Dialog, Volume 7, Number 8, August 1983 Page: 3
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REPORTS FROM THE DEPARTMENTS
A major outcome of the Board of Direc-
tors' Retreat on July 17th was the reor-
ganization of the DGA departments. New
departments were created; others were
restructured or expanded. Below are
reports by the Directors of the Depart-
ments, including general information as
well as an outline of goals or projects
within each specific area. The accom-
plishments mentioned and more are all
possible . . . with your help.
Your talents and energies are needed
in one or more areas, and your level of
commitment can be tailored to suit your
schedule and the time that you can give.
More information will be available at
the general membership meeting on August
8th. Please volunteer to work with the
Department(s) of your choice.
Civic Affairs Dept.
by Bill Nelson
The keyword in the Civic Affairs De-
partment for the coming term is ORGANIZE.
It is this department that coordinates
the political involvement of our commun-
ity and helps to create what has become
known as the "Gay Bloc Vote." The depart-
ment itself is already well organized and
has an impressive history of participa-
tion in the gay rights movement.
The major thrust of the department, in
the absence of an election this November,
will be to engage in "off-season poli-
tics." The location and organization of
gay voters and the establishment of an
effective communications network are the
primary goals of the next four months.
Approximately fifteen precincts will be
targeted for intense organization. The
criteria for targeting will be either a
high level of gay-identified population
or the presence of high-energy leadership.
Precinct captains will be appointed as
well as individual street captains.
These people will work together to seek
out, register, and get on our mailing
list those voters who are sympathetic to
the gay rights movement. That communi-
cations network will go beyond merely
passing along endorsement sheets. It
will be a real community resource and
self-help system that can be beneficial
in many areas for those participating.
Help is needed, of course, from many
people. Almost every street in Oak Lawn,
East Dallas, and parts of North Dallas
will need a street captain. Their res-List of Elected Officials
Here are the names and addresses of
elected officials who presently represent
Dallas area citizens at the city, state,
and national levels of government.
CITYMayor Starke A. Taylor
District 1 Councilman James Hart
District 2 Councilman Paul Fielding
District 3 Councilman James Richards
District 4 Councilman Dean Vanderbilt
District 5 Councilman Craig Holcomb
District 6 Councilwoman Elsie Faye Heggins
District 7 Councilman Max Goldblatt
District 8 Councilman Fred Blair
District 9 Councilman Jerry Rucker
District 10 Councilwoman Annette Strauss
Letters to City Council members may be
addressed c/o City Hall, 1500 Marilla,
Dallas, Texas 75202.STATE
sponsibilities will be to seek out their
gay neighbors and encourage them (either
in person or by mail with the materials
we will provide) to participate in deter-
mining their future. Precinct and street
captains will receive instruction manuals
and suggestions on how to communicate ef-
fectively. The emphasis of the Civic Af-
fairs department will be to keep the work
load of the street captains low and the
productivity and rewards high.
The described activities merely scratch
the surface of the many responsibilities
to be undertaken by this department. We
will have fund raising, education of and
communication with area politicians, work
on phone banks and in campaigns, and the
mailing of thousands and thousands of
messages to our community. The depart-
ment meets in one form or another every
Tuesday night at 7:30 P.M. in the Alli-
ance offices. Anyone interested in par-
ticipation in the politics of our move-
ment or in becoming a street captain is
welcome to come to the meetings. For
further information, call Bill Nelson at
the Crossroads Market at 521-8919.
Communications Dept.
by Buck Massey
The Communications Department has a his-
tory of major accomplishments. The Na-
tional Gay Leadership Conference, which
was organized and executed by the depart-
ment, brought Dallas and the Alliance into
the forefront of the gay rights movement.
The billboard and the bus signs are but
the latest and most visible of the depart-
ment's accomplishments.
Not being the type of people who are
content to rest on their laurels, we have
a full agenda before us. A project that
I am very excited about is an hour-long
weekly radio program on KNON now in the
works. We are considering donating gay
titles such as Now That You Know and
Loving Someone Gay to every branch lib-
rary in Dallas County. The impact of
this project will be immeasurable.
In addition to the glamour projects,
the basics of mass communications remain.
The department is charged with the re-
sponsibility of advertising our general
membership meetings. This means getting
posters designed, printed, and put up.
There is always a mailing that needs to
be addressed, stamped, and mailed.FEDERAL
President Ronald Reagan, The White House,
Washington, D.C. 20500
U.S. Senator John Tower, 176 Russell Senate
Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
U.S. Sentor Lloyd Bentsen, 703 Hart Senate
Office Bldg.. Washington, D.C. 20510
3rd Dist. U.S. Rep. Steve Bartlett, 2419
Rayburn House Office Bldg., Washington,
D.C. 20515
5th Dist. U.S. Rep. John Bryant, 1111 Long-
worth House Office Building, Washington,
D.C. 20515
6th Dist. U.S. Rep. Phil Gramm, 1116 Long-
worth House Office Building, Washington,
D.C. 20515
24th Dist. U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, 1238
Longworth House Office Building, Wash-
ington, D.C. 20515
26th Dist. U.S. Rep. Tom Vandergriff,
1529 Longworth House Office Building,
Washington, D.C. 20515Governor Mark White, State Capitol, Austin,
Texas 78711
Dist. 2 State Senator Ted Lyon
:ist. 8 State Senator 0. H. Harris
Dist. 9 State Senator Chet Edwards
Dist. 10 State Senator Bob McFarland
Dist. 16 State Senator John Leedom
Dist. 23 State Senator Oscar Mauzy
Letters to state senators may be addres-
sed to: Texas Senate, P.O. Box 12068,
Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711.
Dist. 98 State Rep. Gwyn Clarkston Shea
Dist. 99 State Rep. Bill Blanton
Dist. 100 State Rep. Sam Hudson
Dist. 101 State Rep. Anita Hill
Dist. 102 State Rep. Patricia Hill
Dist. 103 State Rep. Steven D. Wolens
Dist. 104 State Rep. Ray Keller
Dist. 105 State Rep. Charles Gandy
Dist. 106 State Rep. Carlyle Smith
Dist. 107 State Rep. David Cain
Dist. 108 State Rep. A1 Granoff
Dist. 109 State Rep. Bill Hammond
Dist. 110 State Rep. Paul Ragsdale
Dist. 111 State Rep. Jesse Dean Oliver
Dist. 112 State Rep. Bill Ceverha
Dist. 113 State Rep. Lee Jackson
Dist. 114 State Rep. Fred Agnich
Letters to state representatives may be
addressed to: Texas House of Representa-
tives, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, Texas 78769.What all this comes down to is that we
need you. Whether you speak in pear
shaped tones, are the world's greatest
graphic designer, or willing to put up
posters and address envelopes, we have a
place for you. We promise good company,
hard work, lots of fun, and most of all
a sense of accomplishment. The committee
meets every Wednesday at 8:00 P.M. in the
Alliance office. I look forward to see-
ing you there.
Education Dept.
by Tom Hatfield
Since education is the major focus of
the Dallas Gay Alliance for the next six
months, we will be playing a major role
in bringing information to you.
The two most important areas of concern
are the continuing AIDS crisis and homo-
phobia both within the gay community and
from straight society.
We will continue to produce brochures
on AIDS as new information becomes avail-
able. We are also going to continue to
push for federal funding of research,
through our petition drive and lobbyist
funding.
Homophobia is something that all of us
are confronted by and must deal with every
day. Some of the suggestions already re-
ceived are: organizing a meeting devoted
to this subject, producing brochures deal-
ing with our fears, and using our Speakers
Bureau to educate the community at large.
There is a lot of work to be done and
we need people to implement these pro-
grams. If you are interested in helping
in this area, we meet in the Alliance
office on the second and fourth Tuesdays
at 7:30 P.M. If you have any questions,
please call the office and let's get
together.
Fund Raising Dept.
by Alan Ross
The Fund Raising Department is once
again a separate department so that
greater energy can be spent obtaining the
necessary funding for the Alliance. Em-
phases of the department for the next six
months.will be at least three major
events for the entire gay community. One
is the Texas Freedom Festival to be held
Labor Day weekend to celebrate the repeal
of Section 21.06 of the Texas Penal Code.
Other events that may take place are
another evening at the Majestic Theatre,
movie nights at the Inwood and.,Granada
Theaters, and an over-35 Mr. Dallas Con-
test.
This department will meet the first and
third Thursdays of each month at 7:30 P.M.
at the Alliance office. A committee is
needed to work on these planned events as
well as to discover other means of fund
raising. If any member has experience in
fund raising or has some good ideas with
which to raise funds, please plan to at-
tend the committee meeting or contact me
at 528-4233. More reports on Page 6
CRISISLNE
TO REPORT:
ANTI-GAY VIOLENCE
TO OBTAIN:
A.I.D.S. REFERRALS
Call toll-free In N.Y. State
(800) 221-7044 (212) 807-6016~Plh~F~r ' e~ ~---a~s~ras~nr~sl-;- -
L
August 1983
DIALOG
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Dallas Gay Alliance. Dialog, Volume 7, Number 8, August 1983, periodical, August 1983; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc304781/m1/3/: accessed June 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.