Crisis(continuedfrompageone)

these freedoms, our people do not.

I cannot recall a more appalling expe-
rience within my own life than to be placed
in my present position of struggling to find
a means to offer comfort, reassurance,
strength, and a moment’s peace of mind to
my many gay friends in the service as they
are sent from their homes and the loved
ones they cannot even safely acknowledge
to make a war for freedoms in which they

Dykes to Watch Out For
3

  

s'rnm' am.

7 T‘EE1’ER5 ml
1 me BE/MK
1 V [T -5
' ‘ .suPm.rm:
J [N

Sllllli ,3, 

©1991 er Ausov BKHDEL

THERE HERE Tuousmos
or us THERE.’ Bsrr BIG DEAL.

HAS ALMAW ORDQKED THE
corm mos AND " Huww
\ Poucues 

\.fll_|r" I

 

‘ OH, I15 Smrzow
JPIRITUALK)’ cnrcte. men:
\/uJAttzn.1(, «mo P£A(E.
Ho\d'D me Demo
Go?

 
    
   

THINK HE IS ?! 1116 Pqorté
DOMT MMT WAR! In
GOWA IMPEAU1 H's

WILL >ml éyPLAw 11) ME
~ W7 ‘ms MAST Evowev
NCMBER5 oF our same; Em
U! «.1 me H031’ l‘b|¥£R-

    
  

Y€AH, RIGHT.

we room ISSUE

everyone A 'VlNItLlZE
mm) ME’

I / My Focus eaour GOTPI‘/(HE-D
-ro oiewnzé A QUEER Burro
, THE MARCH ml v/Aswwms/.

 

themselves cannot share.

We will each make our own conclu-
sions and choose our own manner of deal-
ing with this horrific sequence of events. It
is my great hope as a citizen and as a veteran
that whatever else we may do, we will honor
the call to sacrifice which our troops in the
field now heed. I simply cannot think of a
greater means of conveying that than by
doing the following:

by Alison Bechdel

mcntm .

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

I NWO. HARRIH‘.
I numlo uuy we gomck.
wHA1/RE You Mme?

   

 

II
N6 2 I
ARE C0 FUIED.

611
N

  
 

.1:

   

 
    
       

   
  
  
   
 

cu wasummu ? 1 twin LIHY \-IE TWK
BUJH AND HUSSEIM C/W NE6OTIA‘l'E A
soumou mm me A\lTIv/AR nwéuwr
(Arr EVGN k(,ke€ on A l>Prr€ Fonz A
L Mmm. UH... I1N'T>’oU HAW
THA-r HEATED ?

  
   
 

  

        

   
   
   
   
 

 
 

1' 1'”

D
$11’.

/I.

 

 

1. We must communicate to our lead-
ers as best and as resolutely as we can that
there will be a reckoning when this dread-
ful course of events is concluded. We who
remain behind must undertake to see to it
that whatever price may be exacted from us
as people of one world, people of America,
and as gay, lesbian, and bisexual people
will be repaid in full by our government,
and

2. That perhaps the best means of
doing so would be to place our government
on notice, as citizens, that we intend for
each and every one of us — bisexual, les-
bian, gay, straight, poor, male, female,
Native American, of color, in or out of
uniform, native-bom or not...whatever the
circumstance may be - to have an equal
share in the blessings and the birthright of
freedom which is alleged to be the driving
purpose behind this deplorable war.

To think that any single person who
has been summoned by our government to
offer up his or her life for the freedom of
others, and not to partake of that same
benefit for themselves, is an insufferable
offense of grievous proportions. I say this
as a citizen and as a patriot: the greatest
comfort we can give to our loved ones who
bear the immediate burden of this war is
this: that every single one of them, irre-
spective of their position in life, each of
their loved ones and friends, and every
person in this nation share equally in the
fruit of their sad labors in the honored name
of freedom.

So the record of history shall remain
clear on this issue, it is important for those
of us who remain at home to document as
best we can the lives, the services, and the
sacrifices of our bisexual, gay, and lesbian
loved ones who serve in this war. Under-
standing the urgent need to be careful and
circumspect because of their present status
in the service, it remains crucial that these
people be remembered as having been part
of this effort.

Let no one ever be able to deny that
we, too, sent our sons and daughters, our
brothers and sisters, our loved ones and
friends in answer to the call to arms. In the
name of our loved ones, it falls to us at this
dreadful and momentous time to adopt and
pursue this call to its successful end, to
follow the course and the cause of full and
complete liberty and justice, finally, for

' ‘ each and every one of us.