Subject: Gay Married Men
From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 15:01:01 -0400

Across the nation there are thousands of gay-straight married couples who are
struggling with the issues of maintaining such relationships.  The Gay
Married Men's Association of Washington DC maintains an on-line outreach in
addition to our local DC support activity for gay men and their spouses who
are desperately searching for someone to share their experieces..

Please add GAMMADC to your list of resources.  Our mailing address is
[email-masked].  The attached text describes our group's operation and
focus.

Thank your for your assistance.  Point of contact is Jim B., the outreach
coordinator at the e-mail address listed above.

THE GAY MARRIED MEN'S ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON DC (GAMMADC):   Gay and
Married.  Many think those words are mutually exclusive, but they aren't
really all that uncommon.  Gay-straight marriages do work out for a lot of
couples.  Even if their marriages don't survive, lives go on and
relationships survive.  

In the Washington DC metro area, the Gay Married Men's Association provides
understanding, support and answers for gay married men and their straight
spouses who need a port in the midst of their personal storm.  Contact us at
[email-masked].

GAMMADC isn't a "national" organization.  Rather, it's a local group, but
there are similar groups across the country. If you know of such a group,
please drop us an E-mail and we'll add it to our list as well.  

If you're struggling with the issues of being a gay married man or gay spouse
and want to try to locate a GAMMA-like organization near you, we suggest you
check out the classified section of your local Gay and Lesbian newspaper or
even the major papers in your area.  Also, if there is a G/L info line in
your area, they may be able to help you as well.

The Washington DC group has been in operation since 1979 and usually has
25-35 men attend each meeting.  GAMMADC is a support group for gay married
men that meets twice a month in Washington on the 2nd and 4th Friday's at
7:30 PM.  Our meetings last about 2 hours then many of us usually go to a
local watering hole in Dupont Circle for some socializing.  All it takes to
"join" is to show up a meeting.  Our members range in age from early 20s to
70s with most in their 30s-40s.  

GAMMA wives or "straight spouses" as many call themselves meet once a month
on the 2nd Friday of the month in a private home.  You will need to call the
hotline number for directions.    

The membership in GAMMADC is a diverse as there are names in the phone book.
 Many have remained married for dozens of years after disclosing the truth to
their spouses and close family.  Others have separated or divorced, or are
just now coming to terms with what it means to be gay and married.  There is
no right or wrong answer and there are as many different stories as we have
members.   

Confidentiality is the byword at GAMMADC.  Our members feel comfortable
sharing their personal stories with the group exactly because we do hold to
strict confidentiality standards.  Our membership list is never made public
and the our members feel comfortable in the community of those who have
walked, and are walking, where there walk now. 

At GAMMADC we publish a monthly newsletter.  I'm biased, but the newsletter
just seems to get bigger and better each month with personal accounts, poems,
member articles on contemporary topics and a lot more.  If you would like to
receive the newsletter, it's easy to subscribe.   Sorry, but we don't publish
the newsletter "on line" yet.  

Our mailing address is GAMMADC, PO Box 28317, Washington, D.C. 20038.  Just
send us your subscription check, name and return address to the PO box and
we'll get you on the next mailing.  We charge $12 per year and the newsletter
arrives in plain white business envelope with just a PO return address for
confidentiality.  We try to do our mailings very early in the month.

In addition to monthly meetings and our newsletter, we operate a hotline and
fax line for questions and discussion.  Pleas E-Mail us for the number if you
are interested.  Feel free to contact us anytime you have questions about
GAMMA.  

Remember, you can reach us at [email-masked] anytime and we'll be glad to
answer whatever questions you may have.  At least we'll try real hard.