\input zine.sty

This is a pretty angry criticism of your article, Mykel. Read it�
before you jump to conclusions. If you insist that I run it, I�
will do so followed immediately by this rebuttal. I still love�
you though Mykel!

Sorry, but this issue at hand ain't who you have an orgasm with.�
If you get straight boys to let you suck/fuck them, well that's�
great but not the point. The point is {\it identity} -- not sex.�
Nor is it (to use your phrase) ``public display''.

I don't think there's as {\it much} anti-bi bias as you'd like.�
There may be some resentment of a person who is male, has mainly�
girl-friends for sex and whatever, emphasizes girl-relations, and�
only occasionally refers to boy-relations in a backhanded way,�
and in the usual straight-boy manner.

``Beards and dresses'' ain't faerie, it's gender-fuck. It is�
intentional fucking with gender identification to (1) push your�
own internal limits and concepts and (2) have a good time fucking�
(harmlessly) with others'. Drag in the current mode has a very�
long history (meaning the US this century). Radical Faeries are a�
very new phenomenon, (formed by Harry Hay in 1970 or so) and is�
mainly more-or-less ordinary people who find the mainstream fags�
too limiting -- like many people do. It's their trip. At worst,�
they are trying not to be mainstream consumer dingbats. At best,�
they consciously work on the shit that makes mainstream society a�
fucking mess, in their own heads. A huge proportion are into�
direct-action that would make even Politically Correct punk types�
ashamed of their inaction. I'm not a faerie but some of my best�
friends are (he he), it's too New Age for me, but you should have�
bothered to find out what they are really doing instead of�
guessing (wrongly). Besides, ``society at large'' thinks I'm�
weird anyways, I don't care if what I do reinforces their stupid�
ideas. 

Damn right, if you're {\it lucky} you find ``gay'' anything when�
you discover you like same-sex. Especially if you're really�
young. I'm sure you've heard my criticisms of ``gay culture'',�
which are many, but you are totally missing the point. The fact�
is, when you discover (or decide to explore) same-sex stuff, the�
``heterosexual community'' (egad, spare me this phrase Mykel)�
will call you sick, beat you up, send you to shrinks, ignore�
you\dots nearly every ``gay'' ``community'' resource I've ever�
experienced or heard of, for all it's faults, tells you that you�
have a CHOICE and that same-sex is GOOD and FINE and FUN. They�
may not always be 
oh-so-sophisticated like you or I or anyone who's survived with�
their brain intact for 20+ years, but finding out that you are�
not a worthless piece of shit is a hell of a start, no? What you�
want, perfection? I, like many many other people, thought I was�
the {\it only one} that liked same-sex -- I wasn't stupid, I grew�
up in a small town and had {\it zero} examples. I, like others,�
outgrew the gay resources that were in Boston at the time. But�
I'm sure as *fuck* glad they were there.

I do agree though that in many ways gay things become just a�
mirror-image of breeder ones. Same competitive nonsense,�
inflexible roles, judgmental attitudes, consumer values, etc.�
People who get hung up on gay social conventions as The Right Way�
are no stupider (or better) than those hung up on the 
mass-culture Right Way. This criticism of things Gay you \& I�
share. As I see it it's the major, and possibly fatal,�
shortcoming, of not rejecting 
mass-culture {\it outright}, or at least broad sections of it;�
fear and hatred of non-breeder types is the same mechanism as�
racism, sexism, and the generalized ``my way is the right way''�
attitude (clothes, music, values, foreign policy, food\dots)�
pervading everything.

Once you start exploring your sexuality in different ways, damn�
right your friends change. You might even start off by simply�
{\it losing} friends. If your sexuality bugs them, who's problem�
is that? When you make big changes in your life, of any kind,�
many of your friends ``go away''. When I decided to not hide my�
sexuality many of my friends disappeared -- and I left the rest,�
as they could not or would not be comfortable with me (and I�
wasn't comfortable with me either!) Besides, nothing is forever�
-- you should always do what truly feels right. You will probably�
do things differently in the future, unless you limit {\it�
yourself}.

There is one aspect of ``ghetto'' life you overlooked. Many, many�
people are FUCKED OVER, and ghettos are safe places. You expect�
someone who's been tormented because of who they are to just�
become some idealized version of tolerant and accepting? Be�
serious. It's awful fucking nice to have things like safe�
neighborhoods -- which I would defend with violence if necessary,�
to the very end -- even though it is not ``my'' neighborhood. I�
do not live in one. I am not afraid to go out, nearly anywhere,�
and just be myself, that's not the issue. Or are you implying we�
should be ``tough'' and macho and rough it out there in the�
``real'' (ie. hetero-judgmental) world?

This is the main reason I'm not running your article. I get lots�
of readers that are very fucked up and don't need to hear shit�
that is just ragging on things. Sorry, but I'm tired of punk-rock�
attitudes that slag everything that isn't perfect or to their�
liking. We're all alienated, it's time to take advantage of the�
good parts, as well as pointing out the flaws. Both are needed. 

In your last paragraph, you work very hard at making this homo-�
vs. hetero- thing into a nice consistent intellectual argument.�
This is really insulting. Nearly every culture throughout�
recorded (or not) history seems to imply that hetero- is by far�
the most common. Most people are right handed, the world isn't�
always consistent like that! Fuck Freud. 

Besides, even straight boys get fag-bashed, for shit's sake isn't�
it obvious it's got NOTHING to do with who you happen to fuck?!�
``Fags'' are this decade like ``niggers'' or ``jews'' -- a�
``visible'' group to hate and beat up -- even if the ``visible''�
part is only in the bashers eyes. Swishy femmy boys (yumm!), or�
tough girls, it really doesn't matter if they like girls or boys,�
they are gonna take shit all their lives. At the street level, it�
simply does not matter from where this attitude springs! You and�
I now live in two of the most tolerant and sophisticated cities�
on the planet, so try to also keep that in mind. 

Your point of view is inherently different if you are a guy and�
have relationships with girls. Sorry Mykel. Even if some thug�
thinks you're a ``fag'' cuz you're bi, if they see you with a�
girl now and then it reinforces that you're maybe just a weirdo,�
not a fag. Try holding hands with boys in public, you'll get a�
totally different reaction I can assure you. Also, you mention�
lots of girls in your MAXIMUMROCKNROLL column, never boys, except�
in passing, and in the usual high-school ``fuck 'em in the ass''�
manner. There's even a girl picture in the header. Why? Obviously�
I don't care who you hang out with or fuck, but don't be�
surprised if everyone assumes you are straight. It {\it is}�
possible for guys to ``hide'' behind their relationships with�
girls even if they have sex with boys -- even if you don't intend�
to. People will see what they want to see.

And when homos (or heteros) are intimidated or angry at bi-sex�
people, don't blame the victim. We're all fucked over, especially�
sexually non-mainstream people, so no sense climbing up the pile�
of bodies to reach enlightenment. Going out with girls even�
occasionally is like ``checking in'' -- it makes you appear that�
you haven't strayed too far or something. 

As I've said before, it's not ME that makes a big deal of my�
sexuality, the world-at-large does. This is an important detail�
you seem to have missed, Mykel. There's more than a little macho�
attitude in your article towards people who don't look, think and�
act like you -- sorry, but {\it this} is the point. 

\hfill \hrule width4in \hfill

Sorry if I sound pissed -- I am. Not in any lasting way, I hope�
you don't hate me. I figured I'd be doing you a disservice if I�
lied or some other deceitful thing. So, here it is. I hope you�
can come through SF before you go onto the land of cheap�
transistor radios. Bye!


\bye
