ample, the proposed bill will have a noticeable backing by district constituents and pressure can then be put on elected state officials. The resultant attitude was tb first produce a ready-to-go effort, then proceed with arousing the community support. COL has followed up with a printed petition form (enclosed) which can be a viable method for pressure, provided members do take on the responsibility of filling the sheets with names and sending them to Central Ohio Lesbians, P.O. Box 8393, Columbus, Ohio, 43201.

On a suggestion that some major event be planned for the fall, a resort named Shadyside in Cleveland was mentioned by Marilyn Bufton as a possible conference and weekend retreat location. For lack of details about the resort and because Oberlin College is already planning to have a conference in the fall, Oberlin will sponsor a large Gay weekend and OGRC meeting with national speakers (Flo Kennedy was strongly suggested as a possibility) and workshops in the first half of October.

Cleveland volunteered to draft an information pamphlet about Gays and Gay civil rights for public dissemination, and Bowling Green will compile a list of projects. Both will be ready for the next OGRC meeting to be held on Father's Day, Sunday, June 19, in Columbus starting at noon. The rendezvous point will be 1345 Highland Street before going to the Beeting place

ATHENS GAY MOVEMENT CONFERENCE

The Athens Gay Information Service hosted an all-day conference on May 21. Louie Crew, an NGTF board member and associate professor of English at Fort Valley State College, Fort Valley, Georgia, poet and editor of the collected essays entitled "The Gay Academic," and Betty Powell, NGTF co-chairperson and professor of Education at Brooklyn State College, spoke to about sixty people on topics concerning the Gay movement.

Louie provided a personal perspective on the need for all of us to become as active and visible as we can. He spoke of his experiences as an openly Gay man in a small Georgia college town, of his relationship with

the Episcopal church, and of the particular ways in which he has been branded as a member of an "Interracial couple" (in a soclety which is uneasy about such relationships even between heterosexuals). His anecdotes about Gay people in varying degrees of openness Illustrated both the emotional costs and the personal rewards of being publicly Gay. He noted that "coming out" is not a single event but rather an ongoing process of reaffirmation. Louie stressed the Importance of all of us becoming visible in our daily lives to the greatest degree possible. Even the smallest of gestures can help alleviate the oppressive invisibility which has caused so many of us to remain isolated in loneliness, ignorance, and despair.

Betty Powell's speech centered around the Gay movement's need for a Feminist and antiracist consciousness. She sees an alarming tendency in Gay circles to sacrifice any nonGay "political" stance in order to minimize friction within the movement and to focus attention on "Gay concerns". It might seem easier, at least superficially, to avoid the issues of sexism and racism, but the Gay movement would be at best a special interest group with no underlying philosophy or lasting significance. In the struggle for our own liberation we must not forget that the long history of violence and brutality against Gay people parallels that of all oppressed people; the abuse that we have endured must ultimately lead us to condemn bigotry in all its forms racism, ageism, sexism. Lesbians and Gay mon must join other oppressed groups in challenging the fundamental presupposition of prejudice that people must be confined within categories and stereotyped roles for society to function.

The six afternoon workshops. 'Gays and Organized Religion'. 'Gay Relationships', 'Racism, Sexism, Ageism, and Gay Oppression', 'Helping Parents Cope'. 'Gays in Literature', and 'Lesbianism and Feminism' covered the more pressing interests of the Gay world. Although no rigid conclusions were drawn from the workshops, they were successful in that they furthered the conference's purpose of understanding the Gay movement.

The films shown in the even-

Ing created a more relaxed atmosphere for the workshop participants. 'Lavender'. the first film shown. was an account of a Lesbian couple's daily life together, including thoughts of their past and their joys of being together. 'Men's Lives', a film made by two Antioch College students, portrayed the attitudes of children, teenagers, and adults toward the role of men in our society. It was as often humorous as bitter. The final film, 'Some of Your Best Friends'. documented sever al highpoints of the Gay movement in California, from legal victories to meeting with aversion therapists to Gay Pride marches. As the Gay movement progresses, such films will remain intriguing records of our history.

A brief introduction to the functions of OGRC was given by Christopher Morrissey to the audience. many of whom represented a new territory, Southeastern Ohio, for OGRC.

The rest of the very successful day was spent listening to informal singing, guitar playing and poetry reading.

Many thanks to Karen for this Issue's headline and other insults. Also, we neglected to give Marvin credit for his article" A Gay Without Rights..." In the first issue.

Though our address at Oberlin College remains the same, our telephone number has been changed. It will be (216) 7757315 until September 1. When calling, ask for Edsel or Tree.

Jason Dillon of GAA/Columbus Is the new OGRC Representativeat-Large. He is replacing Mark Kopacz who is moving out of Ohio. Jason's address and phone number arei

223 East Oakland Columbus, OH 43202 (614) 297-1504

June 19.....OGRC Conference. Convene at 1345 Highland St. before going to

meeting. Topics: Gay rights legislation drafts and pregress up-date on October weekend at Oberlin.

VT