Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site well.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!mhuxn!mhuxr!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!hplabs!well!rooter From: rooter@well.UUCP (Brian Mavrogeorge) Newsgroups: net.motss Subject: New kid on the block Message-ID: <133@well.UUCP> Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 14:31:47 EDT Article-I.D.: well.133 Posted: Wed Aug 14 14:31:47 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 17-Aug-85 16:17:08 EDT Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA Lines: 48 Keywords: New user Thought I would take a minute to introduce myself. Have been using a system in Sausalito CA and was excited to recently learn of newsnet and the net.motss section. Too bad the previous poster didnt suggest some new topics after decrying what was here. I skipped the AIDS articles. Living in San Francisco we are pretty well taken care of on the AIDS front in terms of progress in discovering causes and cures. I was very interested in the articles on Massachusetts and child care having gone through the adoption process here in San Francisco as an openly gay couple. In case readers didn't know, there have been gay and lesbian couples in San Francisco who have adopted children. And there is an active support group for those parents. But that doesn't mean its easy street. The foster care section in San Francisco still drags their feet. For them it isn't so much a gay or lesbian issue as much as it is every social worker wants to hold on to the kids hoping that next week there will be that "ideal" couple that will present themselves and the child can be placed with them. As well all know those "ideal" couples exists only in glossy pages consequently the kids remain in foster homes while the social workers play out their games. An issue that hasn't been broached here so far and which Iam interested in is the gay/lesbian religious scene. Iam particularly interested in those who choose to remain in their particular denomination and work from within for change as I opted not to do that and am active in an MCC congregation. Contrary to what some people see, I see a resurgence in religious activity and feeling across the whole spectrum of religious life. Admittedly I probably have a biased view. ANd what I find even of more interest is that altho the mainline denominations have done a good job of dumping on gays and lesbians, many of us retain our spirituality. Another topic I find of interest is the question of monogamy and its applicability to gay people. I rememeber a few years back reading in a newspaper an editorial stating that being gay meant being freed from all those sexual hangups and stereotypes of our parents - that the idea of marriage was no longer relevant. Well I personally have been in a monogamous relationship for 20+ years and just like my parents celebrated that relationship with a religious ceremony so the editorial didn't ring true to me. But since then I have read a couple of studies pre-AIDS and post-AIDS that seem to indicate that the gay relationship is quite different from the heterosexual one and that the question of sexual fidelity is also quite different. Perhaps that is due more to the sexes involved as I would suspect sexual fidelity for lesbians is close to the heterosexual model. I don't know. Would be interested in comments. Having been out for many many years to family, work, etc. I have strong feelings about the Rock Hudson affair - revolving around the opportunities he had to break the gay stereotype for middle America. Opportunities he missed. So in conclusion - Im very glad to have found all of you and hope to have some interesting times here. In regards to the Boston/California split, perhaps its because UNIX is bicoastal and has no real following in the hinterlands... :-)