Jon Henri Damski would have been 64 years old March 31. Damski was the columnist of record for Chicago's lesbigay community from his arrival in 1974, until he died of melonoma in 1997. He wrote for Gay Chicago, GayLife, Windy City Times, and the final publication he wrote for was Outlines.
The, following, written in 1978. shows how far we've come-;-;or haven't: you decide.
A Minor Incident
Once again, on the street, I saw a trivial incident that won't make the news, the police record, or even get reported.
Four white punks passed two gays and called them "queers," "fags."
One of the gays stood his ground and fought back, while the four punks punched, knocked off his glasses, kicked at him, and stung him from behind with a chop on his balding head.
His lover stood by helpless. He wanted to do something, join his pal, but he didn't know how to fight.
The incident did not happen outside a bar on Saturday night, but at ten on a sunny Sunday morning. All the rest of the pedestrians at the cross street pretended not to see what they were seeing.
Only a couple of winos seemed to know what was going on. They kept mumbling "get the police."
Ironically, thirty feet away, but hidden from view of the scuffle, a group of gay activists was assembling to get on a bus to picket Anita and plead for gay rights.
And two cars behind the bus of activists, one of the regular police officers of the area, who has often been seen chasing queens off the street at night, was this morning playing meter-maid, and writing a traffic ticket on a parked car.
The gay who stood and fought was no tough. Balding, middle aged, glasses, and squeezed into his college Levis, he looked fatter than he was. He looked like on Monday he would go to work at the library or IBM. He left the scene, with a few bruises, his lover along side, and the knowledge that he hadn't let them call him "fag" this time, and get away with it.
His lover was probably the most hurt. For he had to suffer the full crazy terror of the scene, and was not able to do anything about it but scream inside.
The bus load of activists passed by after the Incident was over, waving their signs, smiling, and ready for the TV cameras.
The four punks, like all bullies, ran away down a side street, when they heard two drunks holler for the police. They had punched out a gay, they had practiced what Anita preaches. For Anita Bryant is trying to make sure that punks like these will never see an openly gay teacher, even in the short time they are in a classroom. And, of course, they naturally conclude, if gays are not good enough to be teachers, it's OK to beat them up on the streets.
Liberals are always saying how being gay is a private matter. Be discrete. We don't care what you do in your bedroom. Well, all that would be fine, if we lived in a society where two gay men, who are not in their bedroom, could walk together to breakfast on a sunny Sunday morning without fearing being beaten up.
( 4.7.78 )