Trying out a new take-charge persona and sick of the persistent dwindling of the Gay & Lesbian Student Union at SRJC I imagined up a poster series. As I describe it in my diary (9/4/87): “provocative. interesting. unusual. quotes. items. poems. whatever.
“First one:
Have you ever watched a beautiful woman and thought,
‘Damn! Wrong sex!’”
I talked it up to two GLSU cohorts and, I reported, they “both sound enthusiastic.”
Unfortunately I was given a rougher time when “I introduced my poster series to a much enlarged GLSU. Many having been attracted to the teaser in the [SRJC student newsletter the] Bear Facts, ‘We’re planning a party.’” (diary, 9/9/87) It’s also true that at the beginning of a semester more people turn out for everything.
“Show off first poster. Big laugh. Almost instantaneous objection. Woman new to club wants it changed to, ‘Have you ever looked at a beautiful person and thought, “Damn! Wrong sex!”’
“… Well, we wrangled. I said I wanted to be editor & be something of a dictator on it. Don’t think that went over great guns. But Clift’s suggestion of making a list and voting on the ‘saying of the week’ made me nauseous None of this voting crap. And compromise. Compromise takes all the zip out of the stuff. I had to leave in the midst of the argument cuz I was just on half hour lunch break. Guess I’ll hafta schedule more time for this thing. Apparently the talk continued in my absence. Frank said maybe I should do it on my own if I dint want interference. Fine, I sed, but the idea was to help the club. I’m going to start it out myself with teaser posters this week. A less controversial poster next week. And see if I can still get club sponsorship [as in, reimbursement for photocopying]. But if this lies around waiting for a big DECISION then it’ll never happen. I certainly won’t do it.”
Saturday 9/12: “I drove over to JC campus this eve and tacked up posters that say, ‘Watch this space’ and ‘Read the Writing on the Wall.’”
Ah, the joy of creation by committee.
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