why she grew up too
Til the King announced in her twentieth year
11Ruby, you must find
a prince, my dear. 11
11W
hat a drag, 11 Ruby said, her eyes to the ground
nBut all I w~nt is to play around •••
Oh well, if I 0m forced to find me a mate
he 0 11 have to rate. ii
As a top guitarist
The call went out both near and far
And every man got out his guitar
Old men played tunes they 0 d nearly forgotten
(Some of which were downright rotten)
And little
boys barely out of the swing
W
ere given guitars they were told to make 11sing n.
Auditions went on from morning till night
And let me say, they were surely a sight:
Tall men and short men, stout men· and lean,
Good men and bad men, unselfish and mean,
and some who were better
Two bit guitarists
W
ould play in the sun and in stormy weather
But no one Could fill Ruby0 s ears with delight
Though lord knows they tried with all of their might,
And then on the day Ruby 0 s ears begged "no moren
A brand new contestant ~rrived at her door.
nr 0 m here, vi he . announced in a voice slightly thin,
11
And if this is a contest, Pm going to win. 0
nN modest, ii thought Ruby, 11well, we0 11 just see.' 1
ot
11All
right, 11 she said, "play a tune for me. 11
�10
She expected him to of course be a flop
But once he began you could hear a pin drop.
This guitarist
was such a rarely heard treat
That people forgot to work and to eat.
The stranger played such hard heavy rock
That even the clock forgot it should tock.
Everyone 0 s ears were . glued on the sound
No question it . was the best one around.
19
That Os it 9 11 Ruby ~aid and no doubt she was thrilled
As she felt that her body with love for him filled.
nAt last he 0 s arrived 9 the man of my dreams. vv
But you know, dear friend, nothing is as it seems.
11
you 0 re great, vi Ruby said and put out her hand.
iiro11 be your wife and you 0 re ~ead in the band. i;
Imagine the shock for the once smiling crowd
W
hen the new prince curtsied instead of bowed
And the princess saw right before her eyes
The prince was a woman in a man°s disguise.
11 said
11To jail,
the King with a look quite alarming
Aimed at the guitarist
who was no Prince Charming.
Ruby watched the guitarist
led away to her doom
And then she proceded to go to her room.
With silence around, Ruby sat on her bed
Listening to music that played in her head.
How absurd that because the guitarist 0 s female
Those notes of sheer beauty are locked up in jail.
~"
So Ruby sneaked down and found the right cell
The guitar in the corner was how she could tell.
;Who are you? 11 she asked 9 99and why did you lie7' 1
To the lady guitarist
who now rubbed an eye.
11Ruby11 1 she said,
11My name it
is May
'
I had no choice 0 cause I wanted to play
And only men were considered to be
Good enough for your royal company.II
i;Well, a prince was really my father 0 s idea
And if you must know I don °t even care 11 •
Ruby took the key and unlocked the door
Dreaming of how they would soon go on tour.
The King fainted twice when he heard Ruby 0 s plan
To make May her guitarist
instead of a man
But everyone had to admit she was best
For lord knows they 0 d certainly heard all the rest
So Ruby and May played together for years
And brought heavy rock to everyone 0 s ears 9
And once on the day that a Prince Charming came
He was told, 11Sorry Prince, but things ain °t the same. 11
X
xx
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
xx
X
�11
LISTEN MY SISTERS
·;by Andrea
I will presume to say that all of us
have experienced some degree of trauma
while moving toward acceptance 'of our
For some it was an
lesbian identity.
uncharted journey that was made alone.
For others, more fortunate,
it was a
trip on which they were guided and advised.
Regardless of the course followed, there were always those moments of
intense aloneness when decisions had
really
to be made, .when self-acceptance
meant self-acceptance.
Often times it seems that when we arrive
at a level of self-acceptance,
we wrap
ourselves in the security of a few new
acquaintances and/or a relationship.
It is then we begin to forget the pain
and fear that accompanied us to the
threshhold of our first rap, or the
loneliness that sent us to the bar alone
for the first time. We seem to settle
into the comfort of thi .s new little
world, and lose sight or ourselves as
the neophyte lesbian who once struggled
to resolve such minor problems as whether or not to speak up at a rap.
·
·
Unfortunately, it seems that this com- · ·
fort carries with it the side effect
of insensitivity.
You may remeinber
being the victim of this lesbian insensitivity.
Were you ever shunned or ignored by another lesbian while making
a friendly gesture? Was the idea of
ndon°t trespass 91 ever communicated to
you by a clique of women in a bar?
Did you ever feel lost and alone in a
crowd of lesbians?
This is the insen~
sitivity
of which I speak~
A lesbian travels a long road away from
a hostile society, and when she finally
she finds
arrives at her destination,,
another hostile society.
This hostility
is even more difficult
to understand
because these are people like herself,
and this was the one place where she
anticipated acceptance.
All around her
she sees laughing, communicating, and
apparently happy women. Self-doubt,
which she had seen through to selfacceptance, returns. · Again she questions
her acceptability.
Many people comment on the unfriendliness of others in the bars, at the raps,
etc. I wonder why this is so, and
further is it unavoidable? Would it be
possible for us to develop a true sense
of sisterhood?
Can we become secure
enough with ourselves so that we are
not threatened by a stranger?
Can we
treat each other gently and be sensitive
to anothervs needs? Does every lesbian
have to suffer all the pains that every
other lesbian has felt~ or can we put
ourselves out to spare each other some
of the anguish?
I do not suggest that every lesbian be
every other lesbianvs friend, but I do
think that we need to help each other,
that we need to accept each other, and
that we never should act as an oppressor
to another lesbian.
There are not that
many of us, and we can not afford the
luxury of aloofness and separatism.
We
should create a bond of unity, and we
should try to help a sister whenever
we can.
We must try to build a society unlike
the one in which we were born and
conditioned.
It is time for us to liberate ourselves and others.
So remember: be kind to lesbians, take
a lesbian to lunch,or at the very
least, vow never to cruel to another
be
lesbian.
##4f#########4f#=IHHl=fl=ll###ffe#H#if-#####ffl-H#
PONDERING
WEDDING
RING
in the pinks
in the greens
the grays
and shades
and swirls
of shell
in the now stretched
silver etched
design
in all these turquoise
tangles
I look and wonder:
are you still with . me?
are you still my wife? .
are we still together?
what is forever?
�12
O BEINGA FREA.
N
h
If I choose to be a radical
I 0 11 do it my way.
woman,
If I choose success as my goal
Because I ne,Qdto achieve;
Or if I be an intellectual
bum
Because it 0 s my trip;
If I feel happy in attire of a femme fatale,
Or a Dirty Old Dyke;
And if I choose to be a lover of women
With Sappho in my Utopia - ·
You can°t stereotype me:
I control me, not you,
So why bug yourself •••
Yes, I have many faces;
But I have only one soul
To Be
To be He
To be Free. .
._, "-'
--:-Patricia
As ev~ry rock is
an entity unto itself
yet fractions of an inch away
there ·stands another holding it yet barely touching so do I wish for your ·ti:ngertips ·
touch that supports me
but could not hold a stone.
0
· --1,inda Lachman
.JOY TO MY. LIFE
WAITING
If you are slow to
I will understand,
because you do not
and I will not ask
to come along. ·
As there are
infinitesimal
cracks
separating parts
of even the strongest
rock making it two so am I separated
from my sisters,
my brothers,
from you.
arrive
.
know yet
you
But you must understand
why I stay away because I want to be with you.
Because I cannot stay beside you
while you twitter at my eyes
and act as if you do not ask
for that surprise of my return.
--Linda Lachman
Everything seemed beautiful today
·
becau .se I .:was with her.
The ·rain that t~ll .didn °t put a damper on
.. it
.
stopping to pet a police horse
as I skipped pp Chestnut Street,
telling the cop he had a nice horse .
and smiling as I heard the songs
my heart was s~nging.
Getting wet, · but wanting to burst with
. •·
.
joy
seeing a. K-9 dog and complimenting
the cop on the dog 0 s beauty
even the cops look different
and all because we were together.
Lady, you 0 re my happiness,
that song in my heart
is a song to you,
my crooked smile as I skip above the
clouds
is your love enveloping me in its mag;i.c
spell
and bringing joy to my too-often lonely
life.
--Desi Geshen
&
&&&& &&&
&&& &&&&&&?...&& &&&f!
:&& .'lc :x?c&&&
&&&&&&&&&J! &&&:&&: &&&&&&&&&&&&&:&&&&
c&
&&&&
&&&&
&&:
&&&&&
&
•• • •••• ,TIDBITS.....
&
&
&
&
Neither ..rain nor ·heat no. ·:wha.tever seems to stop D.O.B. softball;
r
The raps continue to draw 20 -30 women of all ages/ week;
.
DOBwelcomes suggestions and help with its programs.
&
&
&
&Bc 8:&8c&8
&&
..
,&&&&&&&&-&&&&&&&&& &&
&&8:lc&&& &&&&&& &&.&.
&
&&
W&&& &&&& i-&&&Bc .fl&
&&&
&
&&L: &/!::.8c8 c&&&
c&&P
�BOSTON
DAUGHTERS BILITIS
OF
CALENDAR
August 197'.3
13
TUESDAYS JO pm RAPSESSIONS BEINGGAY,FORWOMEN.
7:
ON
Nowlocated in our new big
office, Room'.32'.3 419 Boylston St., Boston, between Arlington
at
and Berkeley Streets near the Arlington MBTA
stop. Share feelings
about being gay, newcomers especially welcome.
THURSDAYS pm GAY
9-10
WAY
RADIO
PROGRAM,
WBUR-FM
90.9 on the dial.
and/or self; informal games.
SUNDAYS pm D.O.B, SOFTBALL.Bring bat,'oall,glove,
1
Magazine Beach field, Cambridge, across the Charles River from
Cadillac-Olds and along Memorial Drive west of the Boston Univarsity Bridge. RAINOR SHINE!
15
2pm
EQUAL
.AMENDMENT be considered
will
AUGUST 11 WEDNESDAY, MASSACHUSEI'TS RIGHTS
by a joint session of the House and Senate at the State House in
the House chamber. See the August FOCUS
and write your legislators
5313).
in favor of it (if you support it)(H.
AUGUST WEDNESDAY,
15,
8 pm GAY
MEDIA
ACTION
(formerly GAY
MEDIA
WATCH)
¥1.EEI'ING.
Concerned with the presentation of gay issues in the media,
All interested people invited.
Charles St. Meeting House, 70
cnarles st., Boston.
20,
7:30
MEEI'ING all members, Others may
for
AUGUST MONDAY.; pm D.O.B. BUSINESS
attend (women). At the office.
AUGUST SATURDAY
25,
THIRDD.O.B. PICNIC AT COCHITUATE
STATE
PARK,NATICK. Rides
leave the office promptly at 10 am (call if you can offer or need
one). Bring your own food unless you want concession things; there
is a fireplace (bring fuel); do not depend on others to feed you.
Bring sports things.
There is swimming. Turnpike west to exit
13, Route 30 east 1½ miles. Park is on the right.
By bicycle
from Boston l½ hours on routes 16 and 30. Admission $1/car,
25¢/ bicycle, to get into the park. RAINOR SHINE.
SEPI'El'1BER 9 FRIDAY,8:30-11:30 pm D.O.B. DANCE the office.
21
at
There will be
beer 9 liquor, and soft drinks for sale. Women
only! 75¢ admission.
SEPT™BER 9 WEDNESDAY, pm D.O.B. BUSINESS
26
7:30
.
:MEEI'ING the office.
at
,
CAMPING
TRIP was cancelled.
D.O.B. is sorry for
NOTE: THEHAROLD
PARKER
STATE
PARK
this change in plans, and would welcome individuals who would like to help with .
· · such an event. Please contact Sheri, Lois, or Geri.
#H#ffl#=IN/:##=IHH/:1NNNHF##1Hf##--/H/=#1/=f/H/=f-r##ffl1Hf4/####11'##Hf-lf:lf#1f-#####=lli4!fr#
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS BILITIS, ROOM
OF
323, 419 BOYLSTON
STREEI',BOSTON,
MASS.02116
PHONE:
617-262-1592
MEMBERSHIP:
Open to all women18 years old and older.
$10/ year, $15 for a
couple. Includes one subscription to FOCUS. Send your name and
address and phone number with a signed statement that you are a
woman18 or over.
FOCUS:A JOURNAL GAY
FOB.
WOMEN.
Monthly. $5/ year, 50¢/ sample.
D.O.B. CALENDAR EVENTS. Monthly. $1 for 6 months.
OF
ALLD.O.B. EVENTS OPEJ."\J ALLWONEN
ARE
TO
REDARDLESS MEMBERSHIP
OF
STATUS D.O.B.
IN
CONTRIBUTIONS MONEY TIMEIN ITS EFFORTS REACH
OF
AND
TO
OTHER
D.O.B. WELCOMES
GAY
WOMEN, PROVIDE
TO
RAPSAl'\JD
SOCIAL
EVENTS, WORK THECIVIL RIGHTS
TO
FOR
OF
GAY
PEOPLE.
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 August
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-08
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
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A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
BOSTON
: ept. '73
S
DAUGHTERS
OF
BILITIS
$.50
�FOC
US: A JOURNA FOR GAY 01'lEH
L
W
Se-ptember 1973
9
FOCUS published monthly by Boston
is
Daughters of Bilitis 9 Room 323 9
419 Boylston st., Boston 9 t-l ss. 02116
a
FOCUSstaff this issue: Schel 9 Linda
Lacl:".manW
endy Bauman!)Andrea, Laura
9
Robin 9 Cathy 9 Geri Bidwell.
Subscript~ons are $ a ~ar, and a sample
,.
is 50¢. Give us your zip 1,: If you
move, let us know. The post office will
not forward '.3rd class mail to you.
FOCUS
welcomes contributions
from
everyone. If you want back whatever
you send us!) please include a stamped 9
self-addressed
envelope. Let us know
possible titles
and how you want to
sign your name.
Boston D.O.B. off~cersg
Treasurer•••••••••••••Geri
Bidwell
Recording Sec 0 t 0 y.-.... Lois H~
Corresponding Sec 0 t 0 :y".Laura l.1obin
Articles in FOCUS
reflect
of the individual authors
necessarily
represent the
tastes of Boston Daughters
Cover:
the views
and do not
views or
of Bilitis.
Schel
Tlill TIOlJAL W
OUErT°S
HISTORY
ARCHIVE,2325
This publication is on file at the I N NA
Oak St., Berkeley 9 Calif. 94708; it is available on microfilm from Bell &
Howell, W
ooster, Ohio to October 1971 and ·
from the I.1il.H.A. from
October 1971 .,.- June 197,J•.
.IL
IN THIS ISSUE
i, ~
J.I_
11
?/:
Letters
;=
1
Dutch Society statement •••••••••••••••••••••••••••
J
News· around the country •••••••••••••••••••••••••••
4
D.0 .B. meeting Aug. 20 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•5
Notice of elections ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•5
Homen°s lobbytask
force 9 women°s history libr 0 y •• 5
The Ring 9 by :H
ary Sh_lley ••• • ••••• • •••• • •• • •• • •• • • 6
e
Poetry, by gingerlox••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••7
Poetry, by Patricia,
by C.G•••••••••••••••••••••••8
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D.O.B, calendar•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••J.
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ADDRESSES OTHER .B. CHAPI'ERS
OF
D.O
Dallas DOB
W
omen for Action
Box 5944
Dallas 9 Texas. 75222
Occupant
Box 137
:i.
iorthwood, New Hamphire
s
(this is N.H.D.O.B., but do not address
them as such on envelope).
San Francisco OOB
402-404
1005 Earket st. 9 ,;J,
San Frahcisco 9 Calif. 94103
New Jersey ooB ·
Box 62
Fanwood~ :N Jersey
ew
07023
�2
LETTERS TO FOC
US
To D.O. B., FOCUS,
Greetings:
.C.C.On September 9, 197.3, M
Boston will celebrate
its 1st
birthdayW invite the whole
e
community to join us in our
"Gathering Sunday" celebration,
It has been a fascinating,
frustrating,
joyous, trying year for
all of us at M
.C.c. perhaps,
most
especially
for the women. For
many months a handful of us struggled to integrate
M
.C.C.-Boston.
W were to the point of despera~
tion when good things started
to
happen,
W started
e
a Women's rap
group which became a very strong
core of women at M
CC, Our existence as a group encouraged other
women to "try out" MCC, and to
become part of our larger
family.
In February we held a Feminist
Liturgy,
which was well received
and which effected
several perman~nt changes in our worship servle plan to do another
vices.
feminist
service
October 14, and
to have a weekend Women's Festival
for the entire
Boston Community of
women including ' fims and possibly
W will keep you informe
a dance.
ed,
I think we have to be aware of
the different
types of relationships that people have, and we must
l~arn to r~spect each others'
lifestyles,
and differences
in
those lifestyles.
This can be an exciting
growing
year for us all at MCC- particu·
larly for women.
If you are interested,
we are now
meeting at 7pm, Sundays, at the
Old W
est M
ethodist
Church, 1.31
9ambridge St, . .~n Boston. Our office phone number is 266 7491, If .
you would like to talk to a woman
on the staff,
contact myself, or
Fenny Perrault.
Love and ?eace,
(Rev.)
Dear FOCU
S
&
Fellow
Nancy W
ilson
Readers,
Thank you so much just for being
you - the ad last month from Conn.
had ~wo grand people waiting for
you Just to reach out, dial,
meet,
and become friends
- there's
no
pretense,
no putting
on airs they're
real good people. Try it:
All of you who have read the ad
and sat for hours or days trying
to get up the courage to call ~
There are two parts to a ministry
CALL: Other gays in other areas
to gay women, One part is raising
try this as a means of increasing
consciousness
(male and female)
and acquaintances.
your gay frie~ds
about the needs and the humanity
The comradeship
of sameness is exof women. The other is to begin to hilarating.
Your personal worries
help meet those needs and celebrat
and lonelines~
get placed in prothat humanity,
per pers poctive - don't sit back
too difficult.
RememThere are some particular
needs I and say it's
ber it was just as difficult
for
hope we can focus on, Two of our
them to Reach Out and ask that you
strongest
women at f.'
;CC are lesbian
be their
friends
mothers, and it troubles
me deepI called!
I'm glad I did!
ly that we we have done so little
in our community to embrace and
Ethel
help gay parents,
(most of whom
Staff note:
are women.). I hope that as a
To "Just a friend"
church we can raise this issue
and find ways to help.
M
any of us are new at raps. Please
join us. He are all a little
fri ghI am also concerned for lesbian
tened.
couples - I am disturbed
that
there is so little
in the way of
a support system for couples.
�3
Sisters,
gro up s to be able
to afford
us,
For too many centuries,
lesbian ,
women have been creatin .cr around
their lifestyles
instea~ of ~cknowled c;in g their lifestyles,
For more information
please
tact our business
manager:
V! are Farriily of Homan, Lesbiane
Feminist f'i sicians,
u
and have surrounded ourselves
with the dreams
and plans for a world in which
women can re-claim
our own her;an
itage and 1 i ve without the I.' 's
structures
and aggressive
and
passive hate,
\1e are politic al
musicians who have something to
share with all women.
312-929-1871
General
He refuse to play bars and clubs,
\l e play only women's concert.
W believe
e
that our music is
important
because lesbians
are
vital
to the concept of a women's
revolution,
W know that art
e
plays a hug e part in the cultural revolution
that women are
involved in,
The purpcr;e of the COC is to
integrate
homosexual behaviour
and homosexual relations
into
our society.
The term "inte ,rrar
tion" is not understood
exa~tly
by the COC in the sense of equal
civil
rights
for homosexuals,
but more as the contrary
of an
isolation
policy,
He are trying to discover what
women's music really
is. Fe are
not attempting
to speak for every lesbian
in the world.
He are
playing music and talk ino- with
you because we know we can touch
parts in ~ou that have been
touched in ourselves
by other
women,
The COC wishes to help people to
discover
their homosexual tendencie~, to accept these . and .to play
their part openly with these tendencies in daily social life.
con-
o
.
Family of ~Tman, 919 W Newport
Chicago, Illinois
60657
In Sisterhood
and Struggle,
Family of Homan
DUTCHSCCIETY FOR THE INTEGRATIO
N
OF HG
iiOSBXUALITY
COC
policy
of COC:
0
W want to eventually
e
have all
our songs written
by women,
more specifically
lesbian women.
W need your sonss,
e
~ e need to reach the part
l
in all
women that loves women; somet~mes throu ~h an gry songs, sometimes throu gh love son gs. ~e
.
need to know there is space in
our movement for all women to
create and share creation.
operate as a collective,
He
are Family of ·:1 man, and we want
o
to share our music and ideas with
women all over the country,
Our
fee for doin g concerts
is adjustable.
We v
vant all women's
'.' e
l
Real improvement can only be cas.ed
?Y con!ronting
the direct
sur~ound
inGs with someone's homosexual
being, So it is also the tak of
CCC to encourage its members to
stand for this confrontation
with
all those forms of expression
seemin c; so normal in a heterosexual relationship,
As an or~anization
the COC puts this co~frontation
policy into practice
b~ ~irected
information
and publicity
and by usin g the Dutch
le gal system in an a~gressive
way,
(from a much longer policy
for 1973).
statement
�4
f'~'.!S ARCU TH CO TRY
'
ND E
UF
of ColWAS I FGTG The District
H
Numbia City Council ~ave prliminary
approval to '2 i tle 34 - a human
ri 1z:hts bill coverin g discrimination because of sexual orientation, se.x, and marital
status.
Discrimination
in the area of
housing, employment, access to
public accorr1odations,
and admission to educational
institutions
is not permitted.
If the bill
passes a second hearin g on Sept.
18 it will become law. (Advocate
Aug. '73) ..
FROVIDECE- The Ifomophile Coml'i
munity Health Services
of Boston
has expanded to Frovidence,
The
~
Providence Advisory :~oard will
consist
of psychiatrists,
lawyers,
business
people, and members of
the Gay community.
Fresently,
the center is open tvro nights a
week.
It has hopes of .increasing
facilities
and hours, (M
orning
Glory, Aue, '73),
OTTO
.IA- .!:-'rimeLinister
Pierre
Trudeau, in g ivin ~ factors
considered by the Canadian Govt, in
grantin g security
clearances,
-admitted that homosexuality,
emotional
instability
a.Pd sexual
abnormality
are reviewed.
This
is to determine if'those
applying
for such clearances
would be
"vulnerable
to persuasion,
coercion, or black-mail,
" Gay
Alliance
Towards Equality
(GATE)
of protest
sent an open letter
to Trudeau which includes a de:... .
mand to cease this policy.
(Advocate Aug. '73),
SAN FRANCISCO-An arson investigation is still
goin ~ on in .an
attempt to determine who set the
July 27 fire guttin g the rv
ietro-poli tan Community Church.
The
fire was the sixth burning of
a gay oriented
institution
in the
last seven months. (Fountain tug.
'73)
I\TE YOm ~""".A special
':l
project
on
LGS AFGELES- Dignity, an orgthe ri::sht of sexual privacy has
anization
for Gay Catholics,
will
begun by the national
office
have its first
national
convention
of the American Civil Liberties
Aug , 31-Sept,
3 at the Holiday Inn Union~ They v.,ill be trying to
in Los Angeles. (Advocate, Aug, - '73) e.stablish
Gay civil
rights
in
public and private
employment
SEA'rTLF.- Federal subsistence
sal=and child custody.
For more
aries have been c;iven to four
information
writer
gays in Seattle
to work in the
Sexual Privacy Project
city's
sexual minorities
communAmerican Civil Liberties
Union
ity.
Two of these people will
22 E .. 40th Street
work with Seattle
Counseling SerNew York, N, Y. 10016.
vice for Sexual Linorities
while
(Fountain~ AW{, '73),
( see July rOCU,.;,
1
the others vv0rk with the Gay Com1
{; {,,'.1=1f,1i{-of {f:/ f!H!-,-h : hlHff,4f1f,Nf
.
fll4l=#ifo##f,-4/: fi.:{H
{,1f-1/1
b H NNf !,
munity Social Services.
(Foun-tain,
Aug . '73).
D.O.B. MEtffil!RSHIP
APPLICATION
Few York GAA' s Lesbian
Liberation
Committee has split
from that 3:roup to form a seperate or ganization,
rJ new group's
:he
concerns will be Gay and Feminist
issues.
(Fountain,
Aug . '73).
f,;EV/ YOR'. ~
ORB
GON- House :S
ill l,!-2116, bannints
discrimination
on the l)asis of
sex and marital
status passed the
Ore~on Senate in late June.
The
bill bans discrimination
in housin g , public accomodations
and
private
vocational
and trainin e;
schools,
(Fountain,
Aug , '73),
Address
_ __ _ _ ,......,.,._....
I am a woman 18 years
er: ;
11
( signed) _ ____ _,_
_
of age or old ~
_ ~-- ~
~
-- -
~th
-$10 (o-r"$i.5fo;~ ccmpl~)
;
to the D.O,B. office.
�5
women's perodicals;
inventory
and
~
file into 2,000 topical
research
files
of newspaper clippings,
reThere will be· a meeting for any . search papers, poetry,
and graphics
women interested
· in the sexual
cut, Classify,
catalo g , and file
prefernce
tas lr · force on Sept 13 ··women's newslett~rs,
journals
and
at the D,O.B •.. office,
T:30 H ~.
ne wspaper clippings.
- The library
W
omen are needed tb worlc for ·
contains
a, vast collection
of
·
legislation
to restate
bills
to women's period~cals
(includin g
include homosexuality.
I~cludFOCUS) as well as other informaed in our work will . be contacttion, and is the lrr.gest
of' · its
in g re resentatives
through
. kind in the nation,
as far as we
letters
and phone. A+so, we need know. It is supported by donatP:t:Qfes• ionals
s
to testify
to the
ions. For inf or write:
·
validity
of a homose;xual lifeWOr 'S HISTORYRESEARC CENTER. NC
l'
J~N
H
I
style.
..
2325 · Oak ·St, Berkeley;
Calif. 94708
HOf': N' S LO
•B
BT>Y SK FORC
TA
E
OF SEXUALF REFERfCE
·T
0~
HOViEN " S
HIS TO LIBRARY
RY
The \!omen's H.story Library .in
Berkeley,
California
is looking
for volunteers
to help~ Work
involves:
Correspon4.with
D.O,B. BUSIK8SS LEETILG AUG. 20, 1973
voted:
1. to reactivate
a bylaw revision
commitee
~> towards a "Gay Survival
9
Sheet" to list area .
2. to allocate
gay needs plus a biblio graphy
3, to spend c
i)20 on restocking
the D.O.B. bar.
4. to have the 1.'l
omen 's lobby task force on sexual preference
meet
at the D,O. B, office September 13,
Also noted: W
endy D' will organize the library
and Lois H. will
start
orientation
meetings.
.
NOTICE OF ELECTIONS
Elections
for Boston D,O. B. officers
will be held October 14th )
(prior to th~ regular business
Sunday, 7:30 .pm at the office
meetin g ). The offices
are: president,
vice presdient,
recordin g
secretary,
correspondin g secretary,
and treasurer.
FOC will print statements
US
from candidates
for these offices
in
the OCtober issue, which will be received by members before the
election.
Statements
must be in the D.O. B. mailbox by September
17th to be sure of being printed.
Candidacy may also be declared
at the meetin g .
·
·
The bylaws provide for the follcwin g proxy which must be returned
by the ni gh t of elections.
The proxy must be signed to be valid.
Checl< only one of the two boxes.
PROXY
I vote for_ -_______________
.
for President
for Vice-Pres.ident
_______________
for recordin g Sec'y.
_______________
for Corres. Sec'y.
·for Treasu~er
1~ I entrust
·1
m-y-v-_,.t_e_s_t_o
:0
__
----------,-S i.gne d
---------------------
r·t
---------------
�6
TE.E RI NG
by Ivi
ary Shelley
Arin@; is a very simple g ift except when one woman g ives it to
another.
It was our anniversary.
f'•ary decided to buy me a rin e;,
i
He have the same ring size so she
was able to kee p it a ·perfect
surpris ·e.
W
hen M
ary gave me the . ring that
eveing, I went "Ah!", I c.ouldn't
believe
it, Once you're a lesbian you don't expect to get rings
any more. She told me about how the jeweler had g iven her problems.
It
was bad enough that she wanted a
woman's rin g . But the inscription,
"M
ary adores Jane" re.ally
made him nervous.
Before she
left,
he made himself feel better by tellin g her she was a good
lookin g girl and probably would
She
have lots of lcids one day.
laughed at him,
"You shouldn't
have done that,"
I scolded her, "This is a small
town."
Then it was time for
dinner.
Life went on as usual. \l e really
loved our house. One day two
weeks later r:ary and I were walking downtown, Vie passed the jewelers. _
"hey I " she daid, "This
This is the place, 11
stood there and he watched us.
I began to feel like I was in a
police line-up.
Slowly his shaking fin ger rose.
He pointed at
the door. \l e left in a hurry,
feeling
a little
bit creepy,
·1
.e
The next week our landlord
evicted us. 1:le didn't
have a lease.
He stood inside the door, him and
his fat stomach, He watched us
pack our stuff.
He told us that
the jeweler was his cousin.
FOCUSSTAFF M
EETI NG
Are you a D.O, B. member intrested
in helping with the content,
cov~
ers, or productions
of FOCUS? Do
you have ideas for FOCUSyou want
·to put into action? Come to the
staff meeting Monday Sept. 17th
at 7:JO Pm at the office.
t!OilBN'S FAIR ANDRALLY
The Fair commemorated the 53rd
anniversary
of women's sufferage.
Twelve to fifteen
women's groups
from through-out
the .sta+e were
represented
.by tables and .
speakers.
M
usic, skits,
and
speakers were part of the 10-4
program on the Esplanade by the
Charles River.
DY :2
KE ut-'-ons were sold out quickly, and - there was a much larger
demand than supply,
is it!
"Hunh," I went but she dragged
me in anyway. l love her when
she's spontaneous,
"Hey," she said to the man. "I'd
like you to meet my Jane, She
likes her ring very much,
l-,ESBIAN
TIDE
a voice of the lesbian/feminist
community. sisters subscribe nowi
$6/ year
50¢/ sample
The man looked at us. Then his
373 N. Western Ave.,
Tide Collective,
mouth dropped. Be raised his
Room 20?, Los. Angeles~ Calif' 90004
hand, He sta gg ered back. He stood _
against the wall of the mop with
shoulders
hunchedi I thou ght he
was shivering.
I felt sorry for
_ FOCUS: A JOUR
NAL FOR GAY WO EN
i."I
him until W _
ary whispered in my_
50¢==
some back issues available
ear that he had palsy,
�7
somewhere in a Serva-matic down on 5th ,~venue,
a middle-aged businessman with a wife,
three children, a dog,
and a mistress,
sees .it floating on the top of his coffee,
abruptly.
and he .leaves the restaurant,
a married womanwith two small children
and a husband who doesn°t drink or smoke, who isn°t that
exciting in bed, whose hands are too small and delicate for
a man: she sees it behind the scenes of the tv serial shevs
been watching, and changes channels, abruptly.
a teenager sees it, in the innocent smile of a best friend
who locks arms too often, who is exciting to be near; a teenager
crying, abruptly.
sees it, and sits on her bed late at night, worrying:
a chic young model who
g
f endin : off photographers, sees
flowing bodies of .other models.
with an obnoxious photographer,
spends her days in front of cameras,
it in the dressing ·room, in the
She sees it, and accepts a date
abruptly.
an overweight mother of grovm chilc:lren sees it
in the friendly face of another oversized-children-grown-and-gone
mother: she stops having her over for coffee, abruptly •
. they all
see it
and feel it
and sense it
and hear it
it is uncomfortable for them,
it lies hard in the bottom of the stomach,
it makes lumps in the throat
and sometj,mes it makes the men impotent
and the women panicky.
it is called
latency.
a nmisdirection 1'
a tendency
an inclination
what it means is that
if given half a chance
you might be a homosexual
and you are scared to death.
--ginger lox
�8
LOVEIl\T TH LABO
E
RATORY
Kathleen, stop leaning over my shoulder
when I 0 m trying to study.
How can I type that lab report
when your presence distorts my senses,
clouding my geniust ·
Oh, the curse to be high on lovel
you lay asleep
& I flung across
you like a survivor
from a shipwreck
lay awake
clinging
to your heartbeat
Bitch, witch;
begone, you and your cauldron!
Now where was I •••
Oh, yes, - there is a significant
between the lures of studying
and the Elixir of Love •••
ever since
you told me
your mother died
in her sleep
Pm afraid
sometimes
& listen
for hours
· to your steady rhythm
of yes, yes, y<=Js
difference
Lovable, loving,
beautiful creature!
So, in conclusion, Professor,
it is my contention
that Sappho was, indeed, a right-on-woman;
death
is something
I could never accept
And Kathleen wins tonighti
(I keep tripping
over those memories)
-- Patricia
but you . did _
grew stronger
1 } ff,;f,!,~f.f,b,f,\1t\ti'
lf{,bff1l#!faf 1!,'=;;-1,~f#,fhf#i"'li~fHh~#1H={h:'--t
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,{,1=//:1/: to yield
,
& to fall
asleep
1
1
CLASSIFIED
AD
so I leave you
(5¢/ word)
for a while to write
Lesbian trail bike riders-drink milk
smoke cigarettes
Autumn is coming, the loveliest time
& pract5ce saying yes
of the year. I 0 ve been riding in the
woods all summer. Where are you?
--C.G.
&
Terry, 748 Oakland Beach Ave., Apt.l,
Warwick, R.I.
..
P.S. Back road riding
is nice,
tooi
NAJORITY
REPORT
fl
/,
4,~ Full and fair
events.
$3/12 issues
.!.L
Tr
A AZO Q
M N UARTR
E LY
A Lesbian-Feminist
Journal
coverage of feminist
JL
1(
J}_
~-r Najority
Report, 74 Grove st.,
New York, New York 10014
Arts
$5/ year (plain wrapper)
$4/ year (no wrapper)
Amazon Quarterly, 554 Valle Vista,
land, Calif. 94610.
Oak-
SISTERSHAGAZIE
N
publishe d by San Francisco DOB
$,':
Uyear
SFDOB,P..mo
402, 1005 M
arket St.,
San Francisco, Calf. 94103
�JI lJ.##
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CIAL FSYC LOG
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FROJFCT
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Sociolo g ist and psy c holo g ists
are interested
in collecting
information
fro m g ay men and
women, sin gl e , co up led, for
a g,ood book on sexual and
social relations
in the gay
.
community.
:8 writin g this
y
book we hope to make gay life
easier and more fulfillin
g.
W will pay a sm
e .
all amount for
participation.
Frivacy assured
.
and preliminary
interview
required.
Total--5
evenin g
sessions.
Call UN4-81 81,
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W would like to thank all the
e
k.
ids t hat answered our ad in
the August issue.
W had a
e
neat party at our house for
them.
W would like to ene
coura ge more people to call
203-429-1741 and ask for
Betty.
1 want more friends.
ie
Call anytime;
more parties
are planned.
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GAY COMK I TY 1'1E
UN
iJSLETTER
:11:
~
) 1,50/10
fl
we~ks
I
G,C, N., co Charles St.
M
eetin g House, 70 Charles
St. , Boston, M 02114
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ALERICAN GAY FIL M F8:STIVA
L
lashin gton Area Gay Comm
uThe V
nity Council and the Janus
Theatres announce t hat app lications
are now availabl e for
participation
in th e "First
American Gay Fil m Festival"
to take place in ~
lashin gton,
D.C. this winter.
·
Films by gay filmmakers and/or
about gay life is the theme
of the festival.
Films may
be sub mitted in Super 8, 16 m
m
or 35 mm, as feature
len gth,
shorts,
or animated films.
Deadlines for entries
is Oct.
31, 1973.
For . information
write "First American Gay Fil m
Festival!', . c/o W
ashin gton
Area J ay Community Council,
F , O. Box 40552, Vl
ashin gton,
D. C. ·20016.
GAY ACADEIC UNION, N.Y.C.
M
The Gay Academic Union, a
group of men and women including teachers,
researchers,
artis , s, graduate students,
t
librarians
and administrative
personnel
has just formed in
New Yor-k City.
Its goals specifically
are ,
(1) to oppose all forms of
djscrimination
against gay
people within academia,
(2) to
sup port individual
academics
in the process of comin g out
(.3) to promote new approaches
to the study of the gay experience, and (4) to encoura ~e
the teachin g of gay studies
throu ghout the Am
erican educational
system.
•
0
' A committee of the Union is
plannin g a Conference of Gay
Scholars to be held in New
York City over the Thanksg ivin g weeke nd, Fove mber 2.3-24,
1973.
For membership information,
write Prof. K, S . Sherrill,
Dept. of Political
Science,
Box 1479, Hunter Colle ge,C UN
Y,
695 FarkAv.,
N.Y . , N.Y. 10021.
�10
BOST0 D
H AUGHTERSOF BILITIS
CALENDAR
September 1973
TUESDAYS 30 pm HAP SESSIONS ON BJ.i:l1 GAY FOR W EBH ON
7:
I G
O
LY. Share feelings
about
9
At the D.O.B. office 9 419 Boylston
being gay 9 everyone welcome.
& Berkeley
Streets 9 near the
st. 9 Boston 9 between Arlington
r'lBTA stop.
Arlington
9-10 pm GAYHAY RADIO PR0GRAH\r BUR 90.9.
J
-FH
THURSDAYS
SUN
DAYS 1 pm D.O.B. SOFTBALL. Bring bat 9 ball,
glove 9 and/or self;
informal games.
Rain or shine.
Magazine Beach 9 Cambridge 9 across the Charles
River from Cadillac-Olds
and along l-f inorial Drive west of the
e
M swim pool adjacent.
DC
Boston University
Bridge.
September
8 11 SATURDAYABC news special
,:woman° s Place: 1 9 9-10 pm. ,:Examines the
11
myths and realities
of growing up female in America -= Written
.
arlene Sanders.
ABC-TV = Channel 5.
and produced by M
September
13 9 TIIDRSD.AY7: 30 r.:m V
lONEl LOBBYTASK FORCEON SEXUALPREFERm
1°S
JCE.
9
W
omen are needed to work for legislation
to restate
include homosexuality.
At the D.O.B. office.
to ·
17 9 MONDAY7:30
9
pm FOCUS STAFF HEETING. All D.O.B. members interested
of FOCUS and who are willin the content 11 covers 11 or production
ing to help with the same are urged ·to come. At the D.O.B.office.
September
17 11 l'11
ONDAY DEADLINEFOR RECEIFT OF STATENE
rlTS FROMCA DIDATES FOR D.O.B.
N
September
0S
N
OFFICES FOR OCTOBER ELECTIO S.
0 s FOCUS.
October
Statements
21 9 FRIDAY 8:30--11:30
9
September
beer
9
liquor,
pm D.O.B. DANCEat the
and soft drinks for sale.
to be printed
are concerned
about making D.O.B.
in
office.
There will be
0
Homen only.
75¢ .!!,dmis n.
26 9 irlEDNESDAY 7:30 pm D.O.B. BUSINESS l"
iEETING at the office.
9
September
October
bills
continue
to work
9
If you
come.
14 9 SUlmAY 7: 30pm ELECTIO l'JIG & BUSINESS bEEI'ING. Elections
NS
HT
for new ·
9
officers
in DOB
will take place fmrst at 7:30 9 followed by the
October business
meeting.
riore details
to be found in the September FOCUS
about
DAUGHTERS BILITIS
OF
St. 9 Room 323
Boston, Nass. 02116
419 Boylston
the
elections
are
phone:
617-262-1592
AL Do0.B. EVE
L
i'ITS ARE OPE TO ALL W HEl'J REGARDLESS NENBERHIP STATUS I N D.0.B.
N
O
OF
S
1
TRIBUTIONS OF TIME ANDM
ONEY I H OUR EFFORTS TO REACHOTHERGAY
UE W
ELCOME
YOURC01'
WOMENTO PROVIDERAPS AND SOCIAL EVENTS9TO wom.
,
FOR THE RIGHTS OF GAY PEOPLE.
0-pen to all women 18 years old and older.
$10/yr;
Membership ir:.cludes a subscription
to FOCUS.
fp r:us. A monthly journal for gay women. '.; / yr.; 50¢/ sample.
:5
f:, lendar qf eY,.~•
Nonthly.
$1/ 6 mo.
I:f~>:1b
ershipi
~ 5/ yr
n
for
a couple.
Brown envelope.
·
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 September
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-09
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The first page of the newsletter (after the cover page) is mislabeled as page 9.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197309
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/ab4b1b03df6d8b4d4ec2a4ff5ebbc940.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=XO2FILl123WeNo0gqj4nzBZ-7MFtKUNEcjYmghqyVvDLPILPqMf%7EjSyO%7ENvsWt7EzQlWcc%7EE0Tr9RffoyU00sKNPpcwH-oLrtcBCm3lWjRSurGs0s27IBCZSxb5Tlc66tKXti2DZxbWzL7%7Eh3RH6b7lESMpah9aEb1Y5pArC8CibjDiyspAdPphLPwHAMER9lqTh77%7EN8cN88QV0y682oR8Ybk1aOMQonLYuAePYY%7EtHPLA%7EdczwbVn6UaayF7uVXj19PQmFGzS36NvGzO3y21pf0BghjEfM21vXR-924Hrak3gJb5aA1jAGRw9VooVlIFifGW7l8mvJGZPpA49d%7EQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
b7c7958c1026ff39174c24a5d444c198
PDF Text
Text
A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
BOSTON
DA U GHTERS
OF
BILITIS
\\
OCT. ~73
$.50
�FOCUS~ A J CD.R.N FO GJ ~-:
AL
R. C m!EN
October 1973
FOCUS publj_shed monthly by Boston
is
Daughtersof Bilitis,
Room 323, , .. .
419 Boylston st., Boston, Mass~ 02116
.
.
'
..
.
Phone: 617-262-1592 ..,
FOCUS taff this issue: Linda Lach ·s
_
. .man, Sahel, .Wendy Bauman, Andrea,
Laura Robin, Cathy, Geri Bidwell,
Janine, J:udi. .
.
·' ·
Subscriptions are $5 a year, and a
sample is 50¢. Give us your zip#. If
you move, let us know. The post office
will not forward 3rd ,cla ~s .mail to , you.
-Boston D.o.B. officers:
Tr easurer ••••••••• ~ •••• Geri Bidwell
Recording Sec 0 y ••• ~ •••• Lois H.
Correspondi~g Sec 9y •••• Laura Robin
FOCUS
welcome.contributions
from
everyone. If you want back whatever
you send us, please inclu4e a stamped,
erNelope. Let us know
self-addressed
possible titles
and how you want to
sign your name.
Articles in FOCUS
reflect
of the individual authors
necessarily rperesent the
tas~es of Boston Daughters
the . views
and do not
views or
of Bilitis.
COVER: Th:i.s cartoon by Candi McGonagle
which first appe·ared in the old Focus
(called Maiden Voyage in those days)
on May 1970, has . appeared in many
since that time.
gay publications
This publication is on file at the INTERNATIONAL EN'SiHISTORY
WO
M
ARCHIVE,2325
Oak St., Berkeley, Cal. 94708; it is . available on microfm from Bell & Howell,
Wooster, phio to October 1971 ·and from the I.W •.H.A. from Octob~r 1971 - June 1973.
i~#1ifH#####4Hf:IHNlfi~##H###H1l###H#########H####f/:##############1Hf
#
#
#
IN THIS ISSUE
#
#
#
#.
#
fr
Statement of candidates for D.O.B. office •••••••• 2
11
Be friends 11 project •••••••• •• ••• •• •.•• •• •••••• •• .3
1/:
Ads •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
f,~
News around the country ••••••••••••••••••••••••••
4
,Focusing on FOCUS
••••••••••••••••••••••
~ •••••••• • (5
Poetry, by C.G., Marilyn Hadfield, gingerlox •• •• .8
Poetry, by Marilyn Hadfield, gingerlox,Cathy ••••• 9
D.O.B. ca.lendar.~ •••• ~~••••••••••••••••••••••
·•••l-0
Crossword puzzle••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••ll
#
#
#
:fl
#
•·•~-••• ~·• .3
#
#
#
#
#
=II
#
#
#
#
###:/Hr###
#########
#########=IHl###H############fh1############
#####
ADDRESSES OTHER
OF
D.O.B. CHAPI'~S
Dallas DOB
Wom for Action
·en
.Box 5944
Dallas, Texas. 75222
Occupant
Box 137
Northwood, New Hampshire
s _
(this is N.H.D.o.B: but do .not ~ddres _ __
them as such on envelope) • ·-·
San Francisco DOB
1005Market St., #402~404
San_ Francispo, Cal. 94103
New.Jersey .DOB
Box ·62
Fanwood, New J e:r,pey 07023
�2
STATEMENTS CANDIDATES
BY
FOR D.O.B . OFFICES
The following . statements
were submitted to FOCUSby the Sept. 17th
deadline.
A FOCUSstatement
is,
hqweve~, . not a prerequisite
to run·
n~ng. ·_
President
of Boston DOB.
My name is Sheri ·and I'm runni11,g- for. president
My platform
is simple~ · I want DOB -to "be .there" for the -social
and mental well being of all women. in this · community and I want to
helpDOB ·be a continuing
force in the struggle . ·for gay civil pights.
I am Andrea Gillespie.
I am a candidate
for President
of Boston Daughi;;ers of Bili tis.
I am a lesbi~.
I , am .a :(eminist.
A
friend commented .to me that "DOB is something you get into and grow
out of. " · · I ·see no rea s on for women to outgrow DOB if there is room
· for them '. to grow within it.
I am running for President
because I
· would like to help . DOBbecome a more active,
living,
reach-out
your vote.
group.
I woul,d appreciate
Vice-President
organization
of
Sisters
- DOBcan ~d . must be an influencial
women. Socially
and politically
we have the energies
and materials
to move in varied positive
directions
• . Let us realize
our poten,tials
and move to fulfill
them. .. Wendy Bauman, Oandidate .for VicePresident.
·
Treasurer
I am a candidate
Recording
for reelections
as treasurer.
Geri Bidwe'll
Secretarx
I am a candidate
for the office of Recording Secretary
for
Boston DOB. J; have been a regular
attendant
at business meetings
and I would lik~ to give of .my. time to -make sure that DOB has a
proper record of _ all its activities
and decisions.
Lois J.
Corresponding
Secretary
I am a candidate , for re .election
as corresponding
secretary.
My "philosophy"
about . the job. is to answer mail as promptly as
possible - to answer all letters
,.·
no matter how oddball they may
seem, to maintain confidentiality
of the letters,
to communicate
to the DOB membership all notices
and information
directed
to its
attention.
I'd b_ glad :t.o discuss things further
e
on election
night.
Peace & Love, Laur . : Robin
a
(For those members who can •t come to the meeting and Lwish to vc,te). .. . .
PROXY:
for Fres1dt!.1H,
, .:,. , ...... .
_ I vote for _____________
_
,
for Vice- Pres.
... _. ,.·
send proxy to
office or give to
someone going to meet ...
in~g&A•--------------
.~ I entrust
-'
my votes to
Signed
for Record.
Sect.
for Correspond.
for Treas .urer ~
_ Y..:•....
Sect.
�CLASSIFIED
ADS
-·
-
"BE ,FRIENDS" PROJEC'I'
Claire Shanahan (a ·m~xnberof DOB)has
begun to orga:r::tze a program for children of single parents or gay couples.
This program will enlistV.olunteer
adult companions, one .day per week,
for children between the ages of two
and fourteen.
Unlike such programs
as Big Brothel';, the idea is not to
provide a 11father 11 or 11mother 11 im~ge
for the child, but to provide adult
companionship of the gender opposite
of that of the pareht(s).
Claire
hopes that such an approach will .
create a greater openess to different life styles in the children involved, and also in the parents and
adult companions.
SISTERSMAGAZINE
published by San Francisco DOB
··
$5/year
SFDOB,Rm. 402, 1005 Market St.,
San Francisco, California 94103
Although Claire has the assistance
and support of several gay persons
and sympathetic straight persons
(icluding two social workers from
the departement .of Public Welfare),
she hopes that the program will reach
beyond the gay community. She feels
that there is a need for such relationships and openess to other life
families.
styles in all single-parent
Feminists/Astrologers.
Beyond the
obsolete sexism of Astrology: Astroecology, first wom,;1?1-created
world view.
Charts, instruction.
Introduction $2.
Shara Lee, Box 534, Needham, Ma.
02192.
Much of the organizationl work has
begun already. However, several more
volunteer workers are needed to com.
plete this work, and to do screening
of volunteer companions once the
program begins to operate. Professional persons, such as social workers and people wit .h a talent for
publicity,
are especially needed.
If you would like to help with this
project in any way, or have any suggestion that might be helpful,
please call Claire Sl}anahan at:
266-7491 or 269-3681 or write to:
BeFriends, RM:.508, 4i9 Boylston St.
Boston, Mass. 02116.
***************************************
GAYCOMMUNITY
NEWSLETTER
(we: kly)
e
10 weeks
25 weeks
3rd class
$1.50
$3.50
first
$2.10
$5.00
class
G. c. N., c/o Charles St. Meeting Hoµse,
70 Charles St., Boston, Mass. 02114.
***************************************
***************************************
Would like to meet other gay friends
in the Southern Connecticut area.
Write P. O. Box 1192 Groton, Connecticut
or call Judy - 446-1119 after 3 pm.
***************************************
ADVERTISING
RATES
/FOCUS . '
classifieds
5¢/ word
BY OFFSET:
full page •••••• $17
half page •••••• $ 9
fourth page •••• $ . 5
copy should be in to D.O.B. •
by the 20th of the month.
Offset copy should be cameraready.
*******************************************************************************
JOIN D.O.B.
Membership is $10 ($15 for a couple) and includes one subscription
to FOCUS. Open to all women18 years old and older.
Send your
name, address, signed statement that you 0 re over 18, and the $,
to the D.O.B. office.
*******************'~***********************************************************
�4
NBh3 AROUN 'l'EE COUNl'rtY
D
LESBIANNOVEL- cc:,rd:;..ng to i:,he
A
publisha~s ad quoting Charles Reich,
The City Within, by ~lizab~th Newbold, is Ila novel about two worlds,
the outer world of-' Washington; D.C•·
and an inner world of lesbian relationships •• ethe point of the book
is not t ,l')a issue - of lesbian ism
but the ideal of a truly enriching
relation .ship." The distributor
is
Lyle Stuart, 120 Enterprise Ave.,
Secnucus, N.J. 07094. The cost is
$6.95 plus 50¢ by mail. Let us
know if itQs any good.
SPRINGFIELD- he Arch, a gay men's
T
in Springfield,
Mass. burned down ,
on Tuesday September 11th ·at 5 am.
by a fire bomb explosiono There
were no injuries.
CAMBRIDGEr-24 hour service desigr:- '
A
.
ed to help suicidal people in .time
of cri~is is in the plan..'1ing ·stages.It will be · a branch of an international organization The Samaria.tans.
If interested,
go to the first meeting at the Jirr~y Fund Auditorium,
Children's Hospital, Binney st. near
Longwood Ave~ Boston, October 2 at
8:piq, or call 563-"3225 or 547~5350.
.
NEW
HAVEN,
CT.- A Hartford area gay
activist,
Ken Bland lost his job
as a house parent with the American
School for the Deaf in Jan. 1971
after he was on T.V. as a gay. With
the help of the Conn. Civil Liberties Union he is filing a $100,000
suit, the first such in the state.
(.D.dvocate Sept _ 26, Q73)
. '
..
BOSTON- inda :Woodford won the $50
L
gift certificate
to the Harvard
Coop at a drawing at the Saints
Sept 5th. The profits from the raffle went to .Boston ?Feminists for
Lesbian Liberation tO: sponsor a
dance. 111 neve·r won anything before," said Linda.
LOS ANGELES- he first National
T
Dignity Convention in Los Ang~lconcluded on Sept. 4~ It elected -. _
officers from the local Boston
chapter.
They a.re: Paul Diederich
Executive Director; Tom Oddo, Sec 9 y,
and Jack Ha.rt, Treas. _They will
serve a t wo yef:J.rterm under the terms
of a provisional
constitution
adopted by the co!T'.rention.
·
Dignity is a national organization
addressing itself to the needs of the
Gay Catholic. It is open to all interested people, straight
or gay,
Cath9lic _
or.not, men and women of
all ages ·.
·
The . convention also issued a letter
to all the Catholic Bishops of the
U.S. asking for a review of present
theology and policies.
FINDS WOMEN°S MEMBERS
LIB
OUTSTUDY
GOING, INDEPENDENT,
HUMANITARIAN,
SEXUALLY
LIBERATED- Certainly,
"
the
impression created by the d_.ta cola
lected in this study tends to contradict the characteristic
mass media
a~
view of the Women°s Libera.tionist
a sexually frustrated,
physically
and verbally aggressive,
socially
u11successful person whose choice of
participation
in the Women's Movement
reflects
her frustration
and neurotic
ambitions. The Women's Liberation
:M
ovement memb.:.rs studied appear to
be outgoing, politically
and socially
gregarious women from relatively
nonreligiouss
middle or upper~middleclass, urban or suburban backgro~ds,
in whose homes liberal political
opinion was given frequent expression.
They tend to place · high valuation on
humanitarianism anQ personal autonomy
and are strongly motivated to create
conditions under which it will . be
possible for them to lead full and
productive lives. Moreover, far 'from
being sexually frustrated,
· antagonistic, and man;..hating, most movement
women\studied appear to be sexually
liberated
persons who do not feel it
:necessary to offend men in order to
defend women. While acknowledging
their need, for men, they do not deny
their own aspiration,
nor undermine
those attributes
and personal characteristics
which runcounter to traditional · definitions
of femininity but
on which are founded, their self-res ---pect and self-acceptance."
From
Cal'olyn Sto;Loff, 0 Who Joins Women°s
Liberation,"
PSYCHIATRY,
Vol. 36, No.
3, August, 1973~
�5
NE S CO .
W
NT
NEW
HAMPSHIRE- winner of the Miss
The
New Hampshire contest endorsed the
Women's and Gay Liberation movements11 any liberation
movement tha.t ls going
to give pe~ple more dignity and that's
going to help them to be less discrimi11ated aga:..~st ~"
The Manchester Union Leader, sponsor
of the conte$t, immediately disavowed
winner Michelle Cote. The newspaper
said that "in the past, these (Loeb)
newspapers have never sponsored any
contestant
who expressed such views
and, therefore,
no one has ever felt
the need to evaluate individual candidates in that regard".
(Boston
Q1._ week of Sept. 3, 1973)
q9e,
HtJ11AN
BEHAVIOR-The October 1·73
quotes the latest
Hum~nBeha~
national opinion poll by the Insti- ·
tute for Sex Research (Kinsey Institute)
1) 60% of the 3000 adults surveyed
don't approve of consenting adult
laws for homosexuals
2) 76% said homosexuals should not be
allowed to teach
3) 65%
said gays are sick and needed
treatment
4) 79% disapprove of homosexual sexual relationships
even if there is love
i
( 86'.b if no love)
To be sure, 49% also disapproved of
the same for unmarried heterosexuals.
BOSTON- ay activist
G
Elaine Noble has
been named to the Governor's Commission
on the Status of Women by Governor
Francis Sargent.
(Bosten Globe, Sopt.
19).
· .ATASCADERO,
·CALIFORNIA-On
Jurie 30 9 200
- mostly from the Metro6 cly visitors
ty
politan Cornmuni Church - were allowed
to hold a party for gay inmates at the
About 100
Atascadero State Hospital.
prisoners attended. (@av Liberator,
~
Sept. '73).
ANNAREOR"As We See It As Lesbians,"
a collage created by 11 lesbians, has
been denied display at the Ann Arbor
Public Library.
Ann Arbor Mayor, James
Stephenson ironically
states that nothing has been contibuted to the city
by gays. A formal complaint has been
filed at the city 0 s HumanRights Dept.
( Gay L,iberator,
Sept. 0 73) •
SANFRANCISCO- Society for IndivThe
idual Rights, an umbrella for many gay
· activities,
is negotiating cancellat-ion .
of its lease on its offices because of
They are faced
a financial crisis.
with $6,000 in overdue obligations.
(Advocate, Sept. 0 73) •
PORTLAND- editor of °Fountain°, ·
The
(gay pap~r), Lanny Swerdlow, was elected
Democratic precinct committeeman and
presently holds a seat on the Multnomah
County Democratic Central Committee.
.
(Advocate, Sept. •73).
This study was reported by Eugene
Levitt and Albert Klassen, Jr. at
the 50th Annual Meeting of the Amer~
ican Orthopsychiatric
Association,
May, 1973.
TRANSSEXUALISM
------------------------------
"A 17-year-old boy who, for as long as
he could remember felt and acted like
a girl and wished to be changed surgically into a female, was successfully
oriented to masculinity by researchers
at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, vi said David Barlow at a
Mass. Psychinlogical Ass 0 n banquet.
"The boy was trained over a 2-month period to sit, stand and walk in a more
masculine manner. Next he was trained
to talk in a more mascul i ne way••• In
addition, he was trained in masculine
social behaviors through a series of
.
a
behavior rehersal sessions.
Following
this, sexual fantasies in which he assumed the male role were positively reinforced and shaped. At this point the
boy assumed a masculine gender identity
and procedures to change sexual arousal
patterns from homosexual to heterosexual,
which had failed a year earlier,
were
successful.
18-month follow-up revealed a good
adaptation to his new gender identity.
An
--MASSACHUSEI'TS
PSYCHOLOGICAL 0 N
ASS
NEWSLEI'TER,
July 1973
11
�6
FOCUSINGON FOCUS
Here's your October issue
FOCUS. The staff hopes you'll
enjoy it.
of
Last month we ran a small
ad for FOCUS, in FOCUS, asking
for women to come to the · staff
meeting and contribute
ideas and
help.
There was one new face,
which was encour aging , but we ' d
like to see more!
help make FOCUSa
er-based
journal,
to hear from those
can't come. Tell
want to see in it;
cles, news you're
in stories,
poems,
you've written!
better,
broadWe'd also like
of you who.
FOCUSwhat you
ideas for artiread.
Also send
and articles
What the staff has in mind
is a larger
organization
for FOCUS - an editorial
staff,
production staff,
advertising
staff,
To begin with, the staff
distribution
staff,
etc~, similiar
gets together
and reviews all the
contributions
mailed to DOB-FOCUS to the type of set up and real
We read the gay periodicals
and
monthly quality
of The Lesbian
excerpt interesting
news from aTide, published
by sisters
in
round the country.
Articles
and
L. A.
news, pro and con, from the
straight
press are considered
for
We'd like to make FOCUS even
bigger and better,
· and to have
inclusion.
W all read all
e
the
material . submitted
and vote yes,
more women participate
so.that
no, revise,
or hold for future
the same few don't end up carryuse.
Those of us who work on
ing the whole load month after
month,
FOCUS also write articles,
and
these are voted on, the same as
So come and be part of
We also disevery other piece.
FOCUS. Bring (or send) your
cuss and select
a cover for
the
ideas, contributions,
and critissue.
icisms.
Give FOCUS a few hours
When we finally
have approva month.
ed material
we plan a night for
typing the stencils.
After FO**************************************
CUS is typed, we set up a night
**************************************
to run it off on the Homophile
Community Health Service mimeo
machine.
Next, we gather a few,
D,O.B, DACE
N
five or six, volunteers???
to put
the pages together
and staple th( it 0 s HALLOWEEN)
em. FOCUS then goes to the mailing committee to be folded,
enstamped, and
veloped, · addressed,
FRIDAY
mailed.
In the meantime the covOCTOBER
26th
er is taken to t he printers
because it is done , in offset.
8:30 pn
What do we hope to accomplish by telling
you all this?
W
ell, we'd like to · encourage you
to come to the FO
CUS staff meet. ings and contribute
a few hours
of your time, once a month, to
just 50¢ admission
. , omen only
w
beer and soda for sale
. AT THE n.o.B.
OFFICE
**************************************
**************************************
�..... ,,....
..
.
r
,.
7
·•·
I
I
!
'·
\
HAS NOTHING Db W
TO
ITH THIS AD, BUT NOW
THATWE HAVEYOURATTENTION, HOW
ABOUT
JOI N N THE FOC STAFF.
I G
US
THEREARE JOB ;OPENINGSIN ALL AREAS: EDITORIAL, ART, ADVERTISING, PRODUCTION,
DISTIBUTION. WHATEVER CAN 00, FOCUSCANUSE IT.
YOU
ALSO NEEDED:ARTICLES STORIES
POETRY, COVERIDEAS, ART, NEWS, AND EVENCRITICISMS.
CONTIBUTE FEWOR AS MANY
AS
HOURS YOU CANABSOLUTELY
AS
-----~ ~
=-
z.:.....i.,.
.
I
~ -L
"'
CO TO THE FOCUS STAFF MEETING, OCTOBER
NE
18, 7:30 pm, OR CALL DOBOFFICE• .
�They said I was a Lesbia .n
because I had an oral fixation
So,
the next morning
I stopped:
drinking
brushing my teeth
smiling
kissing my friends
talking
smoking cigarettes
eating
my lips dried up
crumbled, flew away
dust in the wind
my eyes filled
with dirt
damned open, not moving
my body slowly shriveled
wrinkling
in upon itself
I continued
to breathe
until
I died
still
a Lesbian.
C. G.
M
asturbation
wood inside flesh
flesh inside flesh
deep
circularity
cream warmth
ocean smell
softness
of down
prickly bristles
fullness
of stomach
air sucking air
animal fantasies
room quietness
wet streets
under cars
light trying to give
giving light
dead giving life
life giving pleasure
pleasure
peace
Love Poems for Her
first
written
they appear full
o:f my feelings
as deep as memory
shyly
they are offered
in sacrifice
I offer no defence
I am guilty
of love
now
time past
I'm moving next week
packing
& sorting
& throwing
out stuff
I find
love poems for her
· hey seem to ·have
t
no meaning
after seeing them so much
it's
like Old Glory
it's
like my reflection
· in the mirror
each morning
C, G.
with my hipbone
dug into the Georgia earth
and summer night cracklings
around my head
I get high
in this half-kneel
above you
I swim
into the elements
of air, your face,
the soft moan of us
melting this moment,
ginger lox
the flesh mind
intertwines
Poem
organs unite
And you haveanupside
down
beer bubbles
tree on your left arm
and smoke calms
and i'm afraid to say how
as the bi'tten into
pretty
it is
cheese
because we both used to
has . intercourse
with the stick needles into
burned out incense
branches
Marilyn Hadfield
marilyn Hadfield
-.
·
--------------------------------------------------------------------
�this giri with bla<?¥:hair
and good eyes
is my sister
and this is the first time
ev.er be$ri able
she has _.
to be my friend
in JO years.
she came to my house ·
skiddish
obviously full of some
dreadful confession
of wanton sin. ·
I braced,
listening.
"I'm gayt' she said
and tears
glistened
in her good eyes
that we both inherited
from our mother.
"well,
so
am
My Dog And Me
We were sort of a family,
. Her, my dog, her cat and me.
--~ dog and · r still love each other
My
' ~ And we will •til .there• s another
_ Sort of family
:
With a new her, my dog, her cat and me.
Cathy
Remembering The Rain
Tonight it rained
And as I laid there alone
I thought 6f the nights
When we :were ,tegether
Lying side by side
Holding hands
Just listening to the sound of the
Raindrops pounding on the roof
And the safe, warm, protected
Feeling I had when we listened
To the rain together.
Cathy
August 23, 197'.3
I.
11 I said
.
and tears .,,, \j,1glistened in my
· -~
r.
good. eyes.
she laughed and
sputtered tears of relief .
I laughed
..
and sputteredtears
·Qf· reli~f
and w~ were friends
for the ' first ' tinie ·
1ri . . _.
JO
:·
w . •. ..[
years .
• ginger.lox
.
10 yrs. ago tod~y
i got busted
for the first time
27 yrs. old
told me he was a
construction worker
staying overnight at the Hilton
and 1· fell
for it
.
.
what's a nice girl like you
doing hustling
the .judge will let you go
in the morning
and 1 believed them
now·1 work for the
City of NewYork
now 1 have my own apt.
and am responsible
no:wi try not to write poetry
because i don't want to feel
nothing•s
changed.
Marilyn Hadfiled
9
but your Honor
she uses drugs
60 days •in the workhouse
JO ,days to kick
and again and again and again
no longer get busted
n,o longer hustle
: no longer hear what's a
nice girl like you
i no longer use dope
i.
i
E---
�10
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS BltITIS ··
OF
CALENDAR
October 1973
TUESDAYS 30 pm RAP SESSIONSON BEING GAY, FORWOMEN
7:
ONLY. Share feelings about
being gay, everyone welcome. At the ~O.B. office, 419 Boylston
St., Boston, between Arlington and Berkeley Streets,
near the
Arlington MBTA
stop.
· ·
WEDNESDAYS pm LESBIANMOO:HERS'
7:)0
RAP, at the D.O.B. office.
THURSDAYS
9-10 pm GAYWAY
RADIOPROGRAM,
WBUR-FM
90.9 on the dial.
SOF!'BALL. Magazine Beach, Cambridge, across the Charles
SUNDAYS pm GAYWOMEN'S
1
River from Cadillac-Olds
and along Memorial Drive west of the
Boston University Bridge.
Drizzle or shine.
September 28, FRIDAY, 12 noon. DEMONSTRATION
commemorating the second anniversary
of the date Nixon refused to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court.
Post Office Sq., Boston.
Information Ann Kendall 354-7615.
• September 29, SATURDAY,
9:30 am--4:30 pm JOINT CONFERENCE WOMEN'S
ON
HEALTH
ISSUES,
Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Auditorium, $1/ person.
If you're inter_
ested in representing
D.O.B. see Wendy or Geri.
October 1, MONDAY, pm MEDICAL
10
CENTER T.V. "Dr. Joe Gannon enlists the help
ON
of a lesbian psychiatrist
in treatment of a critically
ill cardiac patient.,;
Channel 7.
October
5,
FRIDAY, 11 pm on, FEMINISTFILM NIGHl', North Station Cinema !,Friends
St., Boston.
"The Gentle Sex", first showing in Bo~ton • . ,Admission
_
_
If interest is shown, this could become a regularly
$1.50.
scheduled ~howing 'of films for women.
10
HOUR,WBCN-FM
radio,
October 7, SUNDAY, .pm .LAVENDER
104.3 on dial.
October 8, MONDAY,
7:J0 pm. D.O.B. WATE
WATCHERS.Come joiri us overeaters
and
.we!ll all lose weight together.
Eight week course, $1 per week.
Full details at ' this first meeting.
At the D.O.B. office.
,
October
•
•
'
I
•
•
13, 14, SATURDAY,SUNDAY.
M.C.C. WOMEN'S
FESTIVAL. Saturday,
1-7 pm,
open house ~tfestival
(poems, art, dance, singing);
7-8:J0 pm
feature length film;
8:30--midnight,
dance.
Sunday, l pni,workshop on women and the church; 7 pm, feminist
liturgy · service with guest speaker Rev. Freda Smith, pastor of
M.c.c. Sacramento and newly-elected
first woman elder of UFMCC.
For more information call 266-7491.
October 14, SUNDAY,
7:Jo ;·pm,D.O.B. ~~TIONS NIGHTANDBUSINESSMEETING. See candidates st:atemerits ' in this month's FOCUS.
?:jO pn , 'FOCUSSTAFFMEfil'ING, at the offic~.
October 18, THURSDAl',
October 26, FRIPAY, 8:J0'pm, D.0.B. DANCE. Beer & soda for sale. 50¢ admn;at offiqe
OF
. phone:
. DAUGHTERS BILITIS
419 Boylston st., Room 32'.3
· , 617-26~1592
Boston, Mass. 02116
.
.
.
: .' ·-·! ,.
•
All D.O.B. even-t;.s are open to all women. We welcome your contributions
of time
and money in our efforts to reach other gay women, to provide raps and soc~al
events, to work for the rights of gay people.
·
�'"
DOUBLE
ISSUE
DEVOTE D TO INTERVIEWS
WITH LESBIANS AROUND
THE U. S. AN D CANADA
"
\
\
'!!}; ,~~
/)'
JOIN
THE
INSURGENT
MAJORITY
'
Read
UP-TO-THE- MINUTE
PICTURE OF LESBIAN
LIFE-STYLES IN 1973
MGi9'ity
Report
W(Jmer1
THE ANNUAL RESOURCE GUIDE
TO THE WOMEN'S MOVE MENT
15 pages listing women's ce nters,
projects,
book stores,
films,
musicians,
bars, etc.
Guaranteed
up-to-date
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
$4 - ONEYEAR
INSIDEU.S.
$5 - PLAINWRAPPER
AND/OR
OUTSIDE
U.S.
$1. 50 - Special Issue
1
s
Liherati()r,
,\ 1eu
•c.,)H />P r
l
• reliable news of women's chan ging status•
full and fair coverage of feminist events•
exposes
of sex ism in high places•
humor
• i rreve rant reviews • calendar
Send $3 for 12 issues to: Majority
Report , 74 Grove St., NYC 10014
BUL RATES
K
Amazon Quarterly
554 Valle Vista
Oakland, Ca. 9461
~
PARTNERSHIP
CE RTI FICAT ES
We Share A Unique
Send
date
of union
and
Passi on!
first
name s to
IMAGE - 1587 NORWICH
NEW LONDON
TPKE. BOX 185 UNCASVILLE,
CT . 06382
$2.00
p, 0, S. w~-re W~TC."EllS
STA~"tS
MONl>A~ Ol!'r.
7:30f"'•
LA~ ! ~!~e~~!.,.
/..T il--\& O~f:\CE
COM~ ~OJ~
id
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 October
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-10
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
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THP-0011-focus-197310
-
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A JOURNAL FOR
GAY WOMEN
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS
OF BILITIS
'I
I
.,
Nov. '73
$.50
�F' !CUS: A JOiJRlJi!J~f:'OR GA1 W
(
'
OhKi
J
FOCUS STAFF this
issue: W-:mdyB c?.l 4n,
"
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t
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and others
(p1·cd.ud ·.:::.o 1;
.-'.l
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:
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( 11in this
issue") •
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onthly by Boi;ton
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ua Dob.ert.y
Tl' easurer. e. ~ * •• , •••••• Seri Bid.well
Iler.ording Secr-otary •••• Lo13 J.
Corresponding SacretaryLau r a Robin
3 ••
December issue:
DEADLINE for
••••••••••
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in FOCUS refl ec t ths views
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TIClt\L W N~S HIS TORYARCHIVE,
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I NT
n:FU\,'.'\
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it i3 avail <1- on rdo r ofil,.11 f:r.mn Boll
ble
& Howell, Woostor!)Ohi? to Octoue 'r 1971
and f.' cm the TI'JHAfrom Octobe r 1971-r
Boston
Daught9rs
of Bili tis.
COVER: Claj_re Sh anahan, a merr.ber of
D.O.D.,
and her son Eric.
See related
11Childron
article
of Bilitis".
Photo
by Torry.
June l973.
******************************************************************
*
*
IN THIS ISSUE
*
*
*
*
*
* CHILDRENOF BILITIS, by Penny Perrnult••••••••o••••••••••2
*
*
* POETRY by f /m/s/, 11J:im", and Desi Geshen.,.., •• ., "° .... •• ••• 4
* ENGLISH LIT. F:E-~.iC ir m D: LESBI AN PERSPECTIVES C~T
AM
*
*
NA~' .NIEf, }1AJTHO
HA
V
RN3, . by Judi ... o ~,,,., , ~ • ., • .. ••••
,.
.. 5
*
*
*
NE:, 3 AtlCU THE COUNTRY~••.,~••••••v•e••<>•o•••a9,.•G•&•c1>~<>6
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N:C.
L~TE I~S '10 FOC1J o ••••••
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o •••••
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8
* WGrIBI FESTIVAL, by Gerry A~~ata. ••••• • e * •o o .... ~. , ~ ••••• 10
,JOS
* J'OINT COllJ"F CE ON 1vOJ:.
El'~Eif
:EHvs m,;i:LTH IS.SUES, b;{ W-'J dy
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Bau:m.a••••• • ••••• • •• o •••••
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* CALEl R e e e t • e e e ♦ e e e e e e e e • e e e e e t t • • t e e t e e e e e a e e e ♦ e J~l
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* QuICKGAY
GUIDE••••••••••••••••••••••••••••~••••••••••••12
PUZZLE,by Cathy Baker •••••••• •" •••• • ••••• •.• .13
* CROSSWORD
*
*
Dallas DOB
Wom~nf or Action
Bex 591-4,
4
Dallas,
Tx. 75222
*
·•
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
San Francisco DOB
1005 Ma!•kot St ., 9 Rm. 402
Sim Franc:.i.sco, Ca. 94103
Oc ,Jupant
No,r ,J orsey
Be:,,: 6 2
F,:n1
wood,
DOB
N.J.
070 23
Bc. 137
x
N
orthwood, N.H. (this
DOi3 but do not
p ..1. that
t
is Now Hampshire
on t he envelope)
�GHIL:JREN OF BI LEl.1 IS
by Penny Perra.ult
There is, within the Lesbian Community, a minority ·-- largely
:1ilent,
la:r;-gely forgotten.
· These
are the women who ·a r e Lesbians and
also mothers.
I write as a ni~mber
of that minority;
and- I ada.:..~ess my.
self to the Lesbian majority
-- those without children
-- in a
hope for understanding,
consideration, ~nd a me~sure of courtesy.
threats
to custody),
three issues
that I have encountered
and spok e,~
on . freque,ntlya
first,
openness
with your children
about your
homosexuality;
second, the difficulties
the children
may encount _ with their peers abollt your
er
·homosexuality;
and third,
the .
response of .the gay com;nunity itself to Lesbian mothers.
Fir s t, let me tell you a little
abo ut myself, and about Lesbian
mothers in general.
My lover and
I each have a child,
both boys,
both preschool
age.
And both of
us are in the unusual and fortunate
position
of being able to be outspoken about our homosexuality
without risking
custody of our
children.
There are many more who
cannot be outspoken without threat
to custody; ·but who wish to participate
in activ:ities
and exchange
with their gay sisters.
The first
issue is the simplest
to deal with.
Warm and loving
affection
betwee~ people is
healthy and natural,
and can only
have a posittye
effect
on child~
ren.
The opposite,
hiding your
love and affe.c .tion for another,
being ashamed to show it, can
have a detrimental
effect.
And
those of ycu who have been around
children
are well aware that they
are the first
to sense when something . important
is being hidden
from them.
Raising children
as gay mothers
is essentially
no different
from
raising
children
as straight
mo- .
thers.
We encounter the . sa;ne problems (maintaining
discipline,
ooping with their childhood
illnesses,
keeping them clothed despite spurts of growth),
and the
same joys (helping them develop
into rounded adults,
enjoying
their spontaneity,
sharing their
pride in achievement).
Many of
us are without mates~ which for
some creates
a problem in providing a balanced and rounded lifestyle for the child and the parent.
The s2cond issue is perhaps the
most difficult.
What will the
children
do when they go to
school, how will their peers
r .eact -- and indeed children
can
be cruel,
but children
also have
a deeper capacity
for acceptance
than most adults,
If a mother
is open about her sexuality
with
the childt the child can then
deal with it,
Far better
that
the child should learn of mother'f.
orientation
from her than from
cruel remarks or whispered innuendos that leave the child in
doubt and fear.
And, too, communication
on the subject
is thus
open between ·parent and child,
which means that problems in
this regard can be dealt with
honestly
and openly.
I might add
that .I anticipate
far more difficulty
from straight
parents
than from children,
and . the experience
of other mothers ' bears
this out.
Another and very important
poin t is that the emotional health and happiness
of a
has a great
parent ultimately
bearing on the child 8 s emotional
Many gay .mothers do have one advan·
tage, however. ·That is, because
of the self-examination
and introspection
that we must do in order
to accept ourselves
and our homosexuality
fully,
we often acquire
a sensitivity
to and understanding
of others that stands us in good
stead and gives us a valuable
springboard
to understanding
our
children.
There are,
however (
aside
from
�health and outlook.
W
ith t his in
mind, remembering the damage that
an emotional clos et does to any of
us, it would be a crime to hide our
se xuality
from our children.
Children can be seriously
han dicapped
by parents who lack a sense of open
honesty and self-worth,
and that
damage will i ne vitabl y be more farreaching than any damage that a
peer group could inflict.
'Th~ third issue relates
primarily
to . the le-sbian mothers themselves,
arid is a problem of lon ger duration .
'The real ·handicap ·that lesbian
mothers encounter comes not from
straight
society but from within
th e ir own ·communit y. Furthermore,
my ·experience
has shown me that
the problem comes more from gay
women than from gay men, The problem is this: · since the ma jority
of gays .do not <
have chi l dren, they
make no allowances
for those that
do. Children (understandably)
are
not welcome at · activities
such as
raps or .business
meetings,
but
atte m
pts are seldom made either
to provide · child care or to assist
in locating
child care so that
Lesbian mothers · can participate
in
these activities.
And Lesbian
mothers are in a part i cularly
difficult .bind inobtaining
child
c are, since · the traditional
source
of evening arid weekend child care-the neighborhood
teenagers
-- is
often closed to the Lesbian mother,
because of the fears of the parents
and sometimes the teen ag ers themselves.
The result
-- mothers are
unable to participate
in many activities,
and so their presence and
needs are not felt and acted upon
-- a vicious circle
which needs to
·
be broken.
There are other activities
where
c~ildren
are not pro h ibited
(picnics, for example ') ; .however,
mothers who bring their children
to these activities
·o·f'ten encounter
resentment,
;and .occasionally
open
hostility,
from thos e who do -not
have children.
. •This has ·been the ..
experience
of many mothers with
as 'well :as :my:..·
whom I've talked,
self,
and is an experience ' that ·
spans a wide variety
of gay ·
organizations
and activities.
Perh a.p s th :i_s would be be8 :ra:.") , .
le
s ave ·for one thi ng -~•. t he- re.
sentment,
the apathy . about our
meeds, comes primarily
from our
sisters,
many of whom ov ertly
or covertly
express opinions
ranging fro m the idea that
having children
was our "mistake" and therefore
we should
pay fo r it, to tho idea that
we cannot be liberated
women
and be mothers · as well, to the
myth that we cannot be true
..
Lesbians,
since we have child.:. ··
ren.
What can we f as gay persons
with or wi t hout children,
do to
improve the situation
f or . ·.
Lesbian .mothers?
First,
ahd
most important,
is a willingness
to understand and accept Lesbian
mothers as a real and important
part of our community, and as
such, worthy of consideration
rather than rebuff, · This alone
can make a vast difference
in
the isolation
from .or unity with
·her community t hat a -Lesbian
mother feels. ·
., .
Next, in planning activities
take a moment to consider what
provisions
mi ght be made to ~
allow gay mothers to participate.
(Sometimes this is as simple as,
for example, noting o~ an
announcement for a pi cnic ,.that
childr .en may attend,).
•
.
.
·Further,
ways ·ca,h and should be
·sought ,to include children
in _
a
creative
way in community activities • . T~is approach can provide learning
and growing
opportunities
for both children
and adults.
For example, at
social activit i es (especially
those held in the daytime or
early evenin g ) plan one or t wo
activities
that children
and
adults might enjoy together
-games, son gs, contests
are some.
This is far more enjoy able and
profitable
for all than is simpl e
custodia l care.
These things do
not place a heavy demand on thos e
without children,
but can make a ·
world of difference
to a gay
�4
CHILDREN DILI'l'I.3 ~ C'Ct i.'.
OF
moth0r and her children --· and glve an
extra dimension to the lives of those
w'ithout children.
Think about :l.t.
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BEGINNINGS
BY PROXIE
the last time i sa# me
(we had mot a long time ago,
when the sand was young
and soft with our wetness)
i W:?.S the sound of ~.shes
before a fire, the color of the wind
inside the sea.
all the soundless
safety of a dream gone mad. afraid of the
contagion becoming mortal, visible ,. how could
i now explain how dead feet ran down
stars & into the moonlit streets of dawn.
a freak of light buried with
its own shadow. i didn°t know if
i needed more of that light or wanted more
of the shadow. & now we meet, again, in the
semi-summer darkness & i a,.~ surprised
by the turns, by what time has done,
what it has created from the chaos of
before.
my tremblings & needs are outside
in a world gorle insane; real,
nameable, in the warm quiet
where the shadows 9 come & be people.•
Little Loxie,
Loxie
on her toffie,
secluded
in her boxie,
unseen,
unheard of Loxie
for two years
now
bequeathes
- ahl how foxie,
her pearls
of poxie
safely.
Safe,
secluded
Little Loxie,
unseen,
unheard of self,
- 50 foxie,
bequeathes
from toffie,
from within
her little
boxie :,
the right way
by Gum!
By Proxiel
--f /m/s
pieces of sleep there, there,
on the walking/talking
side of time.
somer saulting through a million yesterdays
only to come upright/tight
at dawn, here,
where midnight has given up the siege of light.
it's here, in the parochial madness, that i wait
for you to draw a line joining the stars to the sky.
to add color to the shade, making it a
butterfly
hue of reigning sunshine.
it is for that reason
that i had wandered through the dark, looking.
can ecstasy be so normal, so ••• comfortable,
as when i catch those missing pieces
dancing in your eyes.
THE U~-VEILING
--f/m/s
Whenever I see you
and you're wearing your make-up
I long to take a
rosewster and glycerine-saturated
and run it softly over your face
to watch the freckles appear
on the lovely pale slate of skin.
--Desi Geshen
cotton
swab
�ENGLISH
LIT. RE-EY, N
..
AMI ED: LESBIA
N
PERSPECTIVEON NATHANIELP.i.AW NE
J.'HOR
by Judy
Occasionally we find buried among the
classics
a work which merits particular
attention
from gay readers.
One such
work is Hawthorne's Blithedale
Romance,
a novel with obvious lesbian content
and pronounced feminist concerns.
On
one level this book presents in fictive
form the story of the ?Brook Farm Experiment: the disillusionment
of a
group of 19th-century Transcendentalist
idealists
who had hoped to create a
new style of community living,
and
whose dreams of brotherly love and
harmony are eventually shattered.
It
is a pessimistic
novel, one which examines and then rejects with disappointment a number of alternative
kinds
of human interaction
and involvement.
Just as the hope for a social,
economic,
utopia cannot be fuland spiritual
filled,
so the search for more perfect
human relationships
likewise ends in
failure.
We need not speculate over-lon g about
the nat ur e of the "unutt ered boon"
whic h Priscilla
seeks from her friend.
5
The reasons why this relationship
does
not come to fruition
are all too clear.
Priscilla
and Zenobia are presented as
diametric opposites,
and each possesses
only half of the characteristics
which
would be necessary for her to become a
woman. Zenobia,
truly woman-identified
for example, has an extremely liberated
conception of womanhood, far ahead of
her times: she has a strong sense of her
own dignity and power, as well as a great
restriction
~
anger towards socio-political
ans degradationsimposed
upon her sex.
At the same time, however, she is incapable of . forming an emotional attachment to other women, and rather seems
an escape from the humiliation
of being
female by identifying
with men and with
male ambitions.
Zenobia likewise scorns
to associate with other women who have
accepted the roles laid out for them
by society and who consequently lack
the self-esteem which she herself has
It is interesting
that one of the human developed.
Priscilla,
by way of contrast r
alternatives
explored in the book is a
is able to attach herself emotionally
relationship
between two women, and
to another woman, and deliberately
seeks
though it, too, is doomed to failure,
out a member of her own sex for the
·
it occupies a ce.ntral position in the
fulfillment
of her deepest and most instory with regard to both plot and theme. timate needs.
What is - missing in her
The intense,
and ultimately
hopeless
is the political
consciousness and
love and devotion which Priscilla
ofphilosophic foundatioh ,whi:ch would enfers to Zenobia are never given any
able her also to resnect women as women.
explicitly
sexual dimension, nor is
She never frees herself from the timidity :
her passion ever openly identified
as
passivity,
and meekness which are her
distinguishing
character traits.
Thus
lesbian -- but this is natural enough,
we see the aggressive,
intellectually
given the dat of publication,
and it is
liberated
Zenobia despising Priscilla
impossible to misread the situation.
for her socially oriented submissiveFor instance,
shortly after the two
ness, and rejecting
the love and affecmeet, Hawthorne writes:
tion which Priscilla
shyly but persistently offers her.
She went towards Priscilla,
took
her hand, and passed hor own rosy
Hawthorne has depicted two polar opposite ,
fingertips,
with a pretty,
caresshere, two women whose incompletely forming movement, over the girl's
hair.
ed feminist consciousness prevents them
The touch had a magical effect.
So
from coming together ,. With great senvivid a look of joy flushed up besitivity
a heterosexual
writer appears
neath those fin gers, that it seemed
to have recognized a vital truth about
as if the sad and wan Priscilla
relationships
between women -- namely,
had been snatched away, and another
that they must be founded on a mutual
kind of creature substituted
in her
positive regard which has both a philoplace.
This one caress, bestowed
sophical and an emotional basis.
Such
voluntarily
by Zenobia, was evidenta recognition
on the part of a 19th ly received as a pledge of all that
century New England writer is no small
(Priscilla)
sought from her, whatachievement, and Hawthornees exploration
ever the unuttered boon might be.
of the difficulties
arising when these
two basic com
ponents are not equally
present is perceptive and moving.
�6
NEWS
.AROUND COUN':'R7
THE
BOSTON. "Your Placs and Mine", -o. T.,v. :
show for, by, , and . l).bout women, now
appears on WC~ Sundays 12:J0-1 pm. Format is a panel f Pllot·!ed by audience participation.
Directqr is ·Eunice West. •
.
.
BOSTON. Roosevelt Gr:ter, ex-foot.bell
tackle, was · at Jo:rdan Me.rsh's Octobe1· .
11 autographing . copies of his new book _
B._o..a_~
Grie~
~eodleRQ~t f~ M~n•
·
He feels men should be able to do
"female" things without shame. -
NEvl
YORK . The first annual Feminist
•
Olympics was held in NewYork under the
·
sponsorship of the Lesbian Feminist
Liberation.
(M,!jgritv Report,Oct. '73).
SEATTLE. A new ordinance her·e prohibits
discrimination
in city offices m1d pri:- ·
vate employment on the basis of race, _
color, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, political · ideology, age, creed,
religion,
ancestry, or national origin.
(Advocate, Oct. 10, '73).
HONTREALo the 81st a~'1ual convon· At
tion of the American Psychological
Ass•n here the first week in September,
a g:;.--oup 75 people, presumeably mem-of
bers of the A.P.A., met to form an
Association of Gay Psychologists.
(Advo~,
Oct. 10, '73) • .
NEM
JERSEY. The National Organization
for Womenis trying to force the little
League to accept girls on their baseb~ll
teams. Hearings are before the N .J.
Division of Civil Rights.
(Majori_u
Report , · Oct. '73)
TELEVISION. On the October l episode
of Medical ~.!!!&!:, Dr. Annie Claymor,
a lesbian psychiatrist,
defended herself vigorously and adeptly against the
accusations of Dr~ Joe Gannon·that she
should not be handling a case involving
a teenage girl. .
, ·
NEW
YORK. WHEC-TV
·
broadcast a baseball
go.me between .the NewYorkMattachine
Society and the NewYork City police.
Final score: poiice. 16, gays o. (The
Empty Closet, Sept. •73)".
LONDON.Gay women here got Highgate ._
Cemeta:::•y
opened just for them to visit
Radcliffe Hal,l' s grave 'on October 7-, the
30th annivers~ry of her death. (Sappho, .
'
,
Sept. '73).
BOSTON. Diane Fraser, graduate student
in sociology at Duke University, reports
to D.O.B. that her stu.dy on Boston a:r.ea ·
lesbians is still in the data analysis
·_stage.
.
The interviews were done here
in 1971-7~, She also noted that the .
Duke University Library had I&.al2!:m/
Womanin the locked stacks with the
porno. So she made it required reading for her classes.
BOSTON. The :NoO.W. economic task force
would like to know if you are going to
apply or have applied for a Small
Business Ad.--nin:tst1
..ation Loan. Call
· Iris Schnitzei-- 267-9755•
·
BOSTON. In the Sept.26 J3oston Globe,
George Frazier finds it incredible -that
antidiscrimination
laws protecting gays
have not been passed by the legislature.
In eai·lier years Frazier had said that
gay liberation
was silly and unnecessary.
He still believes, however, that 11the
love that once dared not speak its name
now can •t keep its mouth shut," and
_objects to those who "come out of the
closet while slamming the door. 11
BOSTON. In the October 9 ~~ Glob~
Ann Landers replies to someone who saw
this year's Gay Pride Week Parade in
Chicago and who was "Freaked Outri,
" ••• What you de~cribe sounds like the
lunatic fringe.
Many homosexuals .are
dignified,
soft-spoken people. They
do not wear high heels or wigs. The
only real difference between them and
us is that they prefer as sex partners
membe:-s of their own gender."
.
CENSUS. There are 101}million females
in the U.S. aco·oroing to 11We the American Women"published by the U.S. Census Bureau and based on the 1970 figures.
There are 99.5 million males.
The average annual income for women
.;
who work full time is $.5700 for men it :,
is $9630.
CHICAGO~The first national news maga~,
was announced
zine for women, W2,m,!ll'l
by the 9-wcmali. professional
group that
has spent the past year planning it. It
will start as a.72-page magazine _the
size -of l.imE!, wlth an initial
subscription of 140,000. The first issue will
be ·published in 1974, with twice-a-month
editions.
�7
NEWS,
CONT.
THE UN
rvERSITlES ANDTHEGAY
EXPERIENCE
is the title
of a c,nference sponsored
and men of the Gay Acaby the W'.)mon
demic Union November 23~25 in New York
City.
All persons involved in academia.
Bci.rbara Gittings will be
are invited.
on.a of th!;) keynote speakers.
There
workshops,
will be panels, discussions,
p~rticularly
about discrimination
in
acajemia, teaching gay studies,
etc.
MINNE.SOTA.
The Ci·ril L:ibe:;.
ti0s U
nion
of Minnesota is suing the Northwestern
Bell Telephone Company, a branch of the
American Telephone and Telegraph Coe,
for refusing to hire Byron Schmitz when
he revealed that his 4F draft status was
due to homosexuality.
The C.L.U. argument will be that since Bell is a monopoly and has special rights under Minnesota law, it is therefore
quasi-governmental and is subject to U.S. constitu, tional provisions for due process of law
and equal protection
under the law.
The suit i-rlll be in federal court.
' Schmitz has not been involved w"ith the
gay movement. (Advocate, Oct. 10. 0 73).
0
The conference will be held at John
Jay College of Criminal Justice,
City
University of New York, 445 West 59th
St., New York City.
Registration
is ·
11 am Friday Nov. 23 .. Cost is $10 for
the employed, $5for students and unemployed. Advance registration
is $8
and $4 from Prof. K.S. Sherrill,
Dopt.
Political
Science, Box 1479, Hunter
College, C.U.N.Y., N.Y. 10021.
NIXON: 11 ••• 'l.'hese were the considerations
that I had in mind as I considered what
man or other individual to S6lect as the
nominee for Vice President of the U.S. 11
GEORGIA. Last I1arch 9 Bosten D~O.B. distributed
100 questionnaires
for Julia
Stanley's nationwide study on slang terms used among gay women and men. Julia,
a ssistant professor of English at the University of Georgia, reports the following returns:
total sent
out by Julia
sent out by Boston
in the study
D.O~B.
to New England
40
Number sent out
Number rec~ived
to rest of the
country (via FOCUS
mailing)
back
60
450
12
5
81
%returned
Since she is still
in the process of distributing
and collecting
the questionnaires,
we urge all those who have not sent them back to do so now. Tho overall rate of
return is enco'LU"agingly high for a questionnaire,
she saye.
WORCESTER.On Saturday, October 20, the Worcester Council of Churches, Worcester
9
W0mens Center, and the Worcester Crisis Center sponsored a Conference on HomosexThe morning began with speakers Don McGaw, Ann
uality at the YWCAin Worcester.
Maguire, and Jane Graham from the Homophile Community Health Service in Boston.
Elaine Noble, scheduled to spen.k with Mr. McGaw, could not attend because of~llness.
Two films were shown regarding different
organizations
individuals
attitudes,
parental conflicts,
oppressions,
pressures,
role playing, transvestites
and transsexuals,
Various workshops included:
how to create a homosexual,
shop. The last was similar
attended.
People tried to
100 men and women attended
throughout the United States,
societal
prison life,
etc.
the gay adolescent,
religion
and the gay community,
comi;1 out, the aging homosexual, a.nd a lesbian workg
to the Tuesday night DOBrap. Many heterosexual women
understand perspectives
given from each side. About
the conference all together.
�8
Dear Brothers
LET.'.rERS FOGTJS
TO
and. Sistel·s,
We are nurses in the Philadelphia area
who are active in the American Nm·se1 s
Association a~1dwho h1;1.ve
recently formed
a group called the Gay Nurses O Alliance '
(G.r- ~Ae)
T
o
Current objectives of the Alliance are:
•ovide a f arum iJhere gay nurses
to p:.:
can talk togethur; to raise the concciousness of all nurses to tho existence of
d:i..scrimination against peers and patients
who are ga~r; and to m1;1.ke
information and
cur rent llt .orati:..res abailable thc1t :refute
the homophobic, middle class~ stereoviews of homosextypic, Judeo-Christian
uality wi1icl:icontimis to cause such d,iscrm..ination and ovpression •••
In an attempt to become a recognized
ent:i.t;v:within the American Nurses' Associe.tion, the Gay Nurses 1 Alliance will
"coma out 11 in Pittsburgh,
officially
Pa., Octobct' 21-25, 1973, at the 69th
Annual Convention of the Pennsylvania
Nurses 0 Association ••• In addition to
information and consciousness raising
activities,
resolutions
aimed at ending
the discrimination
against gay peers and
patients will be presented to the Voting
Body. Wo will also be recruiting members and making plans for workshops and
conferences dm.•ing the coming year to
amaso support f 0 1· our effort to gain
natio11al recognition by the American
Nurses O Association at its Anrmal Convention in San Francisco in June 1974•••
This letter,
then, is an am1ouncement
of our existence and is also an appeal
for help and financial support ••• We also
welcome letters
of inquiry, support; ·
suggestions or other responpible com~
or
meritary. All names of contributors
other peroons associated with the G
:.N.A.
confidential
unless perare strictly
mission for release has been obtained
in writing.
Yours in gay pride,
Sh-'l.2..1.)1<1
D.O.Eo S:i..sters,
Juwt a sl10rt line to let you all know
that I r$nlly enjoyed my stey at the
dance in Beston . Fr:i.day nightt
It W/lS
really a l:ift fer me to oee n few old
faces and meet so meny new ones .
·"Coming Togethor 11 isn •t always easy for
us, but it ~an be done and usually is
once the nervousness is gcme and we can
relax in a pleasant atmosphere~ It
only raade me roalize hew much I miss
Boston,
I went to the 0 Saints"--WOWt Make sure
you all pat;.:-cmi~e this place as it i3
really a. great place.
Wi1enI lived in
Boston (net so long ago) there . was NO.
where to go! , Keep. a good thing going.
I hope to b9 in Boston ag~:L~ soon and
it 0 s really e.·great comfort to know that
one is so · welcome. D.O.B. has · certainly accomplished its main purpose!
Ge.y love,
Gette.
Dear Sisters,
First of all I 0 d like to thank all of
those sisters who voter. me in as president of D.O.B.
More importantly this letter is to
Andrea and Wendy. I need you, and D.O.B
needs you - mo1~e
than ever now. There
is ' room in D.O.B. for all ideas and
platforms if it is to expand and grow.
As I statod in my platform , I feel some..
what limited to raps and social events,
so therefore the organization needs women who are more politically
oriented
th an I.
·
D.O.B. is n9_!:,the president;
it is each
woman who cornea, joins, and works in
.her own way to fulfill
her ideas of
what tho or ga niz ation
E. Carolyn Innes,jR. N.
G. David Waldron, R.N.
Gay Nurses 0 Alliance
P.O. Box 5687
Philadelphia,
Pa. 19129
Love to all~
Sheri
means to hei:-.
�LETTERS FOCUS,CONT.
TO
9
(5¢ a wor d)
Dear FOCUS,
It seems tragically
unfortunate that at
this time of need in the Gay cornrntinity
an organization such as Bostmi Daughters
of Bilitis
would elect officers by receiving proxy votes from me bers who
m
perhaps have never been to more than one
DOBfunction, and who in fact do not participate
in the re alistic
and exhausting
function of running this organization.
We cannot afford, and I for one will
a system in which we cannot tolerate,
, not and will not allow free and open
communication with straight society.
In terms of public relations
and education, an organization would be in a
sorry state if not flexible enough to
move without constant fear of exposure
and recognition.
The terms are contradictory.
We need exposure, and we must
be recognized.
We must stand up and sayand Yes, we will
Yes, we are lesbians,
will state our names, we will sign our
names, we will lobby at the State House,
we will . appear before camera men, we
will be interviewed by the media.
We must not shackle ourselves further
by electing representatives
who cannot,
or will not be open. Of course we need
raps. And of course they are in no
danger of ceasing.
Lesbians need a
"place", but not just on Tuesday nights.
We need, and deserve a place in the
world we live in too. We are more than
JUST Lesbians.
Unfortunately,
this
l ate. The election
what we deserve.
ADS
letter comes too
was fair, and we get
Member
A Saddened OOB
#######################################
AMAZON
QUARTERLY.
A special double issue, devoted to
interviews with lesbians around the
U.S. and Canada, a resource guide, and
more. $1.50 ·
Regular subscriptions
$4/yr ($5 for
plain wrapper).
: ·
QUARTERLY, Valle Vista,
554
AMAZON
Oakland, Calif. 94610.
Would like to meet gay girls from
artistic,
anywhere who are creative,
like to travel, enjoy girls' fast
pitch sof t ball, dance, books, go
junking, like music, nature, and the
quiet beautiful side of life, with
broad horizons - who are , spontaneous
and imaginative.
Write LOIS M.
ROHRBAUGH, W. Phila. St., York,
704
Pa. 17404, or call weekends 717-
843-2852.
THELESBIAN
TIDE
$7.50 a year
samples in the OOBoffice to look at
LESBIAN
1'IDE
743 S. Grandview Ave.
Los Angeles, Calif. 90057
SISTERS: ~UR CATALOGUE coming!
is
But we need you to make it .Qill: catalog.
We need info' on women's centers, projects, experiences.
We need photos, bcl
book reviews, articles,
research, advertisers,
etc. OURCATALOGUE
CO.,
6504 Pardall Rd. #3, Isla Vista,
Calif. 93017.
FEMINISTS/ASTROLOGERS.
Beyond the
obsolete sexism of Astrology:
Astroecology, first woman-created world
Introview. Charts, instruction.
duction $2e Shana Lee, Box 534,
Needham, Mass. 02192.
·
DID YOUMISS Gay American's Day? The
Boston Gay Confere~ce7 The Worcester
Conf erence7 The GAYCOMMUNITY
NEWS
tells you whatvs coming every week.
Plus lots more. First class: 10 weeks
$2.10, 25 weeks $5; third class le
weeks $1.50, 25 weeks $3,50. Now
eight pages. G.C.N., c/o Charles St.
Meeting House, 70 Charles St., Boston,
Mass. 02114.
SISTERSMAGAZINE.
Published by San Francisco DOB. $5/yr.
SFOOB,Room 402, 1005 M
arket St.,
San Francisco, Calif. 94103.
�10
WOMEN'S TIV
FES AL
with this same self-fulling
prophecy.
by Gerry Azzata
We see that ostracism, not lesbianism,
Art displays, finger-painting,
impromptu is the problem." The group does not ·
poetry readings, and music were the high- merely want to criticize,
but also to
lights of the first afternoon of the MCC create a positive image for lesbians in
Women's Festival.
The festival was held this society.
They are preparing a manaul
on October 1'.3. nd 14 . at Old West Church. . t~.at will examne and anaiyze the total
a
.i
life experienc1;3s of lesbians, as it
Several local women show~d art work and
The manual
demonstrated such crafts as framing • .For relates to issues in therapy.
those of us less artistically
skilled,
w~ll also contain a "Lesbian Mental
He~lth Bill of Rights" citing these five
there were finger-painting
areas, apple
bobbing, and a 1icommunitypainting." · A . points;
poetry reading revealed that many of our
sisters are very talented and sensitive
1. Every womanhas the right to her
sexual preference.
Lesbianism is
poets.
·
not a diagnostic term.
Following a buffet dinner, the film
"Therese and Isabelle" was shown. When 2. Lesbianism is . not a legitamate cause
for determining that a womanis emthe sound track refused to play, the
otionally disturbed, or for adminisevening was saved bra womanwho provided
tering treatment involuntarily.
piano music for the now-silent film.
Attendance was good throughout the day,
averaging between 40 to 60 people • .A
3 • No womanmay be colTIIllittedto any
mental institution, ; ·hospital or .
spirit of fun a. d real sisterhood pre- .
n
11 home", or confined
in any way for ·
vailed.
being a lesbian.
·
. .
On Sunday, an open discussion at CS
}1H
4. Lesbianism cannot be cited a,;a reason
was followed by the evning service . of
to judge that a womanis mentally,
MCC. Rev. Freda Smith, pastor of Sacemotionally, or morally incapable of
ramento MCC
and first womanelder of the
caring for her children, teaching
governing board of MCC, gave a lively
·
school, or having any other employsermon to a large congregation.
ment where she is required to administer to others.
·,·
All in all, it was a successful weekend,
enjoyed by all who at tended. .
.
5 • M womenmust be trained and licenore
sed to practice in the mental health
JOINT CONFERENCEW
ON OMEN'S
HEALTH
.ISSUES
field.
This profession can no longer
by W
endy Bauman
·
be limited to an elite, predominantly
male group which has had the privilege
On Sept. 29, 1973, the National Organof access to clinical and medical
ization for Womensponsored a conference
schooling.
on women's health issues.
The days events,
held at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital _in
The group sees this bill as an inte ral
Bo=ton, inclu~ed ~~eak?rs on such top:ts
part of the Women's Mediaal Bill ofg ·
as, Health and iu nority W'
d~en, Women's Rights proposed at the conference.
Med~cal Bill of Rltgh~s? Patie.nt Advo- Copies of all available literature
from ·
cate 'Pro~ams, Alternative Therapy _:nd
a
the conference mav be read at the off"
Alternatives to Therapy, Health Problems
****************•********************~C,..~•
of Lesbian Women,Self-Help Groups; and
D.O.B. THANKSGIVING
SUPPER.
films concerning examinations by paraNovember 18, Sunday
•
.
·
medics.
5:30 ·pm ·sharp .
St. John.0 s Church, '.33Bowdoin St.,
The lesbian turnout
at the conference
Boston . (nr. Gov0 t Center, off
surpassed my own wishful thinking.
A
Cambridge St).
strong element of the conference was
..TURKEY,
ALL THETRIMMINS
1.
the Lesbian Therapy Research Project.
D.O.B. MEMBERS FRIENDS
&
.
They participated
with the premise that
50¢ members
"psychotherapy creates and perpetuates
$1 friends
a negative self - image or diagnostic label
womenonly
for lesbians and then ostracizes them
*****************************************
�BOSTON
DAUGHTERS BILITIS
OF
:.f---F
CALENDAR
November 1973
MOND~YS
6·:30--7:30
~m THE WOMEN'S
SHOW.WBCN-FM
104.1 .mc.
OUTt~ Jonatha 'n Katz• documentary_ play ago).rt gay
MONDAYS pm Nov.5~-Dec~17 · COMING
8
hist _ ry, with a cast of 5 women, 5 men, directed by Nick
o
.. ,
At the ;
Deutsch, produced by .Loretta Letman. $2 do~ation.
Charles st •.· M eting Hquse, _ .Charles st •., Boston •
_
e
70
.{J;UE$DAYS7:Jb pm RAP SESSIONS ON BEING GAY, FOR WOMEN
'
ONLY. Share
•
.
. ,.
feelings
about
be;ing gay, eveeyone welco~e.
At the D.O.B. ,office,- 419
Boylston st., Beston, between Arlington and ~erkeley Streets,
n,~ar. the , Arlin:gton MSTAstop.
,
t
.
.
i..~...
~
.
WEDNESDAYS .. ,pm LESBIANMOTHERS'RAP, at the D.O.B. , office.
_
. 7:30
.
.
. .
.
\
.•
·WEDNESDAYS ~ :B:rsEXU.AL
8_,:
.RAP FOR MEN ANDWO~N, R~o~ 415 at 419 Boylston
'.-, · ·
;-·,.
... a ,. OB event).
D
·. .
. ,
.
'
: ... \.
.
\
11
t
·•
;r·•..
St , (Not
.
THURSDAYS
9--10 pm GAYWAY
RADIOPROGRAM,
WBUR-FM
90.9 mp .
..
pn°
LAVENDAR
HOUR,WBCN-FM
..104.1 me.
Saturday, Sunday, Monday 8 pm COMING
oui't -~tho
'
NOVEMBER Sunday ·, 10
4,
NOVEMBER
3,4,5,
at the c.s.M.H.
Tour info~atior_i
868-5729;
,play (see above),
,536-1719.
NOVll'JBER Wednesday, 8:30 pm (we thinkt)
7,
Homophile Conmrunity Health Se~ce
44, Channel 44 TV•.
on CATCH
'
,,
NOVEMBER Friday,-1_,
9,
is
COMING
OUT t at Univ ·. ··-of ·1-ii'ass., Boston.
Info.
868-5729.
•
NOVEMBER" Wednesday, 7:30 pm D.O.B. BUSINESSMEETING. For all members, others
14,
.
can, c_ _ · too (women). Ann , Kendal will be there at 8:45 pm
om
e
to talk about the proposed Boston Women's Center.
·
..
pm
\
.
.
.
.
NOVEMBER Sunday,5:30/
18,
D.O,B. · THANKSGIVINGINNER, for memba~ and friends.
,D
This will be an elegant affair--but
not a formal one! •rhere
dressing,
_ ill be the, usual thanksgiv:Lpg delectables--turkey,
w
potatoes,
peas, turnip, , cranberry
sauce, fruits,
nuts, pies,
coffee, tonic, tea, milk--and it is our yearly get-together
for members . particularly
so we can all get ~cquainteq and
have a good time.
Dancing after eating if · you can man-age.
- The cost is
We want you to come. So, DOB is subsidizing.
only 50¢ ~or ~embers, 100¢ for non-members (woD?enonly} .! t .
W',&:
BE THEREON TIME, 5:30 pm SHARP. THAT's WHEN EAT.
Where: St. John's Church,, JJ Bowdoin st .. .,. Boston,, near
·
Gover~ent . Cent~r and off .Cambridg~ ~t.
NOVEMBER
23-25 GAYACADEMIC
UNIONCONFERENCE,
NEW
YORKCITY.
See Nov.FOCUS p.7.
NOVEMBER Mcnday, 7:30 pm FOCUSSTAFF MEETING. At the DOB office.
26,
All D.O.B. events are open to all women. We welcome your support in our efforts
·
to reach other gay women~ to · provide raps and social events, to work for civil rights,
DAUGHTERS BILITIS
OF
419 Boylston st., Room 323
Boston, ·Mass. 02116
PHONE: 617-262-1592
H0URS: Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday,Thursday evenings.
�12
. QUICK
GAYGUIDE
(from Gay Community News)
EASTERN
¥u\SSACHUSEl'TS
(area code 617)
m:5TERNMASSACHUSffi.'S
( ~rea , oode'.413) ...
Boston Gay Youth
536-619?
Amherst Gay Hot~e
(men & women)
. ..
. .. '
. ..
.545-0154
B.U. Homophile League
35) ~8758
Coming O~t (the play)
.
868-5729
.545-0883
Everywoman•s Center (Amherst)
Daugllter$ of .Bili tis · . . • . · 262-1592 · Gay .People's Radio Hour(Amherst).546-5176
Dignity (Catho1io) ,o/o 1105 Boylston st.,
Southwest Women's Center (Amherst).5450626
· ,
Boston 02215
u. Mass-Amhersi Student. Homophile League
:·
.. .
. . : 545-01.54
.
. 53&.9826
Fag Rag .
Gay Community Center ·
491- 5669 yaJ+ey Women's Center (Northampt.66'-2011
Gay Conimuni N~ws
ty
.523-8729 .
Gay Craft Guild
738-0428
ISLAND ( area code 401)
RHODE
Gay Media Action
868-5729
Gay People's Group of U.Mass/Boston
. ' · Homophile Community Health Service.· '..
( Provid~ce) · ., 274-47)7
542-6500x607
Gay Speakers• Bureau
• ..
547-1451
Metropolitan Community· church
831-377)
·
· (Providence)
Gay· Way Radio Program (Thurs eve)J53-2?90
Good Gay Poets
53&.9826 Provid._nce Gay Women
e
. ?7~0239
Harvard-Radcliffe
Gay Students · 498-3096
(area code 802)
Homophile Community Health Serv1oe266~.5477 VERMONI'
Homophile Union of Boston .· ·
536-6197
Lavendar Hour (WBCN:
Andrew Kopkind or
Gay 1n Vermont
)
· 261-8526 ·
. . . .,;
. Littlejohn
Lesbian Libera:tion
(c/o . Women's Center )
J,54-8807
Metropolit , n cemmµnity . Clrurch . 266~7491
a
Pro jeot Place ( gay hotline Thurs. eve) ·
267-9150
.
2.67-0?f::4
Fr. Paul ..Shanley
oa
· ..MEMBERSHIP
.
sUBsCRIPI'IONTo
o.o.B.
Return this · form or · a copy of it to the D.o.B. off~ce, 419 B.oylston St.;
Boston, _
Mass. , 02116• . Informatio _ .is kept strictly
n
confideri't:ial. ·
.
Enclosed is$_
. __
.
Ro~m323,
.'
.... for
DMOOERSffI.P IN D.O.B. $10/y~ar ($15 for a couple)
·• Includes one subscription to FOCUSand voting
:- privileges,
·plu-s reduced admission to some events.
NOTE:Memberships may be paid ..
by $5 'initially,
the : balance .
. Any women 18 years old or older may join.
-~
.· : .
within .2 months. Vot. ng priv:i
ileges obtain ·onl.y when fees
are fully p~id. : If'. the bal..; ..
FOCUSsub~cription.
.
$';/y~ar.~ Anyone.
ance is not ~aid within 2 .
months, the $5 becom~s a
.
donation to the organization.
CAL'filIDAR
subscription.
$1/ 6 mo. Anyone.
.
.
.
'
.·
.:
.
.
'
.er
a·
_ -· : P
.·.• ._..·. HONE(MEMBERS)
____
NAME(S)
________________
ADDRESS
______________
.....,.~ ~----~--------,~
·
SIGNATURE
(MEMBERS).am a woman 18 years of age or older:
·I
(1) ___.........
____
DAT
___________
_
.........
___________
_
(2) _____________
zipl
_
�,'
by Cathy Baker
ACROSS
1 Jill
Johnston's
Book (2 words)
say yes, sh e says
8 If sh e doesn't
9 No a cc oun t abv.
11 W
here cove rt gays live
14 A s en sitive
part of one's head
15 Feminine na me (Latin)
16 One ' s partner
17 Feminine pronoun
lE Fourth scale note
?O Happy
?l Medic ine not likely
taken
by les bians
') ? ;:,, t well
o
'?3 '1 __
of My Heart'"
?6 D yo u re member when we first
o
?
1o
i
?9 ..·!i .r 1 ,.,uana
.
30 A p eriod of ti me
31 Unit of length
34 Ba d dinne r
,.
36 By 1ray of
38 iiot yet come out
t society
forgets
we are
39 '.-\i;.'1.a
40 Onp os i te of beg inning
(Answers
i ssu e).
in next
month's
DOWN
1 Opp os it e of dislike
2 Generaliz
ed type
3 Indefinite
article
4 Neg ati•e
answer
5 The __ of us
6 Single
7 How lov ing another
woman
comes to us
10 . Derogatory
term for
liomosexual
12 Stron g aff ec ti on
13 Unhappy
17 What soc iet y makes us
l ive in
19 To free
20 To split
-~ Girl
4
25 A lesbian's
lover
26 Person al p ronoun
''
2 7 "Tit f or
28 To
and to hold
fr om this day on
32 Thing
33 To all ow
35 The last part of a
relat ionship
37 Exclamati o:-i
38 Sixth scale note
�The History Project
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Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 November
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-11
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-focus-197311
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/06f420ad033046624fadfd626fbf4ab0.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=Sz4FBrrSyn20wTwCCQEynmTchsTENTagYuEQvPUi3R0M9dTbJs3TecTBoP%7E9G3FqMtFIdlxNKB6SR7u%7EEJ1Y%7EcsDxw1tHgaqa4a2KH9pX5jZ8qp%7Exw7sHkFW6igz-Muul-bNDlTC3Efplx480Tj%7E2UzB621DFDjYPwbz3g4OZgsO5Ft1ndy0ERHuauyd8NYeQAZcktMVXi6G%7E7CzT04btnxHyMhF8kLWqp2F8TDE-2rYVvQSDLaS-tzsYiHN-AowuUDlJpg6Nf%7EQwQCSgToa5CwZmTgbx47uHasev8Tm-XMuvdLfnzUuA6G1JFo44keEzHNQuknyr7WwPOOfL-bg8w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
ff921af3a92154b50939e3721bb27ac0
PDF Text
Text
A JOURNAL FDR
GAY WOMEN
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS
OF BILITIS
"
DEC.
'73
$.50
�FOCUS:A JOURNAL GAY M
FOR
WOEN
December 1973
FOCUS published monthly by Boston
is
Room 323,
Daughters of Bilitis,
419 Boylston St., Boston,Mass. 02116
Phone:: 617~262-1592
Subscriptions $5/year.
Samples 50¢.
Give us your zip #. If . you move, let
us k~ow in advance; the post office will
not forward 3rd class mail to you.
Boston roB officers:
President.~••••••••••••••••Sheri
Barden
Doherty
Vice President•••••••••••••Paula
Treasurer.,.••••••••••••••••Geri
Bidwell
Recording Secretary •••••••• Lois J.
Corresponding Secretary •••• Laura Robin
This publication is on file at the
0
INTER.J.~TIONAL lJ S HISTORY
WOMEi
ARCHIVE,
2325 Oak st., Berkeley, Calif. 94708;
it is avai .lable on microfilm from Bell
& Howell; Woester, Ohio to October 1971
and from the IWHA
from October 1971 on.
FOCUS
STAFFthis issue: Judi. (~iting);
Janine . (editing); Laura Robin (writing,
layout, typing); Geri Bidwell (production)
Terry, Cathy, Jan, Wendy Bauman, Ginny.
Authors of signed articles are credited
below.
DEADLINE January issue:
for
Dec. 17
FOCUS
welcomes contributions from everyone. If you want back whatever you send
us, please include a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. Let us know possible
titles
and how you want to sign your
name. All letters must be signed, but
name will be withheld for publication if
requested.
ARTICLES FOCUS
in
reflect
the individual authors.
the views of
COVER:
Cherry and Diano.
Photo
by Schol.,
*********************************************************************
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IN THIS ISSUE
Al"\J
EXCERPT
. FROM WHOLE
A
LONG
STORY
ABOUT
SOME
WOMEN
by Schelo••o••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••o2
NEW
HAMPSHIRE
D.O.B.--ONE YEAR
OLD, by Ginger •• • ••••••
GAY
ACADEMIC
CONFERENCE
SPURS
BOSTON
ACTION.,
•••••••••
NEW'S
AROUND COUNTRY
THE
••••••• • • • · •• • • •••• • •••••••••••
•
. POEMS A FRIEND;by 'PB • ••••••• -•••••••
TO
, ••••• ,· ••••••••
LEI'TERS Focus ••••••••••••••••••••
TO
~ •••••••••••••••••
CALEI,JDAR
•••••
o ••
, ••••••
, •••
, ••••••••••
o • ••••••••••••
•
4
5
6
7
8
11
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••12
LESBIAN
LAW
STUDENI'
SEEKSHELP.••••••••••••••••••••••12
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE~ ANSWERS NOVfil1BER
.
TO
PUZZLE
•••••••• 13
>
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MEMBERSHIP DAUGHTERS BILITIS is open to all women18 years old and older.
IN
OF
It is $10 a year, or $15 for a couple. This includes one subscription to FOCUS.
�2
11
I COULD
CALLTHIS 11NEW'
FRIENDS OR 1,THE
WATERF.All," "ISN°T IT FINE IN
OR
OR
.
THE.COUNTRY WE.BKENDS" "CANTHREEBE?" ANDIT .IS AN EXCEJWrFROM
ON
11A vJHOLE
.
.
.
LONGSTORY
ABOUT
.SOME
WOMEN". .. .
· by sohel
overalls best for this weekend. · g;iant
sweater as the things go into the pack
kell is excited thinking about .b~ts and
rhod a and .being in
fresh environment
suddenly the w~rld is
with fresh people _
spil'ming over ksil ·s'omersaults and as
she .: inishes she is ·not where s.he . first
f
was not where her head first bent into
the motion as she comes up she is . . .
foreign~r e.nd citizen simultaneously.
thc _
grass is a few feet ·liigh green kell
t~aifs thrdugh it iri her red ..1961 vw on
a rutty dirt driveway appr6aching the
l :.
:ttle farm house. some nervousness in
k:;.;·41.ngshe is there f~r the first time
,:
as she slides out of the car the front
door of the house opens and two friends
say he1lo • bets puts her arm over kell Os
shoulders.
"come and see our place."
it is small and has everything, a place
where bets paints, a workshop for anything, a kitchen with a fine table this
roC1in yell,ow and has a back door
is
whinh .reve~ls a hill .lined ·with a
stone wall and the border .of some woods
and the bedroom is certainly very
speqial floor ceiling and walls all
painted pale sky blue a tint away. from
cloud whit~ blue so that the feeling of
'
the ..room is cloud ·and · sun anci pea¢.eful
s
mo::;t peaceful~ the · opening ceremony i _
a beer on the frQnt porch late afternoon
e.. ~.'
ala.xing .with ·1ight talk; ···the ' sun ·
the skin of the th .ree faces .as · ·
w~:;,•ms
t he day becomes · over and they · know·about
be:i. g comforU .ble togeth .er splash ·they
n
rn.Gt and became good friend6 like broolq,
j .:.- ing on, tha way' to the sea. · · slow ···' ·
:.7l
s : :t : -:-11
· , bling in the kitchen in dinner .
pr.s!:r..:c
ation is a communal event and the
warm fe~lings flow .into a lot of putting .. ·.
arms around waists · when talking to one · ·
or the ot her and sometimes a fuzzy
brn;;h on the back of the head. bets
g,:,es into · an incredible cryirig act over
t ho onions . rhoda ;;nd kelr stand ·in good
audience smiling kell moves to bets and
holds her 11there, there, there, bets,
it 0 11 ba all right the world isn't
ending just because that onion was once
alive and had feelings like you and me
and was torn away from all its friends
in ,:,or.i on land a::id kidnapped into the
groc ery store and you are deutroying
a
its beauty with this rut ·hless '·knff ~ it
be all r.ight. 11
still tastes great, it'll
''i can°t standthe
guilt ••• it 0 s the
iguilt that 0 s killing me•• ;it 0 s knowing what i 0 m doing that 9 s eating at
me." laughter out of the three energies explodes all over the room bounces
off the walls and theh hits the refrigerator
and table and bounces again
until .it toudhes all again and soothes
them into silence.
the feast ls set .
spaghetti and bread .and 'wine ..
the .elecis removed.and three candles
tricity
arrive in rhoda 0 a hands one is square
but scrunched and ieaning .light blue
red
ancl white and one is cyl~drical
and one is a baby yellow and together
they make some love light.
lcelley says
"this is an incredible meal" ·and .
11llllllillITIIll and 11aahhhh" and the
11
conversation throughout the meal pretty m~ch
sticks to those lines really the best ·
kind of eating conversation as it does
not divert any attention from the fla.vors and .elegance of the eating pleasure. 11we haves surprise for you after
dinner, kell. 11 says rhoda • . "oh yeah?
are you really not going to tell me
what it is ya worm?" 11nope absolutely
say _
you
nope. 11 "'alright, 1011 wait.
don°t have a: rainbow tree in the back
y~rd do you?" ''not tellin~" says ·
rhoqa, · sorta smuggy and beautiful.
"oh
god i 0 m goin-g·to pass out i 0 m so full
·1°m dying i 0m ~ic~ bbbbbbllllll
000000
aaattted groans be~s and bursting into
the room from her. 'direction comes a
t ·onally · er:t'ect hollow bubble which
p
pops a: foot ' away from her mouth and
becomes a roaring burp. several yards
into the we~ grass three pairs of
sneakers reach dampness and proceed to
soaking wet as the expedition to the
,_ reat surp:ris!3, moves out wi1;,hsafari
g
n~ght time moon shine overtones .or is
it just a strangely lit dream they ·all
had one night in the dar, • 11 i 0 m glad
you know where you 0 re going because i ~
can°t see much." kell is last behing
bets.
and when she finishes speaking
her sneak desperately grabs a fallen
tree and won°t let go so kells whole
front self , proceeds to pretty damp as
she lies in the wet grass and twigs and
�3
wire weeds 19yyyaaaaahhhhltlttl
YY'I'i'iYAAbefore.
this is your surprise we0 re
AAAHHHHHHHlt!llt. two voices madly
n
going to run away in a few minutes real
real fast and leave you over night maybe
scream in high pitched frenzy attack
kelley with the appropriately
attached
lose you forever. it 0 s your initiation.
"
11RRRRRROOOOOOAAAARRRRt
I
rhoda announces. and kell answers 11hey
rhoda and bets.
hands dig into kell 0 s
do you think i could apply for some
Rhoda is a leo.
ribs, claw at her stomach then clutch her
alternate
initiation
like doing the
dishes? 11 kell is sitting in a clearing
wrists and ankles with legitimate tightness and suddenly kell is flying across
in the dark night getting cold and wet
and crying a little
bit at the bears
the field at an unsteady rocky pace but
nevertheless
flying zooming fff aaroooming
surrounding her. bears you know you
in a whizzy spacey way over the not too
don°t want to hurt me it would be a
far below territory
and just when kell
waste of energy to hurt me when you
is getting a taste for flying her right
know we could be campfire buddies. yeah
and left engines give out and she heads
say the bears as they walk into the
•1 oh my god the left
clearing we just want to keep you company
for a crash landing.
one is out oh my god the right one is outt 11 until morning know any good stories you
yells kell she can see the earth getting
could tell us? sure, once there was a .
closer totally out of control there is
beautiful woman who lived on. a comet
nothing she can do to prevent the collision,she
sat on this comet and the sound of
all the events of her life the way they a
rushing water became first attention
always said it would flash before her eyes and kell guessed at her surprise.
louder
she sees herself coming through a dark
and louder the sound and then they stood
tunnel into light being born she sees the
at the edge of the woods and from .
somewhere just about half way to the
first time she sat on a toilet without
falling in she sees the little
girl she
sky a river was falling off the top of
was in love with in third grade she sees
a rocky hill and landing near them
beaches and mountains and her grandmother
white sheets of foam lighting up the
getting pissed because her elbows are on
night.
coming up behind rhoda and
the table and she sees herself putting
bets and kell gives a hand to each of
their shoulders and places her head in
her elbows on a lot of tables and suddenly she is rolling on the ground laughing
between theirs.
they stay silent and
at the moon with her friends and she sees
feel to be with each other and alive.
"happy surprise. 11 says bets.
her elbow has been scraped and is ' being
joined by blood and she sees the blood
and laughs forever about her flight and
the moon.and her elbows. °'come onl 11
shouts rhoda. she is gone in the darkness
ADS (5¢/word)
and tmist while bets and kell fumble to
their feet and break into a following .
WICCE
run in one motion. 11let O s get her. n says
a lesbian/feminist
newspaper
bets and their running takes on a serious
1 year $3.50 ($1 extra for brown
goal becoming hard and forcefully
fast in
wrapper)
a few extra effort leaps they reach her
WICCE,P.O. Box 15833
and tackle her and smash for the second
Philadelphia,
Pa. 19103
time it is a tickle marathon with a
s
different victim. rhoda goes into vi tops 11
TERRY--For you are the music of
and assorted screams of agony and delight.
the seasons of my soul. Miss you.
11but we haven°t
gotten bets yet1' 1 "yeah"
Peg.
0 nooooo I 11 bets
tries for a ~get away but
makes it only to the pmece of ground next
D.O.B. CHRISTMAS
PARTY DA CE
&
N
to the one she was already on. in the :' ·.,
will be Friday December 14 at
w0ods there is almost no light only spots
8:30 pm at ye olde office. 4
1 '.le and there of moon shadow it is nearl y
: r
mere $1.25 for free buffet &
'b:.i nd they walk with their arms stretched
:
admission.
Drinks for sale.
o~t before them to be saved from poked out
W
omen only.
eye s or scratched faces.
when kell feels
ver y lost she inquires of her guides
whather or not they are sure if they know
where they are going. 11what? oh no.
we0 ve never been in this part of the woods
�· by
It
al::. started
c:1.bcut a year
Ginge}:--
ago --- ·
!11Y
gujlty
consc3ance g6tthe
·bes-t
01 me . I was sti l l a memb~r of
Bos ton r,::,i 1. · but afte:r moving so
•~
f~.r ':-3.Vl"J; '..lp .1.ll °'.'JS'.J' 1--{s. shi:.-e;
'i'.
.1
m;_.:
I.::-c r,d · i ·c · impossible
u
-~o be ·active
5n any way , 1'he d istance · was just
too gr eat . I phonec_ Laura · to - tell
her hm..., I' felt,
and no•.v much it ,
was b othering
me. She bluntly
aske~:
"1.--J don't
hy
you. s~art a
chap t er in I--; 1:ampshire?''
ew
· At . ··
the ti~a I just didn't
dae how it
couid 1:, '. ,j;me :; \•.1 i th no way t~ con2
taJt pebple ·here . . ; But we started!
g ave
~ls a big lift
oi..;.r meeting dates.
A generous
donatio;.1 e,1abled us to
ad ·,,rerth:i'e in the> Real Pa12§.r, W
e
hi :-ad a pest -◊I'fic-e - box fc,r our
famou3 "occt: ,pant)',
bough ·~ r:d;g_mps,
and pai(~ fo :i:' phone calls
ou t of
c't•.m3.tions :cequPsted
8 .t ·• Ol):1'.' meetings.
P0cus
magazine
u:r publishin€_;
'i:h~l,gs are much dri.:i:' :cen c :in the
r'e
c0\:.n t:..~y thc'.1'1 in -the city . · W
ith
·1
~~:..-·ylit t le way t0 adver-t .:lse here,
.
we were dic:;c:.,uraged by the long
w~i~s between contacts
. W had
e
to us~ ·r;he w0rd "get-togethc:Cfl",
.
because "meetings" · scared those
it was only busines~
wh0 thought
or comin g out into ·the ope :'1. Rays"
s cared old ~~ women who didn.'t
even
know what i·~ rn
eant.
1
0
Slo~ly ·bnt 1 surely,
letters,
some
only one line l9ng, a.r :cived ' from
Vermm1t) Maine, nm~"!;hern Ma_s;,
s
and ~ven a few f r .om· Hew Hariipshire I
L au:i:- ,r~ Boston
a
DOJ _i;~ f err .ed . all
:
h ar.·...:101~t:r ern contacts
1
to '..J:·· too.
us
.,:
.
.
.,
·:v
e
h8.V~ met in V8.l'ivus r.omes, · each
0~1e b1-~.nging somethirig
fot · the
t alble .- · We have made wonder,ful new
:?:: ::. nc '.- J · . r~o'r exa.mple; at : Ghrist. e 1
.~.:nother couple
ca.me to ~tay
with
uO-·,·i}:c. m- 1'1:a:i.nealso--attended
o
a me·eting,
_
and 'went back home
knowing , :there
were others
who
cared. · I~ Febru .ary we . W re
•
;
contacted
- y · a woman wllo . shortly
b
there.aft ·er s.u .ffered
a tragedy
in: her life,
and we were all •
glad she could - come here where
her g-rief was understood.
., ·
Our aim is •·to raach · out p to :
help those who had nothing
or
nobody, those who . need an under.. standing
ear and a p1ac e to let
true, -·basic
feelings
be at last
honestly
expressed.
. Some of
the . women .-are married
and have
children
. . They . followed
the
role they were taught
to play,
and didn't
know there was any
other way . of li • e.
f
I think
they
are the most unhappy of all.
we · receive
a call or letter
almost· every day now.
W get
e
wonde ·rful . letters
from .Julie
.
Lee of New Jersey · DO and from . .
B
,
the Dallas
chapter, , too.
W
e
keep · in touch with Donald of
''Gay in Vermont".
Our home
is crowded and cluttered,
fµl1
of people,
cats and dogs and
of letters
to ·
fish,
and piles
answer ( secretary
or typist
.
any.where nearby?)
· .··
Some :1ave . said that
moving to
the country
was a lfcop-out".
,
· Miriam and I are more involved
now than we ever were.
This is
. a 24 hour deal -all yee:r long,
and we· love it . .
Maybe to a city person our lif.e
here in· the , ;boonies
is .dull.
me, it is:11't.
So IJ1any
·Believe
people 'have come hy .to see us.
:r,c:1.c
time · vie drove to M
aine .,to · visit
·.
two w0Hi who h~.d never talked
en
to
' Two college
girls
came while
oth ~:c gay people
L-1 theit • • ives.
I
'we ·.were painting.
Th·ey said .i t
· ' ·· was · just . their
t h ing . and. · j_o
,ined
'. e ~hanged th9ir
V
·NhoJ.e liVes--from
i")eing :f1.1ll o / g uilt
a:'lC::.self-denial
in" · · Another chain sawed · some
t c f:5.r.r .i_ a. wg_y to have a full and
,-.z
logs ·, .another
fixed the mess . on
tl'J.e.; shed ) porch ., another
loves
~8..i!PY -'- i fe,
�NE HA PSHIRE DO CO T.
W M
B,
N
5
to walk long walks with the dogs,
Everyone loves the quiet serenity
of our woods.
Another came with
her health
foods and pills,
we
did a little
yo g a together,
and
she went on her way next day.
No,
we wouldn't
trade what we have here
for any old city!
W have no dues, just donations
e
of money, stamps, and books.
W
e've started
a small lending
library,
and do receive
gay
papers,
etc.
M
any gay women own land here now,
as this is a summer resort.
Only
six live here permanently,
but
more look forward to the future
when they can join us for what's
really
living!
And happy birthday
to us% W
e
were one year old in October.
W
rite us at "Occupant",
:3ox 137,
Northwood, New Hampshire 03261.
GAY ACADEIC CONFERENCE PURS BOSTONACTION
M
.
S
"The Universities
and the Gay
Experience
Conference"
held in
New York City November 23-24 and
sponsored by the newly-formed
Gay Academic Union was attended
by over 310 gay women and men
representing
colleges
and universities
all over the country--in~oston
cluding Boston College,
University,
M. I.T.,
Smith, and
W
ellesley.
The conference
addressed
itself
to three issues:
1) homosexual
scholarship
and research
(including the establishment
and teaching of Gay Studies programs)
2) professional
and legal discrimination
against
homosexual teachers, and 3) the organization,
structuring,
and financing
of
the Gay Academic Union.
As a
Boston
result
of the conference,
area people in academia are starting a local GAU group.
Professionals
Gav ScholarshiJh.
from the sciences,
social
sciences,
and humanities
talked ' about their
researches
into homosexuality
and
society.
Smaller workshops
pooled information
about available
gay readings
and materials
while
so me participants
decided to work
on critical,
annotated
bibliographies
in their various
disciplines.
Others will be involved
with identifyin
g unknown gay
of homoartists,
drawing up lists
erotic
motifs in the arts,
writing a consumers'
guide to gay
therapists,
evolving a methodology for the teaching
of Gay
Studies,
and investigating
the
receptiveness
of publishing
firms
to gay material.
Job Discrimination.
Participants
shared their
experiences
on
findin g and keeping jobs. The
question
of coming out profession ,
ally was well discussed,
as was
the possibility
of GAU in L:nmhc1.tting discrimination,
providing
le·
ne~s
gal contacts,
widespread
coverage,
and pooling strength
to
act as a united force in the
university
scene,
Organizing
GAU, A steering
committee of three women and three
men was elected,
There will be
a women's and a men's caucus,
each having equal voice,
Provision was made for a student
caucu s
extending
support to the esta blishment
of W
omen's Studies and
to women in academia,
the formation of a GAU newsletter
and of
local chapters
in all major university
centers.
"S
oston rn
organizing.
For info T
mation of the planned Boston cha 1
ter of GAU write GAU, c/o DOB,
Room 323, 419 Boylston St. , Bosto1
out~
M
ass. 02116. FOCUS readers
side Boston should contact
GAU,
Prof~ K.S . Sherrill,
Dept.PolitL
cal Science, 3ox 1479,Hunter
Coll(
CUNY, New York, 10021.
�6
NE S AR
W
OUNDTHE COU Y
NTR
BOSTON, Over a hundred women and
half a dozen children
attended the
second annual DO Thanksgiving
B
supper · sunday November 18 at St,
John's Church in Boston,
·
M
ICHIGAN. Two lesbian
mothers
won a three year court fight to
retain
custody of their 8 children
and live together
as a couple,
(Gay Liberator,
Nov. '73),
BOSTON. "The Invisible
Minority1
the Homosexuals in Our Society",
produced by the Unitarian
Universalist
Association
of Bostmn, has
received
first
place for the best
filmstrip-record
educational
pro~
gram of 19.73, The award was
gtven by the National Council of .
Fa.mily Relations
in October. Gay
men and women from Boston and other
areas are featured
in the filmstrip,
which covers the history
of · society's
attitudes
and which
answers commonly-asked questions.
GREENFIELD, ASS, A board of . review
M
decision
allowed a woman ·separated
f::::-01:1 husband to get a dependher
ency ·allowance for her ·child·· from
unemploym 2nt compensation,
The
relevant •fact was · that the father
was not supporting
the child,
and
the mother Was; that the mother
ha.d not brought criminal
complaint
of nonsupport
was immaterial.
DO
B
·
office has more details.
SAN FRANCISCO. Sq_W.hire ,. a magazine started
by women who left
S.F.D,O,B. after the diSsensicin
over transsexuals,
has exptred ·
after
its second issue.
BOSTON. Edward Rastellini,
a
prisoner
since 1968 on sodomy
charges, · was stabbed to death in .
the Mass. Correctional
Insti t_
ution
at Bridgewater
on November 6. He
wa s convicted
of an "unnatural
act
with a child of 16", al though the
child reportedly
was a m~le hustler
and the act consented to 'by both
parties . He was denied parole
this spring.
An investigation
into the .1;1urder is .underway ,1 ()ay ·
Com unrc,:y: News, Nov. 17, 73
m
·
· 1ii:.:WORLEANS, A mah in Sacramento
reportedly
confessed
to setting
th~ fire which killed
32 people
in a g~y bar here last June,
all
Raymond · W ender said he is a ·..
homos~xual. (Advocate, Nov. 21, . '7
'·73) ,
TORONTO, The Toronto City CounWhich
cil passed a resolution
discrimination
in employ
prevents
ment in city jobs on the basis 6f
sexual preference.
The vote on
October 10 was 15 to 1. (Advocate
Nov. 21, '73)
NE JERSEY. After a long court
W
fight,
a gay father has been
granted visitation
rights
of
sorts .with his two sons ages 5
and 3 after dtvorcing
his Wife.
He must· have a court-appointed
third party along for the 4-hours
a-week vis 'i ts.
If all goes well,
in January he can begin to .select
the thircl party himself.
The
father,
Jerry Purpura,
is a
former president ·· of the .New .
Jersey Gay Activists
Alliance
and a founder of the Hold Hands
Project.
(Advocate,
Nov.21, '73),
W
ORCESTER. There is a gay group
here now which meets at 7:30 pm
·sundays at Trinity
Lutheran ·,
Church, Lancaster
and Salisbury
W
orcester.
The address
Streets,
is :-iorcester Gay Union, F.O. Box
W
orcester,
359, Federal Station,
1V;
ass. 01601.
1
VISITATION RIGH
TS. ~oston DO
l
has copies of letters
written
by famous authorities
in support
of .B.ruce Voeller's
right to have
visitation
rights
with his sons
: after hia divorce.
Voell~r is
the past president
of Gay Activists Alliance,NY.
The letters
are in the DO office library.
B
PROVINCETOWN.The Lower Cape ·
W
omen's Center, Gifford House, ·
9 Carver St., Frovincetown,Mass.
02657, opened its winter quarters
on November 15, The center will
be open several
days a week and
act as a referral
and educational
agency,
Fhone is 487-3075,
�7
FOE TO A FRIEN
MS
D
#5
How does this happen?
For seventeen
years
g one straight-a crazy kid
with staring
eyes
knocks me
from my perch
and I
must start
again.
//2
Slippery
and moist
the body arches
the wet flank
and warm inside
the strange
taste
now my familiar
haunts me
as I wr.ite.
11
3
Like ocean tides
our feelings
rise . and fall
pulled by the magic
of hidden
and incalculable
moons.
//4
I have seen you
in the morning
cold and .sober
and thrown myself
in desperation
on the hard ed g e
of your guilt.
Nothing's
left,
my friend,
Like oeads from a broken string
our emotions spill
to the floor,
Time and .time again we trip
trying to walk over them.
116
Our words are brittle
twigs,
hopes shared,
now dessicated.
Vv live in the habit of affection,
e
unwilling
to admit the green is g one,
Your hair freshly
washed
frames your head
your body draped
in the printed
gown
I gave you
curls beside the dog.
I run my nail
over the lines
of your dark
and angled face
across your breasts
and feel your skin
through the slick surface
of the unresponding
photograph.
f8
Waterbugs skip on .the surface
of . the
pond,
shadows move within the ripples,
two months since you are gone,
this longing is woman's madness,
by staring,
I will turn to stone.
--F S
�J
8
LETTERS FOCUS
TO
Note: Because of the number and length of letters,
most were shortened for
publication this monthu
Note~ Starting with the January 1974 issue, all lGtters to Focus must be signed,
although the name will be withheld from publication if requested.
Dear Focus:
As you know the elections fo1" DOB; .•
offices were held 10/11~/?J, and it seems ··
the power struggle :.i.s still on • • • I
th ought the elections and procedure in
which they were hald were in poor taste.
•• o How cc..n a business
meeting and an
election go on at the same time? The
evon:ing p~oved to be very discouragi."lg
.
and frustrating,
and we nevar heard from
the candidates for Recording Secretary,
Treasurer, or Co!'responding Secretary
bacause time ran out. It was decided to
vote nnd then if an.yone wanted to stay
and hear the la.st three candidates they
wore welcome to. That seemed inappropriate to me.
dances are fun and necessary, iri their
place. But with so much to do, we cannot afford to limit the purpose · of a·
homosexual organization to such activities.
With well-planned, outgding
leadershmp OOBcould be a· mighty force
of enlightenment in Boston. So, I
·.
say ll aye°' to a saddened OOBmember
11limited"
With
leadership,
OOBcould ~
.stand still and its members fall away·
kto form new groups. Could this be
an answer?
A Concerned , Focus Reader ·
Dear Saddened DOBMember (Nov.Focus),
People seemed hesitant and nervous about
speaking up. And I wonder if, members · ·
raally knew the candidates~ platforms• ·
People wera cut off or made to feel uncomfortable if questions seemed threatening to candidates or the organizationLI
Can we work together, or w.Ul · a few people
ccmt.inue their power struggle? ·
Sincerely,
Susan Winters 11-roB
Member.•
11
Aye- To a Saddened OOBMemberl
One of the reasons some IX)Bmembers . who
·,
vote d the now president to office by
proxy, may not have been to more than one
IX)Bfunction could be the same reason I
ha.ve, no inter est in being a member at allthe pc.st E..ndpresent restriction
-of DOB
meetings to 11raps and social events. 11
I a..'11, my own wny, a "Lesbian activst •• 11 .
in
I long to become active in a gay organizaand expanding to
·
tion that is g:::-owing
further the awakening of public consciousness~ To those Hho declared themselves
openly gay so that present organizations
and activities
might be born and grow,
I am deeply grateful •• • •
Officers should represent the active in
an o:::-ganization • • • Rap sessinns and
" .· ..
.
Indeed it might be nice if all our
officers were completely open about
their gayness. But the elections are
over 9 the membership made its choices,
and there is no point~
in arguing
the merits of the candidates • . (I
should point out that neither candidate
for president was completely openly
gay--Sheri said she could not go on T.V.
Andrea said it would depend on th~
circumstances--though
both were open in
ways like lobbying--and both have -since
agreed to be in the Cat~h 44 T.V.show.)
Also, everyone I talked with who l:iad
read your letter remarked on the . fact
that you say 11we must stand up and say,
Yes, we are lesbians ••• ,v and yet you
don't sign your name! Was that 11we11
for the rest of us?
I also believe that all letters written
to Focus ought to be signed, even though
the names could be withheld for actual
publication.
I think it is going to
be destructive to the organization to
have people using Focus as a vehicle to
air feelings they will not express
personally with one another.
Peace & love,
Laura Robin
�LErTERS TO FOCUS,CONT.
time . she came to a rap she asked what
she could .do for :OOB.
What sh'3 did was
done without fanfare, without words because she wished it that way. Perhaps
only the treasurer and a few others
knew•• •
Dear~:
' I do not find
anything 11tragically
unf or1
tunate" ·as the 11Saddened OOB
member1 did
her Nov. 7'.3letter to Focus. This Sad
One 11needs exposure 11 , 11r.i.ust be ·recognized 1i,
star ,d up and ·say ~he is a lesbian", must
Those of us who knew her knew of her
· 1istr,te
·her name" and yet she writes a
love for all humankind. She saw good in
letter to Focus signed 11Saddened OOB
Membe ;·.. Gome on now.
r
.every person where perhaps some of us
were blind...
·
As far as I am concerned, Focus should
not publish tl.l~signed letters ·of political
SomehowI hope you will all understand
why I have not mentioned her name in
im.port. It simply is not fe.ir to those
print, but I do that for her ·friend and
. who do the work andll very fortu..11.ately for
us ail ll have brol'l.d enough shoulders to
bec.a}
!se of her job. She had 11 come out"
bear the burclen .of attack •.·
as · much as she could.•• She bal1.oved
in OOBand in e;_ch one of us.
Other OOB groups have folded under the
hopeless weight of the everpresent socialpolitical
split.
Don°t lat it happen in
O
Boston. OOB s pr:L'llary function is to
Leave the drumbeating
help the lesbian.
Dear sisters,
ccnversion and education of heterosexual
society to GAAand other groups that. are
I read with interest and some concern
can accomplish much more the article by Penny Perrault about
so inclined.o.roB
lesbian mothers (Nov.73) ••• I had heard
un<l do far raore basic good by operating
once tfat a lesbian mother was treated
qui')t-ly.. Nothing is more important than
with a lack of sympathy by someone from
giving '.lj _fe bl'.ck to a sister who is
Penny 0 s letter seems to
your chapter.
about to throw it all away simply because
say this is not unusual there.
sho doesn°t understand her true worth.
DOBklnows holJ' to teach this understanding • .
First, may I dis~gree with Penny when
she says lesbian mothers are a forgotten
So Watt
minority ••• I11 the New York and New Jar- ·
sey chapters, lesbian mothers comprise
from 1/3 to 1/2 of the members-- certainDear OOB9
ly not a minority •••
I wish to thank all the members who
Lesbian mothers are not forgotten today~
helped organize the Thanksgiving Dinner.
There are lesbian mothers O organize.tions
It was ever so pleasant to ·pe with the
Del Martin
in a number of large cities.
wom<:m
attend:i.ng, a truly great time with
and Phyllis Lyon are in the process of
lots of 11esprit de corps 11 • My sincere
writing a sequel to their Lesbian/
thank~.
Womanabout lesbian mothers; Barbara
A sister,
Lee
Bryant of California State University
is also writing a book; and a group of
therapists
in New York are making a
D9ar sisters,
study of lesbian mothers •••
in
i.
9
0
It was said that at the election there
were faces that some of you had never
seen before.
I am saddened that you
didn°t . know and now will not · get to know
one of those woinon,as she passed away on
N
ovember 7th.
At the N.Y. and N.J.OOB, children are
welcome to ·a.11 outdoor social functions .
At the summer 0 71 Lesbian/Feminist
Conference at Kent, Conn.I> there seemed
to be more children tha:n women, and I
saw no 011ewho resented the .children •••
She had been with the or gnnizaticn before
The first
and left f0r perso~a l reasons.
I understand that Boston OOBis mostly
.
composed of young women, which MIGHT
�10
LEI'TERS FOCUS,CONT.
TO
account for the fact that mothers and
their children feel left out. This is
not an excuse--it
MIGHT an explanation.
be
I cnnnot understand how any true SISTER
could resent another sister who has children.ooseveral
years ago 9 I visited a
ncolony 11 of several hundred lesbians in
Rock Island 9 Illinois.
Most of the women
were mothers and f ,-it sorry for the few
who did not have at least one child. So
you see 9 Pemiy 9 it depends on where you
aret
I feel strongly that child .. care should
However 9 children at
be provided.
regular meetings could pose a legal
problem, so consult a lawyer before you
try it.
Most lesbians are with you 9 Penny.
are sisters,
mothers or not.
In sisterhood 9
Julie Lee
lesbian counsellor,
We
DOBNew Jersey
Dear friends,
Ple~se be sure to refer to p.28 of the
(San Francisco I:oB).
December Sisters
S .F. h2s a Lesbian Basketball League
this year, and boy are we having funt
••• why don°t you think about starting
something like it in Boston?
eace, .
Leve and P_
Wendy Hayes,
Fo£E.2 note:
see calendar.
Dear Sisters,
I am a graduate student in the School
of Social Work at California
State U.
I ··am working on my masters thesis on
lesbian mothers.
My hope for this
thesis is that it can be used to
strengthen arguments and dispel the
negative -st~:rec't.ypes of lesbian motherhood, as well as to increase society 0 s
acceptance of lesbians and lesbian
child-raising,
particularly
in custody
cases.
I have a questionnaire
developed in
conjunction with Del Martin, Phyllis .
Lyon, and others.
My population of
subjects can include any woman who
considers herself to be a lesbian who
is raising or has raised a child whether
or not they are now living together.
Obtaining a large number of lesbian
mothers for my sample is crucial to
the effectiveness
of my thesis.
All
replies will be held strictly
confidential and responses are anonymous.
Womenwilling to complete a questionnaire can drop me a card.(Also see
not ·e· below).
Any publicity
you can give to th~.s
effort will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Barbara Bryant
School of Social Work
California
State University
Sacramento, Calif. 95819.
NOTE: Boston OOBhas voted to support
this study.
Questionnaires
are in the
office along with a return envelope,
rii;ht on the table by the door.
il#########i/=####
1Nf1
f###if#ff###1f##{,b#
1,L
-1J4NHHf'ff## 1
fNf####
t#######-iN/:1
f#ff/Nf###
i~#c#
ADS (5¢/word)
TERRY,
When first we met 9
I w~s just a stone.
The tide of life kept sending
me back to the sea.
Then out of n0i1here you appeared.
You koelt down9 cupped your hands
to save that stone from the
pounding waves~
If not for ycu the tide
of life would still be unbearable.
Love you always,
Your- Peg
HI--If you share a love of music and animals
I would like very much to hear from you.
Please write--Nancy Bates, Box 33, Mt.
Ranier, Maryland 20822.
9
HANIWRITING
ANALYZED SISTER, not by comBY
$5 each analysis, 2 for $8.50.
puter.
K. Feinberg, Dept. F, Box 24172 9 Cincinnati,
Ohio 45224.
�BOSTON
DAUGHTERS BILITIS CALENDAR
OF
December 1973
ll
MONDAYSpm thrnugh Dec~ 17 COMING
8
OUT! Jonathan Katz 0 documentary play about gay
history, with a cast of 5 women, 5 men. $2 donation. Charles
Street Meeting House, 70 Charles St., Boston.
7:30 pm RAPSESSIONS BEINGGAY,FORWOMEN
ON
ONLY.(Will not be held Dec.25
TUESDAYS
· ·· but will be ,held every other Tuesday including Jan.l) Share
feelings about being gay, everyone welcome, new people come
all the time. Child care will be provided.
At the I:oB office,
419 Boylston St., Room 323, Boston, between Arlington and
Berke~ey Streets, near the Arlington MBTA
stop.
W NESDAYS 30 pm RAPSESSIO FORLESBIAN
ED
7:
N
MOTHERS, the office.
at
THURDAYS
S
9-10 pm GAY
WAY
RADIO
PROGRAM,
WBUR-FM
90.9 me.
SUND 2-4 pm WOEtPS BASKEI'BALL,
AYS
M
Cambridge YWCA,
Temple St., Cambridge, near Cen t ral.
Square. Sv1immingaft1,rwa1.·ds (bi·ing a suit). 75¢ ba~ketball,
25¢ ·swim. . .
December 6, Thursday TRANSVESTITES
DISCUSSION,ME11
& WOMEN,
7:30 pm, 419 Boylston St.,
4th floor.
December 7, Friday,
9pm COMIG OUT! Granite State Room, University of New Hampshire,
N
Durham, New Hampshire. The Gay Student Organization can wt meet
but they 0 re allowed to present this 0 non-social event".
SPECIAL
MEEI'ING. On the agenda: whether to buy
December 9, Sunday, 7:30 pm DOB/BUSINESS
Christmas trees to sell to make money, whether to sponsor
certain gay rights bills.
Ellen Ratner of the Association of
Paraprofessional
Therapists will also talk.
D0cember 14, Friday,
8:30 pm DOBCHRISTMAS
PARTY/DANCE.
Free buffet, drinks for
sale . $1.25 donation. Womenonly. At the DOBoffice.
December 15, Saturday,
11 arn-4 pm WOMEN°S
CENTER
SCHOOL
AUCTION/RUMJYJAGE First
SALE,
Congregational Church, 11 Garden St., Cambridge (near Harvard
Square).
If you have offerings for the sale call 492-4845,
The sale will benefit the School 0 s new offices, 639 Mass. Av.,
Room 340, Cambridge •
.ALSO,DOBMAY SELLING
BE
XMAS
TREESAT THE CHARLES
STREEI'MEEI'I N HOUSE
G
.ALL
DAY.
STAFFMEETING. At the office.
D,ac0:m 17, Monday 7:30 pm FOCUS
. ber
11
44
PROGRAM,
Channel 44.
D$.;.;e
:,.
n
ber 20, Thursday, 8:30 pm I:oB CATCH TELEVISION
Dscember 22, 23, Saturd::i.y11 Sunday OOBMAY SELLING
BE
XMAS
TREESAGAIN(see Dec.15)
..
.
January 5, Saturday,
NEW
ENGLAND CONFERENCE
GAY
PLANNING
MEEI'ING,in Worcester,Mass.
for details read Gay Community News or call IDB office.
COl':lMITTEE ELECTELAINE
TO
NOBLE col:ecting items to :,1uction off. If you have any
is
call Sarah Wenig, 277-4776 or Joe Martin 696-8457 and they will pick it up.
DA
UGHTERS BILITIS
OF
Room 323
419 Boylston St.
Boston, M
ass. 02116
HOURS:
Monday Evenings
11
Tuesday
Ii
Wednesday
Thursday
"
617-262-1592
�12
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE
by JS
ACROSS
1. a right-on woman
5. desire
8. greeting
9 .. queer
10.what lesbian love is often forced to be
13 orecount
. .. .
14.what you are when you stop being latent
15cscheme 9 program, project
l? olong period of time
18 @
~J11ecological test
21.with regard to
22.sometimes double
2J .it 0 s good
25.wha.t Radclyffe Hall 0 s well was
26Qconscious arrangement of colors,
sounds, forms, etc o, for esthetic ends
27.a kind of lesbian often mis:funderstood
28.Egyptian Sun God
29.et
, Brute
JI.organization
working for women°s rights
32 ..kind of woman not often met with
35oindicates a god or gods
36.rescuers of motorists in distress
*
38oOld English
39.turn ___
, tune in, drop out
40.Railway Post Office
. 43.Connecticut (abbr.)
44.half of one is better than none
45.E.M. Forster 0 s gay hero
4?~symbol for element erbium
L;'- o:iouisiana ·(abbr)
..;
49$German (abbr.)
.5 Sarah 0 s friend
L
52- ovarcome, overpower
,
ANSWERS
NEXT
MONTH
rowN
1. -what one woman tries to be to another
2. homo
3. apparatus for punishment of witches
and other offenders
4. state which was prominent in news
headlines in 1970
5 • America 9 s Good Gay Poet
6. negation
7. a dyke of literary renown forced to
11cure 11
undergo psychiatric
ll.aspect
of · a culture to which people
generally defer
12.squirt
16.New England
19.to deprive of strength or vitality
20.two-time loser
22.to delay,require
much time
2'.3~lesbian-feminist
poet (associated with
Women° Press Collective in Oakland,
s
Calif.)
24owhere you are is where you 0 re ___
_
27.Missouri (abbr.)
29.symbol for element titanium
JI.lesbian
heroine in Nightwo2g
33.stereotypical
behavior pattern
34.the Killing of Sister ____
_
35.measure of weight
37.accou.~t (abbr.)
41.unadulterated.
42.conjunction used to indicate an alternative
45.pad for wiping feet
46.Interstate
Commerce Commission
48.symbol for element lanthanum
50.elevation
(abbr.)
-- - --
* 30.Mttdchen in
------
LAW
STUDENT
SEEKSHELP
LESBIAN
I:•.:~;:i law student Rose Basile is writing
ian
t :(e first legal article on cases of lesbian
.
mothers, child custody, and other cases
Her article
where lesbianism was an issue.
s
will appear in the Women° Rights LE!W
Reporter.
She n_eds the following infore
mation on the cases:
names of lawyers,
.
court papers, briefs, opinions, custody
orders.
She will pay for postage and xerox costs.
M
aterial will be kept confidential
if
requested~ she writes.
roB will get a
copy of the article.
If you can help her write Rose Basile,
Women°s Rights Law Reporter, 180
University Ave., Newark, New Jersey
07102.
##################H#-ffl##H#####1h1###
SEE ALL YOUR
FRIENDS
ON CATCH
44
December 20 9 Thursday,
Channel 44
8:30 pm
THE roB PROGRAJ1
�DEC~~
PUZZLE
ANSW'mS NOVHER
TO
PUZZLE
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1973 December
Date
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1973-12
Description
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An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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English
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THP-0011-focus-197312
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116a541ae32ec9e2202e295e1b73c7df
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Text
A JOURNAL FOR
GAY WOMEN
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS
OF BILITIS
.,
I
I
I
february
sleigh ride
see · page
12
$.SO
�FOCUS: A JOUR AL FOR c-1;y W vff1\J
N
01
January
FOCUS is published
monthly by Bor.ton
Daughters . o.f . Bilitis,
Room 323 ~ 419 Bc.y1stpn St., Boston, Mass. 02ll6
.
Phone: 617-~62~1592
Subscriptions
$5/year,
samples 50¢.
Give 1.1.s
yam :::.ip #.. If you move, let
..
us knew in a , vance · 'bo<,futise the post
d
offico will not fory1aid 3rd .class ma. l
i
to you. ·
1974
FOCUS STAFFt Judy, reviews;
Cathy Baker &
Wendy Bauman, features;
Geri Bidwell, .
poetrh
covers, pl'oduction '; .Cherry, . riews :;
Diane, distribution;
Laura Robin, •·.
typing~
calendar;
(nnine Bernier,
editi !1g.
DEADLINEfor
DOBofficers:
President •••• , ............
iSheri Barden
Vice-president.
· .~~.•.•
•
••• Paula Doherty
Treasurer •• , •• o ..... .. ! ...• ~:.Geri Bidw6cll ,
Recor-ding Sec;t.'.'etary~ .·;·~.·.•.Lois J.
·
Corresponding
Secretiry.
~· .r"a~ra Robin
This public at:i.on -is ' en file at tho . .··
IN
TERNATIO A WvMillJOS
NL
HIS'i'ORY ARCHIVE,
2325 Oa.k St., Berkeley .~ Califo · 94708.
It is avaib .ble on microfilln , f!'om Bell
and Howell, Woostsr, Ohio .
October
1971 and frcm the r v
ffiA fro m October 71 on.
Feb_uary
r
issue:
Jan.
16
FOCUS welcomes contributions
from
everyone.
If you want back what you
send us, please include
a sta mped,
self-addressed
envelope.
Let us know
possible
titles
and how you want to
s;lgn your name. .All letters
must be
si,gned, but yom· lJSllW w111 be wlthhr.i1rt
for pubJ _
ication
if you request.
ARTICLES in FOCUS ·refio,;f
the indi vid1ial authors.
th"' views
of
COVER:by Cherry
to
*
*
IN THIS ISSUE '
*
*
*
.* :.
*
.*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
DIALOGUE, by Terr;y· , Perrone ••• • ••• • •• • • •. • • • • • • •• • • • .2
A GAYBIBLIOGRAPHY PAPERBACKS Laura McMurry •••• • 5
OF
',by
"SMALL CHANGES": A .review, by Janet _Ston1;:1 ••••• •• •••• 7
••
';SUPPOSE I FALt 11 ;A .'~eview •• ; . •••••• '•·• •• ••••••••••
••••• ~7
NEWSAND ANN
OUNCEM1TS••••••• •'·•·• •• •·• • •••• ~ ••••••••••••
E!\
8
ANS
WER TO DECEMBER
S
CROSS\'il'ORD
:PUZZLE•••• ~ •••••••••
• • .10
CAY RIGHTS· LEGISLATION COMESROUND
. AGAIN•••• .•••••••••
10
CA El{D-~. , •.~ ~e:t •••••••
L·
.R
··• ~ ......
, . '• • • ·-..••• _ , • _ .-~ • .- •. •• , , ·, ,· :J•
,
•
l
D.o .B. WI:NTERFEST
.•••••••••••
·.•.•:•• .,··-.• • • • •••••••••••••
.
• .12 ·
POE S by s~i~~
M
Carla Ma:t,ie, , 'Desi Geshen,
.
.·
W. ndy Hayes •••• ~• •••• 13
e
LErTER TO FOC • .• ••••••••••
US
~ ••• • •• ~ • •• •·. ~.• ~ ·••••••••••
l;
*
Ca.,.;.in,
. .
'
;1·,,
.;.
•
.t ., ..
BOSTONDAUGHTERS BILITIS
OF
is a .
wo en~s organiz ation formed. in Octom
ber 1969· as a chapter of tha ·oldc st
. lesbian
orga;,;izaticn
in 'the cou ntr:r~
Natio1,'ll D.O.B. ·was started
in San
Frn:icisco
ln 1955.
All the chapters
( .San F:rnncisoo,
Dallas~ . Ft. Worth,
-New Jersey, . and New Hampshi;e)
are
· avtonomous, ·with their
own bylaws,
-. · of;f,'ices, aria publications.
v
fomen of
.· al1 ages and poli t ical persuasion::;
pa.rticipat~
in Boston EOB. Membership is ·open to all 'women 18 years olc '.
. or moro. " The cost 1s $10 ( or $15 f~ r
a couple) which includ e s 1 sub.to Fo e~
�2
D1:.4J
,OGUE
by Terry
Am I crowding you 711
~
;No, Pve got pler.ty of room."
11Got enough covers? 11
nye:.,, re ally, . I 0 m quite comfortable.
Don°t worry. 11
11
"Good night/
"Good night."
11
"Are you awake? 0
"No, I 0 m asleep.
This is your
conscience speakingl 11
"What side of the bed do you usually
slcap on? 11
11The side
you 9re on. 11
liWell, here, why don°t we just
switch sides and •• 11
11No, this
is just as good, that
is, unless you usually sleep on this
side?"
11No, I
always sleep on this side,
too."
"Wonder why people prefer sides of
0
a bed't
11
1 don °t lmow.
of
people don°t like being next to the wall."
"Yeah, but even if you moved the
bed to the middle of the room, people
1:ould still
prefer a certain side, I 0 11
bet.
Why do you like that side?"
"I think it's because when my
sister and I were real small our folks
were kind of poor and we shared a bed
and th:i..s side was the closest one to
the door and the <;,l:9r side was against
the wall and being older and naturally
protective~
I deduced, at the deductive
age of five or so, that if anyone carne
in the middle of the night to st~b :m,
kids to death they ~ight not boi her to
Ocause
they 0 d h?ve to.
stab my sister
lean over me to get to her and run t~e
risk 9f , getting all bloody in the process and_..
that would incriminate
them
v cause whenyou 9 re that
age, blood ·can °t
be washeq off, soaked out, or ~nything
like th~t. · I mean, once you got bloodied
up, that '.was it, you might as well turn
,
e
yours el'( in·and rely on the m.rcy of
the cou.rtt. H. uWell , isn't ;}.t true?
All the shows you wa.tched on ·ir.v., they
uere always matching blood tYR~s to
find the klll,er, and the worq. f pJ,.oodLike, ·
hound9 was always ta ken literally"
scene •with
e-v£ry other channel had
11
I guess a lot
a
Pt,rr onc
these huge dogs, sniff:i.ng and howling,
~nd chasing the pad guy through the
swamp 0 cause he had BLOOD his
on
shirt!"
"Yeah, yeah, and he .ALWAYS
fell
into the quicksand and died a slow,
horrible death proving conclusively
that crime just doesn 9 t payl 11
"Yeah, isn 9 t it scary to think
back and realize how innocent and
naive you were then? 11
"You mean dumb, don°t you? n
"Yeah, I guess dumb0 s a better
word for it. 11
11Tired? 11
"No, not at all. I 0 m still thinking about how ugly it would be to get
stuck in quicksand. 11
"You mean you 0 d rather face 17
hungry, drooling dogs,?'9
"No, I think Pd rather change
the channel!"
,··wow, all of a sudden, I feel
,
really old."
· 11
How old are you? 11
"How old are you? 19
"I asked first! Pd say you 9 re
at least 24 or 25. 91
"I 0 m 24."
"I 0 m 25. 11
"Do you feel 25?"
"No, I still
feel kind of iike a
kid playing adult or something like
that.
I guess I only feel old when
I'm lonely and I come home and there 0 s
no ~pe to feel like a kid for, I guess,
I don°t know, it 0 s a strange feeling
when I get it. 11
!'Why don °t you find someone to
liv~ with?"
"Neve.r ,found anyone I wanted to
live wlth-. 11
11
Were you , ver married?"
e
"Yeah, for one year and 2 months,
when I was 18 a,nd knew everything
t~er.e was to knpw. A disaster
from
'·I do O to 9 l°Jll le~.ving O 111
"I guess I ' sht>uldn't laugh, it 0 s
really not f~ny ( J suppose•"
"Oh, . that's
all right.
I think
o
;e
o.f it n. w ~s no. rn<:> thari a learning
e;J!:perience, a mistake that taught me
that when you 0 re 18 you don°t know
a hell of a lot more than you did
�3
whe:n you we:..·e f'iv e l . lfow ~bo·.1t you? "
:
· "No, · I have11Gt !!le tll "J. mistake
.de
t
yi:;t, mi:-.r
·d.age 11 ths.t :i;s. I guess Pm
too aggressive
to get hooked up with
anyone on a permanent basis,
too .·
ca.i-eer-minded or something .• · It O s like
..,;.
when I 1'80.k at wh.?a.tthis big world has ·
to off e'r arid then I look at my friemds
ru.shir1g home to get dinner started ..for
their
husbands iV s · 1~Lka nb comparison
to me. Dees that ·-sound ,strange to you7"
0 No 9 it
sounds like yo1.t0 re where
you want to be II and I don° t think ·
you 0 ra · strange B-t ·all.Ii
"Gae, thanks, that almost sounds
,.
like e.. comp!l:5.ment 11
· 11
It was II but you were right about
you being aegressi·va. 11 .
11
What d◊ you mean7 11
11I mean it
takes a pre.tty aggressj_ve pBraon to con me into sleeping ; on.
the other side of the bed! 11
11
You9re really nice to talk to,
:rou know that'r"
"You a.re too ..11
11Are you sure
you are:n °t tirad7
"No, are you7 11
,:No9 I 0 m wide awake c 11
11
"Do you liYe in an apartment
too7 11
Yes. Right now Pm living with
i:. ese two f:;:•isnds of . mine but I keep
h
:p
r·etty much t() nryself--they
do their
th:lng ;.i I do mine, that sort of arrar.ge.rid
more
mont G I coma&nd go as I please,
or 1esse 0(
·"They can °t be very close friends,
·are they?"
"Well, they 0 ra close friends,
I
mean, they lmo~l r~e real ' wall and I know
them raal well. • I guess 3rouOd say ·
they 9 re 0 togethar 0 • I mean, what I 0 m
trying to s:>.y is that they 0 re lesbians
and I alwa.y.s ·sD.y 0 they 0 re together 0
0 cause
it sounds nicer than Vlesbia.n °
and most people look at you funny when
friends,
you tell them ' you have lesbian
never min.d the fact tl-!at you li.va with
two of theme 11
,;you could have just come · right
cut and told me they we:te lesbians o fl
viI didn°t know if you 0 d unde:.-stand."
11I uiiderstarid.,
11
11
Yhat 0 s · €'.'.Ood,."
11
a 1e sbian? 01
I didn °t think y•'.)U Od understand.
11 .r, 1 yon
.!1
ii
11
. 11I und E'
rstand,
r0ally I do o I 0 m
just ar.ki.ng if you 0 ro one. I mean , you
!!!2 ;:pending the night here, a~d you~
sleeping with me. I don°t think I 0 m
stepping . out · of line a.<.:;kingyou . about
your sexual pref er.enc es • 11
"No, I guess you 0 re in bounds,
it 0 s· just that I was - debating all . evening
whether to tell you e:x:actly 'whato I
lived with, and I made up my mind I would.
tell you if the subject
came up, but I
was so worried you wouldn°t understand
and thon when you asked m~ to stay the
wouldn°t
night I decided . I definitely
tell you but it kind of slipped out when
Iwasnit
-1ooking--I'm
sorry, I shouldn°t
have said anything.
ifow you 0 11 be
worried ' all night that I 0 m going to rape
you or something."
0
"I don°t think it 0 slippedout
at all.
I think you wanted to tell me
about your friends.
I mean, you could
have hedged around it ;i.f you ,really
didn °t want me to know but you didn °t.
You were frank and honest.: ,
110h
of all times to have an .·
attack of tonestyfiom
~'reudin.n~slipping
my way right out into that rain and into
my ca.r. '91
n Are · you ?Ii . .
11
Am I what?"
11
Are you a lesbian?"
vino you wa,nt to explain that? 1i
110h,
I don °t mind explaining;
ito s just that it O s not exaotly an· eB.sy
thing to put into words•
It 0 s like I 0 m
not really
attra,~t.l~<t;:Jp .~
iny sax . I mean:,
guys are fu., 11 b1..t they~:c ver~ often
sex~oriented
and sometimes too shG.liliow
for my tastes,
besides th . fact that
e
many whom I 0 ve met are rasentfuJ.
to,:1a.rd.s
my independence
and aggressi-vi:mess •
Maybe they 0 re afraid I 0 m a.fter their
jr;b
or something.
On the other . hand, women
treat me as : an equal which I thiuk is
important
in any relationship)
and
they 9 re more sensitive,
more .attuned to
me and the rest of the world in general~
I relate more to women, I enjoy their
ccfupan:tonship more, .yet I've never fallo?:
in lovo with a woman•''
in love with n
"Have you fallen
man?"
11No, I
don°t think soo I guess
my b:i.g problem is that I don°t l".2.Jlx
··know about a lot of things;
like what a
�lesbian
is 9 ~ind if I?ve . lov .:i a man;i
d
r..;-1c.
:
if it° -s refc,lly vro:"g t.o lo,(e a woman. I rr-e
~ I. see my t,1,:0 _f1:ie ,nds~ - ohy
m,
you Qve got to meet th 9m- s0111.: me 9 ·
r~i
they 0 re really
V'i;;; 11 ce peopl ,G., Anyry
l
how9 I look at the ro, and .they: are so
.
11:i py with - 9,3.ch other,
.p
and U _9y_~e be en :
1 v
together
four years now 1 - .nd:i;: have to ,
@
D
.ck inys0J.f .9 °Now what 0 s wrogg about be,:i.ng in love an'.d ·being h2.p:py?~- arid a
vcice inside
cgys 9 °Ab_olutely
s
no·ihing! 0 •
I thi-:i.k i . .I b,d not visue;l:ly see-n and 9
f
more or less 9 felt their
joy in each
oth er I wouldn °t have accepted
it as
rc . l.dily as I did.n
"
nyea h 9 I hnow what you mean e:xact~1D :you? Are you afraid
o
you? 11
11No ~ I
never was• 11 '
that
.J:0 11
111 t!a s thi nk i;,1g that
yo'u,-should
have jc1st come rig!lt out and said they
wa::'.'e lesbians ..,
n
11 ell?
W
I told you why I c1J.dnt.
°
I j us t c ~m0 t lay in bed with every one
anc1. say what I 0 va just said to ycuoli
11Yeah 9 I
guess you 0 re right about
that.
11
.
·
.
.
1:yeah, ' a,1d I 0 rn rigpt when I say
I 0 m not the only person in this b~d
wl10°s .s.ggressive
either.
You can put
the pressure
on too~ and it take .s a ·
pretty
pushy pe:-sr,11 to con rire into - being
honest! ii
~Ye~h~ I guess I . :was kind of , pushy
about the issue. 11
11You 0 r e aggre ssivesb:ut in a nice
-.,. y. . It O s eas ie:.. th an mine~ or it s ooms
ya.
~
th::t ,·ray so :.r.'0how ,You 0 re a really
.
easy
p er son to b ,3 ,d.tha 11
. .
· 11That O i3 ° cau$~
you O re so easy to
··
·
be easy wit h. ii
11
Wow w<:):'e really
into circ _
ular
11 ·0
complim ents 9 aren °t . we'i 11,
·
111\To. re
we O
just b eing hon03t- -a
relap,-,e of an oar lier at ta cki 11
11Are
you s:µre you 0 re no:t .af:::., d
ai
of n:q? i,
11Yes 11 @,ite
sure."
11Oh 11 good!
TLit would be terrible~
Y;:, 0 d hav9 to f 'orce yourself
u
to stay
ah·8.ke al l n i ght cr:d y our eyes-- what color
are they any: vay--and you eyes would scan
t h e roo ;:r uµ end do,vn lo oking for a
1
bll~pt instrLr. ;; t to ' clobbel\ -me with in
m
casa L j umped you in tho middle · cf the
r..ight or something• 11
PBrou n. 1i
. i;W
haJ,?'1
11Br own_ · my eyes
11
are ' brown.
Yours
are blue. ;,
11 0h
b _own °s just : as good
r
1 well,
Besides 9 it 0 s a 'n:i,ce shade
as blue.
of brown 9 not · too dark.
Mor e like ; ,2,n
0 innocent
brown° to be ;:-.':3.cto 11
•
''Maybe when I was fi V8- they wer e
innocent. 11 .
11No, when you were
five th ey we:.ca
dumb. " .
11M
y eyes ·:we · never dumb I i _
re
i
11
Oh 9 well 9 excuse . ille 9 but I 0 m
only going on what you said. n
v:N
ever m:i.nd what I said; my eyes
were never dumb. Do women re .ally jump
each other? n
· ··
11J\lo, I
don °t think women ,:jump
each other.
I mean J; 0!!i not positive 9
but my bcdroom 0 s right :next door to
my roommates O and if they spent h!,l
.lf
the night jumping each other I think I
would he.ve ·heard something 9 wouldn °t ,::
~
you say?
No 11 I doul:>t if th$y jump one
another. 11
11I
don°t . thi:nk they do ·either. 11
11 1:isten,
if you 0 re wor r i~d 'er
0 11 leave.
paranoid. I
I ,understando vi
11I 0 m not
,
worried or p aranoid and
· ·
I don°t want you to leave. 11
11I wciul,dn°t mind ') honest.
I 0d
just spend the whole •.
night awake
.
feeling
bad ,·that you wer e afr ai d 'of _me'J
me! I want. you
"Please believe
to pe here~ · for the yhole night,
an d I
won °t be scanning the room . for · blunt
instruments
·, ecause I 0 11 b e sound
b
asleep nnd why a •blunt inst: cument ? 17
11Because
when you hi t someone
with _ · blunt inst:rument
a
ther e O s usually
very •little
blood involved,.
And if y0u
get all bloodied
up you might as well.,
.•·~:.~
I · 1mow9 you might as . well tur n
·in, right? ?i
11Rightl
I)
11 I 0 d rather
face the 17 .hungry
dogs than do tha.ti 11
iiwhy not the quicksand? 01
11Wh
y not t he quicksand! 11
nwhy not ch ange the chann el? "
vwhy not move in wi th me? 91
i11What?
What di d you say? 11
. 11
yourself
�.5
ii, GAY :> BLIOGR,\FE Y CF FAIER~ .(\.
.I
C:\S
One of the
cently
has
not at the
pons ive har
troubles
with g 2_y bi 1)lio g raphies
until
rebe en that
many books havo been out of print,
local
lib:r.a:cy,
and/or
ava .ilable
only in exdI)ack edit :i.:::ms.
In the last
six months there
has been a swell
of offerso that now anyone with a few dollars
in gs in paperback,
can re .ad widely
a:nd well.
The following
books are all
as of November 1973 as far as I could
discover
in print
throu g h any booksto-re
or in some cases
and can be obtained
:from the publish e r (addresses
are in "'=!Q
OKS I N
ditectly
FRI NT; a :i•eferencG
work in libraries
and at bookstor ,3s).
I have i!1cluded. a. sepa!'ate
list
of some of the "gay-isinterested
in the analysis
of homosic: .k" books for those
phobia.
THE ~OYS OF BOISE
DR. KINSEY
9
1966, John Gcrassi.
a witch hunt in Idaho
Collier,
in the
$1.25.
Reports
on
mid fif'ti2s.
AND THE INSTI'TUTE FOR SEX RESEARCH, 1972 s Ward.ell
B.
Fomero~"•
S :i.g:1ot, $1.95.
By one who worked with
hi ~
na
THE GAY CRUSADERS, 1972~
Kay ·Tobin
the h0roes
THE GAY LIBERATIO N BOOK~19?2 9 ed.
About
Rampa1~ts,
'pJ.95.
and Randy Wiclrnr,
Paperback~:jn,25
and heroines
of the movement~
L2n Riehmond and Gary Noguerra.
Anthology
about ga,y men.
LD~ 1963 " M
a.rtin
HQf'fma n.
Bantam,
$.J_,95. To be rep :v:.1.ntcd
'l'HE GAY WOR
by Nov. 1973.
Class5.c
report
on the unhappy wo:r.·ld
of mony gay men and .the connection
to society~s
vievm.
GREAT GAY IN Tii~ MORNING!, 1972, 'J:he 25 to 6 Baking and Tru c king ".
Society,
Ti mes Change Fress,
$1.75.
By a commune
of 7 gay men, 2 ga.y women.
HOMOSEXUAL: OPPRESSION AND LIBERATION, 1971, Dennis
$1.658
Readable
semi-sociology.
Alt:m;;:.n.
Avon,
HOMOSEXUAL
BEHAVIOR AMONG
MALES, 1967, Wainwright
Churchill.
Prism,
$2. 45, A cross·•cultural,
cross-species
study.
'l'ffE LESBIAN IN AMERICA~ 1965,
Don a.la. Webster
Cory.
Macfaddens
$ .75.
One of i;he first,
not completely
liberated
·out
ahead of its time.
LESBIAN/ W
OMAN, 1 9 '/ 2, D,, 1 Martin
3
and Phyllis
Lyon,
Bantam , $1 • .)0,
By a lesbian
couple · in the movement for 2 c:ecades.
THE LORD IS lYIYSHEPHERD AND HE KNO S - I HMGAY, 1972j Troy Ferry and
W
By the founder
Charle s Lo Lucas, · Bantam, $1.50.
of the M
etropol
.itan Comrnuni ty Church
(g a y ,-o r icn ted ).
LOV BETWE
E
EN WOMEN , 1971 9 Charlotte
W
olff.
Harper Colophon,
$2.lJ,5.
A psychiatrist
~~ports
her research
on le~bi~ns.
IVLL
.URICE 1 19'?1, E. M. Forste:r.
Si g:.:
1et, $1. 50. Autobiographical
fictl or.
published
afte:r: the author's
death.
THE ·HO
MOSE
XUAL DI ALECTI C , 1972, ed, , J.A. · McCaffrey.
Spectrum,
$2.95.
An antho lo gy--from
Bieber
to Szasz.
�6
ON B"SINGDIFFERE r ., J9?1, M,":cle Miller.
N'_
Popular Library,
$ .95.
A
~o·ted au thor come s out.
CUT OF THE CLOSE'rs: VOICES OF GAYLIBERATION, 1972, Karla ,Jay and
Allen Young. Qui6k Fax 9 Inc., distributors,
$3.95,
An anthology of work by both women and men.
D
iller.
Fawcett Cre st , $.95. Mode~cn
PATIENCEAN SARAH, 1969, Isabel M
fiction
set in _the 19th century.
PATrl
'ERNS Oi SEXUALBEHA
VICR, 1951, Clellan S. Ford and Frank A. Beach,
Harper Colophon, $2,45,
A pioneering
cross-speci
ec
study of sexual behavior,
THE QUEEN'S VERNA.CUL.AR: GAYLEXICON, 1972, Bruce Rodgers.
A
Straight
Arrow Press, $J,50,
Hundreds of slang
terms you've never heard of, mostly male.
SAPPHO: A NEWTRANSLATION,
, Mary Barnard.
Univ. of Calif.
Press, $1. 2.5.
SAPPHOWASA RIGHT-ONWOM 11 1972, Sidney Abbott and Barbara Love.
·
AN
Stein and Day, $1.95.
A personal
and political
stateir..ent,
THE SAMESEXi 1969, ed. Ralph W. Weltge.
Pilgrim Press, $J.l1,.5. An
anthology of favorable
religious
and other writing.
SCREENINGTHE SEXES: HOMOSEXUALITY THE MCVIES, 1972, Parker Tyler .
IN
Anchor, $4.95.
SEXUALBEHAVIOR
AJ\TD
THE LAW~1965, Samuel G. Kling.
Pocket Books,
$,9 5, Somewhat out of date, covers all states.
SEXUALDEVIANCE, 196'?, ed. John Gagnon and W
illiam Simon. Harper
and Row, $lJ-. 50.
SOCIETY PJ-m THE HEALTI-rI
HOMJSEXUAL,
1972, George Weinberg.
Anchor,
'ia. 95, A psychiatrist
says homosexuality
is not
a sickness
but ±\ear of it is.
·~
THIS IS NOT FOR YOU, 1970, Jane Rule,
Popular Library,
$ .95.Fiction
,.
WHAT
R\i"ERY
HOMOSEXUAL
KNOWS,1965 1 R.O. Benson.
Ace, $L 2.5, Gives
all the lo g ical,
rational
arguments on our side,
THE
OF
HOMOSEXUALITY: PSYCHOLOGY THE CREATIVEPROCESS, 1971, Paul
Rosenfels.
Libra, $1. 95
THE GAY IS SICK" BOOKS
11
CHANGING MOSEXUAL IN THE M
HO
ITY
ALE, 1970, Lawrence H. Batterer.
De 1 +
.,a,
d, ,._,.
?
<-P 95' •
FEM
ALE HOMOSEXUALITY: FSYCHODYIVIANIC
A
STUDYOF LESBIANISM, 19.54,
Frank S. Ca.pri8. . Citadel,
$2. 25.
·
GRO ING UP STRAIGH'i' (what every thoughtful
W
par:cn t should know about
yden •
homosexu al ity),1968,
Feter and Barbara W
$1.25.
. Signet,
HOMOSEXUALITY PSYCHOANALYTIC
·: A
STUDYOF MALEHOMOSEXUALS,
1962, Irv ·~
in~ Bieber ot 8.~a Vintage,
$2. L!,5
HOMOSEXUALITY:
· DISEASE OR WAYOF LIFE? 19 56, Edmund BcrgJer. Collier :,
- ~~ 50.
l.
THE OVERTHOr10SEXUAL
Ch2,cles W. Socarides.
:
Curtis,
$1. 25.
1 1963,
SOCIETY A.ND THE SEX VARIANT 195.5, George W Henry. Collier,
~
,
$.9.5~
S1.'RlcIGHJ
A EET}~ROSEXUAL
r.rP..LKS
ABOUTHIS !{
OMSSEXUAL
PAST. 1972,
\'!i1li1.:.11 1.aron.
1
Bantmn § $1. 50.
1 :
�7
.S ...
M"I,L CF. NG.ES
A
J
A
by Ma:cga Piercy
( Doubleda y 2 $8 ..2.51
s
result
of it.
But it seems this sti l l
makes the book far more controversial
than I thoug~t it would.
Whlla many of tha life
situation
between
reen a:11d.
wome:?1
that called this wave of
th':> f 0m
inist
mo-,.r
cme:.it :lnto being are
dl"'ar::m
tized in l'-Iarge Piei•cy 0 s fine no~-1
no ve l, £~-1 ClW1!£.~, we know the manuom,'1!1battleground
is only a pa.rt of
the struggle.
1:women must be able
·to think of each
other as full human beings,
as potenO s an importa.r.t
tial
love objects-_;that
of
aopact of women overcoming mi s trust
each other.
Whether woip.en do in fact
wind up an each other vs·· primary love
objects
or not, it must be within the
realm of normal possiqility.
It is
very important
that women not _
v:i.ew
each other primarily
as competi to1•s.
In an incorv:t,3w with the author in
Sept e:Tber, J asl:.:0d about the book,
as pa ~ially
the secti on dealing with
Beth i:. d Wanda, th'3 ch aracters
n
engaged
:i.n a 1e$b:1.an rol a.tionshipe
I hope
_
Ma. vs ·an2w0rs will pique your curiosity
rge
er!CUG11 read S~ .:l.l C'hp.m;es--it O s d;yna· to
1l_--:>
rrti "t,e! ·
v
iBa.s:lcP.lly ~ .th:·~s is the first
:ma1nstream
r::8..jo:r. novel in whi ch there is a love
r e:l.ation sld .p b s twerm t wo wo!i1n--and the
e
·t-rom don rt go mad 9 comu t s uicide,
,m
,i
·
b ,3cou.e hn.lJitua:i. alcoholics
or decide
to e,iv e i _ up for t.h ei:r 0.1i(l. gocde It O s
t
!
n ot the raajo1~ 1,o:ibian novel people
hav e be'o'!. Kalt.:ir..g for, it vs just that
o:1e of the cl:- :-1-':.e:·s in the course of
,ar 0
th e novel fall s in love and has a
ralationsh:lp
wit h another woman, and it 0 s
a good relG.tionsM.p.
It O s difficult;
nnd they hava ma!'W F·roblems, yet j:l:, is
treated
as a viable
rela .tionship.
I
though t thD-t by n_ w one cmiJ .d do th:i.s-o
everyone knows th -8 women who live to.t
gather don °t autcrna:i:.ically
die as a
91 Simply
to hnve written
a novol during
the ~ourse of whi~h tw-) women do get
i ·::. c,;1 togethor--for
'
all the difficultfrom it-:.ancl
ies tliey have socially
remain quite ploaseo, w"'i.th each other,
seems to be viewed as propagru1da ..-as
it would never be if it were a mnn a:ud
a worr.m going through those thin c s.
..
Or, I think,
even two men, as there
h- vo certainly
~
boen a great number of
novels about relationships
between
r.1en, although
trad,:ltionally
thoy are
su.ppo::;ed to end tragically.vi
···
Piercy 0 s understanding
c,f the territory
of the hsart makes this book exciting;
the fact that it is set in Bcstc ;.19
c ~mbri<l ge, and .Somervillfl
helps make it
real.
You 0 11 love it.
******************
*
**************
******
********
******
*****
A PL Y:
A
"SUPPOSE I FALL? 11
St:.ppose I Fs.11? 11 , a pl ~y by Stan Edelson, will appsi:.ir through January 2.t the
C::,.rava:n Theatre
in C:nn.brid ge: if you
h a-,r n vt se;en it 9 g~e Fcnr actors,
e
virtt1.ally v-f.d:,hout props,
engage in a series
of s t ~rk dj_:,.,logue encounte ..·s on an empty
sta3eo
The dlal :?g ue has a compactn e ss,
an .::.bre viated qu~lit y, Hhi ch affective l y
b
J.~ s P<lre in;.por(.n n c a:i- f ;_
-:.y
~d ,.ndamental facts
about hu.'11n lnt3:".'action.
a
'J'l-10ps y chology
l1G G is as :irri ortant
Y."
p
as the tl: e<1
treg
the
p l .e- d:c,;T,rs ex t en s lvoly en the vocaht~ln.ry
y
of Ei: ic Ber110 and the con-::epts cf trans•
11
Some of the soenes
actional
analysis.
present
inneJ.· conflicts
w-lthin an ir.di • idual--many
1
involve malc/1'emale
confrcntations.
There are four inter-seX11Pl
scenesll all very sensitively
do;1e. The
two lesbian
scc-t icns of the play succeed
in being moving and warm nnd real.
I t is rare to find a sendtive
theatrical portray al of gay feel:i.ngs ~ arid this
pro duction deserves · our support:
_
Go,
a.nd te:,11 your friends
about it.
�8
l\TEW AND ANNOUlJCEH:.";NT.S
,J
'
Am
orican Psychj_atr:;o
A.:.::.sna .fl.t the December 1.5 1 1973 pre;:;-;- cn;;-;_::; held
:renc0
~t the A.me:ricnn Psyd!l.s.tric
Association
in Washi.>1gton 9 DoC• 9 the
h9adqua1•tors
of the A.P.A. announced
Boa:..'d of Trustees
a. r•9s olut.ion
removiJ1g homosexuality
from
the A.P .A . li,;t
of psychiatric
disorders.
Thi s l:ist 9 in the Diag n ostic Manual of
Psy0hiatric
Diso:r.ders ·9 is the official
no menclature
~,.x1
North America followed
by all medical ,groups ir1cluding
the
American Medical Association.
In place
of homosexuality
was substituted
the new
11 se xual
c atego:t' y tmd definition
orientation d..ts-turbance. 1,
"Sexual c-rienta t io::-i disturbance'
: was
defined
as e.11 catego:r-;r for individuals
, 1 . e sexual interests
ho s
are directed
primarily toward p8ople of the same sex
and who are e:"Lther bothered by 9 in conflict
with~ or wish to change their
.sexual cri entatio n, 11
This category 9 accordi:ne
to the National
Gay Task Force,
has been designed
to
· prevent
a few psychiatrists
who have
mc1de a career
cf 11 changing 0 homossxuals
fr0 1, being drum.'Tled out of their
1
profess:l.c,1..
The A.P . A. 0 s sh:1. t 9 however 9 distinguish.f
es 11 se:xual orientation
disturbanceii
fro:-11
thati 1 homohomosexuc,,lit.y and stipulates
se rll. ality
per· se is a form of sexual
beha.vior 9 and 1ik9 other fo:r.ms of soxual
which a:re not by themselves
behavior
psych::i.atric
disorders
is not listed
in
this nomenclat ~
ure cf mental disordersg~
e1ininates
the r~d:,ionThe D0c,;:Jmb0r rullng
:i.ng the sodomy laws of
ale fer perpet ui:;.1
l(i st.2.t es ,, Th e Board resolution
also
in
cn11 8d fo:::· an end to discrimination
jobs, Lousing 9 etc.
F-3rr..i11ist News Jt.;: .ange.
..
£:.b
At the November
Conference
in Colur:i.bus 9 Ohi o, a Fern:inist News ·Exchange was
the gap Ui1til a more
f orme<l to fill
s ol id n.:>.t5.onal fem i nist hews sEJrvi0e
'1.'here ·wiJ.l be 2.11 exchange of
a.ppoars.,
publicati011s
and r.1a,terial fer publication;
n11 femi : ist pe-d .odlcals
n
may j0in.
The
yearly fee is $5o The address is
F emin;i..si:. N13i-:sFxch.ange 9 Box 431 9 PlaneY.
ta.riu.11 St2 .tior1 9 N~w York 9 l\T. 1002 l~:;
pho~1e ( Nan(!y Borinan 9 ·co-o:cdinator}
929-
3-4 Ferr, .nis·c Press
J
98620
J;,:r-r:r
J,j.b2r atto n in M3.i._-rie.. Gay liberation is on the move in Maine z.nd wills
see a Bangor-cente
re d G2. Support and
y
of
Action Group and the University
M&i:neWilde-Stei:i
Club co-s p onsor a
state -- wide conference
in February.
write:
Gay Support
For information
Parish
and Action Group, Unitarian
House 9 183 1-laj_n St• 9 Bango l~9 MaL""le
04401.
Gav conference
in Rhode Island.
Ki l'.1
.gston Gay Liberation
is announcing
a gc1y
conference
at the University
of Rhode
15-17, 1974. 11(We
Island
February
hope to) reserve
that weekend to a1roid
conflicts
with other organizations
in
New England that may be planning
some
sort of activities
for other New
KGL.
England gay groups 11 , wrote
There will be free hot~sing for attenders; and the conference
schedule
includes
workshops,
movies,
a welcome
dance 9 plays,
and community mealsr.
Watch for more information
or write
Kingston
Gay Liberation
Memorial
9 c/o
Union, University
of Rhode Island 9
Kingston 9 R.I. 02881, or call 401-
792-5817.
Gav conference
in_ New Jersev.
Rutgers
Universi t y Homoph: e League
U
will hold its fourth
annual confe:renc3
en Gay Unity April 19-21.
The schedule includes
not only lectures,
_seminars9 and discussions,
but also
hibits
and social
events.
For details
write:
Student Homophile League,
R.P.O. 29019 iiJew Brunsw.i.ck 9 N.J.
08903 or call 201-932-78860
ex-
New En~d
g1w co~;:~~2.
The NEGC
for 1974 will again be held at Emerson
College
in Boston in March.
The vote
or
against
having it at Provincetown
R.I. WP.s 13 to 12 at the
Kingston,
first
planning
meeting.
The next
planning
meeting is J an. 5--see
calel" .dar.
~on
women°s forum. From January
Nort0n 9
to April,
Wheaton College,
Mass~ will
co n du ~t a f 0rum :1. the co nn
temporary
situation
of womeno There
will be a display
o:f cmrr~nt femi nis t
.liter a ture 9 includin g Foc111.
�NE1vS
AND ANNOUNCEMENTS, NT.
CO
]2fil.iographk Womena2J.d
~Lit.fil:ature: An
Annotated Bib:l..iograp~y is out in its
second edition.
It lists 400 titles
of
prose fiction and critical
works by women authors.
Copies are $1.25 from
Sense and Sensibility
Collective,
57
Ell0ry st., Cambridge, Mass. d2138.
New BedSord. The Women°s Center in New
Bedford, ~lass. needs donations to help
establish
a clinic facility
which would
provide comprehensive health care and
referrals
for women who do not follow
a health care program. Send donations
to New Bedford 0 s Women°s Glinic, 347
County st., New Bedford, Mass.O2747.
Music. The Women°s Music Network, Inc.
has been created to facilitate
the movement of women°s music in this country.
For information related to musical compositions,
music history, live stage
shows featuring Lavendar Jane, and promotion of artists
contributing
to women0s culture contact:
Kay Garner,
WMN,215West 92 St., New York, N.Y.
10025, phone 212-595-5723.
1:1:£~. Metropolitan
Community Church in
Los Angeles just bought an ex-opera
house for $300,000 which can seat 1000
at worship services.
They put $70,000
down. (Advocate, Dec.5, 073)
N~tional Gav Task Force. The National
Gay Task Force was catalyzed into existence by former Lindsay aide Howard
Brown, who announced his homosexuality
at a New Jersey medical conference and
who is now chairman of the task force.
It has opened offices at 80 Fifth Ave.,
N.Y. with $13,000 seed money. (Advocate
Dec. 5, 073) •
St. Louis. The Women°s Coffeehouse in
st. Louis is relocating
and needs$ to
maintain the only central meeting place
for lesbians in the area. ·W
omen°s
Coffeehouse, c/o Moonstorm, P.O. Box
11983, Wellston Station, St. Louis,
Missouri 63112.
Videotape of lesbian conf. Copies of
the½ inch EIAJ standard videotape of
the 1973 Lesbian Conference (held at
UCLA) is availa ble for $25 from Vulva
Video, 606 Venezia Ave., Venice, Calif.
90291. Rentals are also possible.
9
D.C. rights bill.
The Washington, DC.
"c'ity council passed, and the mayor
signt:ld.>N 16, a new HumanRights
ov.
Law which prohibits discrimination
in
a wide variety of areas, including jobs
housing 9 and rental of commercial
space, on the basis of race; religion,
national origin, sex, marital status,
sexual orientation,
and persbnal
appearance, among others.
Both the
council and the mayor are appointed
by the president of the US. (Advocate,
Dec. 19, '73) •
f2ll•
In a poll reported in the Nov.
13 National Catholic Reporter, over 70
%of 1367 Americans asked said that ·
homosexual relationships
are wrongi
76 of ::Protestants
%' .
and 71 of Catholics
%
but only 31% of Jews thought so.
48fo of the people thought premarital
sex of any sort was wrong. (Advocate
Dec. 19, 0 73).
Xmas trees. Boston DOBsold Christmas
treet at the Charles St. Meeting
House the two Saturdays and one Sunday before Christmas.
Every last
tree was sold and a bundle of$ made,
thanks to c. Baker and crew.
*************************************
ADS (5¢/word)
HANDWRITING
ANALYZED sister,
by
not
by computer. $5 each analysis, t wo
for $8.50.
K. Feinberg, Dept. F,
Box 24172, Cincinnati,
Ohio 45224.
1974 Calendar .for Women: 13 photos by
Jeb in brown on heavy white paper
suitable for framing.
Spiral bound,
10 x 13 in. $2.50; The Day Before: a
.Q:raphic Datebook of our Female Ances~•
A page for every week, 52 illustrations,
one quote for each week,12O
pages 6½ 4½in. spiral bound. $3.50.
x
Both from Diana Press, 12 w. 25th St.,
Baltimore, Md. 21218.
·
OFF OURBACKS!A Women°s News Journal.
35¢ sa!nple, $5/yea.,_.. Off Our Backs,
1724 20th St., N.W., W
ashington,DC.
20009.
�10
ANSERS TO DECE
W
M
BER CROSS
W
ORDPUZ
ZLE
D'.)W,N .
,
ACROSS
.:!Lo Sappho ·
5. -want
8. , hi
9" odd
. 10. illicit
13. tell
140 out
150-plan
l?o -eon
18. smear
21. re
22. -st andard
23. gay
25~ lonely .
26,. art
27.. mom
28.
1.
sister _
phile
3. pillory
4. Ohio ·
5. Whitman
6. no
7. --Edward
11. custom
12. spray
290 tu
W
31. NO
32. virgin
.-35. theo 36. AAA
38. OE
390 on
40. RPO
2.
-,43o Ct
44. loaf
45. Maurice
4-'/. er
49, • Ger
51. Patience
52. whelm
16.
19.
20.
22.
23.
24.
27.
NE
enervate
Adlai
slow ,
Grahn
at
Mo
29. ti
Ifa
30. uniform
31. Nora
33. role
34~ George
35. tori
37. ace
40. pure
42. or
45. mat
46. ICC
48. la
50. el
GAY
RIGHTSLEGISLATION ES ROUND
COM
AGAIN"'.'-CASES
OF DISCRIMINATION
NEEDED
DoO.B. along with other groups is
in
sponsoring gay rights legislation
the Massachusetts legislature
again ·
,.
for this coming year 1971~
Bills will include
discrimination
in
insura nce, cr edit,
accommodations by
sectors.
protection
emplo;yment,
mortgages,
both private
against
housing,
public
and state
confidential.
If you are w:illing to
have you name used 9 this will make
our case much stronger.
If you
would consider test;.ifying before
the committee of 20 whic.h will consider the bills this spring, we
w
would love to talk - ith you. __
·
The most effective testimony last year
on these bills was perhaps the testimony
of Bob Dow that he ·had beendenied a
drivarqs licence for being homosexual
(navy recor '. s).
d
We will be distributing
information
at raps and in the bars , about the
bills - and how people can help. In next month O s . Focus we will give
deta:l.ls about the bills--numbers 9
which representatives
and senators
are introducing them, etc.
W
hat we have to do this year is come
with additional
cases to prove the need
fqr -i:.henew laws we want. Now, don°t
panic yeti - •• We'will accept -anonymous
•
testimo :n · This is what we need:
y,.
If you have ever lost a job 9 not been
hired 9 lost custody, etc. etc. _or been
discriminatBd against in any way for
being a homosexual 9 o~ think you have
been 9 please send us a l etter with the
det ails,, * We will need your name and
.
address to contact you for further
infor m
ation i f wa need it, but this
i nfor mation will be kept strictly
*p1one # too i f possible
Pass the word to your -friends that
we need these cases--maybe they _know
someone.
_
.
Besides the discrimination
bills,
there is . one to repeal the sodom
y
and unnatural ~cts laws, and an
crnendment to the state constitution
which would outlaw anv denial of
rights on the basis of sexual preference-- not just job 9 etc. discrimination but anything includin g e . g.
custody.
•·
Last year everyone in the state house
had heard of our bills.
This year we
want more votes.
Let DOBknow about
the hassles you 0 ve had so we can get
going.
�11
DAUGHTERS BILITIS CALENDAR
OF
Janu~ry 1974
'l'VESnws
'(;JO pm RAP .SESSIONS ON BEING GA , FOR WO EN ON
.Y
M
LY. Shara feelings
f
being g3.y 9 e'l.-)ryone we1come 9 · new women there every week.
about
Child
c. -,re will bE:1
<
..provided.
At the OOB office 9 419 Boylston
St. ,Rm.323,
Bosto~, between A;r-lington ii.."ldBerkeley Streets,
near Arlington
.· JY'lBTA
stop.,
. .
.
7~30 plil RAPSESSION FOR LESBIAN
MOTHERS at the office.
Also, mothers
9
can call in to talk with someone who is a mother.
· Wednesdays
THURSDAYS9-10 pm GAY WAYR.11.DIO
PROGRAM,WBUR-FM .o me.
90
SUNDAYS10i20 - -10:50 am G.t,.Y
N1WS WCASRA
~
DIO, 740 AM. 11 CLOSt::T
SPACE 11
9
SUNDAYS2--4 pm WOMEN°S
BASKETBALL,Cambridge YWCA, Temple St., Cambridge, near
Central
Square .. Swimming afterwards
25¢ swim.
1
Jarit 'iary 2 9 8 pm PLAN ING MEETINGFOR g1YES WE CAW
N
9
W
Women intereEted
in b::.~ainstor:ming
( .. ell.. )
rdnds and imaginations.
Call 492· · - place i?:1 Cambridge or see bulletin
(bring
a suit).
75¢ basketball,
WOMfilJHS
FESTIVAL BOOTHon Jan.18.
about the OOB booth--meeting
of ·
3370 for directions
to meeting
-board in office.
J"AN. 3 T~URS:
50NYP, H/\ML/ J\} -r:v,"
FOR.'? 10DP.Y "-Lf-SBIAN
5:, Sa:t11r¢lay, 2pm NEWENGLAND
GAY CONFERENCE
PLANNINGMEETING, Worcester
Jan.,
Union Off ice 9 78 Franklin
St., Worcester,
Common near the Public Library).
:TAt--1.G,
. SUN
10-11 pm
LAVENDt21<..
HOUR,
Mass.
( at
f't1on./
Gay ~
Worcester
;,r
WBCN, /01.J..
FM
Ja'.'l,, ; 7, Monday, 7:30pm BYLAW
RE.VISION COMMITTEE,open to all DOB members who want to
help revise
and i..'!lpxove .the laws by which DOB operates.
At office.
7:30-::~pm
ORIENTATIONMEEI'ING FOR NEW
OOB
MEMBERS
and people interes:t9d ) .n, tho orga11j. zation,
at the office
just before the rap. This
to
committees
and activitie2
is a che:rioe fh1d out about the different
**Jan. 10 below
J~.n. 139 7:30 pm DOB BUSINESS MEETINGA.T Trl:EOFFICE.
(Sm;day)
MEETING at Diane 0 s and Cherry 0 s. Call 492Ja::-i. 16, Wednesday, 7: JO pm FOCUS ST.L\.FF
3370 for directions.
All persons interested
in making a commitment
to working on Focus are invited.
·~
Jan., 16--20~ 8pm WOMEN
FOR WOMEN:INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL OF WOMEN°S M A..{D VIDEOFIL S 1'
. TAPES, at the Vide 'o Study Center . of Global Village,
454 Broome
..St., s New York City (between Mercer and Greene)•
Women-only
.
auc:3.ience, _contribution
$2. Coordinators
Norma Pontes and Rita
Moreira~ Box J65i O}d Chelsea '·Sta.,, N.Y. 9 ' N.Y. 1001:L.
Jan.
18, F1.iday
Feb.
10, S,m4ay, lpm ...-on o Do:S 1.,' JINTEHFEST., Sleighride
( or hay .if riosnow), icesk.:i.ting, oonfire 9 sleq.ding,
horse riding
(extra
cost) 9 etc. and
dancing in th e evening tb '. the Deadly Nightshade,
all for $5. ·
At the Ellen-iaJ.0 Stables
in Sherborne.
See elsewhere in Focus
or fliers
at the office for inore . deta:i.ls. Advance .reservation
, only
and t-romen only.
Send ri~m~ a.;.1.daddress with $5; if
don°t get
100 to go we 0 11 ca.I1cel .snd send yom.-$ back.
0
alJ. day "YES, WE CAW' WOJY@JOS
FAIR AND FESTIVAL, sponsored by WBZTV and the Governor O s Commission on the Status ·. of Women, at the
Hines Civic Auditorium,
Boston.
See Jan. 2 above.
9
we
•. .
,:,•Jano 10 9 Thurs
~
7pm HEARINGON WOMIDPS
ISSUES RELATEDTO LEGISLATION IN MASS f a ,
•.
pc:.rt of the 11Yes 1 weCan 11 programo
It will ·be filmed by WBZ-Tv·.
Women from all difi'erent
groups v."ill be testifying,
andlegislat ori:; will supposedly
be there to listen.
Gardner Auditorium,
st~t.e Hous•. i, Boston.
c
D. o.B . , 419 Bo;--/Lston St~ 9 Ro::;m 323) Boston, Mass. 02116.
617-262-1592
a
�12
--
SUNDAY . . 109 1974:: 1 pm----~
FEBRUARY
SLEIGHRIDE (hayride
if
snow fails)
TOBBil
.G.AliJNINGl'
SLEDDING(bring
ICESKATING (bring
yours
)
*never said I
could spell them
big uns
sk~tes)
HORSEBACK
RIDING OPTIONAL
OUTDOOR
GRILL TO COOKON
.
, (bring whatever you want to .eat and drink)
(don°t forget the MARSHMALLOWS)
;
AND A BONFIRE
(and carrots
for the horses)
-r3YOf3-
AND IN THE EVENING ONE OTHER LITTLE THING,
DRESSWARlv.lLY!
.
There 0 s no heat in
the barn--we 0 11
generate our own
. :cA
t!
CING
'
TO
. THE D E A. D L Y
N I G H T S H A D E .t
The whole bit 9 from 1 pm when it
. all starts
till--?-when it all
ends will cost you
$ s;,
·00
advance reservations
.
only,b;
. .
Feb
. 3.
The place ' is ELLENDALE
ST.ABLES, SHERBORNE. Take Route 16 out to
Just after you
Route 27. Turn left onto 27. Go about a mile.
cross the railroad
tracks there is a yellow house oh the left
That 0 s it.
If you want, meet at 12
with a place .for parking.
noon sha1·p at Grossman° s. on Route 16 in Wellesley
and we will
guide youo That 0 s _Feb. 109 Sunday.
,,
i:teservations
HUST be made in . advance.
We need 100 women to make
this pay for itself.
If we don °t get that many we 0 11 send your
money ba.cko We hope to get m~ny morel · FILL IN THE FORMBELOW
NOW!
WE MUS'I'H
AVE THIS FORM
AND THE: $ BY FEB. 3.
--
-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
return this
02116,
.
with
RESERVATION
$5 per person (women _
oniy) to DOB, 4,19 Boylston
NAJ:vIE~--------,.-----------ADDRESS
__________
EN LOSED
C
IS$ __
___
_______
,.
_
Nuruber of reservations
____________
__
St.,
Boston.
_____
_
_
�i
13
SWEEI' WOJvTJ\.N
UP
POKI'H
AI1' OF THE LADY
tall slender wi.llowreed~wand
with high,hollow cheekbm1es
and a fnntastically
gentle
windy smile
brown fawn eyes, soft
shy, mirroring her rapture
black, fluffy hair that
falls softly as a f1•ame for her
face;
a contrast against her
pale, perfect skin and
the freckles she wears
when the sun comes out.
Hanging low
sweet up wom
an
wor. n
1;:i.
tell me why
I turn away so f£tst
after it took m9
so aching long
to turn to you.
A
--Susnn Cavin
For as long ~s I can remei.nber
I have been lonely
and now you have come into my life
brineing things I do not understand
but need
Stay with me awhiJ.e
and
tell me again the white lie
--Desi
Goshen
LOVE
POEJ.11
Hoping for you,
I make my bed
Yesterday th9 Gothic lore of man
held my fate
Tod&y your soft eyes and unshod tears
h. mnt me
•
2.nd I love you
With clean sheets.
--Wendy Hayes
I h:l.ve only myself to offer
but the~~o ~you 0 ve said it 0 s enough
a:.:d I dare not question you now
*************************************
*
i.
:
*
JOIN BOSTON
D.O.B.
~
f
*
!*******
I need you
I nsad your laughter,
*
endless
*
confusion, and
dreams
Pleas9 stay with me awhile
and.
tell
ms again the white lie
--Carla
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Ma
rie
There 0 s
lots
to be
done.
*
t
*
!
*
*
**'** *
First orientation
meeting
for new and prospective
members Tues. Jan. 8 7:JOpm
at the office: first½
hr~
of the rap.
*
*
*
*
*
*
********
*****************************************************************
LETTER FOCUS
TO
Dear Boston D.O.B.,
I thought I would write
r1ews fro;n Fort Worth,.
and give you the
think we nre doing great.
\'le have
raised enough money from donaticns to
rent office space and a place to meet .
We are supposed to get a r..ewsletter cut
'hon wo do wo will, of
for Je.m1ary. w
course, s0r..d you a copy .. Thank :r~u
for th s .fo~ ••• ke 9p in touch.
We
Jeanne Leggett
D.O.B. Fort Worth
P~O. Box 1564
Ft. Wortb. 9 Texas 76101
N
OTE: Tho New Jersey IDB phone number
is now 201-2JJ-J8l~81 If there is no
ans,vor, call 674-1111 nnd leave a
message.
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 January
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-01
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The date listed on the cover is January 1973, though the issue is from January 1974.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197401
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/25d842992e03cdb23d40fd4435906f8d.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=EDFUFW26eISu9qQeAmuUQiJBWMMwbuXRwMUydxQdXJu3w7D2XN64kNwUEaI2AssV0WthEy4hAHM19mbHQWwcpn5vZzOjiVp7bwZWaqnygEjkuC%7EhFW0n-8W0rVP75zkyeYgdxFmz8u3V4EB9m3LLXDMTzTzaXTOqioJP9%7ED-QymzCV52hCgZc-LnQQQOj-maZsp-wFG%7EktH9OCCH3uCgRnZKCH6BZMbTI9MgxFuNaTzHxcrIn8dbf3A1eOsH1HzX7MM-Ax2Q0Qj-5oOOSNI%7EiHjyy8rq7bSHjvDiuPGtd0FnCP6L47iTQs%7Ez3W1NtKO6%7EItfDdV%7EKxmHFTvsPZbf4w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
103c217d0d8d1a9135dd9e4c4a0c4eb9
PDF Text
Text
BOSTON
DAUGHTERS
OF BILITIS
A JOURNAL FOR
GAY WOMEN
,\
,J
•I
$.50
�FOCUS: A JOURAL FOR GAY
N
WOMEl'\J
Febr uary 1974
FOCUS
STAFF:
reviews: Judi
features: Cathy Baker, Wendy Bauman
poetry, covers: Geri Bidwell
production: Geri Bidwell
typing; Laura Robin
nelk~i. · : Laura Rob;n, Charr;ie
FOCUS published monthly by Boston
is
Daughters of Bilitis,
Room 323, 419
Boylston st., Boston, Mass. 02116
Phone: 617.. 262- 1592
Subscriptions are $5/year, samples 50¢.
Give us your zip number. If you move,
let us know in advance because the post
office will not forward 3rd class mail
to you.
DEADLINE March· issue:
for
This publication is on fiilie at the
9
Womens History Archive,
International
2325 Oak st., Berkeley, Calif. 94708.
It is available on microfilm from Bell
and Howell, Wooster, Ohio to October
from October 71 on.
1971 and from the IWHA
FOCUS
welcomes contributions
from
everyone. If you want back what you
send us, please include a stamped, .
self - addressed envelope. Let us know
·
possible titles
and how you want to
sign your name. All letters must be
signed, but your name will be withheld
for publication if you request.Articles
in FOCUSreflect the views of the
individual authors.
IN THIS ISSUE
The Homophile Community Health Service:
answers to some unspoken questiops
by Donna Medley •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
2
REVIEW§.
New Lesbian Disc: Lavender Jane LoVftS
.
v{
omen O • • • 0 • • ... ... • •
O. 0 O
e.•.••.•••.
G •.
••.
0 • ••
0
_Qt_t_y
yJ' _19by Elisabeth Newbold
itJ:µ 1
review by H. V •• •• ·•. •• •• ••••• •. •. •• ••• •• •••••
N htwood, by Djuna Barnes
i_g
· review by Janine Bernier.•••
PEatails on Massachusetts
Feb.21
•• ••••.••.••.•
gay bills••••••••••
News around the country••••••••••••••••~••~•
POETfil
11To one of a couple",
by 0 Jim 11
. 11 by P •B ••••••••••••••••••••••·
• 1Th
ree poems,
3
4
•• · 4
6
7
·9
CALENDAR • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ).0.
.•
�2
THE HOMOPIITLE
cm11.vrrrnITY
HEALTH
.SERVICE:
ANSWERS SOME
TO
UNSPO QUESTIONS
K
EN
By Donna Medley
The Hom.ophile Community Health Service
is a mental health service primarily .
concerned with the ·.needs of the gay ·.
community. Inf orthat:fon .concerning
background,
appointments, ,fees, historical
or purpose can be obtained at the Health .
Service, 419 ,Boylston St., Boston, Mass.
02116 ( 617-·266-5477) • ·The · - verall philoo
sophy of the .Health Service is that
homosexuality is a viable · lifestyle.
The purp~se of this article is to reach
people who know the Health Servic ·e ·
exists but are not sure how it may re- .•
late to them. I 0 d like to attempt ·
to ~nswer some ' tmspokeh questions • .
_
You might call this' llWhat You 0 ve .
Always · anted to Knowabout ·HCHS
but
Were Afraid to Ask11 • ·
1.
~av?
Should I assume mv therapist
Should I ask?
is
Not all therapists
at HCHSare gay.
However, each therapist prior to acceptance at HCHSgoes through an intensive
interview process (which we fondly call
the Inquisition)
to determine, among
other considerations,
if the therapist
harbors any prejudices concerning
homosexuality.
You have the right to ask your therapist any question which will help you
establish a trusting,
working relationship. Since the emphasis -is on a,working relationship,
it would probably be
more useful to determine the therapist O s ·
attitude towards .gaynessrathe:rthan
her (his) personal orientation.
You
should feel a sense of security that
the therapist is not out to oonvert
you to her (his) particular
preferences
or ideologies; rather, that the focus
is on you.
2.
What about confidentiality?
Inform~tion about clients is stored in
two places:
file cabinets in the office
and the therapist 0 s head. The client 0 s
file is identified by number, not by .
name. The numbering system resembles
nightmares I used to have bef-0re -math
exams i,n college • . However, a dete~
mined thief..;;.:.armed with ia ·crowbar ,
and Einstein-type ·mind ·could ·probably
The hapcart away a client 0 s file.
less thief, however, would ·n6t be
able to find yo,ur name in the file.
All refe~ences to you in the file
or ·the ·
are efther first initial
abbreviation ' for client ( 11cl 11 ) •
The therapist 9 s head is another matter ~
Simply .stated, if you don°t trust a
therapist to respect the ·confidentiality of the theraputic relationship,
you shouldn °t go.· to him or •her.
Because .it is a ''small gay world",
counselor 9 at HCHSareprobably more
sensitive to the absolute need :for ...
confidentiality.
?"<-
3.
Must I see mvself as mentallv
.:!;:o to HCHS?
,go
It would be helpful and more realistic
if you didn°t view yourself as mentally ill.
The medical model suggests
the image .of a broken mind which is
somehowmendedby two aspirin and a
doctor-magician muttering incantations
like . 11co~pulsive-obsessive
personality
--begonel 11 Because emotional pa.in
is felt so intensely and pervasively,
one is lured into seeing oneself as
ill
totally depilitated--mentally
That
.with no healthy functioning.
notion is ' instilting to the functioning part that had the ability to make
. th . . phone ca11 · for an nppoint~~nt
e
and to the part that had the
,insight ~d s·ense of respxmsibility
to seek a constructive method of
dealing with pain. If there were no
mental health, there would be no use
for the1 ·apy. If we are to consider
the medical model at all, consider
the absurdity .of a doctor treating a
cadaver.
This is not to . diminish the reality of
0 s , emoti6nal
discomfort,
theclient
nor am I suggesting that it should
not be a concern. The suggestion is
. tha~ to buy into the stigma of 11mental
'•
L
ill
,
�3
pa: ienV ' is b\lying a burdens?m:e illu~ion
t
no less da~agin g than the stigma society
f cists on gays, as 11perverts ' 1 • T? engae;e
in therapy at .HCHSis to become involved
work
in a working ,rel~tionship--the
should aim a~ personal growth as well as
the re.duction of ·pain.
If one needn °t see oneself as a 11basket
case " to come to HCHS,what are possible
reasons to enter therapy? If you experience pain or discomfort because you
hallucinate,
have lost a lover, are
coming out, are uncertain · about yo~
sexual preference, can°t sleep at nig4t,
canot keep a job, have no friends, want
to kill yourself--to
name a few and to
suggest a wide spectrum--you might find
therapy useful.
4.
Should I go to HCHS Pm unsure
if
-;bout_IUYsexual <E:_ientation7
.c
Where else? (To express a slight prejudice).
If a person is uncertain about an import ant matter, the most frightening 51 arxl
de- humanizing,solution
is brain-washing.
Certainly gays have experience heterosexual brain-washing in massive dosage
and don °t need another brain --washing
experience.
HCHSrecognizes this and is
responsive to it but not only from the
gay perspective.
Let me give two examples
of people who may have serious concerns
0
about HCHSs perspective.
One person is thewoman who has identified
herself as a lesbian but has felt reluctant to discuss her feelings for men. If
she enjoys men socially and/or sexually,
she may feel like a traitor with other
lesbians and unable to speak with a gay
therapist•
The basic fear is judgrnert •
. Another fear is that she may be heterosexual an<;lfeels hhat she has already ..
11 paid
her .dues" for being gay. For
whatever · r ~~,son, the woman considers
herself pre:..judged. She remains silen:~
or runs away .f . om whc ,~ver sho thi:nks .
r
11knows
11 her;
.
HCHSas .well ~s the lesbian community •
must be open to hearing these women .
•
To be silent is to participate
in gay ·.·.
elitism; it is to adopt the . standard
is -unnatural; · it
t hat heterosexuality
i s coveting the role of oppressor.
Mo
reover, it is falling into typical
straight vie-wpoint that a lesbian
cannct ·relate .to men (on any level).
course, is to discoY el..
The point,
your own feelings and to have them .
acknowledged in relationships.
or
The other kind of person is the
womanwho has had no homosexual
experience but feels drawn tow~rds
homosexuality.
To be with lesbians or
to go to HCHSseems like identifying
prior to a decision or real appraisal.
Instead of condemning the woman or
ostracizing
her, it would be better
to help her make her own decision.
Since we are all exposed to a hetero- .
sexual brain-washing society, we
should be doubly sensitive to the
malice of brain-washing.
Lesbians
don°t need converts to lesbianism.
It would be nice if the :straight
world had the same sense of worth.
(NOTE: Donna Medley is a_th~rapist
at the Homophile Community Health
Service).
iit~~t;tiiiitiiii*li*iiiiii*ti:tttti:i
NEvrLESBIAN
DISC:
Lavender Jane Loves liQ.!Jtfil!
--
Alix Dobkin°s new recording of women°s
songs marks an important step in both
the gay and the feminist movements. It ·
is exciting to have available on t~e
store counters a collection of songs
which speak openly, warmly, t~nderly,
wittily,
about women°s love for ,•women.
Alix 0 s songf> vary in theme: and ~ood. .
She is by turns angry ( 11 she 0 s a bargain
basement M
om-replace:rnent II) ~.:.playful .
( 91men are
human bein~~ t _ o, fi:fty pero
cent •••• uh, forty-seven 91 )--thoughtful .· ·
("we airi 0 t got it easy; but we _got ~t 11)
--poignant ( 11because she 0 s a woman,· I
didn °t think I loved her 1i )-- joyous
( "look wh~t ha:s happened with ·just one .
kiss ·: I never kn·ew that I could be i ,n
love like thi 's •). Perhaps ·the most
interesting ·qevice she ·draws onin her .
lyrics is the twisting o{ o!d .cliches
into new feminist meanings• · ' Fb'r
in .stance, · whe~ she ~ings: ··1Now) · know
•
91
that a woman° place is in my J1ome;
s
sh(r :is re~haping an expression of
·
liii@:istic
oppression (i.e. "a woman's
9
pla ce ·:is in the home9) in order to
. · ass'er t ··her new-found freedom. ·
�4
(Le.vender ~,
cont.)
Lavender Jane is not a mcr.:n:.ent of music~l excellence~~let
that be admitted at
once. Hopefully it is only the fir$t of
countless women°s songs and records to
come. Whatever its weaknesses, this
disc is important because it offers
songs we can enjoy frankly, without
going through the persona .:changes we :r·.~:1
.
ordinarily
must make when listening
to straight music ~d lyrics.
Lavender Jane .Loves Women, Alix Dobkin,
Women s Wax Works (A;;-i); available
Q
on order from the Oscar Hilde Bookshop,
211 Mercer st., N.Y., N.Y. 10003.
ate dykes who, says Virginia, Julia
could never resemble bec•:~,;..3e her
i
of
11figure 11 •
Virginia and her mixed-up
lover Heriny buy a house, settle down;
and give a marvelously funny party
with a huge cast of Washington°s wayward women. The sophisticated
Vir·
ginia, despite the confusion in her
sex life, knows how to love a woman
without owning her. Through Virginia,
the idealistic,
totally unrealistic
Julia learns to accept both her
lesbian-humanity
and the love of Kate,
who has now returned from Chicago and
is recognized as a couple woman in
her own right.
*****************************************Well done -- up to a point.
City Within
Elisabeth Newbold
A Maurice Gorodias Book, distributed
Lyle Stuart.
by
(Review by H.V.)
This book has quite a few merits, and I
reco:mmendit to D.O.B. readers.
It 0 s
about a career woman, Julia, who works
in public relations
at a W
ashington,DC
private foundation.
She enjoys a lasting relation~hip
with Kate, a friend
from college days who holds a highly
responsible
job. For some reason both
women feel it nece$sary to wear high
heels and dressy clothes at work, and
suspect all _women
who do11°t. Newbol9,
happily shows us how Julia learns, f1rst,
that she is not unique and second, that
the only way to keep one 0 s love is to
lose ownership of her. The novel is
worth reading for these two themes
which--to say the least-• •don °t often
appear in lesbian fiction and in such a
positive framework.
Sophisticated
Virginia appears in Julia 0 s
office from New York and immediately
attracts
Julia--among others.
When
Julia 0 s Kate goes to Chicago for a few
months on business and family matters,
Julia becomes involved in a lesbian
quadrangle, including voluptuous, Bourbon-loving Henny and her former lover,
cafe-singer l'Iary McKee, as well as the
gcTgeous Virginia.
This foursome visits
a gay bar where Julia looks down her
aquiline nose at two fiftyish
unregener-
Pm
hopeful that Newbold will write another
book and when she does, she 0 11 give
her chief character more inner thoughts
about more of life.
Having met Jane
Rule 0 s remarkable Evelyn in The Desert
of the Heart and Kate in This Is Not
For You, perhaps I 0 m spoiled, butT
long to meet another intelligent
lesbian in fiction -- a woman who
thinks about lots more than mixing
bloody marys (there 0 s lots of liquor
in Citv) and getting Mary into bed.
In spite of its optimistic message,
Ci!:;yWtthi~ leaves me vaguely depressed
What is there about Julia or her Kate
to love unalterably?
Jane Rule, we
need you! Please read this and write
and ~ and write!
************************************
fil:.ghtwood
by Djuna · Barnes
review by Janine Bernier .
In 1967 The Ladder released The
Lesbian in-Literature:!.
Bibliogra~hy
compiled ' by Gene Damon and Lee Stuart,
annotating,
in its own fashion, all
the known books in theEnglish language
concerned with lesbianism.
The pre- ·
dominant annotation,
a T for trash,
brings to mind the disgust of many
readers who have picked up one lesbian
novel after another only to find the
stereotypic
butch committing suicide
when the male heir 11claims 71 the tobe-rightfully-possessed
stereotypic
fe:mme, the sexual charades of dimensionless characters,
and the simplistic
�5
blow-by...
blow. account of ,anpth~ ~,.no,~~;t., :y . introdu,ced in connection with Robin° s :·
l
abnormal lesbian int .rigue - -to 'nienti · rf · - \.:i · nightly adventures.
o '
It is interesting
only three noteworthy · ':111111entionables
~to note that. the characterization
of
Jennifer is deliberately
limited to a
One of the few books listed in The
few insipid comments made by several
Ladder 0 s bibliography as standing
of the other characters.
Jennifer is
above all the rest and properly bedesigned to be a$ colorless as Robin
longing to any · collection dealing w:ttb
is colorful and 1s ·juxtaposed against
the topic of lesbianism is Djun_· Barn. $ 0
a
a
her as . someone ~ho11defiled the very
Nightwood.
meaning of personality in her passion
to be a pf?rson11--something Robin is
Originally published in .1936, Nightwood
never said to indulge in, since she is .
not only transcends the contextual f).ows
too busy being herself.
Jennifer's
of past and much of the present lesbian
lack of flair also speaks well of Nora 0 s
fiction, but also has been described
and Robin's relationship
and has a
by T.S. Eliot . as a boqk of creative
tendency to return the focus of atten imagmnationj stylistic
achievement,
tion back tq Nora even when she and
and brilliant
characterization.
Robin are ·separated-'""reinforcing their
union as the initial
or ·primary relation
The central figure of Robin Vote. neve::r
ship.
degenerates into the all teo familia~
or II common lesbian even though th&
"
The reunion, for those of us whostipu author 0 s stylistic
appi,oach of por~
late that reunions a.re
essential to
traying Robin through the eyes · of the
the new breed of lesbian novels, does
other characters lends itself to this
·not coinci~e with the reader O s
more than the usu.al ;t.egbnique Qf. eiuIt is, however, '
· probable expect ·ations.
ploying an omniscient narrator. Robin,
consistent with the symbolic mode conw
a womanwho frustrates
all . ho seek .t&
sistently used . by Barnes. Earlier in
possess her, rE:fllains as elusive to the
the novel, OtConner ·speaks of the
reader as she is qescribed , by everyone
relatioship
with Robin and Nora, saying
vhe encounters•
Compared to · something
"Though those two a.re buried at opposite.
not quite human, a being of the night;
ends of the earth, one dog will fiAd
her very nature torments her lover,
them both. 11 Appropriately and satisNora, who "stands looking downupon
fyingly, the novel 0 s conclusion picks
her who lies sleeping and knows the
up on this statement of O'Connor's.
horizontal fear 11 for 11 for the- lover,
it ·is the night into which her beloved
'W
hatever you may decide .Nightwood is, ·
goe~ that destroys• 0
.
you will not find the stereotypic ::bi t ,:
. of trash you may already have encoun~4t :
While the night and the symbolic comIt is also void of the usually distort ~ ;
' parison of Robin to a creature of the
ed sexu.al tidbit$ one Jnight expect to . ·
night ·facilitates
her inaccessibility,
f ind in 11Lesbian Case Histories .Annualu~
there is no moral judgment passed on
And1 what is most re.freshing, it is a
her. · N:;ghtwood, in spite of the
story in its own right rather than a
suffering it portrays, does not waUQW
stereotyped res . onse to the lesbian
p
in blame and recriminatio,n.
The
world.
lesbian relationships
it describes a:t:.-e.
0
simply described.
Although Nora · .$
Night_:d'ood a New Directions paperback
is
relationship with Robin, for example~
anq can be purchased for $1.50 (e.g. at
' is seen through Nora O s eyes and through
the Harvard Bookstore) or borrowed from
those of her supportive friend, Matthew
the OOBlibrary.
.I!!! Iiesbian 1!l Liter..!
0°Connor, neither perspective demeans
ture:
A Bibliography is also in the
t.he book 0 s general comment on human
IOB library • . It may still be availab1e
i:rdsery- -which is seen as a universal
from ·The Ladder, Box 5025, ·Washington
suffering .'.nlrer-ent in t~e very fact ·
i
Station, Reno, Nevada 89503, for $2.
of existence ,and irregardless
of social
pressures or personal vendettas.
M
uch of Nora's suffering, and the cause
of the split between herself and Robin,
revolve around Jennifer -~initi.ally
�,
:
6
.
.
.
.
DErAILS ON MA:SSACHUSEI'TS BILLS ·.
GAY
a
The following is
list of the six gay
rights :bills
submitted to the Massa- _
chusettf> - House this year.
The representati've : ho submitted each one is w
given ~:i;ong
with the committee assigned
~o hold ·heariflgs _on ' the bill.
H. 2524by Laurence Buxbaum (Sharon)--of
the Civil Liberties
Union, National
Organization
for Women, Laurence Buxbaum,
Jam~s Collins,
John Bul:?inger, Barney ·
Frank, a.nd others - fof legislation
• to ··
prohibit
discriillination
on the basis , of
sexual preference
under the Employment
Security Law. This will amend Chapter
151B of the General Laws, to · provide
protection · in - employment, housing, .credit,
mortgages, insurance,
etc.
COMMERCE LABORCOMMITTEE.
AND
H. 2525by Laur _ ~ce Buxbaum (Sharon)-- .
~
of the · Amefican 9 for DeI!lc:>cratic Action,
Homophile Uni~m of Boston, Civil Libel"ties
· union, National Organization
£or Women,
Laurence Buxbaum, John Businger, Barney
Frank, a'.nd another ..for legislation
to
prohibit
discrimination
in public accOillil'loda.tions 011' the .'b'asis o- sexual . ·
.
f
preference.
1- _would amend Section 98
his
of 9hapter 27?.• _.,
COMMERCE LABOR.
AND
·H• 2582 by Barney F-.ank (Boston)-~by
t
Homophile Union of Boston, Barney Frank,
John ·A~ Businger-, Laurence Buxbaum, and
anbther for . legislation
. to prohibit
discrimination
in the sal . of insurance•
e
This "' ould add a Section 122.Ato Chapter
w
175 · ' INSURANCE
.COMMITTEE.
·
H. 2601 by Barney · F~ank (Boston)--.of'
Barney Frank, Daughter~ . of -.Bilitis,
Homophile Union of Boston, Civil Liberties
-forWomen,
Union, National Organizatiop
John Businger,
arid La-ur,ence ~uxbaum for _
legislation
to . repeal the _laws prohibiting certain sexual acts. _ This would
,
repeal Sections ,16 / 18, 34, and 35 .of
Chapter 272 (sections
on open & ~oss
crJ.ille agal:nst nature,
lewaness, fornication,
s
and unna,:,ural licts, law _, :respectively•
JUDICIARYCOMMITTEE.
H. 2604 by Barney Frank (Boston)--of
Homophile Union of Boston, Barney Frank,
amendment
and another for a legislative
to the Constitution
providing that
equality under the law shall not be
denied or abridged because of sex, race,
color, sexual preference,
origin • .
national
JUDICIARYCOMMITT
..
,EE.
creed,
or
H.• 262Tby ,Jo~ BU$inger (Broo~e)-· of .Americans forDemocraticA,ction,
Homophile Union ,-of Boston, John Businger, Laurence Buxbaum, Barney Frank,
and other . relative
to prohibiting
discrimination
in examinations
or
!or publi,c employmE;Jrit.
. _~pp~~ations
-This . would .•amend Section 10.of Chapter
31 which deals with state ciyil
service.
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMITTEE.
Groups listed
are those which signed ·
D.O.B.
in support of ·the bills.
supports all the bills but accidently
did .not get signed on them all.
;!'he
General Laws which the bills would
change can be Sound in many public
libraries.
Letters ·of support for th~s~bills
can be sent anythime to your state ··
.
To find out who this
representative.
is-, eall · your city hall ~d fin~ you~
district
and ward number • . Then c.all ·
the ·House Clerk (727-2356) .or -Voter
_
{357-5880) and ask who
Information
.
your representative
would be. In addition,
.letters
should ·be _
sent _
to anyone who is onth~ . conµnitiee / whioh
will have hearings on the •·bill~ - · Both
~
representatives
and senators are on ·
these joint committees. ;. The clerkq s
office again can give thi~ i?)formation
( Senate Clerk _
727-2476), . as ·-can Voter
Information.
- Lett-ers are addressed to
the · Hon.
- , State House,
B_
pston, Mass. ·
-. ,,
•
Hearing dat.es •h~v:e not - yet · been set.
To ~eel?' up 'with this, ,read Gay C9mznt;inity New~, (:all tl}.e Clerks ·; - or · call OOB. ·
At.tel'.ldenca .at hearings is open -to all. Testimony- is _being prepared · now by ·
di.ff eren'b groups and people. _ .
If you :have ·been , discrimina.ted
·e,gainst
in any area . -for b_ing gay and _would ,
e
consider letting
your , case (with or
be used in
without name ,an4 details)
testimony at the state house, call OOB
any Thursday evening 8-lOpm. or write
Information
will be
the OOB office.
kept confidential.
�·.NEWS
AROUND COUNTRY
THE
Custody case.- . The American _
Ci;v.il Lil?er;..
ties Union has entered its first child
custody case involving -a ;l~sbian ,, .:sally
Hall, of Newark, Ohio, enterE!d into a
lesbian relationship two years agter her
divorce ; 'four years ago. ,Her ex-husband
is now ·seeking cust ·ody on the grounds
that she is :now a les .bian. (Advocate,
Jan. · 39, .1974) •
Bookbuyers bewaret · The a\lthor of Women · ··
~ Madness, Phyllis
Chesler, ~ss~eking
an injunction ·against Avon;,Books ( the
paperback .publisher) for cutting certain
important parts from .the . original.
(M
ajority ·Report; .·Jan. ·1974) -.
N.Y.C. Sports. The Lesbian Feminist
Liberation group sponsors a sports day
every _ ui'lday at 2pm open to all .women.··
S
For f~ther information write them c/o
G.A.A/ 1 99 Wooster st. or c. ll 966-7870.
a
Our ·~wn college? · A group - f ·san · ra~cis ~,g_
o
F
g
gay men and womenhave started .a free
univerl)ity.
The catalogue of women~
taught ·courses includes everything from
Female-Identified Metaphysics, Women
Poets, to weekend workshops. Their
address is Lavender University, 121
Leavenworth, San ,Francisco, Calif. 94102.
(Siste:t.§ J·an. 1974)
Gay Media Task Force-L.A.t. Since their
fo~ation ·in November 1973 .they have
succeeded. in meeting with· most major
networks and motion picture producers
in the area•' - Agreements were J:!lade
to .
consult Task Force me~bers whenever the
media .are considering~
script about ~ays.
(Lesbian .Tide Jan. 1974) .
_
Historians•
The Amer:i,cn Historical
.
a
Association at its annual convention
at the end 6f Decanber pa_sed a resolus
tion condemrrl.ngdiscriminatic;m against
homosexuals. (Adv~~
Jari.30,1974)
A lead.er .of . the mJLr, the Communist
Party in Sweden, ·wrote iri the patty
publication Clp.ss St.ruge'io~ t ·hat homose. uality is '· a "dis .ease whi~h· i.s the
x
class s.e:arch for ·~~
product of the upper _
new _ forms of :pleasure 91 • The_party ·
··
deniandeidthat . a11·gay members resign.
(Advocate, Jari.3Q, ·_974)
1
· ·
•.
.
· •··
.
.
Ho~kei;.R°eport_ .The famed Hooker Report,
.
formally the National I nstitute .of Mental
7
Health Task Force on Homosexuality:
fil:rial Report and Backgroupd Papers,
is available newly reprinted from
the Government .Printing Office,
·
Washington, D.C. 20402_for $1 by mail.
This is . a valuable resource and an
catalog
excellent bargain.
The GPO
number is HE20-2402: H75/2- . . ·
•
M
ichael McConnell, the librarian
denied a ·job in 1970 at the University
of Minnesota after he filed for a ·.
marriage - license ·.with Jack Baker,
was refused help by the executive
board of the American Library Assoai.a- ·
tion.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused
in 1972 to hear his case. (Advocate, ·
Jan. 16, 1974)
On January 16 the U.S. District Court _
in Concord; N.H. ruled ths.t the .trustee~
of the University of New Hampshire,
Durham, could not . restrict
on campus
social activ:i,,ties of the Gay Student
Organization.
The A:.C.L.U. took the
·
case for the G.s.o. ,The trus1;,ees in- ·
tend to appeal. (Boston Globe, Jan.20,
1974)
Elaine's birthday. -Hundreds of people
contributed $5 each to the Committee ·
to Elect Elaine Noble at a party
January 25 at -he 1270 Club. Repret
sentative Barney Frank told how Elaine
had roused him from his sickbed to
attend a Gay Pride Week workshop on
legal reform in June 1972 which began
his own involvement in gay rights. ·
Elaine said she was encourage ,d by the
0
turnout and needed ~veryone- s support .
·
in the months ahead.
H.U.B. The Homophile Union of Boston
heald its Fifth Anniversary bash at
Bill 0 s Last Call, Avery st., Boston on
January 19·, . At this event fol" th~
whole. gay coromunity, :1 members and
nonmembers alike ate, drank, danced,
were entertained _ .and a few won some
,
fantastic doorprizes.
Columbus, Eugene. Attempts in Columbus
Ohio and Eugene, Oregon to pass an
antidiscrimin~tion
law for gays were
def eat.ad in late Novembe:r"
197:3_
(Advo,;.
cate, Jan.2, 1974)
·
·
�9
Especially
Three Poems
to One of a Couple
Watching you watch me
at our anticipated meetings
and knowing your lover
does the same,
makes me feel
as if you believe
your joint continuance
is in need of
my absolution.
And I cannot help
but be amused
when you approach me,
positioning yourselves near me,
as if my interest
in one of you
is the focal point
of your remission.
Perhaps,
you should be aware
that although
I recognize your attempts
to shield yourselves
from one anotrer
with my single desire;
I could and would not
(in spite of the length you keep)
extend myself
to bless you knowing that what you ask
is merely a function
you have ascribed
to one more truly sanctioned alone
than you are assured together.
1
We lay together
1).ip to hip and breast to breast
- and in the sameness of our bodies
felt the difference of our love.
2
Your odor lingers on the sheets.
I burrow with my nose
to catch the sour scent
_
and with my.hand
smooth out
the wrinkles of our love.
3
Your'vo:ice grew hard 9 your eyes cold
I felt your body stiffen at my touch
we lay in the same bed and yet
the space created by so many hurts
put you on the moon
and left me spinning here.
--P.B.
****************************************************************************~***
SEXISM:IT'S A NASTY
AFFAIR2
by Jeanne Cordova
'°The first
funny book about sexism"
$2 from NewWay Books, 6013 Hollywood
Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90028
*
-*
GAY
COMMUNITY
NEWS
$1.50/ 10 weeks
11
"
(1st class)
- $2.10
sealed envelope
G.C.N., 70 Charles St., Boston,
Mass. 02114_
*·
*
*
*
*
*
**********
************************
******
* -
D.::. ~0S Pl-1C.~HETT\
_
Oa\.
*
$\\'\J\)~K
******************************************
WRITERS! ARTISTS! $50 reward
·
*
*
*
is being offered :for an outstanding
contribution to ·each issue of Amazon
Quarterly.:.-fiction,
photography, - poet-*
ry, essay, drama, drawing •••• A.Q., , *
*
554 Valle Vista, Oakland,Calif.94610
p\us
Showi'n'l
<>f
\c-<:
,.~,C\toi
~.h'), ~''4oHC; --l'fOVIE. "
_St. John 9 s _
Church, 33 Bowdoin St.,
(government
center), Boston, at
5:30 pm. $1.50 admission.
-
r:: b, :Z.Y
e
Su
-
t,cl o:-../
>lll<*********t******'*************~******
****************************************
�CALENDAR,
Febe
Daughters of Bilitis,
Boston
Room 323, 419 Boylston st.
Boston, M
ass. 02116
617-262-1592
10
TUESDAYS,
'7(30
pn.B.fil:Lses?'lo11 on,.,being m,
_
,..
for women only.
Share feelings
about
being gay; everyonewelcome,
newcomers there ev.ery _
week. _Child
· · care will be provided.
-- t the DOB office.,
A
near the Arlington
MBTAstop.
7:30 pm Rap -~~ion
for lesbian mothers, at the office.
WEDNESDAYS
can talk to a mother on the phone this evening.
Also,
gay mother s
9..:
- RM
THURSDAYS, 10 pm ·Q~ Way Radio Program, W'.BUR 90.9
SUNDAYS
l0:20-10:50azn: ,ill...oset .§.128:.ce
Radio Program,
WCASAM 740.
-
SUNDAYS - 1} pm Wq_
2
men~~Q.~~.ket~all ~and.Ji.wim, Cambridge IWCA, T" mple St . (Central Sq) - -;:'
e
25¢ swii:p. This is not a OOB ev~nt, the Y · · .
Cambridge. 75¢ ball,
wants us to say.
FRIDAYS, 8 pm~
Bo}'!lin.g, at Sammy White 0 s, Soldiers°
Field Road, Brighton.
pins.
60¢/ game. Lanes reserved under name of Hurst.
Ten
Febrti~ry
2, . Sa.turday, 11 , am,_ Brunch r_or all gay activists,
_
Charles St. Meeting
·
·House., 70 Charles -st: -; Boston.
This happens · the first
Saturday
of every month at 11 am to give people a chance ta share ideas
ahd .·to cornJTiunicate, from group to group.
·
February
2, Saturday,
2pm _N.Eiw
England Gax (Lonfe~e
Planning
vidence, 410 Watennan Ave, East Providence,
February
3, Sunday, . 10 - llpm Lavender Hout, WBCN-FM
104
February
6, W
ednesday
February
10,
February
14, Thursday, 8Pm First__ ran session {or _Q~~_j!omen
'
• . ··Some wan.en have
expressed interest
in such a rap.
No age limits will be set.
~cme:q are interested
This will be an experiment to see .how many {
' iri coming to at least ·one · such rap -- further
raps may. .devalop l
from this.
At the office.
Meetil',lg, M~C.C. Pro~
R.I.
8:30 pm Qay_ CoIIJ!!l.unitzNews ..i_s~on Catch 44, Channel 44 TV, ..
1 pm- ·-night.
OOB'l{_
' inter~st,
Ellendale
Stables,
Sherboz:ne~ ·· $5 each
by mail or at raps.
Hay or sleigh ride,- · -· ll ,oµta
- - buy tickets
door sports (bring own sled, skates,
etc, own-.food--there
·
will
bonfire,
optional
horsebackriding)
~ Dress warmly. ,
be a grill,
.Dancing in the eveni;ng to the Deadly Nightshade.
Children
_ welcome at the days activities
at a lo~er rate.
Route 16 to
Route 27, turn left onto 27, go a mile, just after the tracks
is a yellow house on left with a place for parking. That 0 s it.
,1.
'.
February 15-i7 King~t_on_Qi!.yCon;terence, Memorial Uniol'.l, University
_
of R.I., Kingston,
- : ·· ·
. Rhode Island-.
Read 'Feb. Focus . or Gay Community News for more
.
_
- . details ·or see fliers
in the OOB office.
_
..
February 21,' Thursday,, 7: JO pm Focus staff vi~eting .at the - office.
February 24-, 'Sunday 5:30 pmD.O.B. S.12.~h_ett_iSupper; followed by showing of the
·
·
· short .1§.~bi~n fi'.w.!_
!~Home J1ox!~ /.:_y . Jan 0xenburg • . "There will be
b
a discussion
of thefilm afterwards.
Following this ··there will be
a DOBBusin~
J1 ~e. in,g. $;1...50. st. ·John's Church, 3J Bowdoin
1
·
St., Boston, near government center.
�I~OOK WHAT
YOU'VE
MISSED!
You've missed 5 issues chock
full of action photographs (b&w
and color) and controversial, in depth reporting. You've missed
interviews that concentrate on
"why" and " how" and "what do
you get from it" instead of dates
and long lists of statistics.
Why K1thy
WMworth
.
,I/
\s So Good
Spu"1" Chi Ch,og .
\ ·,;::;;
'
Women athletes are forging new
lifestyles appropriate to proud and
successful women . Their struggles,
their achievements and their ~ou Isearching are what we're all abou t.
sl'I (1 ,\1 ' l~ll l,\;,,.
\'\'l ) ,'(\I N/tlN ",1'0\.:1\
Try us. Whether or not you 've ever
been a sports fan, you'll like THE
SPORTSWOMAN . Each issue has at
least 48 slick pages.
-~
$4.50 for one year ( 6 issues); $8 for two years
. ·~ame __
__
Address
Cit y _ _ _ __
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State __ _ _
Zip __
--
_
THE SPORTSWOMAN MAGAZINE
P.O. Box 2611-I
Culver City. CA 90230
I~'{?
\"
f The Oppresse MaJOl'IYd
. ·t
~
Keeps On Top of Things
z
"
.:
BY READING
~
0
(.)
"'
'-'
y
!
z
l--
0
~
[
MGi9rity
Report.
\<·
11
,·p,111cr
D EXPOSES
IN
HIGH
OF SEX I SM
PLACES
C SUBVERSIVE
"
ME D ICAL
AD V IC E
0 IN- 0 E P TH NEW 5 0 F THE
WOMEN'S
0
C HOT
~
I
"It's a new birth-control pill. It makes you a homosexua •"
MOVEMENT
IRR EVE RANT RE V I E W S
C N. Y.
FLASHES
A RE A CALE
ND;, R
Send $3 (for 12 issues) to: Majority Report,
74 Grove Street, New York. N. Y. 10014
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d
�The History Project
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document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 February
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-02
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. Page 8 of the newsletter is missing.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Text
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
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THP-0011-focus-197402
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/588bc1b3bbd1e89f42743ebe1c397aa1.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=ifBBNRAOU0X%7E3RlstExwGMBRpz9Z2b-XwiltVvq8Q7nS-IJtwmqOaZ7k0A0dDYdazY-3Em3zO2TWkoluv5cfjBOA6P-b3e6vhVGRiCWZ1J0hLAGZrSP15%7Eb95Pt6oPkVWdkp582evYXRmyPEU6iQvIA-aad3asEE52zRldkMH3pebWxZFoo8H0a%7EX-GkLTOxwrvxBj5fzTxbTMg8yHH-xk%7En5hedxcmLCNdSV5w55x-tl3EFAz6vHuUMLwkWCnpNItw4i0JhS4inBkfiGKLboSahSq5c281ZtLOq5xJLRoEURXt%7ECzKkDPAdlkm6mn0SUnSyc3TFoRMom%7EZBOomYgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
0c9a8271042e7dc6f44a9e57a9fa8b9d
PDF Text
Text
FOCUS
BOSTON
OAUG H TERS
OF B I LIT IS
l
l
a journal for
MARCH
60 .cents
, 74
�1
,;arch 1974
FOC i s oublishe c monthly bv
US
Boston ~au~hte r s of Biliti s ,
Room ~23 , 41 9 Boyls ton St .,
a.
Bost on, M 0211~.
ell, W
ooster ,Ohio
Fell & How
to October 1971 and fr om
lv./HA from Oct • 71 on.
FOC1S STAFF
'
:
reviews: Judy
:·eatures ; Cathy Eaker, ',,J"ondy
Bauman
poetry , covers: '": ri Bidwell
e
pr oduction: Laura Robin, GB.
news: Laura Robin
Conyri~ht 1974 by Daughters
of Pili tis, Eoston, Ka.
Subs cri ptions are $5/
sample s t.0 1' . ""; us
ive
nun:ber.
I f you rnove,
know: the oost off ice
f or war d 3rd cla ss mail
year,
your zin
let us
will not
to you .
Thi s publi c ati on i s on f ile
', omen' s
v
at t he International
~ist orv Archi ve, 2125 Oak St.,
? erll;: l ey , Cali:.' , 9470-: , It is
e
availa ble on n:icro f ilm ~rom
DEADLI f or April:
NE
FOC wel comes contributions
US
f ro m everyone , incl uding
drawim :s . Include SASE f or
ret urn.
All letters
must
be s i gned, but names can be
withheld f or publication.
IN THIS ISSUE
Rubvfru it
M
ar.25
Jungle •••••••••••••••••••••2
So~i ety &-t~e H
~~~tl}y_Hom
osexu al ••••• 3
Hearin gs on gay bills
5
••••••••••••••••
Oth e r news •• ••••••••••••••••
••••
••••
•l2
FICTIOiJ
A very sh or t pie ce abo ut kis si n g,
by Schel Paul•••••••••••••••••ll
Dr eam I 5 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••14
CALC:: •• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
,J
DA?..
6
�2
RuE1~rul\
Jllrn\e
a re~ew
(Daughters , Inc.,
copyright 1973)
Plainfield,
Vt. paperba ck $).00,
Molly's story is the story of a lesbian-feminis
t Tom Sawyer.
Self -assured,
self-asserting,
self-fu lfilling,
she
moves with Walt Whitmanesque, al.most mythologi cal poise
throu gh Strai ght Amerika. She meets prejudic e, intolerance, and persecution
with impudent humor and undaunted
rebelliousne ss. She knows who she is, has no doubts about
her own self-worth,
and embraces her own unique ness -- including her sexual identity
-- with exuberan ce. She tells
the story of her growing-up with a wit that is often wry,
sometimes bitter
or derisive,
but never def eatist.
And ·
she is very funny. She recounts anecdotes in the grandbraggy-depr ecating style that has characterized
the best
of American story-telling
humor since Mark Twain.
Just as Tom Sawyer presents the magical, Never-N ever land
of boyhood freedom, Rubyfruit Jungle dep icts a str ong and
free female personality,
a girl who gr ows up gay in the
midst of a hostile environment, alone, but in her deepest
self unscarre d. If the novel is read on the level of
psychol ogical reality,
it is probably a failure s who can
identify with a heroine who has no tender places in her
ego, who seems invulnerable
to the kind of hurt we all experience daily , who knows, despite all the input to the
cont rary from her environmen t, that it is okay to be an
illegitimate
child, okay to want to marry a girl, okay to
love wome , okay to sleep with anybody you happen to want
n
to sleep with ••• and so on. How many of us have known those
thin gs from the beginnin g, have truly felt tha t okayness,
without having to fight against all kinds of hurts and lies?
Who among us has ever worked her way towards lesbian se lfaffirmation
completely unscathed inside?
On the level of
everyday reality,
this book is an insult to the pain and
the stru ggle we all know. Noboay does grow up invulnerable, in a magical land of unscathed egos, where selfaff irmatio n and selr-assertion
are somehow goo-give!'\•
But Rubyf'ruit Jungle is evidently not meant to be read on
the lev el of everyday psychological
reality.
In a i-ew seen
scen es where the author attempts to let us int o M
olly's
con sciou$ness and trace out her sense of self, the book
�becomes fl at an d unconvincin F:• M
olly's
sense of sel f is
1<an d and wonderful
r
to be exsimply too mythologically
pressed
by the techniques
ol' literary
realism.
For the
most part we are wisely kep t out s ide her thought
processes,
and th us th e novel is suc ce sst ul in presen tin g a heroine
in her very unreality.
whose charm l' or us lies primarily
Stron g an d impudent an d unto u c he d, she marches gayly
throu z h chilc.h oo c' and adol es cence,
st out ly maintaining
her lesbian
nature
at ev ery conc e ivabl e opportunity.
She
i s mor e a ."ol k heroin G than a real live girl.
She should
it is
b e a ,mire .~, :md her s tory enj oy e,1, on that level:
"'Ood to thin k o:· her , s tro11 ~ ant~ !'ree anci. r;ay and prou d ,
t:c ;..; ting con: ·i :;ently thro ,.1~ the world , una :.'raid to be
t
h
hers e l f . It i s abm.1t tiin e we had our own Tom Sawyer .
s
An overdue ttv1ew~ Socie1'i ~ ~e
\-\ornose-x.ua\. bg6~ Ana.~
re\'ieLO
Society
an d the Health y H.
orr,os exu al, by Dr. George Weinberv
(now available
in Daoerbac k , Doubleday Anchor Books ,$1.9.5,
conyri P.'h 1972) .
t
I ren:err,ber very clearly
the fee1in f!S I had a year aim, when
saw the brand-new book, Society
and the Healthy
I f hst
:: omosexual.
The cover design (rising
sun) was brir,ht,cheerfr l, non-clir 1
ical.
The titl e itself
made a very nice ass umption:
that t he wor cs " he alt hy" an c 11homosexual 11 could
aor ,ea r to gether.
Howeve r, havin g rea d more than my share
o:!.' s uch ;,: ms as Dr . Edmund Ber P'le r' s Homosexuality:
e
Disease
or 'dav of Li: ' e? ( r-uess whi ch on e he cl:ooses),
I aporoached
Who is W
einberg's
"healthy
this new book with ca11tion.
homosex ual", I wondered,
Someone who has "adjusted"
-- to
a secret
existence
, to second class
citizenship,
to accentin g feelings
but not darinr;: to act on them?
And I remember my real joy a s I rea d the book , discove rin g that Weinthat ,;e are the healthy
ones, the people who
ber!" . thinks
oroudly and positive ly.
have def ine d ourselves
�4
With the American Psychiatric
Association's
recent (and
possibly temporary) decision to remove the stigma of "disease" from people who are happily gay, I think that Weinberg's book deserves another look.
It should serve as a
guide for the many therapists
who are struggling
to overcome their own prejudices,
as well as for those who have
not yet taken responsibility
for the harm that they have
done to their gay clients.
This book also speaks to our
families and to our f riends and to ourselves as we try to
sustain positive feelings about our life style.
Weinberg's basic assumption is that
defensive about love.
Human beings
happys
we do not have to be
are entitled
to be
"To produce this sense of entitlement
to
happiness, one must seize the belief that
one deserves full rights and use it as a
motivation f or decisions wherever possible.
At first,
the belief may come only in moments, as an emotionless thought, an occasional whisper to onesel f that one deserves
fair play.
But this is enough, So long
as it exists in some stren gth on some
occasions, there is the chance to nourish
it by decisions based on it."
What better advice than this
is just coming out?
is there
fo r a person who
The chapters that I think are best handlec. are those entitled
"The Healthy Homosexual" and "Communication With
Parents".
The former deals lar gely with the right to
haupiness, and how we can move beyond our own "homophobia"
-- the fear of our own sexuality,
implanted by society -to a sense of real personal dignity.
"Communication With
Parents" explores, in practical
terms, how families can
handle the reality of a homosexual daughter or son with
of
Although Weinberg does not give s.epara m1.nimum trauma.
ate treatment to lesbianism,
in the se chapters he does mention many situations
which confront us daily.
For instance,
"The Healthy Homosexual" opens with this dialogue:
Mother: You are doing this to hurt me.
Lesbian Daughter: That is egotistical.
It has
nothing to do with you.
Mothers But you might fall in love with a man.
Lesbian Daughter:
Mother, no one as ked you to
consider the possibility
that you might
fall in love with a woman.
�i•1
arch 10, Sunda y , 5:30 pm Gay ~a kers' Bureau Potluck Supper
and showing; of the award-winning filmst rip
"The Invi s ible Minor i~: Homosexuals in Our
So~iet_y~, an educational project from the
Unitarian
Church. 0 eople interested
in
spea kin g with the GSP or in working on
ot her su pport activiti es, as well as those
who have spoken and want to h.elp evaluate
wher e GSB is at and s ee the filmstrip,
and
who want to EAT are invite ~ . Brin g your
,
dis h in a pot it can be heated in or served
fr om. St. Jo hn's Ch1
1rch, '3'.3 doin St. ,
Bow
Boston, near Government Center. 547-1451 info'
March 12, Tues day, 7:30 pm QpeQ_12Qetry~!!_~ing_as an alternative to the regular DOBrap. If you write
poetry, brin g it to rea d . Or just come to
listen.
The rap will also be held in
anoth er room. At the DOBoffice.
8pm Gay dance at the Univ ersity of New Hampshire, celebratin R the recent court decision
in f avor of th e Gay Student ' Organizatlor 1.
Boston people invited.
No literature
may
be dist r ibuted.
The Whitch will play.
G
ranit e Stat e Room, Memorial Union , Univ.
N.H., Durham.
March 15, Friday,
~EW EtUilAMD 61\1 CoKFERENCE:
FF. DAY, !✓. arc h 15
I
9--llpm
SATlhDAYHarch 16
All events at 69 Brimmer St. (Emerson
Colle ge) unless otherwise noted.
b:JO - 9: 30 am
9:30 - 10:15
10:1 5-11:4 5
11: 30 - 12:00
11:45 - 1:00µ-n
1:00 - 2:30
Dance $1.50 at the Charl es St.
M
eetin g House,70 Charles St.
?recon .:er ence remtration
& hoy_sing
Registration,
Housing, Childc~i:!! (all free).
WelC<?.!!!f!
__g_kmQte speaker, Wayne April, Gay
St ud ent s Org , Univ. N.H,
·
Comin&_out as a continuous process (wkshp)
Press Conference
Lunch. Womenmeet to discuss futur e lesbian
conf erence
W kshops:
or
11a~s. Legislatlcm
and Law R~
Ji'l:!r.al G~ and or ganizing them
How to s et 1:!!La counselling
and refertal
s
servic~
';ays in prisQ~
�8
2145 - 4:15
4:15 - 5:54
6:00 - 7:30
7:30 - 10:30
.)
)
10:J0 - 11:J0
Workshops:
"no fats I f<?_l!!.§. ks L-~tq•~ Dis cus sion with
,__ rea
f
bisexuals,
transsexuals,
transvestites
, S&M
people, and others who often fee l discriminated a[;ainst
Gay parents rap
Dinner, 150 Beacon St. $1. 68
Gay~ th~ thou, women only, discussin~ different ages and backgrounds
Gay_men's rap, men only
"Histm
of HQ!!!02.!J5uali~ in Film", present ed by Vito Russo, N.Y. gay activist.
Clips
f rom "Sunday , Bloody Sunday," "The Boys in
the Band", "The Children's
Hour•: and others .
Concert by Steve Grossman, fi rst major gay
recordin g artist,
f ol ks in ger with Mercury
Records
SUNDAY
March 17
9 -10:20 am
10120 - 12:00
j
)
Breakfast at Emerson
Workshops:
Gay Media Action: how to use the media
Gays in eli gion
hird world working class gays
12:15 - 1145 pm WorkshopSI
Older gays. women and men
Gay youth (18 and under)
Gay parents panel (a psychiatrist,
lawyer,
and social worker will be there)
Gay courses and curriculum
2:00 - 3130
Workshops\
& education:
how to
Political
mobilization
use all the resources of straight
and gay
communities to further gay liberation
Gay _professionals:
representatives
from areas
such as nursing, teaching, academia discussin~
their special needs.
NOTEON HOUSIN AND
G
·CHILDCARE: If you need or can offer
housing, write by March 8 to N.E. Gay Conf. Planning Comm.,
148 Beacon St., BostCl'l 02116. Let them know how many and
womenor men and what nights.
Give your phone# and address.
If you want child care, let them know how many children and
for what days, and give your address and phone f.
�9
J•A:tCHl b , t-onday, 7:30 pm D,O,B. Business M
;.
eeting at the
i
off ic e .
>\cbelow
M
ARCH25, t--:ond , 7: 30 pm Sharp Focus staf f meeting at the
ay
of fi ce.
>l<t,\I\W:~ 19, 11.1.e~da.y,
~P"" Wot"'le"'ivithe O-•vch , St.Cle"'•"~,
llOS
8o'(ISttl'\ s+ Sos·f<>r'I.
.,
,
Si>ttc- ""'"eKtllt, 0, P.
Ms. Co.rol 801-...._,
ci~,..,14.S
""; niS\r~
~+ Ho..-110.rd
•
Announcin g the DOB"Desi im A Panner" contest!
/////
I
We need a banner f or Gay Pride Week/////
Prize:
1 year's subscription
to Focus
Send your drawing to DOB, Room
323, 419 Boylston St.,Boston,
t-ass. 0211 c . We can manufac:
ture it but need a design.
Membership in Bosten Daughters of Bilitis
is open to all
women 18 yea r s old or older.
It entitles
you to vote at
business meetin gs, re duced admission to some events, and
a subscription
to Focus . The cost is $10 per year, or
$15 for a couple ( who e.et 1 subscription
to Focus for
both of them).
To join, just sen a your name, address, and phone I to
the DO off ice alon~ with a si ~ned statement that you are
B
a worr.an 18 year s old or older.
You may use a pseudonym.
You may al so join without ~.iving us your address, in which
case you will have to pic k up Focus at the office.
DOBwelcomes all cont r ibutions of eff ort and money to help
in its efforts to further the liberation
of all ~ay people.
�10
At the beginnin g, Representatives
Barney rrank , Laurence
Buxbaum, and John Businger, sponsors of the bills,
led
off, and Representative
James Collins, also an endorser
of the bills,spo ke later.
Near th e beginning, the Homophile Union of Boston and Daughters of Bilitis
gave each
member of the committee a copy of Society and the Healtl}Y
Homosexual and Lesbian/Woman. At the very end of the testimony, Elaine Noble, a member of the Governors Commission on
the Status of Womenand a prosPective candidate this f all
for State Repre sentative,
told the committee they ha better
read all the stuf f they had been given because she was
plannin g a quiz.
The Commerce and Labor Committee will make a recommendation to the entire House tha t it either vote f or or
against the bills.
The House will then vote to accept
or rejact this recommendation.
Therefore everyone's Repre s entative in the State House
J:,, of these peopl e
ost
will vote upon all the gay bills.
were not at the hearin gs. I f they don't hear f rom
the peopl e in their districts,
t hey will assume no one
wants the bills.
I.e. write your legislators!
Barney
can make or brea k the way
Fran k claims that 5 letters
a legislato r votes, because peopl e generally don't wri t e
much.
We don't expect to win this year.
But we do want to do
better than last year in spite of the f act that this
is an election year.
N one is sayin g that by writing
o
a letter
we can achieve victory this year -- but we will
get it next year or the ye ar ai'ter that. o.and now is
the tim e to BUILD.
Imagine th e sun
Shinin g f or the l ast ti m on
e
Your bea uty.
Imagine t he m
oon.
Kindn es s.
'
-- Ja net Cooper
'
�11
a. ve.r~ ~hort
p,e.ce.~'ooo.t bs-s,"-9,
or
o. S~Q\\
look o.-t a fa~{c.u..\ar- subc.u\t-u.t-a\ b~"'-a.v or +·erMecl f ~er,·o.,.
b'f ~(_
ht.I 'PciOLl
who's kis s in g who or whos e is kissin g whose kisser whose kiss
i s whose can it matter except to the kisser and the kissee of
who it is possible to be bot h or just one depending on your
pleasure.
t his is about our friendly
lesbian fonnality
kissin g the kind we do wit h our relative s and s ince we love our
sister s we kiss each one of them everytime we say goodbye and
everytime we say hello sometimes on special occasions like
goin g out to get pi zz a and also durin g everyday meetings
whether they be perchance or not so perchance.
every kiss is di ff erent of cour s e every kissee evokes a specific and personal response in the kisser and the kisser says
a di ff erent hello or ~oodbye or nice day isn't
it i love snow
to each kissee.
there's
the oh i li ke you an awful lot kiss
and the this kiss is pure f ormalit y but i do like you however
i woul dn't usually be kissin f you if this new sub-cultural
tra dition didn't call for it ki s s and the i don't want to kiss
you at all but you 'll 1'eel le f t out if i don't and god knows
i don't want you to f eel le f t out because you really are
okay ki s s and the i want this kiss to last forever but it's
a secret that not even you know oh can you hear my lips i'm
not sure how f luent they are and then there's
the absentm nd ed kis s or t he emp kiss inspired by the kissee but
i
ty
watch out f or these they are nover as empty as they feel
also watc h out f or the this is j ust a kiss kisses because i
doubt there i s su ch a thin g. there's
also the maybe this is
jus t a drea m ki ss which is extr emely rare and tomorrow i'd
lov e to a s k you i f t hat was a dream l a st ni ght and you might
not kno~ what i was ta l kin 1 ab out and you mi ght then again
i s part of th e dr eam ki ss .
th es e are th e f ounda tio ns of our f onnalitie s or gestures so
watc h out mysel f and you : or i can't s ee your lins clearly
f or my f antas i es or i s t hat r ealitie s or is this all made
~P or i s it s ociolo gical.
�NEWS
12
Equal Rights Amendment. The National Organization
l or
Womenis close to t he realization
of a primary goal -ratification
of the Equal Rights Amendment as the 27th
amendment to the U.S . constitution.
By the end of the
first
6 weeks 01 · 1974, Maine, Montana, and Ohio ratified
the E.R.A. Ratification
by only 5 more states is needed
f or the E.R.A. to become an amendment . N,O.-d. •s le il'.
islaand Floriia
will
tive coordinator s predict that Illinois
Oklahoma, and
ratify
in upcomini; months, with Louisiana,
Missouri possible.
,
A major goal nationwide o:· the over 700 N.o .W chanters in
the United States has been to achieve ratification
of the
200th year, 1976.
E.R.A. be f ore the nation's
DOB-Ft. worth.
This chapter now has 21 members (dues are
$2) and a con stitution
which allows membersnip to "any
1
biological
woman over H:l1 •
Gay Conference at University_of
R.hode_Island.
About 100
Boston , went to this conrerence ?eb,
people, a number :.:·ro11
15-17 in Kingston , R,I,
Sidney Abbott and Barbara Love,
authors of Sappho ·.,/ 11:.Right-OIL.~~
as
, spoKe abo ut what
might be in store for us in the future,
Vito F.usso f rom
ovies of the
New York presented a monta s:e or' pieces :·rom rn
pa s t to show the treatment or' homosexu ality in films , •• a
particularly
effective
sequence was the endings to these
movies (Russo will be at the New England Gay Conference also),
adeline Davis, ai.:hor of
t
To top off Saturday evening l~
"Stonewall Nation", san g her own sone-s to an extremely
receptive
and delighted
audience.
A ~ -Biblio P-aohy: Jrd Revision Jan, _.fil4 , pr epa re ;::
r
by the Task r orce on ",ay Liberation
of the Social
F.esoonsibilitie
s Round Table or' the AmP-rican Library
compilation
or' boo ks,
Association.
An ~col_lent
articles,
pamohlets, per:i.odicals,
and audio-visuals
and where to ri:e them. You can have one f ree if yo ,1
t
send a stamp e,: , seL. ·- ,.ddres sed envelope to 3arbara
hiladelnhh,
::; , l;ilO J . (H you
a
~ittin r:s , Box 2J vJ , D
beliP-ve in biblio ·,raphies you coul, send a donation
too). In quantity they are 5i ea ch,
�Defense Fund f or Custodv Case. In 1962 Lynda Chaffin
was divorced and granted custody of her two children.
In 1967 she encountered serious health problems and
made an arrangement with her parents that they would
keep the children during the school year and she would
keep them during the summer until shlr was better.
In
1969 she told her parents she was a lesbian.
In 1973,
when she decidect she could take back the children,
she f ound that her parents had gotten custody of her
children (without telling
her) on grounds that she had
abandone d them. On December 12, 1973, a Cali f ornia
court declared Lynda an unfit mother because of her
lesbianism and or dered her to turn her children,
who
wish to st ay with her, over to her parents.
A fun d
has been or ganized to help in the appeal of this case.
All donation s and questions should be sent to: Lynda
Chaff in Defense Fund, P.O. Box 3984 , Torrance, Calif.
90510. The in f ormation about this case came f rom the
Lesbian Tiae (Jan. ' 74) and a lett er fr om Lynda Chaffin,
wh~i-;-~vi
dently hidin g somewh
ere in the southwest
wit h her chil dren . Her lover is behin d in Cali f ornia
handlin g t he cas e .
Rational 'dome Il Poetry Festival
_ '~
at Amh~rst. The dates
ar e Barc h 11-1 5. The poets will include Robin Morgan,
AG
rienn e Ri ch , M ge Pier cy, Margar et w,,l ker , Shirley
ar
l\ au1man, :cay Chian g, Carolyn Kizer, G
wendolyn Broo ks,
Tomia Arai , and others.
There will be informal workshops led by the poets as well as rea di ngs . There is
no char i,; anct t he r e will be l'ree chil dcare (all this
e
is pai a ~· r by th e university).
o
Information:
Everywoman •s Center, Goouell Hall, University
of M s achusetts,
as
Amherst , .t-: 01002; 413-545-0b oJ .
a.
· Boston Ga.,y oov. to.DL_l!lld Library.
~
s
To open so on at 419
Boylst on St ., Boston, on the 4th floor in the Homophile
Commur1ity Healt h Servi ce area . I f you have materials
r elatin g to homosexualit y , sexu ality,
or psychiatry
tha t you would li ke to shar e with the library,
brin g
them to Boylston St. (i l the door is loc ked, rin g 4
times) .
�14
Dream.
Here is a door, and I wondP,
r
if it is my door.
!-y hand i s
l
on the knob, and I am nus hi n, ,
~
pushin ~, loo kin g thro ug h t he
widenin g crac ~ into the roo m
beyon d. Is t his my pl ace ?
Everywhere I go I see door s :
ol d do or s cr us ted over wit h
rustin e loc ~s , bar r ic ad ed
doors with bars and bolts,
open door s that wobble and sway
on their hin ges. And sonetimes
I have spent hours starin h at
just one door, afraid to try
th e knob, unable to wor k t he
lock.
It is late now, gettin g dar k . I do not sit in f ront 0 1 aoors
any more. I have unbarr ed barricades,
and grease a rusty
locks, and I have pushe d my way throu gh o I have gone in
those doors, and I have come bac k out.
I am tired or openin g doors and findin g myself where I don't want to be. I
am tired of walkin g through doors I hav e patientl y unlocked
and gently opene d, only to be as ked to leave.
So embarass in g .
I be g your pardon, I mistoo k this door ;·or m ••• not my
ine
home, no.
And now, here, this door.
This door.
This door I have
looked at, bristlin g with locks and bolts,
and put my
hand to, and one by one I have slid back the bolt s and
felt the loc ks turn und er my tou ch . No, this door I
have not rudely kicke d open; I am no battering
ram
against its privacy.
Here i s a door openin g to me, and
I do not know if it is my door.
Smile,
gods, I am going in.
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
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Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
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Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 March
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-03
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. The pages in this issue appear to be misnumbered.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-focus-197403
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/9555c21acf6c2c017eeb2260b40a2971.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=Fz9NZ6vqyV90cB%7EfHwbkxNHztxjN11FxN1S4kgvecRzcGmnQXacAuMV2SNHEbJrkGwD8aY8ZcNhlg--k-Jlz323%7EOCqXfYjuIuALUcusXYQK1ln8NmFs7EDVVHRIrIVilVl2XwLbqfB6PDrgHcJMprVBkjBGsjZPFOIaQQ2rfNk7LLQ-2UmjEPh6D4sbB4gQ7A32IqUUqspdVjdWd9jDAqag0mVQcy0AM9iJh95hesipqSLym4FVIc5IsbhqA3cT2YMMh49YNnR9UbzlxfkMlu5F5hP78fj4KdT1mwQ5pDlL7zlXok0pH1daq-Y2yPo44O5SHQJkkpI8hcBjwqigRg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
37a53fd51d693058a45ea61dca8f9d8b
PDF Text
Text
journal
FOCUS women
for
a
gay
April '74
BOSTON DAUGHTERS of BILITIS
60ct
�FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
April 1974
FOCUS is publish ed monthly by
Boston Daughter s of Bilitis, Room
323 , 419 Boylston St ., Boston ,
Ma. 02116 .
Copyright 1974 by Daughters of
Bilitis, Boston, Ma .
Subscri ptio ns are $5 / year, samples
60ci. G ive us your zip number. If
you move, let us know : the post
office will not forward 3rd class
mail to you .
This publ ication is on file at the
In ternational Women 's H isto ry Ar chiv e,
2325 Oak St., Berkeley , Calif . 94708 . It
is avail able on microfilm from Bell &
Howel l, Wooster , Ohio to October 1971
and fro m IWHA from Oc t . 71 o n .
FOCUS STAFF :
review s: Judy S.
feature : Cathy Baker
cover : Geri Bidw ell
edit i ng: Wendy Bauman,
Janine Bernier
adverti sing: Cathy Baker
typesetting : Lois Hurst
layout : Laura Robin
Deadline for May : Ap ri l 24
FOCUS welcomes contribu tions from everyone, including
drawings . Include SASE for
return . All letters mu st be
signed, but names can be withheld for publication.
IN THIS ISSUE
Featu res
Poetry
Spring Prose and Poetry from
Edna St . Vincent Millay
by Cathy Baker . . .
Beyond Sisterhood :
" Gayer than Thou " at the
New Eng. Gay Conf,
by Jud i Stein .. . . . . .... ....
4
Wak ing Up Sleeping
Beauty . by J.S. .. ... ... . .. . . 14
Sodomy Repeal ,
by John Lawrence . . . . . . . . . . 5
Untitled, by
Mary Rita Woodward
3 Poems by Paula Bennett .
Seasons, by M .Z .. . .... ..
"What Do you think",
by Desi Seagull .......
...
2 Poems by Judi Stein
Reviews
Portrait of A Marr iage
review by Gerry Azzata
15
16
New s
Announc emen ts . .... . .. . 13
Plans for Women's Conf ...
10
D.O.B. Workshops . . . . . . . 7
Calender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
6
12
12
Letter .....
. . .. . ...
cover drawin g by Linda Wielbald
8
. . . . 16
�SPRING PROSE AND POETRY
FROM EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
by Cathy Baker
Spring
"To what purpose , April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough .
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of little leaves opening stickily .
I know what I know .
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good .
It is apparent that there is no death .
But what does that signify?
Not only under ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing ,
An empty cup , a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.,,
Spring of this year was to be the only spring of our lives together .
I knew when you came to me that there never was nor would be
another I ike you.
Our love was like a beauti.ful flower which grew in such a short
time but like all flowers begins to die as soon as it is picked. Our love
was picked when we found each other .
You were so beautiful that I was afraid to touch you. I thought
you'd break or perhaps disappear with my touch.
"She is neither pink nor pale,
And she will never be all mine;
She learned her hands in a fairy-tale,
And her mouth on a valentine . ,,
Our nights by the fire, our days in the sand, often made me wonder
if this could possibly be real. I would pray for it to be real.
"Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year... "
I know not how such things can be.. "
Your pastime was your garden and I would watch you there. Hour
upon hour I saw the way you lovingly drew the beauty from the earth.
�2
"That day -that day you picked the first sweet-pea,And brought it in to show me! I recall
With terrible distinctness how the smell
Of your cool gardens drifted in with you .
I know, you held it up for me to see
And flushed because I looked not at the flower ,
But at your face; and when behind my look
You saw such unmistakable intent
You laughed and brushed the flower against my lips. ,,
Once I dreamed with you beside me, that you were no longer there.
When I awoke I found you near me, it was the first time I had truly
felt the fear of loosing you.
"Love, if I weep it will not matter,
And if you laugh I shall not care;
Foolish am I to think about it ,
But it is good to feel you there.
Love, in my sleep I dreamed of waking,White and awful the moonlight reached
Over the floor, and somewhere, somewhere
There was a shutter loose,-it schreeched!Swing in the wind!- and no wind blowing!/ was afraid; and turned to you,
Put out my hand to you for comfort,And you were gone! Cold , cold as dew,
Under my hand the moonlight lay!
Love, if you laugh I shall not care,
But if I weep it will not matter,Ah, it is good to feel you there!"
Spring turned into summer and the early flowers were gone. And
as spring turns into summer, one day I woke and you were gone.
Gone to wherever but leaving me alone, I would wake each night and
hope and reach to feel only the emptiness beside me.
"You are not here. I know that you are gone,
And will not ever enter here again.
And yet it seems to me, if I should speak,
Your silent step must wake across the hall;
If I should turn my head, that your sweet eyes
Would kiss me from the door.- So short a time
To teach my life its transposition to
This difficult and unaccustomed key/The room is as you left it; your last touchA thoughtless pressure, knowing not itself
As saintly- hallows now each simple thing;
Hallows and glorifies, and glows between
The dust's grey fingers like a shielded light."
�3
Memories of you flashed through my mind. Questions never
answered came to me. I though of that first sweet-pea and wished
that I had kept it.
"That first sweet-pea! I wonder where it is.
It seems to me I laid it down somewhere ,
And yet ,- I am not sure. I am not sure,
Even, if it was white or pink; for then
'Twas mu ch like any other flower to me,
Save that it was the first . I did not know,
Then that it was the last. If I had knownBut then, it does not matter . Strange how few ,
After all's said and done , the things that are
Of moment."
sometimes wonder if it really happened , or if it was
question if I really loved you or pe rhaps it was too short
feel love and caring as we felt it. But in my heart I know
because we couldn't have dreamed somethin g as beautiful
Living this love was beauty .
a dream .
to really
it was real
as our love.
"After all , my erstwhile dear,
My no longer cherished,
Need we say it was not love,
Just because i t perished?"
It has been a year now that you have been gone. My memories of
you are as clear as when we were together. There are no sweet-peas
this year although I picture you in your flowe r garden .
"And while your head was bent I kissed your hair , "
Only now I am dreaming ; reliving my past with you, but April will
never be the same .
Song of Second April
"April this year, not otherwise
Than April of a year ago,
Is full of wispers, full of sighs,
Of dazzling mud and dingy snow;
Hepaticas that pleased you so
Are here again, and butterflies .
There rings a hammering all day ,
And shingles lie about the doors;
In orchards near and far away
The grey wood -pecker taps and bores;
And men are merry at their chores,
And children earnest at their play .
The larger streams- run still and deep,
Noisy and swift the small brooks run;
Among the mullein stalks the sheep
Go up the hillside in the sun,
Pensively, - only you are gone,
You that alone I cared to keep."
·
"I had you and I have you now no more."
�4
BEYOND SISTERHOOD:
"Gayer Than Thou" at the New England Conference
by Judi Stein
The Lesbian rap at the New England Gay conference had a significance and a lesson far different than its anticipate d results. As a feminist
and a Lesbian, I (like most women there) had expected the rap to be a
place of loving and joyful sharing among women. I eagerly awaited that
good -time high called sisterhood. What happened instead upset me into
realizing that like any other idealogy, in order to be politically viable,
feminism must be open to growth and evaluation.
At the rap the women present broke down into small rap groups to
discuss the topic 'If when and but I call myself a Lesbian, what do I
mean?'. The rap group I was in moved far from the topic, and it was the
process of our discussion that pushed me farther in my analysis of my
feminism . While our conclusions were not new with us, they are critically
important to the feminist movement. Hopefully, what I have to share
now might aid in the feminist growth of other sisters.
My rap group talked about power , on all levels (political, social,
personal etc .). The discussion was rapid-fire and heated, the disagree ments very intense. Women were interrupting each other , being angry
with each other, feeling dumped on by each other . One sister was so
upset by the tone and heat of the rap, and the lack of sisterhood (more
on that word later) that she left the room to go and cry. As the allotted
time for the workshop ended, the other raps came back in. We listened to
reports of their small raps, and some women left to go to the next event .
Some of us sta y ed to talk some more, and to try and figure out why we
were so upset and surprised by what had happened.
And I think it was from the examination of some of these expectations and our surprise that they were not met that I (and many others
there) learned. Most of us wen t into that rap expecting a reiteration of
our sister ly feelings. After all, not only were we all women, we were all
Lesbians . And we all remembered with fondness the first time we were
with a group of women and fe lt that rush that comes from recognizing
our commonalities. Sisterhood to me (and I think I was not along)
meant that smiling loving high of being with other women.
What we learned from each other at our post-mortem rap, was
that sisterhood (that good -timey feeling) is not any kind of force for
reform / revolutio n on any serious level. It is a (big) first step, but sisterhood itself is not any kind of end . Tho se of us who are committed to
women (whether we are Lesb ians or not) must move past good feelings
for each other (especially the uncritical, ind iscriminate feeling that all
women are our sisters) if we are able to begin to formulate the planslor
change. We have learned to be sup port ive and caring for each other, now
we need to learn to argue, to be critical, to disagree and disl ike each
other when those things are necessary. We need to learn tactics and
theory and how to get and use power on what ever level we choose to
�5
work. We ne ed t o learn h ow t o co nfront on e anot her wi t ho ut tr ash ing,
and we need t o argue and thin k ou rselves a fe minist t heor y tha t wi ll carr y
us beyond th e loosely based coll ec ti vity of sist erho od .
What I learn ed at that painf u l rap (and th e joy ous pos t -mor t e m) is
that our growth as a movemen t is long over d ue. We know ma ny ways
that we are alike, but we need to learn our differenc es (both political and
personal) so that we may continu e t o move forw ard in a stru ggle th at is
based on knowledge and strengt h as well as love and joy . We need to
rethink ou r po sitions and develop a th eo ry ab out a fem inis t f utu re so
that we can mov e from vision t o reality .
SODOMY REPEAL
The following testimony was pr esented on March 20 , 1974 at the State
House in Boston in support of H.2601 , a bill to repeal our ancient sex laws.
Dear Senators and Represen tatives of the Judiciary Committee :
Speaking in support of H. 260 1, it would appear that Massachusetts
is behind its reputation . Chapte r 272 is used against homosexuals , although
these laws are not homosexual laws per se. It is an historical fact that
American attitudes towards homosexuality are the exception , not the rule.
With the possible exceptions of Hitler ian Germany and certain Communist
nations , America's attitudes , and the laws that accompany such attitudes ,
are among the LEAST tolerant , more inhumane, and harsher than any in
the world. Do you know that the penalty for sodomy is greater than the
penalty for second degree murder in the state of Geo.rg
ia?
On the other hand , Napoleon abolished the very laws that you are
now considering 164 years ago in 1810 . France has not fallen 1 Before the
turn of the 20th century, the Napoleon ic principle has been followed and
adopted in such nations as Belgium, Holland , Denmark , Sweden , Norway,
Switzerland, Spain , Greece, Mexico, Brazil, and even in the home of the
Pope's, Italy. In non -Judaeo-Christian nat ions that are free of AngloSaxon law, consensual homosexual acts are virtually never mentioned in
the legal statutes, and never have been .
Even the other Anglo-Saxon nation, Great Britain , saw fit to abolish
its similar laws in 1967 following the recommendations of the Wolfenden
report. Will you continue to respond to fear , the fear within yourselves, of
the fears of what your constitutents may be thinking, or will you take a
step for humanity that so many other legislatures have already taken .
The United States and Germany are the only two single Western nations
who continue to have the anti-sex laws on the books, and Germany's laws
date only from Hitler aftar having been abolished for a period of time . It
was American and British influence during occupation that prevented the
Germans from reforming these laws in the 1950's.
In 1961 Illinois repealed similar laws, and for the past two years other
states have been repealing their laws against acts between consenting
adults . So called offenders are not subject to the value judgements and
biases of various law enforcement offices, and various legislatures , and
the lives of too many are broken and end in tragedy. I urge you to put an
end to this fear for all citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Sincerely, John Lawrence
�6
" The da ys of women aski ng politel y for a crumb of human
dignity are ove r. "
- Robin Morgan
They have taught me to mutila te my body
to pull out hair that belongs
and push on powders and colors and cremes
that do not belong .
They have shown me how to make
a mockery
of my beautiful face
by covering it with a
plastic mask .
They have plucked me from my sisters
chanting , chanting ,
she's black and you're white
she's old and you're young
she's gay and you 're straight
she's feminine and you 're feminist .
They have estranged me
from the sister I should be closest
to - my mother , who parrots their values
and hates me for not being a lady.
For how can I be a lady
when the hair under my arms
grows wild like a field of
marijuana weeds 7
They have told me God is a Man.
I have become an atheist.
They have raped me and then forced
me to genuflect before phallus power.
My reaction now is amputation .
They have said the women 's movement has
made me lose my sense of humor .
Dear Jesus , where can I find it 7
In jokes about my big tits 7
Or in jokes about my juicy cunt 7
Decisions, decisions.
A woman 's work is never done .
They have put me in jails where
the stench of sexism
made me retch till every
pore of my body breathed
kill, kill.
Slowly I have gone through the metamorphosis
of rejection of political oppression .
The catepillar does not
change into the butterfly overnight .
It takes a
struggle
to break
out
of the cocoon .
- Mary Rita Woodward
�7
Workshops
As part of D.O.B.'s feeling of wantin g to share with our sisters, we are
conducting four workshops in learning.
We are not trying to comp ete with adult education sessions, but are
trying to share some information we have attained .
The sessions will be given by four D.O.B. members who have interests in
these areas:
CARPENTRY / ELECTR !CITY
HOUSE Plant s and Garden ing
HEALTH
PHOTOGRAPHY
Regist ration fee for these sessions is $5 or $1 .50 per session. The classes
will last about two hours each.
Carpentry/electricity - Fri. Apr il 19, 7 :30p m office
1 . Lamp re-wir ing
2. Replacing fuses
3 . Fixing sockets
4 . Overloading sockets
5. How much wood to buy for a project
6. What tools are necessary.
Bring questions on problems you are having in your home or apartment
in carpentry or electricity .
Health- Friday April 26, 7:30 at office
Discussion of health matters of concern to women :
1. How to know when you are getting a good physical examination.
2. How we as lesbians can transmit infections to one another.
3 . When to douche and when not to douche .
4 . Do ing your own monthly breast examinat ion .
Photography - Saturday, May 4th, 10:30 outside office.
The group will be spending a couple of hours in the Boston Common
being instructed on how to take pictures in composition .
The follow ing Wednesday (May 8, 7 :30 at office )Terry will develop
these pictures and will discuss them with the group .
Saturday May 11th, 10 :30am - the group will go on another field trip
applying what they have learned the previous time.
Wednesday May 15th, 7 :30 office there will be a discussion again .
A small fee will be charged for the developing paper used.
Bring only plus X film. Although only black&white film can be used
(because of processing costs) any theories learned can apply to eiJher
color or black and white film .
Plant care and Gardening, Fri. May 24th 7:30 office.
Discussion on:
1. propagating
4.
2. germinating
5.
3. soil types
6.
Bring ailing plants if temperature
have on plant care.
plant types
books to consult
plant feeding
permits and any questions you may
�8
CALENDAR
-419
APRIL 1974
DAUGHTERS of BILITIS
Boylston St ., Rm. 323, Boston, Mass. 02116617 262-1592-
AII D.O.B. events are open to all women regardless of the ir membership
in D.O .B.
TUESDAYS , 7 :30 pm Rap session on being gay. Share feeling s about
being gay, everyone welcome . There are always
many new people every week . At the D.O.B.
office , near the Arlington MBTA stop , between
A rlingt on & Berkeley sts.
ion for lesbian mothers, and phone-in
WEDNESDAYS, 7 :30 pm Rap sess
tim E for lesb ian mothers . Mothers with grown
:
children in vited to share with other mothers .
At off ice.
THURSDAYS,
8 pm
Rap session for older gay women. No ages are
defined . Come if it sounds right for you.
At offic e.
THURSDAYS , 9-10 pm GAY WAY Radio program WBUR-FM, 90 .9 .
SUNDAYS , 10 :30 - 11am CLOSET SPACE radio program,
WCAS- AM 740 .
WEDNESDAYS , 1st & 3rd, 8pm, GAYBREAK radio program,
A M HERST, WMUA - FM 91 .9 .
SUNDAYS , 2-4pm
STARTING
Women's Basketball and Swim, Cambridge
YWCA , 7 Temple St . (Central Sq.) Cambridge .
75ri ball, 25ri swim . Not a D.O.B. event.
APRIL 9 RAPS WILL COST 504' non-members and
254' to members.
MONDAY, April 15, 8pm MASS . REACTION
"Sexual Equality"
Channel 7
MON., Ap ri l 15 Business Meeting at D.O.B. of fice, 7 :30pm.
TUES . Ap ri l 16 - POETRY RAP in addit ion to regular rap. Come and
share your s.
FR I. , Ap ri l 19
Instruct ions on Electricity & Carpentary at
off ice 7 :30 (see article- this month) .
FRI - SAT . Ap ri l 19 & 20 : Maine Gay Symposium at the Univ . of Maine .
Sponsored by the Wilde-Stein Club , Memorial
Un ion, U of Maine, Orono , Me. $5 .00 registration
fee. Registration is 6 :30-8pm Friday at Memorial
Unio n . See flyer at office .
�9
FRI -SAT. April 19-21 RUTGERS Univ . Homophile League presents its
4TH Annual Conference on Gay Unity . Speakers
include Barbara Gittings , Del Martin, Elaine Noble .
$4.00 reg. fee with reg. Friday 9 :00 am. Free
housing-Bring sleeping bag. See flyer in office.
MONDAY,
April 22
FOCUS Meeting 7 :30pm at D .O.B. office.
THURSDAY , April 25 Homoph ile Community Health Service sponsors
its 2ND ANNUAL CONF . ON HOMOSEXUALITY .
Among the speakers will be Dr. Howard J . Brown ,
M.D., Professor of Public Administration at New
York Un iv. He was also a member of Mayor John
Lindsay's Administration, as Health Serv:ces Com missioner . He is the founder of the National Gay
Task Force . Also, E. Carolyn Innes; founder of
the Gay Nurse's Alliance. Fees for individ uals is
$15.00; STUDENTS $10.00 and groups (5 or more
persons from same agency-$10.00. Old West Church,
131 Cambr idge St., Boston . (Near Mass. General
Hosp. and Gov't . Center)ContactJohn
Lawrence,
R.N ., Chairperson HCHS , 4 19 Boy ls. St ., Rm. 403 .
FRIDAY , Ap ri l 26
Lessons in Health at D.O.B . office 7:30pm .
FRI.-SUN . Ap ril 26 -28 The Women's Weekend to Celebrate Spring.
Stahahey Camp in New York . $9 for the weekend.
Raps, workshops, exercise, instruction. Contact
Women's weekend, c/ o Willa Bickham, 26 S. Mount
St ., Baltimore , Md. See flyer in office.
SAT. MAY 4
)
)
Photog raphy Field Trip, Boston Common .
Meet at office 10 :30 am.
WED. May 8
Photography discussion 7 :30pm at office .
THURSDAY,-SUN . May 9-12 Ann Arbor Gay Community will sponsor a
Spring Cont. in Ann Arbor, Michigan . Forum for
Gays to react to the Am. Psychiatric Assoc . position .
Housing provided, bring sleeping bag. Reg 8am Thurs.
Thurs. May 9 in Michigan Union. see flyer . i_noffice.
SAT .,- May 11
FIELD TRIP - PLACE to be determined by group.
Meet at 419 Boylston 10 :30pm
WED ., May 15
Photo di scussion on processed film, 7:30pm office .
SUN May 12
.
By-Law Meeting to vote on proposed By-Laws .
Also starting at 5:30 POTLUCK DINNER &
BUSINESS MEETING All at St. John's Church.
33 Bowdoin St., Boston
MAY15
BANNER CONTEST ENDS
(over)
�10
FRI., May 24
House Plants & Gardening 7 :30 pm at office .
End of May or
Bg. of June
1st NAT'L WOMEN'S MUSIC FESTIVAL IN
URBANA: Champaign, Illinois . Examine women
in music . See flyer in office.
PLANS FOR WOMEN'S CONFERENCE:
At the New England Gay Conference held on March 15 -17,
beginning plans were made for organizing a women's conference to
occur later this year . Two planning meetings were held at the con ference , and a group of about 30 women gave their names as contact
persons.
Ten tat ively, the conference will be held October 11-14, at a
place to be dec ided as soo n as possible. Many of the women present
(about 100 at the first meeting) were very enthusiastic about the
idea of a conference which would involve lesbians from all over
New England or (better still) from throughout the country . A number of exciting possibilities emerged : workshops ranging from the ar
arts to relationships to political concerns ; the use of talent from
within the lesbian community to provide all services needed (such
as food) and the idea of creating a lesbianr esource booklet to be
distributed after the conference. The event seems to be emerging as
a celebration of lesbianism, rather than being limited to a series of
workshops.
In order to begin involving as wide a spectrum of women as
possible, we (a core group of several women from the Boston area)
have sent fliers to women's groups throughout the country, asking
for their suggestions and active participation. On the local level,
about 80 invitations to the first official planning session have been
limited to groups in New England, and to women who attended the
New England Gay Conference and requested information.
This meeting will be held from 10 :00 to 1 :00 , Saturday morning, April 6 , at Old West Church, 131 Cambridge St ., Boston. Any
women who are interested in making a serious commitment to help
plan the conference are invited .
If you can't attend, but are interested in planning or have any
suggestions about workshops, speakers , etc., please let us know! The
mailing address is:
Box 2000
c/ o GCN
22 Bromfield St .
Boston, Ma. 02108
Additional planning meetings will be scheduled on a regular
basis in months to come, at locations where other women's or gay
group s already have scheduled conferences. Watch FOCUS for
further news!!
�11
REVIEW :
PORTRAIT OF A MARRIAGE
(Atheneum
- Nigel Nicolson
Press, NY , 1973 $10. ) review
by Gerry Azzata
In Portrait of a Marriage, Nigel Nicol son write s about the 50-year long marriage of his parent s, Vita Sac kvi lle-West and Harold Nicolson .
At first glance, it seems to be the "model marriage" for the early
1900's - young, wealthy, aspiring diplomat Harold and young, wealthy,
aspiring poet V ita. But then, complications arise : y ears after the death
of his parents, Nigel Nicols on d iscovers his mother's journal, written
during the eight year of the marriage . Th ro ugh the journal and other
sources, he finds that both of his paren t s ha d carrie d on a series of
homosexual affairs throug hout their marriage, and that their own
relationship was punctuat ed by a series of separations, and an absence
of sexual contact with each other after the first three years. A nd yet
I came away from reading this excellent book with the feelin g that
Vita and Harold were ba sically happy together, and that their relationship was a loving one. It is the handling of the tension of their
bisexuality, and the ir ability to ma intain respect for each other's independence, that makes Vita and Harold's story so fascinating and so ·
moving .
Nigel Nicolson has included Vita's entire journal of 1920, an d
this definitely is the high poi nt of the book. On ly once did Vita con sider leaving Harold permanently - during her long affair w ith Violet
Trefusis, which is described in this journal. Vita struggles with her
lesbian feelings, which have been a part of her experience sin ce chil dhood. She sees them as the darke r side of hers el f .
" I see now that my wh ole curse has been a dual ity with
which I was too weak and too self-i ndulgen t to struggle .... I admit
everything, to my shame , bu t I have never pretended to have
anything other than a base and desp icabl e character."
Vita and Violet briefly run away together, away from their
quickly -pursuing husbands. When the four confront each other, Vita
returns home with Harold, and V iolet goe s with her own husband . Af
After this crisis, V ita had m any affairs with other women, but her
relationship with Harold rema ine d a constant . Although sh e spe nt
months at a time living with such lovers as Virginia Woolf, she ine vit ably would return to Harold.
The story raises many important questions. In a different society
would Vita have felt less guilt about her lesbian feelings and leaving
Harold? Was it just security that kept her w ith Harold? Eventually,
Vita led a highly schizophrenic exist enc e. All of her passionate fee lings
were reserved for her women lovers; but her commitments were reserved
for Harold . Was Vita merely a confu sed product of post -Victoria n
times, or was there a solid basis, beyond security, for her relationship
with Harold ? Nigel Nicolson bel ieves that V it a and Harold eventually
achieved peace together . I can't help but wonder what happened to
Vita's anger at her own feeling s, and I would like to have read mor e
about Ha ro ld's relationships with oth er men.
(continued)
�12
(REVIEW continued,
PORTRAIT OF A MARRIAGE
But, beyond these nagging questions, there is an issue that reaches
me , as a lesbian, very deeply . How do we, as women loving women,
deal with the whol e issue of fidelity and infidelity? Is fidelity physical
or emotional? And how do we maintain commitments if our romantic
feelings are going in more than one direction? Portrait of a Marriage
answers none of these questions for me, altho ugh 1t does give a solution
that worked for two people . For that reason, as well as others,
Port ra it of a Marriage makes beautiful reading.
Dawn
In fantasy, I reach for you
and where you lay , I lie,
recalling your firm skin
soft breasts and fragrant hair
my dreams possess
the comforts love should share.
To Dr . R.-The sea bird's cry
sinks between the waves
as waves return and break
upon the sand .
Lady, I watch
the closing of the tide
and fear the love
that washes through my hands .
Gay Ladies
0 my gay ladies
with your shirts and pants
how good you look
be5ide so many
m ade up make up women.
- by Paula Bennett
seasons
b y M .z.
it's not as though
I don't
think of you every minute
February sitting
at a window-traced
sunshine place
and it's like springtime
when we first
talked. it can still
touch me like
soft middle aged women
rem em beri ng.
every season
salts
it just grows
quieter.
I'm not the type
to read old letters or
yellowed photographs
but even Fall's
leaves now can
swiftly
crush me .
�13
ANNOUCEMENTS
From Attorney General Robert H.
Quinn's letter to Anthony Scalli,
Chairman of the State House Co . on
Commerce and Labor: "Passage of
H.2601 would open the floodgates for
other laws on sexual conduct which
would do irreparable harm to our
society and eventually erode the
foundations of the family unit . ... I
feel that our primary concern as
public officials should be to protect
the family and the young rather than
endorsing a license for abnormal
sexual conduct."
Boulder Gay - Liberation, Inc . is
fighting for a gay civil rights bill
pending before their city council and
wi 11be voted on by the people May 7.
This is the first time a gay civil rights
issue has gone to the vote of the
people . Money is needed to combat
the opposition which has mounted a
campaign to recall each council member who voted in favor of the bill.
Please send whatever you can to :
Georgia Borgens, 4977 Moorhead Av .
#314, Boulder, Colorado 80303 .
"Gay Health Night" Physicians
needed for a "Gay Health Night"
sponsored by the Homophile
Community Health Service. If
free Wednesdays, 6:30-9:00p .m.,
call the Fenway Community
Health Center, 18 Haviland St .,
Boston or call 267-7573.
Coming - fuchoanalysis
and
Feminism by Juliet Mitchell,
lecturer and teacher at the University of Buffalo, will be released
April 30 '74 for $8.95 through
Pantheon. Ms. Mitchell's book
examines the analysis of sexual ity, feminity and the family in
the works of Freud and others
suggesting conditions which
could lead to the overthrow of
the patriarchial culture.
Republican Platform Hearings.
Senator Bob Hall has invited the
Republican Platform Committee
to hold hearings in Northern
Worcester County. Hearings,
open to anyone who would like
to testify on any plank they would
like to see included in the Mass.
Republican Platform, are scheduled for April 16 at 7 :30 p.m. Franco-Americans Veterans' Hall,
Winter St., Leominster. For info .
call 345-2888.
FOCUS Note : This is the 1st
opportunity for gays to speak
out to the Republican Party in
Massachusetts.
Gay Families . The Case Western
Reserve University Institute on the
Family and Bureaucratic Society is
undertaking an in-depth study of
personal contracts made by individu als prior to or after establishing a gay
household for developing arguments
which are likely to fall within the
"Public Policy" interpretations made
by jurists. Researchers especially interested in the economics of partner - .----------------ships without written contracts . W
Write: Marvin B. Sussman, Director,
IFBS Haydn Hall, Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, Ohio 44106 .
HELP! I've room for a-capable soul
(or two) interested in simple life
style, large garden, handy crafts, low
expenses, Mild climate. Karen
Guerin, P. 0 . Box 116, Malabar,
Join Dignity, a National group of
Florida. 32950 .
gays. Write: 755 Boylston #514, Boston.
ADS
�14
WAKING UP SLEEPING BEAUTY
by J.S.
The lesbian re-telling of Sleepin g Bea uty is first and foremost a very
funny piec e of work. You re membe r the thirteenth, uninvited fairy?
Ostensibly left out because of a shortage of china, she is actually left out
of the christening feast - as the new version of the story makes clearbecause of her butch ha ir-cut, ma sc uline walk, agressive manners, and
generally dykey peculiarities! The thirteenth-fairy-as-dyke
stomps in a
satisfying way through the story, and lends the whole an air of delightful
absurdity. And when th e beautiful princess falls asleep under the
injuction not to wake up until kissed by her "own true love ," we watch
with satisfaction as man after m an kisses her without effect, and it the
touch of ano the r woman which at last awakens her .
Aside from the shee r humor and fun of the thing, I found that for
m e this lavender version crack ed wide open the archetypal implications of
the old fairy tale . You hav e your beautiful, innocent young girl, blessed
with all the gifts of nature and education, and because of her parents' folly
she falls under a harsh se ntence : she will prick her finger on a spinning
needle and die . Or, an yw ay, fall asleep for a hundred years until rescued
by the princ e in shining armour. She will prick her finger and die - that is,
her first sexual experience will kill her. The fall from maidenly innocence
will hav e th e same results as that fir st fall from innocence in Eden : death
will come into the world . Sex kills. Th e little princess' life had held
nothing but hope and promise (look at all those gifts from the godmothers)
until her parents offend a deity, who responds with a curse (the sins of
the parent s shall be visited upon the children, yea, unto the tenth genera tion.) The deitie s are offended, everybody is checked out of Eden and
so mebody say s: Let there be sex. Sh e shal l prick her finger on a spinning
needle and di e.
But no. The king and queen will burn all the spinning wheels, do
their best to keep the princess in an environment purged of sex. If sex is
dreadful and dangerous an d fatal (in Adam's fall, we sinned all; everybody
knows how awful sex is; look what happened the first time they tried it),
we will stamp out sex . Young girl s will be protected from all contact with
spinning needles, kept in fortress -like castles, kept in such ignorance that
when they do see the inevitable spinning needle (you can't really stamp out
sex) they won't even know what it is, or what dangers it may hold . They
will be sittin g ducks, and they will get their fingers pricked every time
(with no birth control either, you can bet) . That first experience, that first
prick, will be a traumatic and nearly fatal event. Incomplete, really. The
princess will sleep and sleep and sleep, because God forbid she should enjoy
sex, or be alive in her body , before the ide al, idealized, romantic prince in
shining armour shows up. The one perfect knight, the ideal romantic
partner , is the only one who can and should rouse her from her slumber.
Women are not supposed to enjoy sex, even know about sex, or respond
to their bodie s at all, until su ddenly this one perfect partner appears on
the scene .
�15
The story of Sleep ing Beauty conta ins all the element s of sexual
and sensual oppression which women have suffered under from Day One .
Sex is looked upon as a fatal experience, from which young girls are to be
protected by an enforced and ignorant chastity . The passivity and lack of
response which are idealized in women are represented by the hundred
y_ars' sleep, and our culture's emphasis on the one ideal, romantic
e
(marriage) partner is seen in the p icture of the single worthy, brave,
virtuous, boy scoutish prince who wakens her with his kiss. A woman is
not supposed to have any sexual response on her own account. She remains
torpid, unawakened, sexually speaking ASLEEP, until the hu sband-to-be
comes along, when she is supposed to awaken magically and become ,
presto! change! passionately responsive to h im and him alone . Small
wonder that many a sleeping beauty remains sleeping, and even the
brave prince can't manage to wake her up. She stays asleep; she has
been taught too well, and frigidity is the price she pays. The
ignorance, the fear (of that fatal f irst experience), the godawful
passivity and sensual unresponsiveness which Western civilization
has cultivated and exalted as the model of feminity, are all right here
in this fairy tale. I like the idea in the new gay version of a woman
being awakened by another woman , when a man has failed to
possess the touch and the love which will teach her how to respond
sexually : ultimately, however , the tale can't be made to suit us, as
lesbians, either . The somnolent asexuality deliberately fostered in
Sleeping Beauty is something we just don't want to put on women
any more. It is time to wake up to our bodies. I suggest we write
yet another fairy tale, one in which the princess doesn't have to
fall asleep (lose touch with her own sexuality) at all, but instead can
enjoy loving, sensual experiences without waiting a hundred years .
(Sleeping Beaut y: A Les bian Fair y Tal e, Sojourner
432 Moreland Ave N.E., Atlanta , Ge o rgia 30307)
T ruth Press ,
"What do you think?"
I surprised myself
when I didn't recognize
your voice over the phone
after loving you
all this time .
I wonder if I'd do better
if it came
to recognizing your touch 7
- by Desi Seagull
�16
March 14, 1974
Dear FOCUS,
Well CONGRATULATIONS
on going from the shitty little job you usually
are to a SHITTIER category. What the hel l happened to Y OU this month?
What the hell was that mess on the cover supposed to be - a girl with a book
o n her head? How could old Bidwell bear to have her name seen on it ?
I really crack up laughing when I see you put in deadlines for the next issue it implies that you take time to put it together but it sure doesn't look it. FOCUS
is a big void . Can 't you get any more fictional-poetry
material. How about just
having the newspaper staff or DOB membership write personal coming out sagas,
how abo ut ph otos - of the office, of the backs of people (if they can't to have
their mug s in print. Do something. Christ , you've got a real rag there.
You sho uldn't m ak e it so small. I slithered into Gene Salerno's joint the other
day in my usual closety w ay and I had to look, catually look at books before I
co uld fin al ly see that FOCUS DID come in . Fo r me FOCUS has all the appeal of a
cu m q uat ( I k now th at's not a bad fruit but the name sou Ids .. .. it gives my
state ment imagery.
So o.k. I'm cursing the darkness. But i'm only o ne person and not noted for
litera ry talen ts but you do have a staff there and with so many people you should
have a better outp ut.
What I'm going to do is write a story for yez and hope it gets printed. See yer
next month (maybe). In the meantime get something doing there. I don't see any
m ore editor -letters. You could have a q uestion and answer sensationalism column .
Well anyway FOCUS is blahhhh , beechhh P.U .
- S. Rosati
STAFF NOTE: We would be glad to receive the story you mentioned . We haven't
printed any letters because we haven't gotten any. We are glad to get some
feedback, and would welcome more letters.
1) written after re-reading old poems
Looking back 'on the spiral that is my growth
I say "My my , how I 've grown' "
And pinch my rosy cheeks.
2) Melancholia oh yes, a drink of 2 parts grief
1 part nostalgia
poisonous in large doses .
I have been drinking a swallow a day
for several years.
it does nothing to me anymore
except for a temporary loss of illusions
24 hours, lots of rest and 2 aspirin fix me just fine
- Judi Stein
�99999999999999999999999999999
i
GOOD
GAY BUTTON
a nd
BOOK S
S
~
~
~
HomophileCommunity Health 9
9
ServiceBookstore
9
419 Boylston St ., 4th Floor
~
RING NITE BELL 4 TIMES
Monday-Thurs. 6-9pm
9
9
9
~
i
~
WANT TO
ADVERTISE
IN FOCUS?
9
IN STOCK -
9
RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE
~
Judy Grahm's poetry
9
9
9
9
9
~
9
9
9
$5
~
½ page $10
9
9
9
¼ page
Full page $20
9
9
~
~
9
9
Send to
9
D.0.B.
Room 323
419 Boylston Street
Boston , Ma . 02116
We will do exchange ads with
ot her publications .
9
~
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
99999999999999999999999999999
PAID MY DUES
QUARTERLY
JOURNAL
of
WOMEN & MUSIC
Canadian lesbian-feminist
newspaper
Woman's Soul Publishing Inc.
Box 5476
Milwaukee WI .
53211
$4/yr. U.S.
$4.50 Beyond
~'--------
Subs criptions :
$5 .00 / yr.- individuals
$7 .00/yr. -i nstitutions
Box 161
Station E
Montreal H2T3A_7
Quebec, Canada
----
----'
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 April
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-04
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Identifier
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THP-0011-focus-197404
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journal
FOCUS women
for
a
gay
◄ Joan of Arc
Visionary,
Military Leader
& Witch
/
(
·
Sojourner Truth
Former Slave,
Abolitionist & Fem inist
Lucretia Mott•
Feminist & Abolitionist
June '74
BOSTON DAUGHTERS of Bl LITIS
60<t
�FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
JUNE 1974
FOCUS is publish ed monthly by
Boston Daughter s of Bilitis, Room
323, 419 Boylston St ., Boston,
Mass. 02116 .
Copyright 1974 by Daught ers of Bilitis,
Boston, Mass.
Subscriptions are $5 / year, samples
60<i. Giv e us your zip numb er . If
you move , let us know : the post offic e
will not forward 3rd class mail to you .
Thi s publication is on fil e at th e
Int ern ational Wom en 's Hi story A rchive,
2325 Oak St ., Berk eley, Cal if . 94708 . It
is availabl e on microf i lm fr o m Bell & How ell ,
Woost er, Ohio to Octob er 1971 an d fr o m
IWHA from Oct . 71 on .
FOCUS STAFF :
reviews : J .S.
new s: Laura Ro bin
f eatures : Wendy Bauman,
ed iting : Janin e Berni er
adv.&dist .: Cathy Bak er
cover : Geri Bidw ell
typ e: Lois Hurst
layout: Terri Lattimor e
production: Geri B. & fri ends
staff: Gerry Azzata,Peg, Maggy
DEADLINE
for JULY : June 20
FOCUS welcomes contribu t ion s from
everyon e, including drawin gs. Includ e
SASE for return. All lett ers mu st be
signed, but nam es can be withh eld
for publ ica t ion .
In this issue
News . .. .. . .. . ... . .. . .. . 1,2,3
Monday Nite Raps . . .. . . . .. .. 7
Conference '74 . . .. . . ... .. .. 14
DOB Calendar .. . . . . .. .. . . . . 8
Letter to FOCUS . ....
.. . ...
. 4
Features
COMING OUT :
in the fifties ...
by Lois Johnson . . . . . . . 10
in the seventies ...
by Judi Stein . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
" It's Alright Ma, I'm only Dyin"
by Judi Stein . . .. .. . . . . . ...
6
Poems
'Noble Hour' by Jim .. . .
2 untitled poems
by Paula Bennett .. . . ..
Untitled by Judi Stein . . .
Growing Old in America
by Paula Bennett . . . . . .
Rita Mae by Liane Esstelle
.. . . . 5
.... . 7
. . .. 14
Review
. . . . 15
. . . . 15
Ann Aldrich :
A Lesbian's Best Frienrl7
by Ger ry Azzata. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
�As the world turns ...
l.nhi,111 Nati1111 by Jill Johnston.
.
nut in Touchstone
$2.C/5.
paperback
is
for
Larry Bernier will be ordained
formally as minister in the Universal
Fellowship of Metropolitan Communit y Churches on June 2. 7pm,
Old West Omrch. 131 Cambridge
St .. Boston. The Rev . Troy Perr y
will preside. All are welcome.
The New York State Coalition of
Gay Organizations is coordinating a
statewide effort to repeal the N. Y.
sodomy law, S. 130.38. A poll of
New Yorkers will be conducted.
A Texas Gay Conference will be
held in Ft. Worth June 21-23.
Information is available from P.O.
Box 7318, Ft. Worth, Texas 76111.
Northwestern Bell Telephone Company has changed its policy of not
hiring homosexuals as a result of an
anti-discrimination
ordianance
enacted in Minneapolis, home of
the firm. (Advocate, May 8, 1974).
Members of the American Psychiatric Association voted 58% to 38%
to uphold the board of trustees'
ruling to remove homosexuality
from the list of mental sicknesses.
(Advocate, May 8, 1974).
Maine gubernatorial
Republican
candidate James Erwin said he did
not support the Univeristy of Maine
trustees' decision to allow the Maine
Gay Conference to be held on
Campus. "l don't feel motivated to
help you in your fight," he said.
(The Maine Campus, April 26,
l C/74).
Male Homos exua ls: Their Probl ems
and Adaptations is a new book
written by two members of the
Institute for Sex Research (Kinsey
Institute). It is based on answers to
questionnaires by 1000 men in the
U.S. and 1,400 men in Denmark
and the Netherlands . The authors
are Martin Weinberg and Colin
Williams. The cost is $10. 95. (N. Y.
Times. May 19, 1974)
GAY ACADEMIC UNION
Planning for next Thanksgiving's
Second Annual Conference of the
Gay Academic Union is already
underwa y and information is available by writing: GAU, Box 1479,
Hunter College, New York, N.Y.
I0021. The Conference committee
needs papers from individuals that
through original research define
some aspect of gay life. Please send
J copies of submitted papers of not
more than 200 words to the above by
June 15.
AUSTRALIAN WOMAN
LOSES SCHOLARSHIP
Penn y Shorfs scholarship at a
teacher's college was terminated
after a series of events where a
medical questionnaire revelaed her
to be "individualistic". A psychiatrist she spoke openly with · told her
she could keep her scholarship if
she kept her homosexuality quiet,
and upon the publication of a poem
on loving women in the university's
student paper. Penny was told the$
ended
for "medical
reasons."
Demonstrations and meetings are
being held by help Penn y.
�2
As Massachusetts turns ...
On May 13 the only gay rights bill to
be voted upon by roll call received
79 votes in favor and 139 against in
the Massachusetts House. The bill ,
to prevent discrimination in state
civil service jobs, received many
more votes than expected by either
the gay sponsors or the legislative
sponsors, though not enough for
passage.
Last year , the only gay bill to be
voted on in the House received 16
votes. That was a bill to repeal the
sodomy law.
The civil service bill , originally H.
2627, was renumbered H. 5863 after
the Public Service Committee
amended it to allow the civil service
commission to determine when
sexual preference might become a
hindrance to employment . Republican Barbara Gray of Framingham
was responsible for presenting the
bill on the House floor.
Those speaking against the bill were
William Carey (D-Mission Hill,
Boston), William Saltzman (D-New
Bedford), and William Hogan (DEverett). Mr. Saltzman said that in
earlier times the Italians, Irish, etc.
had been at the bottom of the
employment ladder and they worked their way up, so homosexuals
should have to do the same. Mr.
Carey felt that "it is time to see if
something can't be done to legislate
morals ... to protect the youngsters in
the House gallery ... sex isn't the only
reason we were put into this
world.".
Speaking in favor of the bill, Barney
Frank (D-Boston) said, "Homosexuals exist, they are a fact (though
I know that facts are sometimes not
popular in this legislature). There
are three alternatives. Put them all
on welfare, let them hold jobs, or
shoot them .... the group that filed
this bill is not a group asking for
welfar,7, this is a group that wants to
work.
John Brennen (D-Malden) and John
Buckley (D-Abington) also spoke in
favor .
The bill had passed the House by a
voice vote on May 8, when the
representatives apparently did not
know the content of the bill (it was
titled "an act to prohibit discrimination on certain preferences under
the civil service law"). An article
appeared in the Glob e the following
morning about the vote. That
afternoon
Representative
Carey
moved that the vote be reconsidered.
A vote to reconsider preceeded the
actual vote on the bill Monday May
13. Eighteen representatives who
voted not to reconsider, (i.e ., who
voted to retain the favorable voice
vote) voted against the bill itself
after reconsideration prevailed. The
bill lost by 30 votes.
Those votir:g in favor of the bill
were:
YES (Democrats)
AHEARN (Norwood)
BER TONAZZI (Milford)
BOLLING, Sr . (Roxbury)
BOLLING , Jr. (Mattapan)
BRENNAN (Malden)
BROWNELL
(Quincy)
BUCKLEY (Abington)
BUNTE (Roxbury)
BURKE (Natick)
BUSINGER (Brookline)
BUXBAUM (Sharon)
COLLINS (Amherst)
COLO (Athol)
DAY (Lynn)
DELAHUNT
(Quincy)
DiLORENZO
(£. Boston)
DIOTALEVI
(Milford)
DONNELLY
(Dorchester)
DUFFIN (Lenox)
DWINNELL (Millbury)
EARLY. J. (Worcester)
FICCO (Franklin)
GALLUGI (Wakefield)
GARCZYNSKY
(Chicopee)
GUZZI (Newton)
HARRINGTON,
P . (Newton)
KENDALL (Falmouth)
KEVERIAN
(Everett)
KHOURY (Lawrence)
KING, J . (Danvers)
KING, M. (South End)
La FONTAINE
(Gardener)
LANDRY (Waltham)
MAHONEY (Cambridge)
MANNING. D. (Waltham)
�3
YES (Democrats) cont.
YES (Republicians)
MARKEY (Malden)
McCARTHY,
R . (E .Bridg ewater)
McLAUGHLIN
(Billerica)
MOFENSON
(Newton)
MURPHY, P . (Brockton)
MURPHY, J. (Peabody)
NICKINELLO
(Natick)
O ' DONNELL (Salem)
O'NEILL (Cambridge)
OWENS, B . (Mattapan)
OWENS, R . (Framingham)
PICKETT (Somerville)
PIN A (New Bedford)
ROTENBERG
(Brookline)
SEGEL (Brookline)
SMITH (Lynn)
SPENCE (Hingham)
VOLTERRA
(Attleboro)
WEINBER'G (Brighton)
WETMORE (Barre)
WHITE (Dorchester)
AMES (Eason)
BUSSONE (Beverly)
COX (Needham)
DANOVITCH
(Norwo od)
DICKSON (Weston)
GANNETT (Wayland)
GRAY (Framingham)
HATCH (Beverly)
HEALY (Charlemont)
LORING (Acton)
MASNIK (Worcester)
McCARTHY,
T. (Oak Bluffs)
NORDBERG
(Reading)
ROBINSON (Melrose)
SILVA (Gloucester)
SPRAGUE (Sherborn)
SWITZLER (Wellesley)
WALKER (Salisbury)
WILBER (Barnstable)
ZEISER (Wellesley)
Those opposing the bill were:
NO (Democrats)
NO (Republicians)
AGUIAR (Swansea)
ALEIXO (Taunton)
ALMEIDA (Plymouth)
AMBLER (Weymouth)
ANTONELLI
(Tweksbury ASIAF (Brockton)
BALTHAZAR
(Hud so n)
BASSETT (Lynn)
BEVILACQUA
(Haverhill)
BOFFETTf
(Taunton)
BOHIGIAN (Worcester)
BOURQUE (Fitchburg)
BOWLER (Springfield)
BRETT (Quincy)
BUFFONE: (Worcester
BUGLIONE (Methuen)
CAHILL (Salem)
CAIN (Wilmington)
CAMPOBASSO
(Arlington)
CAREY (Mission Hill)
CATALDO (Revere)
CAVAN A UGH (Medford)
CHMURA, R . (Springfield)
CHMURA, S . (Ludlow)
COFFEY, (W . Springfield)
COLLARO (Worcester)
CONNELL (Weymouth)
CONWAY (Malden)
COURY (New Bedford)
CRAVEN (W . Roxbury)
CREIGHTON
(Uxbridge)
CUSACK (Arlington)
DALY, J. (Arlington)
DALY, M. (Brighton)
DEMERS (Chicopee)
DIGNAN (Braintree)
DONOVAN (Chelsea)
DORIS (Revere)
DOYLE (W. Roxbury)
EARLY, E. (Lowell)
FALLON (Clinton)
FANTASIA
(Somerville)
FEENEY (Hyde Park)
FINNEGAN
(Dorchester)
FINNIGAN
(Dorchester)
FLAHERTY,
C. (Cambridge)
FLAHERTY , M . (So. Boston)
FLYNN, P. (Bridgewater)
FLYNN, R . (South Boston)
FRAZIER
(Braintree)
GALLOTTI
(Belmont)
GAUDETTE
(New Bedford)
GRENIER
(Spencer)
GRIMALDI (Springfield)
GRIMLEY (Lawrence)
GULIMETTE
(Lawrence)
BLISS (N. Attleboro)
BLY (Saugus)
BUELL (Boxford)
CAHOON (Harwich)
CHADWICK (Winchester)
COLE (Lexington)
CONNELLY
(Aagaw a m)
DESROCHER
(Nantucket)
ELWELL (W . Newbury)
FREEMAN (Chelmsford)
GILLETTE
(Pembroke)
GRASSO (Shrewsbury)
HARRINGTON,
E. (Holden)
HARRIS (Marblehead)
HOLLAND (Longmeadow)
LONG, C. (Dover)
MacKENZIE
(Wareham)
MORINI (Northampton)
OHLSON (W . Bridgewater)
REYNOLDS
(Northboro)
RY AN (Haverhill)
SHATTUCK (Pepperell)
SHORTELL
(Greenfield)
TOWSE (Stoneham)
TRUDEAU
(Wilbraham)
VELIS (Westfield)
WOODS (Franklin)
YOUNG (Scituate)
HOGAN (E ve rett)
HOWE (Somerville)
HURRELL
(North Andover)
JOYCE (Woburn)
KEARNEY (Hyde Park)
KELLEHER
(Roslind ale)
KITTERMAN
(Pittsfield)
KUSS (Fall River)
LAMBROS (Dracut)
LaPOINTE (Chicopee)
LAPPIN (Springfield)
LeBLANC (New Bedford)
LOLAS (Monson)
LOMBARD (Fitchburg)
LOMBARDI (Cambridge)
LONG, J . (Fall River)
LYNCH (Westfield)
MANNING, J .M. (Milton)
MARSHALL
(Quincy)
MATRANGO
(North Adams)
McCARTHY,
P. (Peabody)
Mc GOW AN (Dedh a m)
McGRATH (Watertown)
McKENNA (Springfield)
MELIA (Brighton)
NASH (Leicester)
NOLEN (Ware)
NORTON (Fall River)
O'BRIEN, J. (Fall River)
ORLANDI (North End)
PECK (Dartmouth)
PERRAULT
(Westford)
PHELAN (Lynn)
PICUCCI (Leominster)
RAPOSA (Somerset)
RONAYNE (Canton)
ROURKE (Lowell)
RUCHO (Worcester)
SCACCIA (Hyde Park)
$CALLI (Charlestown)
SCELSI (l>ittsfield)
SCHNEIDERS
(Canton)
SCLAFANI (Watertown)
SEMENSI (Randolph)
SERRA (East Boston)
SHEA C (Worcester)
SHEA' p' (Lowell)
SOBIL (Lawrence)
STARZEC (Webster)
STUDENSKI
(Brockton)
TOOMEY (Cambridge)
VIGNEAU (Burlington)
VIGNEAU (Burlington)
VIVEIROS
(Fall River)
Those not voting are not listed here.
�4
Dear FOCUS: A Reader Shares Feelings About Roles
Am I a butch , or a femme, or a ba lan ce of both7 All of these are names for
roles, but deciding our true roles in life must be based on our sense of ourselves . " Rol es"
don't exist except as we define them, yet we need some d i rection and sense of identity
in our lives . Our bodies, our minds, our attitudes, all have to be taken into cons ideration
before we can find the roles we are most comfortable with .
Femmes must give themselves c ompletely and unselfishly . They belong with
their lover . Their role is to please : if they are beautiful, the wait to be pleased ; if they
are not, they wait with patience and understanding. Theirs is not a demanding love;
theirs is a giving love, a love which cares and worries. They have a real and true concern
for the women they choose to love .
A butch is a taker who gives only what she can, or what is demanded of her.
Yet she has the strength some femmes depend on ; she is more man than woman. Sh e
prefers straights to gays, and guys to women . She is a truckdriver by definition. She
hates her feminity and discards its trademarks, such as bras and lace. She wears under shirts to make her feel more mannish . These are not bad qualities; they are good for
the butch and for the particular kind of femme who fits her life style (i .e., an ultra feminine femme who wants things done for her, who feels she needs the protection
and domination .) To have healthy and lasting relationships we must start looking for
partners who share our ideals and lifestyles, and stop deciding what our styles
ought !_2~- stop forcing women into roles which aren't right for them . Life is not easy
as it is; forcing some one to change to fit our own particular patterns is not fair, and
can not be justified in the name of "love."
Only the gays have the opportunity
to decide their roles, but how do we go about
it? Do you like to drive? Do you really dig working on the car repairs, flat tires, washing
it, and keeping it in mint condition? Do you like to have some one help you do all this,
or sit and watch, or just leave you alone while you do it and feel your accomplishment
in doing it on your own? Do you enjoy cooking and creating dishes on your own; do
you really fuss to make delicious and smooth gravy or mashed potatoes? Do you enjoy
dishes and pretty things and prettying things up? BE HONEST - or do you do th~
things and like to have help and some one to sharethem with you? Sharing is the
question . Are you a loner or a sharer? Are you in balance, a butch, or a femme? Some
femmes are useless and want to feel that way so that their butches can feel superior.
I am not judging right or wrong; I am telling it like it is. Young or old, we must decide
what we are and stop hurting those who love us.
We should not pass judgement on other people just because we do not choose
their life styles . It takes all kinds; but , of course, no one says you have to be best
friends, or take them home to Mother. Not all of us are in balance, not all of us want
to be, and so we must all learn to live in our gay world acceptin__g
these differences, so
we can have unity in spite of everything . BE what you are, love the kind of person who
wants to be with the kind of person you are , and BE HONEST. Don't make promises or
statements that you don't intend to fulfill. Don't take a woman to bed, try on the shoe,
express your love, and then try to live together forcing her into a lifestyle because in a
moment of love and in the heat of passion she promised she would TO HAVE YOU.
Don't say to a woman whom you claim to love, you must change to suit me and my life
style . Instead look around and find your woman who does fit, and together you can make
life what is is meant to be : beautiful. There is a woman for each of us somewhere. Look
---around and find your love ; don't take someone else's . Don ' t say to yourself , I need someone , or I want someone, say to yourself , I want and need a particular woman, and then
find her , wait for her , or do all you can to get her except taking her from some one else.
But find the one who fits with you ; don't try to force someone to fit into your lifestyle .
It isn't fair to extract promises of changing, because trying to keep passion-promises may
tear up the love you want . Let 's love each other as we are .
Sincerely ,
A Reader
�5
'Noble Hour'
Of Prime Time
numerates the number of raw-hanging nerves
po ssesse d by one
leaderess of leadees
---=----------
marching in tune
_,. ,
~'
to the far-reaching corners
~
c:>c:::;;'<:::::>
of Newbury and Marlbo~
____
y
----
stumping dyke
stomping Bostonian fence-fuckers
to the cheer of community anthem
·
-
a 60 minute special
on the end of Dole-days
red -lettered Roman calendared
wine -free days
~
catch up on
the latest political use
of racism - phone tapping
get your free-bee dates of
scheduled feminist events
around an 18 hour -less-personal connection
call in
Q
O~\J(\
0
tell me what you want to hear,
doll,
\
N
plug your features in
guaranteed blow -ups
in Boston 's pride -
I-?'
. the
~
<\
1J
._,,--..
·
:~
~
L./
infamous nobal global .
complete with ten minutes of
community subheadings
~
..
~
~
"-..,/
-
l ..
"m:_r'-ier:s
daughter"
:::,
-...;::
/
t;
"gay"
sister' '.'
lo''- .._,.
)J~fj
~
z._'\
-t,,..,,;:
~
PAID union supporter"
iN
"mighty oak shaker"
" .foil
"cut -her a piece of pie" ...
During the extended
credentializied
-& <':7
,b
commercial
I tuned you out .
.G\
7/
The whisper of ethics had been so faint
I couldn't hear for the volume.
.~
-
11
Jim"
(ff\)"
-
�6
ed by 'If I don't do it , it won 't get
done. ') And the single reason for
exhaustion (howeve r , it manifests
itself) is that we have not established our limits , our boundaries with
women .
Feminists , as everyone knows,
And passivity really is , in part , a
are self-reliant independent women
lack of adequate boundaries, or an
who have rejected the passivity
invasion (conscious
or not) of
assigned to the female role. And
known boundaries . The resentLesbian Feminists , obviously , are
ment we feel towards our friends
even more aware that they are the
or organizations (and any subseones to take control of their lives .
quent guilt) is something we leave
In forging new roles for ourselves,
ourselves open to by not making it
we (Lesbians , Feminists
and/or
clear (verbally and non-verbally)
Lesbian / Feminists) have rejected
just where our limits lie . The one
the notion that we must be all
thing we owe to each other , as
things to all men. We no longer
Lesbians and human beings , is to
assume that it is necessary for us
to be house-keepers, child-bearers , act with as much honesty as we
can. We owe it to our selve s to
dish-washers or bed-partners for
work at recognizing the boundaries
men , unless we so choose those
of our sisterhood
and to act
roles. But in having given up the
accordingly as much as possible .
'all -things-to-all-men'
role , some
We need to make clear , at the
of us have assumed an even more
risk of offending a stranger or a
insidious sort of burde11- that of
close friend , just what we are
being a sister to all women.
willing to do and when . We must
And the role of everybody's
learn to discard the guilt we are
sister
is perhaps
even more
supposed to feel when we deny
destructive than that of earthsomething to a friend . We have to
mother . It is , perhaps , easier for
recognize the limits of even the
us , as Lesbians , to know where
sisterhood of a close friendship or
our individual boundaries lie with
love relationship.
There will be
men: from 'I will sleep with you but
times when we do not want to
it will not be a primary relationship'
listen to a friend , or go out with
through 'I will have nothing to do
her , or make love with her . We
with you at all , anytime , ever! '. We
must realize that an honest 'no' is
tend to be clearer , at least from
not only an assertion of self , but
moment to moment, as to how and
also an assertion of respect for the
how much
we want
to/ will
genuiness of a relationship and far
respond to demands men make on
better than a grudging or resentful
us. But if our woman-identification
'yes '.
is limitless and without boundaries,
Women who burn-out , drop-out
we will let the very life of us be all
or fade-out of friendships or the
used up.
movement are the visible victims
Most of us somehow struggle to
of the everybody's
sister syna stop at some point before total
drome . In other words 'If I am to be
collapse . We go to one less
truly woman-identified
I must
meeting , chair one less commitrealize that one of the women I
tee , listen to one less woman
identify with is myself. ' If we are to
talking . Or we maintain the pace of
give genuinely and freely to other
our activities , but only half the
women , we need to learn to say
quality . Or we maintain pace and
·eno ugh '. We must learn that
quality but with a growing resentsaying 'no ' can be as hone st and
ment that destroys our actions as
genuine an act of sisterhood as
well as ourselves . (Overcope : an
saying 'yes ' .
egotistical syndrome characteriz"lt.s Alright Ma, I'm Only Dyin' ";
An Essay on Passivity
by Judi Stein
-with thanks to Debby B .-
�7
MONDAY NITE RAPS
NEW TOPIC RAPS
DOB has decided to offer a new
kind of rap as an alternative (or
supplement) to the regular Tuesday night meetings. Where the
Tuesday
raps focus
on the
problems and feelings brought to
the meeting by the individual
women participating,
the idea
behind the new (MONDAY) raps is
to concentrate
on a specific
subject of general interest . Tentative subjects for the June raps are
Transsexualism , Couples , and
Gays in Prison. Discussion will
center around the topic selected
for a given night , and ideas and
feelings
will
be
shared
in
connection with that topic. As
always , the rap will also provide a
time and place to socialize with
DOB friends , a chance to get to
know people better. As the raps
get going, women who participate
will
have the opportunity
to
suggest new issues for future
meetings . STARTING THE FIRST
MONDAY IN JUNE: 7:30 at the
office .
Beneath the double
thickness of your shirt
your breasts are firm
yet soft and your tough
body gentle to my touch0 lady, these are dreams
I have-the pain I feel
is waking and is real.
- Paula Bennett
In the sad and constant sky
the moon completes
her circle
indifferent
to the jagged edge of blood
that her white light
draws from my Iife.
-Paula
Bennett
�8
JUNE
1974
D.O.B. CALENDAR
419 Boylston St., Rm. 323, Boston, Mass. 02116-
---
617 262-1592
All events are open to all women regardless of their membership in D. 0 .8 .
All raps are 50rl for non -members , and 25d for members .
MONDAYS, Starting June , 'Topic Raps' will be held at D .O.B . office .
JUNE 3rd WOMEN IN PRISONS - women from
prison will lead the discussion . See page 13.
June 17th subject : Tr ansexual ism. Probab ly no rap June 1O & 24
TUESDAYS, 7 :30 pm Rap sessionon being gay for women. Share feelings
about being gay , everyone welcome . There are
always many new people every week . At the DOB
office, near the Arlington M BT A stop, between
Ari ington and Berkeley Streets.
WEDNESDAYS,
7 :30 pm Rap sessionfor lesbian mothers, and phone -in
time for lesbian mothers . Mothers with grown
children invited to share with other mothers . At
office.
WEDNESDAYS , 1st & 3rd, 8pm , GAYBREAK
WMUA -FM 91 .9.
radio program , AMHERST,
THURSDAYS,
8 pm Rap sessionfor older gay women. No ages are defined .
Come if it sounds right for you .
THURSDAYS,
9-10 pm GAY WAY RADIO program. WBUR 90 .9 FM.
SUNDAYS, 10 :30 -11 am CLOSET SPACE radio program, WCAS-AM 740 .
SUNDAYS, 1 pm, SOFTBALL
. Bring bat, ball, glo·Je and / or self;
informal games. Magazine Beach Field, Cambridge,
across Charles River from Cadillac-Olds and along
Memorial Drive west of the Boston Univ . bridge .
RAIN OR SHINE .
Monday June 10, 7 :30pm D.O.B. BUSINESS MEETING at office .
TUESDAY , June 11, 7 :30 pm CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP (also
regular rap) Paula Bennett will conduct workshop
for women interested in writing . Bring your works
and share them with others.
SUNDAY, June 16 ***PICNIC AT COCHITUATE STATE PARK***
NATICK . Rides leave the office promptly at 10 am .
(call if you can offer or need one) There is a fireplace
- bring fuel ; do not depend on others to feed you .
Bring your own food unless you want concession
things - (expensive). Bring sports things. There is
swimming . Turnpike west to exit 13 , Route 30 east
1½ miles. Park is on right . By bicycle from Boston
1½hours on ,outes 16 and 30 . Admission is $1 /car,
25¢/bicycle. RAIN OR SHINE .
Thursday, June 20 , 7 :30pm , FOCUS STAFF MEETING at office.
Monday, July 15, 7 :30pm , D.O.B. BUSINESS MEETING at office .
�Ann Aldrich: A Lesbian's Best Friend?
9
- From the perspective of Gerry Azzata
I'm a 24-year -old lesbian who was lucky enough to come out a little
ove r two years ago , in the sheltered atmosphere of a small Pennsylvania
coll ege . With the rise of the women's movement , and the birth of gay
act ivism, it was relativ ely easy for me to feel comfortable as a lesbian.
Ann Aldrich is the pseudonym for a lesbian who, from the early
1950's on, wrote a series of books about another kind of lesbian life -style .
She isn't very widely read today - although, as of a year ago, she still was
turning out books with such catchy (?) titles as Take a Lesbian to Lunch.
Her books are, mildly speaking , not very liberated . From We Walk Alone ,
to We, Too, Must Love to We Two Won't Last , there are dozens of anec dotes that rival the worst of "True Confessions." She zooms in on the
lesbians of Greenwich Village, who seem to spend 24 hours a day at bars
and parties, beginning dramatically intense relationships, and sinking into
liquor when affairs fail. The rest of their time, they entertain each other
with stories about who has suddenly run off with whose lover.
)
Ann Aldrich makes an easy target for any of us who are comfortably
seated in 1974 . But are we really that far from the 1950's? It's only within
the past few years that any truly positive literature about lesbianism has ·
appeared . We Walk Alone and We, Too, Must Love were among the earliest
attempts at lesbian non-fiction . The only alternatives to Ann Aldrich (and
her contemporaries such as Ann Bannon) were Radclyffe Hall's novels,
straight "lesbian" pornography, and a few - very few - monthly publications . Isolation was a reality . One chapter of We, Too, Must Love ( 1958)
consists of letters from people who have read her earlier books. This is a
typical example :
I hate what I am . But here I am - me . I don't know where to go
from here .... At one time I would have felt I could not sign my name,
but now I am so ashamed anyway, what does it matter?
It's very hard for me to relate to this woman's total lack of self-respect,
except with anger and frustration that she is so resigned to her helplessness.
But Ann Aldrich evidently spoke to many such women . And her message
is that you are not the only one. Even if her lesbians are overseasoned with
cynicism ("We Two Won't Last" is a constant theme), at least they are
attempting to create a life style for themselves . I wonder what it must have
been like to see the words "love" and "lesbian" in the same sentence for
the first time.
Somewhere among the scenes of broken affairs, facades put up for
"unsuspecting" parents, and all of the rest, Ann Aldrich seems to have hit a
basic truth: You have to realize that you exist, and that you are entitled to
exist, before you can develop any pride . And this is where I become angry
with Ann Aldrich . Her earlier books are saying, "You exist," and I thank
her for that . But, in 1972, Take a Lesbian to Lunch is still saying the same
thing . Several stories are lifted directly from her first books, and she doesn't
quite succeed in fitting them alongside stories about lesbians who i!re
becoming politically aware . Ann Aldrich is in the uncomfortable position
of apologizing for women who are coming out publicly, and I am truly
sorry that many younger lesb ians will reject her totally because of this . I
need Ann Aldrich to understand my sisters who found their identities at
an earlier time . Beyond her tales of butch and femme and bar scenes, I
think that she really understands many of the doubts and hopes that
lesb ians of all ages share .
�10
in the fifties
by Lois Johnson
I sat at a gay women 's rap
session .the other night and tr ied to
answer the question , " What was it
like to come out and realize that
you were a lesbian in the late
fifties and early sixties before gay
liberation and the women 's movement? " I came out in my early
twenties in 1958 . I guess I gave the
answer you might expect it
certainly was more difficult. There
was no one to turn to , no campus
organization , no good books or
publications,
nothing
in
the
popular media , an absolute blackout . It was just as if you were
invisible . I pored through
the
meager collection of the BPL finding only listings under perversion - sexual , I grasped at every
scrap of possible
information
which would help me define my
feelings for the woman I had fallen
in l_
ove with . Practically everything
I picked up was negative or dealt
with male homosexuality
from a
grimly clinical point of view arrested
development , all the
Freudian cliches , hedonism , narcissim - you name it it was there in
the books applied to homosexuals.
If male homosexuals were invisible , lesbians just didn't exist. at
all . or certainly must be a smaller
minority than men.
I pored over the Bible , too, since
I was religious at that time looking for answers . Not very
many came along. Sodom and
Gomorrah kept stalking the back
of my mind even tho ' I genuinely
felt that love for another human
being couldn 't be wrong . My lover
and I moved in together with ,
thank God , her understanding
straight roommate and proceeded
to try and make a life for ourselves .
COMING
OUT:
The only other homosexuals we
got to know were men . We just
never seem ed to meet any women.
Tho ' knew they must ex ist. It was
only when we started spend ing
more and more time together alone
in our room that the situation
became difficult for the roommate
and she finally moved out. Bars
seemed out of the question for
both of us because we didn 't drink
and didn 't smoke. Never having
been in the habit of frequenting
straight bars , the thought of gay
b~rs colored by all the grisly
pictures of alcoholism , other side
of the tracks , rough stomping
dykes painted in the books I read
was enuf to keep us away. So we
lived in our little ivory tower - a
complete double life . By day at
work - dressed in the dresses and
high heels and lipstick , doing all
the expected trips of the early
twenties - dating gay guys to cover
for ourselves at parties, learning
how to deceive (or we thought we
did) any straight male that we were
obliged to go out with . Keeping
the dark secret stuffing it down
inside
our
guts . Sometimes
doubting that we were doing the
right thing , gradually leaving the
church because I could just not
reconcile myself to the double
standard of morality I thought I
was living. We learned , yest we
learned quite quickly never to slip
- the taboo was so complete the
societal pun ishments for b'eing
branded a lesbian so unthinkably
awful that you could just not allow
yourself
to slip.
The double
standard came easily after a lot of
practice. You learned to stop the
words of love on your lips when in
the presence of friends and family ,
to talk about boyfriends at work ,
then to abandon all those lies at
night and on weekends to enjoy
your true life and love .
(continu ed on page 12)
�11
in the seventies
MEMOIRS OF A NOUVEAU LESBIAN
by Judi Stein
I am a wh ole pers on. feminist.
lesbian. categorization ad nauseum
now that the three biggies are there.
It was not until I became a feminist
that I became a Lesbian. And it was
not until I became a Lesbian that I
began consciously and joyously to
make so me growth towards whole
person hood.
I grew up a misfit and somewhat(!)
of a disappointment
to my popularitv minded. marriage minded parents. And so I did what many
misfits of the sixties did and became
a hippie . For a time I lit. As a
hippie I was a firm follower of the
Fuck When You Feel Like It school.
It took two years of very promiscuous behavior for me to realize that
not only was this not Prince
C harming in my bed. there might
not be a Prince Charming.
and
I could do without him anyway.
So mehow . in the midst of the selfdcs tructiveness.
I had begun to
deve lop a feminist consciousness.
The things that were wrong with the
11ay I related to men were not always
(or even often) things wrong with
me. And if I was tired of waking up
and going "Yech" in the morning at
my bed-partner.
I would begin to
slee p alone.
Then followed eighteen months of
abso lute celibacy.
I didn't
even
masturbate because I didn't know
how. I was growing in such mental
leaps that it was a relief to have my
hod ilv boundaries
maintained.
I
hcgai' n to realize how much shit I
had gone through by virtue of being
fema le. I aho began to realize how
much shit I had dished out to other
11
·omc n who seemed not to care that
thc1· didn't tit the standard (Jewish)
J\nicr ican Princess Mold . I joined a
Con~c iousncss Raising Group and
learned
to listen to women.
decided at some point that my
ener gy was limited and I wanted to
use it for my own liberation and that
of other wom en. Women were the
people who rea lly mattered to me.
yet th e thought of loving women
hadn't reall y crossed my mindwomen were your sisters and we all
knew about incest. So I maintained.
grew and grew mentally. and was
ce libat e still.
But at some point I begain to
11
·011der where the stops were in my
relationships
with other won1en.
There were two women in particular
with whom I felt almost
total
intimac y. We laughed. cried. talked. argued. pla yed together;
we
hu gged and kissed each other; yet
there 1,as ah, ·ays an understanding
·
(usually not verbalized)
that the
hugs ai,d kisses went only so far . We
cared for each othe deeply and yet
11-c
ah1ays stopped. I realized that I
wanted no assumed limits on my
friendships with women. If I felt
close to a person. and had warm
feelings toward her. I did not want
things to he able to go on ly ·so far'.
The old "going all the way" had
returned . this time as an act of
sharinl! and not of submission.
However. things were not quite
that tidy - there was a year between
my mental coming out and my first
sexual experience. That time was a
continuatio n ofmy mental growt has a feminist and as a Lesbian
feminist. I no longer separate my
feminism from _my self-- a ll .women's
issues arc my issues.
I also grew in my · Lesbian
co nsciousness: I began to find a
place where my whole Lesbian
feminist self tit. But I also found
that there arc Lesbians who did not
consider
me a "real"
Lesbian
because my committment to women
(continued on next page)
�12 COMING OUT: in the fifties ... (cont.)
Fortunately the gay men were
there . We spent t ime at parties
which were always exclusively
male homosexual exc ept for us .
We certainly weren 't lacking in
social life . But there wa s absolutely no chance for role-modelling on
an older person who was gay
because no-one was far enuf out of
the closet to admit their feel ings.
I was one of the fortunate ones . I
don 't know when I would have
emerged physically as a lesbian if
it were not for my first lover . She
wasn 't quite certain she was gay
and I certainly hadn 't admitted it to
myself before my first physical
experience . I nearly turned my
back on the whole thing the
morning after the night before then I made the most important
decis ion of my life - I refused to be
bullied by whatever sterotypes I
had gathered in my own mind over
the years about what a lesbian was
supposed to be and decided that
loving someone whether it be a
man or a woman certainly couldn't
be wrong . And so it went hours of
discussing life , love and why we
were lesbians, wondering , doubting , but always ending up back at
the basic rule of my life - to love
someone is never wrong. Only a
fool would toss the happiness I
had out the window . Fortunately
for me , I was strong-minded enuf
to overcome most of the negative
sterotypes , the fears , self-doubts,
the outside pressures to " be a real
woman " and marry and have
children
that
still
dominated
society 's thinking in the late fifties
and early sixties . It wasn 't easy ,
there was absolutely no outside
help and I had sense enuf to stay
away for the most part from the
family doctor or a psychologist or
psychiatrist.
I can imagine what
would
have happened
to my
psyche if a psychiatrist had started
playing with it and forcing all the
guilt trips of that period of tim~
onto my unwilling mind . Also I had
love - from my lover and from an
und erstand ing sister and brotherin-law who knew bu t never said so
until I told them . So I survived but
there were many dark hours when I
really thought my heart , mind and
soul were going to break apart and
I was going to end up in a strait
jacket. The pressure of trying to
keep up the straight front in a
hostile society was almost too
much . So today in 1974 I rejoice in
anyth ing I can do to make the
coming -out of a sister or a brother
just a little bit more easy. I'm into
Gay Liberation up to my eye-balls
and finally have brought together
the two pieces of my personality
whi ch heterose xual , sexist society
for so many years forced me to
keep apart - my personal and my
public life are now becoming one .
COMINGOUT: in the seventies...(cont.)
is not prim a rily se xu a l. I so m etim es
fea r b ein g consider ed not quite as
gay as women wh o had a lways loved
wom en . or not quit e as gay a s
women who se a ttr a ction to wom en
was b ase d on se xu a l a ttraction . I
found th a t th ere a re m a ny Les bi a ns
who co nsider th e femini st struggl e
so meo ne e lse's stru ggle. But I a m
continuall y growin g m ore comfort abl e with my wh ole se lf. includin g
rea lizin g th a t bein g a wo m a n-id enti fied -wom a n nee t not exclude rela tionship s on a ny level (includin g
sex ua l) with m en .
My co min g out has be e n and will
continu e to be a proce ss. I am tryin g
to be as ope n as poss ibl e with my
gay sisters a bout h ow I got to b e
where I a m so th a t as a communit y
we ca n grow away fr om th e sex ual
pola rit y th a t di vid ed us fr om oth er
women . As a fe mini st I be lieve in
th e poss ibilit y of a co mmunit y of
women . As a Les bi a n femini st I
be lieve in th e necess ity of th a t
communit y a nd wor k towa rds its
rea liza tion .
�13
FOR THE BIRDS:
QUICK GAY ORNITHOLOGICAL
GUIDE
American Coot - super -patriotic male, usually in politics , who thinks
homosexuality
is the moral root-rot of These United States .
Great Horned Owl - pseudo-intellectual, self-procla imed super -male with
a passion for Freudian theories ; usually mor e than willing to prove that " all
lesbians need is a good lay ."
Hairy Woodpecker - similar to the Great Horned Owl except that this
variety dispenses with the intellectualizing (also known as the Hairy
Wouldprickher.)
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker - near relation to the Hairy Woodpecker, but
cruder: typical construction -worker type (also known as the Beer -bellied
Motherfucker.)
Blue Grosbeak - an unpleasant species which harasses pedestrians:
are red / Grosbeaks are blue / If it's obscene /They'I I screech it at you .
Roses
Titmouse - the male of this species frequents cheesy porno flicks to get his
jollies out of watching women in bed together .
Peewit - this bird specializes in bathroom humor; self -confidently
vulgar,
it rarely blushes or flushes.
Common Grackle - a gossipy species , whose monotonous
through the woods: lssheorisn' tshe, lsssheorisn' tshe .. ..
cry echoes
House Sparrow - unliberated housewife who thinks that lesbians are not
'real women' and that all gays are out to seduce her children .
Wild Duck (any variety) - the straight friend or acquaintance, who on
finding out that you are gay , will go through all sorts of spasmodic · contortions
to avoid physical contact.
Bulbul - so named because this is what it devours and this is what it spews ;
a lso, generic name for a ll the above species - as the say ing goes , "You are what
you eat ."
�14
conf erenee '74
Women working on the Oct.
11-14 Lesbian festival/conference,
met Thrusday 23rd at Diane and
Cherrie 's to structure conference
plans. rap about silk-screening
T-shirts.
getting
buttons,
and
musical benefits for June. The
committees. headed by different
core persons , will continue to grow
as "conference '74" does.
For now. there is a Steering
Committee that will be a clearinghouse for all information related to
the festival. Please ask for Barbara
or Diane at 727-8877. Cherrie and
Sharon are also on this committee.
They. in turn, can tell you what's
happening with Publicity, core person. Carol; Location, Diana ; Fundratsmg . Lori; Child-care,
Judy;
Mailing, Gerry ; Workshops, Janine;
and Treasury. Judy .
Most of the committees have at
least four people but conference '74
will be needing more women to
make October 11-14 as much of a
high for all as possible. Info will be
out soon on silk-screened posters.
There is a speakers' bureau too,
with four women primaril y interested in going out of state . Jan is the
best prom oter for out-of-state contact.
Th e next planning session will be
at Morgan's apartment. 1039 Mass.
Ave. , on Sunda y. June 2, at 5:00
p.m. Call 727-8877 for more explicit
directions to the June 2 meeting .
The June 19th and ot her large
sessions are tentative agenda for
June 2, along with participation in
Ga y Prid e Week. selling T-shirts ,
etc.. committee reports, out-ofstate expansion. up-coming publicity spots.
If you cannot make it to a
meeting and / or would like to be on
the mailing list write: conference
'74. Box 2000 . c/ o GCN. 22
Bromfield . St. . Boston , Mass. 02108
Come on by just to see what's
happ ening, to offer suggestions,
and possibly plug-in where you
would feel most comfortable . The
turn -out for the 23 session was a
kne eca p to kneecap affair, but more
women will make all of us even
cozier.
Janin efor conference '7 4
These days you have to do more than clap
to bring Tinkerbelle back to life
there 's no room for fairies
they are all victims of the credibility gap.
and anyway,
Peter Pan was killed last week in a hit-and-run .
- Judi Stein
�15
Growing Old in America
My grandmother sits patiently for death.
In preparation, she has shrunk
to half her size , her hair
and skin bleached white about her eyes ;
her hands are brown as last years leaves
set to crumble at the slighte st touch.
She sits , atten ded by a nurse,
be fore the television
and with the gift of tongues, she speaks,
b ab bling Czech and dirt y jo kes.
She is a child again,
eighty years experience
squee ze d from her like a sponge.
Her arterie s an d veins are hard
an d in the dryne ss of her age
she can no longer find
reserves
with which to cry .
- Paula Bennett
Rita Mae
Looking into her face,
I had searched for answers.
In her courage to show sensitivity
and share her vulnerabilities
without losing her pride ,
I found
the gentleness of a strong woman .
Searching further for answers ,
I stayed awhile
looking directly into her eyes
knowing
the simplicity of truth .
And when she smiled,
I had stopped searching
Only to d iscover and feel
my own strength .
Copywright
1974 by Liane Esstelle
�16
WANT TO ADVERTISE
IN FOCUS
THE SAINTS - JUNE 13-14-15
CHRISTOPHER STREET
LIBERATION CONCERT
JUNE 29 - Central Park , N.Y.C.
?
$5
½ page $ 10
F ull page $2 0
¼ page
Se nd to:
D .0 .B. Room 323
419 Boylston Street
Boston , Mass. 02116
nightly on
3 floors
d\)
t6l ~
~ (\0
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cocktail prices
noon to 8pm
Boylston
·
good drink,
good company, good vibes
l
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w
ENTERTAINMENT
BEACH
PATIO
193A COMMERCIALSTREET, PROVINCETOWN MASS.
,
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Qd Gay Buttons&
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Homophile Community Health
Service Bookstore
H
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419 Boylston Street
RING NITE BELL 4 TIMES
MONDAY-THURS
. 6-9pm
THE All Women's Rock Ban
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:(
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WENDY
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For Booking Information
Call ELAINE 289-8363
HITCH
·
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 June
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-06
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
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FOCUS women
journ:i
for
gay
l
JUIY 74
1
BOSTO N DAUGHTERS
of Bl LITIS
60¢
�FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
JUNE 1974
FOCUS is published monthly by
Boston Daught ers of Bilitis, Room
323, 419 Boylston St ., Boston,
Mass. 02116 .
Copyright 1974 by Daughters of Biliti s,
Boston, Mass.
Subscriptions are $6 / y ear, samples
60ii . Give us your zip number. If
you move, let us know: the post office
will not forward 3rd class mail to you .
Th is publication is on file at the
International Women 's History A rc hiv e,
2325 Oak St., Berkeley, Calif. 94708 . It
is availabl e on micr ofilm from Bell & Howell ,
Wooster, Ohio to October 1971 and from
IWHA from Oct . 71 on.
FOCUS STAFF :
reviews: J .S.
news: Laura Robin
features : Wendy Bauman,
editing: Janine Bernier
adv. & dist.: Cath y Baker
cover: Geri Bidwell
type: Loi s Hurst
layout: Maggy
production: Ger i B. & fri ends
staff: Gerry A ., T err i L., Peg
DEA DLINE FOR AUGUST : JULY 23
FOCUS welcomes contri b utions from
everyone, including drawings . In cl ude
SASE for return. All letters m ust be
signed, but names can be wit hh eld
for publication .
In th is issue
NE:i/S • • • ••• • •••••••••
••
LEI'TERS
••••••••••••
•1
2,3,4
REVIEWS
(cont. )
Tot al Ecli pse ••• • ••• • •14
Car r ots & Tomatoes •••• 15
Reflections on Gay Pride
by Janine Bernier ••• •6
CALENDAR •• • ••••••
• •••
REVIEWS
Pat Parker: "Pit Stop"
by Gerry Azzata •••••• 5
Judy Grahn: "A W
oman is
Talking to Death
by Judi Stein ••••••• 12
Mo day M:>rning Pronoun
n
by Jules • •••• • •••••• 10
Liberati onl ••••••••••• 11
After I W Away
ent
by Pat Hardman•••••• 14
8, 9
POEHS
Cover: 1974 Boston Gay Pride Parade, photograph by Terri
�As the world turns ....
An open rap and plann ing session for
the next Nat ional Women's Poetry
Festival will take place September 21,
1974 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St .
Clement 's Church, 423 West 46th St .,
New York City. The first National
Women 's Poetry Festival which was
held at Amherst, Ma., March 11-16,
under the sponsorship of the Femi nist Arts Program of Everywoman's
Center at U. of Mass. brought togeth er
female writers whose poetry reflects
social change. For more info., to
contribute support and suggestions
writ e:
Women Writ ing
c/o Polly Joan
Dandelion Hill
Newfield , New York
14867
The June 5, 1974 issue of the Ad vo cate
(Los Angeles-based national gay newspaper ) conta ined five full page ads for
California political candidates , seeki ng
th e gay vote.
Intro. 2, the antidiscrimination bill in
New York City , was defeated by the
City Council 22-19 on May 23. (N. Y.
Tim es, May 24 , 1974).
An anti-discrimination law protecting
gays in Boulder , Colorado , adopted
orig inally by the city council , was
overturned in a referendum May 7 by
a 2 / 3 majorit y. (Ad voc ate, June 19, 74 )
.q,.q,.q,
COFFEEHOUSE NEWS :
Denise who has bread to open a
coffeehouse for women in Boston
would like to know :
1. where you would like to see it
located?
2. how many nights it should be
open?
3_ What hours you would prefer?
4. how often you could come?
5 . if the coffeehouse should serve
more than sandwiches and
pastries?
6 . how about an art exhibit,
poetry, dancing, a bookstore?
7. would you bring your own
albums if there was a stereo?
8. teach what you know in arts,
crafts, self-defense, etc .?
*9. would be willing to donate
time to paint, fix up?
Please send feedback to Denise :
Box 8000, c/o GCN , 22 Bromfield St., Boston, Ma. 02108
The FBI has been questio nin g in San
Francisco 's gay commu nit y to get
information on the Simbionese Liberation Army , some of whose members
were lesbians . (Advocate , June 5, 74)
The latest effort of the Hold Hand s
Project was 400 people holding hands
around the Statue of Liberty in May .
(Advoca te, June 5, 74)
CORRECTION:
In June's list of representatives who voted
for H. 5863 we left off BARNEY FRANK
(Boston), one of the bill's sponsors.
�2
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Sisters;
Of the dozens of magazines and periodicals that cross my desk every month as
Lesbian Counsellor and contact person in
my area. one of the few I read thoroughly
and right away is FOCUS--especially
in the
past few months. Every issue seems to
have at least one thought-provoking
article
and the June issue has three'
I read with interest the two articles on
"Co ming Out". I personally came o ut in
1950, and did not have most of the ha ssles
that Lois desc r ibes, mainly
because
I
concentrated
on the " it is good to love"
part. and refused to either play games or in
any way compromise--including
at work. I
always avoided gay men--1 did not date ,
either gay or straight men--1 always had
SOME Le sbian friends. and I am still with
the woman I started with in 1950'
But I especially want to comment on the
letter on roles--and it somehow connects
with what I have just said.
" Reader " tries to tell
us what
the
oppressors have told the opp ressed since
time began. namely, that the oppressed are
"happy the way they are" You can insert
almost
anything
here--Ameri can Indian
(they are "happy" on their reservations):
Bla cks: gays: ethnics:
Jews (t hey are
happi est with their own)
The list is
endless. It is true that some oppressed
peoples are unaware ot their oppress1on--women have been so for a long time--but
that does not make them "happy as they
are"--just
una ware that there are other
ways they could live if they knew how. And
I speak as an ex-"femme"'
Some roles ARE satisfactory
and satisfying--but
I cannot for the world of me
imagine a "femme" who gives and gives
and cares and cherishes and asks nothing
in return. doing so voluntarily.
Neither is it
good for a " butch" to keep taking. because
taking without rec e iving is an unsatisfying
situation.
I agree that there is no point in "p utting
down" people for being into roles, but is
"reader" sure that s he doesn't
mistake
trying to raise consciousness
with "p utting
down"? I THOUGHT I was happy as the
fluffy femme , catering to my " butch " --until
after 22 ½ years of it. I fell in love wit h
another woman. and expected
to " get"
after having given all these years. I soon
found out that by giving and not asking in
return , I had taken away my life-companion's abili t y to give--and that I had
locked MYSELF into a box. I realize now
that most of it was my fault. and I had an
inkling of this before I fell in love . thanks to
women·s
lib eration.
But
it took
the
upheaval of making a multiple re lationship
out of a monogamous
one t o REALLY
make me realize that roles are NOT
harmless--to
either party. That they lock
women into boxes of which they are not
even aware. That eventually there will be a
situation where either one or both of the
partners wi ll suffer from the effect of these
roles.
I fully agree that we have to find the
woman--or
women--who
are most harmonious with us. and that we cannot and
SHOULD not force anyone to be anything .
But I think we need also to realize that
strict roles are a cultural brainwash.
and
that in today·s world the y hinder. rather
than he lp. in our self-development
as
women. as individuals.
as self-realized
human beings. Th ey restrict flexibility--they ossify. And I speak from many years
of expe rience. and a recent breakthrough
that is still causing much--and
unnecessary--hurt to three people. I hope " reader"
will think on that.
l nsiste rh ood.
Julie Lee
Lesbi3 n Counsellor
DOBNJ
�3
June1974
FOCUS keeps getting better & better all the
Time - Good for You Janet Stone
WANT TO ADVERTI SE
IN
FOCUS
?
¼ page $5
Dear FOCUS Staff:
I was astonished to find a poem such as
" Noble Hour " in the June issue of FOCUS
magazine!
While I value the right of each individual
to freed om of speech and laud freedom of
the press , it seems to me a shame that a
magazine w hich espouses the gay ca use ,
particularl y the lesbi an cause,
should
blatatntl y knock the only openly
gay
candidate for the Legislature ever to s ho w
up on the Boston scene , furthermore , a
woman. If we do not support a lesbian
candidate, or at least not mediumistically
slur her , how on ea rth can we expect ou r
rights as gay citizens to be t aken up by
anyone.
Certainly everyone has a right to his/her
opinion of a political candidate, whether
pro, con or indiff erent. And if there are a
whole lot of thing s that " Jim " has to say
about Elaine Noble , I surely would like to
hear what they are , for my own edification ,
in a forthright, honest manner , rath er than
in a "cu te " poem complete with illustrations! No matter what her stand on the
issues is , Ms. Noble is waging a serious
campaign. How many of us have been
willing to run for political office, openly
advocating the gay cause , or not . Also , it
would seem to me courteous to have an
alternate view appear side by side such an
article. Even Boston Globe editorials give
both sides of an issue.
W ow , is FOCUS for me o r against me?
That's what I wondered , after reading
" Jim"s poem .
In all sincerity,
Diane E. Schalk
½ page $10
Full page $20
Send to:
0.0.B. Roo m 323
419 Boylston Street
Boston, Mass. 02 116
Also •••
We accept Classified
ads at 5¢ per word.
�4
LETTER TO READERS
Dear Readers,
As a member of the gay community of Boston and as a gay parent, I
am concerned with the community 's inability to support the large number of
children and parents in our community . It seems to be a cycle which we have
not ye t found th e means to break. The parents, due to fear of repercussions
from the heteros e xual community, will not "come out" to activities, and
the non -parents seem to be uninterested in giving any attention to the parents .
Without the visible support of the rest of the commun ity, combined with
the ir fears , these parents w ill not become actively involved.
Other gay commun ities have reached their parent members and genuinely
support their special needs. The Boston community is one of great warmth,
growing stronger, more active and more together all the time . Certainly, this
should be a community where the needs of gay parents would be nurtured.
At first I was angry and hurt by the attitudes that are expressed here the idea that gay parents are somehow not "as gay" as the others , or that
their children are not really part of the community. Whether or not my son is
gay , he is part of the community until he grows up and chooses as he wishes .
And if the community shuns him now, he may shun the community when
that time comes . I believe that these children are our future; our chance to
end some of the prejudices, our chance to end some of the prejudices, our
chance for peace, and perhaps the leaders who will make that peace.
But no one seems to hear that, and I think I can see what prevents their
hearing . Most have never had contact with children, and are afraid of them,
and also of what children stand for - almost as afraid of the possibilities of
heterosexuality
as some heterosexuals are of gayness . Also, they do not seem
to understand the situation of the parent, who may not have wanted to play
the game of heterosexuality
but was forced by circumstances into it, or who
perhaps simply was not yet aware of her or his gayness . Since they have never
been in the situation, they seem to doubt its valid ity. Thus the "gayer than
thou" attitude appears.
I would like to reach out to other gay parents and welcome them, and I
would like to get the rest of the community behind me o'r that welcome will
be empty. I would greatly appreciate it, if any of you reading th is have any
ideas on the matter, or if you are a gay parent interested in joing the community
in some way , if you would write to me . Thank you for reading this and for
your support .
Peace and Love ,
Claire Shanahan
661 E. 5th St ., #2
S. Boston , MA. 02127
�5
Pit Stop
REVIEW
BY Gerry Azzata
by Pat Parker (The Women 's Pre ss
Collective , Oakland , CA , 1973. Available at "Everybody 's Autobiography "
and ot her good bookstores. ).
During the past few years , a number
of sma ll women 's presses have been set
up across the country . Most of them
are publishing women 's work that
wouldn 't make it into mainstream
presses for a number of reasons . One
of the best of these is the Women 's
Press Collective , which prints collections of poetry in an attractive format
(with a lot of good photographs and
graphics) , sold for a very low price .
Pit Stop by Pat Parker is a good
example of such a book. This is a short
collec tion of poetry that captures a
unique experience - the life of a black
lesbian and the double tension that this
life creates. Out of this tension comes
some very angry poetry. Pat Parker is
not afraid of words , and she uses them
all, from "q ueer " to "nigger. " She
obviously understands that the only
way to keep words from bein g used
aginst you is to claim them as your
own, and to spit them back at the
people who want to wound you.
This tension also surfaces in a very
honest poem , in which she tells how
focusing on her drinking has become a
camouflage for dealing with other
problems :
When i drink
i scream
i fight
i cry
i don 't
do these things
when i'm sober.
so far,
my friends
think the
solution
to my being
a problem
is for me
to stop
drinkin g .
But Pat Parker also makes the
important step from anger to an
acceptance of her self - and that self is
a person of contrasts. She captures the
problems of monogamy in "A Small
Contradiction ":
It is politically incorrect
to demand monogamous
relationships It's emotionally insecure ....
Me , i am
totally opposed to
monogamous relationships
unless
i'm
in love.
She understands how hard it is for a
woman to mix strength and tenderness:
it is difficult to be
strong
and appear sure
no one ever believes
when you cry . ...
it is difficult to be
quiet and appear sure
no one believes
when you
don 't
show your tears.
Beyond these realities , Pat Parker has
a sense of roots that I haven't found
before in lesbian poetry , arid it is her
acceptance of these roots that makes
her so strong. She has lived through
the movements and the attempted
revolutions , and she has seen the
(continued on page 13 )
�6
Reflections
On Gay Pride
Janine Bernier
Clinging to its' owner 's white T -shirt , basking in the sun that gradually
drooped the dogs' tails , the iguana had it made . Of all the pets, the Siamese
had it worst, its mouth half-opened in protest . I wondered about how it is
that we come individually to accumulate goldfish, dogs, cats, or hamsters:
extensions of what would normally be nuclear, familial relationships; why
it is that one animal is more appealing to an owner than any other .
In front of me a woman began to pass out noise-makers. I hadn't seen or
noticed one since my last New Year 's with my parents four years ago. It was
something to keep me busy- -to help keep my hands occupied even though I
had already dragged my jacket along for that very reason. The jacket didn't
help very long. It just couldn ' t do it. But for a while my friend's dog filled
the bill, and I felt functional--essential--or whatever it is that I thought I
needed to feel when something--anything--needs to be being done .
�7
I rememb ered hearin g in a rap once that often things seem real only if
we can hear the noise that doing them produces--as if action needed sound,
and silence was nothing because it was quiet. But it was the quiet time s in the
march that made it for me. The times that I could use to focus on little things
that I normally miss wh en I ' m in public--a s a homosexual --and for self-preservation have been made to feel as though I must concentrate sole ly on what
being a homosexual i n public means.
During the lull betw een chant s and slo gans, I watched the faces bordering
the streets, mo st smiling. I thought that they eithe r were amused or grate ful with the yearly entertainment. Grateful in much the same way I had
been with the noise-maker . Another gay who saw the same grin I was seeing
remarked, "This parade is brought to you by your friendly local gays."
The faces looked less host ile than I imagined they wou Id be. Even as
part of the crowd, with the protection of too many to be singled out as one
queer and rid iculed, I expected worse. I always ex pect worse. My paranoia
anticipates wh at created it and feed s itself. But during the quiet, the lull s,
I could sense it lifting. If I didn 't hold someone, I felt myself not holding out
of choice rather than out of fear . And when I finally realized I was choosing,
that I was safe to choose within the mass I had placed myself, I felt comfortable as a public homosexual for the f irst time, the very first.
I had been a public 'qu eer' before. Had 'come-out' to a class of graduate
students in a sett ing where I was also a student and in an institution wh ere I
also worked . Had been' out' with the Gay Speakers' Bureau, had been to
out-of-state conferen ces, had marched before, and had even managed to
'hang in' under the Gay Caucu s sign whi le at this year's Democratic nomination for Attorn ey General and Secreta ry of State in Framingham.
I had made it through those times--had surviv ed without the unknown repercussions my paranoia tells me will come crashing down every time I stic k
my neck out --as a homosexual. But in each case, I had concentrated on how I
was coming across, what was happening to t hem inds around me, and what ,
consequently, might happen to me. In each case, I had not forgotten I was a
homosexual in a public place.
This year 's G ay Pride March was the first tim e the paranoia lay quiet eno ugh
for me to real ly see the parade around me, the pets, the faces of spectator s.
It was the first time I wi shed I hadn ' t brought my jacket --the first time I
really didn ' t need it, or anything to keep me occupied - or concent rating
on self -preservat ion --or needing to not concentrate.
It was healing to realize that something--anything --doesn 't need .to be
being done--to spend tim e feeling the heat coming through the soles of my
sneakers--to be without fear or anticipation long enough to d o somet hing as
mundane as watching a dog 's tail drooping . Good to be a public homosexual
and not have to have to worry --not have to be defensive--to fo rget .
To just be marching in th e middle of a road in Boston wit h hundreds of
oth ers--and just seeing for the first time and after so long, an iguana, necked
with a lavend er ribbon and a gay pride balloon that really has got it made. I
�8
JULY
1974
D.O.B.
CALENDAR
419 Boylston St., Rm. 323, Boston, Mass. 02116------
617 262 -1592
All events are open to all women regardless of their membership in D.O.B.
All raps are 50¢ for non-members , and 25¢ for members.
MONDAYS, TOPIC RAPS start at 8p.m. in the D.O.B . office.
July 8: 8pm - COUPLES RAP , - w ill include how
singles relate to couples, so singles please come .
July 22 8pm HEALTHCARE, SELF -HELP
Aug . 5 8pm - POETRY READING (bring yours)
TUESDAYS,
7: 30 pm Rap session on being gay for women. Share feelings
about being gay, everyone welcome. There are always
many new people every week . At the DOB office, near
the Arlington MBTA stop, between Arlington and
Berkeley Streets .
WEDNESDAYS,
7:30 pm Rap sessionfor lesbian mothers, and phone -in
time for lesbian mothers . Mothers with grown
children invited to share with other mothers . At
office.
WEDNESDAYS,
1st & 3rd, 8pm, GAYBREAK
WMUA-FM 91 .9.
radio program, AMHERST,
THURSDAYS,
8 pm Rap sessionfor older gay women. No ages are defined .
Come if it sounds right for you.
THURSDAYS,
9-10 pm GAY V,AY RADIO program. WBUR 90.0 FM .
SUNDAYS,
10 :30 -11 am CLOSET SPACE radio program, WCAS-AM 740.
�9
SUNDAYS , 1 pm , SOFTBALL . Bring bat, ball , glove and / or self ;
infor mal games. Magazine Beach F ield, Cambridge,
across Charl es River from Cadillac -Olds and along
Memo rial Drive west of th e Boston Univ . bridge.
RAIN OR SHINE .
July 11 , 7 :30 pm FOCUS MEETING , call office - leave number - someone
w ill call you and give you directions.
July 15 , Monday 7 :30 pm - Business meeting at D.O .B. office.
July 19, FRI., 8pm at the office - TRAINING FOR PEOPLE TO
LEARN HOW TO STAFF THE DOB OFFICE and
ANSWER THE PHONE .
July 20-21, Sat-Sunday, N.H. D.O .B. will hold a campout in N.H. for info
write Occ upant, Box 137, Northwood, N.H. Dr .
Nanci-Am es Curtos, who works with gay women in
Burlington will join us. Children welcom e.
July 21 SUNDAY - DOB PICNIC AT COCHITUATE STATE PARK ***
NATICK. Rides leave the off ice promptly at 10 am.
(Call if you can offer or need on e) There is a fireplace
- bring fuel ; do not depend on oth ers to feed you.
Bring your own food unl ess you want concession
things - (expensive) . Bring sports things . There is
swimm ing. Turnpike west to exit 13, Route 30 east
1½ mil es. Park is on right. By bicycle from Boston
1½hours on routes 16 and 30 . Adm ission is $1/car,
25,i / bicycl e. RAIN OR SHINE .
DOB Membership includes a subscription
to FOCUS . You must be 18 years or older .
Single Membership $10
Joint Membership $15
Send Your Name( s) and address to DOB .
�10
MONDAY MORNING
PRONOUN
You, walking alone through a labyrinth of words .
Words that once would anger, turns to pity.
Words turned inward to stra.ngle you with anger.
At what point in time did thoughts
become
raw hanging words
become
mind fucking
become
you, alone?
Mystic correlatio n brings back all your ghosts, pseudonymously .
You, courageous academician
spewing out the words
hiding the real you .
Does it take courage to hide tactfully
Monday Morning Pronoun?
behind the closet- cased
You did not tune her out
you did not tune us out
you tuned y_ou out
We mourn, the ethics of love never tuned y_~ in.
JULES
�11
LIBERATION••• my friends
1
We've made it all feel better ••• after too
of pain ••• walld.ng in and out of
Open barless
dungeons ••• crying in the rain.
prisons and nowhere to run ••• no escape .from
memory that timeless beating drum.
•••
~El'
••• shame, guilt ••• built in by other
Jll:lllds ••• holding back real feelings •••
inescapable binds.
many years
OP:lm:OOOR •• new found pride ••• 1000
now
aarcbing strong ••• vorking day and night
together to change a needless wrong.
BEAUfY holding hands 'UJlder helium
•••
baloons ••• a week of concentration •••
postera ••• bannera ••• rhinos ••• PIDPLE.
Liberation ••••••••••• through dedication.
maggy
�12
A Woman Is Talking to Death
JudyGrahn
AreviewbyJudiStein
(Women's Pre ss Collec tive,
5251 Broadway , Oakland , Ca $1.25)
(also available at
Everybody 's Autobiography )
A Woman Is Talking to Death is a
moving and poetic testimon y to woman's pain and woman's strength .
Judy Grahn has reached into her own
depths to recover the cries of anguish
that are our herstory . The poem lays
out her despair at acknowledging both
what has been done to us, as women ,
as well as what we have done to each
other. A Woman Is Talking is a heavy
poem , full of the forces that move us.
There is no frivolity here , no lightness ;
but there is also no acquiescense . The
poem is the most moving work I have
read that documents our struggle to be
strong and gentle women in a world
that would prefer to keep us zombies.
And the things that have been done to
us are written here through Grahn 's
experience, but they are common to us
all. We have been burned at stakes,
and raped by taxi drivers , beate n up ,
caged up , kept in and killed. Through
it all echoes Grahn 's refrain "that's a
fact ," affirmi ng again what we have
always known . And when men are
unable to finish us off, there is always
death who " ... wastes our time with
drunkenness / and depression / death,
who keeps us from our / lovers ." And
when that is insufficient "Death only
uses violence / when there is any kind
of resistance ,/ the rest of the time a
slow / weardown will do. "
And what have we done to each
other? "we left, as we have left all of
our lovers / as all lovers leave all
lov ers / much too soon to get th e real
loving done ." In the fourth section, A
Mock Interrogation, the poet / we are
asked "Have you ever committed any
indecent acts with women? " and
her / our answer is:
"Yes, man y. I am gui lty of allo~ing
suicidal women to die before my eyes
or in my ears or under my hands
because I thought I could do nothing, I
am guilty of leaving a prostitute who
held a knife to my friend 's throat to
keep us from leaving, because we
would not sleep with her , we thought
she was old and fat and ugly; I am
guilty of not loving her who needed
me; I regret all the wome n I have not
slep t with or comfo rted , who pulled
themselves away from me for lack of
something I had not the courage to
fight for , for us , our life, our planet,
our city , our meat and potatoes, our
love. These are indecent acts, lacking
courage, lacking a certain fire behind
the eyes, which is the symbol , the
raised fist , the sharing of resources, the
resis tance that tells death he will starve
for the lack of the fat of us, our extra .
Yes I have committed acts of indecency
with women and most of them were
acts of ommission.
I regret them
bitterly. "
But the learning of these indecent
acts , their nature of leaving too soo n,
of being miserly with our selves , is the
way to fight death, to leave him
starve. "death, do you tell me I cannot
touch this woman? / if we use each
other up / on each other / that 's a little
bit less for you / a little bit less for you,
ho / death, ho ho death. "
We must learn , we will learn to touch
each other, to give to each other - this
is what Grahn's poem shows us . And
this is the poem 's affirmation and
strength; that there is a way for more
of ourselves to be wasted:
"to my lovers I bequeath
the rest of my life
�13
I want nothin g left of me for you, ho death
exce pt some fertilizer
for the next batch of us
who do not hold hands with you
who do not embrace you
who try not to work for yo u
or sac rifice them selves or trust
or believe yo u , ho ignorant
dea th , how do you know
we happened to you?
whereve r our meat hangs on our own bones
for you r own use
yo ur pot is so empty
deat h , ho death
you sha ll be poor "
PIT STOP(cont.J
inhumanity of them all, from the
machismo of the black movement to
the raci sm of feminism ("S ISTER! your
foot's smaller, but it's still on my
neck.") When you haven 't found your
freedom in dreams of liberation , where
do you go?
how do i break these chains
to whom or what
do i direct pain
black - white
mother - father
sister - brother
straight - gay
how do i break these chains
how do i stop the pain
who do i ask - to see
wha t must i do - to be free
As a black woman with a white
woman as her lover , Pa t Parker is
trying to reject movements and labels .
But she has held on to her past with
pride. She realizes that she is a person
shaped more by her roots than by her
political thou ght. There is a sense of
oneness with her racial heritage , even
though she as a lesbian does not fit
fully into the demands of that heritage .
A serious challenge is offered to
women who say that they have come
out solely as a political decision. Life,
she says, is more of a flow , more
earthy, than that :
my self is
my big hands like my father's
& torn innards
like my mother's
& they both felt
& were & i am a product of that & not a political consciousness.
Some of the poetry presented in this
short book is not really outstanding
(although much of it is) , but all of it is
very alive and it faces the realities of a
woma n's life. I really recommend Pit
Stop for anyone who wants to share
what it feels like to live this experience .
�14
AFTER I WENT AWAY
She turns between the dark lips
Of her bed,
Making a breast of her pillow
With her fist.
"I'm done with it,"
She whispers,
And ~ighs with relief .
-Pat
Total Eclipse
Total Eclipse , Christopher Hampton's
stage version of the relationship between the French poets Verlaine and
Rimbaud , was performed at Tufts
University Theatre, May 20-25. An
exciting and complex play, it deals
frankly with the homosexual relations
between the two men, and with the
conflict experienced by the older man ,
Verlaine, when he must choose between his wife and his lover .
The Tufts performance was somewhat marred by melodramatic
and
heavy-handed directing. Nevertheless,
the overwhelming impression was a
rela tionship which is doomed from the
start, and which begins to go downhill
at the very moment of its inception.
The two personalities involved are
temperamentally
at
loggerheads:
Ver laine-alcoholic,
sentimental,
indecisive , and Rimbaud-ruthless
, over-
Hardman
•
bearing , opportunistic. The only elements which appear to unite the two
men are an anti-bourgeoise rebelliousness, and an existential cynicism which
manifests itself in a macabre, graveyard humor. This grotesque wit reaches
its apex when Verlaine tells a long
story about his siblings. "Like you," he
tells Rimbaud , "I have two sisters and
a brother. The difference is that yours
are alive and mine are dead . My
mother had three miscarriages before I
was born and, being of a somewhat
morbid turn of mind, she kept the
results preserved in alcohol, in three
large jars. I discovered them one day
on the top shelf of the parlor closet:
Nicole, Marguerite, and Pierre. I didn't
know what they were at first, but I
associated them vaguely with pickled
plums ." Verlaine goes on to relate his
(continued on page 15)
�15
fury at how a mere accident (order of
birth ) has decreed that the other thre e
should have the luck to be dead , whil e
he him self is aliv e : "Otherwise, I might
have been peacefully up there on the
shelf , in a jar , dusted on Thursda y s. "
Other than in such moments of what
might be term ed a kind of existential
intimacy , the relationship
between
himself and the younger Rimb aud is
basically destructive. It proves to be
short-lived , and Verl a ine graduall y
drinks himself to death , having failed
to keep either lover or wife in his
desperation to hang onto both , and he
spends his last days wallowing in
romantic illusions about his long-ago
friendship with Rimbaud.
C learly the pla y present s no 'models '
to which a gay audience can point with
pride. It portray s a relationship which
is as unique as it is unideal. Perhaps
the main thing to applaud is the
attempt at candid theatrical handling
of gay material. It is an att empt ,
however, which is not wholly succes sful. Most frustrating of anything is the
way th e play evades on-sta ge presentation of the specifically erotic / romantic
ties between the poets . The growth of
the ir homosexual attachment
is implied , rather than shown,
and it
remains unclear to the audience exactly when the men become lovers. It is
confusi ng, as well as disappointing ,
that such a basic element in their
relationship should be portrayed so
fuzzily. What the play does do is to
suggest that th e shattered friendship
between these two great men somehow
represen ts a tragic loss - that there
was, in fact , potential fo r a very
specia l and strong love bond, but that
neurotic needs in both personalit ies
worked against its fulfillment. Thus,
desp ite its insistence on the destructiveness and failures w hi ch character ized
the actual relations between Verlaine
and Rimbaud, the play does speak for
the possibility of lasting and meaningful homosex ual love . D
Carrots and
Tomatoes
REVIEW
Carrot s and Tomatoes , an or iginal
play written and directed by Cathy
Baker , w as performed at Northeas tern
Uni ver sity Saturday , June 1. Its greatest v irtu e is that it is a play specifica lly
b y and for ga y s, and a real feeling of
community prevailed among cast and
audience. In a series of short v ign et tes,
the nine-woman cast hit on most of the
usual topics for joshing: closet cases,
tellin g mother , straight/ gay switcheroos. The emphasis on was on humor
and The Light Side , with the cast
obvi ously having a great tim e haming
it up. The play is probably not the
kind of thing to show · a straight
audien ce: the script is too cryptic, too
dependent on an inside view. H owever , the really fine thing is to have a
theatrical event which is geared to US.
It does not add ress itself to the straight
world at all , but instead finds its
purpose in creating fun and spectacle
within our own . D
�16
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�The History Project
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Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
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1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 July
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-07
Description
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An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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THP-0011-focus-197407
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/579b3d2cdd8fb4c0c0402598947cef29.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=FmQbwxH8I8masFSRntzvr%7EjRxcZ7iWVCDy8CZ5T0WeUarsIoyii0KGZBQ7Dswdi7LOo8RMpWItnSJOfkJTLcf4v6zL5U5CF-9OO7QqbhJPCBGvyRW9x2EmEJfQS8DjrBEA6XIPz73GLdV3gCwG817H442k7pze4fxmMJhi9c9lqszhQKEQm7j-oJtA-cajt0%7ES%7Ek7FfeT4Te%7E44KpeWkrwU9stUsS4EHNUudJ5N97YPeisHDxT-5m0PAFvPiG4yqIf1dyGTkrVv3ecXRTfWl5VxlboJXVqxXyP79Vh6l7VSMbj%7EAOzs-QMsdHLajtoq7HXlGzgJDjRzWUUDhSIbr3w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
b7ca7cff2b7e94f34c84eb7f091f820a
PDF Text
Text
FOCUS women
journ:i
for
gay
--
"'
-=-•>->''
.-
Aug•74
.. ,.,
-~~,..... .•
w~
BOSTON DAUGHTERS of "
........,.
.. ,.
~
.~ -
, s:
•~
-
60¢
�FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
AUGUST
1974
FOCUS is published monthly by
Boston Daughters of Bilitis, Room
323,419 Boylston St., Boston,
Mass. 02116 .
FOCUS STAFF :
Copyright 1974 by Daughters of Bilitis,
Boston, Mass.
Subscriptions are $6 /year, samples
60e. Give us your zip number . If
you move, let us know: the post office
will not forward 3rd class mail to you.
This public ation is on fil e at th e
Int ernational Women 's History Archive,
2 325 Oak St ., Berkel ey, Calif. 94708. It
is availabl e on microfilm from Bell & Howell,
Wooster, Ohio to October 1971 and from
IWHA from Oct . 71 on .
reviews: J.S.
news: Laura Robin
features : Wendy Bauman
editing & distribution:
Janine Bernier
cover: Terri
type: Lois Hurst, J.S.
layout: Terri
production : Geri B. & friends
staff: Gery A ., Maggy, Peg, Candy
DEADLINE FOR SEPT.: A _ GUST 20
U
FOCUS welcomes contributions from
everyone, including drawing s. Include
SASE for return . All letters must be
signed, but names can be withheld
for publication .
IN THIS ISSUE:
Features
l:oems
Virgin and Child with Saint Anne,
a Painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
by Paula Bennett . . .. . . .. .. 1,2
On Loving Women
by Paula Bennett . .. . . . .. . .. 5
Untitled by-Suzanne .. ... . . .. . 5
Untitled by Mary Rita Woodward. 3
Looking back by Paula Bennett. 15
Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13
reviews
WOMAN PLUS WOMAN
by LauraMcMurry . .. . .. . . .. 4
MALE HOMOSEXUALS: THE[E
PROBLEMS AND ADAPTATIONS
by Laura McMurry .... . 9, 10, 11
OLIVIA RECORDS: Meg Christian
and Cris Williamson
reviewed by Judi Stein . .....
14
Fiction
" Lesbian Heartbreak"
by Gerry Azzata . .. . . ...
. . 6,7
Calendar . . . .. .. ... . . . ......
. 8,9
�Virgin and Child with Saint Anne,
A Painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
by Paula Bennett
Anne , looking down with a loving
smi le, hold~ her daughter , Mary , in
her lap . Mary , her face filled with
tender concern, leans towards her
chi ld whom she catches between her
legs . The ch ild, apparentl y interrupted
in his efforts to mount his pet lamb 1 ,
looks up towards his mother--as does
the lamb , in mute appeal. Human
psychology being what it is, our eyes
inevitabl y follow those of Christ and
the lamb back to the central figure ,
Mary, thus completing the circle of ,
need and affe<?t}On which comprises
the principle theme of Da Vinci's
famous painting .
The triadic composition of Da Vinci 's
painting has roots in both religious and ·they offer is divine. In Da Vinci's
pictorial
convention.
Unlike
the pai nt ing, on the ot her hand, love is
ove rwhelmingly
patriarchal
Jewish human. Indeed, so human that Christ 's
faith, Catholicism was receptive to the part in the conomy of salvation is all
worship of the mother figure an d but irrel evant to the picture's theme.
during the latter part of the Middle Here Christ himself is a chi ld to be
Ages a cult of St. Anne developed in nutured and "saved," saved not by
which Anne replaced God as the base Mary 's spiritual perfection !:'rutby her
of the Holy Family . From this cult loving care . It is no accide nt that
evolved the iconographic tradition of Mary 's breasts occupy the exact
the "female trinity " (Grandmother , physical cent er of the canvas . It is to
Mother and Child) in which Mary was them, Da Vinci seems to be saying, not
depicted holding the Christ child while to Christ--or God--that we must go for
sitting squarely on her mother's lap .
human love, for only the mother can
But Da Vinci brings his own peculiar give the kind of love, nurturing ,
emphasis to the maternal triangle. It is care-ful, that we as human beings
not simply the lifelikeness of expres- requ ire in our daily lives .
sion and posture which differentiate I It is also for this reason, I . believe,
Da Vinci's painting from the more th at Da Vinci chose to make St. Anne
stylized arrangements of the Middle the strongest figure in the painting,
Ages but,
consonant
with
this /giving her, to so~e crit ics'_c?,nste_rnanaturalism, Da Vinci's emphasis on the tion the famous Mona Lisa smile ..
earthly and the human.
In the St.. An~e sits clearly ready to take the
medieval depictions of the Virgin and full weight of both Virgin and child
St. Anne , the spiritual role of the holy upon herself . Although depicted as a
family remains the primary concern , young .woman, hardly older than her
the principle focus of artistic, religious daughter, in her role as moth~r she
and psychological interest. The love . gives Mary the support that allows her
�2
in turn to care for and support her
child. In making St. Anne young, Da
Vinci is again following iconographic
tradition (medieva l painters habitually
painted female saints as young women
of extraordinary beauty) but again
with a differenc e. For Da Vinci 's .St.
Anne lacks the virginal quality which
characterizes most medieval female
saints . She does not seem simply
strong but , given her smile, experienced as well. Da Vinci's deci sion to
give St. Anne the enigmatic smile (the
same smile he gives both St. John the
Baptist and the pagan god Bacchus)
has , as I indicated, caused some critics
to wonder, but the main effect of his
decision is simplyto reassert his major
theme: our need as human bein gs for
mother love, a need not confined to
childhood but with us to the day we
die. For Mary, the mother of a child,
must herself be mothered bySt. Anne,
adult to adult as it once was adult to
child. Thus Mary both sits in her
mother 's lap and leans out of it , thus
she leans towards her child yet pulls
him towards her . Love is not a fixed set
of hierarchical relationships but a
dynamic interaction between people
CLASSIFIEDS:
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and women, serving New England's
gay community. 10 weeks, $2 . 10
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Boston, Mass. 02108
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area or surrounding towns by middleaged working female. If interested,
please call 443-3508.
based on mutual yet often conflicting
needs--of depende nce and independence , caring and being cared for ,
giving and being given to . These
needs , and the element of conflict
within them , are not outgrown with
the end of adolescence. The love we
have learned to give to and receive
from our "mothers" be comes the
model or base for all relationships we
have thereafter.
With the limited exception of St.
Christopher , no iconographic tradition
exists to my knowledge which depicts
this concept of love through a male
relationship. It is unlikely that there
would be one. For better or worse in
Western culture , the capacity to
nurture and to accept nurturing have
always been thought of as peculiarly
feminine. Perhaps that is as it should
be and perhaps
we should be
gratefu l--for in the ambiguous relationship which Da Vinci delineates
through Mary and St. Anne (mothers,
daughters, sisters, lovers) we find the
very network of emotional give-and-take which gives such special quality
and grace to lesbian love .
"Flight In Blue". Poetry by a
woman to the women in her life.
Gentle. Soft and flowing. $1.00 from
the author. Desi Seagull c/o Ms. Geshen
201 Mancil Road, Media, Pa. 19063
�The first step in conquering-'know thy enemy'
Turn the radio on
listen to the enemy
King Phallus
glorifying himself
singing imperialistic lyrics
keeping us
'in our place '
with pollinated euphemisms of love
Deflowered ,
they spell out slavery
and there is no such thing as a happy slave
Just a brainwashed one
Bobby Womack ,
up your ass
You claim to be 'looking for a love '
but who ever told you
that a love is synonymous to a
hole
that can cook and clean and
'bring your breakfast to your bed '
Someone's going to dump your breakfast
on your head
Sisters,
Bobby Womack is looking for a hole
(since he 's blind, this is truly
an amazing feat)
Let's arm ourselves with chastity belts
Or , better yet,
hatchets
Dear Stevie:
your empathy would be commendable
but we neither want nor need it
Don't be 'standing in the wings'
or any place else for that matter
while we take flight; we're learning how to land
by ourselves
Remember Humpty Dumpty?
The same is true of the
Sisterhood
Only we can put us together
Springing up in the cracks
of the patriarchy
like life-giving plants
refusing
to be obliterated by cement are
3
�4
Rape Crisis Centers ... Journals .. .Worskshop s . ..
. . Abortion lcounseling ... Consciousness Raisilng
Groups ... Homes for Battered Wives ...
Vincit q ui se vi ncit
("she co nqu ers who conquers hers elf")
And we hav e
Th ere's no sto ppingy s now
Mary Rita Woodward
Looking back
Your hands were not the hands
to mother
but to pick and choose and to go over
Your life was full and rich with things.
It was not likely you would notice
when the love you gave your daughter
turned belly up
and died.
Paula Bennett
You have given me a special kind of love,
A requited love , the realization of a
Lifetime 's yearning .
Days spent together
Melt into moments in their flight.
Thoughts we share ,
Your loving caress,
Brighten my reverie , assuaging my fears
And lightening my spirit.
My being thrives on your love.
Why do you doubt that you are enough ?
-Judy
�5
On Loving Women
to Phyllis and Marylou
Like flowering trees of spring
they blossom, their faces
show the fullness of their being
their bodies open to the sun,
they carry their own fruit
within them and set their scent
upon the gentlest of winds.
Paula Bennett
There are no dirty words
there are only
pornographer's pens paid to please;
or chalkscrawls, four feet tall
shouting from some schoolyard wall.
Lawrence proved it with his Lady
that even "cunt" spoken softly in the night
can make love
move and flow.
There are no dirty words
there is only the lack
of love.
By-Suzanne
�6
True Lesbian Confessions:
(with absolutely no apologies to True Confessions , etc. )
LESBIANHEARTBREAK
by Gerry Azzata
When I think back on that
incredible , agonizing summer of
sand and sun, soft nights and
alluring music , a shiver runs up and
down my spine . How close I came
to loosing True Happiness and
Security! And all because of THE
DYKE ...
But I'm getting ahead of myself . I
should start back at the beginning ,
and the beginning was Daisy and
me. Daisy was my childhood
sweetheart. We'd met when I was
coming out, and it was love at first
sight. I was sitting at the bar with
some friends, and then She walked
in . Out eyes met, and she started to
walk toward me. Could it be? It
was too much to hope for--there I
was , a smalltown girl in the big
city, shy and innocent , and oh so
lonely. And here is this wonderful
woman, in overalls and the sexiest
T-shirt , with rippling bicep s and piercing eyes , looking at me?? I'll never forget our
first conversation . She looked deep into my eyes, and said: "What's that you're
drinking?" I giggled nervousl y and replied: "A sombrero, I th ink. I'm new here ." She
smiled at me and said, "Wha t a coincidence. That 's my favorite drink, too. We seem
to have a lot in common ." From that moment we were inseparable .
In the weeks to come , my feelings for Daisy grew steadily So what if we didn 't have
much? At least we had each other. And we were making plans for a better future
together. Daisy worked at a gas station during the day, and took courses in auto
mechanics thr ee evenings a week . She hoped to have her own body shop some day.
To help make ends meet , I got a job as an attendant at the local laundromat. To pass
the evenings when Daisy was at classes , I'd do all of the housework around both of
our apartments. (We still hadn't taken The Big Step, living together) .
Well , to make a long story short, soon we were arguing constantly . We were both
exhausted every night and soon forgot all of the good times we 'd shared. One
evening I left her apartment , screaming: 'Tm tired of clean and white and bright
housewives , and I'm sick of hearing about your grease jobs! I WANT TO LIVE!!"
And I ran out into the night. Eventually I found myself in front of the bar where
Daisy and I had met , and I went in for a quick drink. How could I have known what
lay in store for me there?
.
I sat alone for an hour or so, drinking sombreros, and then I felt eyes watching me.
I looked up , and there she was--THE DYKE . She was gorgeous--tall, with long blond
hair and a smile that took me in from head to toe . I felt absolutely chilled as she
walked oward me.
"Hello. What are you drinking?" she said in a low, sensuous voice.
/
"A ter many a summer
dies the Dyke .... "
�7
"A sombrero," 'I gasped, feeling the stars grow in my eyes.
"That's no drink for a woman like you." She motioned to the woman behind the
bar. "We'll have Harvey Wallbangers here."
We talked for a while. I turned out that THE DYKE had been out of town for a few
months, checking out lesbian life around the country. "There's so much to learn
about women, don't you think?" she asked me seductively. Daisy was calling to me
from a growing distance. I shoved her out of my mind, and smiled. ''I'd love another
drink. " The night went on and on . After several drinks , I began to get less tense.
Soon the hours merged into a mind-boggling blur of laughter and Wallbangers and
• Rocking the Boat. I had forgotten Daisy .
The next morning, I crawled back to my apartment. First I called in sick at work ,
and then I guiltily called Daisy. She was frustratingly calm . "I finished a valve job
• after you left , and then I went to bed early. I guess I didn 't hear you if you called ,"
she said. I pretended not to hear the hurt behind these words, and thought to myself:
"So that 's how it is. All right, I'm going to enjoy my summer!"
The next few weeks were a whirlwind of beaches and bars with THE DYKE . I quit
my job at the laundromat. I decided to tell Daisy it was all over , and that I was going .
to go off with THE DYKE on her bright-red motorcycle , to travel across Lesbian
America. When I shared this news with THE DYKE , however, she seemed less than
overjoyed. ''WEIi, you see, uh , the dyke life isn't quite like that. Dykes have to be
free and uncommitted and non-exclusive and ... "
"Huh?" I replied.
Just then, an old friend of THE DYKE's appeared on the beach. She and THE DYKE
got into a heavy conversation about old times and old friends. "Remember Amazon
Alice and Betsy The Dyke? Well, Alice is with Big Martha (formerly of Big Martha
and Little Joan) now. And Little Joan is just splitting up with Loose Linda who I've
always suspected of being bisexual anyway, and ... "
And it went on and on. Wha's going on here, I thought. "'i' m not feeling well," I
said to THE DYKE . "I think I'll just stay home tonight. "
"Sure, sweetie ," she responded in her most helting tone s. And I went home to
think. By evening , I decided that I'd been foolish to worry about what ha<l
happened. THE DYKE and I had to adjust a little to each other's life styles, that's all.
So I decided to go to the bar to find her.
And did I ever find her. When I walked in, her back was to the door and she didn 't
see me . She was engrossed in a conversation with a woman. Anokther old friend?
• And then, as I came nearer, I was horrified to hear THE DYKE saying , "That's no
drink for a wman like you." To another woman! !
I didn 't wait to hear more. How could I have known that she only wanted me for
• my body? I ran out of the bar, stopping only to let the air out of THE DYKE's
motorcycle tires (poetic justice, I thought) . And I ran all the way back to Dai~y 's
apart ment. She wasn't there! So I ran on through the night to the corner garage,
where she was jsut finishing a valve job (her homework for that night) . We stared
silently at each other for a long time. Then I finally broke the silence. "Daisy, you
have grease on your nose." And we both burst into laughter.
That was three weeks ago . Daisy and I have begun to patch things up, to take a
little time for ourselves. My job at the laundromat was still open, so I got it back.
An d Daisy will be through with her classes soon. But I still shudder to think of what
nearly happened to us. I've grown up a lot, and now I realize how dangerous it was
to expose myself to .. .. "Lesbian Heartbreak. "
�8
D.O.B. CALENDAR
AUGUST 1974
419 Boylston St., Rm 323, Boston, Mass. 02116 ----
617 262-1592
All events are open to all women regardless of their membership in D.O .B.
for members .
All raps are 50<i for non-members, and 25<.t
TOPIC RAPS start at 8 p .m. in the D.O .B. office.
Aug . 5: POETRY READING, bring yours
Aug. 19 : THE MEN IN OUR LIVES, a discussion of
all types of relationships with men .
TUESDAYS, 7:30 pm Rap sessionon being gay for women. Share feelings
about being gay, everyone welcome. There are always
many new people every week . At the DOB office, near
the Arlington MBTA stop, between Arlington and
Berkeley Streets .
WEDNESDAYS, 7 :30 pm Rap sessionfor lesbian mothers, and phone-in t ime
for lesbian mothers. Mothers with grown children
invited to share with other mothers. At DOB office .
MONDAYS,
1st & 3rd, GAYBREAK radio program, AMHERST,
WMUA-FM 91 .9
THUR DAYS, 8 pm Rap sessionfor older gay women. No ages are defin ed.
.
Come if it ,ounds right for you .
THURSDAYS, 9-10 pm GAY WAY RADIO program. WBUR 90.9 FM .
SUNDAYS, 10:30-11 am CLOSET SPACE radio program, WCAS-AM 740 .
WEDNESDAYS,
SUNDAYS, 1pm, SOFTBALL. Bring bat, ball , glove and / or self;
informal games. Magazine Beach Field, Cambridge,
across Charles River from Cadi Ilac-Olds and along
Memorial Drive west of the Boston Univ . bridge.
RA IN OR SHINE .
Mon. , Aug. 5, 8pm, Topi c Rap : POETRY READING , bring poems to share.
At the office.
Mon. Aug . 12, 7 :30 pm at office, DOB BUSINESS MEETING .
Tues., Aug 13, FOCUS ME~TING , 7 :30 pm , call office for directions .
Sun ., Aug . 18 **DOB PICNIC AT COCHITUATE STATE PARK**
NAT ICK . Ask at Raps about Rid es!!!!
There is a fireplace - bring fuel; .do not depend on
others to feed you. Br ing your own food unless you
want concession things - (expensive) . Bring sports
things . There is swimming . Turnpike west to exit 13,
Route 30 east 1½ miles. Park is on right. By bicycle
from Boston 1½ hours on rou tes 16 and 30. Adm ission
is $ 1/car, 25<ibicycle. RAIN OR SHINE .
MON ., Aug . 19, 8pm , Topic Rap : THE MEN IN OUR LIVES.
Thurs . Aug. 22
FOCUS MEETING,
7:30 pm at office.
�MALE HOMOSEXUALS:
THEIR PROBLEMS AND ADAPTATIONS
A review
MALE HOMOSEXUALS:
THEIR PROBLEMS AND ADAPTATIONS
by Martin S. Weinberg and Colin J. Williams
Oxford University Press 1974
$10.95
by Laura McMurry
per se , then we would expect to find
not only that homosexuals
show
The latest study by the Institute for
greater
psychological
. pmblems
Sex Research, Bloomington,
Indiana (the "Kinsey
Institute " ) is than the general population In our
reported in this new book. The three socie ties , but also that the
object of the study was to see how more tolerant the society , the less
society has made its mark upon this difference is between homosexuals
and the general
male
homosexual men .
population ."
The study looked at this question
But it didn 't work out that way.
in two way s : 1) by comparing the lot
There turned
out to be little
of hom osexual men with that of
between
male homoheterosexual men (the latter being difference
sexuals
and the general
male
the controls) and 2) by comparing
the situations of homosexual
men population with regard to self-acceptance and psychosomatic symp from three different societies--the
U.S., the Netherlands,
and Den- toms . This had also been found In
mark--which differ in their attitud es ear lie r, less extensi ve studies .
Although there was less happiness
tow ards homose xuality .
among homosexuals
than heteroThe homosexual sample, taken in
sexua ls , this diffe rence d id not
1967-69, came f rom gay bars and the
change as the country became mo re
mailing lis t s and meetings of gay
tolerant (the Netherlands was the
o rgani zations.
The
heterosexual
most tolerant country; the tolerance
samp le came (for the U .S .) from a
of each country is analyzed in the
1
964 study by Me lvin Kohn an d (for
beg inni ng of th e book) .
the two o ther countries) from names
Among their other fi ndin gs were :
fro m telephone books. The hon:io1) Black homosexuals
anticipate
sexuals f ill ed in a I45-question
less negative reaction from society
multiple-c hoice quest ionnaire,
th an whites and are less concerned
whi le the heterosexuals' answe rs to
about pass ing .
only certa i n questions were used.
2) European homosexua!s were less
There were 2437 homosexuals
and
secretive
and
anticipated
less
3170 heterosexual s total.
negative reaction.
.
Perhaps
the
mos t
i nterest_i ng
3) Those homosexuals
who are
conc lu sion conc erns psychological
known about report less anticpation
problem s. As the authors state, and
of nega tiv e reaction, comb ined with
gay people have often speculated,
less ac tu al exper ien ce of negative
"I f psych ological problems are a
react ion s from heterosexuals
tha n
function of soci etal reaction toward do those in the closet.
homosexuals
rather than homo- 4) Homosexuals with higher status
sexuality being psychopathological
jobs are less known about and more
�10
worried about passing--but
they
have more self-acceptance.
The
latter was attributed to their high
status job , showing
tha t many
factors enter into a sociol og ica l
stu dy besides the one you are
studying.
That
sociological
studies
are
frought with dilemmas of methodology is plain from this book ; it is
sometimes a nightmare trying to
take into account all the variables-- such as difference in sample sou rce
(bar , gay groups . . .and NO complete
closet cases!) , small numbers of
respondents
from the telephone
books , peop le mostly
from the
c iti es--and one wonders whether
those who don't care about passing
are the hairdressers
but not the
school
teachers
(one
of
the
" morals " of the study was that
trying so hard to pass maybe wasn 't
worth it because of #3 above--but
could it be that if the schoolteac hers came out they would get more
negativ e reaction
due
to
job
s ituation?)
The authors acknowledge
these
difficulties . They are particularly
concerned about not counting the
real c loset people , but have seen no
gr eat differences between semi-closet and open people with regard to
ps ychological problems . While not
approaching
the famous
Kinsy
studies on both male and female
general sex ual behavior (done in the
lat e 40s and early 50s ) in depth and
CONFERENCE'74
w
brilliance , the research of Weinberg
and Williams is a carefully qualified ,
fascinating work done without the
traditional bias of homosexuality as
an illness . It was evidently done
with a helping purpose. W it h such
an enlightened attitude it was all the
more disappointing
to find the
les bians still don 't exist, much less
matte r in these affairs of society
and
sociology . Why
did
the
researchers choose to look at only
th e "p roblems and adaptat ions" of
male homosexuals
without
even
exp laining this focus? Lesbians are
mentioned only twice--one sentence
eac h , to remind the reader that
females were being left out. I
suspect it was a woman editor at
Oxford University Press who saw
the need to put the clarifying word
" male" in the title of the book. The
authors say nothing about whether
a co nsidera tio n of leb ians would be
of imp ortance--or even of interest--for t he Institute for Sex Research in
the future.
This is probably not a book that the
general public will read (unlike the
Kinsey
rep o rts,
there
are few
statistics about sex life), but for gay
people , both men and even women,
it indicates (tho ugh perhaps does
not prove conclusi vely) some things
about gay life in different societies.
It also has some straightforward
chapte rs about conditions
in the
U.S., Denmark , and the Netherlands .
CALENDAR:
(Meetings until September)
July 31 (Weds.) 7pm
Aug . 11 (Sun.) 5 pm
Aug . 21 (Weds.) 7pm
Sept. 4 (Weds.) 7 pm
Sept. 11 (Wed.) 7pm
Sept. 22 (Sun.) 5pm
Barbara 734-0745
Sue 266-3089
Jane 734-1883
Janine (Number later)
Laura (354-4169)
- still tenative
"7A
/'+
�11
WOMAN PLUS WOMAN: ATTITUDES TOWARD LESBIANISM,
by Dolores Klaich.
Simon & Schuster, 1974.
by Laura McMurry
I
The power and fascination of this
book is in the historical perspective it
gives us. The details and documentation are all here : Drafft-Ebing 's
comparison of the circumferences of
the heads of lesbians with those of
normal women, the destruction of
most of Sappho 's poetry , the excuses
made that Sappho wasn't . really a
lesbian at all (of course not , since she
wrote such great stuff and was so
profound), the furor about publication
of the Well of Loneliness in the 1920s .
These were the actions of a primitive
superstitious culture of decades and
centuries ago . ..but also of today!
History makes the absurdities clearer.
Like the play "Coming Out , but with
more riches for lesbians, the book tells
us things of which I never quite
. believed there was any documented
history. Did you know that there was
$8.95
a major find of fragments of Sappho 's
poetry in the deserts of Egypt in 1897?
There are chapters on the Natalie
Barney crowd in Paris in the early
1900s, about Gertrude Stein, about
Freud's analysis of the poet H.D.,
about theories of sexuality, and more .
There are a few chapters in the book
that don 't belong the_re--interviews
with anonymous women of today
about their lifestyles--which must have
been added to juice up the book , but
which are rehashes of things we've all
heard many times and which are better
dealt with in other books. Otherwise,
Woman Plus Woman is excellent.
Hopefully its publication will stimulate
popular publication of other research
about lesbian history.
(Two copies are in the Boston D.O.B.
library).
DOB Membership includes a subscription
to FOCUS. You must be 18 years or older.
Single Membership $12 Joint Membership $18
Send Your Name(s) and address to DOB.
�12
WOMEN'S CROSSWORD
. by J.S ., with .thanks to G.A.
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1.
Amazon
8.
Patience' lover
12.
Little
13.
Account
14.
who could outrun
every man in sight
myself
Flower
Receivable
15
.
nickname
17.
deciliter
for "Clementine"
18.
indicates a radical
19.
woman
who ate one apple too many
20 .
famous
22.
Morrocco
Fair Lady
23.
prefix
24.
when you're
indicating
not
not out, you're
SOLUTION
-----
IN NEXT
FOCUS
�25.
27.
29.
31.
actress who played a leukemia
straight-shooter
death-bed
13
seen€
since, because
symbol
for element einsteinium
32.
religious
34.
symbol
view of sodomy
35 .
heroin e of Twelfth
for element
38.
Alcoholics
40.
thusly
41 .
before
43 .
early 20th -century
45 .
ruthenium
Night
Anonymou s
il legiti mate
48 .
groan
49 .
symbol
50.
lesbian poetess
sister of Moses
for element
thorium
52.
Wonder Woman's favoriet
53 .
what you stick on the walls
goddes s
56.
alternating
57 .
Joseph worked
current
seven years for her
58.
moon goddess
DOWN
1.
the wisest person on Olympus
2.
symbol
3.
Greek goddess of chastity,
4.
Fr ench article
for ele ment Tellurium
5.
daisylike
6.
claw, talon
7.
hunting , and t he moon
(masc . )
flower
female warrier
8.
unhappy
9.
T.V. quiz show personality
10.
the simpiest
Little
11.
the girl with
keel marks across her face
Woman of all
16.
one of the three ships of Columbus
21 .
very dull
22.
prefix
British
indicating
queen
error or wrongness
24 .
goddess of the rainbow
26.
author
28 .
a dancer who would
30.
the Little
of "Littl e House" serie s of children's
have been better
books
off with
a bow tie
Woman who wished she'd been born a boy
33 .
Ibsen's liberated
34.
the dyke from
36.
Irish Republican
doll
Sunnybrook
Farm
Army
37 .
boy
39 .
pro I ific iou rnal keeper
42 .
Jewish queen who saved her people from
massacre
(continued)
�14
OLIVIA RECORDS; Meg Christian and Cris Williamson
A review by Judi Stein
Womanculture has taken another step forward with the advent of Olivia Records.
A new national women's recording company, Olivia Records has released one
record, a 45 rpm, with a song each by Meg Christian and Cris Williamson. The
entire record was produced from start to finish by women and its recording quality
is excellent.
Meg Christian is a singer-songwriter from Washington D.C. Her song "Lady" is
addressed to women who have given themselves up to men. The waltz tempo and
Christian 's strong voice add a poignancy to the refrain "Do you like the one your
beauty's been sold to?" "Lady" is not an angry song, but is a song of strength and
sadness. The double voicing and Christian's guitar accompaniment are haunting in
their beauty . Without hate or bitterness Christian asks us to look at how we sell
ourselves to succeed: "Knowing what you know how could yoµ sell?" Clearly
feminist , "Lady " is beautiful both in lyrics and melody.
"If It Weren't for the Music" is a love song of incredible strength and joy by Cris
Williamson of San Francisco . Williamson's voice has a clarity and range that make
her a pleasure to listen to . Her image in the song is of a song bird, soaring in circles
and singing for joy. Her voice range and driving guitar make "IF It Weren 't for the
Mu sic" a song of affirmation of life.
Both of these songs are clearly feminist and very beautiful. This record has been
released by Olivia as a fund-raiser to enable these women to buy a studio. It is
available for $1.50 (plus 30 cents mailing) from Olivia Records, Box 1784 , Main City
Station , Washington, D.C. In addition to helping feminist culture, when you buy
this record you get two really fine and beautiful songs by two beautiful women.
DOWN
43.
19th-century
44.
anatomy
lesbian poetess addicted
46.
47.
definite article
company associated with
50.
Military
Police
41.
nasty, stingy
54.
same as 47 DOWN
55.
in reference. to .
to hyphens
His Master's Voice
�15
WHITCH
IWHITCH
LJWHITCH
M
EDICAL
PROBLEMS?
1-MHLL:JH
- WHITCl--1
~
THE All Women's Rock Band
I
~
J;
WENDY
KAREN
MERRY
KAREN
>.
Call ELAINE 289-8363
\NHITCH
is
sponsorin
I
I
F:vecy Wednesday
6:30-9:30 pm
for Medical help (inc.VD)
for Gay women& men
Co-sponsored by H.C.H.S.
For Booking Informatio n
Nov. - 8,1974
Cometo • • •
GAY
HEALTH
NIGHT
at Fenway Co:nnnunity
Health Center
16 Haviland St.
Boston, Mass.
Phone: 267-7573
266-5477
g a g rouD
1
CRUI SE
8 DAYS
NEW YORK- SAN JUAN-
ST.
THOT.
L/\S
$312.00
per person(½
occup Pncy)
For rTore Inform~dion:
CALL
BEACON TOlTRS
74?-l??Q
�• 16
JOIN
Everybody's Autobiography
DIGNITY ...
A
GOOD GAY BUTTONS AND BOOKS...
I\IATIONAL
ORGANIZATION
* " Rubyfruit Jungle" - Rita Mae Brown
*"On the Cusp" - Hertha (Boston's own!)
* " The Queens Vernacular" - Bruce Rodgers
OF
GAY
*irl,; AND MOR E*irli:
CATHOLICS
At
THE HCHS BOOKSTORE
Write :
419 Boylston, Boston, Ma.
755 Boylst o n St.
OPEN :M ONDAY~HURS.
6- 9 P.M.
Boston, Mass.
Rm . ·5 14
(RING THE BELL
4 TIMES FOR
FOURTH FLOOR)
0 21 16
gay
liberator
WANT TO ADVERTISE
IN FOCUS
Box 631-A
Detroit 48232
?
¼ page $5
½ page $10
Full page $20
Send
to : 0.0 .B. Room 323
419 Boylston Street
Boston , Mass. 02116
12 issues $4 in US,
for
$5 outsideUS,$8 supporting.
�Application : DOB Membership or subscriptio n to FOC US
(FOCUS subscription inc. with membership)
Membership: $12/year
$18 for couples
D ENC .___
FOCUS Subscripti on: $6/year
fo r membership
Name ______________
Address ____
D ENC.
_____________
_ _ _ ___
_ _ ______________
Signature- I am a woma n 18 years of age or older :
Date : ______
for FOCUS
_
_
_
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 August
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-08
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
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THP-0011-focus-197408
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/f14843e0f5dbf45283b2e5bfc51c59b6.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=IeOl5D0qTnMit9a9BL35Zxfnhqtcq1MY-1I0nbfo%7EY1szYqbvVqpwLRqkNHJV2Rzd%7EL7FDtsKLGqOTH8CzX1fmqnfBIkVL94M-N4OJ0Es3CF6MktXO4O8vOB8B9BNBJUZi6FCAiJxTOon9NrJFNPSrdBTO4tj%7EYzV7rPSMyKTbJIfwm1N6zTpRsJTkp26ACCwyAC7k3U6ddj39e7emFiqQ-G%7EI0siOjr6RNkuyn4lqkM3uw0qx1fi--zvCClb5V--5Wi9txXaMQJf-QNo38kIhWXQVQvxRLChM5suzooEzseDAg72hyJ3zubXxn4uBANNSfPZFoTeF0CeZWrE3kOPw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
81a7a401f8b7c3ba4e8118d9805514e8
PDF Text
Text
FOCUS journ:i
for gay women
SEPT.'74
BOS T ON DAUGHTERS
of BILITIS
60¢
�FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
SEPTEMBER
FOCUS is published monthly by
Boston Daughters of Bilitis
Room 323, 419 Boylston Street
Boston, Mass. 02116.
Copyright
1974 by Daughters of Bilitis,
Boston, Mass.
Subscriptions are $6 /year, samples 60¢
Give us you r zip number. If you
move, let us know; the post of-fice will
not forward 3rd class mail to you.
This publication is on file at the
International Women's History Archive,
2325 Oak St., Berkeley, Calif . 94708. It is
available on microfilm from Bell & Howell,
Wooster, Ohio to October 1971 and from
IWHA from October 71 on.
1974
FOCUS Staff
reviews: J .S.
features: Wendy Bauman
editing: Janine Bernier
poetry and fiction:
Gerry Azzata, J.S.
cover: Terri
layout: Maggy
type: Lois Hurst
distribution: Gerry Azzata
production: Geri Bidwell
staff: Peg, Candy
DEADLINE
FOR OCT.: SEPT,EMBER 15
FOCUS welcomes contributions from
everyone, including drawings. Include a
self-addressed, stamped envelope for return.
All letters must be signed, but names can
be with held for publication.
In this issue
Features
Poems
" The Revolving Closet Case Door"
Janine Bernier ...........
, . 5,6
Cover Story ... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Crossword solution .... .... .... 14
Just Friends
by Liane Esstell .....
...
2 poems by Kathy Hruby ..
untitled by Judy .........
untitled by Paula Bennett , .
News
DOB Upcoming Elections .......
7
Conference '74 news ...........
8
Conference '74 application .. .. . , . 9
Classified ad ................
DOB Calendar .....
. .....
. ....
. ...
, ....
,.,,
3
.4
6
,7
11
10, 11
Revievvs
PURR, BABY, PURR
by Barbara Picirilli .......
13,14
WOMAN HATING by J.S . . .. . . 12
Last month's illustration in story "LESBIAN
HEARTBREAK"
accredited to THREE-Ill
magazine .
Cover : photograph by Terri, (see story page 7)
�1
NEWS
Prostitutes
convene.
The first
National Hookers' Convention was
held June 26 in Glide Memorial
Church in San Francisco . Margo St.
James, an organizer of COYOTE (a
lobbying group concerned with the
civil rights of prostitutes), said "If
you're born poor there ain't no in
between: you can be a slave, or an
outlaw. If you're a woman, you can
be a whore . Having money set me
free-to love who I wanted to , not
who I needed to." Representatives
from sister organizations in New
York and Seattle were present.
(Marin Women's Ne w journal, San
Rafael, Calif., August 1974)
Lesbian wives and mothers in
England . This spring the first
gathering of lesbian wives and
mothers in England brought to gether some two dozen women who
discussed their mutual problems for
the first time. The excitement burst
forth on the pages of the May issue
of Sappho as articles and letters.
(Sappho,
BCM/Petrel,
London
WC1V, 6XX, single copy 75p) in
the D.O.B. library).
Lesbianism and legislation in Puerto
Rico. As part of a proposed new
penal code revision, the definition
of homosexuality
(which has always been illegal) has been expanded to include sexual acts
between two women. (Majority Report, July 25, 74)
Lutherans . Lutherans Concerned
for Gay People has formed in the
American
Lutheran
Church. The
address is P.O. Box 15592, Salt
Lake City, Utah 8411 5.
Nebraska. The state Democratic
party platform
here includes a
plank calling for equal rights and
full
dignity
for
gay persons.
(Advocate, August 14, 1974)
Presby teri ans. The address of the
newly -formed
Presbyterian
Gay
Caucus is Box 2073, Chicago , Ill.
60690.
-----
--
--
- -
Unitarians. The General Assembly
of
the
Unit arian
Universal ist
Association voted in June to give
$38,000 to establish an office in
Boston for the Gay Caucus. It is the
first church of the 10 with gay
caucuses to provide regular funding.
Candidates fo r the position of
director (salary $12,000) should
write : UUGC , GCN Box 1000, 33
Bromfield St., Boston, Ma. 02108.
Albany . The Capital District Gay
Community
Counc il operat es a
newly-bough
three story
com munity center at 332 Hudson Ave .,
Albany, N.Y . (Adv ocate, August
14 , 1974)
--
--------
Feder aI legislation . Reps. Bella
Abzug and Edward Koch, both
from New York, have introduced
HR 14752 in Congress on May 14.
The bill wou ld amend the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, which covers
discrimination
in public accommodations, public facilities, public
education , and federally assisted
programs, to include marital status
and sexual orientation as forbidden
grounds
for
disc r imination.
It
would also amend a 1968 federal
law about discrimination in housing
and a 1972 law about education
aid. (Advocate, August 14, 1974).
This is the first time to the knowledge of FOCUS that a gay rights
bill has been introduced on the
national level.
Manuscripts are being sought for
Gay A cademic: An Interdisciplinary Collection of Essays by
Gay Academics Writing as Gay
Academics. ETC. Publications will
The
�2
NEWS (continued)
publish the volume as edited by Dr .
Lou ie Crew, Professor of English
and co-editor
with
Dr. Rictor
Norton of the special issue of
College English o n The Homosexual
Imagination . Each essay in The Gay
Academic will be a showcase of the
positive achievements of a Gay
scholar when she or he uses her or
his special vantage as a Gay person
in pursuing a specific discipline.
The volume will celebrate the
honesty and insight made possible
by open Gay sexual orientation.
Interested scholars will find it
useful to quer y with their plans
before beginning their manuscripts.
Manuscripts should be from 10-30
typed ; pages and should conform to
the MLA Style Sheet, 2nd Edition.
Writers whose essays are accepted
may elect either a modest payment
or a pro rata share of the annual
royalties . Deadline fo r submissions
is January 1st, 1975. They should
be sent with a stamped addressed
envelope to Lou ie Crew, FVSC Box
1203, Fort Valley, GA 31030.
Detroit 's new city charter took
effect July 1 with provisions that
make it unlawful to discriminate
against homosexuals : the areas are
not specified. The Detroit law is the
strongest among t hose of the 10
cities which have passed such laws,
because it's in a charter passed by
referendum, not in a mere ordi nance passed by a city council and
easily revokable . The tenth town to
have anti-discrimination
legislation
is Alfred, New York (population
3800) on May 6. (Gay Liberator,
Jun e 7974)
Women interested in contributing
to a women's songbook should
contact
Debra
Silverstein , 20
Gerald Rd., Brighton, Mass. 02135.
The group is interested in traditional and contemporary songs and
historical
information
about
songs.
SAGARIS, an independent institute for the study of feminist
thought, will open in the summer
of 1975, in Burlington, Vermont.
SAGARIS will function as a think
tank and school where feminist
political theories can be studied and
reexamined, and where women
with prior experience in feminism
can
explore
the
connections
between feminist theory and individual skills and disciplines.
New Jersey N.O .W. sponsors
th e Wonder Women Conference
Sept 6,7,8
Atlantic City, N_J_
See flyer in office
A new fem ini st quarterly magazine
"WomanSpirit"
will
be
published at the Fall Equinox. A
six-woman collective states the new
journal
will
be "consciousness
raising in the spir itual sphere of
women's culture ." They are looking
for work of women writers and
artists dealing with feminist inner
experience with a psychic, religious
and philosophical emphasis. Write
the collective at Box 263, Wolf
Creek, Oregon 9497 to contribute
material or subscribe, $6 for four
issues.
The Women 's Center of Los
Angeles presents womens assertiveness training workshops at the
POWER OF WOMEN conference
September 20-22, 1974. Also workshops dealing with employment and
radical therapy. Welfare recipients
may pre-register without charge and
we encourage women to bring their
daughters age ten and up. Flyer in
DOB office.
�3
NEWS (continued)
Church in the U.S.A. PGC draws
participants from both denominations, with about 60 participants in
its first half year . They are pledged
to work
against discrimination
based on sexual preference .
Presbyterian Gay Caucus (PGC),
a national caucus which has been
organizing since January, 1974, met
for the first time in Louisville ,
Kentucky,
site of the General
Assemblies of the Presbyte rian
Just Friends
I knew when I had met her, I had met someone
to drink tea with,
someone to laugh with
and write to .
Our minds had met,
I had hopes our hands could
but her eyes said, "No".
Forcing myself to sit back quietly,
gathering strength from an honest moment
knowing we would only
touch
with words and laughter .
Recognizing the subtleties of
a kind rejection,
Never again to ask or hope
for more so I could continue seeing her .
Caring enough not to touch-No matter how much I
reached for her existence.
Settling for the simple things we could share,
for sensitivity without illusions,
with peace of mind sitting back more
comfortable than before,
sharing the same space,
Enjoying
the simplicity of just being with her
And I knew
we would be
just friends .
Copyright
1974 by Liane Esstelle
�4
in awe
we told the high school we were eloping
only one bed where we went
I wonder what two women do in bed
you said
I reached
across
the abyss glorious skin touching
skin incredible stomachs rising against each other arms
encircling thighs pressing eyes wide all night after
night yes yes yes yes
12 o'clock yes
1 o'clock yes
3 o'clock yes yes yes
and then the sun
next morning we could be arrested you said we had not
so much as kissed I was 15 I knew I was a criminal my
body straightened out I threw my head back with laughter
never put it down again my hands were mine nevermore
clumsy my body never stopped singing
II
everywhere I turned you startled me almost touching me touch
me you pleaded I will I smiled but we will be in different places
then I who had never touched a woman except in bed but you would
not have it so we hugged on our doorsteps every day till it hurt
till we couldn't stand up months and months trying to smell you
in English class see your breasts in the locker room brush against
you in the hall hold hands on field trips so excited holding
hands it felt like we were fucking publicly no question it was
sexual you wore patchouly and black skimpy dresses I felt you
down them and felt you up them all on the steps of my house kissed
you on the new year lights exploding swimming in champagne so
scared by it we didn't touch for days month after month then
we escaped barefoot through the snow unbuttoned your shirt to
find tiny breasts snuck an hour while your parents were in church
an hour there cut school to make love to Janis Joplin seems like
I was always undressing you you talked in strange terms like
clitoris and orgasm wanted to know what I felt but I couldn't
remember anything except I groaned in bed with you we were always
getting caught your father almost destroyed you my mother tried
to put me in a mental hospital you left me for your sanity
you said
Kathy Hruber
�5
"The Revolving Closet-Case Door"
(affectionately
dedicated to S. for her not-so-divine
inspiration)
by Janine Bernier
Sandy: "You're
in new, right?"
Jackie: "Yah."
S. When did you go in?
J. When we turned down Huntington Ave. I work down here you
know?
S. Oh, I forgot. Would it help if we
got back to Copley Square?
J. Yah, that'd be better - it's nearer
419.
S. Well, are you sure it would help?
I haven't got gas to do this all
night you know?
J. It might if I don't run into
Connie, Polly , or Lori. There 's a
rap tonight, you know?
S. What difference does that make?
J. San, I'm still seeing Connie - sort
of. And Polly says I'm promiscuous. Its embarassing. And then
I like Lori. Wouldr't want to give
her the wrong impression. You
understand?
S. Jesus Christ S. Look, if we can't snuggle here
because you work with these
straights, and we can't there
because you're seeing those gays,
where can we go? Hurry up.
Decide . We've got a green I ight.
J. Turn left, I need another block .
S. Okay, okay.
J. San, let's stick with Back Bay.
S. Didn't you use to live here?
J. Yah, shit, can't do it. Those
wierd-does might be still there.
You know - the ones who hung
around my doorstep and read my
mail for kicks?
S. Groan - sometimes being with
you, Jackie, is a pain .
you
want
from
J. Well, between the straights and
the gays I don't want to run into,
its really tough you know?
S. Al right, alright, the straights are
everywhere. Can't be helped. But
besides Connie, Polly, and Lori
what gays are there?
J. Well, we can't go to the Saints.
That couple crowd
is there
tonight.
You know the dual
groupie that thinks that if you're
over 21 and don't have a monogamy you're sick. Some sort of
example of the non-stable homo
hanging in a straight mind.
S. Jesus, Jackie, they live everywhere in the city. Be positive,
will ya?
J. I'm trying, aren't I?
S. Sure, sure, I can see your face
turning lavender with the effort.
J. Why don't you get off my back?
J. What did you expect anyway?
J. What do
anyway?
S. Just tell me where you want to
go. Any place in the city you can
feel comfortable driving around
normally.
Isn't the place big
enough?
me
S. Look, honey, I can't even hold
your hand - you're so paranoid
- let alone do anything with
your back.
J. Don't get cute. It isn't easy being
a closet-case.
S. Shit - it might be easier if you
were consistent. You're coming
in and out all the time - doesn't
even make sense.
J. Makes sense to me, and since
when do I have to e'xplain my
every move to you?
S. Groan - give me a break, Jackie,
I'm on empty as it is.
J. Oh, alright, what about parking
near my place.
S. Does the
you?
neighborhood
bother
(cont. page 6)
�6
J. Naw, they don't know me yet.
Just moved in last week.
S. Great! Cambridge it is then!
(30 minutes later in a Lesley
College parking lot-)
J. Feel better now.
S . ahaa .
J. Feel okay?
S. ahaa.
J . Have enough to go home?
S. Have to stop somewhere?
J. San?
S. uhuh .
J . Are you lighting a cigarette?
S. Nope , why?
J . What's the Iight then?
S. Maybe just someone in the parking lot.
J. Let me see.
S. Christ, you're so uptight .
J . San - its a security cop! Oh,
Christ, its a cop!
Cop : "Hello, girls."
S. Jack ie, he kept going didn't he?
It's okay, Jackie. Jackie, are you
okay?
Jackie - you're in for good now,
right?
J. Yah.
S. Strike Cambridge?
J. Yah.
S. Want to go home?
J. Yah.
S. Want me to pick you up tomorrow?
J . Not home, my roommate.
S. At 419?
J. Connie, Polly will be there again.
S. Jackie?
J. Yah.
S. Just call me if you come out
again, okay?
J . Could be a while. Maybe if I
moved again --
Dead grass is April love, dying love, winter killed,
Choking out new blades, new life.
Rake out the winter remains,
Pile them up, bag them,
Haul them away.
Let the warm sun and fresh rains bring
New life and new love.
Clear out the dead, bitter grasses.
If love must go, let it go in spring.
Judy
�7
COVER PHOTO: THE INSIDE STORY
by J.S.
The feature theme of th is issue
was to be "Closet Cases," and for
our cover we decided to take a
picture of FOCUS staff members,
disguised
in an appropriately
closety
manner.
Without
any
particular discussion about what we
would wear, other than a lot of
joking about masks and kooky
clothes, we arrived at the photography session to discover that
every one of us had worn a dress!
This says something. It says that
when we think of being in the
closet - of trying to 'pass' in the
heterosexual world-we
think of
skirts and pantyhose and high heels.
A dress is a disguise, a costume, a
camoflage, and to wear a dress is to
be something other than our real
Nothing fits,
not the shoes with the dress,
not the hat with the pocketbook,
nothing right.
You go through life
always slightly off
for want of time or money or finesse
selves.
Taking this picture put us in
touch with a lot of old feelings
about semi-straight or semi-closet
days. We discovered that we were
exhausted from the effort of wear ing these dresses for even an hour
or so, that we were very uncomfortable in the nylon stockings and
other trappings . But beyond simple
physical
discomfort,
we were
reminded of another kind of suffering we had always associated with
dresses: clothes as a measure of
success, dressing as competition - a
game we didn't want to play ·and
weren't very good at, but didn't
know quite how to avoid.
The lesson we learned from all
this was very simple. You are what
you wear. A dress can be a closet.
but the girl
with the magazine smile
looks out and winks at you
from those bright pages,
just to let you know
somewhere someone's
got it straight.
-Paula Bennett
- - D.O.B. ELECTIONS - are strongly urged to give notification and submit platforms to
Elections will be held Sunday,
October 20, 7 :30 pm at the office.
According to the new by-laws,
there will be no proxy votes .
Absentee ballots must be filled out
and signed by the voter, and must
be received by the Election Committee in a sealed envelope. Candidates for the offices of President,
Vice-President,
Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, and Recording
Secretary must give written notification to the D.O.B. office by
October 5 at the latest. Candidates
FOCUS by Sept. 15 : the October
issue will include statements of not
more than 300 words . from all
office-seekers.
Candidates
who have given
notification as of this date are: for
the office of
Vice . President:
Judy S., for the office of'Treasurer:
Peggy Wilson and Paula Bennett,
for the office of Corresponding
Secretary: Laura Robin.
�8
CONFERENCE 74: AN AMAZON EXPEDITION
If you haven 't been looking
around , you
might not hav e
noticed . It 's been goin g on for
awhil e now quietly. Th e Ama zo ns
have returned , come ba ck to claim
their sist ers.
Firm and gentle , hands reach ou t
to wom en restless under th e yok e
of mal e tradition
and history.
Women say to other women ,
untether your lives, explore yourselves. And join us , on our Amazon
Expedition - to redi scover th e
legend of ourselves that will not
die .
A
conference-celebration
for
woman-identified
women
will
happen this October on Columbus
Day weekend
October
11-14) .
Organized by a group of Boston
lesbians and oriented toward lesbians, it is a meeting for Amazons.
For women self-reliant or want to
be. For women daring and courageous or wanting to be . For women
claiming their power or wanting to.
For women loving women or wanting to. CONFERENCE 74: An
Amazon Expedition welcomes all
women - all women are Amazons .
CONFERENCE
' 74:
AN
AMAZON EXPEDITION will be
held in the Berkshire mountains in
Western Massachusetts. The location that has been chosen has been
named "Amazonia " for the weekend and consists of 350 acres of
wooded countryside surrounded by
1000 acres of state forest. This
assures us all the freedom and
privacy we could ask for.
The camp houses facilities for
600 . These include cabins , function
halls, theaters , lake area , soccer ,
football, and baseball fields. Because of the limit of 600 , the costs
for each child will be the same as a
woman 's. For this reason CON-
\
FERENCE ' 74 appeals to women
t o arrang e to leave their children
with friends or famil y. We sear ched
for an area with unlimited faciliti es
so that women could feel fre e t o
bring th eir children , unfortunately
none could be found . So , wh ene ver
possible , children
remaining at
home would allow another woman
to attend .
The cost for th e three day
week end is $30 .00 a pers on $30 .00 each woman and $30 .00 for
ea ch child . This includes housing
and meals from Friday through
Monday. We realize that this is
expensive and we wish it could be
less, but this is the lowest amount
we could reach after intensive
negotiations. Start saving now!
We have established a sisterhood
fund to sponsor women who
cannot afford part or all of the
cost . Any woman who can afford
to help sponsor a sister or sisters is
asked to include whatever she can
in her check. Also some of our
fund-raising
proceeds
will go
toward this fund. Please help!
Sponsor a sister! Send a lesbian to
camp! Share your wealth. To our
sisters who cannot afford the cost,
send in your applications. We will
accommodate as many of you as
the fund permits!
Please join AMAZON EXPEDITION as soon as possible! Register
today . First come - first served .
Fees will be returned immediately
to those registering after the quota
is filled . We ask that registrations be
in by September 15th to allow time
for processing and correspondence.
Directions to "Amazonia " will be
sent to registered Amazons by
return mail. Please send your
applications in as soon as possible.
�9
Money orde rs/ checks sho ul d be made p ayable t o :
CONFEREN CE '7 4
Fill out the appli cation form attached and ret u rn to :
CON F ER ENCE ' 74 : AN A MAZON EXP
Box 200
c/o GCN
22 Bromfi eld St .
Boston, Ma. 0 2 108
Name-----------------------------
-
Address--------------
-
telephone no . _ _ _ ________
--------------
estimated t i me of arrival
at " Amazonia"----------
Enclosed:
D
D
$30.00 fee
D
Donation to Sisterhood Fund . (Please consider seriously.)
D
Please send more information . Specify:
I am willing to help out@ CONFERENCE
$30.00/child
attending
'74 with :
D
workshops (specify interests)
D
maintenance
D
child care
D
entertainment
For mo re in forma t ion on the campsit e, a complete listin g of work shops
suggested t o dat e, for more registrat ion for ms, an d information o n up- co ming
Confer ence '7 4 : An Amazon Exp editi on Fund -Raising event s and T-shirts ,
please writ e to : Box 2000
c/o GCN
22 Bromfield St.
Boston , Ma. 02108
�10
D.O.B. CALENDAR SEPT. 1974
419 Boylston St., Rm 323, Boston, Mass . 02116 --617 262-1592
All events are open to all women regardless of their membership in D. 0 .8.
All raps are 50¢ for non-members, and 25¢ for member s.
MONDAYS , TOPIC RAPS start at 8 p.m. in the D.O.B. office. Put
suggestions into the D.O.B. mailbox for topics. Sept.
16 - Our Religious Beliefs. what / where / is God,
morality, purpose of life, religion & being gay, etc .
TUESDAYS, 7: 30 pm Rap session on being gay for women. Share
feelings about being gay, everyone welcome. There
are always many new people every week. At the DOB
office, near th e Arlington MBT A stop, between
Arlington and Berkeley Streets.
WEDNESDAYS , 7:30 pm Rap session for lesbian mothers, and
phone- in time for lesbian mothers. Mothers with
grown children invited to share with other mother s.
At DOB office.
WEDNESDAYS, 1st & 3rd GA YBREAK radio program,
AMHERST, WMUA-FM 91.9
THURSDAYS, 8 pm Rap session for older gay women . No ages
are defined. Come if it sounds right for yo u.
THURSDAYS, 9-10 pm GAY WAY RADIO program. WBUR 90.9
FM.
SUNDAYS, 10:30-11 am CLOSET SPACE radio program,
WCAS-AM 740.
SUNDAYS, 1 pm, SOFTBALL. Bring bat, ball, glove and/or self;
informal games. Magazine Beach Field, Cambridge,
across Charles River from Cadillac-Olds and along
Memorial Drive west of the Boston Univ. bridge.
RAIN OR SHINE.
Tuesday, Sept. 3, FOCUS meeting 7: 30 pm at office.
Sunday, Sept. 15, **DOB PCINIC AT COCHITUATE STATE PARK
NA TICK. Ask at Raps about Rides!!!
There is a fireplace - bring fuel; do not depend on
others to feed you. Bring your own food unless you
want concession things - (expensive). Bring sports
things. There is swimming. Turnpike west to exit 13,
Route 30 east 1 ½ miles. Park is on right. By bicycle
from Boston 1½ hours on routes 16 and 30. Admission is $1/car, 25¢ bicycle. RAIN OR SHINE.
�11
Monday Sept. 16, Topic Rap: Our Religious Beliefs what/ where/
is God, morality, purpose of life, etc. (see above Mondays)
Thursday, Sept. 19, FOCUS meeting 7:30 pm office
Monday, Sept. 23, D.O.B. Business Meeting 7: 30 pm at office
Monday, Oct. 7 GAY MEDIA ACTION. Videotapes of news
coverage of legislative hearings, excerpts from "Nana"
series, from the "Good Morning Show" with John
Willis, and a sound tape of the first television program
in Boston featuring gays - Dr. Socarides vs. the
presidents ofD.O.B. and H.U.B. in 1970. Donation to
benefit G.M.A.
Sunday, October 20, DOB ELECTIONS 7:30 pm at office.
A Selected bibliography of Homosexuality,
6th edition, 1974 (4 pages) is available
for 35¢, 3 for $1, from the Homosexual
Information Center, 3473½ Cahuenga
Hollywood, Calif 90028. A copy is in the
DOB li.btary.
CLASSIFIEDS:
(5¢ per word)
Wanted - ONE SAILOR
Object - Sailing Lessons
In Return - Peaceful, Fun Day
Interested WriteCin Mutlow
109 South Main St.
Mansfield, Mass.
WHO WON THE DOB RAFFLE??
JOE from Weyland won the Raffle. Instead of a free all-expense paid
weekend in P-town, the winner preferred $100 cash. 277 tickets were sold,
so DOB made a profit of $177.
BY-LAWS
Copies of the new D.O.B. by-laws are available at the office, or by sending
a stamped, self-addressed envelope to D.O.B.
�12
W o 111anHatin g, Andrea Dworkin , E.P . Dutton & Co. , Inc. , New York , 1974 , $7 .95
WOMAN HATING: A REVIEW BY J.S.
111
111
Hating
is a
feminist
111.initl",to: it is a ca ll to revolution in
1, hich Andrea
Dworki n investigates
whl'rl' we are, how we got there , and
what we ca n do to get to so m eplace
els(' . She first exam ine s th e m y thol og ical heritage w hi ch m o lds our sense of
our,clves as female , turns then to the
hi,torical rea lity of mutilation and
rl'rsccuti nn of wo men , and finishes
with a rally ing cry for androg y ny as
the model for a mor e hum a nistic
luturc.
Tlw basic rremise of the boo k is th at
woman is--always has been--victim.
Thl' ,rnalvs is of fairy tales is the most
crc.itive a n<l persuasive por tion of th e
work Dworkin looks at the chief roles
in" number of co mmon fairy tales an d
c,,ncludes th at "For a woman to be
good . ,hl' must be dea d , o r as close to
it "' p,,ss ible. Cata to nia is th e goo d
1,·"m ,rn·s mos t w inning qualit y ." Th e
biologica l mo thers of heroin es such as
Sno\\'-V\ 'hite o r Cinderella a re alwa ys
").'. . rious , passi ve, a nd soon dead, "
'"'d
1, hl'rl'
the stepmothers , by way of
contrast. a re always "g reedy, am bitious . ruth less" a nd ve ry much alive.
To h.ive powe r , to act, as a woman, is
t" hl' wicke d. So it com es that women
,tri\'l ' lor passivity, which is equa ted
1, ith goodness, a nd w hich becomes the
1
1 .tsi, ol their romantic , erotic appeal
: , , men . The handsome y oung prince
1 the lairy tale, though he is n o t very
n
bright. always comes off well simpl y in
n1ntrast to the limp hero ine. "The
dl·adl'r she is, the better he is. " As for
thl' fa ir y-ta le father , remarkably
ern ,ugh he is never held respo nsible for
any nf the ev il action: "He is the
r.itriarch, and as suc h he is beyond
mo ra l law and hum an decency ." The
lessons Dworkin
dr aws from this
analys is are instructive and co nvincing: "We see that powerfu l wo men
are bad , and th a t goo d women are
inert. We see that men are always
good, no matter what they do , or do
not do. " She goes on to demon strate
that
po rno graphy
con tinues
the
definion of woman as victim ("He hits
her , a nd she lives happil y ever after. ")
Of particular interest is her insight that
The stereo type of the h omosexual ... is
not very diffe rent from the stereotype
of wo m an, " and that therefore "The
stru gg le for gay liberation
and
women 's libera tion is a common
struggle ."
The histo ric al po rtion of the book
foet ·ses on two specific forms of sexist
persecuti on: C hin ese foot-binding and
European witch hunts. The discussion
of foot-bi ndin g is well documented-fascinating--horrifyi ng . The section on
w itchcraft , however, is less scholarly ,
a nd too po litical to be persuasive as
histnrical comment.
Dworkin 's attempt to see th e witch cults as p os itive ,
counter- es ta blishment models for women , is pushed too far , and ultimately
lea ns mo re on rhet oric than on facts .
The book 's co nclusion suffers similarly
from a political
in sistence which
make s its posi tion appear more naive
and b iza rr e than it need . It is not
nece ssa ry , for exa mple , to assert that
hum an beings were once physiologically androgy nous in order to justify a
breaking down of pr esen t male and
·female role definitions . The search for
biologica l "evi dence " (parthenogenesis, virgi n births , and th e like) to
support cu ltur al changes seems to me
both mi sgu ided and misleading. The
changes Dworkin advo cates in the
( c (.,: t. on page 14)
_
�13
REVIEW:
"Purr, Baby, Purr" (You Can Be Feminine and Liberated)
by Lucianne
Goldberg and J eannie Sakal
Hawthorn Books , Inc., N.Y. 1971
Warm and Safe in the Oblivion of Numb
by Barbara Piccirilli
In '72, Shirley Chisholm didn 't
have a chance . A victim of "psyc hological limitations ", she was at the
mercy of a "raging hormonal imbalance". Shirley Chisholm would
have made a lousy President. And get
this,
future
female seekers
of
political office: You can't be trusted
either. According to Lucianne Goldberg and Jeannie Sako!, collaborators
on that Great Literary Masterpiece ,
" Purr , Baby, Purr", the reason why
little girls can't grow up to be
Richard Nixon is that pre-menstrual
and menstrual problems will impede
their already inferior judgement. ..
"How do we know in advance which
female candidates for President are
subject to menstrual edginess, and
which are not? "
Well, women candidates could be
made to sign sworn statements
testifying to their cyclic reliability ,
promise that they will not become
"irritable, depressed, and edgy especially on the days prior to the
onset of menstrual flow." But a
credibility gap would surely emerge:
After all, it's a known fact that we're
all crazy bitches 5 days each month
(at least!), and such a knowledgable
and credential-laden personage as Dr.
Edgar F. Berman , "friend, confidant
and personal physician to Hubert
Humphrey" and an "appointee to
the Democratic Party's Committee
on National Priorities", maintains :
"Suppose we had a President in the
White House, a menopausal
or
menstruating woman President who
had to make the decision of the Bay
of Pigs?" Well, Doc Berman had
better list memory prods on his
string of National Priorities because
as I have heard it, President Kennedy
didn't do such a hot-shot joh with
the Bay of Pigs. And what was his
excuse? Forget to take his Midol?
Dr. Berman is one of the heros (All
heros being predominantly male) in
"Purr, Baby, Purr", the book which
promises you the secret of "how to
be feminine and liberated".
Na mes of villi ans are Atkinson ,
Millet, Friedan, Steinem. Conservative organizations like NOW are put
down as urging "Instant Abortion,
Instant Equality, Instant Divorce,
and Instant Orgasm" . This book is
preposterously
written, so outrageously banal, so unvalidifying in
itself, that first impressions lead you
to laugh over it , then disregard it.
Examples are the cutsy-poo chapter titles such as "Flirtility Rights" ,
and " When Does Daddy Get A
Chance to Freak Out?" Details ot the
formation of the " Pussycat League"
are given, along with the list of
"Pussycat Do's and Don'ts" ... a sort
of senile version of a Girl Scout rule
book . The League boasts chapters
from " Portland Maine to Portland ,
Oregon ." And Pussycats believe:
"If a woman takes pleasure in
womanly things, if she adores her
husba nd, loves her children, tingles
all over when her souffle rises to
perfection, and feels that the entire
world is beautiful when · she has
finished with a spring cleaning, she
should wallow in her happiness and
not apologize for it to the bitter
woman who is trying to ·tear down
her world."
That about sums it up. That one
statement
could be analyzed for
centuries and you could fill a library
with its implications.
"Womanly
things",
such as "adoring
dear
�1--1
REVIEW (continued)
PU RR . BABY . PURR
hubby" (notice that adoration is one
up on ordinary worship ... adoration
being that profound
reverence reserved for Gods an d Males) and what
ca n compare with the ecstatically
the
rewarding
feat of preparing
perfect souffle? Th e world outside
the kitchen window is just as always
after the spri ng cleaning , and if
heaven
can be bought
in the
Supermarket
with the Ajax then
maybe it is possible to wallow in the
happiness of home-making. But the
laughter stops when the implication
of the last part of the sentence hits
home: ' ' Tearing down her world".
JOman Hating
(cont.
)
name of sexua l, social , and political
frC'C'd0mspea k for themselves , and do
rn ,1 nl'cd biological justifications; to
,u ggl',I I hey do is to risk fighting the
', "I ,· ,,n l,1 lse grounds. It is also to risk
lo, ,,-_ ,~ ,11 ,ind Dworkin has not
..
i
entire ly escape d this pitfall. She has
wri tten an important book with a
strong feminist sta nd , a book which
speaks out loudl y for the gay
cnmmunity as well. She has written
with a good deal of humor and
creative insight in some instances, and
l ,,nlv regret that she also permits
hn selt an over-politicized rhetoric and
a sloppiness in scho larship which are
a t times embarass ing.
"The Enemy is trying to Tear Down
My World." "Purr, Baby , Purr" is
more
than
the mercenary-based
attempt
of two gold-digging opportunists to rip off• the Women's
Movement . It is a devastating and
insidious exhortation
to all women
to embrace the past , to love the
chains. It is insidious because it
divides us , makes one side the
Threat, one the staunchly threatened. It is insidious because my mother
bought it, read it, believed it , then
gave it to me, hoping that I could
believe it , because I have become her
Threat.
SOLUTION to last month's
WOMAN'S CROSSWORD by J.S.
�15
JOIN
DIGNITY
Everybody's Autobiography
...
A
GOOD GAY BUTTONS AND BOOKS...
NATIONAL
* " Rubyfruit .lungle" - Rita Mae Brown
* "On the Cusp" - Hertha (Boston's own!)
ORGANIZATION
OF
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GAY
***
AND
CATHOLICS
MORE***
At
THE HCHS BOOKSTORE
Write :
419 Boylston, Boston, Ma.
755 Boylston St.
OPEN:
Boston, Mass.
Rm . 514
MONDAY-THURS
.
6-9 P.M.
02116
(RING THE BELL
4 TIMES FOR
FOURTH FLOOR)
gay
liberator
WANT
TO ADVERTISE
IN FOCUS
?
¼ page $5
½ page $1 0
Full
page $20
Send to:
D.O.B . Room 323
419 Boylston Street
Boston, Mass. 02116
Box 631-A
Detroit 48232
12 issues $4 in US
for
$5 outsideUS,$8 suppor
ting.
�16
WH IT,4(-'j=/
MEDICAL
PROBLEMS?
O~ITBS
t WHl+BH
:!;_
I
>
THE All Women's Rock Band
WENDY
~~~~
I
u
KAREN
t
:!;
S,
For Booking Information
Call ELAINE 289-8363
WHITCH
Cometo •••
GAY
HEALTH
NIGHT
at Fenway Community
Health Center
16 Haviland St.
Boston, Mass.
Phone: 267-7573
I
Every Wednesday
6:30-9:30 pm
for Medical help (inc.VD)
for Gay women& men
Co-sponsored by H.C.H.S.
266-.5477
GCN
is sponsoring a group CRUISE
Nov. 8, 1974
'8 DAYS
NEW YORK-
SAN JUAN -ST.
THOMAS
$312.00 per person (½ occupancy)
For More Information :
CALL BEACON TOURS 742 -1200
or write Box 9000 c/o GCN
The cruiseis aboardthe MAXIM GORKI Russian
registry
�FOCUS
is available in
the D.O.B. office
419 Boylston St.
and at these stores:
FOCUS
needs women
to help with
Distribution
and Advertising.
NEW WORDS
THE ESPLANADE BOOKSTORE
Prudential Paperback Booksmith
Hawkers also needed.
EVERYBODY'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
and
at the SAINTS
America's 1st non-sexist, nonexplotive weekly newspaper
for gay women and men.
10 weeks - $ 2.50
25 weeks 5.00
One Year - 10 .00
Write to GCN Subscriptions
22 Bromfield, Box F
Boston , Mass. 02108
Application:
DOB Membership or subscription to FOCUS
(FOCUS subscription inc. with membership)
Membership: $12/year
$18 for couples
FOCUS Subscription: $6/year
Single Sustaining Membership: $25
□
ENC . ___
for membership
D ENC.
for FOCUS
Name ____________
________________
Address ___________
____________
Signature-
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Date : ______
_
_
_
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
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Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Title
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 September
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-09
Description
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An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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THP-0011-focus-197409
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/327a58211367f1b00e6286b0af98b601.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=oKIXhuu9H1LPNRCOGvAnS%7EDwI-hK5iM1GZ41Pi569TpNU0hVsw1CnrV25xg7qFQixnRP6Ct5UoPsJ7qvfyCqU-vhe2a66kRihsOL8x1pWxxMmdfZ1EwOavHAMMYPqKupLwzhpvz3RVIawZPS1JDqrdNSSKTq7Q90FmWreDDPkkDqZ1juV6xqR1GzNPKyalSH9cjaLOT3VxM4jrIIe3LYTiZBpCZK-DT2pV5tOVWyUoPN1nlSCr9OZjGZo1MBBkhjdjriP1yABagtHkiMpealjgMqkHAzXRtPJTNlu0sGDziAwKwEBR85J0gUv-7N9M05nGAG0WlF6DDJzmmycAkKWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
b658b2a7413c1b927e089b88249ac770
PDF Text
Text
I
OCT. 74
I
BOSTON DAUGHTERS of BILIT IS
FOCUS
a journal
for gay
women
60¢
�FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
OCTOBER 1974
FOCUS Staff
FOCUS is published monthly by
Boston Daughters of Bil it is
Room 323, 419 Boylston Street
Boston , Mass. 02116.
Copyright
1974 by Daughters of Bilitis ,
Boston, Mass.
Subscript ions are $6 /year, samples 60¢
Give us your zip number. If you
move, let us know; the post of-rice wil l
not forward 3rd class mai I to you.
This publication is on file at t he
International Women's History Archive ,
2325 Oak St ., Berkeley, Calif . 94708. It is
available on microfilm from Bell & Howell,
Wooster, Ohio to Octobe r 19 71 and fro m
IWHA from October 71 on .
reviews: J.S .
features: Wend y Bauman
editing: Janine Bern ier
poetry and fiction:
Gerry Azzat a, J.S.
layout: Lois Hur st
type: Lois Hurst, Gerry Azza ta
dist ribution: Gerry Azzata
produ ction: Geri Bid well
staff: Peg
FOCUS welcomes contributions from
everyone, including drawings. Include a
self -addressed, stamped envelope for return.
Al l letters must be signed, but names can
be withheld for publication.
I II this zssue
Features
NEWS
Some Second Thoughts
About Witches, by J.S. . . . . . . . 2
A Rap to Remember .. ......
6,7
Election ..............
Cont . 74 .................
11, 12, 13
. 13
REVIEWS
POETRY
FAIRY TALES
by Paula Bennett .....
......
.. 3
Summer Job by A.M.A. . . . . . . .
1
SYBIL, by Gerry Azzata ....
DIFFERENT, An Anthology
Homosexual Short Stories
by Janine Bernier . .- ..- ......
LETTER TO FOCUS .........
10, 11
oJ
..4
1
�LETTER TO FOCUS:
Dear Sisters,
September 5, 197 4
It is with deep sorrow that I heard the Amazon Expedition is so vehemently
trying to discourage lesbian mothers from bringing their children to the conference by
statements reminding us that for every child included one lesbian woman must be
excluded. It is not the hatred of men and children , especially male children , that will
bring us to our goal-the self determination of each and every individual to control
her own destiny. It is the love of women that will help us direct our energy to create
a loving, spontaneous world . A world where each individual will be able to be what
she wants to be, do what she wants to do, have all her needs met . A world where
our increasing awareness and abilities will be used to rebuild the harmony of
life forces.
To Jove ourselves we must accept and get in touch with all our feelings. Often
we have many angry feelings we can't expre ss. It certainly is a positive step to accept
and direct righteous anger, yet that is the first step. Locking ourselves in anger and
hatred does just that, Jocks us in. We must fact and repl ace these feelings with positive ,
loving feelings to change our intern al and external con ditions .
I am proud to be a woman , proud to be a lesbian and proud to be a mother.
It is with great joy that I have the opportunity to watch my sons grow with love,
dignity and strength so they will have no need to oppress themselves or others because
of hatred and fear.
In love and sisterhood,
Diane Mariechild
Summer Job
Sleep walkin g
through these
past three months
I've dro ned
with the strains of
"Rock-a-bye zombie,
bored at the switch,
you 're great at connecting
with phone calls-that' s all."
Straight women pass by, say hi.
I yawn a reply.
I wonder if the Sandman is
in the general habit of
burying
people
... alive ...
-
A.M.A.
I
I
�2
SOME SECOND THOUGHTS
ABOUT WITCHES
by J.S.
Witches have had very bad press .
They are everything a woman is not
supposed to be: old, ugly, ill-natured,
wicked, and powerful. Whereas we all
know a woman ought to be young,
beautiful, sweet-tempered, good, and
weak. A witch-and
I speak not of
the
actual
women
who
were
persecuted and burned as w;_
tches
during the past 2000 years, but of
the concept of witchiness that we all
carry around in our heads -a witch is
on one level the embodiment
of
men's worst fears about the female
sex. The cackling voice, long nose
and pointed chin, talon -like nails,
hunched back, and general all-around
loathsomeness are an exact inversion
of sexual appeal: the female creature
who ought to be soft and desirable
instead appears int imid ating an d
repulsive.
On a deeper level , witches are
stand-ins for the all-powerful an d
frightening Mother-figure who lurks
at the back of our collective
childhoo d nightmares. It is easy to
see why we associate witches with
magic and the supernatur al: To a
small child, a parent -particularly
a
mother-seems
omnipotent . She is
strong and powerful; she brings food
and warmth and comfort, and she
can also withhold these things . We all
have somewhere inside us an image
of a good, giving, nurturing mother ,
·but we also retain an image of a
dep riving mother-one
who thwarts
our desires and refuses to give us her
"magical"
comforts.
The harpy
mother, who nags, scolds, punishes,
and deprives, is the psychological
reality behind the evil old witch of
fairy-tale-land.
Add to all this a
child's very real fear of its mother's
adult sexuality, and the sinister
seductiv eness of fairy tale witche s
b ecomes
very
understandable.
("Ni bble, nibble, little mouse; who is
nibbling at my house?") And what is
the old witch going to do to you?
More often than not, she is going to
eat you up.
Your average witch is satisfyingly
grotesque and hideous. She is always
the bad guy; there is nothing good to
be said for her motives, her methods,
or her appearance. She is completely
and delightfully hateable. It fills
som e need in us to be ab le to hate
her and feel justified in our hatred.
In the world of fairy tales we get
back at the mother who punished
and nagged and deprived us by
making her into an ugly villainess. We
can set her up to be the loser. Ding
don g, the wicked witch is dead. Only
in such roundabout ways can we dare
reven ge ourselves on our mothers for
being
less
than
perfect.
The
traditi onal fairy tale witch provides a
very necessary outlet for feelings we
oth e rwise
cou ld
scarcely
acknowledge. Let her be, in all her
uglin ess-she serves a purpose.
Th ere is no male eq uival ent to the
witch. Wizards and warlocks simply
do not have the same psychological
fascin ation for us. A witch has to be
a woman. Our fear and hatred of her
is a measur e of her ability to hurt
us -and this is the fina l lesson we can
learn from her. Witches, with their
frigh tening sup erna tural and magical
gifts, are proof that deep down inside
we all believe women do have power.
In fact, women are so powerful they
scare everybody to death. It's time to
give women credit for power and
strength in the positive, loving sense
as well as in the hurtfu l, witchy
sense . The one is as real as the other.
We don't want the world to claim
that all womanpower
is witchy,
be cause we know better.
�3
FAIRY TALES
Once upon a time, they say,
there was a princessno, there were many
many princesses,
and every one was beautiful,
and every one was kind,
and everyone adored them
(except, of course,
some wicked witch or witchy mother.)
Their hair was black or sometimes blond,
their skin was white, white as egg,
and smooth as smooth as shell.
They were so delicate
you did not breathe
for fear that they might crack,
and yet, to tel I the truth,
they never didno, no matter what the witches tried,
what spells, what chants, what poisons,
they managed to survive,
victoriously at that.
0 it must have been quite awful,
when you think about it,
for those black and ill-bent hags,
curled within their castle corners,
peering from their attic slits,
knowing they would be defeated
not by powers deeper
or by those of greater might
but by prepubescent youngsters
pure as snow
and chaste as ice.
Paula Bennett
�4
Different: An Anthology of Homosexual Short Stories
edited and with an introduction
@ $1.95)
by Stephen Wright (Bantam Paperback
- Janine Bernier
The title of this peculiarly edited
collection of short stories suggests a
content
which is homosexual
in
nature, but Different is simply a
repetition
of
th e
same
old
thing-and,
at best, a strain ed
facsimile of the usual negatively
biased collection
of homosexual
literature.
Stephen
Wright states m his
introduction : "Only some of the
writers in this collection are known
homosexuals,
others
are suspec t
( italics min e) or bisexuals, and not a
few are, as far as can be ascertained,
heterosexuals. My main conc ern, as
anthologist,
has been with the
quality of the stories, not with the
sexual habits of the wr iter." (pp.
ix-x). While no reader in a sane frame
of mind would insist that a writer
must be a homosexual to write a
story
which
pertains
to
homosexuality,
we would assume
that one anthologist's
choice of
material would indicate some criteria
for its selection.
If Wright's "quality" is meant to
allude to the alleged literary value of
the stories
included,
then
Phil
Andros' stories (four in number) miss
the mark badly. I see small literary
value
and
no
communicative
capability in this writer's work. If, on
the other hand, Wright has simply
thumbed through reams of paper to
amas s stories which appear to have a
homosexual
theme, Henry James'
"The Pupil" for one-cunceivably
the
most literary of the stories selected,
can be said to be homosexual in
nature only if we are homophobic
and tend to see homosexuality
in
everything.
The
only
other
legitimate
criterion I can conceive of would be
an uplifting (i.e., realistic) portraya l
of homosexuality-but,
like Marcus
Welby's recent blunder, Different
misses here again. A typical example
can be found in "Paul's Mistress," a
piece eliciting pathos for one M. Paul
whose girlfriend drives him to suicide
after she chooses to remain with a
female companion. In reference to
our hero, "If it had been a man, the
one
she
was
with ... but
that,
that .... He was spellbound by their
disgrace. He couldn't move, utterly
destroyed, as if he had discovered
suddenly the crime against nature,
monstrous, a limitless profanation."
(p.31). Wright, consistent with his
perspective
on sexuality
and his
"classical" theories about literature,
refers to "Paul's Mistress" as "the
tragedy of a bisexual woman." (p.
xi).
Another annoying aspect of the
anthology is that it promises to be
"more
than twenty controversial
classics by famous authors- 'Gay'
and 'Straight' ... male and female."
Actually, it contains 24 not-so-classic
stories, two of which are written by
women. Of these, Wilma Shore's
work
can be seen as having
hom osexual implications only if the
reader has internalized the theory
that a domineering mother produces
a faggot. If you haven't swallowed
the line, you'll
miss the point
completely.
Olivia Manning's
"A
Romantic Hero" is true to form,
depicting a man who returns to his
girlfriend
after
a
homosexual
encounter: "Whether she understood
him or not, it seemed to him then
that
Angela with
her feminine
warmth and sympathy was the most
desirable thing (italics mine) in the
world." (p. 273).
However available it may be, and
at whatever price, Wright's anthology
doesn't line up with any sane criteria,
and simply isn't worth
buying.
Different-just isn't.
�5
SO MUCH FOR SHOW
march, 1972
now i've waited hours for her,
she steps only in to say goodbyethe ointments of my preparation wasted
the tea the incense the house strewn
ever so casually with indu cements
littered like a petal-path for her.
i kissed my son goodnight and sighed
for the quiet we'd have when she came
set out a book where she might look at it
and ask why this one
lit candles and turned the radio to blues,
sounds to let the roundness out of our mouths by,
i even moved the kitchen chairs
so the table couldn't chasm off our words,
chanting away the while, a more blatant separationthat she wouldn't care t o stay.
my spells are losing powe r.
copyright 1973 by Sue Silvermarie
�8
O.O.B. CALENDAR OCTOBER 1974
419 Boylston
St., Rm 323, Boston, Mass. 02116 --
617 262-1592
A II even ts are open to all women regardless of their membership in D. 0. 8.
All raps are 50¢ for non-members, and 25¢ for members.
MONDAYS , TOPIC RAPS start at 8 p.m. in the D.O.B. office. Put
suggestions into the D.O.B. mailbox for topics. Sept.
16 - Our Religious Beliefs. what / where / is God,
morality, purpose of life, religion & being gay, etc.
TUESDAYS , 7:30 pm Rap session on being gay for women. Share
feelings abou t being gay, eve ryone welcome. There
are always many new people every week. At the DOB
office, near the Arlington MBT A stop, betw . en
e
Arlington and Berkeley Streets.
WEDNESDAYS , 7: 30 pm Rap session for lesbian mothers, and
phone-in time for lesbian mothers. Moth ers with
grown children invite d to share with other mothers.
At DOB office.
WEDNESDAYS, 1st & 3rd GAYBREAK radio program,
AMHERST, WMUA-FM 91.9
THU RSDAYS , 8 pm Rap session for older gay women. No ages
are defined . Come if it sounds right for you.
THURSDAYS, 9-10 pm GAY WAY RADIO program. WBUR 90. 9
FM.
FRIDAYS,
WOMENS ' BASKETBALL , 7:00 SHARP at Cambridge
YWCA FOR RIDES TO HARVARD U.
SUNDAYS, 10:30-11 am CLOSET SPACE radio program,
WCAS-AM 740 .
SUNDAYS, 1 pm, SOFTBALL. Bring bat , ball, glove and/or self;
informal games. Magazine Beach Field, Cambridge,
acros s Charles River from Cadillac-Olds and along
Memorial Drive west of the Boston Univ. bridge.
RAIN OR SHINE.
Wed. Oct.
2 Training Session for persons interest in becoming
speakers with the Gay Speakers Bureau. Call 547-1451
for location of meeting. Discussions, role-playing, and
facts.
�9
DOB Membersh ip includes a subscription
to FOCUS. You must be 18 years or older .
Single Membership S 12 Joint Membership $18
Send Your Name(s) and address to DOB.
Sat., Oct. 5, Dance at CSMH, 8 pm with THE NEW HA VEN
WOMEN'S LIBERATION ROCK BAND sponsored by
CONF. '74 , $3 .00 suggested donation.
Sun. Oct. 6, Training Session for potential gay speakers, see Wed.
Oct. 2.
Monday, Oct. 7 FOCUS Meeting , D.O.B. office at 7:30 pm. New
people invited.
Monday, Oct. 7, Topic Rap: GAY MEDIA ACTION. Videotapes of
news coverage of legislative hearings, excerpts from
"Nana" series, from the "Good Morning Show" with
John Willis, and a sound tape of the first television
program in Boston featuring gays - Dr. Socarides vs. the
presidents of D.O.B. and H.U.B. in 1970. Donation to
benefit G.M.A.
Sunday, Oct. 13 - DOB PICNIC AT COCHITUATE STATE PARK
NATICK. Ask at Raps about Rides!! There is a fireplace
- bring fuel; do no t depend on others to feed you.
Bring your own food unless you want concession things
- (expensive). Bring sports things. There is swimming.
Turnpike west to exit 13, Route 30 east 1½ miles. Park
is on right. By bicycl e from Boston 1½ hours on routes
16 and 30. Admission is $1/car, 25¢ bicycle. RAIN OR
SHINE.
Friday, Oct. 18, DANCE AT CSMH $2.00 donation to benefit
D.O .B. DEADLY NIGHTSHADE performing. Masquerade for the
entire community, men and women, 2 prizes for best
costumes.
Sun. Oct. 20 DOB ELECTIONS See pages 11,12,13 this issue. Don't
miss this exciting night - it only happens once a year!
Mon. Oct. 21, FOCUS Business Meeting, 7:30 pm DOB office, New
people are invited!
�10
REVIEW:
SYBIL
by Flora Rheta Schreiber
paperback .).
(Henry Regnery Co., Chicago,
1973. Also available in
- by Gerry Azzata
Everywhere I look these days, I see Sybil staring back at me . On
subways, even on grocery store bookracks - the jigsaw puzzle face of Sybil
is all over the city. And, almost always, the person reading Sybil is a
woman. When I finally gave in to cu riosity and read Sybil, I understood
why it has become so popular . It is one of the most frightening and
fascinating stories I have ever read.
Sybil is the true story of a woman who, in her late twenties, discovers
(with the help of her psychiatrist) that she suffers from an extremely rare
form of neurosis. She is a true "split personal ity." Within the body of this
one woman exist sixteen totally different personalities, whose presence she
had never suspected. They include: Ruthie , an infant; two young boys;
and Peggy Lou, an adult who often has childish , violent tantrums.
All through Sybil's life, there have been periods of time which she
cannot remember, some of them lasting as long as two years. Any time
quiet, meek Sybil cannot deal with a situation, one of the other
personalities takes over. Following her grandmothe r's death, when Sybil
was nine, she became Peggy for two years. Sybil then returned suddenly
one day, in a classroom which was totally strange to her (although not to
Peggy):
Her eyes descended to her dre ss.... She hadn't owned it, didn't
remember her mother buying it for her ....She was wearing a dress that
didn't belong to her in a classroom in which she didn't belong ... .There
was no yesterday. Sybil remembered nothing since being at the cemetery.
Gradually, all of the personalities are revealed in ten years of therapy
sessions. The first additional personality, Peggy Lou, had been "born"
when Sybil was only three, in response to the sadistic abuse of her mother.
When Sybil could not escape physically, she literally faded away, and
Peggy Lou would take her place. Eventually, a personality appeared to fill
every need - one to express anger , another to be assertive, etc. And Sybil
would remember nothing.
Amazingly, even with these frequent blackouts, Sybil manages to lead
a relatively normal life, working as an art instructor at a New York City
college. The story of how her sixteen personalities finally merge into one
complete person is almost unbelievable, and yet it is true.
Unfortunately for Sybil, Schreiber does not have a very appealing
literary style. She tends to be melodramatic and superficial when dealing
with the emotions of Sybil and company. Her writing takes a lot of the
suspense out of the therapy process, by oversimplifying the sixteen people
involved . You don't really miss most of them when they finally are
�11
absorbed into Sybil. Beyond this, Schreiber deals pretty dismally with
lesbianism . Sybil's mother, in add ition to being brutal to baby Sybil, also
molests the little girls she babysits for, and conducts secret lesbian orgies
in a nearby forest. The only real friend the adult Sybil has is Teddy, who is
aware of the personalit ies and helps Sybil fill in the gaps in her life. Teddy
also is a lesb ian, and Schreiber takes great joy in describing how Sybil
valiant ly rejects Teddy's advances and reta ins her virtue. When Teddy
finally leaves Sybil, though, Schreiber sees this as a real loss for Sybil, who
never let anyone else but her psych iatrist get so close to her.
But, beyond its admittedly large faults, Sybil is still a fascinating
book . The story itself , and the meaning of the story, are too strong to be
destroyed by bad style . The parallels with the lives of " normal" women
are very obvious . We are all Sybils in one way or another. Some of us push
anger at sexism totally out of our minds, and assume a pseudo-identity as
"happy" suburban housewives. Some of us are lesbians who have one
personality while at work or with our families , and then we become
completely different people when with our lesbian sisters. Sybil offers us
all a choice. We can do this identity -hopping only for so long, before the
blackouts take over and we lose part of our selves forever. Or we can
struggle to become whole people, able to express anger without feeling
guilty, able to be honest about all parts of our lives. I think that this is the
lesson we can pick up from Sybil, and it's a good one.
DOB ELECTIONS
DOB elections will be held at the
office, Sunday, October 20, at 7 :30
p.m. The final data for announcing
candidacy
will be October
5.
Candidates for office as of this date
are: President - Lois Johnson, Vice
President - Judy S., Treasurer - Peggy
Wilson, Corresponding
Secretary Laura Robin, Recording Secretary Janine Bernier. (See platforms on pp.
11, 12, and 13) of this issue.)
Election will be by secret ballot.
If you are unable to attend on the
20th, please fill out the absentee
ballot on page 13 and mail or bring
it to the office before election night.
Mark
the
envelope
"Attention
Election Committee."
Candidate for President:
Lois Johrtson
My name is Lois Johnson and I
am running
for the offi ce of
Pre sident of Boston Daughters of
Bi!itis . I have been a member of DOB
for nearly thr ee years and for the
past year have sePied as Recording
Secreta ry. During practically all of
the last three years I have been active
as a Rap Leader in both the Tuesday
and Thursday Night Raps . I also
chaired
the
By-Law
Revision
Committee.
In addition
to my
activities within DOB this last year, I
was an active part of the . Committee
whi ch put together
the Second
Annual
New
England
Gay
Con feren ce and Chairperson of the
(cont . page 12)
�12
Gay Pride 74 Festival.
My aims for DOB are:
Increase our membership and
activities. If the Kinsey statistic
is right that there are more than
10,000 lesbians in the Boston
Metropolitan area, then there are
many people we have not yet
reached who might need the help
our organization can give them.
Build up our finances . Some
good work in this regard has
been done this past year. I would
like to see a lot of effort put into
fund-raising activities .
Keep up our participation in
activities which encompass the
whole ! ky Community such as
lobbying for law changes, the N.
E. Gay Conference , and Gay
Pride Week, to name a few. It is
important
for us not to be
insular in our thinking since it is
my opinion that brothers and
sisters alike must cooperate if we
are to continue the momentum
of the Gay Movement and
achieve our liberation.
I would like the opportunity to
serve as President of DOB and ask for
your vote .
Candidate for Vice-President:
Judy
s.
For the past year I have been an
active member of Boston D.O.B.,
working in particular with FOCUS
and the rap committee . I plan to
continue these activities, and would
· consider the office of Vice-President
primarily an opportunity
to take
more
responsibility
in
the
organizational
set-up of DOB. It
seems to me the V.P.'s chief
functions are to take charge in the
absence
of the president,
and
generally fill in whenever there are
things that need doing.
Candidate for
Corresponding Secretary:
Laura Robin
I am a candidate for re-election.
Treasurer
Paula Bennett has withdrawn
candidacy for this office.
her
Peggy Wilson
I am running for Treasurer and
my qualifications are:
I. Associate of Arts degree, majoring
in Accounting.
2. Working as a Fund Accountant,
with full responsibility for two sets
of books.
3. Can prepare a Cash Flow Chart.
4. Can prepare an Estimated Income
and Expense Sta teme nt.
5. Can prepare certain other financial
statements
necessary
to
any
organization.
6. An active member of DOB for
over a year and a strong desire to see
DOB reach its full potential in the
gay community.
I am sure you know how
important
a treasurer is to any
organization. The treasurer is just as
important an officer as President and
should be more than a recorder of
income and expenses. A treasurer
should be able to show the direction
an organization is taking.
DOB needs funds to operate
properly and to fulfill all our goals.
The revised By-laws show we have
changed our ideas and direction we
wish to take as an organization.
Along with this change, I feel we
should take a closer look at our
financial priorities and re-evaluate
the
direction
we
are
taking
financially.
A portion of our financial plans
should be with the future in mind.
DOB should also have two types of
financial plans, short and long
�13
ranged.
Our short ranged plans would
consist of events planned in the next
3 months or less. Long ranged plans
would be events planned 4 mos. or
more in the future .
Every individual has some form of
financial plan. It only stands to
reason if individuals need a financial
plan than so would Daughters of
Bilitis.
I want DOB to grow and I feel
financial planning is one way.
When it's time to vote please
consider my qualifications and views.
WANT TO ADVERTISE
Recording Secretary:
IN FOCUS
Janine Bernier
I will be running for Recording
Secretary in October. In addition to
preparing monthly minutes, I would
like to see FOCUS used more fully as
a forum for DOB's business meetings ,
activities, and events.
ABSENTEE BALLOT-
?
¼ page $5
½ page $10
Full page $20
Send
to:
0 .0 .8. Room 323
419 Boylston Street
Boston, Mass: 02116
DOB ELECTIONS, FALL,
1974
Write in the names of the candidates for whom you are voting:
President _________________________
_
Vice President _______________________
_
Treasurer
Corresponding Secretary ____________________
_
Recording Secretary
Voter's Signature
This ballot (properly filled in and signed) must be received by the Election Committee in a sealed envelope by 7:30 p.m. , October 20.
�14
Conference '74 Postponed
the CONFERENCE '74 account to
be utilized
for the upcoming
confe renc e-celeb ration in the Spring
of 1975.
Women from the planning sessions
are
c hecking
into
possible
countrysites. If you have suggestions ,
have already offere d to lead a
workshop either individually or with
a group, please maintain contact with
us at our Box 2000 address.
Minutes of planning sessions are
available upon request and women
and groups already on the mailing list
will receive continued information
unless requesting otherwise.
To all our Sisters - we thank you
for your energies, time, support, and
love. While we could not maintain
"Camp Amazonia" we ask you to
continue
you r support
for the
success
of
the
Spring
1975
conferen ce-celebration.
Dear Sisters:
At the Sept. 11th general meeting,
the women of the Boston planning
sessio n
agreed
to
po stpone
CON F ERENCE '74: AN AMAZON
EXPEDITION un til the Spring of
I 975.
We arrived at this decision after
recognizing that: (I) lack of funds,
(2) lack of response in registratio n
fees by the middle of Sep t ember , and
(3) lack of sufficient publicity on our
part made it impossib le for us to
hold "Camp Amazonia"
for t he
October
11-14
conference celebration according t o the term s
we established
with the camp
directors.
All registration fees ( partial and
total) , all co ntribution s to the
Sisterhood Fund will be ret urned
post-haste to those women who paid
fees/contributed to the fund.
CONFERENCE '74 will hold a
dance with the NEW NEW HA VEN
WOMEN'S LIBERATION
ROCK
BAND October 5th at 8:00 pm , the
Cha rles St. Meeting Hou se, suggested
donation $3. 00 . Funds will remain in
Application:
In sisterhood Women of the
Boston planning session
Box 2000, c/ o GCN
22 Bromfield St , Boston 02108
DOB lvlemb ersnip o r subscription to f'OCUS
(FOCUS subscription inc. with membership)
Membership : $12 /ye ar
$18 for couples
FOCUS Subscription: $6 /year
Single Sustaining Membership: $25
~
ENC .____
Name __
C ENC .
for membership
_ ______
___
for FOCUS
_ _ _
Address ____________
_
Signature - I am a woman 18 years of age or o Ider:
Oate: ____
_
--
--
-----
-----
---
- --
�15
JOIN
DIGNITY
...
GOODGAYBUTTONS&BOOKS
A
at
NATIONAL
ORGANIZATION
Everybody's Autobiography
OF
The HCHS Bookstore
419 Boylston Boston, Ma. 02116
GAY
CATHOLICS
Send Self Addr . Stamped Envelop fo; mail order list.
Write:
755 Boylston St.
OPEN,
Boston, Mass
Rm.514
02116
~ARTOFA
1succESS
STORY
2 F Beginning Craft Store &
low on capital. High in initiative
but HOMELESS. If you have a
business w/xtra space we could
pay % of our sales. If community
organ. w/space we could pay fee.
Basement, garages, etc. considered. Backers welcomed. Advantages tremendous response has
shown us crafts women want &
need this outlet please help. Contact Pat 628-3986 or Jeanne
935-0117 eves.
MON D AY -THURS.
6-9 PM
(RING THE BELL
4 TIMES FOR
FOURTH FLOOR)
gay
liberator
Box631-A
Detroit 48232
12 issues $4 in US
for
$5 outside US, $8 supporting.
�~~W.lrcH
U )00:flTCH
11WICAL
PROBLEMS?
F-WHl+B~
J;
I
Come to •••
>
THE All Women's Rock Band
I
u
WENDY
:~~~
KAREN
t:
J;
s.
C.11 ELAINE 289-8363
\/\/HITCH
1
at Fenway Community
Health Center
16 Haviland St.
Boston, Hass.
Phone: 267-7573
2:very Wedne
sday
For Booking Informat ion
CONFERENCE
I
GAYHEALTH
NIGHT
6:30-9:30 Pm
for Medical help - (inc.VD )
for Gay women& men
Co-sponsored by H.C.H.S.
266-5477
'74 presents ...
THE NEW
NEW HAVEN
WOMEN'S
LIBERATION
ROCK BAND
Charles Street Meeting House
Suggested Donation $3.00
A Dance By & For Women
DANCE, October 5, 8p.m.
�-- - ----
--
DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS PRESENTS...
,W1fl}IM
@Jfu~~
AND
f EJSTDME
PARTY
for the GAY COMMUNITY (men and women)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18th, 9P.M.-1A.M.
AT THE CHARLES ST. MEETING HOUSE
70 CHARLES ST., BOSTON
ENTERTAINMENT BY:
IEADLYHIOIII BADE
$2.00
DONATION
;
---
-----·
·-
- ····· - · ·- - -
-
••.••
• • •••
-
·- -
- -
•
I
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 October
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-10
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. Pages 6 and 7 of the newsletter are missing.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
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Text
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application/pdf
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English
Identifier
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THP-0011-focus-197410
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/1f003a666e079b5f8c3e97aaec212e04.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=piatuLRpv0rgl2IJnCyBi1XExgtB4BTLyobzaHeq7xdaTuKAPP8McsgtywUgSxYi%7EAHJQXyEuBOruAwt0hebv2oWVeXlj0rDf8kyUH73QnbKhCrc12E5JrGhPMMTT-WbKD1HHexeaIBs0A9DtcdZftfArPbLQqusy-SR1itAHK8WkJfJc28zVABfhq2CRqw05%7Etrin9NhVgSVUgk-HKGwNC5HRpjLsXGe6Cm-xPcW9S-MS2HYEypIgsGpxSeQDG3OnRTxMkSrOYxBooUfF02zY9oIcNi0JQ-Gq9INa92BsR1PPrz48m9ycuuReorFlTJInb3r26pWJdjp4k-yrEedA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
cff9b5c0fb8e11f9152e775d97524586
PDF Text
Text
FOCUS
a journal for gay women O
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Nov. '74
BOSTON DAU GHTERS of Bl LIT IS
60¢
�FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
NOVEMBER 1974
FOCUS Staff
FOCUS is published monthly by
Boston Daughters of Bilitis
Room 323, 419 Boylston Street
Boston, Mass. 02116
Copyright
reviews : J .S.
poetry and fiction:
Gerry Azzata , J.S.
editing: J anine Bernier
type and layout:
Lois Hurst
paste-up: Debbi e
distribution: Gerry Azzata
advertising : Janine Bernier
production : Geri Bidwell
Staff: M.B.S., Melinda
1974 by Daughters of Bilitis ,
Boston, Mass.
Subscriptions are $6/year, samples
are 60ct. Give us your zip number.
If you move, let us know.
This publication is on file at the
International Women's History Archive,
2325 Oak St ., Berkeley, Calif . 94708 . It is
available on microfilm from Bell & Howell,
Wooster, Ohio to October 1971 and from
IWHA from October 71 on .
News contributor : Laura Robin
(not on Staff)
FOCUS welcomes contributions from everyone ,
including draw ings. lncllude a self-addressed, stamped
envelope for return. All letters must be signed, but
names can be withheld for publication .
IN THIS ISSUE:
Features:
Celebration and the
Subculture by J.S. . . . . . . . . . . 3
JEHOVAH Asks: "Do you want to
clean up your life?"-"Can you be
queer for a day?"
by Janine Bernier .... .. . . . . . 13
Reviews:
News:
s·
At large ..................
. 'f.
.. . . . 7
DOB news ............
Lesbian Mother Seeks
Custody . .. . .....
.. ......
. lo
Gay Librarian
Gets Book Award .....
. . . ... lo
Calendar.....
Poems:
A Woman 's Lament
by Linda Gregory ... ... . .....
3
Ill, and V by Kathy Hruby . . .. .. '.:l
Three Stars
by Paula Bennett .. . ... ... . . . JO
. .. . ... . ....
... 8
Staying on Alone :
Letters of Alice 8. Tok/as
by Gerry Azzata . . ......
. . '17 12.
EXCAVATIONS
by J.S ...
.....
. . . . . . .. . ....
Letters:
Conference '74 . . . . .. . . .. . . . . .
Barbara Gittings . .. ... . .. .. . . .
Cover drawin g by Debbie
/5.
�LETTERS TO FOCUS
Reference to October 1974 Letter to FOCUS
Dear Sisters:
CONFERENCE '74: AN AMAZON EXPEDITION circulated a pre-registrati on
form in the late summer/early fall which reads: " Because of the limit of 600 (at "Camp
Amazonia"), the costs for each child will be the same as a woman's. For this reason
CONFERENCE '74 appeals to women to arran ge to leave their children with friends or
family. We searched for an area with unlimited fadities so that women could feel free to
brin g their children, unfortunately none could be found. So, whenever possible , children
remaining at home would allow another woman to attend."
At the time that "Camp Amazonia" was selec ted for CONFERENCE '74, which
wom en from the Boston planning sessions had originally scheduled for October 11-14,
we recognized the need to share with our sisters the limitations involved with our choice
of a country site. Since we knew that women from several locations, including Florida,
Oklahoma , and California, wanted to attend , we circ ulated the above information in
the hopes of suggesting to our sisters a way to help as many women as possible attend
the Conference.
Now that the Conference has been postp one d until the Spring of '75, women are
checking into the possibility of countrysites whi ch would accommodate more women
and children at a cheaper fee. Minutes of plannin g session meetings are available upon
request. If you have a question, need information, or would like clarification on what
you 'hear,' please write to :
CONFERENC E '74
Box 2000
c/o GCN
22 Bromfield St.
Boston, Ma. 02108
In sisterhood,
Women of the Boston planning
sessions (sub . - jb)
Dear Friends at FOCUS and DOB,
I appreciated Janine Bernier's giving the antholo gy DIFFERENT a critical going
over (FOCUS, Oct. 74). But she missed a key point: on ly one of the 24 stories is
lesbian. That looks like sheer tokenism! With minimal homework, starting with a couple
of earlier gay short-story collections, editor Stephen Wright would have found lesbiantheme stories by John O'Hara, Calder Willingham, William Carlos Williams, John Eichrodt,
Isabel Bolton, and others. Also, excerpts from novels by Colette, Rosamond Lehman,
Compton MacKenzie, Gale Wilhelm, Theoph ile Gaut hier, Mary Renault, and others could
have been used as lesbian "shorts." If Wright didn't have the time or interest to look for
more lesbian material than a single story for a book of 24 stories, it would have been
far better had he left out the one lesbian item and made his anthology one of male
homosexual short stories.
Barbara Gittings
�2
A Woman's Lament
i am waiting
for evolution
to make me into a dog
that falls into season
only once or twice a year
i am tired
of all this weeping and bleeding
for something i no longer do.
i am waiting
for nuclear implosions
to tear down the enig mas
that clawing, my palms bleeding,
they pull me from
and rubbing yeast into the wounds say
MAKE BREAD RISE NOT REVOLUTION
i am tired
of this weeping and bleeding
for something i coul d no longer do.
- Linda Gregory
�3
Celebration and
the Subculture
by J.S.
As we move into the month of
November,
the
holiday
season
becomes
an
immediate
reality .
Thanksgiving,
Hanuka, Christmas,
New Years: how are we, as gay
i,eople, to deal with these feasts and
festivals? Overwhelmingly such holidays are associated with family
gatherings; subtly (or not so subtly,
as the case may be) they reinforce
the concept of nuclear family as the
culturally and emotionally significant
human
grouping.
Traditionally
dict ated patterns of "going home for
Christmas," family dinners, and the
lik e, ignore or exclude gay identity
and gay relationships . Not surprisingly, for many of us holida ys come to
be a time of subterfuge, alienation,
loneliness, and resentment .
There is a ba sic human need to feel
part of some larger social whole - to
feel connection with the human race.
When gay pe op le feel shut out from
important ceremo nie s and festivit ies,
their emotional well-being is clearly
threatened. If the gay life style is to
represent a meaningful, positive alternat ive to heterosexual cultural patterns, it mu st take into account this
human need for family and community. If we can learn to give each
ot her the sense of social support and
ties which the straight world generally provides through family structure,
th en we truly begin to be a viable
subcultu re. For this reason I look on
holidays as an important challenge.
Even though the straight world is still
ou t there, and we all must deal
some how with the families we were
born into, at the saine time we face
the absorbing task of creating for
ourselves an alternative support system.
The key word here is "create"-the
cha nce to create new ways of meeting basic human needs is, historically
spea king, rare. We find ourselves in
the ultimately enviable position of
havin g to take active responsibilit y
for our needs and also to invent good
metho ds of providing for them .
Plen ty of people -s traight people know feelings of loneliness and disapp ointment at holidays, primarily
beca use of grandiose expectations: "I
shou ld be happ y; I should be having
a wo nderful time; I should feel loved
and che rishe d and cared for." What
reality will ever measure up to the
expecta tions and fantasies about
holidays
commonly
carried over
from chi ldhood? This is where our gay
identi ty can be a boon . Because we
are all too awa re that tra ditional
custo ms and structures do not reall y
include us, we avoid th e trap of
expec ting that somehow , magically
and effortless ly, happiness ought to
come to us on certain days of the
year. Instead we can transl ate our
fee lings of exclusion into action and
self-hel p, rea lizing that .if we are to
have warm and happy holiday experiences, we ourselves must make
them happen.
�4
NEWS
Press Release: Watch for a book
entitled Gay Spirit: A Guide to
Becoming a Sensuous Homosexual .
Billed as "a super-spoof of all those
'Sensuous' books," this work by
David Lovis claims to be a serious
personal statement as well.
The HUNTER FINE ARTS
SOCIETY is the first fine arts club
for the homophile community, and
offers
original
art,
sculptures,
jewelry, and posters to its subscrip tion members. A full color catalogue
is sent each month to members: fo r
an introductory subscription (6 mo.)
and a free $5.00 gift, write: Conrad
Hunter & Associates, inc. P.O. Box
1274, Milwaukee, WI. 53201. Gay
artists are asked to get in touch with
this address if they are interested in
finding an outlet for their work.
The annual convention of the
National
Educational
Assoc iation
voted in Chicago in favor of a
resolution including sexual orienta tion as a characteristic
to be
protected
against discrimin ation .
This means the organization , which
has 1.4 million members, is com mitted to fighting discrimi nation
against gay teachers. (Advocate , Aug.
28, 74).
On July 16 the St. Paul,
Minnesota city council amended the
city's Human Rights Ordinance to
protect
homosexuals , after fiery
debate at open hearings. Covered are
employment , housing, school admis sion, and public accommodations, St.
Paul is 45% Catholic. (Advocate,
Aug. 28, 74)
Lie detector tests given to
prospective state police cadets in
Indiana ask about the possible
homosexuality of the candidate, in
order to eliminate homosexu als
(Advocate, Sept. 25, 74).
The Gay Activists' Alliance in
New York City is trying to raise
$3000 to put advertisements on
radio directed specifically to gay
teenagers . (Advocate , Sept. 25, 74)
The Nat ional Lawyers Guild in
cooperation with minority groups
has started the People's College of
Law in Los Angeles. The low tuition
law school will train students to
return to work in their communities.
Tuition is $350 per semester and
four years are required since the
school is not accredited . The address
is 2227 Seventh St. (Advocate, Sept.
25, 74)
An open discussion on "Gays
and Alcohol ism" occurs periodically
at Old West Church in Boston. For
information call 523-7664.
�5
An instructor in the New York
Higher Horizons program for youth,
Martha McPheeters, was dismissed
after she was found in bed with her
lover in a dormitory room. Legal
action
is contemplated.
Carol
Skroebsky was dismissed from the
N.Y . City Police Department when
peer reports said she was gay. She
says she is not and is suing the city
for her job. (Majority Report, Sept.
5, 74); Advocate, Sept. 25, 74).
A campaign by several national
organizations,
among them
the
National Gay Task F :>rce and the
National Organization for Women,
has begun to get the US Immigration
and Naturalization Service to stop
discriminating against homosexuals.
The Immigration
Code presently
excludes persons "afflicted with ...
sexual deviation" (Sections 1182 and
1251 of the Code, Section 8)
(Advocate, Aug. 28, 74).
The Lesbian Tide, which went
by the name of The Tide for several
issues (the idea being that people
wouldn't be afraid by buy it in the
stores), has reverted to its original
title. The magazine is published in
Los Angeles.
Northwestern
Bell Telephone
paid $900 in an out-of-court settlement to a man it had refused to hire
in 1973 because of his homosexuali ty. At that time a Bell spokesperson
told the Minneapolis Star that Bell
did not want to tarnish its image by
hiring homosexuals. The reversal in
policy was forced by an antidiscrimination clause covering gays
enacted in April in Minneapolis,
home
base
of the
company.
(Advocate, Aug. 28, 74)
Ithaca, New York, the home of
Cornell University, passed an affirm ative action program for hiring by the
city, and the program includes gays.
The measure was passed Sept. 4 by
the common council with no fuss.
(Advocate, Oct. 9, 1974).
On May 7 by special referendum
the people of Boulder, Colorado
rejected the inclusion of sexual
preference in the city's anti-discrimination law. On Sept. 10 the
mayor of Boulder, who had supported the sexual preference inclusion,
survived a recall vote by a tiny
margin. (Advocate, Oct. 9, 74)
On election day 1871 Susan B.
Antho ny and 14 other women voted
after they convinced
the local
elec tion officials in Rochester, N.Y.
that the new 15th amendment
(blacks voting) allowed women to
vote. She was subsequently arrested
and tried for the crime of voting.
(Ma
jority Report, Aug. 22, 74)
�6
LESBIAN MOTHER
SEEKS CUSTODY
Another custody test case has
arisen th is time in Kent , Ohi o.
Estranged husband Kenneth Town end is suing in Portage County for
the custody of three children Larry ,
Gina, and Brad, ages 10, 7, and 5.
The mother, Larraine Townend , is
living openly as a lesbian with
another woman and now has tem porary custody, awarded Sept. 17.
The husband's argument to the court
is that his wife's lesbian lifestyl e
creates an unwholesome, unnatural
and unsuitable environment for the
children. "They are basing the whole
case on my lesbianism," said Larraine
Townend . "The father has even said
he feels that other than my 'sickness'
I am an excellent mother."
According
to
Larraine,
her
lawyer, John Quigley, feels that this
case is a clearcut lesbian issue. He
intends to fight not only for custody
but also for her right of asmciat ion,
i.e. to live with her lover . He will tes t
the
new
American
Psychia tri c
Association decision on the classification of homosexuality as no longer
a mental illness.
Married for 10 years, Larraine
separated from her husband last fall
and moved in with Vicky Dicki nson,
whom she had known for three
years. "The everyday living tha t my
lover took for granted was all brand
new to me," Vicky said. "Larr aine
and the children and I talked about
these responsibilities and how we
should share things. Although I made
a lot of mistakes, I found so did
Larraine , which made me a lot more
comfortable ."
Both women are act ive in gay _
liberation in Kent and have been
interviewed in local papers. Larraine
has become student at Kent State
University in psychology, and Vicky
is taking time off from her studies in
social work to support the family.
Regarding the case , Lorraine
says, "we are committed to fighting
without compromise. .. maybe the
doors for others to fight will open ."
As for expenses in the case, "we have
no idea where the money will come
from."
Contributions for the legal work
in the case may be sent to Vicky and
Larraine's Legal Defense Fund, 570
Harvey Avenue, Apt. #2, Kent, Ohio
44240. Information in this article
comes from : Akron Beacon Journal
(Ohio), June 10, 1974; The Daily
Kent Stater, April 19, 1974; letters
from Larra ine and Vicky .
GAY LIBRARIAN
GETS BOOK AWARD
A retired librar ian, Jeannette
Foster was given the Third Annual
Gay Book Award for her study SEX
VARIANT WOMEN IN LITERA TURE by the Task Force on Gay
Liberation of the American Library
Association during the Association's
annual convention in New York City.
Dr. Foster's book, published at
her own expense in 1956 by Vantage
Press, is a survey of lesbiansim from
the earliest records on Sappho and
Ruth (Old Testament), thru 20th
century writings in English, German
and French. It has been out of print
since publication but will soon be
commercially republished
Dr. Foster, recovering from
surgery at her home in Missouri,
could not attend the award ceremony . Her written acceptance said:
"I can only repeat my delight and
overwhelmed
gratitude
at being
chosen for the award, and my happy
surprise that my long-respected ALA
is willing to admit the existence-and
even honor it-of Gaiety!"
�7
Announcement of LESBIAN HERSTORY ARCHIVES:
The newly-formed LESBIAN HERSTORY ARCHIVES is now in the
process of collecting books, magazines, journals, news clippings, bibliographies,
photos, historical information, tapes, films, diaries, poetry and prose,
biographies, autobiographies, notices of events, posters, and other memorabilia
and obscure references to our lives. If you have lesbian materials that you would
like to donate to us, please send them to:
LESBIAN HERSTORY ARCHIVES, P.O.Box 1258, N.Y., N.Y. 10001
If you have confidential material, please write to us.
DOB NEWS
NEWS...
The long promised INDEX to all
16 years of THE LADDER is now
available. Copies will be mailed to
all those who purchased the INDEX
by the middle of August, 1974. If
you want a copy of the INDEX,
you will need to order at once.
Cost is now $10.00 for ea. copy.
Complete sets of THE LADDER
may be purchased at $100.00
each OR requesting individual
photocopies of articles at a set
rate of 25ci!
per page with a
minimum of $2.00 per article
or story.
A very few copies of THE
LESBIAN IN LITERATURE, a
Bibliography, can still be purchased for $4.25 each. Write:
The LADDER, P. 0. Box 5025,
Wash. Station, Reno, Nev. 89503.
THE LATECOMER by Sarah
Aldridge is the story of two
women of unlike temperaments
and differing backgrounds who
come to recognize their love for
each other. Can be ordered
from THE LADDER (above
address) $3.00 plus 25i postage
handling.
D.O.B. welcomes
the following
officers,
who were elected
on
20: President
Lois
October
Johnson; Vice President - Judy S.;
Treasurer - Peggy Benson; Corresponding Secretary - Laura Robin.
Election of Recording Secretary
will take place at the November
business meeting: all members will
receive a special announcement.
DOB's Halloween Masquerade Dance
was a well-attended and successful
affair. Thanks to Dance Chairperson
Wendy Bauman and her committee,
$294 was raised for the DOB
treasury.
NOTE:
Readers in Massachusetts should find
enclosed information about the
Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.
We are mailing this material upon the
request of C.L.U.M. because we feel
that civil rights may be of particular
interest to many of our readers .
�8
D.O.B. CALENDAR NOVEMBER 1974
419 Boylston St., Rm 323, Boston, Mass. 02116---617
262-1592
All events are open to all women regardless of their membership in D. 0. B.
All raps are 50¢ for non-members, and 25¢ for members.
MONDAYS 7:30 pm Rap sessionand phone-in for lesbian mothers (including
mothers with grown children.) At DOB office.
TUESDAYS
7:30 pm Rap sessionon being gay: for all women. Share feelings
about being gay; everyone welcome. There are always many new
people every week. At the DOB office, near the Arlington
MBTA stop, between Arlington and Berkeley Streets.
WEDNESDAYS, 1st and 3rd GAYBREAK radio program, AMHERST,
WMUA-FM 91.9
THURSDA VS 8:00 pm Rap sessionfor older gay women. No ages are defined:
come if it sounds right for you.
THURSDAYS
9-10 pm GAY WAY RADIO PROGRAM WBUR 90.9 FM
FRIDAYS, Women's Basketball, 7:00 sharp at Cambridge YWCA for rides to
Harvard U.
SUNDAYS, 10:30-11 am CLOSET SPACE radio program, WCAS-AM 740.
SUNDAYS, 1 pm SOFTBALL. Bring hat, ball, glove ; informal games.
Magazine Beach Field , Cambridge, across Charles River from
Cadillac-Olds and along Memorial Drive west of the Boston U.
bridge. RAIN OR SHINE.
Wednesday, Nov. 6 FOCUS Meeting, DOB office at 7:30 pm.
New people welcom e.
Sunday, Nov. 10 POTLUCK SUPPER, 5:30 pm, St. John's Church,
33 Bowdoin St., Boston, near Government Center. Bring a
casserole, salad, or dessert to share - in a dish or pot it can be
heated in and/or served from. Informal discussion about future
DOB projects and plans. Dancing to records afterward. (50¢
per person to cover rent al of the hall).
Monday, Nov. 18 FOCUS Meeting, DO B office at 7:30 pm. New people
welcome. Deadline for December copy!
Wednesday, Nov. 20 BUSINESS MEETING, 8:00 pm at DOB office.
FRIDAY
NIGHT, Dec. 20 Christ mas Dance, 9-1 pm at Charles Street Meeting House. Donati ons. A dance for the benefit of the CSMH.
Records. Dance for men and women.
�9
III
you were the one I eloped to provided a bed for my
beginnings invited me to your V erm ont woods sun smell
on us nak ed running washing our hair in cold streams you
talked tarots vitamins acid trips I heard only shiny black
hair big breasts big stomach wait ed for you to be quiet
night to come so I could sho w you what I knew you wouldn 't
let me touch y ou sexually whate ver that means though you
let every man who picks you up hitching fuck you said Kathy
you're going to have a hard life no one loves women like
you noone will know what to do with it
V
I now a counselor in girl scout camp asked you moonlight canoing
girls on the far island shared thei r sleeping bags I could not
touch you enough spoon fashion we slept together always with
others we fed each other sucked each others' fingers licked
butter that dripped down our skin s didn't say much I wondered
if you were the first real lesbian I met I ached for you asked
so many times to sleep with you so shy ly you never heard
one perfect week
one yea r of beautiful letters
saw you again in steaming NYC chasing through sprinklers rain
fire hydrants water sucking cherrie s an d smelly cheese from each
others fingers if I brought it up we 'd talk about gayness now
grew up dykes alike I ached hearin g ab out your lovers asked
louder this time why must I always ask you took me then when
my courage failed you don't respond in the street but you took
me then in bed sure strong hard swift from front back above below
carrying my body riding a horse you had me absolutely wild but
yours unrelentlessly like ocean waves cras hing I could not believe
it your firm smooth skin hummed it lead me on we fell asleep
exhausted still holding tight rare ot her creature I want more
wonder what you want
- Kathy Hruby
(with apolog ies for misspelling in
th e Sept . iss~e)
�10
Three Stars
There was Virginia
a founding mother
one of th e greats
immortal magnitude
and Sylvia
much closer home
students consume
her work
like watermel on
and now the re's Ann
lovely Ann
from Black Oak road
in Weston
who went inside
the oversized fam ily garage
and gassed herself to death
- no doubt now about her fame,
suicide confers authority VirginiaSy lviaAnn
their places are secure
within the spangled firament
of heaven
but what about
those dim and distant women
who each day take
their oceanw alks
their noond ay naps
mvam
where do their furies go,
who shudd ers
at their wearines s
or knows
the hard fast brightness
that burns
without reflection
in their pain .
-Pa ula Bennett
�11
REVIEW :
Staying on Alone:
Letters of Alice B. Toklas
(Edw,\rd Burns, ed. Liveright , 1973) .
b y Gerr y Azzata
For me, Alice B. Toklas alwa ys has
been th e shadowy figur e in Gertrude
Stein's
background - a
constant
presence and (as most biographers of
Stein have limited it) "companion"
for nearly forty yea rs. Staying on
Alone, a collection of Toklas ' letters
written from Stein's death in 1946,
until her own in 1967, is a wonderful
de-romanticizing of the whole SteinToklas legend. Both women emerge
as real people who lived through
several decades with the most famous
creators of the time as close friends
(Picasso , Fitzgerald,
Hemingway).
Beyond this , Alice B. Toklas makes
herself known as a woman struggling
to endur e old age without falling into
self-pity , aft er losing her lover of so
many yea rs. There is no way to
separate the lives of Toklas and
Stein, even though both were strong
and creative women. The forty years
they spent together had created the
illusion that th ey always would be
together. Shortl y after Stein's death ,
Toklas wrote about the melodramatic fantasy she had had about
th eir deaths - a bomb or a shipwreck, a common ending. Nothing
had pr epare d h er for the years she
would spend alone.
Toklas says surprisingly little about
the personal d etails of th e life she
an d Gert rud e had shared. Instead of
clearing up the eternal questions surro und ing their relationship, Toklas
creates even mor e. She is intensely
protective about any intimate parts
of their lives, and deals only in
anecdotes. In a letter to an au th or
tryi ng to write about Stein 's work
and its sexual basis, Tokl as stated
firml y :
You will under stand I hop e my objection to your repeated references to the
subject of sexuality as an approach to
the understanding of Gertrude's work.
She would have emphatically denied it
-- she considered it the least characteristic of all expressions of character ( p .
69).
But, regardless of the nature of
their relationship , there were the
for ty years together. Those years and
their depth can be judged by the
Alice B. Toklas who emerged from
them. Gertrude Stein is everywhere
for Toklas, and she gives her the will
to go on. At 85, Toklas is being
besieged by Stein 's relatives, who
take Gertrude and Alice's private art
co llection out of her apartment while
she is out of town, for "safekeeping." Toklas returns to the home
they had shared for decades one day ,
an d finds the walls bare. Soon after war d , she is evicted when the
bu ilding's owner decides to turn the
property into condominiums. At this
point, Toklas frankly states, "If there
were not still things to do for
Gert rude ther e would be no reason
for me to live on." (p. 338) . So she
keeps working to have more of
Stein's writings published , and she
keeps writing to their old friends.
More and more often, anecdotes of
life with Gertrude enter her letters.
In these stories, there is a quiet
beauty that tells all about their relationsh ip:
We lived on the Calle Dos . de Mayo ...
and had a hound whom I taught to not
eat - as he wished - but
to smell
tube roses-and
who was supposed to
chase sheep. He escaped and went
be rserk. He ran away at night and once
we saw him dancing with a dozen more
of them in the moonlight.. . and he
didn ' t recognize us - indeed none of
t he m paid the least attention to us ....
(p. 2 14)
(continued next page)
�12
For Toklas,
everything
is an
anniversary. Every day of their life
together had been intensely important, full of meaning. It doesn 't
surprise me that Toklas eventually
becomes a devout Catholic, placing
all of her faith in a life beyond this
one, where she will meet Gertrude
again:
... The past is not gone-nor is Gertrude
-life everlasting-It
left me in a dither
when suddenly it came to me-where
was Gertrude. She is there waiting for us.
(p. 364)
Staying on Alone is a fascinating
portrait of another era and of thes e
two women. For me, it also was a
very hard book to read. It reached all
of my fears of growing old and how,
as a lesbian, that probably will be
very difficult. The prospect of growing old without children and perhaps
without a lover is a real fear of many
lesbians. It lies beneath our sometimes - desperation to find a longterm relationship, and at the same
time it explains the fear we have of
growing too close to one person,
entrusting too much of ourselves to
one lover. Many middle-aged heterosexual couples have only one or two
close friends, and are crushed when
they are left alone by death or
divor ce. In today's lesbian community, I see a new type oflife-style
emerging. Friendship
relationships
are becoming as important as lover
relationships to many people. Hopefully, less of these people will find
themselves absolutely alone as they
grow old. Some friends and I have a
running joke about setting up a
commune together when we all reach
70. I wonder if perhaps someday this
won't be a joke.
Fantasy
in Maine
pine wind,
and jade ocea n
crashing
into chandeliers
on seasoned rocks;
below
i would was h
as seaweed
suncrisped on your shore.
- Linda Gregory
�13
JEHOVAH Asks:
" Do you want to clean up your life?
"Can you be queer for a day?
11
by Janine Bernier
The August 15, 1974 issue of The
includes two articles
enti tled: "Homosexuality
- Is the
Bible's view Reasonable?" and "Is
Cha nge Possible for Homosexuals?" the first article in the series beginning
with the personal , thundering note,
"Are you a homosexual?"
The in-depth , philosophic , and informative expertise which ensues
denounces the perspecti ve of other
religious leaders whose arg um ents
claim that the bible is subject to
misinter pretations
and
out-dated
with the brilliantly capsulized statement, "It is true that the Bible is a
very old book." (p. 483 , Vol. 95 #16)
According to the enlightened tract
in ques tion , Jehovah teaches that the
bible's very age makes it valuable as a
moral gui de; and, in lieu of the bible,
homosexuali ty is wrong since "Is it
not obvious to virtually all persons
that male and female are counterparts, opposites sexually? Is it not
apparen t that their sex organs were
designed to 'fit' together?" (p . 484)
reducing sexual orientation to the
simplistic
assumption
that
only
round peckers fit in round holes.
The "wit ness es", properly in tune
with the times as th ey have been
with the past (since th ey visualize all
time periods as essentially static),
claim that homos exuality is "unnatural" - always was and always will
be - since homo sex u als of necessity
have to distort the traditional male/
female ro les to make 'it fit' .... . " ...
does it seem 'natural' to you for two
Watchtower
lesbians to come together sexually?
One of the pair must often use some
type of artificial substitute for a male
organ to satisfy the other? ... How
reasonable is that?" (p. 484 ).
Of course the "witnesses" are incapab le of perce1vmg of their
so-called biblical arguments as illogical; it is only the homosexual who is
unreasonable.
And, since homosexuality is unreasonable , you can
change. The benevolent Jehovah will
help you change. Pray to him (gender
identification theirs ; small "h" mine)
so that yo u to o can make a transition
similar to the example cited: " I
might have be en considered .only a
modera t e homosexual
since I engaged in immorality with less than
three diff erent men each day ." (p.
488)
The implicit logical extension of
the great go d Jehovah is - if you too
want to become truly 'gay' and not
just a moderate pervert , you will
hav e to do it at least three times a
day, wi th three diff ere nt peopl e.
Consider too the monomorphic tools
involved. And , for yo u lesbians who
obviously need a male substitute,
consider your electric bills , the cost
of batteries, and the fact that a dildo
(no ma tt er how miniscule it can be
made and still retain its functional
capabilities) might conceiveably b e
more difficult to conceal in the
pockets of your leath er jackets than
your tampax.
Oh be reasonable , be reasonabl e!
Th e great god Jehov ah loves you; and
in the face of such pain and ex pense,
how could yo u possibly want to be
qu ee r - if only for a day?
1 1
�14
WATCHING T.V.
WITH MOTHER
A Tragic-Comic dialogue in four parts
by A .M.A.
M: "What inspired you to watch thi s old movie with me?" (Not that I
mind, dear.)
D: "You know I'm an old movie fan. Besides, Ingrid Bergman is a great
actress.''. (If she weren't in it do you think I'd be watching it?)
M: " You 're watching it because you wish you could have a romantic love
love affair with a man." (/t had better be what you'd wish for.)
D : "You know that's a ridiculous ass
umption." (To hell with the
leading-man-type , Mother ... now if you had said Ingrid Bergman ... )
M: " Despite all you say, you really want to, don't you? But you know
what I think? You're afra id of men." (Now, what can you say to
that?)
D: 'Tm not afraid; I'm simply not inte rested." (Watch it, Mom , just
because I don't display any desire to have an MGM-approved
heterosexual love-life like you did, doesn't mean I'm terrified of the
opposite sex.)
M: "To be in love with a man and he with you is the only way a woman
can be really happy." (If you don't agree, I'm going to begin to think
that you're 'that kind', and you know it would kill me if you were.)
D: "If that's your ideal of happiness, fine. However, it's not mine. I shall
be perfectly content without a man's love until my dying day. O.K.?
(Shut up, Mom, let's watch the movie . Oh, damn , Ingrid Bergman
just made her entrance and I missed it. .. )
M : "It's not O.K. You shoul dn't hate men." (You just can't be 'that kind'
if you are you couldn't be my daughte r.)
D: "Lack of interest can hardl y be termed 'Hate', and I most certainly
didn't say anything about hating anybody. " (Oh, God, I know what
you're thinking. Please don't make me have to lie to you .)
M: "Not in so many words ... " (Please, tell me that you're not 'that kind.')
D: "Then let's watch the movie . Oh, look, there's the leading man ... "
(... with Ingrid hanging on his arm ... oh, well .)
M: He's not my type." (You sneak, changing the subject like that.)
D : "He's not my type, either. "
(I' m telling you the truth, Mom .)
M: "I'm glad we agree on something for once." (You've got good taste.
You're my daughter after all .)
�15
REVIEW:
EXCAVATIONS
by Sue Silvermarie
available from:
First Things First (a Fe-mail Order House)
23 Seventh St., S.E., Washington, D.C. ($1.00)
by J.S.
An impressive new collection of
poems has arrived in the DOB library.
Excava tions portrays its author, Sue
Silvermarie, as a lesbian, a mother, a
feminist. Her short, lyric verse has an
easy, personal tone which speaks very
naturally to the reader, one woman to
another. This is poetry which
possesses human warmth -a living, real
quality-and in addition demonstrates
considerab le technical subtlety. Language and imagery are strong, precise ,
and inventive. The humor of selfknowledge is also very much in evi-
dence (take a second look at "So Much
Fo r Show" in the October issue.) The
book is rich in its range of emotions:
we see a woman confronting and
acc epting her feelings as a friend, a
mother, a lonely self, a lover (wouldbe lover, rejected lover ... ), a sexual
bei ng. One poem that stands out as
particularly appealing and effective
is "Ero tic Is a Word" (reprinted here
as newly revised, by permission of
the author.) It presents eroticism as
a term and a state of being far more
complex and inclusive than we
ordinarily appreciate.
EROTIC IS A WORD
i loved you last night with m ore than my body
so i slip soft now into your pr ese nce
but i needed my body loved it for how it could show you
wholly
and be made whole itself one- piece-m e
erotic is the word but not like the pictures that stop
on the page
erotic is a word i want to save
from them erotic
as the pulse of my wristblood erotic
as rocking a child to sleep erotic
as my dreams of flying
erotic
as writing with no space betw een my heart and the paper
erotic as bare darkness erotic
as the mountain that tendered me to tears
erotic as touching as deep as my touc h can go
touching you
erotic
as feeling your touch is as full erotic
as being reached
-Sue Silvermarie
�16
DOB Membership includes a subscription
to F OCUS. You must be 18 years or older.
Sing le Membership $12
Joint Mernbersh ip $18
Send Your Name(s) and address to DOB .
gay
liberator
WANT
TO ADVERTISE
IN FOCUS
?
¼ page $5
½ page $10
Full page $20
Send to:
D.O .B . Room 323
419 Boylston Stre et
Boston , Mass. 021 16
Box631-A
Detroit 48232
12 issue,for $4
111US
S5 outside US, $8 supporting.
�JOIN
DIGNITY
...
GOODGAYBUTTONS&BOOKS
A
at
NATIONAL
ORGANIZATION
Everybody's
OF
Autobiography
The HCHS Bookstore
419 Boylston Boston, Ma. 02116
GAV
CATHOLICS
Send Self Addr. Stamped Envelop for mail order list.
Write :
O PEN , MONDAY
755 Boylston St.
-THURS.
6-9 P.M.
Boston, Mass.
Rm . 514
02116
WHITCH
IWHITCH
U WHITCH
t::~l+B~
:!;_
>
I
THE All Women's Rock Band
u
t:
(RING THE BELL
4 TIMES FOR
FOURTH FLOOR)
WENDY
:;~~
KAREN
s.
~ For Booking Information
Call ELAINE 289-8363
WHITCH
HSDIC L PROBLEMS?
A
Come to •••
GAY
HEALTH
NIGHT
at Fenway Comrrrunity
Health Center
16 Haviland St.
Boston, Hass.
Phone: 267-7573
I
I
mery
Wednesday
6:30-9:30 pm
for Me
dical help (inc.VD )
for Gay women& men
Co-sponsored by H.C.H.S.
266-5477
�The History Project
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document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
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This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
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The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
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Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
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Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
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Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 November
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-11
Description
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An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
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Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
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Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
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The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
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THP-0011-focus-197411
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/1461/archive/files/a9668c3b331671fedc231fc4e1a17c11.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=ZoacXLhRyPy59Nlrm0LVAAeE8frm2LDJNi23pblSISJycJnOAAWpczk9y5806uYQDGlfcu4k%7Edcb65eEglvCz6DM14oTJgLULhvm2tKzzBrIigenTMpNmCk-41V8NoVbzv-QP-pr0htigmFuVtx-XoWpdVpqRYKPfkkwr376mmHPDtASWcuXxDqDjVGy0sm%7EF%7EkP2m4LdFMSS4aGUWTa6Dvolf58vWxY1Hf9cOvumeumjoJP01-AzyBpXkpAJP9gthVR2Tf%7ES8pXftpxREYQlYAUQmtzf93jzCNRhO4NnboYt67gD37LWtn5Dc-lRPvWiOFdb9SOm4cMBQ%7EY1svn0A__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
d59cf1fb77d6492b21214cbb6094cd6c
PDF Text
Text
FOCUS
a journal for gay women
•
AMNIYIR
Dec. '74
eOSTON DAUGHTERS of Bl LITIS
60¢
�FOCUS: A JOURNAL FOR GAY WOMEN
1974
FOCUS Staff
FOCUS is published monthly by
Boston Daughters of Bilit is
Room 323, 419 Boylston Street
Boston, Mass. 0211 6
Copyright
reviews: J.S.
poetry and fiction:
Gerry Azzata, J .S.
editing : Janine Bernier
type and layo ut :
Lois Hurst
paste- up : Debbi e
distri bution : Gerry Azzata
advertising : Janine Bernier
production : Peggy Benson
Cover: Geri Bidwell
1974 by Daughters of Bil itis,
Boston, Mass.
Subscriptions are $6 / year, samples
are 60d. Give us your zip number.
If you move, let us know .
This publ ication is on file at the
International Women 's History Archive,
2325 Oak St ., Berkeley, Calif . 94708 . It is
available on microfilm from Bell & Howell,
Wooster, Ohio to October 1971 and from
IWHA from October 71 on.
News contributor:
Laura Robin
(not on Staff)
FOCUS welcomes contributions from everyone,
including draw ings. Include a self-addressed, stamped
envelope for return. All letters must be signed, but
names can be withheld for publication .
IN THIS ISSUE:
Features
Poems
Thru The AGES with
Boston DO B
Laura McMurry . . .........
To Connie on her Birthday
Paula Bennett .... ...........
12
MANTRA
Sue Silvermarie
.............
13
!!!!!!! Page . .....
.........
FOCUS: Then and Now ........
WHERE WERE YOU
FIVE YEARS AGO
Janine Bernier ..............
News . .. .........
. ......
..1
.6
10
.. 9,15
Calendar . . ..................
Classified Ad .................
Cover drawing by Geri Bidwell
.. . 14
.8
9
�THRU
THE
AGES
WITH BOSTON
DOB
BY LAURA Mc MURRY
Since the beginnings of Boston
Daughters of Btlitis in 1969 there
must have been some 4000 women
who have participated some way in
DOB (the figure 4000 is based on 5
new women at events, 5 new callers,
and 5 new letter-writers per week.)
During these past five years members have come and gone, projects
have floundered or succeecfed, crises have occurred and passed, but
DOB is still here and shows no signs
of dying.
In celebration of our fifth birthday, we're offering a birdseye view
of how the organization developed.
Emerging is a stor y showing v_ast
changes m some areas, contrastmg
with surprisingly little change in
others.
The Very Beginnings
How did it all get started? First
let's set the scene. In 1969 there was
virtually no _gay movement in Boston. In a few other parts of the
country a small but tenacious group
of people had been working for a
decade or more. In San Francisco,
DOB was started in 1955, and in
later years chapters appeared (and
some disappeared) in several parts
of the country .
One day in early 1969 a friend of
"Teddy Andot" , a woman living in
Boston, gave Teddy some copies of
the national DOB magazine the
Ladder . Various inquiries made by
Teddy inspired her to try to start a
chapter in Boston . The Ladder put
her in touch with its Productions
Assistant Kim Stabinski , who lived
in Boston also, and in June 1969
they went to New York to be advised
by the president of the N. Y. chapter.
The first DOB meeting in Boston
was attended by four additional
women, three from New Hampshire
"We envisioned large groups of wo-
men, including the professional levels, working harmoniously ', side by
side in sisterhood, to bring about
some of the badly needed changes in
society's attitudes-and more important, in our own attitudes towards
self," Kim reflected recently. The
minutes record that they discussed
membership dues, meetmg format,
the usual for a new organization,
and then "adjourned to Jacques, a
local girl-type bar."
By the third meeting there were
fifteen women, some collected
through a flier sent to Ladder subscribers in the area. A main topic
was a public place in which to meet.
The Arlington St. Church was sug~ested but some did not like its
'reputation " (involvement in the
antiwar movement and draft-card
burning); all agreed to check personal leads. The group also drafted
an advertisement for Boston After
Dark, a quasi-underground paper.
Many did not want to use the word
"lesbian" in the ad because, as Jan
Chase (the erstwhile
"Teddy
Andot"( explains it now, "the term
denoted revulsion and disgust. ..
much like, for the ancients, the
word 'leper."'. No one, however,
cou Id think of a less offensive word-all the terms were offensive.
The first break happened when
Diana Travis went to place the ad .
The manager said he'd have to
check with the publisher ... but, he
said , "It's publicity you really want,
right?" whereupon he called Steve
Fredericks who had a talk shkow on
WMEX radio. Two nights later
Diana and two other very nervous
women found themselves · from
11pm--2am responding to Steve and
phone calls. The next break was a
visitor in the studio audience who
had heard the promos run by the
station for the program. I'm Frank
�2
Morgan , ' he said, "Pr esident of the
Homophile Uni on of Boston ," an
organiz ation which no DOB people
had previ ously been awa re of.
The third bre ak was that Boston
Afta Dark did print th e ad, t hereby
setting a pr ecedent for fu t ure ads by
ga y groups . At th e fift h meeting on
December 5, fort y-six women , many
attracted by the radi o program,
ga th ered in DOB's new pu blic
meeting place--non e oth er than the
Arlington St. Chur ch (one block
from our present office) , which indeed was not too concern ed about
its reputation. Thi s we are counting
as th e official birth day of the organi zation , Bost on Da ughters of Bihtis , for th e first elect ions were held
that night. There was tension in the
air becaus e none of tho se who had
start ed the organizati on were elected: but there was also a fee ling of
excitement and great pla ns for t he
future .
It should be noted th at in those
da ys virtu ally everyone involved in
the
gay
movem ent
used
pseudonyms . In earl y 1970 th ere
11 e only two peopl e in the whole
·er
Boston area who allow ed th eir fu ll
names to be used publ ically- -Fra nk
Morgan. and Harr y Ph ilhp s from
the Harvard Universit y Gr ad uate
Stud ent Homophil e Associat ion-and many used fals e names even
within their organizati ons so t hat
other member s did not kn ow their
true nam es. Som e of the ear ly DO B
people were afraid of getting into
troubl e if they rented a post office
Times have
box for the group.
radi cally changed for many of us -livin g in Boston surrounded by a
suppor~ive gay community--but the
early s1tuat1on, the pressures that
caused it. are little changed in many
cities, towns, and areas. even today.
The Maiden Voyage and Focus
DOB immedi ate ly began pub lishing a monthly newsletter calle d
the Maiden Vovage, the first issue
an eight-paged ·wonder, beautifully
zeroxed.
From the beginning it
served as a ''forum." Already by the
second issue there were complamts .
"Senior Sister Speaks" rema rk ed
that "many over thirties hesitate to
speak out ." Another woman wrot e
that the officers were "at times a
fearsome force intent on pres um ing
their plans to be the only pla ns."
Maiden
Voyage
went
The
through a number of change s
during the years. It was mimeo graphed until February 1970, whe n
two member s of DOB who owned a
printing press began to do it offset.
T he next month it changed its name
to Focus: A Joumal for Gay
Women. The content has t1uctua ted
in qualit y without particular regar d
to the physical format; some of t he
earliest articles have been among
the best.
Discussions and Social Activities
During the first year there was
something every Friday night at th e
Arlington St. Church. Some nights
there was a discussiio n on a to p ic
such as "should you tell your
straight friends?"
Other nights
there was a speaker--the ministe r of
the church, a psychiatrist, a lawyer .
There were monthly business me etings and an occasional ar ts and
crafts show or other special. T he
"rap sessions," as we know th em
today--wh ere talk ab out being gay
and related issues is wide-ra ngmg
and not limited to a speci fic
topic--did not start until Septemb er
1971, when they were every ot her
week . They became weekly m Apri l
�3
1972, and were held for a year in a
Harvard University lounge. Since
the lounge was hard to find, people
met at William James Han, the
tallest building in the area, and had
to be guided several blocks to the
lounge. During the fall of 1973,
when the raps were being held in our
office, as they are now, the numbers
had swelled to 40 and SO women at
many raps.
The first landmark fundraiser
was a "Homophile Hostel" at the
Grange Hall in Weare, N.H. (where
some of the members lived.) Some
1SOmen and women came to dance,
eat, and drink on Oct. 17, 1970, and
DOB netted $312 to double its
treasury. (At our last big fund raiser,
the 1974 Halloween dance, we
netted about the same). During the
years there were several aucttons,
dances (the earliest at the bar at 12
Carver St. in Boston), a free
Thanksgiving dinner for all members in f972 and one for 50 cents in
1973.
Regular weekly softball
began in the summer of 1972 at
Magazine Beach in Cambridge, and
has continued in summers to the
present.
Public Education
The public education committ~e
started in January 1970. One of its
first brainstorms was to hold a panel
discussion on lesbianism, open to
the public. Press releases were sent
out and Important People were
called . On the big day in April at
the appointed place in the chapel of
the Arlington St. Church, the
audience arrived--about 75 gay men
and women, one or two mm1sters,
and one reporter from the Boston
Globe. Despite the deeI? disappointment of the six lesbians on the
panel, they went ahead with the
discussion, and a stor_yin the May
IO Globe did result. This was to my
knowledge the first story about the
gay movement in the "above
Ground" press in Boston.
The next media adventure was a
March 1970 eJ>isode of the "For
Women Today T.V. show, moder-
ated by Jack Cole and Sonya
Hamlin, where two homosexuals,
Ann Haley, the president of DOB,
and Frank Morgan, were featured
with a minister and the infamous
Charles Socarid es, the psychiatrist
who is curing gays to tfiis day and
who tried to get the American
Psychiatric Association to repeal its
) L) 3 \'otc that homosexuality was no
7
longer a sickness. The gays were
rarely invited to speak for themselves, since the other two were
obviously the greater "authorities."
Ann wore a wi~ and dark glasses
and was called 'Ann X." Even so,
one of her schoolchildren asked her
the next day, "Didn't I hear you on
T . V ..,
The first T. V. news coverage _
of
gay events in Boston was on WBZ
6pm news, June 25,, 1970, about
Gay Pride Week.
The public
education committee members also
went on as many speaking engagements as possible.
In February 1970 several members, shaking like leaves, testified at
the State House as "concerned
citizens" at hearings on repealing
the sodomy laws. (These are the
same laws we're still trying to reI?eal
today). These bills, filed by birth
control advocate, Bill Baird, had
been discovered by a straight friend
as he pored over the list of
thousands of bills looking for those
relating to ecology. During the
summer of 1972 a new epoch of sorts
started when Barney Frank introduced himself from the crowd at a
workshop on legislation during Gay
Pride Week, said he was running for
representative and would support
gay legislation. That fall for the first
time gay organizations, including
DOB, got together with Barney's
counsel to file their own bills,
including one on discrimination in
jobs. That year and the next all bills
were defeated, but SUJ?porthas been
growing, and they will be refiled-with some minor improvements-this year.
The internal organization.
Organizational crises of one sort
�4
or another have beset DOB a
number of times since its beginnings. The first was in July 1970
when six Boston members arrived at
the national biannual DOB convention in New York City to find no
national officers had come. Two
women had come from the Los
Angeles Chapter, several from San
Francisco (including Del Martin
and Phyllis Lyon) and the re st were
from New York. In the absence of
anyone who rea11y knew what the
national structure was up to, amid
an obvious boycott by the national
officers, and with rumors swirling
all around, the only solution seemed
to be to disband
the national
structure, to let the Ladd er go off on
its own as it had already done
anyhow. and to make each chapt er
autonomous.
Back in Boston our
wesident and secretary resigned
1ecause of conflicts within the
organization, and at th e same time a
great controversy arose about whether the Convention
had been
"legal". Finally this died down , and
Hoston DOB made itself a new set of
bylaws. The membership fee went
down to $ I 5 to $10 because the
Ladder was no longer provid ed.
The next trauma occurred on
Candidate's
Night November 6,
I 970. One member read a surprise
statem en t saying that Boston DOB
11 undemocratic and put too much
·as
emphasis on making money; then
ten members . among them half the
candidates for office walked out (an
11th arrived too late for the official
exit). They started a new group
called New England DOB. The
name immedia te ly flustered Boston
DOB, which now sounded like a
lesser DOB. In the end it didn't
matter.
since the ne w chapter
stopped functioning after a shor t
11
hile.
In September 1971 Gail King won
a close election for president and
inagurated an era of "infiltrati on"
of DOB into the women' s movement.
The first big ventur e was the
lesbian slide show at the Congress to
Unite Women in March 1971 at
Harvard. with workshops on Jes-
l
b ianism. This was also the time of
the takeover of 888 Memorial Drive
in Cambridge
by women as a
11
·omen ·s center. The unused Ha rvard building was held for 10 days,
and as a resu It some bod.~ gave
enough money to start the Women's
Center in Cambridge.
DOB was
split over this takeover. t h ough not
directly invol ved. In November 1971
so me IO women from DOB attended
a ll relevant workshops at the newly
organizing Massachusetts Women's
Political Ca ucus and out of this
came a num ber of resolutions in
favor of lesbians and t he election of
Elaine Noble to the steeri ng comm.
In February 1972 DOB took a big
ste p in moving into its first office
along with the Homophile Commu111t Health Service in our
y
p rese nt building at 419 Boylston St.
Th e group was very nervous about
being abfe to pay the $SO/ month
rent plu s th e phone bill. and pledges
were co11ected. Althoug h pledgepa ying cventua11y fell off, the rent
was and has been always made .
Pre sident Gail King was in the office
to answer the pho ne and receive
visito rs nearly every day all d ay . In
November of that year the Health
Service expanded and DOB moved
from room 406 around the corner to
room s 414.415 wh ich looked out
over Boylston St., and in June 1973
when the Harvard room (where raps
had been held) was no longe r
available. the office moved again to
its present larger locat ion in room
323. Gail resigned for personal
reasons in the spring of 1972 and
several other people assumed the
presi dency until the fa ll electio ns.
By th a t time no one wanted to be
president,
and the only office rs
elected were treasurer,
record ing
secr etary. and corres ponding secretar y. A fu]l slate of officers was
elected the fo11owing year. The
bylaws were overha uled in May and
Jun e of 1974 , alt hough no major
structural changes were made.
Evolution of present role.
The divesity and number of people
�5
involved in the Boston gay movement
has exploded within the last year.
Many of the functions formerly
tilled by the two oldest organizations
DOB and the Homophife Union of
Boston, have spun off into more
specialized hands. Much of the
public speaking to groups is now
handled through the Gay Speakers
Bureau, which started in early 1972
when the DOB and HUB speakers
bureaus got tired of calling each
other to coordinate engagements
and get both men and women for
each engagement. The need for
regular DOB coverage of up-to-date
news and schedules of gay community events was t aken over by the
Gay Community News in June 1973
hence Focus does not concentrate as
much on news as it used to. The
expertise for publicising gay activities and lifestyles in the media
consolidated into Gay Media Action
in the late fall of 1973. Today DO B's
activities are concentrated around
the personal and social needs of gay,
bisexual, and questioning women.
Ther e is a heavy emphasis on rap
sessions-which have been expand ed to three different ones each week ,
one general rap , one for lesbian
mothers (which started in October
1973). and one for older women
(started February 1974). Perhaps
there will soon be a revival of more
extensive open office hours, particularly during the day. As we celebrate
our fift anniversary this December,
we hope all those who have been
involved in the r.ast and wish to be in
the future will join us at our
party Sunday, Dec. 8, 9:00 pm at
The Saints. There will be a
celebration with dancing, refreshments. and homemade birthda y
cake.'
America's 1st non-sexist, nonexplotive weekly newspaper
for gay women and men.
10 weeks - $ 2.50
25 weeks 5.00
One Year - 10.00
Write to GCN Subscriptions
22 Bromfield, Box F
Boston, Mass. 02108
Application:
DOB Membership or subscription to FOCUS
(FOCUS subscription inc. with membership)
Membership: $12/year
$18 for couples
FOCUS Subscription: $6/year
Single Sustaining Membership: $25
0 ENC .___
for membership
□
ENC.
for FOCUS
_.:_
Name ___________________________
Address _________________
Signature- I am a woman 18 years of age or o Ider:
Date: ______
_
_ _ ____
_ _ _
�6
FOCUS: Then and Now
BY GERRY
AzzATA
On this fifth anniversary of
DOB / Boston. I took on the delighUiil task of.finding the high
11oints of past issues of FOCUS.
It begun with the last months of
/969 as Maiden Voyage. and was
rc•11a111ed
FOCUS in March of
I 9 71. livi11g happil v ever after
through a multitude of' format
all(/ Sf(I/.( changes . Below are a
/i·11·
excerpts that trace the history
u( the past few years:
Maidrn Voyage. Feb .. 1970:
Several bills dealing with state
laws on sexuality have been
submitted to the 1970 session of
1he Massachusetts legislature.
March 1970:
To the Editor:
.... ! think holding hands with
another girl in a public place is
too much at this time .... The
straight world isn ' t ready for such
bluntness ....
Yours fora free and new tomorrow,
The Saint
Sept .. 1970:
Cartoon: "I dreamed I went
cruising in my Maiden Voyage
bra ...
Announcement of Candidacy: I
am a candidate for corresponding
secretary. As corresponding secretary I would answer all mail as
promptly as possible ....
Laura Robin
Dec .. 1970:
"Recipes from Sandy's Kitchen:
Chicken Tetrazzini"
Feb .. 1971:
I ntcrview with the Speaker of the
Mass. House of Representatives.
David M. Bartle y (from The
Phoenix , Jan . 5, 1971) :
Phoenix: What about repealing
laws against homosexuality?
Bartley: .... I've never had it put
to me by any group just like
that .... I mean. never had any
group that said they were being
pushed around or hurt by the
laws ....
Dear Editor,
I don't like the name 'Maiden
Voyage.' It has a flavor of maiden
aunt and voyeur about it. It is embarrassing to tell people this is
the name of our newsletter. I suggest we call the newsletter' Boston
Daughters of Bilitis Newsletter.'
Laura Robin
March, 197 1:
Maiden Voyag e becomes FOCUS.
Aug. , 1971:
(From an article about a speaking
engagement on a New Bedford
radio station)
.... The State Police.. . switchboards had been flooded with
people who wanted·to know what
they could do to get us out of
town. We had been locked in the
radio station and we were followed
by the police out of town.
Sept .. 1971:
Editor:
I am a candidate for re-election
as Corresponding Secretary.
Laura Robin
Feb .. 1973:
From Ann Landers :
"Why can ' t members of the
same sex proclaim their love as
heterosexual lovers do? Because
homosexuality is unnatural. It is,
in spite of what some psychiatrists
�say. a sickness. a dysfunction ....
For 18 years.
I have been
pleading for compassion
and
understanding
and equal rights
for homosexuals, and I will continue to do so ... Unfortunately.
most peopl e have a tendenc y to
equat e an y and all abnormalities
11 sin . disgrace, and sham e ."
·ith
July. 1973:
"It has finall y happened.There's
a women's bar open every night
of the week just for us . . . The
Saints!"
Oct.. 1973:
I am a candidate for re-election
as corresponding
secretary. My
"philosophy" about the job is to
answer ma il as promptly
as
possible. to an swer all letters no
matter how oddball they may
seem. to maintain confidentiality
of the letters .... Peace and love,
Laura Robin
Jan .. 1974 :
The Board of Trustees of the
Am erican Psychiatric Association
announc ed a res olution removing
homos exualit y fr o m the APA list
of psychiatri c d isorder s .
April. 1974 :
Dear FOCUS.
Well CONGRATULATIONS
on going from the shitty little job
you usuall y are to a SHITTIER
categor y. Wh a t the hell happened
to YOU this month? ... .FOCUS
is blahhhh . blechhh . P.U . . ..
· May. 1974:
FOCUS PLAGERIZED
magazine!
Oct. . 74 :
Candidate
for
Secretary:
I am a candidate
·
BY MS
Corr esponding
for re-election.
Laura Robin
�8
DECEMBER 1974 D.O.B. Calendar
419 Boylston St., Rm 323, Boston, Mass. 02116---617
262-1592
All events are open to all women regardless of their membership in D. 0 .8.
All raps are 50¢ for non-members, and 25¢ for members.
MONDAYS 7:30 pm Rap sessionand phone-in for lesbian mothers (including
mothers with grown children.) At DOB office .
TUESDAYS
7:30 pm Rap sessionon being gay: for all women. Share feelings
about being gay; everyone welcome. There are always many new
people every week. At the DOB office, near the Arl ington
MBTA stop, between Arlington and Berkeley Streets .
WEDNESDAYS, 1st and 3rd GAYBREAK radio program, AMHERST,
WMUA-FM 91.9
THURSDA VS 8:00 pm Rap sessionfor older gay women. No ages are defined:
come if it sounds right for you.
THURSDAYS
9-10 pm GAY WAY RADIO PROGRAM WBUR 90.9 FM
FRIDAYS, Women's Basketball, 7 :00 sharp at Cambridge YWCA for rides to
Harvard U.
SUNDAYS, 10:30-11 am CLOSET SPACE radio program, WCAS- AM 740 .
Wed. Dec. 4 FOCUS Meeting. 7:30 pm at the office. New people welcome.
Sun., Dec. 8. DOB BIRTHDAY PARTY! 9:00 at The Saints. Dancing ,
refreshments. birihday cake-all women welcome .
112 Broad st.,
Boston.
Wed. Dec. 11 Business meeting. 8:UUpm at the Office. ·
Mon. Dec. 16. FOCUS Meeting. 7:30 pm at the office. Copy Deadline for
January issue. New People welcome .
Fri. Dec. 20 CHRISTMAS DANCE,9-1 pm at theCharles Street Meeting
House. Donations. A dance for men and women , to
benefit the CSMH. Records.
Sat. Jan. 11 Office Renovation Party: Operation Face-lift
Important Notice: There will be no raps on Tues., Dec. 24 and Tues., Dec. 31.
�9
NEWS AND NOTES
A National Lesbian Newsletter. "We
want everyt hing that is of interest to
lesbians (of a non-literar y nature)what they are doing and thinking."
say the women producing a new
periodical LESBIAN
CONNECTION. The one FOCUS received
was a potpourri of interesting
information from all over the
country, including new groups
forming and new events scheduled.
For a free copy send your address
(and maybe a stamped envelope?) to
Ambitious Amazons, PO Box 811,
East Lansing , Mich. 48823. Or see
the one in the DOB office.
A Lesbian Mothers' National Defense Fund has started up to help
with court costs, printing, transportation, etc. Membership is $2.
LMNDF, 1941 Division, Enumclaw, Washington 98002.
$1 million for lesbian alcoholics.
The Gay Community ServicesCenter
in Los Angeles has received $1
million from the US Dept. of
Health, Education, and Welfare's
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism for a gay women's
alcohol recovery program.
The
three year program will include
short and long term residence
houses. The grant proposal was 300
pages long. The Center also received
other funds for its venereal disease
clinic and for counselling gays in
straight marriages. (Advocate, Oct.
23, 1974)
More$ for alcoholism. The Stonewall Center in Seattle, Washington
has received $120 ,000 from the
Natio nal Institute of Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism to provide both in ·
and out-patient care for gay alcholics.
(Advocate Nov. 6, 74)
JANINE BERNIER
ELECTED
RECORDING SECRETARY
There was a re-checking of
parlimentary procedure after the
Nov. 20 Election by DOB officers.
It was found that absentions
should not be counted as part of
the vote. and therefore Ms .
Bernier won with 9 yes votes.
There were 7 no votes, and 2
ab stentions. At the Nov. 20
meeting it was thought she had
not gained a simple majority.
CLASSIFIED AD
Lesbians to share home near No.
Eastern U, S min. from Trans. $80/
$70 mo, write 1A,M,C,1 Box 5~7_
M¥-i~ion
~i\\
Of kG. B
I
R>s+
OShHt
LESBIAN FEMINIST LIBERATION. INC. - Media Committee
of New York has been addressing
itself to lesbian invisibility and bias
in the media. LFL hopes to promote
a positive image of our struggle and
our lives as lesbians and feminists
and establish a nationwide network
of lesbian and feminist groups to
combat sexism in the media. LFL's
concern, at the moment, is an up
coming meeting with the editorial
staff of Ms. magazine which they
feel has failed to adequately cover
lesbian issues and promotes a
basically heterosexist
image of
women. For information on how to
support LFL in re. to Ms. or media
sexism in general and/or to ·share
activities, please write to: Susan
Meyer - Chairwoman, Media Committee, Lesbian FeministLiberation.
Inc., P.O. Box 243, Village Station,
N.Y., N.Y. 10014
�10
In 1969, just five yea1·sago, a small group of women came together and
formed the Boston chapter of D.O.B . ...
WHERE WERE YOU
FIVE YEARS AGO?
1t was a cool Spring evening six
years ago when Lots and I sat before
a roaring tire at Jan Chase 's little
hideaway in the woods. Jan plied us
\\'ith a beautiful meal betore she
popped the question we instinctively
knew she had on her mind. "Would
you two be interested in starting a
chapter of DOB here in Boston'!" ,
she asked. 1feel it is only right that I
tell you we recoiled in horror. '"No,
thank you very much. but we don't
really want to get involved with any
other lesbians ... Even we. as gay
11omcn. suffered under the stereotype that most lesbians were "rough
dykes ... We had gotten used to the
smell of moth balls, the darkness of
that lonely closet somehow seemed
more comfortable than putting our
job~ and families on the line.
· It was a year later that we went to
a DOB meetingwhat seemed like
a combination C-R group. business
meeting and social get-together. I
guess we still weren't ready to
socialize with such a cross-section of
gay women and went home to our
moth balls .
Sheri
Five years ago I was going to
become a nun. I knew I was a
lesbian but my ultimate goal at that
point was to reach the heights of
spiritual asexuality. At that time my
alternatives as I saw them were few:
I could either remain "in the world"
and render some service to humanity
at large through teaching, or else
become a nun and do the same
thing. Five years ago I accepted my
gayness but could not be said to
have viewed it in a positive light.
Thus. 1opted to become a nun stnce
1 figured that if I stayed "in the
world" 1 would eventually let myself
express my sexuality, which would
somehow nullify any good that I
11rought. 1 was following the advice
of the Gospel more than I knew:
... . . But wh en thou prayest. enter
into th y closet and close the door ... "
(Mathew b:b .)
A.M.A.
1969-1 got a Masters Degree and
mov ed in with my boyfriend, two
achievements which validated beyond all doubt my right to live: I was
okay. Soon I would marry. Hidden
in a drawer were the books on
hom osexuality. At night I dreamed
of women.
Judy
Where was I in 1969? I was
nowhere. My new husband and I,
along with our even newer baby, had
just moved from a roomy apartment
111 NYC to a neat little house in
suburban
Western. Packing my
books in piles in an unused upstairs
bedroom (extra space for extra
babies). I settled down to happy
it didn't
take.
housewifery Within IO months we had moved to
Cambridge - and I back to my
books. Returning to work, I hired a
new babysitter.Her name wasDawn,
she was gay.
Paula
Five years ago I was an unhappy
housewife, dreaming
of fonder
memories when I was younger.
Thinking of previous affairs with
women before my marriage. I made
one bi~ mistake - with two kids to
boot.'
Anne
1 was madly in love, less than a
year into my 'last forever relationship.' I was very happy then."
Connie
�11
1969
Tune in, turn on .. my Indiana Summer of Love two years after
the Haight. I was veryvery cool, and very very stoned ..
went to college, stayed high, met my own batch of crazies2 years after Ken Kesey's ...
we ran played tripped danced fought loved ate sometimes we
slept together together ..
my first and only college boyfriend-I turned him on to many
things- including fuckinghe's queer now too- after years of silence we're best friends again.
Judi Stein
I was only 19 and had just heard
about DOB on a radio program.
Was starting to hassle about my
identity but didn't do anything
until I was 21 - until my father was
out of the way. I remember being at
an all girls' school where they said
you were queer if you wore yellow on
Thursday."
Thomisina
1969 was the second year into my
new relationship after my 15 year
relationship.
I can't remember
when I wasn't gay . I've been active
for 26 years, started when I was 2.
Jan
I have never considered DOB. I was
content, in a relationship where I
had no need for other gay people. I
knew I was gay, but didn 't need to
meet anyone outside my relationship. At that point I was verJ. happy.
Nichole
I was in high school. I had a crush
on my Speech teacher. I still admi re
her. I knew I was gay , wrote things
about it. I never had experiences
with men and told someone about a
relationship with a woman. People
started giving me hassles. My father
told me he would bury me in t he
backyard. I thought that what I felt
was natural.
Millie
That year I was in the closet,
teaching school, hiding away, hoping
another teacher would wink at me or
something in the corridor. I realized
tin ally that I had to get in touch with
the community. I'm really glad I
did.
Kathy
I was a senior in college. I had come
out two yea rs before while still
lluctuating between men and women.
I went back to my first female lover
then, but was very confused about
my identity .
Polly
1 was still in th e close t. Had barely
heard of Gay Liberation. As a
couple. we went out with gay boys,
not knowing how to meet women,
and not wanting to go to the bars.
Lois
Five years ago, I didn't know I was
gay. Didn't Know anything about it.
Marge
1 was in college and 95½ of the
students were primarily gay. I was
out then - think I was gay at birth.
Marilynn
1was graduating from high school. I
didn't know tne meamng of the
word gay. I thought I was as straight
as an arrow, but didn't know I
wasn't st raight.
Peggy
I had just lost forty pounds the year
before dropping my Roman Catholicism and admitting I was gay. It
wasn't the feeling that bothered me;
it was the connotations to the word
lesbian. Five years ago I still wasn't
�12
into doing anything overt about my Five years ago I was going steady
sexuality. 1 hit the books .
with a boy in high school. I oroke up
Janine
with him because he was a chauvinist
pig . That's when I started to get
1 don ' t remember what I was doing 111terested in women's liberation.
live years ago: I think ma ybe I
Debbie
wasn t doing an ything five years
ago.
Gerry
Five year s ago I was standing with
my high heels on in my closet, trying
Five years ago I was breaking up totake offm y dr essand my 18-hour
with my girlfriend of 3 years. She girdle. when my job called me to
thought we should both be normal Boston, a move which would change
and get married to men. I thought I my whol e life style. 1 left my closet
11as going out of my mind. I fore ver . I am one of the luck y-I
wondered 1fthere were other women found DOB . Happ y anniversar y,
like me .
Lois H.
DOB. and thank you!
Geri
To Connie on her Birthday
On my way dr iving hom e
from taking kid s t o school
a st artl ed flo ck of bird s
scoot s high abo ve me head,
ex ploding in th e calm Octob er air
with short, impati ent cries
that echo as th ey disapp ear.
Th e lat e night rain
still han gs up o n th e tr ees
in tin y drop s th at hold th e mornin g light
and from th e river that I cann ot see
thin tuft s of mist roll out
and leave th eir imprint on my skin.
Lad y, you are with me as I drive,
your pr esence palpabl e
as any gho st ,
I feel you sitting at my sid e
and in your ab sence tak e fa st hold
of tim e we shar e
to geth er and alon e.
- Paula Benn ett
�13
! ! ! ! ! ! ! Page
"American attitud es have changed, mostl y for the better in a very commonsensical way .... Women's rights have been acknowledged, but the beliefs of
the Yahoo fringe of the feminist movement have been rejected .
. . . . Were the Louds-with their bored affluence, homosexual son and philandering father-really a typical family ? Let's see a series on a truckdriver's
family whose kid is studying accounting at a Junior College. There's a hell of
a story there."
Ben J. Wittenberg
"News Watch," T. V. Guide Oct. 26-Nov. 1
(comments pertaining to his new book, The R eal America)
!!!!!!!
"A prison official reports that such is the dependence of the women on
substitute stimulation, that the mere threat by the warden to have the carrots
cut up instead of being served whole for the evening meal is enough to quell
rumors of dissatisfaction or potential trouble."
Lesbos Love, p. 51.
!!!!!!!
"There is thus no evidence of great freedom in the use of sexual techniques in
homosexual contacts- .... It may be that for most of these individuals the
physical intimacy with another of the same sex is so fraught with fear, tension
and excitement that they neither can, nor need to, attend to the refinement of
sensuous technique."
Morton Hunt, Sexual Behavior in the 1970 's
(advertis~d as "The Most Extensive National Survey Since Kinsey")
!!!!!!!
"You must not look upon your affair with [another] woman as a sin and feel
that God is going to punish you for these acts . The most that can be said is
that, in your case, you have undoubtedly made a biological mistake ."
Harold Sherman
How to Take Yourself Apart and Put Yourself Together Again
(1971)
!!!!!!!
·
••••••
Readers are urged to submit materia l for t h e .1111111 page . Please include
relevant details about sources.
�14
MANTRA
the tenderness of our touches washes me
like a wave whenever my mind is at rest
i am learning about lightness
about the lightness of touches that make more space
for what-is-between
i am learning about touches that in their lack of grasp
can feel,
that want to caress more than to hold
to caress the preciousness that is between
touches that understand
how delicate a gift is given us
i am learning i am learning i am
young in my learning
i am young in this nakedness so young young
in this lack of protection sometimes it makes me shiver
and i know it as another gift
given to me and i can give it to you
shivering i give you my shivering,
not as burden but something soft to stroke
with the part of you that touches me
not as burden but as a fragile shade of the rainbow
of the rainbow between
the touches teach me what to ask
not to hold or grasp not
to hold your time or thoughts
but simply to know what you are learning, too .
copyright
1973 Sue Silvermar ie
�15
.. FREE SARAH COMMITTEE ..
National AIM - Box 3577 - St. Paul organized a massive petition drive to
take to South Dakota officials in
November. Sarah Bad Heart Bull,
an Indian woman, serving a 1-5 year
prison se ntenc e in S.D. for her
alleged part in a protest which
sought to have the charge against
her son's slayer changed
from
manslaughter
to murder,
is in
dcsparate need of financial assistance for the full support of her
children who have been denied
welfare assistance from the state
and also for legal expenses. For
more information write to the above
P.O., Minnesota 55101. Also see
bulletin board at DOB office.
Housing for singles. The newlyelected Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974 prohibits
discrimination
on the basis of
marital status in the purchase,
ELECTROLOGIST
rental or financing of housing.
Complaints should go to the federal
Department of Housing and Urban
Development. (Advocate Oct. 23,
74(.
LESBIAN FEMINIST
LIBERATION. Inc. of New York and the
group's spokeswoman, Ms. Ginny
Vida, were twice refused permission
to preview the program and / or
examine the script of NBC's recent
Policewoman Series which showed
lesbians ripping off elderly patients
in a convalescent home. The group
11 told that the men responsible
·as
for scheduleing trhe program could
be trusted to edit out the offensive
material. LFL requests that women
offended by the program contact
als
local NBC offici_ and affiliates:
Boston - WBZ
1170 Soldier Field Road
Boston, Mass. 02134
Olivia Records - a
national women's recording
----company
WALTER DRISCOLL
SUPERFLUOUS HAIR
PERMANENTLY REMOVED
Free Consultations Invited
24 West Street
Boston, Mass.
Bus. 426-5067
Home 289-2106
from
Gift
certifiOlivia Records, Inc.
cates
Box 1784
record costs
Washington, D.C.
$5.50 + 50¢
20013
�16
Boston Daughters of Bilitis
Invites the Women of Boston
To Its Birthday Party!
We are five years old!
9:00 pm at The Saints
Come help us celebrate:
dancing, refreshments
and homemade birthday cake
Sunday, Dec. 8, 1974
WHl~H
IW
ITCH
U~ITC~ I..L:J
r-WHITCH
3
THE All Wom,n's Rook Band
I
u
t
~
WENDY
KAREN
MERRY
KAREN
H
SDICAL
PROBLENS?
~
Come to •••
IGAYHEALH NIGHT
T
I
at Fenway Connmmity
Health C
enter
16 Haviland st.
Boston, H
ass.
Phone: 267-727J
:':very Wednesday
Fo, Book;ng lnfo,mat;on
Call ELAINE 289-8363
WHITCH
6:30-9:30 pm
for Medical help (inc.VD )
for Gay women & men
Co-sponsored by H.C.H.S.
266-5477
�JOIN
Everybody's Autobiography
DIGNITY ...
A
NATIONAL
Would like to display
Women's:
ORGANIZATION
crafts
leather goods
candles
jewelry
OF
GAY
CATHOLICS
011
Write:
755 Boylston St.
Call Claire at
269-1739
after7 p.m.
Boston, Mass.
Rm.514
a commission basis
02116
gay
liberator
WANT TO ADVERTISE
IN FOCUS
?
Box 631-A
Detroit 48232
¼ page $5
½ page $10
Full page $20
Send
to:
O.O.B. Room 323
419 Boylston Street
Boston, Mass. 02116
12 issues $4 in US
for
$5 outsideUS,$8 supporting.
�The History Project
http://www.historyproject.org/
info@historyproject.org
Thank you for using the manuscript collections of The History Project.
Copyright restrictions may apply. If you have questions or wish to request removal of a
document in this collection from our digital repository, please contact The History
Project.
This PDF file contains images of an issue of the publication Maiden Voyage, produced
by the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from
The Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter) records
Collection #0011
Recommended Citation:
[Item description including title, author, and date if known], Daughters of Bilitis
(Boston chapter) records, The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1974 December
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974-12
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197412
-
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e7f6a11b441a4509cb75d7005028012e
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e7f6a11b441a4509cb75d7005028012e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus/Maiden Voyage, a publication of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, 1969-1983
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969-1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughers of Bilitis (Boston, Mass.)
Description
An account of the resource
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian organization founded in 1955 in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon for the purpose of self-knowledge and self-acceptance, public education, involvement in research, and lobbying to change the laws criminalizing homosexuality. Starting primarily as a private social group for lesbians focused on the integration of the lesbian into mainstream society, the aims of the group shifted during the 1960s due to the changing political, social and economic conditions of the decade. The DOB took up political activism to lobby for the rights of lesbians, promoting individualism with a decreased emphasis on societal conformity. During the 1960s many regional chapters were chartered around the country and globally, continuing the organization even after the closing of the San Francisco national office in 1978.<br /><br />The Boston chapter was founded in 1969 during a period when many homophile organizations were forming in Boston. Early leaders of the Boston DOB included Lois Johnson, Shari Barden, and Laura Robin/McMurry, who were prominent promoters of the group and its activities.<br /><br />The Boston chapter published a newsletter, originally entitled <em>Maiden Voyage</em>, until 1971 when it was renamed <em>Focus</em>. The publication runs from December 1969 to October 1983.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Focus: A Journal for Gay Women, 1975 January
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975-01
Description
An account of the resource
An issue of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Daughters of Bilitis (Boston chapter)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian newsletters; Newsletters (LGBTQ); Boston (Mass.); Cambridge (Mass.); Daughters of Bilitis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright restrictions may apply. Visit https://historyproject.omeka.net/rights-and-reproductions for more information and to review The History Project's takedown policy.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
THP-0011-focus-197501