(HOMOPHOBIA continued from page 1) JAILED FOR C.D. IN DC.
advocacy, and educational organi
zation. We offer many services--an
outreach program, LAMBDA, program
ming for and about gay men and
lesbians, and about AIDS. No
matter what the homophobes say in
the letters to the editor in the
Daily Tar Heel, CGLA is a service
organization which represents a
sizable minority of UNC students,
similar in many ways to the goals
of the Black Student Movement.
In February, we hope that some
hard work from straight, lesbian
and gay male supporters on this
campus (and the support of most
other campus organizations and the
Administration) will result in a
positive outcome in the poll on
CGLA funding. We know that most
campus leaders, including Student
Body President Brian Bailey,
support CGLA funding at some level.
Whatever the outcome of the
referendum, however, popular
support for an organization has
never been and should not be a
criterion for the funding of an
organization (or, for that matter,
the funding of the contras in
Nicaragua).
Even if 75% of the student body
votes against the funding, what
does that figure mean all by
itself? How many students want to
keep on funding the other organi
zations up for funding each year?
Why aren't students being asked to
vote on funding of the Student
Congress, for example?
Organizations are--and should
^--judged on their service to the
University and its students. How
can anyone argue that the student
body does not benefit by open and
rational discussions about the
hatred and oppression of one of
this country's largest minority
groups?
It can only be hoped that the
Student Congress next April will
understand what the criteria for
funding are as established in the
budget process laws and will refuse
to be swayed by the hysterical
rantings of a self-selected few.
It can also be hoped that such
homphobes such as H.F. Watts and
David McNeill will be removed from
their Student Congress seats, since
it is clear that they are not
effectively serving their constit
uents or the student body. No
wonder the UNC Student Congress is
seen as ineffectual!
If only certain representatives
would grow up and get down to work
on some real campus issues with
their colleagues on the Congress--
like campus security, minority
enrollment, AIDS on campus, sexism
and racism in the Greek system, the
noise ordinance, the thoroughfare
plan, etc...
- JIM DULEY
The more than 800 lesbians and
gay men I was arrested with and the
men I was in jail with for those
twenty-eight hours in Washington,
D.C. were strong and proud. The
reasons we chose to be arrested on
the Supreme Court steps varied; yet
as lesbians and gay men living in a
society tht hates us and even crim
inalizes our very existence, we had
a common bond: we were angry as
hell and we demanded to be heard.
Over 4000 supporters sang,
chanted and very nearly shrieked
with enthusiasm as the first wave
of protesters crossed the street
and took our place on the Supreme
Court steps to begin the initially
exciting and gradually boring task
of waiting to get arrested.
The cops took their time
arresting all 800 of us. We had to
cross over a police barricade to
get arrested; crossing before we
were allowed meant a billy club to
the head.
We waited for over four hours
before all of us were taken iru^o
the latexed hands of the police,
ten people at a time.
Being a novice "activist," I was
very excited to be a part of such a
dignified, (but not too..), strong
and unified action. I was also
scared.
My affinity group had talked a
lot about civil disobedience in
general and the Supreme Court
action in particular, but the
reality of openly challenging the
Justices of the Supreme Court was
much mre empowering than I ever
could have guessed. When my group
was let through the barricade and
sat down on the court plaza and
given two warnings to vacate the
premises before arrest, my heart
started racing and I grabbed the
hand of a lesbian sister.
While I was being dragged off, I
felt a strange elation. I had a
glimpse into the nature of being
gay in America. I appealed to
justice where none existed and I
got my butt thrown in jail. A
stunningly apt metaphor for the
treatment accorded to lesbians and
gays throughout history.
To write a truly entire account
of the civil disobedience action on
October 13 would take a long time,
and I'm sure others will do it much
better, so I'll just highlight some
of the significant images the
action left me with.
1) A person with AIDS on my bus
was not let out of his handcuffs
long enough to take his AZT, so
someone else in cuffs reached in
the man's pocket and attempted to
get the AZT bottle open. It spilled
out onto the floor and so a person
(see C.D. ACTION page 6)