YET ANOTHER lesbian and ay group, this time the hig rofile OutRage! activis group, has ditched its committment to lesbian and gay autonomy It is part of a long-term trend in the lesbian and gay move ment away from autonomous self-organisation, towards 'deviant' sexualities together in the same basket. Under the all-embrac ing 'queer label, lesbians and haring what used to be their cen political space with bisexuals, trans-sexuals, transvestites, sado-masochists, even 'gay-identified' straights...
At the recent OutRagel meeting that took the decision, someone who was clearly worried about the proposal asked meant that 'pedophiles' were to be included in the shopping list. Raising this, they were told, was being 'devisive.
What relevance OutRage! may have had for lesbians and lisappearing fast. Under the guise of radical queerness, the reality of such 'identity politics serves only further depoliticise fesbian and gay Autonomous self-organisation is not an added luxury for building a lesbian and gay liberation movement. It is an essential prerequisite. If 'gay identified' straights are to be allowed into lesbian and gay groups, allow 'women-identified' men into women's groups? Or black identified' whites into black groups?
Why not, Socialist Worker may say. Well, in that case why not allow 'worker-identified bosses to represent trades unions? Self-organisation of the oppressed is just as important class-independence for YOT8CER In ignoring this, OutRage! to say that they are the leaders of the lesbian and gay struggle. It is likely that the group will now start to fall apart through the pressures of its own internal contradictions. Nobody is argu ng that people who are not les bian or gay cannot support the liberation struggle-but it hasto be lesbians and gay men who deline what that stuxs D. For Outrights! LESBIAN AND GAY activists in Brighton intend to launch Outrights!, a manifesto for lesbian and gay liberation, on 18 May as part of the town's Pride '92 colebrations.
The aim of the manfesto is to 'reassert our basic rights and freodoms as a central issue of concorn for the lesbian and gay communities' Outrights/ covers les bian and gay issues in education, the law. the police, employment, health and housing. It also covers parenting People, the art, mada and our and reproductive rights.