Newsgroups: bit.listserv.gaynet
Date:         Tue, 1 Sep 1992 10:04:51 -0400
From:         gaynet@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Subject:      GayNet Digest Volume 5 Issue 671

In this issue:
                         OLTL, Thursday, Aug 27
                           the village people
                        ROTC:  It's Outta Here!
                                  C&M

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From: manz@ee.ualberta.ca (Brett {Druid Queen} Manz)
Subject: OLTL, Thursday, Aug 27
Summary: Plot synopsis for Thursday, Aug 27
Keywords: soap, OLTL, plot
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
Date: 	Mon, 31 Aug 1992 23:27:32 -0600


Well it's really late, but I wanna get this finished.  So I put on a pot of
coffee, set my computer up next to my bed (I'm glad I got that 12 foot
extension cable for my keyboard!), and here we go...


Thursday, Aug 27

  Joey and Billy are discussing Billy's plans to leave town.  "I know what I'm
doing," says Billy.  "What I have to do is put as much distance between my
parents and me as I can."  He pauses.  "Go ahead, tell me it's stupid."

  "I'm not going to tell you that," says Joey.  "I'm thinking maybe I'll go
with you.  You're not the only one with parents on his case."

  Billy becomes quite excited by this news.  "This is great man!  We'll leave
together. We'll go to New York, get jobs. Big Apple, here we come, baby!"

  At this point Alana walks in.  "What's going on guys?"

[Ed Note:  I noticed that Alana has a red ribbon pinned on the front of her
 dress.  In fact several of the characyrs have.]

  "Great news Alana," says Billy.  "We're leaving Lanview, Joey and me.  The
sooner the better, right Joe?"

  Alana doesn't look happy about this, and Joey looks like he might be
reconsidering.

  Meanwhile, Andrew is still getting the snot kicked out of him.  Sloan
shows up, bounces the guy off Andrew, and y\takes a fighting stance.  The
guy runs off.

  Sloan bends down to help Andrew, who is pretty rough looking.  Sloan looks
really pissed.

  He helps Andrew back into the rectory.  Andrew thanks him for the rescue.

  "The man was a coward," Sloan says.  "Anyone could have done it.  Why won't
you defend yourself?  If you plan to take on this whole town you have to
plan to fight!  Not roll up in a ball like a sissy!"

  Vicki comes in.  She sees Andrew's distressed appearance and freaks out a
little.  "Andrew!  My God, what happened?"

  "He was attacked," says Sloan, "and he wouldn't defend himself.  Because
he's too nice, he's too sweet!  What's the matter with you?  Once in your
life will you stand up like a man William!?"  [Ah-hah!]

  "Is that what you wanted to say to him all these years dad?  Is that what
you wanted to tell your son, William?  That he wasn't a `real man'?"

  Vicki offers to take Andrew to the hospital.  He refuses.  "I don't have
time.  The Names Project Quilt is coming today, and I have to get ready."

  He concedes to let her clean him up a bit.

  Sloan asks himself "What's wrong with you Carpenter?  You can't even keep
their names straight.  What's wrong?"  He sits down, looking at William's
panel.  "Oh, William, William.  My God, what have I done to you son?"


  Back to the theatre.  "There's nothing left to keep me here," says Billy.

  "But your mom says she wants you to come home," says Alana.  "She says you
can work it out no matter what."

  "That's what she says," counters Billy.  "My dad on the other hand has
other ideas."  He shows her the letter in the paper.

  "Your dad wrote this?" she asks incredulously.

  "A real concerned citizen, huh?  The only good homo is a dead homo."

  "He doesn't say that."

  "That's what he means!  Alana, how can I go home to that?  My mom pulling
me from one side, my dad pushing me away from the other.  Who needs it?"

  "And you Joey?" asks Alana.  "There's nothing more for you to be here
either?"

  "Billy," says Joey.  "I need a minute alone with Alana."

  "Sure," says Billy, and he leaves the room.

  "Why, Joey?" she asks.

  "You heard what he said."

  "I'm asking *you*."

  "My family hasn't been much better than his lately.  Kevin is turning into
some clone of my Grandpa Aisa.  my mom hasn't been the same ever since Megan
died, and my dad has been brutal.  In his book I can't do anything right."

  "I think you're making way too much of this."

  "You've seen him.  He treats me like I'm just some kid he can order around."

  "You are his kid."

  "I'm his *son*!  I'm not his pet chihuahua.  He practically commanded me
to join him at the ranch."

  "That doesn't mean you have to run away!"

  "He wouldn't care.  Nobody would care.  They're just too wrapped up in their
own problems."

  "Not everybody Joey."

  "Would you care?  If I left?"

  "What do you think?"

  "I'm sorry, I..."

  "I really thought we were close Joey.  I though we really understood each
other.  I guess I was imagining the whole thing, huh?"

  "You weren't imagining anything."  He kisses her.  A lot.

  "Joey don't go please."  They continue kissing.

  Billy walks in, sees them kissing and realizes that Joey isn't going to
go with him after all.  He walks out without saying anything, looking very
dejected and hurt.

  Cut over to the country club.  Cassie is talking to Beau (a supporter
of Andrew.)  They're worried about Andrew, and the quilt ceremony.

[Cassie and Beau are both wearing red ribbons.]

  "What kind of town is this?" asks Cassie.  "They say the want leadership.
Someone with values, and courage.  As soon as Andrew stands up they can't
wait to shoot him down."

  One of the nasty people from the church board overhears this last remark
and comes over to Cassie.  "I beg your pardon Miss Callason, but what you
call `moral courage' some of us call corruption," she says.

  "I was not asking your opinion, Mrs. McNamara," Cassie retorts.  "This is
a private conversation.  Some things are private, believe it or not."

  Beau suggests they go elsewhere.  "No," says Cassie.  "We were here first.
If people object, they can find somewhere else to preach."

  "Good idea," says Mrs. McNamara.  "Tell your beloved Reverend Carpenter.
He seems willing to preach his heresey whether anyone's listening or not."

  She turns to leave, but Cassie chases after her.  Beau suggests perhaps
this isn't the place for a confrontation like this.

  "This is as good a place as any," says Cassie.  "Mrs. McNamara and her crew
have made their opinions heard, why shouldn't I?"

  "Oh, Cassie darling," says the facetious cow.  "We know what your opinions
are.  Whatever the good Reverend says, or the good reverend does."

  "I am not the puppet, Mrs. McNamara," says Cassie.  "You are.  And all the
rest of you mouthing your sanctimonious bull!  You can shut off Andrew's
power, you can turn off his phone.  You can even lock him out of his church!
But you will never scare him.  And you'll never, ever, silence him."

  The buttwad, Walter Douglas, comes in at this point.  "I seem to notice
you're up on your soapbox, Miss Callason," he says.  "Mind if I throw in my
two cents?"

  "Mr. Douglas, let's just lower the volume," says Beau.

  "Why don't you tell Carpenter to lower his volume?" says the buttwad.  "Or
better yet, tell him to shut up."

  "Is that another threat Mr. Douglas?" asks Cassie.  "Well you can forget it.
Andrew will never back down."

  "He'd better.  For his sake.  'Cause he's not going to have a congregation
to preach to."

  Back to the rectory.  Sloan is still looking at the panel.  Particularly
the part that depicts Andrew and William flying kites.  He flashes back again
to the incident where he is chastising a toung (8 or 9) William for breaking
a kite.  The memory is obviously painful.  He begins crying and hugs the quilt
close to him.

  Vicki walks in and sees him.  He quickly tries to regain his composure.
"I felt a little dizzy," he says.

  "Was it the fight that Andrew had?" Vicki asks.  "Is that what upset you?"

  "It was something... silly," he says.  "Something came over me, I don't
know what."

  "I do," says Vicki.  "You never had a chance to mourn for your son."

  "Yes, I did," Sloan replies.  "There was the funeral, the graveside
service..."

  "No, those are ceremonies, and you are very good at ceremonies.  But day
to day, and week to week you never let yourself grieve for him."

  "It doesn't help."

  "I think it does.  I think if you hold those feeling in too long they start
to eat away at you, until..."

  "Until it kills me?  Another thing I'm responsible for?  My death?"

  "You are not dead.  You are very much alive."

  "Is that why there's so much pain?"

  "Some pain is good."

  "I think I've had enough to last me a lifetime."

  "I think I know how to make this pain go away.  Go to the Quilt with
Andrew.  Help him lay William's panel next to the others.  Bury your son."

  "I wish it were so easy."

  "It could be."

  "No... no."

  "What is it with you Sloan Carpenter?  Why do I have this impulse to...  I
look at you and you are so strong.  But there's something broken inside you.
And if only I understood it,  I might know how to fix it."

  Back to the theatre.  Billy walks back in.  "So, it's decided," he says
as if nothing has changed.  "We go to New York."

  "Maybe I didn't think this through," says Joey.  "Maybe you didn't either."

  "What's there to think through?"

  "New York is a big place.  It's ascary place too."

  "You're scared?"

  "Yeah, as a matter of fact I am."

  "Billy," says Alana, "you can't just land in New York with no place to
stay..."

  "Did you put him up to this?" he asks her.

  "I can think for myself Billy," says Joey.  "We'll get eaten alive in New
York.  And even if we do make it, our friends are back here.  We belong here."

  "No, *you* belong here!"

  "I'm thinking what's right for both of us."

  "Well don't think for me, allright?!"  Billy starts collecting his things.
"I thought you understood, but you're just like everybody else!"

  "That's not fair," says Alana.

  "Look at you," says Billy.  "The happy couple.  You've got each other, you've
got your cosy little families, you nice homes..."

  "You've got us," interrupts Joey.

  "You don't get it, do you?" replies Billy.  "I've got *me*.  And that's it."

  "Part of me wants to go with you, Billy.  We're friends, we stick together.
But Alana is my friend too, and so is the Reverend."

  "So you're staying here for them."

  "And myself. I don't wanna run away just 'cause things are tough now. I
don't think you do either."

  "You think wrong.  I can't go on the rest of my life being on the
outside looking in.  I'm sick of feeling like a freak all the time."

  "Is that how we make you feel?" asks Alana.

  "No," he replies.  "Not you guys.  But everybody else in this..."

  "Wait a minute," interrupts Joey.  "Since when do you care about everybody
else?  You're Billy Douglas.  Captain of the swim team.  President of your
class."

  "But they don't see *me*!  They don't know *who* I am!  They don't know
*what* I am!  I can be in the middle of a crowd, after a meet, everybody
around me patting me on the back cheering me on.  That only makes it
worse.  In a crowd of people is where I feel totally alone.  And I can't
take it anymore, allright?!"

[Boy, this really struck a nerve with me!]

  "Maybe you're not alone," says Alana.  "I bet there are kids in this town
who would love to come out.  Maybe even at the community center.  Maybe
they're just too afraid."

  "I know that feeling," says Billy. [Don't we all?]

  "Well then maybe your the one to lead them," suggests Joey.

  "Do you know what you're saying Joey?"

  "Yeah, I know what I'm saying.  I'm saying it's easy to go to New York
or San Fransisco and be open about who you are.  But to stand up here in
Lanview, where everybody knows your name and your face, now that takes
real guts."

  "Stay here Billy," says Alana.  "Come to the Quilt ceremony.  let other
kids know that it is safe to be who they are."

  "It's *not* *safe*!" says Billy.  "What's it going to take to convince
you guys?  More rocks through windows?  More threats?  More smoke bombs?
I don't want to go on the rest of my life fighting to be who I am!
That's why I'm leaving.  Now."

  He picks up his stuff and turns to leave.

  "What about your mom and dad?" asks Joey.

  "Like they care whether or not I live or die," says Billy.  "You saw my
dad's letter."

  "Yeah, I did," says Joey.  "I also saw your mom's"

  Back to the rectory.

  Vicki says  "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's causing the pain."

  "It's my pain," says Sloan.  "Battle scars.  I deserve it."

  "No.  No one deserves to hurt like that.  Tell me, please."

  Andrew walks in.  "I'm happy to announce this patient eill live," he says.

  "Well that's very good news," says Vicki.  "But I still think that I
should take you to the doctor."

  "No," he says.  "Thanks to you and a lot of aspirins I'm feeling a lot
better.  And I do have to get ready for the Quilt."

  "You plan to go on with this?" askas Sloan.

  "Dad, what do you want me to do?  Do you want me to let the guy who
jumped me have the last word, and prove that might is right?

  "I think your father means to postpone it until you're feeling
better," says Vicki.

  "Not postpone it, cancel it!"

  "I'm not going to.  Do you want me to quit?"

  "You're wounded now.  It could be worse next time."

  "Dad, don't you want me to fight?  Is that what the Carpenters stand for?
When the going gets tough, the tough get lost?   All my life you told me and
William to fight.  So here I am.  I'm standing on my feet.  I'm fighting."

  "I can't talk to you.  You twist everything."  Sloan turns to leave.

  "Dad, wait.  I'm not making fun of you.  I'm trying to show you that there
is another person in the family that will stand and fight for what they
believe in."

  "It's not just standing up that counts!  It's what you stand up for!"

  "Is that why you came this morning?  Is that why you stayed to help me?"

  "I stayed to make sure you were allright.  Now that I see you''l live
I'll tell you what I was going to say.  Under no circumstance wiil I be
part of this quilt ceremony.  If you want to make a mockery of your
brother's name it's on your head."  He leaves.

  "I'm sorry Andrew," says Vicki.  "I tried to talk to him."

  "It's not going to help.  You heard him."

  "Maybe I hear something you don't," she says.  "I'm going to try again."
She follows after him.

  The church fascists are metting to plan their attack on Andrew and the
Quilt.  They bandy about questions of Andrew's mental health.

  "He's as sane as any of us," says Virginia.  "More than some."

  As they talk, Billy walks in and hides behind some plants.  He listens
to Walter denegrate Andrew, blaming him for making his son think he's Gay.

  Walter closes the meeting with "We're agreed.  No more half measures.  We
get rid of the man whatever it takes."

  Billy takes off.

  Back at the rectory, Cassie comes in and seriously freaks out whens she
sees the abrasions and bruises on his face.  He tries to convince her that
it was an accident, then a mugging.  She isn't fooled, but she is worried.

  Back at Sloan's place, he is going through some pictures of William.  Vicki
comes in.  "Sloan, are you allright?"

  "Yes," he replies, stashing the pictures away.  "I'm sorry I left so
abruptly.  Andrew and I, you know how that is."

  "No," she says.  "For all of our conversations, I don't.  Not completely.
What are you looking at?"

  "Mementos from battles lost," he says, and tries to change the subject.

  "They're photographs," Vicki says, refusing to let him.

  "Shall we take a walk?" he asks, trying again.

  "No," she says, resolutely sticking to it.  "There are a lot of photographs.
And they're all of William.  My dear friend Sloan Carpenter, you are a fraud."

  "I beg your pardon..."

  "You're telling the world that you have forgotten William and there he is.
His whole life, from childhood to manhood,  Is that the lost battle you
were talking about?"

  "It's that damn quilt of Andrew's.  It caused some painful memories.  I dug
up the photographs, I thought I'd give them to him.  I don't want them."

  "Is that why you've kept them all these years?"

  "A man keeps a lot of things.  Old baseball cards, medals..."

  "And the memory of a lost son.  One you've tried to forget but can't"

  "you're making much too much ."

  "Why can't you say it Sloan?  You're holding on to a secret that's breaking
your heart.  It's killing you.  You have to let it go."

  Back at the rectory, while Andrew tries to calm Cassie, they notice a
commotion outside.  "I think it's the Quilt," says Andrew.

  It is, in fact, the Quilt.  The various sections of it, all rooled up, are
being carted out onto the lawn.  The angry mod stands by, chattering
 disaprovingly, harassing the bearers.

  "I's time Cassie," says Andrew.  "No turning back now."


Wow.  This one took a long time.  Any typos can be directly attributed ti
sleep deprivation. :-)  The next one is going to very long.  Virtually the
entire show was dedicated to the Quilt and the ceremony.  There's a lot
of details I wanna get in.  Simmilarly with Monday's.



-
---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
 My opinions are my own.         |  You can't be proud of who you are
 The truth belongs to everyone.  |  if you're ashamed of what you are.
 Civil Rights Are For Queers!    |  Cruise Men, Not Missiles! - anon

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 92 08:43:01 -0400
From: info-25@info.umd.edu
Subject: the village people

on a tv show the other, there was alittle clip about the comeback of the
village people. during this clip, they mentioned that the song
ymca was really popular, even though it had thinly veiled references to
gay stereotypes. as i am just a youngin', and don't remember the song very
well, could anyone enlighten me as to what these references were, and
were they good or bad references? thank you.

paula

------------------------------

Subject: ROTC:  It's Outta Here!
From: Larry Bliss <BLISS%MAINE.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Date:    Tue, 01 Sep 92 09:07:22 EDT

Finally, after working on this for over a year, the headline in the
Portland Press-Herald screams this morning: "USM Drops ROTC Contract,
Cites Military's Ban On Homosexuals."

"Students attending the University of Southern Maine will no longer be
able to get an education financed by the U.S. Army.  USM President
Richard Pattenaude said Monday he decided to cut the university's ties
to ROTC because of the military's ban on homosexuals..."

This is a direct confrontation with the Board of Trustees, who refused
to take this same action last semester, after the Faculty Senate, the
Student Senate, and the Professional Staff Senate all passed resolutions
demanding that ROTC go.

Now if I could just get the newspaper to say the word "gay" . . .
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*

Lawrence Bliss, Director/Advising and Career Services   | Live your life
University of Southern Maine                            |     as an
96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103                  |   exclamation,
(207) 780-4199                                          |     not an
BITNET: BLISS@MAINE.MAINE.EDU                           |   explanation!
        Bliss%Maine.Bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu

------------------------------

Date:         Tue, 1 Sep 92  09:04:11 CDT
From: jjscally <JJSCALLY%UKANVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject:      C&M

BRAVO, Cindy and Maureen, on your choice--and multiple snaps down
(from a gay father) to anyone who says otherwise.  You can do without
those folks in your life.  Since coming out, I've encountered mainly
indifference among my gay friends about the fact that I have children
(daughter 21, son 16).  I think it is because for most of them it is
an alien idea.  They don't have children and don't expect to, so they
just don't bring it up as my strait friends do.  Some do, of course.
Last year I was on a panel of gay parents at a meeting of our GBL
student group.  5 other gay fathers and a lesbian mother showed up to
give us moral support.  At the end of the discussion, one of the women
asked the students how many wanted to be parents.  Fully 2/3 of the
men and a little over half the women raised their hands.  I was amazed,
and sad that our adoption laws continue to make it impossible for most
of the men to realize that dream.  From what I've observed, one of
your biggest problems will be keeping all those aunts and uncles from
spoiling your child.
     There will be others, of course, and you will encounter some
potentially ferocious hostility.  Lesbian friends of mine (2 couples)
have sat down with daycare and public school teachers to explain that
they are co-parents and are to be treated as such.  They have gotten
guarantees from teachers that no disparaging remarks will be allowed.
In one case, the girls have two mothers and a father who lives here
in town.  In the other, the son has two mothers and a deceased father
(artificial insemination, the donor a gay man).  That's how it is
explained to the children, and that's how they explain it to their
peers, many of whom are jealous because they onlyhave one Mom!
    Be strong, friends.  You are bringing into the world a child who
will be blessed with a very special life.  "Friends" who can't or
won't see that aren't worth worrying about.

Jim Scally
U of Kansas

------------------------------

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