Dear MRR,

There's letters to three people in here: Clay J/SF CA, Mz.
Lily/NYC, Ju/Canada.

Clay: Regarding this NBC "Midnight Caller" TV series protest
thing, there's more to it than just "First Amendment" rights. A
new thing has been added in the last 200 years: equal access. NBC
has an audience of 50 million. There is no way you or I or anyone
we know could "respond" in a like manner. (Did you know that only
26 US corporations OWN nearly all US media: papers, TV, radio,
cable, book and magazine publishing?) The three networks have a
near-monopoly. They don't give a shit, it's just sensationalism
for money. Media people on that scale are out for their own
agendas: money, and politics, which is just long-term money.

This is not the same as christians complaining about magazines
like PENTHOUSE, FORUM etc in the 7-11. Only the surface part
about "certain people opposed to a media product" is similar. The
issue is totally different. There are thousands of magazines, and
only three TV networks.

I do not subscribe to the "gay political line" nonsense either.
I'm a homo-punk, not an assimilationist. I'm an outcast even in
the gay world. When I walk through gay neighborhoods I get
hostile looks like I'm a fag basher or something. There are lots
of cool radical gay girls and boys though, they're our allies.

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

Mz. Lily: You are right, I did downplay the viral transmission
thing, intentionally. It was one paragraph in a story, not an
AIDS Foundation "Safe Sex" pamphlet, and I even said I've leave
the info-getting up to you. My point was to emphasize that you
get it from specific things, not from vague casual things, and
the fact remains that the two main ways are used needles and ass-
sex without condoms.  Like the saying goes, It's not what you
are, it's what you do. You are right though, it's up to each
person to find out for themselves.

I didn't mean to argue statistics. Generalized "safe-sex"
discussions make assumptions that aren't always true, and I
usually detect some sex-phobic attitude. What does "getting
someones sexual history" mean? Who can remember (or even know)
all the little things like "sores in the mouth" (yuck), how about
the cut on my finger? They think of sex as some clinical thing
that you really shouldn't do, but if you insist\dots

I am careful though, and always talk frankly about sex with
partners and friends. Why is it always women and homos that are
the only ones that deal with these things?

Last thing, you said, quote, "Duh Tom, the show you were
protesting is about a WOMAN who kills the MAN who infected
her\dots" AW COME ON! That was exceptionally bad fiction. Of
course it CAN happen, when you've got 250 million people ANYTHING
can and will happen. The fact remains, most AIDS cases are NOT
what that story was about, why did you refer to it?

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

Ju, somewhere in Canada: Fuck you. What's this "alienating
heterosexuals" shit? If you don't like JDs or homo-punk stuff,
then don't read it! (Gloria and the gang at JDs can defend
themselves, but they're friends of mine, besides I got a letter
like this too about HOMOCORE)

There's pictures of girls and boys in there, no one's forcing you
to jack off to pictures of guys. There are lots of zines with
"men having sex with women and all that crap" (your words) and I
think it's fine. How on earth is anything restricting or
excluding you? It's just a zine! If you wanna talk "alienation",
be a homo and go to any show, club, movie, anywhere, and hear
"faggot" jokes and shit. 

I just love it how all of a sudden uptight straight boys
"discover" that girls fuck girls and boys ditto and vice versa
and all combinations except their favorite one, they get mad and
hurt and start screaming "discrimination", or go fag bashing.

Get a clue, dude. If you wanna yell at me, write JDs or me a
letter, don't clutter up MRR with this nonsense.

Tom Jennings/HOMOCORE zine, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107