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HIGH GEAR

JANUARY 1976

A.H.P. GAY & LESBIAN CAUCUS

By David Holleb

At the 13th annual meeting of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, held in Estes Park, Colorado on August 25-29, gay and lesbian groups met, and for the first time formally organized the Gay and Feminist/Lesbian Caucus. Over 100 people, who were attending the conference titled "Revolution", participated in the caucus meeting.

Discussions centered on gays in counseling and therapy: gay rights (legal, medical, mental, etc.); gays in the Humanistic Revolution; Humanistic sexuality; better representation for minority groups in general; and the need of gay oriented workshops at future A.H.P. conferences. (See last month's HIGH GEAR for a report on the Cleveland A.H.P. conference in which there were two gay workshops, including one sponsored by the GEAR Foundation.) One evening, a presentation by the Feminist/Lesbian and Gay groups. was given to all the conference participants.

Anyone interested in humanistic education, counseling, and psychology, that would like to have further information about the A.H.P. and/or the Gay and Lesbian caucus are urged to write David Holleb, c/o HIGH GEAR.

Through special arrangement with Stanley Krippner, the

following presentation was made at the annual conference at Estes Park. A request was made from the audience that the speeches be printed in the AHP. Newsletter. The speakers were Penny Rossiter and Linda Barone, representing Feminist Lesbians, and Anthony Eschback and Jim Vaughan, representing the Gay Caucus.

The Feminist Lesbian and Gay groups have asked time to share some thoughts, feelings, and an awareness with you of attitudes that have been strongly felt here at this conference.

As Humanists we strive to be concerned with the worth of the individual and the fullest development of the potential of every human being. We are concerned with self actualization, taking control of the direction of our lives, and helping others do the same.

Although the theme of the conference is revolution, we strongly feel that women, as well as other revolutionary groups such as gays, blacks, greys, poor, children and all third world people. should have been more widely represented than they were. These groups have a far-reaching impact on all of our lives.

While we are willing to take partial responsibility for this lack of emphasis, we also believe that this is a joint responsibility between ourselves and the leadership and decision-making powers of the A.H.P. The theme of revolution makes it urgent for

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all of us to acknowledge and be sensitive to life-styles and attitudes different from those which we traditionally concern ourselves.

We want to see these more open attitudes reflected not only in the content of workshops and programs, but also in the language with which the programs are presented and in the language with which the program booklet is phrased.

We would like to have more pre-planned workshops for the minority groups mentioned; as an example, numerous women's events were planned after we arrived here. The large attendance at them proved that there was a desire and need for these meetings.

Additionally, women and other minorities might be better represented among the keynote speakers.

These are but a few gestures of our striving to achieve the humanistic awareness we all seek.

There is one group, the Gay Caucus, that has been receptive to our needs. They have given us part of their speaking time tonight. We would like to thank them for their support and turn the time over to them now.

Last night 60 Gay people met to discuss their experience at this conference. The major concerns that were voiced were feelings of being isolated, lack of any seminars that spoke to Lesbian and Gay relationships, Gay oppression and therapy; and Gays and a general feeling of our struggle not being taken seriously.

We felt that the underlying theme in the A.H.P. movement is that Gay is no longer an issue: that it's been dealt with and we're moved on to talk in terms

of expanding sexuality. For those of you who do think in these terms, we as Gays at this conference and people in the Gay rights movement throughout the society want you to know that Gay oppression, both overt and subtle, is very much alive. We are not playing. "Ain't it Awful"... it is awful. We are not pretending to be victims

...

we have in fact been victimized and persecuted for who we are. We want this situation to stop and we want and need your active support to do so.

While I'm sure that most of you would not overtly oppress us or support horrors like behavior modification or aversion therapy, the kind of discount and disinterest that is present at this conference is very likely a microcosm of the subtle oppression many of your Gay clients experience.

We are among you both as clients, students, co-workers and teachers. Don't assume we're heterosexual. Don't ask us to be invisible. Support us to be Out, to be outrageous. As disenfranchized members of this society we need to feel powerful, not tolerated or grateful for being invisibly accepted. We don't need to work on being open around non-gays until we feel safe to do so and a commitment by nongays to work on their heterosexist biases. This conference has not provided that environment or commitment. It is not minority groups that are separatist; it is the majority group who is. Oppressed minorities must ban together for support when there is no visible support in the majority or when their oppression is ignored or discounted. If the dominant

group does not actively extend itself and integrate into itself the issue of oppressed people, they produce a conference such as this which has "revolution" as a theme and only token seminars on racism, sexual politics, class analysis and almost nothing for Gay people...

On significant occasions at this conference we have been challenged to take up the reins of a Humanistic Revolution to do so by being true to our inner feelings and celebrating divergent lifestyles openly and honestly. However, some of us have also experienced a subtle and contradictory message; an implication that the time has come to subordinate the revolutions of oppressed minorities and concentrate on the overall human revolution; as if, for instance, being Lesbian or Gay is no longer relevant. Instead, we choose to make ourselves increasingly visible, for we cherish the uniqueness of our lives and our distinctive contributions to a humanistic revolution.

Relatively few of our Lesbian sisters and Gay brothers have openly identified themselves at this conference. Many are sitting anonymously in this audience tonight, fearful of rejection or retribution. Whether or not these fears are justified in a setting such as this, they are real feelings and cannot be ignored.

We urged these anonymous Brothers and Sisters to join us in open declaration as soon as humanly possible; we need you and we believe you need us.

We urge the heterosexual majority to actively seek to understand what it means to be a sexual minority and how it feels to remain in the closet in order to hide one's true identity.

We invite interested people to join us tonight in a rap session immediately following the Presidential Address. We will attempt to openly respond to questions you may have, and will welcome feedback on our evolving plans to be more visible,more open and more articulate about our concerns at future AHP conferences and in our society at large..

We request two brief ceremonial gestures. Let us dedicate a few moments of silence to those who suffer retribution and rejection because of their sexual orientation... We now ask those of you, of any sexual orientation, who wish to seriously commit yourselves to overcoming gay and lesbian oppression to stand up, making yourself visible, here and now.