page 7

Gay is Fighting

[unclear: following] article appeared in Issue 2 [unclear: Pink] Triangle, magazine of the Na[unclear: Gay] Rights Coalition.

[unclear: June] 28, 1969, the day Judy Garland [unclear: uried], and also the anniversary of the [unclear: at] of Long Knives" when Nazi per-[unclear: on] against gays and others began, the [unclear: e] raided the Stonewall Inn in New York.

[unclear: was] nothing unusual. Bars and other [unclear: ng] places for gay people had been rai[unclear: any] times before, particularly when [unclear: was] a clampdown by moralists in [unclear: places]. However, this time the gay [unclear: e] in the Stonewall Inn had had enough [unclear: hey] fought back. All the 'queens' 'fag-[unclear: 'dykes'], "T.V.'s, 'poofters', 'queers', [unclear: ver] they were called, fought back [unclear: or] three nights running kept up a [unclear: battle] with the police, refusing to [unclear: shed] around any longer.

[unclear: om] this spontaneous eruption of Gay [unclear: was] born the original Gay Rights Li[unclear: on] Front in New York. Their tactics [unclear: loosely] based on those of the Women's [unclear: ment] and the Civil Rights Movement, [unclear: a] few peculiarities of their own.

[unclear: om] G.L.F. New York there soon sp[unclear: up] homosexual liberation movements [unclear: er] the United Nations and then th[unclear: out] the Western World. Early mee-[unclear: were] chaotic! In London 9 people [unclear: to] the first meeting but within a [unclear: h] there would have been 200-300 [unclear: ekly] meetings.

[unclear: ie] groups themselves soon split into [unclear: ns] mainly due to ideological diffe-[unclear: s] on how the expected changes in [unclear: and] attitudes were to come about.

[unclear: obably] the first splits that occurred between the women and the men. The [unclear: usually] has a very fuzzy idea of what expected. Most seemed to assume that they were looking for was simply equality with white, heterosexual, men, whereas, the women were looking for much more radical changes and got tired of trying to get gay men to see that they too were oppressing women. This basic ideological difference has still to be overcome in any meaningful way, by gay men.

Fairly soon after the splits and factions formed there began to evolve organisational umbrella groups such as the National Gay Task Force in New York-and the National Gay Rights Coalition in New Zealand. These organisations evolved to provide co-ordinated action from many different groups, so that there was little wasted time and energy put into duplicating effort. Now we also have the International Gay Association which co-ordinates actions at an international level.

What has been gained in ten years? In New Zealand it seems at times that there has been very little change. If we look at law repeal, then yes, this is so. However, we can take a much wider perspective than that. In terms of social inter-relationships with the rest of society it is certainly much easier to 'come out' now than it used to be. Also homosexualtiy is talked about much more than it used to be. People are far more aware of homosexuality and aware that stereotypes are not necessarily true. We have magazines like The Listener taking us seriously — even the Tablet takes us more seriously than it used to do.

Public opinion polls taken during last year's election campaign have given us tremendous support and while very few people will come out in our support at least attitudes are slowly changing. It will probably take a few more generations yet before we can say that Gay Liberation groups are unnecessary so there is still a lot to be done.

We cannot, however, take for granted that it is going to get easier to be openly gay. As has been seen in the United States gay rights have actually lost ground in certain areas. This has been when laws or by-laws have been changed to suit the Anita Bryant type of moralist.

While change in the law against male homosexuality may be important for gay men, in New Zealand, it is by no means the only issue affecting all gay people. Besides any law that is changed can be re-changed by pressure put onto Parliament. One example we can see is the law ending capital punishment could be re-introduced in Britain. An example closer to home is that of the abortion issue.

A much surer method of affecting social change, albeit slower and perhaps less exciting is through public education. Public education of course begins with one's own family. It was noticeable that in the Papanui survey those people who actually knew there was a gay person in their family, were far more likely to be in favour of law repeal and extension of the Human Rights Commission Act than those who were either uncertain or else positive, that there were no gays in the family.

It follows from this that coming out is not just a personal step towards one's own freedom, important though this is, but is also a very definite political thoight the freedom of all gay people. One only has to read articles in papers like the Truth or The Tablet to realize that these people consider homosexuals to be an outside threat to their families, and themselves. They do not yet realize that we come from their families, that we are the cuckoos in the heterosexual, nuclear-family nest!

Remember that "We Are Everywhere". This fact is slowly filtering through into the minds of the populace but it has only been done by the major [unclear: effect] few gay people. This has been the most significant step forward in the last ten years. What will the next ten years bring?