Summary
This edition of Pittsburgh Gay News (PGN), published on July 20, 1974, covers a range of topics relevant to the Pittsburgh gay community, from local activism and events to national news and personal opinions.Key highlights include:
- Local Activism for Equality: Gay Alternatives Pittsburgh (GAP) is actively working to amend Pittsburgh’s human relations ordinance to include “sexual orientation” as a protected category. The article, “Pittsburgh Gays Join Battle For Equality,” details GAP’s efforts with the City Council and Human Relations Commission, urging the community to document cases of harassment and discrimination.
- AAA Discrimination: PGN editor Jim Austin’s attempt to get an associate AAA membership for his male partner was denied, highlighting discrimination against same-sex couples by West Penn AAA. The article, “West Penn AAA…different strokes for different spouses,” discusses the ongoing efforts to challenge this policy.
- Gay Blood Donations: Negotiations with the Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh have resulted in a comprehensive group replacement blood program for the gay community, allowing same-sex spouses to be covered under a “family” designation (“Gay blood now legal!”).
- Gay Pride Week 1974: Pittsburgh’s Gay Pride Week (June 17-23, 1974) was a success, attracting participants from across several states. Events included a cocktail party and workshops at Persad Center, a natural foods buffet, a lesbian/feminist night, a gay cabaret, and a “Mod Desire” trolley party (“Pittsburgh GPW builds pride, unity”).
- Community Center and Events: Plans for a Pittsburgh Gay Community Center are moving slowly but are still active. Upcoming events include a PGN fund-raiser on August 3 and a Gay Labor Day weekend with a dance and picnic sponsored by GAP.
- Persad Center’s Financial Struggles: An editorial highlights the financial difficulties faced by Persad Center, a mental health center for sexual minorities, noting that only 14% of contributions to an emergency fund-raising drive came from gay individuals.
- “Cora’s Cooking Corner” Controversy: The “Reader’s Survey Rap” addresses reader complaints about sexism in the paper, particularly regarding the “Whore’s Ovaries” recipe in “Cora’s Cooking Corner.” The editor defends “Cora” (who is a man) as having a “brilliant sense of humor” but acknowledges the need for more sensitive content.
- National Gay News: A “National Roundup” covers events such as the American Psychiatric Association conference debate on homosexuality, the disbanding of the “Lavender Panthers” in San Francisco, and a public TV station in North Carolina attempting to “prevent embarrassment to the governor” by prematurely closing bidding on a “pancake breakfast” with an outspoken gay foe.
- Book and Movie Reviews: The issue includes a review of Patricia Nell Warren’s novel The Front Runner, described as “one of the finest treatments of a gay love relationship to date,” and a review of the film A Very Natural Thing, praised as a “sensitive, non-exploitive” gay love story.
- NEA Supports Gay Rights: The National Education Association (NEA) voted to add “sexual orientation” to its anti-job discrimination resolution.
- New Establishments and Services: Advertisements and mentions include the opening of the London Pub (a new gay bar downtown), David’s Lounge in Steubenville, Ohio, The Knight Cap Lounge in Wheeling, W. Va., and Penthouse II Theatre (an all-male motion picture theatre). The Allegheny County Health Dept. is highlighted for providing free and confidential VD checkups for gay people.
The PGN also announced its intention to become a monthly publication starting in September 1974 and to increase its circulation through a major distributor in January 1975.