Gay News Issue 47

Scotland’s repressive climate
GLASGOW: The Reverend Keith Steven of the Church of Scotland told the press that many young Scots fleeing to London each year did so each they were homosexual and could not. cope wit h the repressive climate in Scotland.
He was announcing the establishment of a centre in Glasgow scheduled to open this summer This Youth Information Centre is to be financed by Glasgow Glasgow Corporation and it will give information to Youths planning to leave for cities.
The plan was sparked off by pleas from social workers in London who urged their Scottish colleagues to take action They were having to deal with so many young Scots kids who in the words of one "arrive in London totally unprepared and therefore immediately at risk. In 1972 some 500 young Scots were dealt with by London help organisations.
The idea of the centre in Glasgow is not to put them off, said Keith Steven, but warned, "One finds kids drifting into casual violence, prostitution and drug peddling simply because they don't know. information given will include employment and accommodation contacts.

 

Dundee comes out in styleJim Innes
  [photo] Jim Innes, local 5MG chairperson
DUNDEE: Yes, there we were, stationed between the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals and the British Rheumatism and Arthritis Association (BRA)—the Scottish Minorities Group (Dundee) on show to the public! As affiliate members of the Dundee Association for Social Services we were invited to take part in the Dundee Voluntary Organisations Festival on Saturday 11th May in the city’s Caird Hall.
Over 55 organisations took part, including the well-known ones like Samaritans, Gingerbread, YMCA, and less-known ones like the Brittle Bone Society and the Society of St Vincent de Paul. The ‘Festival of Care’ attracted over 10,000 members of the public who were able to see at first hand the wide range of services offered by voluntary organisations in the city.
Our own stand was designed and set up by an artist, one of our members, and he included in the display the NUS Gay Rights Poster, a copy of Gay News, photos taken at the Edinburgh University Teach-In on Homosexuality last year, and a poster showing the aims of SMG. For general distribution we had a supply of SMG Introductory. Leaflets and our own branch’s leaflet ‘Is Homosexuality a Problem . . .?‘ and, of course, copies of Gay News for sale. Public reaction was mixed—some people just couldn’t believe their eyes—but we were encouraged by the number of well-wishers who came to offer support and encouragement, and we were surprised by the open-mindedness of many others. We made contact with local councillors, spoke to the Lord Provost and exchanged ideas and information with officials of the other organisations. Hostile reactions were fewer than we expected. We overheard someone comment “Yeuch—pathetic’ and
someone else ‘I’d support the rest, but definitely not THAT!’, but unhappily none of them gave us an opportunity to speak to them or tell them more about ourselves.
We feel this was an important breakthrough for SMG, nationally as well as locally. It’s probably the first time information on the group on a large scale has been made available to such a wide cross-section of the population. It was a useful experience in public education, hopefully it provided an opportunity for increasing membership, and significantly, it gave those of us who took part valuable experience in coming out.
Len McIntosh