GAY LIBERATION NEWS
As interpreted by Ralph Hall *
Gay Power newspaper, issue no. 9



    More often than not lately, I find myself questioning my own overly critical evaluations of fellow associates. Basically, though, it's their own blundering actions and misguided intentions which make the analysis and mental activity of GLF essential. It is for their benefit only that I bring to light what I feel is wrong and emphasize correction where persistent actions seem deterrent and crippling to GLF energies. If my associates were not so destructive, a mild form of therapy might be in order, but considering the lethal debris which has already been accumulated it seems that a full-fisted zap is the only resort.
    I could care less whether the persons I'm critical of like it or not, for my motives are constructive in nature.
    Gay Liberation Front is a very diverse group. Radical male and female homosexuals comprise it. Minds range from moronic at times to super intelligent. Because of these wide divergencies of scope, discussions do at times have a tendency to get bogged down, but certainly a bit of inappropriate rapping should not result in the presence of social cyclamates such as: paranoia, suspicion, power elite, irrationality, fascism, fear, guilt, egos, innuendos, mistrust, hypocrisy and I could go on and on.
    I feel these malignancies have been instilled into GLF by a certain self-indulgent faction [1] whose actions are aimed at deterioration of the group's structure and purpose. Their sanity, principles and motives are open to question.
    Weekly, I listen to those politically articulate dogmatists of the 28th of June cell, along with a couple of others not a part of that faction, with a polite lack of interest. I watch them shrewdly manipulate and brainwash the membership. Those who do not fall for their bullshit rhetoric are openly criticized and cleverly attacked when they express their disapproval. Persons questioning points of view or dissenting to majority consensus of GLF are openly embarrassed, insulted and/or humiliated (and most of the time the dialogue coming from that one faction). At times one gets the feeling an uncontrollable few on the floor will rise, lasso a victim and proceed to hang him. It's gotten to a point in GLF where “any” view not in consensus with the GLF group or the one faction is pretty near void from the floor, when in fact, such critical or meaningful dialogue is healthy.
    Yes, GLF's evolvement process is slowing due to a misinterpretation as to where the priority lies.
    Those persons dissatisfied with the inadequate progression or aims of GLF may do one of many things: leave the organization temporarily or for good; sit still and remain silent, which is a senseless compromise; nonviolently demand to be heard without interruption; violently whip out a gun and say “listen to me”; or utilize the openness of the media forms. If none of these suggestions are appropriate for your wants, then you'd better hang it up and forget and regret you've ever heard of a militant, radical organization or align with a conservative group.
    Time is essential to our cause, but the main activists are utilizing their leadership strengths to GLF's disadvantage. Whatever happened to those militant, extraordinary feats in the name of gay liberation we promised would be executed for “all” our gay brothers and sisters of the establishment and non-establishment communities?  Whatever happened to the creative energies we were gathering to confront the heterosexual oppressor?  There's definitely a communication gap between what is in fact the true meaning of gay liberation and what is done to present it. Our continual infighting and bickering proves that homosexuals do oppress one another.
    We have one faction in GLF [2] whose seditiousness instills discontent among us, while they dwell on their own self-interests. This same faction has been successful in draining gay liberation creativity out of us, because of their indirect aims.
    One way they accomplished this feat was to set GLF up as an unstructured structure, an “umbrella” structure with no interconnecting lines, wherein good and bad, violent and non-violent cells could and would evolve, all acting under the GLF banner. One person alone, acting as an individual cell, could bomb the empire state building, killing hundreds of innocent persons, and proclaim he did it under the name of GLF, for the gay liberation cause and humanity as well. All we could do is censure and slap him on the hands and say that was a “no no”.
    Any person may join in any action or cell of the front, depending on his or her particular interests. No one is obligated to substantiate alignment or formation of cells. In the interim between meetings everyone and anyone can be a spokesman for GLF, from the east to west. No checks, no balances and a pile of contradictions. [3]
    Speaking of the perils of realism, how easy it was for the 28th of June cell to simply steal the original GLF funded newspaper and issue a ‘thank you note’ to us. [4] We did nothing about it because our minds and structure as such allowed it. The newspaper faction “felt” GLF felt the paper expendable and not important enough for the gay community at that time, when in fact GLF voted only to postpone further issues for a far more important precedent and necessity: a gay community center. Still these thieves remain in good standing, “working against us” again for their self-interests. It's no wonder we feel so drained of energy. Could it happen again?  Yes, and no doubt it might when the community center is realized. “Come Out” newspaper has in no way proven to be a responsible, educative, community forum for gays. The newspaper faction certainly has not developed this forum, or whatever it's called, due to lack of organization, inexperience in the field, incompetence, lack of good writers, lack of GLF members' interest, their competition uptightness, and lastly a concept of what a salable forum might be.
    What does the sexual revolution in Cuba have to do with homosexual oppression in Amerika? None. To top that, dropping the selling price of their paper to 25¢ to sell means nothing, for there's nothing to sell.
    If there's a loss of monies and piles of unsold copies, then something must be wrong. I'd like to see more education, more on gay oppression outside of one article an issue. COME OUT is a revolutionary ‘shit rag’ — even Walter Teague wouldn't buy it, no pun intended. Or, then again, the COME OUT staff could always give the paper back to GLF, the rightful owners, and let them handle priorities.
    This same faction's rhetoric, aside from beiover-basically [?] political constitutes cries against supporting supposed gay exploitative newspapers (staff and consumer wise) a feeling that all gay publications “must” have “gay” publishers [5]; male chauvinism from the mouths of women libbers; and capitalism seems to annoy them a lot too. I could be deceitful and become a paid agitator.
    Then, the faction's members have appointed themselves as moral guardians for certain individuals and GLF, attempting to “steer” them right and oversee evolvement of GLF. I thought we had no leaders or followers, but all participants. These people are a flighty crop or revolutionary dogmatists who provide us with a few chuckles now and then, due to their actions, dialogue, inaccuracies, and incomprehensible, senseless verbalizing.
    One girl of this faction said recently after a GLF meeting (when told of my interest by another paranoid) that “maybe I shouldn't attend a special meeting with other allied revolutionaries on Abbie Hoffman's Woodstock Nation coalition theory.” Why so? — because she, and the rest at said meeting, would be paranoid and quite uptight that I should be present as a paid staffer of what she labelled an “establishment” newspaper, GAY POWER. She also told me I was going to report on the proceedings for this paper and that she vehemently opposed and mistrusted my intentions and interest. My only concern in attending the meeting was personal, to align myself constructively and for no other reason, other than curiosity. She felt perhaps it best to restrict or censure me before others did, she said. She misconstrued my interest entirely. I remember her distinctly saying the meeting was open to “any or all” members of GLF, positively interested in the gay aspects of Hoffman's declaration of independence. Now all of a sudden I'm not a GLF member in good standing but an unwanted outsider. That's the way it's been since I've been writing for this paper, whose publisher is not gay by the way, and this alone seems to get the faction uptight, that one girl particularly. [6]
    One of the members of GLF very realistically pointed out recently that to dismiss words such as “faggot” is invalid when in fact such words do have a definite significance when referring to certain self-alienated types. And if I may be allowed for a moment to hang loose and fall prey to a “hardening of the epithets,” then I'd label this girl a “fuckin' faggot.”  As worthless as I feel Nixon and Agnew are to society, my reaction to her is along the same lines.
    GLF has a newly formed cell named the “Red Butterfly” which advocates “violent” means of persuasion to change society. Is it just a suspicion of mine they'd bash heads in in the name of humanity as the SDS weathermen do, as well as establishment pigs?  Abbie Hoffman must be having some effect on the Red Butterfly for he too seems to be advocating “bring the war home, comrades, murder all those not in favor of change, even your mother.”  I hope soon a non-violent cell is formed with GLF to counteract and give equal representation to show we don't want a violent revolutionary gay movement. [7]
    So many members are involved in ego-sexuality, among other hangups, that I've concluded I shouldn't question my realizations, awarenesses, and even directions of GLF as often as I do, but accept them for what they're worth, micro-minutely. But, possibly, it's because of all these social cyclamates [8] aforementioned, that new and prospective members are frightened away and disunity reigns among GLF as well as the gay and non gay communities. I find it quite ironic, an exclusive cell for gay liberation has not been formed by someone before now. Is it that there is no real interest in GLF in gay liberation, other than political gay divergencies. Public relations for the group is so bad because of communication inside too. We're not well thought of in many gay circles. It's easy to understand why other “heads” shake their minds.
    Next issue I will discuss “priorities” for the gay liberation cause and how gays are being slighted of gay representation. Til then, hang loose and peace, unless I'm wisked away in the meantime and held in human bondage.


NOTES (by John Lauritsen)
1. The June 28 cell. This group of self-proclaimed anarchists or militants railroaded through a decision that GLF should have no structure, but rather consist of totally independent “cells”; that decisions should never be made by voting, but only by “consensus”. What this meant in practice was that GLF would be controlled by themselves — the ones who were best at behind-the-scenes manipulation and at shouting down opponents in meetings. The June 28 cell expropriated ComeOut!, the publication of the Gay Liberation Front. Since GLF by this time had no structure, no orderly way of conducting meetings, no votes — it was impossible to thwart the theft.

2. Again, the June 28 cell.

3. These two paragraphs are a good analysis of GLF's “no structure” contradictions.

4. Ralph's account of the expropriation of ComeOut! by the June 28 cell is basically correct.

5. The publisher of Gay Power, Joel Fabricant, was straight.

6. I remember one GLF meeting where Ralph was viciously attacked. He explained that writing for Gay Power was the only job he had, and that he needed the money. The “militants”, some of whom had enough money without working, just yelled abuse at him. Looking back, I'm ashamed that I didn't defend him then, but only offered support and sympathy after the meeting. I'm not good in a shouting match.

7. Ralph's characterization of the Red Butterfly cell is not accurate. This cell was formed, somewhat whimsically, in response to the GLF decision that everyone had to belong to a cell. Red Butterfly members were not pacifists, but neither were they advocates of violence. In a way, Red Butterfly constituted the radical intelligentsia of GLF, concerned with developing theory of gay liberation and linking it to other movements for social change. Several of its members had advanced degrees.

8. I have no idea what Ralph means by “cyclamates”.


* For a photograph of Ralph Hall click here.
       To see some of Ralph's art work click here.
      



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