Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site wivax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!wivax!dyer From: dyer@wivax.UUCP (Stephen Dyer) Newsgroups: net.motss Subject: Re: Why advertise? Message-ID: <19645@wivax.UUCP> Date: Fri, 22-Jun-84 03:09:32 EDT Article-I.D.: wivax.19645 Posted: Fri Jun 22 03:09:32 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 11:16:14 EDT References: <482@denelcor.UUCP> Organization: Wang Institute, Tyngsboro, Ma. 01879 Lines: 34 Rob's posting reminded me of a letter which I recently sent to someone regarding the same issues. I enclose a fragment of it for your perusal. "I think it is important when confronting public prejudice against gay people to mention that one is gay in one's response if that is the case, for even though this is logically unconvincing as rhetoric, it can still be a powerful counter-example to those who know of gay people only from what they hear or fear. That is, you can be an important witness for the truth, merely by standing up and being yourself. What is more, given that many gay people still do not feel comfortable with this, the actions of a small number of people become even more important. "In a broader sense, one has to ask the question as to when mentioning being gay is ever inappropriate. That is, you can say "I don't care whether X is straight or gay." Fine. But there is a phenomenon which I might call "leakiness" which holds true for heterosexuals, yet is still questioned when gay people display it. That is, unless you are going out of your way to hide something, facts about your heterosexuality just naturally "leak" out of your daily life: your wife's (or MOTOS') picture in your wallet or on your desk, your casual mention of the trip you took last weekend, meeting and introducing your friend to acquaintances you meet on the street. By no stretch of the imagination would anyone claim that you were "flaunting" heterosexuality. Yet gay people, if they even display an amount of openness much less than this, are often said to be "flaunting" their preference, if not being downright exhibitionistic. Too often, when someone says, "I don't care whether X is gay or not--it is irrelevant", one is really prescribing a choice between "leaky" heterosexuality and a kind of neutered asexuality. I am not making any judgements about your own comments, just giving you some of my perceptions." -- /Steve Dyer decvax!bbncca!sdyer sdyer@bbncca.ARPA