The Body Politic (a magazine for Gay Liberation)
Periodical profile published 1981
Publisher: The Body Politic Collective, Toronto, Canada
Year Published: 1981
Pages: 48pp Resource Type: Serial Publication (Periodical)
Cx Number: CX2177
The Body Politic, a magazine for gay liberation is produced ten times a year by The Body Politic Collective, a group of people who give their time and labour to the production of the magazine.
Abstract:
The Body Politic, a magazine for gay liberation is produced ten times a year by The Body Politic Collective, a group of people who give their time and labour to the production of the magazine. This issue contains feature stories, analysis of the news, articles on the image of gays in the arts, and classified ads.
An article called, "Gay in Columbia" reports on the isolation and frustration of gas in that country. There are no gay clubs and one gay person was reported to be unaware of the existence of gay publications or a movement for gay liberation. Oppressive laws, police brutality, religious guilt and fear of losing one's job are common problems. But it is also reported that the Columbian gay movement has seen remarkable growth in the past year. Two years ago a consciousness-raising group was founded and although its meetings were secret, news spread by word of mouth. Today it is immensely popular. It was this group which spawned the collective of "Ventana Gay", the country's first regular gay magazine. Gay encounter groups have formed in several cities, and
Bogata now boasts a Gay Alcoholics Anonymous and a Gay Esperanto Group as well as the Ventana collective.
This issue of the Body Politic contains an analysis of the recent Toronto civic elections where an openly gay candidate, George Hislop, ran for alderman but was defeated. The author points out that Hislop's 7483 votes indicate that being openly gay is not a political albatross. He argues that the election taught the gay community that it is possible to make gay people think about electoral issues as gay people and that many people can be involved in a political process (nearly 300 worked regularly on the Hislop campaign). According to the author, Hislop's assistant campaign manager summed up the feelings of the gay community when he said, "We'll be back - again and again and again. This city has just begun to know about us."
A "Community Page" provides a listing (including addresses) of more than 200 gay action groups, support groups and publications, all of which "direct themselves toward alleviating or struggling against gay oppression" in Canada.
Subject Headings
