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LAJIQDA JM. ^79/Page ,3
Gay
Voices
From
Prison
’’The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by
entering its prisons.” — Dostoevski
■^.y STUART ^JELLG
LAISDA Editor
'•7hnt’5 it like to be a gay prisoner — caught in a one-sex
society that mirrors the free tiorld's distaste for gay life-
styles?
Out
Hamlett Youth Center xn Lxllxngton. i.C., 4Z n instruments,
.js: rx s.rx?,s;”«.s! ,
St ss“;.£n;«. -“vxtr «
of a population of 700 inmates there a.e a ^.j|ich are completely open with
and stay undercover. There are only a fe^;7 of us wnicn are
our gayness.” as women, were chastised one
Jenny and Georgia, who say they of their fellows that they
Sunday by the prison chaplain uho told * a^d evil." They
-rere ’’headed for hell and were possessed with Satra progress in the
said they were also criticized by staff and it:” they
opening of a camp^for homosexuals. "He are soon to be leaving
said in early 1?7S. r-rrhoro P.C., and an ex-boxer, has been
Tony w., 37, a one-time resident iid Georgia since 1958 (for
in and out, of prisons in Florida, ‘ , last^month, Tony said that
burglaries), yriting from tne Fate Beach lover was Icilled by three
he has not loved anyone since 1^02, when nis y
other prisoners. ^ that betv7een May 1976 and April
Tr,E Et'FTY CLOSET of Rochester, h..., ^ McUeil Island, Washington,
1977 the only two nurd^s at the^.S. that prison officials taew in
were of two gay men. The periodical, wh c S response was merely to
: “^erasro/rSnk^ilit?^:^. which released the institution
■^-”F^edfrll1i^srof?i:raL^
the most aggressive and dangerous inmates, treatment, they often
they are no longer useful or when they^resist this type
end up dead from official 'neglipnce. „i„age in raping other inmates. As the
The most aggressive inmates find sexu inmates plainly live in fear —
(Raleigh) Hews and Observer reported Dec. 17, borne in
of other inmates.' aiscounting the likelihood of widespread
north Carolina prison officials, whil -enorted of all inmate crimes,
forcible rape, concede it is ^ t prison rapes. "The ones they get
Tony H. said blacks ®P°"f^J®/°hrnot f^ght back and the ones that do
are younj^, sweet-lookinc^, the ones that t/III n
not have a friend,” . rrmT^xTOPWER STREET, says rape
Seymour Kleinberg, vjriting in this monti straight. ”31ack men in prison
victims, like their attackers, are Writes.^"They are turning white men
are usin^ the most humiliating the "nightmare of lynch-law
into women, lihite women. By fucking them. It is the nlgn . ^
America come true.” j i,v the inequitable treatment blacks receive'
Racial tensions are surely system. But racial hatred may not
in the U.S., whlte-dominateo ^ pheLmenon. Dan Leonard of Carrboro,
be enough to explain the blac ,-on w oaiH it should be remembered that
recalling a prison outreach he pjulriion and that black male inmates
blacks are over-represented in the pris Pi different, that it is not homo
may be rationalizing that sex w t • havin> sex irith someone of another
sexual. Ke also said that some men find that havln. gtatistics.
race is more- erotic and that this may (Please turn to page 4)