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\lline{\bf Saturday, 22 October 88}

There's some new NBC TV series, made in San Francisco, ``Midnight�
Caller'', that aired starting 25 Oct. I don't have a TV so I know�
nothing about it. One particular episode will go like this:�
there's a nasty bisexual man who knows he's infected with the HIV�
virus, deliberately fucking and infecting his women lovers. (I�
suppose if he was fucking guys no one would care, so they made it�
women.)

The producer, John Perry, told the {\it Sentinel} (SF newspaper)�
``Every episode will leave you with a thought provoking�
process.'' I'm sure. (This is the same studio, Lorrimar, that�
brought you gems like ``Cruising'', another gay-exploitation�
movie.)

This is just too much. It's one too many outright assault. It's�
plain and simple, saying ``oh those AIDS faggots, see? this is�
what could happen, there are people like that out there!''. The�
argument is that since potentially {\it anyone} could do that�
(remember: we are all potential criminals at all times) we must�
control them, its for our own good, see.

\brk
\lline{\bf Saturday, 22 October 88}

This morning someone pointed a gun at me. He called me a�
``faggot''. (No, this is not an anti-gun article; I think�
everyone should have guns, except cops.)

My car was getting a new muffler (all by itself). I walked down�
to pick it up. I waited for the light; crossed Folsom St. Wait�
for the light; cross 5th St. (There's lots of traffic, see; new�
Nordstrum's opened, new consumer shrine only two blocks away.�
Billboards all over the city timed to the opening: ``THE FANTASY�
IS REAL'' (impressionist woman-with-wings) ``Dining, shopping at�
Nordstrum's'') Light changes, I walk, cars go. Late model clean�
bright red fashionable ``sporty'' toyocar makes left turn, behind�
me. I glance briefly at the car, absolutely ordinary event (safe�
distances, etc) 

The guy is looking at me. He says ``Fuck you faggot!'', so of�
course social obligation, I flip him off. He pulls into the bus�
stop, yelling ``come over here faggot!'', etc. I flip him off,�
he's still yelling. I wave no-like, I shut up, keep walking,�
don't look back for a minute or so. (ie. remove myself from this�
nuts life.) What the fuck is his problem? Gee, I must look like�
some silly nelly queen to him: I'm 6 foot 4, black leather�
jacket, 1/4" buzzed hair, dark round shades, grungy black jeans�
rolled up, Docs, haven't shaved or showered since Thursday�
morning, in other words, I ain't pretty; plus, fer shits sake, I�
just woke up! 

I glance back, he's gone, driven off to wherever he's going.�
Adrenalin time: but I keep walking, I only have to go one block�
to get my car. Deep breaths, I start to cool out. I'm not stupid,�
so I watch for the idiots car, it's all one way streets it's�
easy. Zoom! There he is: pulls over, opens door, yells more�
generic ``faggot'' shit, then while sitting in the drivers seat�
(neatly combed \& cut black hair, dark aviator glasses, plain�
dark T-shirt) waggles a gun at me, nice new long barrel medium�
caliber autoloader, maybe target pistol. I'm standing beside a�
van, wierd, but I get angry not scared; plus he obviously doesn't�
know what he's doing with that gun, it's pointing all over but at�
me. I say something stupid then bolt quick as shit to video store�
doorway, then have the presence of mind to look for a license�
plate, etc, but he was gone.

Now comes the {\it real} adrenalin. Stupid shit it is too; great�
I'm sure for rolling in the mud gnashing teeth and limbs locked�
arm to arm with a mortal enemy, but pretty useless shit in an�
urban environment when I need my fucking brain, I can make my�
body follow as I need thank you. Endorphins instead, please.

Great, I'm in the muffler shop waiting to pay for and drive away�
my car. Here I am in the throes of full-blast adrenalin, panting�
and shaking, microsecond reflexes, predator body motion, trying�
to smile to the other customers, ``Oh hi, I'm just here to pick�
up my car, ha ha.'' Yow! 

\brk
\lline{\bf Saturday, 22 October 88}

So NBC wants to film this particular episode, the part where the�
guy gets shot by one of his victims, in a gay neighborhood. The�
script, leaked to ACT-UP (``AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power'' --�
gay political activists who put their energy and asses on the�
line for all of us -- gay or not -- and in SF here has lots of�
homopunks and punk gays) leaked allegedly by an NBC employee with�
decent ethical standards. (Thank you.)

Revenge killing at the end: guy gets blown away, Health Dep't�
shows up in full body ``radiation'' type suits, seal the body�
into a bag marked ``DANGER: BIOHAZARD''.

This is so sick, so horrible, so dangerous it's almost beyond�
belief. It's just wrong, wrong, wrong, the implied ``facts'' are�
just plain, wrong.

I'll leave the information-getting up to you but listen to this�
doo-doos: you have to WORK HARD to get AIDS. Like, use a needle�
that has the blood from someone who has AIDS still in it; getting�
fucked in the ass by a guy with AIDS who comes. That's about it.�
Women getting it from men sexually is very uncommon. Men getting�
it from women sexually is, I believe, just about unheard of.

Most people are totally and completely ignorant of what the fuck�
is going on. Do you really know what AIDS is? Do you understand�
how information is transmitted in this culture? Do you know how�
your brain soaks up the shit you are immersed in?

\brk
\lline{\bf Saturday, 22 October 88}

In California, there is this state Proposition \#96, which�
stated, basically, if you are arrested for any reason (say at a�
protest or whatever, or you're a sex worker or other undesirable)�
and there is ``reason to believe'' you ``may'' have transmitted�
``bodily fluids'' to a police officer, (like if he claims you bit�
him) you can be detained for HIV antibody testing. They detain�
you, they administer the test, they tell you the results. Results�
are not confidential.

\par
\lline{1.\quad ``Reason to believe'' means their whim}
\lline{2.\quad ``may'' means at the cops whim}
\lline{3.\quad ``bodily fluids'' (see below)}
\lline{4.\quad you obviously do not have to be gay}

[As an example of the very specific mis-information being spread,�
``bodily fluids'' used to be a euphemism for, mainly, cum: semen�
and the lubricating fluid produced by the male testes. Also,�
blood and direct by-products, plasma, clotting-factor VIII used�
for haemophiliacs, etc. So-called family newspapers (and nearly�
everyone else) just plain doesn't like to say ``cum''. Now it is�
used to mean everything, including spit and sweat and tears.�
Medically, in regarding HIV virus transmission, it does {\it not}�
mean spit, tears, sweat, etc. Is that plain enough for you? See�
how this works?]

\brk
OK, so when/if you go to a demonstration, (``Food Not Bombs'',�
Greenpeace, Earth First!, whatever) there's always a slight,�
maybe minimal, chance you'll be arrested. Some people push their�
luck more than others. Normally getting arrested under such�
circumstances is no big deal; you're out pretty quick, on bail or�
personal recognizance. (I've never been arrested, and hope to�
keep it that way.)

This adds a new dimension to political dissent, no? OK, so you,�
reading this, you may not be gay, and you're probably HIV�
negative (ie. uninfected). That does not matter. YOU CAN STILL BE�
TESTED. Explain to your friends, when the paper says ``\dots�
those arrested at today's demonstration were detained for testing�
for the deadly AIDS virus\dots''. Try to explain that they test�
people to terrorize, it doesn't mean they really didn't have any�
reason to test you. 

Oh I forgot: Though we'll still get to vote this Nov. 8 on Prop.�
\#96, it's already been implemented; it went through the state�
legislature or something, I don't understand the process. This is�
pretty much in effect now, in California.

I will only briefly mention Proposition \#102, which says: there�
will be no anonymous HIV testing in CA; all results will be made�
available to authorities, and HIV positives (ie. infected) will�
be {\it required to provide lists of all sexual contacts} to the�
authorities. This is to be voted upon Nov. 8. the last ``poll'' I�
recall (don't you love those mysterious polls?) had it posted at�
72\% in favor of Prop. \#102, though previous ``polls'' on�
similar state propositions said similar things, but were�
resoundly defeated anyways.

Now do you get what this is all about?

\brk
\lline{\bf Saturday, 22 October 88}

I'm walking with Duke down Haight St., we're going into Mendel's�
so's I can buy paint pens to finish my HOMOCORE logo on my�
jacket. New crop of skinheads talking amongst themselves as we go�
by: ``\dots man, there's lotsa fags in this town\dots''

\brk
\lline{\bf Saturday, 22 October 88}

Look, right now it's 2:00AM, I can't fucking sleep. I am {\it�
fucking wired}. The only thing that keeps me cool headed at all�
is my wonderful boyfriend Michael is coming down to visit me from�
WA state next week (we met at the '88 Toronto Anarchist�
Gathering) that homopunk makes me happy! 

They really are planning on filming that ugly thing. This script�
is no accident, it's pure exploitation of the worst kind, oh, its�
just a bunch of faggots I guess, huh? ``\dots thought provoking�
process.'' Yeah right. Oh, people say, but some people {\it do}�
do that, so it's not like they're lying or anything. Right. Hey,�
a black guy raped a white lady, well, they're like that, you�
know? 

NBC got a restraining order against ACT-UP and specific ACT-UP�
people; they are quite intent on filming this thing. (At Gilman�
St. Project we couldn't get a restraining order against some�
people who had been harrassing us at the club over a period of�
months.) If they just show up they get arrested, no questions�
asked. The mayor doesn't want to ``interfere with their First�
Amendment rights''. (I didn't know that included the intentional�
spreading of outright lies.)

It's not gonna happen. People are not going to let it happen.�
This ain't Politically-Correct demonstrations guys, this is my�
life, and your lives, literally, there are assholes out there�
looking for someone to hate, to vent their slimy thoughts on.�
Faggots are real handy. Think you have to actually {\it be} gay?�
Who's next?

I mean, like what am I going to do, personally, about this�
filming business? It can't happen. Yeah, sure they can just do it�
somewhere else, in some other city, but this means we should�
allow them to do it in our own neighborhoods? Well, maybe someone�
there will give them a hard time too. ACT-UP has so far done a�
really good job, on a few minutes notice they show up and make�
noise and diversions that effectively stops the filming. Hence�
the restraining order. This filming can't happen, in gay�
neighborhoods no less; there's good ole boys driving around�
looking for fags to beat up, all they need is an excuse and a�
good TV shot of an actual street with homos on it to make it�
easier.

There aren't ``gay'' issues vs. straight ones. Sexuality is part�
of {\it your} personal human freedom. The very fact that you�
might get uptight and upset thinking about different kinds of�
sexuality means that {\it you were taught well, you believe the�
lies, you will do their job for them}, we're put into smaller and�
smaller categories until no one will defend their own neighbors�
and friends, and therefore themselves.

Do you, or I, have to get killed by some fag-basher to make a�
fucking point or what? Do you understand what this is all about�
yet? 

\brk
\lline{ -- Tom Jennings}

\bar
\brk

Update 14 Nov 88:

California proposition \#102 was defeated, 2 to 1 margin, ie.�
overwhelmingly. So much for those ``polls'': this is the third�
time they did this, I don't see how it's just an ``error''.�
(Props. \#64 last year, \#69 this, were both predicted to {\it�
pass} by a landslide; both were {\it defeated} that way) One week�
before the election, Governor Deukmejian endorsed 102, on a�
Friday, late in the afternoon, presumably timed to help thwart�
efforts to counteract it. Huge spontaneous rally (homopunks did�
sound and lights) blocked Market St. and really pissed of the�
cops etc. The governors endorsement backfired; luckily, it made a�
lot of people look at 102 and see the horror it represented.

\#96 however passed, by a big margin. Some ``gay'' people and�
groups said ``no opinion'' or supported 96, since I guess it�
``won't apply to them''. Right. Not just yet, anyways.

After \#102's defeat, one of its authors said ``\dots people are�
now pressuring me to do legislation that will call for mandatory�
testing of all members of certain groups''. The Chronicle called�
it ``Son of 102''.

\brk
Another ``Midnight Caller'' episode, supposedly already filmed�
and awaiting broadcast, is something about ``child molesting''�
with either a lesbian subplot or a lesbian molester. And the Dead�
Kennedy's ``Penis Landscape'' record album insert was thought to�
be obscene?!

Update 1 Dec 88:

Lorrimar Studios said that they will not be making any changes to�
the script, that it will air as it is. This is after they had�
talked to ACT-UP and other gay groups, who gave to them the full�
reasoning why and how the script is dangerous and misleading.�
Violence will follow it's airing. Do you understand how this�
works? I'm sure they do.


\bye
