Fifty Years Ago: Bay Gays, 1976

A compilation of news reports on the burgeoning "homosexual community" in San Francisco, in the freewheeling carnival days before Harvey Milk, before the riots, before AIDS and all that.  I was still in the closet, and though I knew I was gay I didn't feel any kinship with the screaming queens out there.  The two quiet, polite, monogamous guys interviewed in the first clip here were more my speed, and still are.  But San Francisco was in the vanguard of the gay rights movement, which has benefited us all from coast to coast.  

BTW, David Goodstein, who appears in the first clip, was owner and publisher of The Advocate, which I later subscribed to for several years.

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Uncelebrating July 4th

I've thought and thought, but I just can't come up with anything to say or show to mark our national day.

I love my country, and there are still good people in it - but when I look beyond our little home and neighborhood, what I see is a nightmare version of America, a Bizarro world turned upside down, inside out.  Not the country I grew up in.

Instead of a republic, we live now in a corrupt and corrupting dictatorship centered on the worship of a conceited egomaniac without a conscience, supported and sustained by supine legislators and venal judges.  He is the complete antithesis of everything an American president should be, a monumental disgrace to the office held by Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, and so many other honest, honorable, decent men.

The dictatorship is not yet total, but his lickspittle lackeys, verminous henchmen, and deluded supporters are straining every nerve to make it so.  If they succeed, we shall have, not the blessings of liberty, but the scourging of a theocratic and plutocratic autocracy.  Which is just what the Founding Fathers feared and tried to prevent.  

The truth is, both the right and the left have gone far wrong, and no matter how the politics turn out, the old order of thing in this country and abroad has been shattered to pieces and will never return.  The clock never runs backward.  

This old man has outlived his time.  Things may get better eventually, or they may get worse - either way, there's nothing I can do to affect the course of events.  With the infirmities of advancing age, it's all we can do here just to keep ourselves and our little home in working order.

I could say many other things about politics and society, history and morality, but that's all I can manage for now - except a prayer:  God bless America and God help us all.

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I don't feel like singing today, but here is the late, great Kate Smith with the song she made famous when my dad was in England serving with the U. S. Air Force, and my mom was working in a defense plant here in Texas, turning out artillery shells:

Bonus, 5 p.m.:  Former President Bill Clinton has issued an encouraging statement on America 250 and the state of the country.  Excerpt:

Our Founders were wise when they gave us our mission to form a more perfect union. They knew America would never be perfect but could always be better. That’s what they meant by “more perfect.” We’ve done that by being courageous enough to acknowledge our flaws and missteps—and then bold enough to leave them behind for brighter tomorrows.

That’s the lesson of our first 250 years: we can always do better. In how we treat one another, in person and online; in building a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities; and in standing up, showing up, and speaking out for our democracy.

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In The Room Where America Was Born

Signing of the Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, 1819.
Click to enlarge.

Instead of the usual Friday assortment of several handsome men, today the Blue Truck features just one - which ought to satisfy everybody.

Independence Hall in Philadelphia is familiar to all Americans as the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as well as the original home of the Liberty Bell.  The Hall is in the care and custody of the National Park Service.  Those who remember fondly the denizens of Jellystone Park know that relations between bears and rangers have often been problematic.  

But now in this equal-opportunity era, here is Ranger Bigbear giving a really excellent and accurate narration of the events that occurred in the Assembly Room when the Founding Fathers gathered there.  Highly educational and enjoyable - if you can keep your mind on the history.

By the way, various authoritative sources tell me that the Assembly Room where the delegates met and debated is about 40 by 40 feet - more than twice the size of a typical high-school classroom today.  About 60 delegates attended in the summer of 1776; 56 of them signed the Declaration sometime in August - not on July 4th.  Believe it or not!

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America: What's It All About?

The late historian David McCullough (1933-2022), renowned author of presidential biographies and other best-selling books, discusses American ideas and ideals - and then-president Trump - with interviewer Charlie Rose in 2017.  One cannot understand the present without understanding the past.

This interview is well worth your time.  McCullough is easy to listen to, and his voice may sound familiar.  He has has narrated many Ken Burns miniseries and other PBS documentaries.

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How Far We've Come

The White House after the Obergefell ruling, June 26, 2015.
Click to enlarge.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence - founded explicitly upon the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - it is quite poignant for me to reflect upon the evolution of gay rights in my lifetime.  Here are some thought-provoking videos for old and young alike.

Here's Steve Hartman on CBS Sunday Morning in 2015, just after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage throughout the United States:

But CBS wasn't always so gay-friendly. Author and lecturer Steven Capsuto reviews two CBS News specials from 1967 and 1980:

In case you've never seen it, here is the full 1967 report, The Homosexuals, hosted by Mike Wallace (who later regretted the homophobic remarks he made at the time):

I was in high school then and never saw that report, which is just as well. I had fooled around with some boys my own age, but for many years to come, I still envisioned growing up and getting married to a woman one day - with the cozy cottage, the picket fence, the 2.5 kids - that happily-ever-after presented in books and movies and TV shows, not to mention the Bible.  Why wouldn't you want that?  That's just what grown-ups did, like your parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and everyone else in your church and your neighborhood.  A desirable, and indeed necessary outcome for most of the human race.

But some of us are not called to that conclusion.  I didn't know I was gay in 1967 - "gay" meaning homosexual was not part of everyday speech until the Gay Liberation marches and protests in 1970 and thereafter made national news. And I certainly didn't think of myself as a homo or a queer - those awful monsters who lurked in dark alleys that everyone hated - but no one ever saw in the light of day. Mainly they were just schoolard taunts. 

But the awful, unwelcome truth dawned on me before I finished high school, and I spent most of the next decade trying to pray it away.  By 1980, though, I had come out at college, and after Woodstock, Vietnam, and Watergate - not to mention Deep Throat, Playgirl and Barbara Eden's navel - the big-city world had changed a great deal. News coverage of Gay Lib - later Gay Pride - made people aware of things they never knew existed before, and gay people far from the east and west coasts began to come out and find one another - but changes in traditional attitudes in the Deep South were still small and slow. 

It was nothing at all like San Francisco - which from this late date appears as a carnival of the doomed, as shown in this report, Gay Power, Gay Politics:

Still to come were the AIDS crisis, ACT UP, and the Quilt; and beyond that, the long struggles in the courts and legislatures to gain the right to hold a job, join the military, and get married.  I'll be posting more historical videos and links this month that may touch on those subjects and others.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

--George Santayana

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My 5000th Post - Happy Pride!

Do you know that June 26 is a momentous day in gay rights history?  On this date in 2003, 2013, and 2015, the United States Supreme Court made three major rulings that firmly established our right to love whom we love, serve in the military, and get married.  Look those up here.

And today the Blue Truck has passed a big milestone - 5000 posts, over 9000 comments, nearly 4 million pageviews, according to my Blogger dashboard:

Click to enlarge.

So instead of the usual Friday men, here's a rerun of me and M.P. back in June of 2010, cooling off and splashing around at Chickasaw National Recreation Area, a beautiful big green park up in Oklahoma.

Now much less adventurous in our 70s, we're content just to stay home, out of the sun and under the a/c.  We well recall a time when "homosexual" was a dirty word, a mortal sin, a major crime, and a psychotic disorder, and are very grateful that we have lived to see gay couples living together openly and happily just as all other ordinary people do.

Hope all my truckbuddies are having a great weekend wherever you are.  Life is fleeting - enjoy what you can while you can. 

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Southern Pride Chicken

We didn't think to take a picture, but it looked like this,
with an even coating of golden brown crust.
Photo by David Reber from Paschal's restaurant in Atlanta via Wikipedia.

If you're wondering what to make for Sunday dinner this coming weekend, why not treat yourself to some honest-to-God Southern fried chicken?  I learned how to cook it from my grandmother, and made it a couple of weekends ago for M.P., who raved over it.  I was proud of my chicken, M.P. was proud of me, and it's Pride Month - hence the name.  It's a simple thing, but as all us Southern boys know, the best thing in the world!  Mmm-mm.  I tell you what!

So here is the recipe as my dear Grandma made it (minus the tenderizer and hot sauce) nearly every Sunday when I was growing up.  Read everything before doing anything.  Enjoy!

SOUTHERN  PRIDE  CHICKEN

by Russ Manley, June 2026

Ingredients:

4 leg quarters, disjointed

(= 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks)

1½  to 2 cups flour

salt and pepper

celery salt

Adolph’s meat tenderizer

Louisiana Hot Sauce™ or cayenne (optional)

2 eggs, beaten to a froth

1½ to 2 cups canola oil

¾ cup milk (for gravy)

Allow 2 or 3 pieces per serving, depending on age and appetite.

Prep time, about half an hour.  Rest time for chicken, 1-2 hours.  Cooking time, about an hour.

Directions continue after the jump:

As Boys Grow (1957)

Sixty years ago, I saw this film, or one very like it, in my high-school P. E. class.  Quite well-made for the time.  There was much nervous laughter in the room: the shock of recognition.

Since puberty had already begun for me the previous summer, this was a timely message.  But even more helpful was the book Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy, one of Dr. Kinsey's associates.  It told me everything I needed to know and more, simply and clearly, without moralizing.  A great help to a gay boy just beginning the long, often painful journey of self-discovery in an uncomprehending world.

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Sunday Drive: Barber, Adagio for Strings

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  --I John 1:5

One of your Head Trucker's all-time favorites, which speaks to me of spiritual things.  I would like to have this piece played at my funeral one day.  It is performed here by the Vienna Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel conducting, in the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace on June 20, 2019.

The Adagio was written by American composer Samuel Barber (1910-1981) in 1936; thirty years later, he used the music for his choral arrangement of the Angus Dei.  He was partnered with the composer Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) for more than forty years.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Falling Slowly" by Vintage Photomontage. Summer's here - time to strip down and get wet!

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Why Young Men Sound Less Manly

Your Head Trucker has noticed in the last several years that many girls and young women have developed the irritating habit of ending every sentence on a higher note - as we normally do when asking a question.  For example:  I live in Boston?  I am majoring in biology?  I want to work in hydroponics?  This is a childish habit born of insecurity, it seems to me:  as if the speaker is asking permission to say something, or unsure if she is saying the right thing.  A careless, highly annoying habit they should have gotten over by third grade.

Recently, I've noticed boys and young men - straight guys - adopting this same rising tone at the enf of their sentences, which is different from the "gay voice" that some gay boys and gay men have.  We know it came from unconsciously imitating the cadence of our mother's voices, and other female relatives; some of us grew out of that, while some embrace it.  To each his own.

Whatever the case may be, grown men and women should speak clearly and confidently, not like shy little kids; that's just my opinion - you can take it or leave it.  But here is Dr. Taylor Jones, a linguist who explains what the research shows about this "unmanly" speech phenomenon.  I don't have the experise in that field either to agree or disagree with him.  See what you think.

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