March 1991

 

"I'm not political. Not me. R-U-U-U-N!"

By Holly Perdue for liberal heterosexuals to educate them- bly not, but in times of feeling abandoned

Time and time again I encounter selves on our issues than it is for us? and in times of feeling angry this thought
members of our community professing not What if a law could be passed that said enters my mind.  .
to be political. I am baffled by this, because only those people who have supported the I have stopped making excuses for the

by the sheer nature of being a lesbian or a political work tomake our lives alittle safer teachers who could lose their jobs and the
gay man, a political statement is being could take advantage of these laws? Would other individuals who feel it is too danger-
made. that encourage the consciences of our apa- ous to come out. Without this political work
I think presently there are two types of thetic fringe members to send bank checks the bottom line for all of us is death — not
politics within the lesbian and gay commu- to a resource group listed on the back of just the death of the individual, but the
nities: OITM or to make aphone call to arepresen- death of our growing and vital community
First of all there are the internal poli- tative about an issue of importance? Proba- as well.
tics, those which determine how individu-

“S °’ g’°“‘” W‘“““ “‘° °°’“"‘“"“’ 3“ (More) Dykes to Watch Out For byAIison Bechdel

going to relate to each other. This type of

politics has in the past been both educa-

tional and divisive. Remember the time 0" “'5 "W ""°“T-~ . I s1—“_;_,THg watt, wg u4v;.t'r ,
' ' ' ,4 ya; 52 mg;  scoke IS  SEEN THE REAL "'

when thosewhowerepolitically correctdid ,,‘,“;*;‘,.*,E';,,,,,,, we .';'5¢,,..g 3.)-r-r SURPRISNGLY /J, Hwy ARTILLERV

not associate with those who were politi- serrmc Kicks!) aose!

cally incorrect? Both groups wereradical in °‘” °“ “'5 "E"
the sense that they produced change. No
longer did all of the members of the lesbian
and gay community sit idly by and watch
their lives be negated.

The second type of politics, one which
has become more accessible as the intemal
politics continues its own work, is our

community’s access to mainstream poli- W you WW“; I’ - y  *;§}(LRg%:$¢KOgfi;f:£*gT;{€

tics. Mainstream politics will not change sum. bowum _ ; UWs- M“ E>"L°5'°N5 AFTER

socie , . . f I in ? " . ‘mu wokv Ftzonouk SPmJ5o2,
ty s opimons 0 us. t w not remove eeusm ELE(TRr(_.

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the perceptions of certain individuals that
we are easy targets for violence. It will not
convince members of our community to
come out of the closet and take advantage
of these rights if they are not already proud
of themselves. However, it will insure our
right to prosecute individual wrongs.

. There seems to be a misconception ._ F ._ _ .. _ —_-__p - V  ,  MMD'_m,’_.HA,,£
existing in the lesbian community and per- %' >t>uRMFEEFll:6SS.; W1AJé'5_mAA°
haps the gay men’s as well that a majority —‘ B"1§,2"L;E°°; ;'tQu,t’.z,us_ IT'S we osml W _ g
- T.’ THROES or PATRMRCHAL Mvuwzy cvtrdke! - .-

of the members are politically active.
There are members of our community
who feel it is very important to their indi-
vidual well-being that society change its
attitudes towards us and that the laws do

cover us. Many more of us are convinced 5. —;
that if no one knows they are “gay” or if   ‘
they are not blatant (and what is blatant?), a\ at; 7« I ‘
then harm will not come to them. These
members are so convinced that remaining
ignorant and uninvolved will keep them
safe that they become their own worst
enemy as well as that of the community as
a whole.

Why is it that the people who will
benefit from the passage of civil rights leg-
rslation the most will not speak up for it, but
the “liberal heterosexuals” do? Is it safer

 suouwr ' 

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ARE Genwo nub / ».buu> .SToPTH£ v./AK wot/ME
Am: ugkgmytus A LOT FASTERTHAN
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