1 25 3 https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/files/original/04735a02a6fbc85db713b84abe800639.pdf 04e4f7f60709ad2918b7e26f8406439e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lesbian Avengers - DC Subject The topic of the resource The Lesbian Avengers were founded in 1992 in New York City as a lesbian direct-action group. Lesbian Avengers were known for their street theater and in-your-face activism. Lesbians would often "eat fire" at their demonstrations as a symbol of taking power back from those who attempt to destroy us. Among their symbols were a bomb with a fuse and t-shirts stating "We Recruit", playing on heterosexual fears. Organizing materials for direct action protests became guides that were often used by other LGBTQ groups. The Lesbian Avengers formed a chapter in Washington, DC ahead of the 1993 March on Washington. Beth Armitage was among the principal conveners of the new group. Cheryl Cort was a co-founder of the Lesbian Avengers' second incarnation (1996). The DC Lesbian AVengers have re-organized at least twice since 1993. Weekly meetings were held at Lammas Bookstore (1426 21st St NW). The DC group became an ally of local AIDS protest organizations and provided a new activist front for local lesbians. The Avengers protested many forms of discrimination: against the Promise Keepers movement, against George Mason University, against harassment of Casa Nova in Pennsylvania. The Avengers' flyer for the Promise Keepers protest warned: We are here to remind you that we are not invisible. We are not quiet. We may be part of your families, but we want no part of your vision for our country. The flyer goes on to make its own promises: We promise to recruit. We promise to lead. We promise to fight hate. We promise to be visible. We promise to subvert. We promise to be inclusive. We promise to reproduce. DC's chapter was instrumental in organizing the first Dyke March on April 24, 1993. The march, without a permit (a tactic which has become a tradition), drew 20,000 women who set off from Dupont Circle to march through the neighborhood and up to Meridian Hill. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. the dulling of the blade This Is a local story, a national story, a women's story, and mast of all a lesbian-feminist story. It is about an issue for which feminists and especially lesbians have been taking flak for years: working with men. In Washington there is remarkably l i t t l e cooperation between lesbians and gay men. The Gay Activists Alliance, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the Gay Switchboard, and the Gay Community Center have few women neuters despite attempts at outreach. Lesbians show up at the ainual gay pride celebration but do not get involved in the planning of i t. This story is primarily about the Blade, recently renamed the Washington Blade, whose masthead proclaims it "the gay newspaper of the nation's capital." The Blade began l i f e in 1969 as the Gay Blade and was at the beginning a struggling mimeographed publication on • which lesbians played a significant role. It is now a competently produced biweekly tabloid'that covers local and national gay-related news and circulates mostly in the Washington-Baltimore area. In early 1981 i t plans to go weekly and aim for a more national distribution. Donna Harrington,' one of the co-authors of this article,.was for a year the office manager and a contributing writer of the Blade. Susanna Sturgis. the other co-author, was a contributing writer during roughly the same period. Neither of us-, for reasons that will become obvious, remains associated with the paper in any capacity. For each of us, the decision to leavB the Blade was d i f f i c u l t -aad... complicated. During and since the period of disassociation we, separately and together, have discussed our experiences with other activists and writers in the Washington lesbian community. Both of us at the time believed that what had happened to us and what we had learned from it were matters of local interest only. We have since been persuaded otherwise. We read about the San Francisco Lesbian Chorus, which was invited to sing at a fund-raising event for city supervisor Harry B r i t t ; a female impersonator "entertainer" made grossly misogynist jokes, and the chorus walked out. We read about lesbian Feminist Liberation in New York, which withdrew from a coal i t mlBjMKhning a march on Albany for lesbian and gay rights because of, the .prominence accorded to the founder of the North American Man/Boy Love Association. We read Vicki Plotter's provocative discussion of the issue in the July 1980 Big Hama Rag, entitled "Lesbians and the Gay Movement: Are Lesbians Glad To Be TGay'?" We read Vickie Leonard's commentary on working with men in the November 1980 oob, called very appropriately "On Second Thought, We Were Righ%7lr" Yet two lesbian-feminist former members of the Blade's board of directors remember that in the months following the defeat of the gay rights ordinance in Miami, the paper was receptive to lesbianfeminist participation. One suggests that this may have been related to the vulnerability that many gays f e l t after the Dade County defeat, the campaign for the Briggs i n i t i a t i v e i.n California, and other threats. Gay men in Washington feel less vulnerable now. The mayor appears regularly at gay functions and acknowledges that gay voters provided his margin of victory in 1978. Gay bars proliferate in the more comfortable areas of town. The slick Washingtonian magazine's September cover story was "Is DC Becoming the Gay Capital of America?" In Washi ington at least, gay men—whom lesbian activist Sally Gearhart called "the most cooptable group of all oppressed groups"—are making i t, and i t is not likely that they will be enthusiastic about the lesbian-feminist proposition that patriarchy needs overthrowing. bummed out at the office "If you scream, people say you're melodramatic; if you submit, you're masochistic; if you call names, you're a bitch." Joanna fiuss. The Female Man Donna Harrington was hired for the 35-hour-a-week position of administrative assistant at the Blade in early May 1979. A newcomer to the D.C. area, she looked forward to working both in the field of journalism and within the gay community. There would be no more getting fired for being open about her sexuality. She liked the four other full-time staff members, all of whom were men. They went out of their way to help her feel welcome and relaxed in her job. After several weeks she received her f i r s t local news assignment covering a lesbian art opening at the Gay Cownunlty ; Center. She thought she had found a new career and a new l i f e at the Blade. At Donna's f i r s t work evaluation in August, editor Don Michaels praised her highly and told her that he wanted her to assume the role of editor df the Community Focus section in September. He promised her an office assistant and asked her to start wording a 4 0 - hW week, effective Immediately. By the end of the summer she •as elected to the. paper's board of directors. ,* Week* passed with no further mention of Donna's new duties or the promised Office assistant. Gradually, she began to find the L Blade office a very Isolated place, Most visitors were male adver- ! t i t e r s , and most of them assumed that she was the receptionist, , am assumption that was tacitly encouraged by the Blade's male staff. At this time she was also becoming more aware of the lesbian- : feminist presence In the community, and she resolved to become a 1 writer':fo/1§bb. Don and Steve Mart/, then ad manager, both expressed ?f I stroma dissatisfaction with her proposal. Don sharply reprimanded her reporters" for the Blade. Donn» dropped the idea. During the falFuonna was hospitalized with a serious illness. The hospital was directly across the street from the newspaper office, but not one of her co-workers came to v i s i t , and only one of them even telephoned. When she returned to work, she was greeted rather stonily by Don. It seemed that while she was out, he and Steve had gone through her work files and found numerous" problems. They made i t clear that she was to redeem herself or be fired. In the following weeks she discovered that most of the errors had been Steve s, not hers. Steve refused to discuss the matter. When she.brought i t . to Don's attention, he insisted that she was merely trying to shirk her responsibility. At this time, Donna was finally allowed to hire D.C. poetactivist Susan Wood-Thompson as office assistant. Susan's presence, though only 10 hours a week, relieved some of Donna's isolation as a woman and a feminist. After several weeks, despite Susan's r e l i a - , b i l i t y and good work, Don insisted that she change to a schedule that was more convenient for him but impossible for.'her. Donna suggested that Susan be given a key to the office, an easy solution to the scheduling problems. Don Michaels refused and even objected to Donna's lending Susan her key. His reason? He was certain, with' no proof, that a former woman staff member with a key had once stoler • a typewriterj , Donna was becoming increasingly puzzled about where she stood at the Blade. Don had insisted that she l i s t her name in the paper's sti block as "Donna J. Harrington," rather than "D. J. Harrington," which she preferred; he said i t was necessary that the women's community kn< there was a woman on the staff! Then without advance notice she discovered that she was now listed as assistant editor. The change was in name only and reflected no raise in pay or change in responsibilities. When i t was decided to move the office, she was not consulted; when she expressed reservations about the security of the new buildim she was ignored. When she,was harassed and then attacked (fortunately without physical injury,)"iTn'the bathroom, she began to carry a small can of tear-gas spray. This became a standing joke with her male co-workers, who viewed her as paranoid. The gay male in-jokes and intrj-office sexual dynamics further increased her isolation. Donna eventually confronted Don with her frustrations, and he responded defensively and hostilely, telling her that he considered her work to be consistently sloppy and that she did not deserve' his time or understanding. This encounter ended in a shouting match. Steve and Don began to treat her with open hostility; they decreased her editorial responsibilities and redefined her job to be more bookkeeping- oriented. Donna came to feel that improvement was impossible and- in May 1980 she quit as a staff member. The next meeting of the board of directors, of which she was s t i l l part, was called for July she was not informed until after it occurred. In researching and writing this article, we discovered remarkabli parallels between Donna's experiences and those of the woman who preceded her as office manager. Denise Sudell, former acting managing editor at Philadelphia Gay News, found the same anti-woman, antilesbian- feminist hostility there. Denise, in addition, was told to stop covering women's news because women did not spend enough money supporting the paper's advertisers, according to the male editor. oh we of little faith "I realize that it is probably difficult, since you have no lesb; staff members jith editorial responsibilities and ties to the lot bian community, to knou uhat is going on with lesbian and feminist polishing, but I imagine that it would be possible to work something out if the Blade uere billing to have a stronq lesbian presence in the paper," Susanna Sturgis to Steve Martz, 8/J/80 "When I read such things as your rhetorical question about my interest in lesbian content or your dig about no lesbian staff with editorial responsibilities (uhich, in particular, I find an infuriating overs vilification of a complex issue!, I despair about our ability to understand, respect, or trust one another. ' Steve Martz to Susanna Sturgis, 8/8/80 Women writers, to put i t mildly, have not been numerous at the Blade in recent years, and neither have articles of specific Interest to women. Our study of the paper for the 14 months preceding the writing of this article Indicated that such stories and features constituted at best 15 percent of the Blade's copy. In a telephone Interview with Mb collective member TaBTbejanikus. Don Michaels said that the paper covered a lot of general news of interest to both men and women, unfortunately, much of this so-called general news Involves women In the same peripheral way that history textbooks and the Washington Post do: male recorders talking to mile activists who communicate with mile o f f i c i a l s. Donna, her predecessor as office manager, and the feminist members of the board of directors actively tried to recruit woman writers for the Blade. They worked unsuccessfully to revive regular writers meetings end to hold open houses especially for women. They began to develop a support system for women who worked on the paper. ThJTmenaglng editor did not encourage any of these activities. m i l ii u iw.li J I U I J , a nmiuiiai n u i ; , a wuncn i nury, ana most of all i lesbian-feminist story. tt is about an Issue for which feminists and especially lesbians have been taking flak for years: working with men. In Washington there fs remarkably l i t t l e cooperation between lesbians and gay men. The Gay Activists Alliance, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the Gay Switchboard, and the Gay Community Center have few women members despite attempts at outreach. Lesbians show up at the ainual gay pride celebration but do not get Involved in the planning of i t. This story is primarily about the Blade, recently renamed the Washington Blade, whose masthead proclaims I t "the gay newspaper of the nation's capital." The Blade began l i f e in 1969 as the Gay Blade and was at the beginning a struggling mimeographed publ1 cation on • which lesbians played a significant role. It is.now a competently produced biweekly tabloid that covers local and national gay-related news arid circulates mostly in the Washfngton-Baltimore area.. In early 1981 1t plans to go weekly and aim-for a more national distribution. Donna,Harrington, one of the co-authors of this article, was for a year the office manager and a contributing writer of the Blade. , Susanna Sturgis, the other co-author, was a contributing writer during roughly the same period. Neither of us, for reasons that will become •' obvious, remains associated with the paper in any capacity. For each of us, the H « M ^ M I tn i?fwn +h? m ^ e vili djjij&cuji Jnfl complicated. During and since the period of disassoclation we,,separately and together, have discussed our experiences with other activists and-••. .. writers 1n the Washington lesbian community. Both of us at the time believed that what had happened to us and what we had learned from i t •. were matters of local interest only. We have since been persuaded ' ,. Otherwise. We read about the San Francisco Lesbian.Chorus, which was invited ',', to sing at a fund-raising event for city supervisor Harry'Br1tt; a female impersonator "entertainer" made grossly misogynist jokes, and the chorus walked out. We read about Lesbian. Feminist Liberation in New York, which withdrew from a coalitiflnRhning a march on Albany for lesbian and gay rights because of the prominence accorded to • the founder of the North American Man/Boy Love Association. We read Vicki Piotter's. provocative discussion of the issue 1n the July 1980 Big Mama Rag, entitled "Lesbians and the Gay Movement: Are Lesbians Glad To Be TGay'?" We read Vickie Leonard's commentary on working with men in the Novenfcer 1980; oob, called very appropriately "On Second Thought, We Were Right?1- Yet two lesbian-feminist former members of the Blade's board of directors remember that in the months following the defeat of the gay rights ordinance in Miami, the paper was receptive to lesbianfeminist participation. One suggests that this may have been related to the vulnerability that many gays f e l t after the Dade County defeat, the campaignfor the Briggs initiative in California, and other threats! Gay men in Washington feel less vulnerable now. The mayor appears regularly at gay functions and acknowledges that gay voters provided his margin of victory in 1978. Gay bars proliferate in the more comfortable areas of town. The slick Washingtgnian magazine's September' cover story was "Is DC Becoming the Gay Capital of America?" In Washington at least., gay men—whom lesbian activist Sally Gearha.rt called "the most cooptable group of all oppressed groups"—are making i t, and i t is not likely that they will be enthusiastic about the lesbian-feminist proposition that patriarchy needs overthrowing. bummed out at the office "If Hou scream, people say you're melodramatic; if you submit, you're masochistic; if you call names, you're a bitch." Joanna Russ, The Female Man Donna Harrington was hired for the 35-hour-a-week position of administrative assistant at the Blade in early May 1979. A newcomer to the D.C. area, she looked forward to working both in the field of journalism and within the gay community. There would be no more getting fired for being open about her sexuality. She liked the four other full-time staff members, all of whom were men. They went out of their way to help her feel welcome and relaxed in her job. After several weeks she received her f i r s t local news assignment covering a lesbian art opening at the Gay Community Center. She thought she had found a new career and a new l i f e at the Blade. At Donna's f i r s t work evaluation 1n August, editor Don Michaels praised her highly and told her that he wanted her to assume the role of editor of the Community Focus section In September. He promised her an office assistant and asked her to start working a 40-tibur week, effective Immediately. By the end of the summer she M S elected to the, paper's board of directors. Weeks passed with no further mention of Donna's new duties or t*e promised office assistant. Gradually, she began to find the Blade offIce a very isolated place. Most visitors were male adver- M«ert, and most of them assumed that she was the receptionist. • • assumption that was tacitly encouraged by the Blade's male staff. Jit this time she was also becoming more aware of IKeTesbianfeerinlst presence In the community, and she resolved to become a writer fbrJ?tob. Don and Steve Hartz, then ad manager, both expressed » strong dissatisfaction with her proposal. Don sharply reprimanded her for her alleged disloyalty. He believed that organizational a f f i l i a t i o n elsewnere In the lesbian and gay co«*unlt1es would prevent staff and writers from being truly loyal members of and "objective reporters" for the Blade. Oonna dropped the Idea. During the fallHGoSna was hospitalized with a serious Illness. The hospital was directly across the street from the newspaper office, but not one of her co-workers came to v i s i t , and only one of the» even telephoned. When she returned to work, she was greeted rather stonily by Don. It seemed that while she was out, he and Steve had gone through her work files and found numerous- problems. They made i t clear that she was to redeem herself or be fired. In the following weeks she discovered that most of the errors had been Steve's, not hers. Steve refused to discuss the matter. When she brought i t to Don's attention, he insisted that she was merely trying to shirk her responsibility. At this time. Donna was finally allowed to hire D.C. poetactivist Susan Wood-Thompson as office assistant. Susan's presence, though only 10 hours a week, relieved some of Donna's isolation as a woman and a feminist. After several weeks, despite Susan's reliab i l i t y and good work, Don Insisted that she change to a schedule that was more convenient for him but impossible for her. Donna suggested that Susan be given a key to the office, an easy solution to the scheduling problems. Don Michaels refused and even objected to Donna's lending Susan her key. His reason? He was certain, with no proof, that a former woman staff member with a key had once stolen a typewriter. Donna was becoming increasingly puzzied about where she stood at the Blade. Don had insisted that she l i s t her name 1n the paper's stj block as "Donna J. Harrington," rather than "D, J. Harrington," .which She preferred; he said i t was necessary that the women's community kn< there was a woman on the staff. Then without advance notice she discovered that she was now listed as assistant editor. The change was in name only and reflected no raise in pay or. change in responsibilities. When i t was decided to move the office, she was not consulted; when she expressed reservations about the security of the new buildini she was ignored. When she^as harassed and then attacked (fortunateli without physical injur'y'J'ih the bathroom, she began to carry a small can of tear-gas spray. This became a standing joke with her male co-workers, who viewed her as paranoid. The gay male in-jokes and intra-office sexual dynamics further Increased her isolation. Donna eventually confronted Don with her frustrations, and he responded defens-ively and hostilely, telling her that he considered her work to be consistently sloppy and that She did not deserve' his time or understanding. This encounter ended in a shouting match. Steve and Don began to treat her with open hostility; they decreased her editorial responsibilities and redefined her job to be more bookkeeping- oriented. Donna came to feel that improvement was Impossible and in May 1980 she quit as a staff member. The next meeting of the board of directors, of which she was s t i l l part, was called for July she was not informed until after 1t occurred. In researching and writing this article, we discovered remarkabl parallels between Donna's experiences and those of the woman who preceded her as office manager. Denise Sudell, former acting managing editor at Philadelphia 6ay News, found the same anti-woman, antilesbian- feminlst hostility there. Denise, in addition, was told to stop covering women's news because women did not spend enough money supporting the paper's advertisers, according to the male editor. oh vye of little faith "I realise that it is probably difficult, since you have no Utsb staff merters with editorial responsibilities end ties to the lei bian camunity, to know what is,going on with lesbian and feminist polishing, but I imagine that it would be poesible to work something out if the Blade were billing to have a strong lesbian presence in the paper. " Susanna Sturgis to Steve Hartz, 8/2/80 "When I read such things cm your rhetorical question about my interest in lesbian content or your dig about no lesbian staff with editorial responsibilities (which, in particular, I find an . infuriating oversimplification of a conplex issue!, I despair d>out our ability to understand, respect, or trust one another. Steve Martz to Susanna Sturgis, 8/8/80 'Women writers, to put I t mildly, have not been numerous at the Blade In recent years, and neither have articles of specific Interest to women. Our study of the paper for the 14 months preceding the writing of this article Indicated that such stories and features constituted at best 15 percent of the Blade's copy. In a telephone Interview with oob collective Meatier TacTeDeJanlkus. Don Michaels said that the paper covered a lot of general news of Interest to both men and woman, unfortunately, much of this so-called general news Involves women in the same peripheral way that history textbooks •"* t h * MwMwittf) Pott do: male recorders talking to male activists w*o communicate with male o f f i c i a l s. Oonna, her predecessor as office manager, and the feminist members of the board of directors actively tried to recruit women writers for the Blade. They worked unsuccessfully to revive regular writers meetings and to hold open houses especially for women. They began to develop • support system for women who worked on the paper. The managing editor did not encourage any of these activities. Susanna, who had already published a few articles in the Blade. was recruited as a regular writer by a woman board member In the'early summer of 197g. She had reservations about writing for a largely male continumd on next pag m*~?u< igao/off our backs • M t t and nonfenrinlst audience but at the same time was interested in reachi ng lesbians who did not regularly read oob or the Washington Area Women's Center newsletter to which she was also a contributor Her early experiences were positive. She did occasional news and feature stories as well " " » 1 tories as wel l as revie"w" s, a">n*d assoc•i•a-t»e- edi tor Steve' Mart* and Don Michaels used her a r t i c l e s promptly and with very rare a l t e r a t i o n^ about which she was always consulted. auun'' The relationship began to break down in mid-winter when a review of Monlque H i t t l g and Sande Zeiq's Lesbian Peoples was held for week after week without explanation. .Afte'r Tn""fnquTrv in Anril the a r t i c l e was used i n the May 1 issue. Then i t happened again, with a short review of the Frontiers lesbian history issue. There based lesbian historian and a c t i v i s t who. had even contributed occasional articles to the Blade. On August 2, 1980, Susanna wrote to Steve Martz, expressing her concern about the paper's apparently dwindling commitment to lesbian .content in the "preferences" (reviews)' section, asking'about the fate of the Frontiers review, and tentatively suggesting that i t might "be possible to .wort something out i f the BJ-ade were w i l l i n g to have a strong lesbian presence in'the paper."" 'Steve's response was prompt .ipd astonishing. He avoided Susanna's concerns and wrote, "I sense a lot of between the lines meaning that borders on h o s t i l i t y . As a resi l t , I am pessimistic about our ever being able to establish the kind of trusting relationship that Don and I. enjoy with our. regular writers. . . .Without [ t r u s t ] and. a sense of sharing a common goal, I feel we would just be setting ourselves up for an unpleasant and f u t i l e ' c o n f r o n t a t i o n . " ' , We sense in this letter a lot of between the lines meaning that suggests that Steve did not trust Susanna, very much and that he was . doing the l i o n ' s share of the work 'in setting up an unpleasant and f u t i l e confrontation. His usual excuse when a piece was not used was that there was a two-month backlog of "preferences" a r t i c l e s . As o f f i c e, viorker, however, Donna saw unsolicited submissions come in from men all over the country and receive p r i o r i t y over contributions from regular ^oiiien writers who lived in the paper's circulation area. The Frontiers review was something of a special case. In his letter', Steve wrote that he "held i f at f i r s r i n the hope that a suitable companion piece might develop, '">< #j£gP>' embarrassingly honesl, -hen one did not, 1 forgot that I had l ^ T W i l e ; " -.Details about t h i s' prospective "companion piece" — why i t was thought necessary and what i t was to be — were not forthcoming. What made'the' incident especially nuzzling was that, as Susanna wrote to Steve on October 16, she was not without contacts in the national lesbian historians network" and eight l o g i c a l l y have been consulted aboutthe development of this companion piece." In an interview conducted in preparation for this a r t i c l e , a • 'ormer contributing writer described what she called the managing editor's "Brenda Starr attitude" toward women writers at the paper: no only wanted one female star at a time, and when your time was up, the men started running down your work and showing you no consideration. Susanna realized that her time, such as i t had been, was over. When :Jonna and Susanna l e f t , they took with them their considerable knowledge of the lesbian and feminist communities. The BJjde editors have actively discouraged lesbian writers from developing contacts within or f a m i l i a r i t y with the "women's community.," and unfortunately this deficiency is now being reflected in the paper's coverage of lesbianrelated stories. protecting their own On August 7, 1980, the Blade carried an a r t i c l e , written by the current star woman w r i t e r , about the increasing,incidence of assault on lesbians and gay men near The Other Side, a gay-patronized disco in WashingtW. The thesis of the story was stated succinctly by one of the victims, a gay man who was quoted as saying that "for the last few. years, [the violence] was f a i r l y inactive, then a l l of a sudden i t ' s increasing." But violence against lesbians around The Other Side has been a persistent problem for the last three years, as minimal inquiry in the right places would have revealed. . Over two years ago Washington lesbian a c t i v i s t and writer Wendy Stevens helped organize an ad hoc group called Womanalert to publicize and take action against a series of attacks on women near lesbian bars. After reading the August 7 a r t i c l e , Wendy wrote and submitted to the Blade a four-page essay providing some historical background on the incidence of violence and describing the actions taken by Womanalert — and the h o s t i l i t y with which Womanalert was ret by the male owners of The Other Side. It was September 18 before Don Michaels responded that he would be w i l l i n g to consider the a r t i cle for publication "1f you concur with the alterations I made on the enclosed copy." He did not share Wendy's letter or even the fact of i ts existence with the author of the original a r t i c l e. Don's changes effectively gutted Wendy's essay. When the women of Womanalert t r i e d to d i s t r i b u t e flyers warning about the attacks and Suggesting precautionary measures, one of the bar wners ordered two of Ms bouncers to drag Wendy out of the bar, and he personally told her that she was "binned from the bar." As a result women pleketed The rwh.r <;irf» f „ , t»uarii weeks durino. which they were harassed by speak specifically to the issues of negligence and h o s t i l i t y oh the part of The Other side, you have continued to obscure the bar's disregard for the safety of women c l i e n t s , which 1s the reason I wrote the l e t t e r tq' the Blade,. "^ -She concluded with a request that Don "reconsider p r i n t i ng my l e t t e r to the editor as I t was w r i t t e n . " Not •surprisingly, she has received no reply, and her essay has not been published. Now, four months after the original a r t i c l e appeared, it is unlikely that i t ever w i l l be. exorcising feminists Mac .con: et:; '..;.• Afferent!"' finit\< v{5': them other than the fact - ti'isther 3>'ji ir-presstd us together t''.'- .ivcrw i~:x. Ami the sexes ari so' Sally .Gearhart, oob interview, Jan. 1980 When asked i f the Blade had trouble keeping lesbian-feminists on the s t a f f , Don Michaels replied, "Perhaps. There were personality problems, individual personality'clashes; i t was not a problem of sexism." I t is clear to us that the Blade's trouble with lesbian-feminists involves deep p o l i t i c a l differences that cannot be dismissed as "Individual personality clashes." H i s t o r i c a l l y , when women become independent and self-defining, men t ry to bring them into line by calling them i r r a t i o n a l , hysterical, immature, and neurotic; men persistently.shift the focus from their own oppressiveness to the women's behavior. We are not w i l l i n g to let that happen to us. We know that the gay men who run the Blade have serious problems working with lesbian-feminists, and' we have come to suspect that thev do_not believe that lesbian-feminists have enough "clout" to make working with them worth precious' male' time." TheTr~commb7i response i s" to get r i d of the women who make them uncomfortable. Donna and her predecessor at the Blade and Denise Sudel'l when she was at Philadelphia Gay News had a common experience: as they became more radical, more assertive about feminist issues, and more closely identified with the women's community, their relationships with their gay male colleagues disintegrated. Their competence and commitment abruptly came under attack. The men at the Blade, l i k e men elsewhere, do not refuse to* hire . women; they simply find and cultivate women who w i l l not challenge their authority. The BJade' s \«cw*eht star woman w r i t e r has consistently received .twice as much money for her articles as any other women and almost twice as much as the men. These women are tokens, when Don says that he wants to add a f u l l - t i m e editorial position and hire a woman to f i l l i t , we see no reason to disbelieve him, but we don't anticipate that the woman w i l l be' a feminist either. If on the job she develops the kind of feminist consciousness that would enable her to cover and interpret women's community news, the chances are that working for the Blade would soon become a f r u s t r a t i n g , even intolerable, experience. The lot of the contributing w r i t e r is less intense but nevertheless d i f f i c u l t . On one hand she is part of an international lesbianfeminist writers network Committed to transcending the limits of patriarchal language and l i t e r a t u r e ; on the other she is contributing to a newspaper that apparently aspires to being the gay equivalent of the Washington Post. Her male editors use journalism school phrases l i ke "objective reporting" as i f they had meaning in the real world, she hears "white, male, middle class — with a gay slant." Once she chooses t'o w r i te for an audience that includes nonfeminists and nonlesbians, she risks spending her time explaining over and over why women-only events and organizations are important and what the limits are on "gay s o l i d a r i t y . " Stories that she can't do herself are either ignored or inadequately covered by men or nonfeminists. Feminist staff members and feminist writers have suffered from isolation at the Blade, and the evolution of the B1ade's governing 'structure has not been toward ending that isolation. Twc years ago a few board members were struggling to gain for the board an active • role in the direction and management of the paper. Gradually, thanks to manipulation by the managing editor and apathy or acquiescence by the board members, the board became a rubber stamp. Last summer it was transformed into an employee-held body, .and membership was res t r i c t ed to employees who have worked for 13 months and are able to invest $500 and those already on the board who could pay the $SO0. This change eliminated the last lesbian-feminist from the board. The current structure ensures that the only women who w i l l be able to shape the Blade's future are those who are acceptable to the- men now there and who are w i l l i n g to work in a male-dominated structure with a male- ,defined process. read oob The Blade, now the Washington Blade, is on the verge of becoming a weekly, national gay newspaper". Feminists who are interested in reading gay male news reported from a gay male perspective might want to check i t out, but i f you want to find out what is going on in the Washington area lesbian community, we urge you to subscrihe to oob and i n our own w r i t e , the newsletter of the Washington Area Women's Center. You aren't going to learn much about i t from the Washington Blade. hu rt/mnn .1. Niirri.rulton about which she was always consulted. The relationship began to break down in mid-winter, when a review of Monique W i t t i g and Sande 2eig's Lesbian Peoples was held for week after week without explanation. After an 'inquTry in April the a r t i c l e was used in the May 1 issue. Then i t happened again, with a short review of the Frontiers lesbian history issue. There is no question but that the Blade should have noted the publication of this particular issue Of Frontiers, a women's studies journal Not only is lesbian history of s i g n i f i c a n t interest to "the O.C. lesbian community but this Frontiers was guest-edited by Judith Schwarz, a Washingtonbased lesbian historian and a c t i v i s t who had even contributed occasional articles: to the Blade. On August Z, 1980, Susanna wrote to Steve Marti, expressing her concern about the paper's apparently dwindling commitment.to lesbian content i n the "preferences" (reviews) section; asking about the fate Of the Frontiers review, and tentatively suggesting that i t might "be' possible.to, work something out i f the BJade were w i l l i n g . t o have a strong lesbian presence in the paper. "'~!Tte"ve's response was prompt and.astonishing. He avoided Susanna's concerns and wrote, " I sense a lot of between the lines meaning that borders on h o s t i l i t y . As a res-^ . i l l , - I -am pessimistic -about our ever being able to establish the kind of .trusting relationship that Don and I enjoy with our regular writers. ' . ' . , , Without [ t r u s t ] and a sense /of sharing a common goal , I feel we .would just be s e t t i ng ourselves up for an unpleasant and f u t i l e con-' ';. • frontation." • ' . • We sense in this letter a l o t of between the lines meaniTK) that , ~ suggests that- Steve did 'not t r u s t Susanna very much and that he was; doing the l i o n ' s share of the.work in setting up an unpleasant and f u t i l e confrontation. His usu^l excuse when a piece was not used was Y. that there was a two-month backlog of "preferences" a r t i c l e s . As office worker, however,. Donna saw unsolicited submissions come in from men a l l. over the country and receive p r i o r i t y over contributions from regular , //amen writers who lived in the paper's circulation area. The Frontier's review was something of a special case. In his l e t t e r , Steve wrote that he "held i t at f i r s t " in the hope that a s u i t * '; iile companion piece might devplop, b u r i aJflM?e embarrassingly honest,' rfhpn one did hot, 1 forgot that I had f n f t W i l e . " Details about this, prospective "companion piece" —' why i t was thought necessary and what i t was to be —.were not forthcoming. What made the incident especially• ;-"j2Zl1ng was that, as Susanna wrote to Steve on October 16, she was--'-' not without contacts in the national lesbian historians network" and ' " i g h t - l o g i c a l ly have been consulted about the development of this companion piece. "• In an interview conducted in preparation for t h i s a r t i c l e , a .femur contributing w r i t e r described what she called the managing .•'•tutor's "Brenda, Starr attitude" toward women writers at the paper: »e only wanted one female star at a time, and when your time was up, the men started running down your work and showing you no consideration. Susanna realized that her time, such as i t had been, was Over. When 'jonna and Susanna l e f t , they took with them their considerable knowledge of the lesbian and feminist communities. The Blade editors have actively discouraged lesbian writers from developing contacts within or f a m i l i a r i t y w.ith the "women's community," and unfortunately this deficiency is now being reflected in the paper's coverage of lesbianrelated stories.. protecting their own On August 7, 1980, the BJ_ade carried an a r t i c l e , written by the current star woman w r i t e r , about"the increasing"incidence of assault on lesbians and gay men near The Other Side, a gay-patronized disco in Washingta*,. Tne thesis of the story was stated succinctly by one of the v i c t i m s , a gay man who was quoted as saying that "for the last few years, [the violence] was f a i r l y inactive, then a l l of a sudden^ i t ' s increasing." But violence against lesbians around The Other Side has been a persistent problem for the last three years, as minimal • inquiry in the r i g h t places would have revealed. Over twp years ago Washington lesbian a c t i v i s t and writer Wendy Stevens helped organize an ad hoc group called Womanalert to p u b l icize and take action against a series of attacks on women near lesbian bars. After reading the August 7 a r t i c l e , Wendy wrote and sub- ' mitted to the Blade' a four-page essay providing some historical background on the incidence of violence and describing the actions taken by Womanalert — and the h o s t i l i t y with which Womanalert was met by the male owners of The Other Side. It was September 18 before Don Michaels, responded that he would be w i l l i n g to consider the a r t i cle for publication " i f you concur with the alterations 1 made on the enclosed copy." He d id not share Wendy's l e t t e r or even the fact of i t s existence with the author of the original a r t i c l e. Don's changes e f f e c t i v e l y gutted Wendy's essay. When the women of Womanalert t r i e d to d i s t r i b u t e flyers warning about the attacks and suggesting precautionary measures, one of the bar owners ordered two of his bouncers to drag Wendy out of the bar, and he personally told her that she was "benned from the bar." As a result women Picketed The Other Side for Stveral weeks, during which they were harassed by the co-owners, who shouted lines like."you know, we don't need women to make t h i s bar work." Don deleted a l l of t h i s information with the comwnt th«t "Rehashing the specific hassles with Chris [one of the bar owners] would no' doubt cause a l o t of f r i c t i o n that would obfuscate the more Important points being made." ... . .. . Wendy-wrote back on September 28 that Don's editing indicated that , he misunderstood her Intentions and reiterated that "the story pre- # Sented i n the Blade Is out of context and misrepresents 'management that has h l s t o f l c T n y f e l t no need to be accountable to the communi t y which supports I t . By editing out the portions of my l e t t e r which published. Now, four months after the original a r t i c l e appeared, i t is unlikely that i t ever w i l l be. exorcising feminists id <m iffintt'.! jith them other than the fact :'.'r.K-''i u~ loizthcr .„?*;.; ?rpreosed us toaether Sally Gearhart, •T. t i e cexas) are so oob interview, Jan, 1980 When asked i f the Blade had trouble keeping lesbian-feminists on the s t a f f , Don Michaels replied,, "Perhaps. There were personality problems, individual personalitv clashes; it. was not a problem, of sexism." I t is clear to us that the Blade's trouble with lesbian-feminists jnvftlves deep p o l i t i c a l differences that r.c&nnot be dismissed as,,"indivr,, idual personality clashes." Historically, when women become independent and self-defining, men t ry to bring them into line by c a l l i ng them i r r a t i o n a l , hysterical, immature, and neurotic; men persistently shift the focus from their own oppressiveness to the women's behavior. We are not w i l l i n g to let that happen to us. . 'Je know that the gay men who run'the Blade have serious problems .working with .lesbian-feminists, and we have come to suspect that thev do_not believe that lesbian-feminists have enough "clout" to make working with them worth precious" male" time. Tfiei"f~T:oniro"n'response i s • • to get r i d of the women who make them uncomfortable. Donna and her predecessor at the Blade and penise Sudel1 when she was at Philadelphia Gay News had.a comnon experience: as they became more radical, more assertiye about feminist issues, and more closely identified with the women's comnunity, their relationships with their gay male col^ leagues disintegrated. Their competence a.nd commitment abruptly came under attack. .the men at the Blade, like men elsewhere, do not refuse to_ hire women; they simply find and c u l t i v a te women who w i l l not challenge their authority. The Blade's .curEeht star woman w r i t e r has consistently received twice as much money for her a r t i c l e s as any other women and almost twice as much as the men. These women are tokens. When Don says.that he wants to add a f u l l - t i m e editorial position and hire a woman to f i l l i t , we see no reason to disbelieve him, but we don't anticipate that the woman w i l l be' a feminist either, If on the job She develops the kind of feminist consciousness that would enable her to cover and interpret women's community news, the chances are th'at working for the Blade would soon become a f r u s t r a t i n g , even intolerable, experience. The lot of the contributing writer is less intense but nevertheless d i f f i c u l t . On one hand she is part of an international lesbianfeminist writers network committed to transcending the l i m i t s of patriarchal language and l i t e r a t u r e ; on the other she is contributing to a newspaper that apparently aspires to being the gay equivalent of the Washington Post. Her male editors use journalism school phrases l i k e ^ ' o b j e c t i ve reporting" as i f they had meaning in the real world, she'h.ears "white, male, middle class — w i th a gay s l a n t . " Once she chooses to w r i te for an audience that includes nonfeminists and nonlesbians, she r i s ks spending her time explaining over and over why_- women-only events and.organizations are important and what the l i m i ts are on "gay s o l i d a r i t y . " Stories that she can't do herself are either ignored or inadequately covered by men or nonfeminists. Feminist staff members and feminist writers have suffered from isolation at the Blade, and the evolution of the Blade's governing structure has not been toward ending that isolation. Twc years ago a few board members were struggling to gain for the board an active role in the direction and management of the paper. Gradually, thanks to manipulation by the managing editor and apathy or acquiescence by the board members, the board became a rubber stamp. Last summer i t was transformed into an employee-held body, and membership was r e s t r i c t ed to employees who have worked for 13 months and are able to invest $500 and those already on the board who could pay the $500. This change eliminated the last lesbian-feminist from the board. The current structure ensures that the only women who w i l l be able to shape the Blade's future are those who are acceptable to the men now there and who are w i l l i n g to work in a male-dominated structure with a maledefined process. , read oob The Blade, now the Washington Blade, is on the verge of becoming a weekly, national gay newspaper, feminists who are interested in reading gay male news reported from a gay male perspective might want to check i t out, but i f you want to f i nd out what is going on in the Washington area lesbian comnunity, we urge you to subscribe to oob and in our own w r i t e , the newsletter of the Washington Area Wonen's Center" You aren't going to learn much about i t from the Washington Blade, . •by Donna J. Harrington and Susanna J. fturgis We uant to thank all the women uho contributed their 6'UiW, expnn.erL.-as, and insights to us as ue worked on this article. We want especially to express our appreciation to the lesbian-feminists of the "no-name" qroup who convinced us that our story must be told and then supported UJI as we worked on it. Blessed be I ntt AIIV hurlrt/rfwnrfwr IMO/DVH Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The dulling of the Blade Subject The topic of the resource Washington Blade, Inc. Gay press publications--Washington (D.C.) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Off+our+backs">Off our backs</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Off our backs Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1980-12">1980-12</a> Date Issued Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource. 1980-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=47&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Reproduction+and+use+of+this+material+requires+permission+from+the+copyright+holder.+Please+contact+the+Rainbow+History+Project+for+more+information.">Reproduction and use of this material requires permission from the copyright holder. Please contact the Rainbow History Project for more information.</a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Off our backs, December 1980 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Washington (D.C.) Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Washington (D.C.) Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Washington Blade, Inc. off our backs publications Washington Blade https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/files/original/2045cd26c840bcdae6f83665d1d0ebb2.pdf 2a7a3e13fac36aeb24ae05db1c9fabc8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Historic Publications Collection Description An account of the resource The Historic Publications Collection combines newsletters, periodicals, newspapers, books, and other publications by, for and about the LGBTQ communities. This collection includes both: 1) single issues of various titles that are digitized and online; and, 2) runs of publications that are available in paper form at the DC History Center--some of these may have a digitized issue or two in this online collection. Table Of Contents A list of subunits of the resource. Titles digitized online include: "The Baltimore Gayzette" (Produced by the Baltimore Gay Alliance) "Capitol Hill" (Published by the Gay Rights National Lobby) "Come Out Fighting: A Newsletter" (Produced by The Lavender and Red Union) "Cruise: Weekly Arts and Entertainment Magazine" "The Furies, Goddesses of Vengeance: A New Lesbian/Feminist Monthly Magazine" "The Lavender and Red Book: A Gay Liberation/Socialist Anthology" (Produced by The Lavender and Red Union) "The Homosexual Citizen" (Published by the Mattachine Society of Washington) "The Insider" (Published by the Mattachine Society of Washington) "The Gay Blade" "Gay Left" "Gays on the Hill" (Published by Metropolitan Community Church) "Just Us: A Directory of the Washington Gay Community" "Magnus: A Journal of Collective Faggotry" "Motive: Methodist Student Movement" "Musica: Newsletter of Women's Music" (Published by Indra "Indy" Allen) "Off Our Backs: A Women's Liberation Biweekly" "Red Flag Union" (Published by the Red Flag Union in Hollywood, California) Titles available in paper format include: <a href="http://dchistory.pastperfectonline.com/library/EF152787-E753-4A81-98BC-352621010550" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Advocate (P 4428)</a> <a href="http://dchistory.pastperfectonline.com/library/17F0A247-1F5A-423A-9DD8-194035327180" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BGM: Black Gay Male (P 3798)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT-URvXiipp_9oLpk85ukIQRAZ-KE8NbLrQ3Vqas1yuvK_LwFQVCc3d2mpXuGoVualBAEjqS88lb0fo/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black/Out: The Magazine of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays (P 3746)</a> <a href="http://dchistory.pastperfectonline.com/library/072ADDF8-6EB1-42C9-BC9B-334645015229" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blacklight: BL (P 3797)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRMNot_aI8wzgNyPolSOIcXqELc4iOEZ344oIbfUsq38F_qm_zP03se5ERhI9JlGzP8MTtlDEDQvsyM/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Blade, aka The Washington Blade (P 4092)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSk1nluUXzM5WHheLZ3KH0FxIEBgSVIbwlA9n9Q8ITzez773juJVXcWMAa8XWQdqaMl88J9Pd8z90kb/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ButiVoxx: Hangin' at the Beach (P 7484)</a> <a href="http://historydc.pastperfect-online.com/32595cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=D6FA5FA7-5F1E-470F-BFDD-704764414254;type=201" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Come Out Fighting: The Newspaper of the Lavender and Red Union (P 4429)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT0ygSuwwM7osEAUq19DZRDB79SG0nQSM0eivbgp9yfT1ai9VZoS5m5S5vCLCLtE3QbFH3vmJZ3VIGo/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cruise (P 5265)</a> <a href="http://dchistory.pastperfectonline.com/library/85FD7D8E-90AC-4BAF-B9BA-236360613300" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dorian Book Quarterly (P 3762)</a> <a href="http://dchistory.pastperfectonline.com/library/B4FE447D-1393-4CEC-95A7-315932234514" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">From the Center: A Publication of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (P 5153)</a> <a href="http://historydc.pastperfect-online.com/32595cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=95A93E3E-695D-4FEA-8BED-470192896500;type=201" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Furies (P 3796)</a> <a href="http://historydc.pastperfect-online.com/32595cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=950F02A5-B2AF-4E12-B806-820764303510;type=201" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Gay Alternative (P 3764)</a> <a href="http://historydc.pastperfect-online.com/32595cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=C5041E4B-685F-44AD-AC98-544829469789;type=201" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Habari-Daftari: The Newsmagazine of the National Coalition of Black Gays (P 4438)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR0mvUz-4DgFrAne7Lq36XRwN-PgNEbJ_xFk4yOCetJGkzwOnLl7GzB6SypH4lwBfgFBQiC2J2f3C3O/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In the Family: A Magazine for Gays, Bisexuals, and their Relations (P 7483)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRT5dzowAYoJBFQMdaEWSyE2W4FgdhVCkobDDjpHo8gxQgtDMF0DLgHQLCVThX-5Toe8xCztyz90epj/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James White Review (P 5508)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR7sT8oSPmwYrUo6fP9iVuyOAI5DHoOivptt7t4f10HYxPzGsm-hoiCR_1-VgZA9isKuk5wh5WoRtGG/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Ladder (P 3763)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSc4izycDdUx2cUXNcTJmZfNnXVG-pGAB9Y88hh9FFBxmDaMAOolG9meN2g0zE6urdjgqapZjndJMlJ/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lambda Rising Book Report (P 5264)</a> <a href="http://historydc.pastperfect-online.com/32595cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=2C29FA49-5477-4C6A-8AFD-114668235015;type=201" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Magnus: A Journal of Collective Faggotry (P 4437)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTSSyZKInuvSM7F0flVdDW6T1J2p3D0pF83HhSscUODFK25iGbULV_zA7JoxjatI06JBnQRL94zrvlt/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Malebox!: DC’s Largest Publication for Black Gay Men (P 7485)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSszwzqFsoPGjXrDgQYwkBahcYMYloruOr3TUfqfXz9LoPBxuxt7iw6RgeIG1eISxWjhfxgc-EQ6kFv/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mattachine Review (P 3761)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTSLESWmUSz9Tc8fBYIAPI0flUdwhE6oE5Sp_8p4jBhnwx6v9qKRJOaa8gCsF8VXT7nQfp33qWjy_zX/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Metro Weekly (P 4573)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRpGOfepm-fAKQxtKzD9OSDSoacs73zE99qL87vPNPgDIQOV4J1Z_YdSdjW_mgBbCPGLmdsyx4JGuT5/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Michael’s Entertainment Weekly (P 5150)</a> <a href="http://historydc.pastperfect-online.com/32595cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=6ACA8DC9-3D4B-4B18-AAFB-591753602431;type=201" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Motive (P 4439)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTzeS-BNP2NFpAFRaSC4Gr9JcacUt-zqee75IYcSSjsFdQp6ppJD-XqA3WllYzBdK-YHOSMg6hzRGsM/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">One Magazine: The Homosexual Viewpoint (P 3760)</a> The Other Pages <a href="http://dchistory.pastperfectonline.com/library/193BA1F9-468B-4415-98C4-212254951886" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(P 4412)</a> <a href="http://dchistory.pastperfectonline.com/library/C51A4A45-AE1A-486F-991D-065636732245" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(P 5259)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSB-zsqyYJsqTYPf_WyEjAudp2l7AdJYtA0NtslJ1pHT163NBwBGrE0egEUrSkUF-3jP-IcsQ2GgnCT/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Out Magazine (P 5258)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQurI_ESpP2burYNzy7qg0K6NIOuMOyu-sRMBGLmfHhRcnTjB5DF50DRO_-mDeWeKnIu5ipPCU9zUPF/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Port of Harlem: A Magazine about Blacks at Home and Abroad (P 7486)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQC8KbQ9ln_ypf6n6s5VEHjvKZ6XQysBxgBBySvh8gl7FSR_cTBVD1NBEkKcAvQ9N0FTYS6Rz_yVATg/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Real: The Magazine for Black Gay & Lesbian Brothers & Sisters (P 7487)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQUHIMRHkm5ekmLco5xPaRr55pwH7JSUxaLKrwNsKmilSYEN7Qkd2d1s3dHOZ4qS03NjgY5dF4ReJ4H/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reel Affirmations (P 5268)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRNePSxazwevOE1YigR9BhbLuorKdUgR74-_VIYhtD4FnoZffQrWbCcwFfJsEI2xS7DO4IXUSxHZhEx/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SBC: A Monthly for the Afrocentric Homosexual Man (P 7489 to DCHC)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSq9SCLixTQrEMsmcHDarkNINyHeEl7Sg_7c6JKuQlYMnPtn1YrivGvvd1U9EpeWzSxBSO9OtXzxFS8/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Silk Road: Asians and Friends of Washington, DC (P 5507)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQUe90hYJEn2ZrZ8cT8BxZlIc_PasiTKlyriYxCcS2PAvywoKBgAtExb4Nq0i24fQSo87KCVLscEbpC/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TAGG Magazine (P 5277)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRLwyOC_AZ5-7OQ-TlgsMdTn8OfSZrcS6MJkbk_uDUJ7Jx5u5eclvF35k5FOwgPerUNQxvXZVg_jobr/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vector: A Voice for the Homophile Community (P 3765)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQhGhhiQPRJ9KdeAUkSVNM__R3yPjibb96YEAnUXx6g8mZs5M8-bLhlYBak9M95LZh5ZtcLzeFyLzoD/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Whazzup! Magazine (P 7488)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQgnzcNqUVJ6f5-OatDfpy4eSbqxM4g7tOfCAk86-yEfqztsjZCpfSl73izCGHXfyvi735fNLZwixBj/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Whole Gay Catalog: Books for Gay Men & Lesbians, Their Families & Friends (P 5267)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTnXCv18YlSuc4o3hmaoNMUzA_t10dpeBr-nFcV0KYuxmA2K5UHl4DgBTNsB3PI0sAvPb9AoWtz71Gh/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Women in the Life: The Premiere Women’s Monthly (P 5266)</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ1D-Lh7QMNH2EXhATSNZz9bAV_0XA9FpA4yAZK5LmGgZzcF7Y5CRfJhlGQKG7_8U-tuhMWq_d3VavZ/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WOMO: Woman’s Monthly: A Periodical Calendar for the Women’s Community (P 3759)</a> Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. Some items/issues may be available online. All publications with a "P" number are available to all people, by appointment, at the <a href="https://dchistory.libguides.com/kiplinger-research-library" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DC History Center</a>. Collection is available for “fair use.” Material may be protected by copyright. The Rainbow History Project respects the copyright and intellectual property rights associated with the materials in its collection. To the best of its knowledge, these items are either in the public domain; are orphaned works; and/or had their rights for public display transferred to RHP. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Off Our Backs, volume 3, number 11 Subject The topic of the resource Lesbians--Washington (D.C.)--1970-1979 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Off+our+backs">Off our backs</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available off our backs, Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1970-09-30">1970-09-30</a> Date Issued Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource. 1970-09-30 Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. off our backs, Inc. Lesbians off our backs publications https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/files/original/07e774f2b65349c50c7982c755cbd3d1.tif 25f33a7001412f00581f4730a5e8aec3 Omeka Image File The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files. Width 2200 Height 1273 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gay Businesses and Venues Collection Description An account of the resource An artificial collection of advertisements, photographs, business cards, matchbooks, and flyers from gay businesses, religious organizations, and other spaces that created a safe haven for gay men, Lesbians, transgender people, and the drag community in Washington, D.C. from the 1950's to the 1980's. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Meinke, Mark Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newsprint Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Article about Sophie's Parlor Subject The topic of the resource Gay business enterprises--Washington (D.C.) Gays--Social life and customs--Washington (D.C.) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Off+Our+Backs">Off Our Backs</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1972-11">1972-11</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=47&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Reproduction+and+use+of+this+material+requires+permission+from+the+copyright+holder.+Please+contact+the+Rainbow+History+Project+for+more+information.">Reproduction and use of this material requires permission from the copyright holder. Please contact the Rainbow History Project for more information.</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/tiff Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Washington (D.C.) lesbian bars and clubs sophie's parlor