[Marxism] The SWP vs. Gay Liberation

[Aaron Aarons]

I remember an argument about homosexuals (I don't think we called them 'gays' back then) in the YSA office around 1963. It was a few of us supporters of the Minority arguing with, I think, Barry Sheppard and one or two other Majority supporters -- perhaps Peter Camejo and/or Roland Sheppard. At one point, one of them put an end to the discussion by snarling, "The working class hates fags." I also heard later that two young male Majority supporters were quietly forced out when they were caught holding hands in the office.

 - Aaron

>Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:47:28 -0500
>From: David Thorstad <binesi at gvtel.com>
>Subject: [Marxism] The SWP vs. Gay Liberation
>
>In 1979, when the SWP was trying to bring its members into line with its
>new "turn to industry," and was pulling its meager "forces" out of the
>gay movement in the few places it had them (New York mainly), it
>launched into a nasty attack on me and the first gay march on
>Washington, which it tried in vain to sabotage by encouraging the
>National Organization for Women not to support it. As part of this
>zigzag in policy, it held a rambuctious forum in New York City at which
>Michael Maggi laid down the new line, and attacked me personally. I was
>allowed into the forum, even though I had been banned from attending
>party forums (unbenownst to me, because they never informed me and, in
>any case, I hadn't wanted to attend any for several years). I
>distributed a lengthy exposé of and polemic against SWP policy that was
>published in the radical gay press. Since those days, both the SWP and
>the gay movement have degenerated considerably, but the article raises
>issues that remain pertinent. The article, "The Socialist Workers Party
>vs. Gay Liberation (or The Cuckoo Builds a Strange Nest)" is now
>available online at the following link.
>David
>
>
>http://www.williamapercy.com/wiki/index.php?title=%22The_Socialist_Workers_Party_vs._Gay_Liberation_(or_The_Cuckoo_Builds_a_Strange_Nest)%22#cite_note-4