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From: rrizzo@bbncca.ARPA (Ron Rizzo)
Newsgroups: net.motss,net.politics
Subject: Articles on gay Nicaraguans
Message-ID: <1450@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 3-Jun-85 11:14:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: bbncca.1450
Posted: Mon Jun  3 11:14:26 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Jun-85 00:06:34 EDT
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 30
Xref: linus net.motss:1479 net.politics:8619

On pages 47-51 of the current issue of THE ADVOCATE, a national gay
magazine, are articles on Nicaragua: one by Ron Bluestein about an
all-gay Venceremos-type brigade from San Francisco, another on gay
Nicaraguans by Doniphain Blair.

The latter is a slightly different version (a few paragraphs vary)
of an article in the French gay magazine GAI PIED that I creakily
translated a while back on the net.


Biased Comment by Rizzo:

Bluestein's article is a mild True Believer's setpiece that strews
bland kudos on the Revolution, Sandinistas, & the Good Gays of the
brigade.  The original Venceremos Brigades to Cuba (North American
enthusiasts who cut sugar cane in the annual harvest) were openly
(and ultimately officially) homophobic, even though they contained 
quite a few gay members.  See Allen Young's book, GAYS UNDER THE 
CUBAN REVOLUTION (Grey Fox Press, 1981).  I guess progress here 
means the right to be deluded & openly so )=:.

Blair's own English sounds somewhat more pro-Sandinist than my own
wretched translation; ah, the not-so-subtle effects of bias!  But
(to me at least) Blair's English original now looks even more like
a deliberate apology for the regime than before.

			Un pueblo unido surpresses queers,

			Regards,
			Ron Rizzo