Newsgroups: soc.motss,soc.answers,news.answers Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Summary: Keywords: Subject: soc.motss FAQ : Monthly Posting Followup-To: poster Reply-To: motss-faq@vector.casti.com X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1] Archive-name: motss/faq Last-modified: 05 Mar 1994 This list is largely a collection of hearsay: I'm depending on information from others. Please don't make decisions based on anything here without first checking out the facts for yourself. (A "+" indicates a new question, and a "*" indicates a change from the last edition of this FAQ. When you see a question number in this list, you can probably use your newsreader to search the rest of this article for that question number.) soc.motss, Other Newsgroups, and Mailing Lists 101. (*) Who reads soc.motss? 102. When was soc.motss created? 103. What subjects are legitimate in soc.motss? 104. Can you give any more specific guidelines about posting? 105. What will happen to me if I post in soc.motss? 106. Can I post anonymously to soc.motss? 107. (*) I don't seem to have access to soc.motss anymore, what can I do? 108. What will happen to me if I read soc.motss? 109. What are those numbers and letters in some signatures? 110. What are those "twinks", "smurfs", etc.? 111. What is motss.con? 121. I saw something in another newsgroup that everyone in soc.motss should read. 122. What about crossposting from soc.motss to other groups? 123. How do I add {person's name} to my kill file? 124. How do I make my newsreader do ? 125. How do I find someone's email address? 131. Are there other motss-related newsgroups I'd be interested in? 132. Are there mailing lists I can subscribe to? 133. Are there LGBO*-oriented bulletin board systems that I could subscribe to directly? 134. What is the "QRD"? Science and Medicine 201. What is the Kinsey scale? 202. What is the origin of the "10% gay" figure? 203. What else did Kinsey find? 211. Is HIV the same as AIDS? 212. What is the "AIDS test"? 213. Since my partner and I are both HIV negative, we don't have to bother with safer sex, do we 214. Where can I get more information? 221. What's all this about brain differences in gay men? 222. Wasn't that an awfully small sample? 223. Weren't there some exceptions? 224. What exactly does this study prove? Grab bag 301. What's the origin of the pink triangle? 302. Does the pink triangle point up or down? 303. When is National Coming Out Day (NCOD)? 304. When is the Pride March in ? 305. Who was Harvey Milk? 306. Was he the first openly gay or lesbian elected official in the U.S.? 321. Does "gay" imply "male"? 322. What's the right term to include everyone? 323. Is "gay" a noun or an adjective? 324. When the grammar books tell me to say "he", "him", or "his" in referring to a person of unspecified gender, what should I do? 325. Is it "sexual orientation" or "sexual preference"? 331. How do I get motss pictures via FTP? 332. Can I get pictures by email? 333. Where do I find GIF viewers? 341. Where can I buy stuff by mail order? 342. I'm/we're going to Europe and want to know which hotels and restaurants are gay-friendly. 343. Who is Orson Scott Card? 344. I saw an 800 number that is maintained by . Should I post it so everyone can call and tie up the line? 345. What is GLAAD? 346. What is NAMBLA? 347. What gay/lesbian organizations exist for persons in the high-technology industries? 348. What is "After the Ball"? Civil Rights and The Law 401. Which governments have laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation? 402. What about discrimination by private employers? 403. Where is same-gender sex legal? 404. Didn't the U.S. Supreme Court say sodomy was a crime even in private? 405. What is Amendment 2? About this newsgroup ==================== 101. (*) Who reads soc.motss? Usenet aribtron usage figures consistently show more than 100,000 readers worldwide. soc.motss appears regularly on the list of "Top 40 News Groups". For the month of November 1993, there were 5513 messages (averaging one article every 7 minutes and 48 seconds), for a total of 9.2 megabytes. Soc.motss propogates to 76% of all news servers on the network, and it is estimated that slightly more than 3% of everyone who reads news, reads soc.motss. Figures for December 1993 were not released at the time of this posting 102. When was soc.motss created? October 7, 1983, as 'net.motss'. Steve Dyer's initial posting: Net.motss is a forum for the discussion of gay-related issues of interest to all members of USENET. Its name is an acronym for "members of the same sex", coined by contributors to net.singles as an analogue to MOTOS--"member of the opposite sex." It is therefore, unfortunately, a euphemism of sorts--an alternative to the preferred 'net.gay'. Nevertheless, the proponents of the group have gladly passed on this minor issue so that the group should be swiftly formed. [After a year of operation, it was suggested that net.motss change its name to net.gay, in recognition of its success which confounded even its staunchest critics. However, by that time, the acronym 'motss' was pretty well established in the USENET community. --SD] Net.motss is designed to foster discussion on a wide variety of topics, such as health problems, parenting, relationships, clearances, job security and many others. Gay members of USENET will find this a supportive environment for the discussion of issues which have immediate impact on their everyday lives. Those who aren't gay have an opportunity to be informed by the discussion, and are encouraged to read the news items and contribute their own questions and opinions. Net.motss is emphatically NOT a newsgroup for the discussion of whether homosexuality is good or bad, natural or unnatural. Nor is it a place where conduct unsuitable for the net will be allowed or condoned. Rather, like every USENET news group, it is an opportunity for people all across the world to express their opinions, exchange ideas, and come to appreciate the diversity within the USENET membership. /Steve Dyer 103. What subjects are legitimate in soc.motss? Anything motss-related that's on your mind is fair game, with one major exception: condemnations or "justifications" of homosexuality do not belong in soc.motss. They can go in alt.politics.homosexuality or talk.politics.misc. 104. Can you give any more specific guidelines about posting? Follow normal netiquette. Some special "hot buttons" for many of us are any kind of sexist language; statements like "I'm straight, but..." or "I think what you do is gross"; referring to people with AIDS as "victims". The traffic is huge and many of us are supposed to be working, so please think about using email rather than posting; or if you post a follow-up, please edit ruthlessly to pare the quoted bits down to the bare minimum -- but don't scramble the attributions. If you see something particularly outrageous and homophobic, the advice many of us will give is "sit on your hands": i.e., ignore it. The 'phobes typically leave soon UNLESS they have an audience. If you absolutely feel you must respond, and email isn't good enough, please at least edit "soc.motss" out of the Newsgroups: line so the rest of us don't have to see any repetition of it. 105. What will happen to me if I post in soc.motss? The answer is, in general, nothing. Lots of people of all orienta- tions read and write to soc.motss, so strictly speaking you're not coming out by posting. Even so, some people will draw conclusions about your sexual orientation from the fact that you post here. However: Assume that any posting in net news is in the public domain and could end **anywhere**: the general media, a police file, a Fundie's hate list, an entrepeneur's sales contact list, etc. If you can't stand by your posting, then don't post. 106. Can I post anonymously to soc.motss? Don't underestimate the sense of liberty and self-esteem that may come from posting an article under your own name. Nevertheless, many of us are sensitive to the difficulties this may pose for some people, especially those of us whose first articles were posted by someone else protecting our identity. You have two good options: 1. Use an "anonymity server". The most widely used system is currently anon.penet.fi, and anonymous posts can be sent to soc.motss by sending mail to soc.motss@anon.penet.fi. You will be assigned a double-blind anonymous ID if you do not already have one. 2. The following people have offered to re-post submissions after removing any identifying headers, and forward email responses back to you: David Casti disc@vector.casti.com Bradley Clymer clymer@ee.eng.ohio-state.edu Laura Creighton toad@toad.com Andrew Gollan adjg@softway.oz.au Roger Klorese rogerk@unpc.queernet.org Neil Perret-Green neil@ccl.umist.ac.uk Cindy Tittle Moore tittle@netcom.com Please provide a valid name and email address so that this person can get follow-up mail back to you. These names and addresses will be kept confidential. 107. (*) I don't seem to have access to soc.motss anymore, what can I do? Sometimes the unthinkable happens: after you've become used to reading soc.motss daily, you lose network news service. Maybe you've changed jobs and your new employer doesn't carry soc.motss, or maybe your site has experienced a serious hardware failure and you know news will be down for a week or more. Fortunately, there are still options. If you have access to a newsreader, but your site isn't carrying soc.motss, you can gain read-only access through a public news server. One of the most popular servers is umd5.umd.edu. Simply tell your newsreader to go there to get news instead. If you don't know how to tell your news reader to do that, ask your system administrator. To post to soc.motss, you can send email to soc-motss@cs.utexas.edu or soc.motss.usenet@decwrl.dec.com. Your mail message will be transformed into a news article and posted to soc.motss. If you don't even have a newsreader, but you do have email, Jimmy Aitken has a program which digests soc.motss and will send you regular installments via email. Be aware that soc.motss is a heavily travelled news group, and subscribing to soc.motss via email will generate a LOT of email! Or you may want to subscribe to a public access site or a commercial service provider. The semi-official list of public access UNIX sites (nixpub) is available from lgnp1 (+1 215 348 9727) (login:guest) and is posted periodically in the comp.misc newsgroup. 108. What will happen to me if I read soc.motss? In general, nothing. (You may be informed or infuriated, of course; but that's a standard Usenet hazard.) If you're extremely concerned, you should be aware that most system software leaves your 'newsrc' file unprotected by default. There are system-dependent commands to protect it, but none are airtight. As in other areas of life, you have to decide whether this is an acceptable risk for you. 109. What are those numbers and letters in some signatures? A string of letters and numbers beginning with a B and a number are the "bear codes", which refer to the poster's build, furriness, etc. An article explaining the bear codes is available via FTP from spdcc.com; the filename is "pub/NBCS.V1.9". (Refer to question 331 for some information on FTP.) Other cryptic letter/number combinations appearing in signatures usually indicate one of the many "codes" developed in response to the original bear code. 110. What are these "twinks", "smurfs", etc? Here's a quick lexicon of some of the "unusual" terms you'll see on soc.motss. Some of these are specific to the motss world, and others aren't. bears: Persons, usually men, whose physical characteristics tend toward the husky and hirsute. biscuit: Non-gay persons on soc.motss, sometimes used for non-posters (analogous to muffin), but not always. LGBO*: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual people, Others, and Anyone Still Left Out. (Also GLBO*, BGLO*, and other permutations.) muffin: A member of the soc.motss community who reads but has never posted an article, or at least not under their own name. Usually used to refer to gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons. smurf: Usually indicates an irreverent, silly, *cute* poster. Some soc.motss participants have formed a loose organization called the "Smurf Gang". Never take a Smurf Gang posting at face value. (Etymology: the cartoon characters.) twink, twinkie: Generally, a cute young (male) thing (CYT). Known as "golden, cream-filled, and ready to be eaten." (Etymology: In the US, Twinkies(tm) are snack cakes with these same properties.) 111. What is motss.con? In San Francisco during 1988, an informal gathering for a few days took place to take advantage of the opportunity for people to meet each other face-to-face ("you don't look anything like your posts"). Everyone had so much fun, it was repeated in 1989 in Boston; 1990 in Denver; 1991 in Toronto; 1992 in Portland, Oregon; and 1993 in Boston. Generally, the decision of when and where the con is held is made up by competing groups of people in different locals vying for the honor based on proposals submitted near the beginning of the year. The group as a whole votes on the set of proposals, picking one. Traditionally, there is one "official" motss.con per year, usually in the early summer. Several "mini-cons" are held every year worldwide, and regional dinners, events, get-togethers, etc. are very common. Crossposting and net usage ========================== 121. I saw something in another newsgroup that everyone in soc.motss should read. No, you probably didn't. It is generally bad manners to crosspost or duplicate post something from another newsgroup to soc.motss just because you think soc.motssers should read it. It is _especially_ bad manners to crosspost condemnations of homosexuality (see "What subjects are legitimate", above); and the best thing to do with such posts is to ignore them or, if you feel you must, to reply by email. It _is_ acceptable to post a brief note on soc.motss only, saying "In newsgroup a.b.c there's a thread called blah-blah. Check it out if you're interested." 122. What about crossposting from soc.motss to other groups? Again, there can't be a hard rule, but it's generally not a good idea. Say there was a TV show with some motss interest, and you feel moved to post about it. At first thought it might seem reasonable to crosspost to soc.motss,rec.arts.tv. But the two groups are separate because they serve generally separate interests. The thread could develop in different directions, and it's not really a service to either group to force its members to read stuff they're not interested in, or edit their kill files yet again. 123. How do I add {person's name} to my kill file? This varies according to which newsreader you use. Many of us are on rn or trn, where the answer is "type Ctrl-K while in soc.motss, then edit in the line /evilpersonsname/h:j substituting the actual name between the slashes." For other newsreaders, and for lots of Usenet help in general, subscribe to the group news.newusers.questions. 124. How do I make my newsreader do ? Check the user's manual, if there is one. Ask somebody at your site who knows. If all else fails, you can post a question in the group news.newusers.questions. Be sure to mention the operating system and newsreader program you use, with version numbers if possible. Remember that it is good manners to read a group for a while before you post. Your question may be frequently asked, and you'll have the answer without posting. 125. How do I find someone's email address? This is answered in weekly FAQ postings in news.newusers.questions. Other resources =============== 131. Are there other motss-related newsgroups I'd be interested in? - alt.sex.bondage and rec.arts.bodyart carry topics of interest to some specific motss sub-communities. - alt.sex.motss carries sexually explicit discussion and stories for MOTSS folks. - alt.politics.homosexuality and talk.politics.misc tend to a higher level of flamage about LGBO* issues. - ba.motss is a San Francisco Bay Area regional newsgroup. - can.motss is a Canada national newsgroup. - clari.news.group.gays: This is part of Clarinet, a commercial subscription service carried by some Usenet sites. Carries UPI newswire stories relating to lesbian/gay issues. - ne.motss is a New England (northeastern US) regional newsgroup. - pnw.motss is a newsgroup for the Pacific Northwest region of the US. - sci.med.aids for AIDS issues - soc.bi: for discussions of bisexuality - uc.motss is a local newsgroup for the University of California Of course, We Are Everywhere (TM), so you will also see LGBO* viewpoints in many newsgroups. If you're new to Usenet, or even if you're not, you may find lots of interesting stuff in news.newusers.questions and news.announce.newusers. The group news.answers is collecting FAQ lists from all newsgroups. 132. Are there mailing lists I can subscribe to? Yes; more than 50. A current listing of all GLBO* mailing lists is available in the QRD (Queer Resource Directory; see question 134), in the /pub/QRD/electronic/email directory. This listing is maintained by the QRD staff. To obtain a full listing of all the current GLBO* lists, send a mail message to FTPMAIL@vector.casti.com with the following four lines: ----------clip here-------- open cd /pub/QRD/electronic/email get lgbt.list.of.lists quit ---------clip here--------- 133. Are there LGBO*-oriented bulletin board systems that I could subscribe to directly? Again, Yes. Lots -- about 500. Policies vary regarding access and fees. Some are networked via Fidonet or Gaycom or other store-and-forward networks, and some are accessible via Starlink or PC-Pursuit. The current list is maintained by Leedell J. Miller , and posted to soc.motss and alt.bbs.lists monthly. The latest copy is also available from the QRD. 134. What is the QRD? The Queer Resources Directory (QRD) is a library with about 4500 files of interest to MOTSS folks. It started out as an archive site for ACT-UP in the late 1980s and has grown to encompass news clippings, media kits, resource lists, contact information, and everything else. Currently, the QRD lives at vector.casti.com, and is run as an all-volunteer operation on donated hardware and network access. All files are accessible via email, FTP, gopher, WAIS, and Mosaic. Send mail to qrd@vector.casti.com for more information. The Kinsey scale ================ 201. What is the Kinsey scale? In the 1948 book {Sexual Behavior in the Human Male}, the Kinsey researchers made the (then) startling assertion that homosexual behavior was not restricted to identified homosexuals. (The book was based on an in-depth survey of thousands of men.) The authors said that it made more sense to look at a person's behavior and psychological response as being at some point on a spectrum or scale: 0 = entirely heterosexual 1 = largely heterosexual, but with incidental homosexual history 2 = largely heterosexual, but with a distinct homosexual history 3 = equally heterosexual and homosexual 4 = largely homosexual, but with a distinct heterosexual history 5 = largely homosexual, but with incidental heterosexual history 6 = entirely homosexual (Someone posted excerpts from "Incidence, Frequency, and the Kinsey 0-6 Scale" by C A Tripp, from {The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality}. This answer and the next two are adapted from that posting.) 202. What is the origin of the "10% gay" figure? In the same book (see previous answer), Kinsey published survey results that over the past three years 4% of the men were Kinsey 6's (exclusively homosexual experiences) and 6% were Kinsey 5's (homosexual with only incidental hetereosexual experience); 4% + 6% = 10%. The parallel statistic for women in the same studies is 3 to 8% (scale 4 to 6). The works don't really match exactly in what they were measuring. Like any sociological study, Kinsey's has been challenged on a number of grounds. More recent studies have generated statistics far above or below these numbers (especially for women), but nothing more authoritative has been published. 203. What else did Kinsey find? Well there are two whole books, but here are a few numerical excerpts. "[A]t least 37% of the male population has some homosexual experience between the beginning of adolescence and old age.... This is more than one male in three of the persons that one may meet as he passes along a city street." In addition, 13% of males react erotically to other males without having overt homosexual contacts after the onset of adolescence. (This 13 percent, coupled with the 37 percent who do have overt homosexual experience, means that a full 50 percent of males have at least some sexual response to other males after adolescence -- and conversely, that only the other 50 percent of the male population is entirely heterosexual throughout life.) 4% of males are exclusively homosexual throughout their lives after the onset of adolescence. 8% of males are exclusively homosexual (scale 6) for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. 13% of males have more homo than hetero experience (scale 4-6) for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. 18% percent of males have at least as much homo as hetero in their histories (scale 3-6) for at least three years between ages 16 and 55. 25% percent of the male population has more than incidental homosexual experience or reactions (scale 2-6) for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. On the other hand, these Kinsey findings are beside the point in a way. Even if the figure was 1%, or a fraction of a percent, discrimina- tion would still be wrong. (By the way, equivalent figures are not available for women because "equivalent female data often cannot be understood without extensive additional explanation", according to Tripp's article.) AIDS and HIV ============ 211. Is HIV the same as AIDS? In a word, no. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the name of a virus that is almost universally believed to be the cause of AIDS. A person may be "asymptomatic" (having no symptoms, feeling perfectly well) for months or years while HIV positive. Technically, AIDS is not the name of a disease but rather of a syndrome, a collection of symptoms indicative of an advanced stage of HIV disease, in which case HIV has destroyed enough of the immune system that opportunistic infections have been able to set in. Oh yes-- a person diagnosed with AIDS is not an "AIDS victim" but a "person with AIDS" or "PWA". 212. What is the "AIDS test"? The so-called AIDS test is actually a test for the presence or absence of antibodies in the bloodstream. These are created by the body in response to the HIV infection. There is no test at this time to detect the presence of HIV directly. A person who is infected will still test negative in "HIV tests" (so-called "AIDS tests") for a period of time. To be "HIV positive" means that the antibodies have been found in the blood. There are two tests currently in use: the ELISA for initial screening, and the Western blot to confirm a positive ELISA. Tests sometimes produce "false negatives"; i.e., the person has the HIV antibodies, but the test does not detect them. For that reason (and others), any claims that a person (especially a medical practitioner) are "certified HIV-negative" should be viewed with skepticism. 213. Since my partner and I are both HIV negative, we don't have to bother with safer sex, do we? Yes, you do. First, a negative test does not _necessarily_ mean you are not HIV infected (see previous Q). Second, even if you are not now infected one of you could become infected in the future. Otherwise you are betting your life on a possibly illusory belief in your safety. 214. Where can I get more information? If you have specific questions, your best bet is to subscribe to sci.med.aids or contact your local AIDS service organization. Biology of sexual orientation ============================= 221. What's all this about brain differences in gay men? A brief article in the 30 Aug 1991 issue of {Science} magazine (published in U.S.) reported research by Dr Simon LeVay. Levay autopsied the brains of 41 persons: - homosexual men: 19 (including 1 bisexual) who had died of AIDS; - heterosexual men: 16, assumed to be heterosexual, including - 6 died of AIDS (including 2 who "denied homosexual activity" and 4 who had no sexual orientation recorded) - 10 died of other causes and had no sexual orientation recorded - women: 6, also assumed to be heterosexual. LeVay found that a tiny cell group called INAH 3, part of the anterior hypothalamus, was more than twice as large in the presumed heterosexual men (0.12 +/- 0.01 mm^3) as in either the homosexual men (0.051 +/- 0.01) or the presumed heterosexual women (0.056 +/- 0.02). (INAH = interstitial nuclei of the anterior hypothalmus.) He found no differences in INAH 1, 2, or 4. 222. Wasn't that an awfully small sample? Statistical analysis takes into account the sample size and the differences between results for the two groups. The probability that this result reflects a true difference in the general population was 99.9% as between homo and presumed hetero men, 99.1% as between presumed hetero men and presumed hetero women. When the 19 homosexual men were compared against only the presumed hetero men who had died of AIDS, the same difference was found, with a probability of 97.2% that this reflects a true difference in the general population. There was no statistically significant difference between the size of INAH 3 between the homosexual men and the women, nor between the presumed heterosexual men who died of AIDS and those who died of other causes. 223. Weren't there some exceptions? The results were not uniform: some presumed heterosexual men had small INAH 3 nuclei, and some homosexual men had large nuclei. LeVay says this could mean that sexual orientation, though important, "may not be the sole determinant of INAH 3 size" or that some subjects were assigned to the wrong groups. Note that the statistical results in the preceding Q take these exceptions into account. 224. What exactly does this study prove? LeVay (who is himself gay) said that the study shows that sexual orientation in men "is amenable to study at the biological level". It does not show whether the size differences cause or result from differ- ences in sexual orientation, or both are caused by some third factor as yet unidentified. The article did not mention genetic influences. History and politics ==================== 301. What's the origin of the pink triangle? In the 1930's and 1940's, the Nazis used various colored geometrical figures to identify various classes of prisoners in concentration camps. The pink triangle was used for homosexual men. There was no badge specifically for lesbians: the Nazis used a black triangle for female "sex offenders", which (to them) included lesbians, prostitutes, and women who refused to bear children for the Reich. 302. Does the pink triangle point up or down? The Nazis made homosexuals wear the triangle with the point facing down. ACT-UP flipped the symbol and made it their own. Both ways are correct. 303. When is National Coming-Out Day (NCOD)? October 11, every year starting in 1988. (This is U.S.-based, and the date commemorates the march on Washington DC, October 11, 1987.) 304. When is the Pride March in ? Typically these are in the last two weeks of June, but they vary from city to city. The timing commemorates our movement's "Boston Tea Party": On June 28, 1969, New York City police pulled yet another raid on the Stonewall Inn, a bar in Sheridan Square. This time, instead of meekly submitting, the patrons (most of them stereotypically effem- inate drag queens) fought back with pride, and the modern gay-rights struggle sprang up in cities across the U.S. and in other nations. During the spring every year, substantial traffic about gay pride marches is generated in soc.motss. If you have information about a march in your town, please post it for the rest of us! 305. Who was Harvey Milk? In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected supervisor of San Francisco (equiv- alent to city councilor and county councilor since San Francisco is a combined city/county government). He appealed to a coalition of gay men and lesbians, non-gay working people, and the elderly. In November 1978, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were shot to death in City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White. In the trial, White's lawyer pleaded the "twinkie defense": White should not be held responsible for premeditated murder because he was strung out on sugar from eating Hostess Twinkies. The jury apparently agreed, and convicted him of a lesser crime. For murdering two human beings, White was sentenced to seven years in Jail. The gay and lesbian community erupted in several nights of riots. White was later paroled, and committed suicide. A good book on Milk's career is {The Mayor of Castro Street} by Randy Shilts; a good movie is {The Times of Harvey Milk}. {The Mayor of Castro Street} is being developed as a film to be directed by Gus Van Sant. Representatives from the GLBO* community have been meeting with the film's producers to discuss issues related to the film. Filming should begin in early 1993 in San Francisco. "At this writing, no concrete decisions have been made as to who will play Harvey Milk, through Robin Williams is a likely candidate." [SF Sentinel, 23-Jul-1992] 306. Was he the first openly gay or lesbian elected official in U.S.? No. In 1974, Elaine Noble was elected to the Massachusetts legislature. She served a few terms and then decided to pursue interests outside of elective politics. In 1991 she ran an unsuccessful campaign to gain a seat on the Cambridge MA city council. [This chronology is currently under some debate.] Language ======== 321. (*) Does "gay" imply "male"? You'll get different answers from different people. In general it is safe to assume that some persons will feel excluded by the term "gay". 322. (*) What's the right term to include everyone? There is no one right answer. A growing number of people use "queer", but some others are uncomfortable with that. You will also see references to "LGBO*", lesbian-gay-bisexual-other. "motsseurs" or "motssers" or even "motsketeers" is often used, but that includes persons of any sexual orientation who read this newsgroup. As a rule, someone will feel excluded by any term you use. In general, it's usually safe to use whatever term an author has self-identified with. 323. Is "gay" a noun or an adjective? Some persons are offended by the use of "gay" as a noun in sentences like "Bar the door, Martha, the gays are coming." This useage should probably be avoided on soc.motss. 324. When the grammar books tell me to say "he", "him", "his" in referring to a person of unspecified gender, what should I do? There's no one right answer. You can use "they", "them", and "their"; or you can use "she", "her", and "her"; or you can use combinations like "s/he", "him/her", "his/her"; or you can make up pronouns like "sie" or "cos". Any of these will offend someone. 325. Is it "sexual orientation" or "sexual preference"? Although both terms have been widely used, "sexual orientation" is emerging as the preferred term for most. This is because "sexual preference" implies sexuality is a *chosen* trait, and this implication (which most believe to be false) sometimes causes problems when persons try to gain equal rights based on "preference" instead of "orientation". Pictures (from a post by Steve Dyer) ======== (with additions by others) 331. How do I get motss pictures via FTP? The soc.motss picture archive contains digitized images in GIF form. GIF is a popular format for the distribution of color and gray scale images of up to 8 bits in depth. To obtain photos of motsseurs over the Internet, do the following: % ftp ursa-major.spdcc.com -OR- ftp 140.186.80.3 Connected to ursa-major.spdcc.com. 220 ursa-major.spdcc.com FTP server (Version 4.172 Sun Dec 4 17:20:50 EST 1988) ready. Name (your.hostand.domain:yourname): anonymous 331 Guest login ok, send ident as password. Password: 230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply. ftp> cd /pub/motss.pix 250 CWD command successful. ftp> dir [directory listing with each letter of the alphabet and an index file or two] ftp> cd k [for example] ftp> bin [this is ESSENTIAL] 200 Type set to I. ftp> get kurisuto.gif 200 PORT command successful. 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for kurisuto.gif (97477 bytes). 226 Transfer complete. local: kurisuto.gif remote: kurisuto.gif 97477 bytes received in 1.1 seconds (84 Kbytes/s) ftp> get another.gif 200 PORT command successful. 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for another.gif (65535 bytes). 226 Transfer complete. local: another.gif remote: another.gif 65535 bytes received in 1.0 seconds (66 Kbytes/s) ftp> bye 221 Goodbye. The archive is mirrored monthly on vector.casti.com. All gif files are converted to jpeg format to conserve disk space. 332. Can I get pictures by email? Not directly from spdcc.com. However, many sites around the Internet provide an "FTP-via-email" facility. To obtain an index to the motss.pix archive, send the following message to FTPMAIL@ftp-gw-1.pa.dec.com: connect spdcc.com cd pub/motss.pix get INDEX quit When transferring gif or jpeg files, you will need to include the keywords "binary" and "uuencode" before the get command. For more help, send a message to FTPMAIL@ftp-gw-1.pa.dec.com containing only the word "help" for directions on using the service. 333. Where do I find GIF viewers? - Sun and X11 programs can be found on ursa-major.spdcc.com under the directory /pub/progs. - For Silicon Graphics workstations, a program called 'pxdraw' (part of a suite of programs 'pxtools') is available via anonymous ftp from gauguin.princeton.edu. This and the other programs all read a variety of formats, and allow conversion to grayscale and among the different formats, including postscript so you can print it out if you've got the PS printer. - MS-DOS: get CSHOW.EXE from the wustl archive via FTP, or see these files in PD: on SIMTEL: FASTGIF.ARC 37K 880306 View GIF format files. EGA/VGA only GDS109.ZIP 138K 910521 Displ GIFs with unlimited zoom, SVGA/VGA - Macintosh GIF viewers are available from sumex-aim.stanford.edu in /info-mac/apps and called Giffer 1.1.2 and GIFConverter 2.2.9. Also check the FAQ in comp.graphics for a complete list. Miscellaneous ============= 341. (*) Where can I buy stuff by mail order? Most local and national LGBO*-oriented magazines have advertisements that will lead you to merchandise you want to buy. Because this _is_ a frequently asked question, I'm listing a few sources that have been posted or advertised. I have no financial interest in any of the listings that follow. - Queer Nation Boston sells QN stickers by mail. Send email with your U.S. mail address to "ehr@harvarda.harvard.edu" and they will send you their information packet. Sorry, I don't know their policy for non-U.S. mailings. - Don't Panic, 8721 Santa Monica Blvd #13, Los Angeles CA 90069, USA sells buttons and T-shirts (800 457 2642 in the US). Source: advertisement in Oct 22 {Advocate}; I have no personal knowledge of this place. - Many LGBO* booksellers do a large business by mail. One such is Lambda Rising, +1 800 621 6969 in U.S. and Canada, +1 202 462 6969 from other countries. (I called 14 Oct 1991 to verify they will fill orders from outside the U.S.) Disclaimer: I have not actually needed to make a purchase from Lambda Rising in some years. - Gifts of Athena, 2199 Lee Rd, Cleveland OH 44118, USA, lesbian owned and operated, sells rainbow flags, women's music, mehn's music, T-shirts, and jewelry. Phone: +1 216 371 1937 (Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri 10-8; Sat 10-6; Sun 12-5). They will ship to US and Canada on Visa and MC but you'll need to tell them about Canadian customs regulations that may apply. - Body Language, 3291 West 115 St, Cleveland OH 44111, USA sells books, magazines, videotapes, and novelties/toys. Phone: +1 216 251 3330 (Mon-Sat 12-9 pm, Sun 12-5 pm Eastern), or email the owner at af244@cleveland.freenet.edu. He will ship out of the US "as long as I'm not stuck with a lot of administrivia." - NOW Products (National Organization for Women) has a small catalog/flyer (one page of newsprint) of jewelry, T-shirts, bumper stickers, stationery, etc., which are woman-positive and gay- friendly. NOW Products, 1000 16th St NW #700, Washington DC 20036. A retail store is at 1615 K St NW in Washington. - "Shocking Gray", 1216 East Euclid, San Antonio TX 78212, (800) 788-4729. SG produce an upscale, "Sharper Image"-style catalog specifically targeted at the gay and lesbian market. - Dan Kaufman Graphics in DC does buttons, t-shirts, bumper-stickers, magnets and other small items. For a free catalog, phone: (202) I'M OUT-RU? [466-8878]; FAX: (202) 466-8879; e-mail: imoutru@aol.com; or mail: Catalog Request, Dan Kaufman Graphics, Dept. X, PO Box 4901, Washington, DC 20008. 342. I'm/we're going to Europe and want to know which hotels and restaurants are gay-friendly. Long before you leave, pick up a copy of {Are You Two...Together?} (1991, Random, ISBN 0-394-58454-6). In it, co-authors Lindsy van Gelder and Pamela Brandt travel through the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Greece. They give you lots of historical background on attractions of interest, especially those with a gay or lesbian connection. They also list hotels, bed & breakfasts, and restaurants that welcome gay and lesbian couples. They also mention LGB organizations and a few bars. There are other bar guides, but this is the best _travel book_ with an LGBO* slant that I've seen. It's fun to read even if you're not going to Europe. 343. Who is Orson Scott Card? A science fiction writer of books including Ender's Game, Card has been the subject of frequent flamefests on rec.arts.sf-lovers and the object of demonstrations by Queer Nation. Card is a Mormon, and has expressed some strongly negative views of homosexuality. If you want to explore his views, please post a request for people to email you. Those of us who have been around for a while would rather not go over the same ground again. Mr. Card has issued warnings that unauthorized reproductions of his work -- including electronic postings and transmissions of them -- will be dealt with harshly. This *includes* his Mormon writings on homosexuality, which he claims were written specifically for a Mormon audience and must be read in their original context in order to be meaningful. If you're searching for electronic versions of these articles, consider yourself warned. 344. I saw an 800 number that is maintained by . Should I post it so everyone can call and tie up the line? You may or may not want to post it as a matter of information. However, you should be aware that owners of 800 numbers get a log that shows the time, duration, and calling number for every call. This is true even if caller ID is not available in your area. You should also be aware that your home phone service can be cut off if you make repeated harassing calls from your home phone. 345. What is GLAAD? The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has its national offices at 80 Varick St, suite 3E, New York NY 10013 U.S.A.; +1 212 966 1700 (voice). Local chapters also exist in many major cities across the US. GLAAD publishes the GLAAD bulletin, and wants reports of defamation. 346. What is NAMBLA? The North American Man-Boy Love Association "support[s] men and boys in consensual relationships with one another and help[s] educate society about the nature of such relationships," according to a posting by one of its members. For info: NAMBLA Info, Dept RR, P.O.Box 174, Midtown Station, NYC NY 10018, or email roy@panix.com. Discussion of NAMBLA's goals via postings to soc.motss and in the LGBO* community often stirs sharp controversy. 347. What gay/lesbian organizations exist for persons in the high-technology industries? - High Tech Gays (HTG) is a group based in San Jose, California, which has many social activities for its local members (although HTG's members hail from across the USA). HTG has been active in opposing the U.S. government's reluctance to give security clearances to lesbians and gays, and in other local and regional gay-rights issues. HTG can be reached at P.O. Box 6777, San Jose, California 95150. Their voicemail is at (408) 993-3830, and they can be reached via BBS at (415) 572-9594. - The National Organization of Gay/Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) is a non-profit corporation, and can be reached at PO Box 91803, Pasadena, CA 91109-9813. Their phone number is (818) 791-7689, and they can be reached via Internet at noglstp-request@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov. - Digital Queers is a group that works closely with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington D.C. They have started to open chapters in several cities around the US. For more information, send email to dq@yes.com. 348. What is "After the Ball"? ATB is a book, written in 1989 by Hunter Madsden and Marshall Kirk, that offered strategies for gay culture to be accepted by, and incorporated into, mainstream American culture, and offered a "code of conduct" for members of the gay community. Because of the authors' ideas and the way in which they were presented, ATB became the subject of much controversy in soc.motss and other forums. Chances are that, pro or con, your "compelling statement" about ATB has probably been made here before, and all it will do is to stir up the same arguments one more time. Civil Rights and the Law ======================== 401. Which governments have laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation ("a/d laws")? - Australia: no national a/d law. New South Wales and Queensland both have them. - Canada: At the provincial level, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia, have a/d laws, as does the Yukon. There is no Federal a/d law; recent court decisions and appeals have somewhat confused the question of whether or not sexual orientation is already covered by Federal law. - Denmark: A/d laws for service to customers include sexual orientation. (My correspondent believed that a/d laws prohibited discrimination in employment and housing, but could not track them down.) The criminal code also prohibits public statements that promote hatred against recognized groups including sexual minorities; but the in only case to date--antigay letter to a newspaper--the defendant was acquitted. Registered partnership is available to persons of the same gender if one or both are Danish citizens resident in Denmark, and is done by mayors but not priests. Registered partnership (unlike marriage) does not give the right to adopt children. - Italy: The age of consent is 16; however, if neither partner is 18 or over, the age of consent is 14. - New Zealand: New law will go into effect Feb 1, 1994 and cover the military, police, housing, employment, and may even require religious groups to comply. - Norway: General a/d laws against discrimination on race, religion, political view, and sexual preference. A law proposal concerning "registered partnership" is under discussion in the Parliament. This law will not give the right to adopt children. - U.S.A.: nothing at the Federal level, except a/d rules in the Federal civil service. (The military does discharge lesbians and gays.) The states of Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey, Vermont, California, and Connecticut have comprehensive a/d laws. Many U.S. cities and counties do also, and some governors have issued executive orders that affect employees of their state governments. The NGLTF (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) in Washington DC maintains a list. Colorado has a consitutional provision *prohibiting* anti-discrimination ordinances (see #405). 402. What about discrimination by private employers? Many employers and unions in a number of countries have also established non-discrimination policies. A separate list, covering North American organizations, is posted approximately once every month. Persons wishing an email copy of the list may contact the list maintainer, Larry Stratton (larry@bradley.bradley.edu). 403. (*) Where is same-gender sex legal? - Australia: in every state except Tasmania. - Canada: A person 18 or older may consent to sex with anyone else. A person 14 or older may consent to sex with a person not in a position of authority over them, not for money, and not if it is anal sex. A person 12 or older may consent to sex with a person not in a position of authority over them, not more than two years older than them, and not if it is anal sex. Anal sex is illegal unless the two immediate participants are both over 18 or married to each other. A court recently struck down the exception in the above law regarding anal sex. This would make anal sex legal under the same conditions as sex in general. This may be appealed by the Federal government. - Denmark: The general age of consent is 15. There is an 18- year limit for relations with "children given into your care for upbringing or education"; that is, adopted-children or teacher- pupil relationships. All of these rules are part of the criminal code, which applies only to people of age 15 or older. This means that you cannot break them whatever you do, if you are younger than 15. - Ireland: The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 1988 that Irish law contravened the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In 1990 the Irish Minister for Justice announced that a bill to reform Irish law in line with the ECHR decision would be presented to the Oireachtas (Irish parliament). This bill became law in 1993, making same-sex legal for adult men and women. - New Zealand: gay sex is legal for consenting males and females 16 and over. - Norway: age of consent is uniformly 16. - U.K.: legal in private for males over 21 who are not in the armed forces. Legal in private for females over 16, because British law does not recognise the existence of lesbianism. Homosexual activity of any kind is prohibited in the British armed forces. The Special Investigation Branch of the MPs have draconian powers to search through private possessions, letters, etc. Thus, they often follow "chains" of gay and lesbian people through the forces. The Ministry of Defence has recently decided that homosexual acts in the armed forces will no longer be considered criminal offences and subject to courts-martial. Homosexuality, though, remains "incompatible with military life", and those discovered to be homosexual are subject to discharge. - U.S.A: this varies at the state level. Roughly half the states have reformed their laws (by legislative or judicial action) to remove restrictions on sexual activity between consenting adults in private. The D.C. council passed a reform law but it was overridden by Congress. 404. Didn't the U.S. Supreme Court say sodomy was a crime even in private? Not exactly. By a 5-4 decision in the 1986 case of {Bowers v Hardwick}, the Court ruled that a state could pass a law criminalizing homosexual behavior even in private because the Constitutional right to privacy did not extend to sexual relations between members of the same sex. An analysis of why this was a bad decision (not just for us, but for the U.S. Constitution) may be found in Laurence Tribe, {On Reading the Constitution}. 405. What is Amendment 2? In the November 1992 election in the US state of Colorado, voters approved by a 53-47 percent margin the following amendment to the state's constitution: ------ Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Colorado: Article 2, of the Colorado Constitution is amended by the addition of Section 30, which shall state as follows: NO PROTECTION STATUS BASED ON HOMOSEXUAL, LESBIAN, OR BISEXUAL ORIENTATION. Neither the State of Colorado, through any of its branches or departments, nor any of its agencies, political subdivisions, municipalities or school districts, shall enact, adopt or enforce any statute, regulation, ordinance or policy whereby homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, conduct, practices or relationships shall constitute or otherwise be the basis of, or entitle any person or class of persons to have or claim any minority status, quota preferences, protected status or claim of discrimination. This Section of the Constitution shall be in all respects self-executing. ------ In January 1993, a judge in Colorado granted an injunction *preventing* Amendment 2 from becoming effective, pending the outcome of a court challenge. In the judge's ruling, he said there was a "reasonable" chance that Amendment 2 would ultimately be found unconstitutional. Several groups are working to repeal Amendment 2. Here is a partial list: Equality Colorado PO Box 300476 Denver, Colorado 80203 (303) 839-5540 office (303) 839-1361 fax CLIP (Colorado Legal Initiative Project) PO Box 44447 Denver, Colorado 80201 Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Colorado (GLCCC) PO Drawer E Denver, Colorado 80218 (303) 831-6268 (303) 837-1598 Boycott Colorado PO Box 300158 Denver, Colorado 80203-0158 The newsgroups co.politics.amend2.{info,discuss} may be available at your site. Acknowledgements: (If you've made a contribution and wish to be acknowledged, let me know.) FAQ list originally by Stan Brown Lexicon originally by D. Daniel Sternbergh Corrections and suggestions: please email to motss-faq@vector.casti.com