Historian's note: This is an excerpt of a 1972 position paper from the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front (excised are a list of recommendations for the University to follow and some unrelated announcements). While the paper's author is definitely belligerent, it seems there were matters to be belligerent about. One needs to read between the lines a bit here, but in short it seems a GLF dance was disrupted by another group meeting at the Union. Peace and harmony did not follow.
GAY LIBERATION FRONT
EMERGENCY POSITION PAPER
EMERGENCY POSITION PAPER
(April 1972)
Wednesday night was a microcosm of the whole world of oppression suffered by Gay People on this campus. All the elements were there—
...Gay people were taunted by their peers
...Gay people were threatened by their peers
...Gay people were robbed
...Gay people could not claim their legal rights; the person who was injured was forced to remain anonymous because he is gay.
We feel the oppression at every level, especially since we have been denied the means and modes of justice.
HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN AT K.U.?
In large part the blame for what happened Wednesday night rests upon the administration of this university. By denying the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front recognition as a student organization and forcing the gay people of this campus to spend countless hours of their time, effort, and energies preparing a court case and raising hundreds and hundreds of dollars for legal defense costs the university administration is to blame. To achieve the type of changes that must come about, GAY PEOPLE MUST DEAL WITH PEOPLE—NOT JUST THE COURTS. Yet, because of the university's actions we now find ourselves spending out last hours and our last dime fighting for recognition in the courts. The primary purpose of the Gay Liberation Front is one of education—meeting with classes and groups of people to provide them with the information necessary for an understanding of gay people. We must do this to replace what in most people is an irrational fear of gay people. This is illustrated by last night's events.
Wednesday night the Lay Liberation Front had a dance in the Ballroom of the Kansas Union to raise money for (guess what?) the legal defense fund. Dances for us are no easy matter. We are only able to reserve a room in the Union for seven days in advance, and must pay for their use, unlike recognized campus organizations. Because of this, dances for the Gay Community are a rare affair.
During the dance Wednesday night we were hassled continually by the students in the Union.
...Early in the dance a group of 12-15 students forced their way into the Ballroom without paying. After standing in the back of the room for about four or five minutes, they turned around and left.
...Jeering spectators lined the balcony of the Ballroom in an attempt to intimidate the gay students who were at the dance.
...Early in the evening a student grabbed a dollar from the cashbox and ran.
...Finally a group of four or five students grabbed the cashbox containing approximately $75 and beat up the gay student who tried to stop them.
Anyone who thinks that what happened last night was merely the result of institutional mis-scheduling is either naïve or manifesting a not-to0-subtle kind of sexism. We should be able to meet in the Union at any time regardless of what other groups are present in the building.
We feel that non-recognition is the biggest cause of this. We are hard workers—we want to educate the students of this university to the minimum level of humanity that it takes to come to a Gay Liberation Dance without harassing, pushing around, and robbing gay people.
But why should we alone have to push the case for gay students? Why have you (the administration) never said anything to us? No other minority groups get official silence form your office. When you speak of minority groups why is it that the second-largest minority in America—the minority of gay people—is never mentioned?
Wednesday night was a microcosm of the whole world of oppression suffered by Gay People on this campus. All the elements were there—
...Gay people were taunted by their peers
...Gay people were threatened by their peers
...Gay people were robbed
...Gay people could not claim their legal rights; the person who was injured was forced to remain anonymous because he is gay.
We feel the oppression at every level, especially since we have been denied the means and modes of justice.
HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN AT K.U.?
In large part the blame for what happened Wednesday night rests upon the administration of this university. By denying the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front recognition as a student organization and forcing the gay people of this campus to spend countless hours of their time, effort, and energies preparing a court case and raising hundreds and hundreds of dollars for legal defense costs the university administration is to blame. To achieve the type of changes that must come about, GAY PEOPLE MUST DEAL WITH PEOPLE—NOT JUST THE COURTS. Yet, because of the university's actions we now find ourselves spending out last hours and our last dime fighting for recognition in the courts. The primary purpose of the Gay Liberation Front is one of education—meeting with classes and groups of people to provide them with the information necessary for an understanding of gay people. We must do this to replace what in most people is an irrational fear of gay people. This is illustrated by last night's events.
Wednesday night the Lay Liberation Front had a dance in the Ballroom of the Kansas Union to raise money for (guess what?) the legal defense fund. Dances for us are no easy matter. We are only able to reserve a room in the Union for seven days in advance, and must pay for their use, unlike recognized campus organizations. Because of this, dances for the Gay Community are a rare affair.
During the dance Wednesday night we were hassled continually by the students in the Union.
...Early in the dance a group of 12-15 students forced their way into the Ballroom without paying. After standing in the back of the room for about four or five minutes, they turned around and left.
...Jeering spectators lined the balcony of the Ballroom in an attempt to intimidate the gay students who were at the dance.
...Early in the evening a student grabbed a dollar from the cashbox and ran.
...Finally a group of four or five students grabbed the cashbox containing approximately $75 and beat up the gay student who tried to stop them.
Anyone who thinks that what happened last night was merely the result of institutional mis-scheduling is either naïve or manifesting a not-to0-subtle kind of sexism. We should be able to meet in the Union at any time regardless of what other groups are present in the building.
We feel that non-recognition is the biggest cause of this. We are hard workers—we want to educate the students of this university to the minimum level of humanity that it takes to come to a Gay Liberation Dance without harassing, pushing around, and robbing gay people.
But why should we alone have to push the case for gay students? Why have you (the administration) never said anything to us? No other minority groups get official silence form your office. When you speak of minority groups why is it that the second-largest minority in America—the minority of gay people—is never mentioned?