Power and Responsibility

Having often felt we send OITM into a
dark void each month, the effect our stories
have had lately has amazed us. In March,
Vermont Public Radio aired a previously
rejected listener sponsorship which men-
tioned gays and lesbians, in part based on
OITM’s publication of their correspon-
dence with the listener. In February, Ver-
mont Woman received letters from of-
fended readers after OITM ran a copy of
Euan Bear’s column censored for its les-
bian content from their January issue.

We are excited and nervous about our
newfound ability to hold people account-
able for their homophobic actions. Excited
because OITM is reaching more readers
every month and increasingly finding its
voice on a statewide level. Nervous, be-
cause in spite of our successes, we remain
dependent on a tiny handful of volunteers.

Slick images are mixed blessings. On
one hand, people take you seriously. And
on the other, they expect more of you.
There’s a danger in appearing stronger and
more coherent than you really are. A sort of
“rifles-in-the-bushes” phenomenon. Some
might doubt that OITM really suffers the
“polished face” syndrome, but we know we
do--just as we suspect, WVPR and Ver-
mont Woman do also, on a different level.‘

In our giddiness at being taken seri-
ously, we don’t want to confuse our friends
and enemies. Or make enemies out of
friends. We think

  

H1 Folks,

Sexual material in OITM?

First there was an editorial with ques-
tions, doubts, and concerns about a deci-
sion to accept or reject a sexual piece. Then
there was a letter supporting OITM’s focus
on the news and its exclusion of sexually
oriented articles.

Follow a letter which implied you
folks were skittish about the “S-word.” Yet,
in the same February issue, Aunt; Q gay skirts
the question asked - sexual oppression and
abuse of women - and journeys through her
own tangent of defining sex. She used the
“S-word” and offered clear outlines of what
this includes.

In March, a letter appears in support of
OITM and very much against sexual mate-
rial in gs paper. Aggfiay elaborates on
orgasms, kissing to and dreaming of.

It appears to me that all this discussion
is a waste of words and space. Sexual

Material is now a part of OITM.

   
 
    

Woman would be on our side in an ideat
world. If money were no object, we doubt
they would hesitate to support us. Arguably ‘.
then, the real enemy is those who would |
make them pay a financial price for doing 
what they know to be right. ,
But this is not utopia, and it is our right [
to inform our readers so they can speak up A
and be counted. Otherwise when the costs J
of publicly backing us are weighed, the "
scales are tipped against us from the start, .
Too often, the strength and depth of gay and
lesbian support is underestimated or dis- 
counted altogether. i
As readers and listeners, our support I
comes with strings attached as well. We ’
demand to know that we are valued. And
our decision to spend money on those ;
people who will not publicly supportus,for _.
whatever reason, must be carefully consid- ,'
ered. 3
In the end, OI'I‘M’s only power is the i
means to say, “If you’re not on our side,
we’ll tell our readers.” The flip side of that .
power, of course, is the requirement thatwe
be fair and accurate and timely. Being *
accurate is tedious. It means lots of meeting
and energy expended on minutia. There-
sponsibility is not OITM’s alone. It’salloi >
ours. That’s why we need your name onour I
volunteer lists. Bodies make for good or-
ganization. Organization means the ability i
to answer our critics loudly, clearly, and 

 

 

To ave our sexual se ves
OITM is at once self-defeating and poor
judgment. There has been enough fascina- 1
tion and attention devoted to gay and lesv 
bian sexual activities. We have struggled
long and hard to surpass the exclusively
sexual images attached to our name. Weart
not yet rightful citizens. The irnpedimenis
to gaining this recognition remain basedlfl t
rigid vision of us as “abominations” and .
“perverts.”

Should our paper perpetuate this? MY *
answer is NO! And, the unfortunate rcalltl
is that the mere mention of our SW31
activities, in descriptive detail, with OITM
5335 perpetuate this sexual obsession will |
gay men and lesbians. . _ ‘

How OITM could disregard this!‘ i
beyond me. In doing so, you are notf r 1
lesbian. In truth, you undo all that 1 Wk
toward-acknowledgment and acC6P‘3“°.°
of myself as a human being. Where my |
( C ' N e ’

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