"It is always better to come out late...than to never come out at all".
Volume 7 -- Issue 4
Still Summer, 2008 Issue
(Updated Monday, September 7, 2009)
PUBLISHER'S COMMENTS
Major Changes
Item 1: THE NATIONAL SCENE (ALL NEW)
Unitarian Universalists join many, many others for LGBT National Equality March on October 11 plus a major endorsement of the march
Item 2: THE NATIONAL SCENE EVENTS TO COME (NEW)
The 6th Transcending Boundaries Conference
Item 3: THE STATE AND LOCAL SCENE (NEW)
Changes in the way we cover the Gay Community Center of Richmond
Item 4: ROBIN RENEE ROUND-UP
The latest news about our favorite Bi Singer/Songwriter
Item 5: AND FEATURING ZOE LEWIS (UPDATED)
Perhaps the most musically talented person on the face of the planet!
Item 6: NOW FEATURING JULIE CLARK
We are proud to feature this outstanding musical artist
Item 7: BOOKS
"A New Book" written by Somebody We Know Pretty Well (NEW) and "Gaia and the New Politics of Love: Notes for a Poly Planet"
Item 8: ACADEMIC STUDIES
University of Virginia Research Participants Needed and A Survey from the University Of Washington
Item 9: REFLECTIONS (NEW)
How Do You Turn Walter Cronkite Into a Friend of Gay Rights? Zap Him.
Item Last:
Value of A Dollar (or in this case, Fifty Dollars)
The Business End of Bi Lines On Line
PUBLISHER'S COMMENTS
Major Changes
This update has several new articles.
We like the REFLECTIONS Column piece about Walter Cronkite, and we bet few historical texts will offer that story about the famous anchorman.
Changes for the better with our friends at the Gay Community Center of Richmodn require us to change how we cover them.
And finally, in October will be a march of equal rights which is developing stream both locally and nationally.
Publisher of Bi Lines On Line
Item 1: THE NATIONAL SCENE
Unitarian Universalists join many, many others for LGBT National Equality March on October 11
We Unitarian Universalists have long stood for equality for all people and have been proud supporters of same-sex marriage equality.
A great wave of enthusiasm has washed over many persons and congregations for the opportunity to stand on the side of love with other LGBT supporters around the country and to demand full equality for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender people. Securing rights state-by-state, county-by-county, city-by-city, school board-by-school board is a never-ending process designed to delay, discourage, and defeat LGBT people from receiving equal protection under the law. On October 11, 2009, activists from around the country will march on Washington to demand full equality for LGBT people on the national, Federal level.
For more information about the 2009 LGBT National Equality March, visit http://www.nationalequalitymarch.com.
FROM National Equality March Press Release 8/18
NAACP BOARD CHAIRMAN LEADS GROUP OF RECENT, HIGH-PROFILE ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE NATIONAL EQUALITY MARCH
Diverse Ranks Continue to Deepen as �Equality Across America� Expands
Los Angeles, CA, August 18 � Broad-based support for the National Equality March (NEM) has been growing exponentially across the country over the past few weeks, according to its organizer Equality Across America (EAA). Thousands of Americans are hearing the drumbeat for LGBT equality and plan to follow it to the nation�s capital this October.
Thousands of individuals representing dozens of organizations from across the country have gone to the organization�s website to sign up as EAA Congressional District Actions Teams (CDATs) in order to work at the local level to make their support of key LGBT issues known to their elected officials.
Most notably, recent endorsements for the NEM have come from allies representing organizations not usually thought of as part of the immediate LGBT community. US Representative, Danny K. Davis, of Chicago, Illinois; Michael Letwin, Co-Convener, New York City Labor Against the War (NYCLAW); and NAACP Board Chairman, Julian Bond, have all recently voiced their support for the NEM.
"GLBT rights are civil rights; there are no 'special rights' in America. Everyone has rights - or should have - and I am happy to join in this battle for justice and fairness," explains Bond.
Other notable endorsements include Susan Stryker, Associate Professor of Gender Studies at Indiana University and author of �Transgender History�; and the Tony Award-winning production of Broadway�s Hair, which will be going dark for the weekend of the NEM in order to attend the event.
EAA supports individuals from every industry to do what is within their power to support full equality for LGBT Americans and their families, and many have been making bold choices to voice such support.
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.facebook.com/l/;Huffingtonpost.com featured blogger, Lane Hudson, even went so far as to interrupt President Clinton during a keynote address to a Netroots Nation conference last week by asking, �Mr. President, will you call for a repeal of DOMA and Don't Ask, Don't Tell? Right now?"
For more information about EAA and the NEM, and for a full list of endorsements, visit:
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.equalityacrossamerica.org
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.equalityacrossamerica.org
Equality Across America (EAA) is a network of decentralized organizers in every one of the 435 Congressional districts. These organizers form Congressional District Action Teams (CDATs) that work within their own communities to achieve full equality for LGBT Americans and their families. EAA supports the following key pieces of legislation: the Employment Non‐Discrimination Act (ENDA), the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), the Repeal of Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and the Repeal of Don�t Ask, Don�t Tell (DADT). With members of every race, class, faith, and community, EAA sees the struggle for LGBT equality as part of a larger movement for peace and social justice.
The National Equality March (NEM) is being organized by EAA to show broad-based support for full equality for LGBT Americans on the doorstep of those who can make that happen � the United States Congress. The event will be held Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Each EAA Congressional District Action Team will mobilize its community to attend the event.
Item 2: THE NATIONAL SCENE EVENTS TO COME:
Upcoming Conference
The 6th Transcending Boundaries Conference (TBC 6), which will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn and the DCU Center in downtown Worcester MA USA on November 20th, 21st and 22nd 2009, focuses attention on issues of importance to the bisexual/fluid/ pansexual, queer, transgender/ genderqueer, intersexed and polyamorous people and their gay, lesbian and straight friends, families and allies.
Transcending Boundaries Conferences were created for all those of us whose sex, gender and/or sexuality don't fit society's usual either/or categories.
So if you never felt like you quite fit in then Transcending Boundaries is for you!
Want to know more? Here are two articles and other information to check out:
Joining Together: Transcending Boundaries Conference Brings a Huge Rainbow to Worcester
http://www.thepulse mag.com/wordpres s/2006/10/ 1006-joining- together
the 2006 Transcending Boundaries Conference - One Report
http://curriedspam. livejournal. com/2389. html
Transcending Boundaries Conference: About (includes links to info about previous TBC's)
http://www.transcen dingboundaries. org/about/
6th Transcending Boundaries Conference (TBC6) on Facebook
http://www.facebook .com/group. php?gid=66095639 488
6th Transcending Boundaries Conference (TBC6) Myspace page
http://www.myspace. com/transcending boundaries
6th Transcending Boundaries Conference (TBC6) Registration Page
http://www.transcen dingboundaries. org/registration /
and please see here for much more info and links: http://community. livejournal. com/transboundco nf/3838.html
Item 3: THE STATE AND LOCAL SCENE
The Gay Community Center of Richmond (along wth Diversity thrift and several other Richmond biased groups) have come up with a really great looking and informative webpage. We are happy for their "upgrade" and the many, many links and news items. In fact, the product is so complete and complex, it requires us to change the way we feature their news. Effective this issue, we will just mention them here, offer links to them at the bottom of the newsletter, and let you seek the information. Now we will use additional space as needed for any special activitie sor events from other Richmond based groups.
Item 4: ROBIN RENEE ROUND-UP
Publishers' Note: We are keeping up with one of our favorite people who has made a musical name for herself...Robin Renee. We like Robin not only because she has a really cool name (ROBIN, get it?), but also because she is totally upfront about being a bisexual woman as she sings songs of feeling and sophistication. Robin spans a wide musical spectrum of styles and her CD's to date are a blend of well-crafted lyrics and great musical ability. We have seen here perform live, and if you get a chance at any venue you should just go. For the record, we are not receiving any compensation from Robin or anybody else...we just like her!
The Latest From Robin:
Hello!
I am just sending a brief shout out to friends to say that my current CD, spirit.rocks.sexy - mantra-pop headlines from the clairaudient dreams of the evocative Robin Renée is officially out and up on CD Baby as of a couple days ago: www.cdbaby.com/all/menage98. iTunes and all the other digital outlets will follow shortly. I had a nice CD release party here last weekend and am just trying to get the word out among even more friends and extended community.
I may know you from any or many of my often intersecting worlds - musicians/kirtan/poly/bi/spiritual/work/activism/Devo... Thanks for being cool in so many capacities. I hope you feel moved to check out the music and to pass the link along to others who may be interested. I believe that word-of-mouth works!
Thanks again.
Peace & Blessings,
Robin Renee
Menage a Music (BMI), P.O. Box 204, Atco, NJ 08004 USA
CONTACT: [email protected], 856-767-8998
www.robinrenee.com
www.myspace.com/robinrenee
www.audaciouseleven.com
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/kirtanorama Menage a Music (BMI)
P.O. Box 204
Atco, NJ 08004 USA
856-767-8998
BIO
If Robin Renee were to start a religion all her own, it might well hold Groupie Consciousness as its central tenet. She chases after the God/dess within with a reverence and fervor not unlike her passion for the music that moves her most- acts as disparate as Elvis Costello, Krishna Das, James Taylor, Gary Wilson, and Devo. Those in the know are realizing that Ren�e is worthy of just as much hot pursuit. Oh, and that religion? There'd also be lots of yoga, a strong belief in cartoon physics, a little sexiness, and zero dogma.
Such is the musical and magical world of Robin Ren�e. Her accessible tunes with a spiritual twist have forged her personal genre--Mantra-Pop! The seeds of her diverse influences can be uncovered therein, as well as a longtime focus on Eastern and eclectic mysticism, the mystery that cuts to the core of this powerful singer and wordsmith. At a live show today you might catch a solo acoustic set, a collaboration, or pure kirtan- a form of Hindu devotional chanting in Sanskrit, with which she finds deep resonance.
Live Devotion - brand new and soon to be released is Ren�e's first recording dedicated wholly to sacred chant. Borne of one inspired recording session in October 2006, the seven long tracks evoke peace, passion, and the presence of Universal Love. With the sexy, rock feel of "Jai Ma" to the traditional "Sita Ram" to the fun, multi-part "Om Shanti Krishna," Live Devotion is a fresh take on an ancient tradition.
Ren�e's previous offering, All Six Senses, is the real-life chronicle of one caught in the act of cosmic transformation. Themes of love, seeking, and celebration emerge through a medium of edgy rock, accomplished singer/songwriter lyricism, pop hooks, and the sonic impact of chant. All Six Senses was produced by Scott Mathews, who has worked with artists as fabulous as George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Elvis Costello, Patti LaBelle and many more. Two of its tracks, "First Sight" and "Thursday Morning Afterglow" won Honorable Mentions in the 11th International Billboard Songwriting Contest. All Six Senses follows In Progress, Ren�e's full-length CD debut (2000). It follows In Progress, which was applauded in much alternative press across the U.S.
She has often credited the sight of David Bowie in a dress with opening her eyes to transformation and expression. It was no doubt an inspiration, but Renee's real drive comes from within. She has battled through the wearying grip of depression, has been enveloped in the bliss of spiritual ecstasy, and lives to tell the tales. She is not afraid to listen to what the voices in her head tell her: Live for your truth, keep it real, and make music that matters.
Item 5: AND NOW FEATURING ZOE LEWIS!
Publishers' Note: We also follow up on the life and times of Zoe Lewis. A long long time ago we were at a local club, and on stage came the small woman with an English accent and her band. What we heard next was just amazing... in fact, some of us were just awestruck with her talents. Keep in mind some of us are not "womyn's music fans", but this womans' musical abilities are just something and her range of styles is also remarkable. If you get the idea we are big fans, that is no lie. For the record, we are not receiving any compensation from Zoe or anybody else...we just like her!
BIO:
ZOE LEWIS -- Who Is She?
A worldbeat-vaudeville extravaganza! ZO� LEWIS is a band in a body! She plays jazz, jump jive, latin grooves, swing, international folk, funk originals on anything from the piano to the spoons!
Troubadour/vaudevillian/storyteller/singer-songwriter/piece of work! Her song SMALL IS TREMENDOUS can be heard on commercials for MINI PRINGLES and for TK MAXX in the U.K. She's written the soundtrack for a new documentary on the VAGINA MONOLOGUES entiltled VENUS, PRIESTS and SUPERWOMEN and her song SHEEP was included on the PUTUMAYO "Folk Playground" compilation and became 1 in the Satellite radio children's charts and remained in the top 20 for over 40 weeks.
WINNER of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Troubadour Award in 2003, NEW FOLK WINNER 2002 at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and 2001 Falconridge Folk Festival AUDIENCE FAVORITE she is now getting booked to play many of the main stages with virtuoso jazz recorder player ROXANNE LAYTON (from Mannheim Steamroller) and teaches songwriting and performance.
Zoe has performed with a whole host of incredible musicians including JULIE WOLF (Ani DiFranco, Bruce Cockburn), GAIL ANN DORSEY (David Bowie), PAUL PIERCY (Dixie Chicks), FREEBO (Bonnie Raitt) and has toured with JUDY COLLINS, NANCI GRIFFITH and RICHIE HAVENS. Originally from England, she now resides in Provincetown, MA, U.S.A. where she performs every summer to the Cape Cod tourists. Her music is upbeat, amusing and perfect for young and old alike. She has traveled all over the globe picking up worldbeat grooves and stories on the way; jumping box cars, riding on freight boats and has even played music with an elephant orchestra in Thailand. While at once setting listeners off balance with her quirky spin on things she sneaks in simple, potent messages, leaving audiences worn out and inspired. Zoe has toured all over the Unites States, England, Germany, Australia and aboard OLIVIA cruises.
As well as continuing her solo career she is receiving much acclaim for her quartet Zoe LEWIS and her RUBBER BAND with Seattle bassist KATE WOLF, Quebec City percussionist SYLVIE RICHARD and ROXANNE LAYTON, on recorder. Performing upbeat and edgy tunes on a variety of weird instruments, telling traveling tales that will take you from England to New Orleans by way of Bangkok and Guatemala, they bend the notes and stretch your imagination!
Zoe has 5 albums of original material available on www.zoelewis.com
Item 6: NOW FEATURING JULIE CLARK
Publishers' Note: It is with great pride that we can now feature Julie Clark. Julie has made a name for herself with outstanding music winning rave reviews for her craft. Again, we are not receiving any compensation...we just like her and want to spread the word about her.
UPCOMING CONCERTS NOT TO MISSED!
- Saturday 1/30/10: Virginia Beach, VA - Virginia Beach Central Library Theater, 7:30 pm (lobby opens at 6:30 pm) sponsored by Tidewater Friends of Folk Music (TFFM).
2010? How's that for planning ahead? This will be my third time headlining a show for TFFM in this lovely theater/listening room. 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd. Ticket info will be announced in late 2009.
BIO:
Openly lesbian folk-pop artist Julie Clark has released her second full-length CD of all-original materials on January 13, 2009. In addition to songs ranging from serious to sexy, her second disc features the funky, soulful gay rights anthem "Courage of Our Convictions" which is destined to help mobilize the GLBT equality movement.
Maintaining a busy national touring schedule, Clark has blazed a name for herself among GLBT venues coast-to-coast, performing regularly in the gay mecca of Provincetown, Massachusetts, at popular gatherings such as The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, The National Women's Music Festival, Capital Pride in Washington, DC, and as a returning favorite on the GLBT cruise circuit. She was an OutMusic nominee for Female Debut CD of the Year and has also been interviewed on the NPR syndicated radio program "This Way Out."
Clark�s personal story is one of radical transformation. It�s hard to imagine now, but for much of her life Clark weighed 200 pounds more than she does today. Few artists have undergone such a profound physical and emotional change. Her lifelong struggle with obesity, and her ultimate success, has forever shaped her music and view of the world.
NPR has called Clark "an edgy newcomer", Portfolio Weekly (Norfolk, VA) describes her songs as "funky pop burners that would make Shakira blush and Madonna smile."
For more info including sampls of her music, visit www.julieclark.net.
Item 7: BOOKS
"A New Book" written by Somebody We Know...
Mastering Multiple Position Sex
By Eric Marloe Garrison
BIO:
Eric Marlowe Garrison, MAEd, MSc, DLSHTM, CSC, ACS, grew up listening to Dr. Ruth Westheimer�s Sunday night sexual advice show under the covers and muted by his pillow.
Publisher's Note: Now, here comes the good part, and its' the 100% truth!
After hosting a social justice discussion on bisexuality and sexual fludity at Phoenix Rising in the early 1900's, he laid the ground work and offered the name to RoBiN, the Richmond Bi Network.
Publisher's Note: Thats right, he was a founder and "namer" of ROBIN.
Now through his Manhattan-based private practice in sex counseling, he assists individuals and couples from Wall Street to the Berlin Wall. With a career in clinical sexology that spanned from Oxford, Mississippi and to Oxford University and places in between, Eric has written articles and newspaper columns, appeared before college students and the media, lectured at medical schools, and keynoted conferences and conventions to make difficult topics feel more down-to-earth. Always on the lookout for a teachable moment, Eric uses humor and his encyclopedic knowledge of human sexuality to keep his audiences�and his clients�rolling on the floor.
Mastering Multiple Position Sex is his first book.
For more information on him or his book, please visit Eric on the web at www.ericmgarrison.com
Be sure to look for him when he returns home to Virginia this fall for several book signings.
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Multiple-Position-Sex-Unforgettable/dp/1592333869/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245698541&sr=8-1
International Consultant and Speaker in Clinical Sexology and the Public Health
NCAA Approved Health and Safety Grants Speaker http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=1914
Ms. Anderlini-D' Onofrio, one of the planet's foremost advocates of bisexual / polyamorous living is well known to the Community as the author of such books as 'Women and Bisexuality: A Global Perspective' , 'Plural Loves: Designs For Bi And Poly Living' with the late Dr. Fritz Klein and the recent Bisexual Lambda Literary Award finalist 'Eros: A Journey of Multiple Loves'.
"Gaia and the New Politics of Love: Notes for a Poly Planet"
Gaia theory argues that the flora and fauna of the planet operate in a self-regulating web that keeps the world livable. According to the theory, humankind is the most powerful species in this web and also its biggest threat. This provocative book explores ways to minimize and ultimately eliminate this threat with love and intimacy. Controversial Italian author Serena Anderlini-D' Onofrio has authored the first global ecology study based on an analysis of human health. Anderlini-D' Onofrio identifies her remedy within the context of Gaia theory, re-envisioning it as a more inclusive philosophy that positively impacts not only relationships, but world ecology under duress. The author links human sexuality to the global ecosystem, claiming that freedom from fear will stimulate a holistic health movement powerful enough to heal relationships and restore planetary balance.
http://www.facebook .com/pages/ Gaia-and-the-New-Politics-of-Love-by-Serena- Anderlini-DOnofrio/78601877283
"In this fascinating book about the ecology of love for a sustainable planet, the author does exactly what she sets out to do, makes the case that "a world where it is safe to love is a world where it is safe to live." Freedom of erotic expression, as an integral part of sexual freedom, is as a fundamental human right and the core of Anderlini-D' Onofrio's new politics of love. Don't miss this superb read." ~~ Ricci Joy Levy, Executive Director Woodhull Freedom Foundation.
Item 8: ACADEMIC STUDIES
University of Virginia Research Participants Needed
Posted by: "Bisexual Network of Arizona" [email protected] binetaz2000
VIA [BiNet USA] Digest, June 13, 2009
Participate needed in Research Opportunity: From Samantha Tornello, for Dr. Charlotte J. Patterson University of Virginia for Professor of Psychology
The study consists of an online survey and will take approximately 25- 35 minutes of your time. To qualify for the study you have to identify as male, a father, and gay, bisexual or homosexual and have at least one child of any age; this child can be biological, adopted, foster, step, or other child. You do not need to be the child's legal parent to participate. This study has been approved by the University of Virginia IRB #2008-0407-00, and I am working with Dr. Charlotte J. Patterson who is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia.
If you and/or your partner are interested in participating or want further information please contact Samantha L. Tornello (Principal Investigator) via email GayDadsStudy@ gmail.com. She will send you a web link that you can use to access the study.
Thank you for your interest and I hope to hear about your family soon!
Sincerely,
Samantha Tornello
Graduate Student
University of Virginia
(434) 243-8558
and
A Survey from the University Of Washington
Hello,
We are a group of lesbian and bisexual women investigators from the University of Washington. We are conducting an anonymous, online survey of bisexual women and their life experiences. Below is an advertisement for the survey, which takes about 30-40 minutes to complete. Please forward this opportunity to your group and to any lesbian and bisexual women you know who might be interested.
Thanks so much and best wishes,
Rainbow Women's Project Staff
Seeking bisexual women
Are you...
� A bisexual woman?
� Age 18 or older?
If this sounds like you, then we invite you to participate in a study focusing on your life experiences as a bisexual woman, the challenges you have faced, and how you deal with these challenges. Participants will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for one of several cash prizes of $50.
The goal of the Rainbow Women�s Project is to better understand the specific experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer women and promote their health and well-being. We are especially interested in hearing the diverse voices within our communities.
This is an anonymous, web-based study run through the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. For more information, please go to
http://www.facebook.com/l/;https://www.surveymonkey.com/rainbow_women
ed. note - this survey takes longer to complete than many online surveys
contact the Rainbow Women�s Project at [email protected] or (206) 543-9151. Please remember that we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of any information sent by email.
Rainbow Women�s Project is funded by the Society for the Psychologic Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues.
Item 9: REFLECTIONS
How Do You Turn Walter Cronkite Into a Friend of Gay Rights? Zap Him.
From The Washington Post
By Edward Alwood
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Walter Cronkite's illustrious career is remembered for the historic events he covered, from the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. to the moon landing and the Vietnam War. But Cronkite also reported on burgeoning social movements, including the struggle for gay liberation. After becoming a target of that movement, Cronkite would become a behind-the-scenes ally.
Following the Stonewall riots in 1969, as the nascent gay rights movement became increasingly combative, a gay Philadelphia teenager initiated his own guerrilla war aimed at television, including the "CBS Evening News." Nineteen-year-old Mark Segal became angry when he and a male friend were thrown out of a television dance program one August afternoon in 1972 after the program's host saw them dancing together. In retaliation, Segal barged into the studio of Philadelphia's WPVI a few days later during its evening newscast. Startled studio personnel wrestled him to the floor, tied his hands with a microphone cable and called the police.
Segal became a walking terror with his "zaps," as they were called. In 1973, his targets included "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "The Mike Douglas Show." He and a friend staged their last and most notorious zap when they posed as college students and obtained passes for the "CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite." Midway through the broadcast on Dec. 11, 1973, as Cronkite began a story about Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Segal darted in front of the camera with a sign reading "Gays Protest CBS Prejudice."
"I sat on Cronkite's desk directly in front of him and held up the sign while the technicians furiously ran after me and wrestled me to the floor and wrapped me in wire -- on camera," he recalled in an interview. "The network went black while they took us out of the studio."
Ever the professional, Cronkite reported on the event. "Well, a rather interesting development in the studio here -- a protest demonstration right in the middle of the CBS News studio," Cronkite told viewers. He later explained: "The young man was identified as a member of something called Gay Raiders, an organization protesting alleged defamation of homosexuals on entertainment programs." Segal was charged with trespassing.
Cronkite may have been more startled when Segal's attorney tried to serve him with a subpoena to testify. After CBS attorneys blocked repeated attempts to deliver the document, Segal's lawyer informed the network of a little-used New York law that made photocopies of a subpoena as valid as an original. He threatened to make copies available to the Hells Angels, with a reward for anyone who served the subpoena. Faced with the prospect of having Cronkite stalked by gay activists and bikers, CBS lawyers relented.
When the trial began in April 1974, Cronkite took the stand, but CBS lawyers objected each time Segal's lawyer posed a question. During a recess, Segal felt a tap on his shoulder. "Why did you do that?" Cronkite asked about the incident in the studio.
"You're news censors," Segal responded. The anchorman was appalled. "If I can prove it," Segal then asked, "would you do something to change it?" He cited three examples, including a CBS report on the second rejection of a gay rights bill by the New York City Council. "Yes, I believe I wrote that story myself," Cronkite said.
"Well, why haven't you reported on the 23 other cities that have passed gay rights bills?" Segal asked.
"Why do you cover 5,000 women walking down Fifth Avenue in New York City when they proclaim International Women's Year on the network news, and you do not cover 50,000 gays and lesbians walking down that same avenue proclaiming Gay Pride Day? That's censorship." Genuinely moved, Cronkite shook Segal's hand and thanked him.
The judge slapped Segal with a $450 fine. At the same time, Segal realized that his celebrity status was becoming a distraction. "I began to wonder if they were using me or I was using them -- I was not quite sure," he remembered. "After the Cronkite zap, the message began to get lost in the commotion. It began to look to me very unsavory."
Nevertheless, Segal's tactics paid off. Cronkite arranged meetings at CBS where Segal could voice his complaints to the top management. On May 6, 1974, Cronkite's newscast featured a segment on gay rights.
"Part of the new morality of the '60s and '70s is a new attitude toward homosexuality," Cronkite told his audience. "The homosexual men and women have organized to fight for acceptance and respectability. They've succeeded in winning equal rights under the law in many communities. But in the nation's biggest city, the fight goes on, with the city council due to vote on the matter again this week."
Reports on the status of gay rights in various cities followed, with one CBS correspondent pointing out 10 cities that had passed legal protections for gays and reporting that similar laws were under consideration in at least four others. At a New York luncheon 34 years later, I asked Cronkite about the zapping incident. "Oh, yes," he said with a smile and twinkle in his eye. "I remember that."
Meanwhile, Segal established his own newspaper in 1975, the Philadelphia Gay News, and remains its publisher today.
"He was the kind of man who believed in human rights for everyone," Segal said of Cronkite. "I am amazed and humbled by his willingness to reach out to me. He was a bridge between the gay movement and major media. We remained friends, and it was a privilege knowing him."
Edward Alwood, a former CNN correspondent and journalism professor at Quinnipiac University, is the author of "Straight News: Gays, Lesbians, and the News Media."
Publisher's Note: We thank our long distance friend Billy Glover for this story.
Item Last:
Value of A Dollar (or in this case, Fifty Dollars)
Edna always replied, �I know, Buddy, but that helicopter ride is fifty bucks, and fifty bucks is fifty bucks.�
One year Buddy and Edna went to the fair, and Buddy said, �Edna, I'm 85 years old. If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance!�
To this, Edna replied as usual, �Buddy, that helicopter ride is fifty bucks, and fifty bucks is fifty bucks.�
The pilot overheard the couple and said, �Folks, I'll make you a deal. I'll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and don't say a word, I won�t charge you a penny. But, if you say one word, it�s fifty dollars for the two-fer.� Buddy and Edna agreed, and up they went.
The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was uttered. He throttled through daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word. When they landed, the pilot told Buddy, �By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn't. I'm really impressed!�
Buddy replied, 'Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said something when Edna fell out, but you know how it goes � fifty bucks is fifty bucks!�
The "Business End" of Bi Lines On Line:
Bi Lines On Line is the Electronic Newsletter of ROBIN, The Richmond Bisexual Network. This free electronic publication is released on a quarterly basis and updated as (well...) we get around to it.
Bi Lines On Line is offered to its readers in a variety of ways:
The newsletter is available via the ROBIN website at www.geocities.com/robinsnet by clicking on a link for "Our Newsletter".
You can also "go direct" to our newsletter by using the link www.geocities.com/destanyschid.
You can send a request to ICU2 PUBLICATIONS, we will either send you the newsletter via MS WORD attachment. Other methods of sending the newsletter (text pasted into an e-mail) can also be arranged.
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A major endorsement of the march
Changes in the way we cover the Gay Community Center of Richmond
Eric Marlowe Garrison, MAEd, MSc (London), ACS, AASECT-Certified Sex Counselor, Consulting and Clinical Sexologist for New York, Diplomate of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Email: [email protected]
and
"Gaia and the New Politics of Love: Notes for a Poly Planet"
Are you a gay/bisexual dad? Would you be willing to answer some confidential questions about your life and about your family? The purpose of this study is to examine the many ways families headed by gay fathers have been created, explore how families function, and learn about the relationship between partners.
Buddy and his wife Edna went to the state fair every year, and every year Buddy would say, �Edna, I'd like to ride in that helicopter!�
END OF NEWSLETTER
Links to selected sites on the Web noted in our stories with this issue...
Zoe Lewis
Robin Renee
Equality Virginia
Richmond Gay Community Center
Bisexual Resources Center in Boston, MA
Eric M Garrison Website
Julie Clark