From: fjvwing@cs.vu.nl (FJ!!)
Subject: Re: OLTL
Organization: Fac. Wiskunde & Informatica, VU, Amsterdam
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 14:31:24 GMT

I wanted to second that. I too thank the people that brough the
sinopsys and other stuff to me (in fact, Brett, I tried mailing you,
but it bounced).

You've managed to get me hooked on a soap I can't even see from here in
the Netherlands. It's...bizarre.
							FJ!!

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

Date: 08 Sep 1992 10:57:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: SRHODES@smith.smith.edu
Subject: LESBIAN MOMS ARE THE BEST
Mime-Version: 1.0

THANK YOU to cindy and all the others posting about our wonderful L/B/G families
just a comment to those who think that having queer parents is an unfair
burden to put on a child - LIFE is hard, but we all get over THAT, don't we?!?
I was raised by two WONDERFUL lesbian moms since i was six and look where it
got me - queer and proud! but seriously, those who think that having queer
parents is too hard on kids should think again. what counts is the quality
of the parent - child relationship. personaly, i'd rather have a queer mom
than a republikkkan one!:):) Anyway! good luck to cindy & mo with the kid,
and more power to all queer parents! we ARE the future!
				Satya (a shameless hussy at Smith)
PS: VOTE!VOTE!VOTE!VOTE!VOTE!VOTE! we CAN make a difference!!!!!

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

Date: 8 Sep 92 08:34:13
From: CJones <CJones.MAILROOM@wylbur.ucla.edu>
Subject: USA Weekend Poll, et al.

                      USA Weekend Poll, et al.
Remember a couple-o-weeks ago, there was a poll in USA Weekend, that cheesy
Sunday newspaper insert for those papers who don't have their own Sunday
magazine, about gays in the military.  They took the first 10,000 calls and
over 200,000 postcards, which was a number second only to a poll on Hollywood
violence.  The results were rather disheartening: 67% said to keep the ban, 33%
said to drop it.  There was a disclaimer attatched that said that scientific
polls indicate that Americans favor dropping the ban, and that this was not a
scientific poll.  In next weeks issue: letters regarding the issue.

As for Ron Buckmire's comment about AB 3019, I saw in one of the local gay
papers that it was also sent to Wilson.  It was reportedly a carbon-copy of
AB101.  Since I've only seen this report from once source, I don't know how
accurate it is.

The new TV Guide (with Joan Lunden on the cover) has an article on Don Wildmon
and the American Family Association.  Wildmon has a newsletter which names the
"Pro-Homosexual Sponsor of the Month."  Anyone know who these advertisers have
been in the past, and/or how I can get on the AFA mailing list without having
to give him some money?

 Chad Jones
 UCLA Department of Physiological Science
 cjones@kines.ucla.edu

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

From: manz@ee.ualberta.ca (Brett {Druid Queen} Manz)
Subject: OLTL, Tuesday, Sept 1 - Friday, Sept 4
Summary: Plot synopsis for OLTL for the week of Sept 1 thru Sept 4
Keywords: soap, OLTL, plot
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
Date: 	Tue, 8 Sep 1992 09:38:51 -0600

Here's the first of the now weekly updates for OLTL and the ongoing
saga of Billy Douglas.



  In Tuesday's episode, we see Billy and Virginia returning home from
the church.  "It is so good to have you home again," says Virginia.

  "I missed it," says Billy.  "I missed you guys."

  As they approach the front door they notice a suitcase standing on
the porch.  "You and dad going somewhere?" asks Billy.

  "Not that I know of," answers Virginia.  She opens the door and calls
for Walter.

  He is standing in the foyer, facing the front door.  He's been drinking.

  "Whose are those things out front?" she asks him.

  "They're your son's," he replies.  "I packed for him."

  "Packed?" asks a puzzled Virginia.  "Why?"

  "'Cause he's not welcome in this house anymore," declares Walter.
"That's why."

  Virginia is still puzzled.  "I don't seem to have your beloved Rev.
Carpenter's way with words," says Walter facetiously.  "You two don't
seem to understand what I'm talking about."

  "No, I think I understand, dad," says Billy.  "You don't want a
pervert messing up your home."

  "This is *our home," says Virginia.  "Billy's and yours and mine."

  "Nope.  Sorry," says Walter.  "Not after what he did today."

  "What Billy did today took a tremendous amount of courage."

  "Stand up in front of a group of people - a group of our friends -
and happily proclaim himself a pervert?  That doesn't take courage.
It certainly takes a lack of shame.  A hell of a lot of nerve.  Which
apparently he gets from his mother's side of the family."

  "What is that supposed to mean?"

  "I dunno.  I guess maybe I just felt lonely up there today.  A little
betrayed.  When my only son happily brags about being a homosexual."

  "Dad," says Billy, "I wan't bragging..."

  "And you," Walter continues, "leave my side and go stand next to him."

  "No.  I wasn't betraying you Walter," says Virginia.

  "It's like Billy sticks the knife in and leaves it there, and you give
it a little twist, you know?  I don't know how I'm going to forgive you
for this."

  "What Billy did was to stand up for a friend.  Andrew Carpenter helped
him out when he needed help, and Billy was returning the favour.  Very
gallantly and, yes, very bravely.  In a way that made me realize what
my duty to my son was."

  "What's that?" asks Walter.  "To embrace perversion and betrayal?"

  "To accept him for who he is," Virginia says.  "Whatever he is."

  "He is sick!" declares Walter.

  "We have to accept him as he is, because we have to love him."

  "I don't," says Walter.  "The rules have changed. If Billy is not
the boy I thought he was then all bets are off, and somebody is going
to have to leave this hose."  Walter goes upstairs.  Virginia goes
up after him.

  When they come back down they find Billy going through the suitcase.
"You over packed," he says, tossing things out.

  "I guess I've been living with your mother too long," says Walter.
[ Truer words are rarely spoken! ]

  "Billy," says Virginia, "what are you doing?"

  "Well," says Billy, "these jeans and sweatshirts I can use.  But the
dress clothes you bought me, just to look good at the country club, I
just don't have any..."

  "You don't have to do this, sweetheart," says Virginia, putting stuff
back into the case.  "Now you take this suitcase and trunk back up to
your room, and I'll put everything away later."

  "Mom, I'm gonna need some of this junk when I'm on my way."

  "Why?  You're not going anywhere."

  "Dad said somebody has got to leave the house, right?  So I flipped
a coin in my head, and guess what?  It came up me."

  Billy stands up and faces his father.  "I'll go," he says.

  He holds up a trophy he took from the trunk.  "Tennis trophy anyone?"
he asks.  "No?" he answers himself and smashes the trophy to the
floor.

  Virginia gives out a startled scream.  "Billy!" she says.  "You've
broken it!"

  "Satisfied?" asks Walter.  "Is that what you wanted to do?  Make
your mother cry?"

  Billy returns to the trunk, and continues sorting through it.

  "Do you remember when you won this?" asks Virginia, as she picks up the
broken trophy.  "You were so proud of it."

  Billy comes back up from the trunk with a book.  "Photo album, anyone?
Pricless record of family trips!"  He slams it down angrily on a table.

  "Knock it off!" yells Walter.

  "Fine!" Billy yells back.  He slams the trunk closed.  "I'll get the
rest of this stuff when I'm out of here, and I'm going *now!"  He picks
up the suitcase.

  Virginia grabs his arm, and says "Put that down."  He struggles a bit.
"Put it DOWN!" she yells, tearing the suitcase from his grip and tossing
it across the room, where it lands and spills open at Walter's feet.

  She turn to face him.  "Allow me," he says and begins gathering the
contents back into the case.

  "If you want to pack a suitcase, Walter," she says to him, "I suggest
you pack your own."

  "What, are you hysterical?" he asks.

  "No," she says.  "I'm not hysterical.  But I'm going to be if my
only son is forced to leave his home!  If you can't accept him - if
you can't accept my love for him - then I think you'd better be the
one to think about leaving."

  Walter grabs his forehead and asks "Who are you people?"

  "I guess I might as well leave," he continues.  "My wife and kid have
allready gone and left whoever you two people are."  He begins leafing
through the photo album.  "You know, it's funny.  You look just like
them."

  "See this?" he says, pointing to one of the pictures.  "This bunch of
happy campers at Yellowstone beside Old Faithful.  That can't be you.
You're a couple of strangers."

  "You know dad," says Billy, "I remeber the exact day you took that
picture.  Old Faithful was just about to blow, and there we were.
Then these two guys walked by.  You know, maybe touching each other
a little too much, talking a little too loud.  Do you remember what
you said dad?  `Good God!  You can't get away from the homos, can
you Virginia?  Even out in the wild!'  And then you told me and mom
to smile.  You know what I'm thinking in that picture dad?  `Gee dad.
If you only knew.'  Understand, dad?  I've always been a stranger."


We now move on to Thursday's show.  Billy and Virginia are having
dinner at the club.

  "You'll have to give him time, Billy," says Virginia.

  "I'm trying, mom," says Billy.  "But if you hadn't gotten me out of
there tonight I was going to explode.  Why does he accept me there if
he hates me so much>"

  "He doesn't hate you.  I think maybe he's afraid for you, or afraid
of you."

  "Mom, I'm his son.  He doesn't have to be ..."

  "Billy, you defied him.  You challenged his authority.  You stood
before everyone at the quilt ceremony and told them our dark family
secret."

  "It was *my secret, mom.  It was also my choice to come out, and
quit lying about it.  I guess I knew that would hurt dad, but I
hoped... that maybe he'd be glad I was being honest.  Pretty stupid,
huh?"

  "I don't know, Billy.  On some level I think he's glad.  I also
think he envies you your courage and honesty."

  "Mom, I don't want dad's envy.  I just want his..."

  "I know.  So do I.  But this is very hard for him to accept.  I
think he feels as though he's been a failure somehow."

  "The he must think that I'm a failure.  He's been OK to you
hasn't he?  I mean, my being at home hasn't changed things between
you has it?"

  Virginia looks uncomfotable.  She changes the subject.  "Let's talk
about school.  Are you and Joey planning any activities together this
year?  Sports?  Clubs?"

  "I hope so.  Of cousre he'll be spending a lot of his time with
Alana."

  "He and Alana make an adorable couple, don't you think?"

  "Don't I think what?"

  "That Joey and Alana are very cute together?"

  "Is that what you're really thinking mom?  Or do you just wish I was
normal like Joey?"

  "I know it's like theres no solid ground underfoot.  Everything's
shifting, uncertain."

  "For you too, huh?"

  "I used to be Walter Douglas' wife,  Billy Douglas' mom.  I never
had to stand up to anyone, challenge authority.  To think for myslef."

  "Well, I'm very proud of you mom."

  "You're a sweety," she says and squeezes his hand.  "Thinkng about
defying your father was horrifying.  It seemed impossible.  But doing it
really wasn't that hard."

  "Why did you do it?  What made the difference?"

  "You.  I love your father very much.  He's a very complicated man.
He's not the angry opinionated person that you've come to know.  But
you - you're my son.  You're a part of me.  And I couldn't turn my
back on you no matter who asked me to.  Even your own father."

  "Well here we are mom.  Strangers in our own home.  Eating meals at
the country club to keep out of dad's way.  Is it ever going to be like
it used to be?"

  "When we didn't have to think about things so much?  I hope so.  You
know thinking about things sometimes isn't so bad.  There's a friend of
mine, Mimi Coopersmith - who was very impressed with you at the quilt
ceremony, by the way.  She was talking to me about a therapist..."

  "Therapist?" Billy asks, sounding nervous.

  "Who specializes in teenage problems.  He did wonderful things for
her nephew.  A very successful treatment, she said."

  "Hold on," says Billy, getting angry.  "Successful treatment?  What's
thatr mean?  I'm not sick."

  "I know that Billy.  I didn't mean..."

  "Mom, I'm gay.  I'm not contagious, and I don't need to be treated.
I'm not screwed up in the head.  This is me, your son."

  "But you were telling me how things were so uncertain for you.  That
everything was up for grabs...  I only thought that if you talked to
someone and tried to straighten things..."

  "Talk?  Or successfult treatment?  Which one.  Because I'm not sick,
and I don't need to be treated.  I thought you understood that, but
obviously you don't."  He gets up from the table.  "You just don't
get it do you?"

  "Billy..."

  "I'm gay, and I'm your son.  This is me.  If you can't accept that..."
He runs out of the club without finishing.


hat's it for this week.  Until next week though, I leave you with a
little article that was published in the local TV magazine.

===========

Connie Passalacqua
United Media

  We met Ryan Phillippe, the 17-year-old actor who has made a splash as
Billy on One Life to Live, at the taping of the sequence involving the
Names Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt in Morristown, N.J.  This summer Billy
confessed to his parents that he is homosexual.

  Ohillippe, who says, "I went to a Baptist high school!  I never had
personal gay friends until I got into the business," recognizes how
special Billy's story is.

  "I feel a certain responsibility since I've taken the role, and I think
the show does too," Phillippe says, adding that he has been deluged with
mail.  "Out of 500 letters, only one has been negative.  That's not bad
at all.  Thirty percent of my mail has been from gay men and teens.  It's
really heavy stuff.  One said `I'm contemplating suicide, bit I'm waiting
till the end of the summer.'  I'm not a hero or anything, but I've taken
letters like this to a psychiatrist.  And I've sent out teen-crisis hotline
phone numbers."

============





-
---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
 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, 08 Sep 92 09:18:45 EDT
From: "AAKL000@CATCC.bitnet  Kevin S. Lowery Catonsville"
 <AAKL%CATCC.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: FAMILY VALUES

Did anyone get to hear ALL THINGS CONSIDERED on NPR this weekend?
They were supposed to have a special interview with a gay couple that
felt left out of the Republican's view of Family Values.  I was in the
car at the time and did not get to listen to it.  Any interesting
points?  Thanks in advance.

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

Date:         Tue, 08 Sep 92 11:06:42 MST
From: "Gabriel (in New Mexico)" <G9348712@nmsuvm1.NMSU.Edu>
Subject:      more sesquipedalianism

Well-known homosexualist (soi-disant) Gore Vidal comments in his introduction
to _The Golden Bowl_, by well-known closeted homosexualist Henry James that
one of James' more constant themes throughout his oeuvre was "the simultaneous
possession and ingestion of confectionery."
                                           Gabriel

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

Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 10:23:37 PDT
From: glen@citsrl.srl.caltech.edu (Glen Allbritton)
Subject: delete me

please remove me from your list as of 9-9-92. I have very much enjoyed
the listings.

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

From: "Kai-Joachim Kamrath x6425"  <KAI@berkp.uadv.uci.edu>
Organization: University Advancement, UC Irvine
Date:         8 Sep 92 11:19:56 GMT+800
Subject:      An ethics question

I received news today of the death of a former colleague of mine.  At the
time of his death he was president of a university.  The news release from
that university states that he "had been undergoing treatments for a form
of skin cancer."  Of course this is a euphemism for KS.

I find it deplorable that so many feel it necessary to carefully avoid the
A-word when referring to the deaths of well-known or well-respected closet
cases.  Yet at the same time, this isn't the time to insist that their
families endure even more pain.

Any advice?  Do I keep my mouth shut and pretend it was just some freak
skin cancer thing?  Or do I not hesitate to speak of it as another death
due to the AIDS epidemic?

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

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