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Pittsburgh’s Out #53 August 1981

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Summary

This issue of Pittsburgh’s Out, published in August 1981, covers:

Key highlights include:

STD Health Check ’81 Supplement: A pull-out guide providing comprehensive information on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) common among gay men and women, including gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, ureaplasma, hepatitis B, herpes simplex, crabs, NGU, and anal warts. It stresses the importance of honesty with healthcare providers and personal responsibility in prevention and treatment. The Pittsburgh Free Clinic and Allegheny County VD clinics are highlighted as resources.
Profile of Dave Reddick: An article profiling local dancer Dave Reddick (alias David Dione), who is branching out into gay adult films, starring in “Times Square Strip” and “The Boys from Riverside Drive” for Hand-in-Hand Films.
The Shadyside Experiment: An editorial piece introducing a marketing and public relations experiment in Shadyside, Pittsburgh, offering discounts from local merchants to Out readers via coupons. The goal is to demonstrate the economic strength and visibility of the gay community.
Troubled Times for Pittsburgh Free Clinic: News that the Pittsburgh Free Clinic, a vital health resource for the gay and lesbian community, is facing a 50% cutback in services due to federal funding cuts. The clinic is seeking volunteers, especially gay VD and mental health counselors.
Legislative and Political Updates:
- McDonald Amendment: The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an anti-gay amendment to the Legal Services Corporation Bill, prohibiting the agency from taking cases involving homosexuality and overturning its non-discrimination policy.
- Family Protection Act: An omnibus bill, supported by Sen. Paul Laxalt and President Reagan, was introduced in Congress. It aims to deny federal funds to individuals or groups that advocate gay rights, potentially cutting Social Security and veterans’ benefits for gay rights advocates, and federal aid to gay health clinics and community service groups.
- French Elections: Socialist candidate François Mitterand, a supporter of gay rights, was elected president of France, and his party gained a majority in the National Assembly, opening the possibility for criminal code reform regarding homosexuality.
- Texas Sodomy Law Challenge: Gay activist Donald Baker filed a class-action lawsuit challenging Texas’s sodomy law (Section 21.06), which criminalizes consensual same-sex relations in private. The Texas Human Rights Foundation is financing the suit, hoping for a precedent-setting victory.
Gay Community News:
- Toronto Police Raids: Ongoing police raids on gay bathhouses in Toronto led to mass arrests and militant demonstrations by the gay and lesbian community, with accusations of police brutality against protesters.
- Attack on D.C. Gay Bar: Two U.S. Marines were arrested for a tear gas attack on Equus, a gay bar in Washington D.C., highlighting a history of confrontation between Marines and the gay community.
- Sailor Fights Discharge: A U.S. Navy sailor, Carolyn Lauritzen, successfully obtained an injunction preventing her discharge due to lesbian fantasies revealed to a Navy psychiatrist, raising questions about privacy rights and military regulations.
- British Soldier Fights Discharge: John Bruce, a former British soldier, is challenging his dismissal due to homosexuality before the European Court of Human Rights, arguing a violation of his human rights.
- Soviet Union Sex Education: The Soviet Union is introducing heterosexual sex education but will not include homosexuality, which is still considered taboo.
- California Gay Program Funding: California’s Sexual Orientation Program had its funding refused by the state legislature.
- Gay and Lesbian Jews Conference: The Sixth International Conference of Gay and Lesbian Jews was held in Philadelphia, drawing attendees from around the world.
- Radio Program Attacked: A fundamentalist organization in Honolulu is petitioning to remove “Lambda Line,” a gay and lesbian radio talk show, from the air.
- Jamestown History Rewritten: A plaque acknowledging the contribution of gay men and women to the colonization of Jamestown was removed due to a lack of “documentation,” sparking protest.

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