THE

FAGGOTS
&
THEIR
FRIENDS
BETWEEN
REVOLUTIONS
text by larrymitchell
drawingsby ned asta
calamus books
p.o.box 689
cooper station
new york, ny
1 0 0 3
Copyright c 1977 by Larry Mitchell and Ned Asta
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 77-88125
ISBN: 0-930762-00-2
Third Printing, 1988
THE
FAGGOTS
&
THEIR
FRIENDS
BETWEEN
REVOLUTIONS
textby larry mitchell
drawingsby ned asta
calamus books
p.o.box 689
cooper station
new york, ny
10003
PART 1
THE
WAY
IT
IS
"Ain't nobody perfect
'Cause ain't nobody free"
from "Blues for Mama"
Let'sdrinktotheoldfaggotswhowerethere andhelped makethis
happenjust bybeing there.
It'sbeenalongtimesincethelastrevolutions andthefaggots and
their friends arestillnot free.
Thefirstrevolutions destroyedthegreatculturesofthewomen.
Once the men triumphed, all that was other from them was
considered inferior and therefore worthy only of abuse and
contempt and extinction. Storiestold ofthese times areof heroic
actionandterrifying defeat andsilentwaiting.Storiestoldofthese
times makethefaggots andtheir friends weep.
Thesecondrevolutionsmademanyofthepeoplelesspoor anda
smallgroupofmenwithoutcolorveryrich.Withcraftiness andwit
thefaggots andtheirfriends areabletolive inthis time, somein
comfort and some in defiance. The men remain enchanted by
plunder and destruction. Themen are deceived easily and sothe
faggots andtheirfriends havenearly enoughtoeat andmorethan
enough timetothink about what it means tobe alive asthe third
revolutions are beginning.
Thefaggots andtheirfriends nowliveinRamrod.Theleaderof
RamrodisWarren-And-His-Fuckpole. Heistheleaderof Ramrod
because he is the most paranoid and therefore the most vicious
man in the land. Warren wants to know who the leader of the
faggots issohecanrationalizewithhim. Butthefaggots haveno
leader. Theyhave onlydead heroes.
Ramrod is known to its neighbors for the fierceness of its
weapons and the touchiness of its leaders. To support their
violence,the rich men without colorwhoownRamrod send their
tax collectors out to steal the people's work; they send their
shifty-eyed onesouttosellthepeoplemachineswhichdonotwork
and security which isnotdependable; they send their thugs and
goons out to take peacefulness away from the people. The more
therichmenwithoutcolorcanstealfromortakefrom orselltothe
people,the more violencethey can buy.
Ramrod is known to its neighbors for the elaborateness of its
violence and itseagernessto use it.
The faggots and their friends live the best while empires are
falling. Sincethemenarealwaysbuildingasmanyempiresasthey
can,there are always oneortwofalling and sooneortwoplaces
forthefaggots andtheirfriends togo.When anempire is falling,
the men become so busy opposing the rebellions elsewhere and
searchingforthereasonswhythisishappening,thattheyhaveno
timetowatchthefaggotsandtheirfriends athome.Thepopulace,
tiredofhearingonlyofforeign defeats, allowsthefaggots roomto
play. This entertains them. The men, desperate over the
ingratitudeoftheforeigners andtheir decliningfortunes athome,
forget andletthefaggotsplay.Oncetheempireisgone,the cause
of the present evil must be found. And the faggots and their
friends alongwithothersoften getchosen.Thentimesgetbad and
the faggots and their friends fade.
Ramrod has an empire. They have not had it very long yet
already it is shabby and disreputable. Everyday the faggots and
their friends can see, hear, and feel Ramrod's empire
disintegrating asthe men lose more and more things they never
owned inthe first place.
When things are loose, you cantell the faggots from the men.
The men wear grey and the faggots wear all the other colors.
Whenthingsaretight,thefaggotshangalltheothercolorsintheir
closetsandfade backintothegreynessofthemen,known onlyto
each other and wait.
WISDOM OF OPPRESSION
Forathousand yearsthewomendidnottrustthefaggots.They
would allow the faggots to arrange their hair into elaborate,
beautiful designs.Theywouldallowthemtofilltheir houses with
carvedwoodandsoftfabrics.Theywouldallowthemtoplaymusic
attheirparties.Buttheydidnottrustthefaggotsfortheyknewthe
faggots only as men and they could nottrust men.
The men have never liked the faggots. Sofor a long time the
faggots hid from them. Unacknowledged, the faggots served the
men. They created their masterpieces, educated their children,
cooked their food, arranged their gardens, planned their houses,
worked in their factories and rubbed their backs. The faggots'
energy was drained and used by the men. The faggots' activity
helped tokeepthe men's empires alive.
Thefaggots lived withthe men without ever being part of the
men. Itwasnecessarytodevelopsecretwaystoknoweach other.
Vibrationspassedthroughtheeyesandthetipsofthefingers were
the waysthe faggots knew each other. Oncethey learned to find
each other anywhere they went, they learned that they were
everywhere.Thentheybegantotalktoeachotherandtoloveeach
otherinearnest. Andthen slowlythefaggots taught each other a
trick. Theylearned how to be active in front of the men without
identifying with the men. They learned how to do for the men
without being used bythe men. They could smile inside as they
performed. Theycouldlaughnomatterwhatthe outcome oftheir
actions for the men were.Theybegan to detach their souls from
the men, while leaving their bodies visibly available for activity.
The faggots learned that they could create the men' s
masterpieces, educate their children, cook their food, arrange
their gardens, plan their houses, work in their factories and rub
theirbackswithoutcaringhowitallturnedout.Theylearnedhow
the oppressed survive.
Romanticlove,thelastillusion,keepsusaliveuntiltherevolutions
come.
THEFAGGOT VERSION
Allthe men could befaggots ortheir friends. They oncewere.
There still exists afaint memory of the past when the faggots
and their friends were free. The memory lives in the faggots'
bones.Thememoryappears atnightwhenthebonesarequietest.
Indarknessthefaggotsrememberthatoncetheylivedinharmony
with each other and their world. They adored the women who
loved women and the women who loved women adored the
faggots. Suddenly and strangely, some of the faggots began to
showadis-ease. Firsttheycutdownthetreeswhichprotected the
otherfaggots fromthewindandrain.Thentheyburned the earth
which fed the other faggots. Then they killed the young animals
and ate them themselves. Then they began to enslave the
womenall the women. As the dis-ease advanced they stopped
touching the other faggots and at that moment they became the
men. They attacked the unsuspecting women who loved women.
Bloodshed and devastation entered the bones of the faggots and
begantodrivethememoryofharmonyaway.Thewomenwholove
womenandthefaggots weretheonlyoneswhoknewthe cure for
the men's dis-ease. Butthe men did notwantto be cured. Their
crimes against the others became more numerous and more
demonic. Moreofthe faggots became men and so more became
implicatedinself-loathing, adis-easeofotherness.Themendrove
thehealers away.Andthehealers wentintoinvisibilitytowaitfor
the men toturn on each other.
At night in their invisibility the faggots remember freedom.
Theyexchangethemagicalcockfluid andstrokeeachother'stired
bones inmemoriam and defiance.
FAGGOT WISDOM
When you feel pain fall intoyour brothers' love.
Thefaggotscultivatebeautyandharmonyandpeacesincethese
arestatesthatthemendonotknow about. Theluckyfaggots live
inthe most beautiful places and make love in the most beautiful
places and dance inthe most beautiful places. Sincethe men are
blindtobeauty,they donotknowthattheluckyfaggots liveinthe
most beautiful places. And the lucky faggots do not tell them.
Instead, they askthe unlucky faggots to comeandjoin them.
The faggots consider it their sacred pleasure to engage in
indiscriminate promiscuous sexuality. No faggot, regardless of
age,raceorphysicalappearance,shouldeverbehorny. Horniness
makes the faggots uneasy and nasty and distracts them from the
revolutions. Sexuality, likeallthenecessities oflife, must be free
andeasilyavailable. Sothefaggots securespaceswhere each can
beanonymous,whereallcocksareequalandallcockjuiceequally
precious. "Feeding the faggots" they call it. Two rules govern
these places of nourishment. First, all must remain quiet so the
soft sexualnoisescanbeheard. Second, anyonewhoisdonemust
do. If you get, youhave got togive.
Thefaggots cultivatethemost obscure and outrageous partsof
the past. They cultivate those past events which the men did not
wanttohappen andwhich,oncethey did happen, they wanted to
forget. Thesearethepartsthefaggots lovethebest.Andtheylove
them somuchthat theytelltheoldstoriesoverandoverand then
theyactthemoutandthen, astheultimatetribute,theyallowtheir
livestore-createthoseobscurepartsofthepast.Thepainoffallen
women and the triumph of defeated women are constantly and
lovinglymadeflesh again.Thedestructionofwittyfaggots andthe
militancyofbeaten faggots areconstantly andlovinglymade flesh
again. And so these parts of the past are never lost. They are
imprinted inthe bodies ofthe faggots wherethe men cannot go.
The men want everyone to remember and commemorate only
their moments ofvictory and plentitude. The men hopethat only
they have such moments. Sohistory becomes achronicle of wars
andbrutality and state splendor. Artattemptstotransform men's
brutishness into men's benevolence. The faggots know better.
Theyknowthat oneman's victorymeans the defeat ofothers and
that some men's plentitude means that others go hungry. The
faggots refuse to celebrate the men's lies.
Thefaggotswiththewomen cultivatethe domesticarts.Bynow
thepublicarts,underthecontrolofthemenfor2,000years, have
become too unpleasant for anyone elseto practice with pleasure.
Alltheformer great publicactivitieshavebeenturned intogames
of chase and grab and hoard and expand and protect.
Occasionally, to remind themselves what the men have done,
thefaggots enactthe ritual ofthe brutalization of the public arts.
They sit in acircle. Nooneisallowed to smile. One faggot, with
defiance in his face, removes his leather belt. Without words, he
challenges another faggot. Abrutal chase around the circle then
begins. It ends when the faggot without the belt, bleeds. The
sequence isrepeated until eachofthe faggots has been, in turn,
brutal and brutalized.
The faggots must live, so they take money from the men to
appear to participate in public activity. They do commerce and
educationandgoverning.Buttheirsoulsarenotabsorbedbythese
activities. The men's souls are absorbed along with their
perceptions andtheir minds andtheir love.The men believe that
thebrutalityofthepublicartsisreality.Thefaggots alongwiththe
womenknowbetter and sohaveturnedtheirprodigioustalentsto
thecultivation ofthe domesticartsandthedomesticarts flourish.
Thefaggots donot lust after power. The men feel secure only
when they are distant from the people and making decisions for
everyone.Themencarelesswhattheydecidethanthattheyalone
can decide. The men never askthe people whatthey want. They
decide what they want to decide. And then they force others to
followtheirorders.Themenhoardpoweranduseitcontinuouslyto
makesurethat they still possess it.Themenhoardpowerand use
itbrutally to demonstrate that they are the men.
The faggots sneer at allthis power grubbing and seeklove.
A FAGGOT FABLE
Some faggots were more beautiful than other faggots. The
beautiful ones onlywanted totouch and betouched by the other
beautiful ones. Orchard wasthe most beautiful of all and all the
beautiful faggotswantedtotouchOrchard.OnedayOrchard made
himself ugly, very ugly. When the beautiful faggots sawwhat he
haddone,theyweptandthenturnedtheirbacksonhimand forgot
him. Onlythe uglyfaggots now wanted to touch Orchard. Sohe
gatheredthemalltogetherandtookthemtoamountaintopwhere
theylivedinharmonyandjoy.Asthey learned to loveeach other
moreandmore,Orchardandtheotheruglyfaggots grewmoreand
more beautiful. After many years they floated down from their
mountaintopintothetown.Thebeautiful faggots were astounded
bythesenewlyarrived creatures.Thebeautiful faggots wanted to
touchthem allandlovethemforever. ButOrchard said, "No,you
aretoouglyforus.Goandlovetheugliestfaggot youcan discover
andthenwewillloveyouinreturn." Sotheyleft thetownanddid
as they were asked to do, spreading the notion that to love the
ugliest will makeboth beautiful. Atlast, one day, allthe faggots
everywhereweresobeautiful thatnoonehadtothinkaboutitany
more. Now they all loved and touched each other with great
pleasure and ecstasy.
Some ofthe faggots are trashy. Infact, with the inspiration of
the outcast women, the faggots developed "trashy" into a high
formofdisruptivebehavior.Whenthementalkaboutthe freedom
of work and dirtiness of sex, the trashiest faggots move fast to
the nearest public place where danger from the men is always
present and proceed to spend endless amounts of time having
glorioussexualpleasure.Themenwilldoanything aslongasthey
don't enjoy itortalk about it.Thetrashiest faggots lovewhothey
doand talk of it often.
Thefaggots act out their fantasies without believing them to be
real.
The men act out their fantasies alwaysproclaiming that they are
real.
The faggots' fantasies create playdressing up and dressing
down.
Themen'sfantasies createresponsibilitiesgoing hereand doing
that.
Thefaggots' fantasies are about love and sexand solidarity.
The men's fantasies are about control and domination and
winning.
Thefaggots movetowardsthelimitsoflivinginthe body for they
haveknownbodyecstasyandwanttolivetherewitheveryone
always.
Themenmovetowardsthe limits ofliving amongthings for they
have seen great collections and want to live there alone
always.
FAGGOT WISDOM
Thereismoretobelearnedfromwearingadressfor aday,than
there isfrom wearing asuit for a lifetime.
WOMEN WISDOM
Thestrongwomentoldthe faggots
thattherearetwoimportantthingsto
remember about the coming revolu-
tions.Thefirst isthatwewillgetour
asses kicked. The second is that we
willwin.
Thefaggots knewthe first. Faggot
ass-kickingisatime-honored sportof
the men. But the faggots did not
know about the second. They had
never thought about winning before.
Theydidnotevenknowwhatwinning
meant. So they asked the strong
women and the strong women said
winning was like surviving, only
better. As the strong women
explained winning, the faggots were
surprised and then excited. The
faggotsknewaboutsurvivingforthe
alwayshad and this wasgoing to be
just plain better. That made ass-
kicking different. Getting your ass
kickedandthenwinningelevatedthe
entire enterprise of making
revolution.
Thefaggots have never been asked to join the vanguard. The
faggots, it wasnoticed, donot know how to keep a straight face
andthevanguard demandsconstantlystraightfaces. Thefaggots,
itwasnoticed,wantonlytoeatsotheycanplayloveplaywhilethe
vanguarddemandsendlesstalkaboutthehungerofothers andthe
seriousness ofwork. Thefaggots, itwas noticed, aretoo quickto
believethattherevolutionhadcomeandsotooquicktocelebrate.
Thevanguard demands that the revolution goon forever and so
demands that the celebration onlybeplanned, never enacted.
ThedreamboatsofRamrodstillliveinthedevastated city.They
havelosttheirmuscletoneandtheirfaces,withoutmake-up,show
deepwrinkles.Theirhairisthinandwispy.Theycravestimuliand
soare always in publicplaces.
Thedreamboatsusedtowalkamongthefaggots, never allowing
the faggots to touch them, taunting them with their hard male
beauty.Buttheynolongergoamongthefaggots. Thefaggots no
longerwantthem. Theylaugh at the dreamboats and calleachof
them "Mister Bullshit."
Sonowthey must loiter uptown, in the men's bars. The men,
with cruelty in their hearts, taunt the dreamboats about the old
dayswheneverymommyanddaddyintheworldwantedthemand
allthe faggots loved them with their imaginations and the other
menwerejealousoftheirgoldenhairandbulgingbiceps.Themen
talktothem about the present wherethere are no mommies and
daddies and no panting faggots to desire them and their biceps
have collapsed.
Whenthebarcloses,asitmust,theyeach gohomealonetotry
to get it up. Most nights they fall asleep before anything to
remember happens.
Themen spread disease among the faggots, one of the things
theylovemosttodotothosetheydespise.Themenwillonlycure
diseases they themselves suffer from.
Once the faggots were overtaken by a new mysterious weak
feeling.Theycouldhardlyleavetheirhouses,theyturned abright
yellow, they became unhappy and death seemed near. The men
called it aname, but refused to help anyone who had this state.
Themen saidthis state arosefrom anoveruse ofthe cock, which
the faggots knewwas alie.
Sothefaggots stayedintheir beds intheir houses, reading the
classic love texts, dreaming of a soulful revolution, drinking the
potions that the strong women made for them until they were
cured.
Asked at aroadside fruit stand:
What doyou likebest about faggot turf?
"All those men touching each other"
"They dance a lot"
"They're all socute Iwant topinchtheir cheeks"
"They havethe best taste in town"
"Yes, refined and civilized"
"Funky and nutsy and Ilove nutsy"
"My son took me to this restaurant with all those nice men
everywhere. Ihad the best potato soup Iever ate."
"I ask you where else istheretohang outthese days"
"Faggot turfOh! I'll faint. Take me there"
"Those people knowhowto live,let metell you"
"Even though some of my best friends are, I don't like to be
around them that much"
"Fab-u-lous"
"Youcanletyourcockhangoutwithoutbeingafraid. The faggots
only want toplaywith it."
WOMEN WISDOM
The rule is: You get more warm
fuzzies by giving away all your own
warm fuzzies. Keeping your warm
fuzzies to yourself results in a large
accumulation ofcoldprickles.
ThequeermenlivemiserablyinthedevastastedcityofRamrod.
They are not friends ofthe faggots.
Whentheygetupatthepropertimeinthemorning,theyputon
themen'sclothes, spraythemselveswiththemen'sodors,eatthe
men's instant breakfast andgotoworkfor the men. Using allthe
trickstheirfathers taughtthem,theymanagetoappeartobepart
ofthe men. They speak in low, well-modulated tones;they have
definite opinions on all subjects that might be mentioned; they
look distracted when being asked afavor; they decide when it is
timetodecideandtheyactdecisivelywheneveritistimetoact.On
public occasions they speak sentimentally about the challenges
aheadandthepastgloriesofRamrod.Inprivatetheyspeakofthe
lonelinessofpowerandthesatisfaction that comesfrom arranging
the livesofothers.
There are some delicate moments for the queer men but they
handle them in a manly fashion. They do not have one woman
whomthey fuck, but this, they explain in alow,knowing tone to
the men whoinquire, leaves them free tofuck any womenwhom
they can get their handson. They are inconspicuous atnight but
this,theyexplainwithaggressivebravadototheothermen, isthe
time they use toplan strategies for the next assault onreality.
Theirfathersareproudoftheir achievements;theirmothersare
suspicious of their lack of warm, human contact. Their fathers,
whowillbelieveanything, knowthey aremen;theirmothers,who
hope for the best, knowthey are not quite men.
Atthepropertimetheyleavethemen'sworkandreturntotheir
solitary rooms. They take off the men's clothes and prepare
themselves for the small possibility of pleasure that the night
might bring. Now, if the men's work has not exhausted them
completely,theyhavesomemomentstodowhattheycannot help
doing.Theyputontheircostumesandtheir sunglasses and move
cautiously onto the streets. Pleasure is chancey here; maybe,
probably not. Without encountering a significant stare on the
street, they move into a dark, wood-covered room. Chances are
betterhere. Everyone standsstill for awhile and drinks andlooks
ateachother,whilepretendingnotto.Asignificant starehereand
there, a few friendly, though innocuous, words spoken and they
moveontothose hidden places where all cocks are equal andall
cockjuiceequallyprecious. Herechancedisappears.Hererelease
isguaranteed. Herethe queer men meet the faggots. And here,
without knowing it, the queer men and the faggots commit
themselves to each other.
EVEN WEAK LINKS IN THE CHAIN
ARE LINKS IN THE CHAIN.
A FAGGOT FABLE
The faggots who worked knew that it's useless to have rich
people.Therichdidnouseful workandreceived largeamountsof
moneyfor it. Afew ofthosewhoownedthings and didno useful
workforlargeamountsofmoneywerequeermen. Soonedaythe
poorfaggots toldtherichqueermenthatthisshithadgottostop.
Therecouldnolongerberichandpoor.Therichqueermen agreed
in principle, embarrassed bythe entire discussion, but protested
that they were powerless to doanything.
Thepoorfaggots said, "Nonsense. Ifwecanthinkof it, wecan
do it."
The rich queer men said, "The men whoown most are greedy
and violent and death-intoxicated. They liquidate any threats to
their greed."
Thepoorfaggots said, "Thereisonlyonechoicefor us. Takeit
awayfrom the rich men orgomad living intheir world."
The rich queer men talked of the powerful protection that
property brings. The poor faggots talked of useful work and
sharing whatever there is. As they talked, they each knew the
other to be sincere. Andthen they knew that further talk was a
waste oftime.
Sowithout invitations,the poor faggots moved inwith the rich
queermen.Theysleptonfine linensheets andate importedham.
They drank from crystal goblets and sat on velvet chairs to chat.
They insisted that the servants take off their uniforms and join
them. Theywere politetothejewels.
Therichqueermenwerenaturallydismayedatthisneworderin
theiruniverse.Theythreatenedtoturnthepoorfaggotsout,which
only made the poor faggots more charming and helpful. Therich
friends of the rich queer men smothered them in sympathy for
their newhardships,whilethepoorfaggots brought life intotheir
huge,barren houses. Genuine affection sprouted from the cracks
indecorumastherichqueermenrealizedthattheirbank accounts
hardly noticed the new arrangements.
Moneyandprivilegeremainedintactwhilethesharingofluxury
increased.Therichqueermenremainedrich,butthepoor faggots
no longer lived poorly. The poor faggots were not finished, but
theyrestedfornow.Andtherich queer men relaxed into stylized
disapproval onpublicoccasionsandoccasional grumblings onthe
yacht.
DISRUPTION: TACTICS
Wheneverthefaggots leavetheir smallliberated areasto enter
thespacesofthemen,they causescenes.Theydonotreally mean
todothis.Butthemencannotresistlooking, pointing, yelling,or
pushing the faggots. Let two faggots kiss discreetly in the dark
cornerof acrowded restaurant and pandemonium willbreak out.
Lettwofaggots begintorubtheir bodies together rhythmically to
some slow melody and hissing will begin. The faggots have
accepted allthat they knowand see asthe waythings are and so
can no longer be shocked. The men live in the fantasy that
everyone islikethem and so are constantly shocked.
As theygrowolderthequeer menlearnfrom thefaggots allthe
techniquesfortellingwhowilldowhat with whom. Asthey grow
older, they learn to identify each other and occasionally two or
three queer men will become friends. Such friendships are lived
through in secrecy. These friendships are dear to the queer men
for they arethe only contactthey have with love. It is with their
friends thattheyelaborate a sensibility of self-preservation. They
sharewiththeirfriendsthatdetachmentwhichcomesfromleading
twolives,oneofwhichisrespectableandadmired andtheotherof
which is despised and fugitive.
Thequeermencontinuetohopethatthe menwillstopcaringso
much about whoisorwhoisnot sucking cock. If the men would
stopcaring somuch,thequeermencouldthenbe men, onlymen
whosuck cock.They could eliminate the life that isdespised and
fugitive.
But,alas,themencontinuetocaretoomuch. Sothequeermen
have to continue to hope too much and continue the life that is
despised and fugitive.
Thishopingandthisconstantdetachmentfromtheirlivesleaves
the queer men tired. They fall easily into stupors and cant and
irrelevancy.Theirenergyislowsothey can onlymanage to carry
onastheyhavealwayscarriedon.Thereisnoenergytomergethe
acceptableandtheunacceptableintosomethingnewand probably
also unacceptable.
SONS AND FATHERS
The faggots created a rite of cleansing. The faggots sit in a
circle.Thefirstfaggotentersintoafather's headwhilethe second
faggot becomesason.Thentheyenactapartofthat endless story.
With a blink, the second faggot enters the father and the third
faggot isbornintoason. Andanother part ofthe endless story is
revealed. Like a wind over sand, faggots are transformed from
fathertosontofather toson.Afather's hatred andason's anger;
afather's ambitionsandason'sfailures; afather's fantasies anda
son's rebellion reenacted until the spell of dead generations is
broken. With a scream of laughter the faggots see, and for a
momentthey love each other freely, fathers makinglovetosons,
and sons makingloveto fathers.
THE FAGGATINAS AND THE
DYKALETS ENTERTAIN THE PEOPLE
Through each recurrent holocaust, as the streets of the men fill
with death, the dykalets andthe faggatinas re-enact the sagasof
thehideous,hiddenviolenceofthe men.Theygoontothe streets
andwithalook, agesture, asound and aword, re-create what is
meant to be forgotten.
In the middle of a rubbish filled street in the devastated city a
smallcrowdgatherstowatchthedykaletsandthefaggatinas enact
the sage ofthe strong, youngwoman wholed armies into battle,
winninggreatvictoriesforsomeofthemen.Acheerisheard when
the woman finally stands tall on the bloodied bodies of her
enemies. Whenthebattlesend,themenconvene and decide that
the strong, young woman must exchange her combat boots for
daintysatinslippersandher swordfor acrochethook. Inaspeech
fullofpassion anddefiance sherefused tobewhat sheisnot.The
men, shocked atthis breach inthe established order, killher.The
crowd is in tears as it begins slowly to dissolve. Suddenly, a
warning cry is heard; the men's goons have been spotted.
Hurriedly the players gather up their props and vanish into the
crowd asthe crowd disappears intothe rubble that surrounds it.
O
n an abandoned pier on the river of filth the dykalets and the
faggatinas enact the saga of the faggot who was publicly tried,
imprisoned andfinallyexiled for beingtooamusing.Theplayers'
strutaristocraticlydeliveringironic,wittyinsultstothemenasthe
crowdlaughsandapplauds. Butthe men are not amused. Oneof
their empires isfalling and they donotfindit atime to laugh in
public. Sothe men organize to destroy the faggot who dares to
makefunofthem.Justastheyareabouttobanishthefaggot from
their land, the sirens of the men's goons are heard. The crowd
throwsmoneytotheplayersand runs likehell.Theplayers catch
the money and quickly take out beach towels and sun lotion
becoming week-end tourists trying to find some sunlight coming
through the dirty sky.
Inabombed-outsectionofthedevastatedcityonapileofjunkthat
wasonceahousethedykaletsandthefaggatinas enactthesagaof
thewomanwithcolorwhosangherpainsopowerfully that others
hadtolisten. She sang ofthe pain ofwomen and thepain of the
poor.Theplayers singfrom their soulsand the crowdjoins them.
Theyclapandshout andmoan.Theyremembertheirpastandsee
their present through the music. The woman with color sang so
passionately that the men feared insurrection. In their fear they
plottedherdestruction.Theyweakenedherwithpoisonsandthen
lockedherupfortakingthepoisons.Thecrowdbecomes enraged
at this senselessness and when the men's goons arrive, as they
alwaysdo,thecrowdhurlstherubbish onwhichthey stand at the
goons.Thegoons, caught off guard, retreat. Theplayers andthe
crowdhugexcitedly andquicklyfade awaytoavoidasecondfight
withthe goonswhichthey knowthey wouldlose.
WOMEN WISDOM
It is categories in the mind and
guns in their hands which keep us
enslaved.
Those who have powerthe
mendecide which divisions they
find expedient. They decide, for
whatever reasons, who is not them
and so who is to be hated. Those
without cocks, thosewho are hungry
involuntarily, those who refuse to
work assiduously, those whowant to
playalways,thosewhodonotbelieve
in male worship, those born with
color,thosewholovetheir own kind,
those who follow the wisdom of the
great mother, these arethe ones the
men have decided tohate.
&
Someofthefaggots are sopoor that they have to live on only
whatisfree.Thetastyorgasmjuice isfree. Sosomeofthe faggots
live on it. From other faggots they receive this juice quickly,
secretively, and in abundance. There are hidden meeting places
where the poor faggots cango.
For convenience, these meeting places are scattered all about
the devastated city in empty trucks and wooded parks and
abandoned buildings and obvious toilets. Sometimes the
not-so-poor faggots, after a satisfying meal at home, will go to
these gathering places for their dessert.
WOMEN WISDOM
We gotta keep each other alive any
way we can 'cause nobody else is
goin' do it.
The faggots leave their mothers who bore them in physical
humiliation and loved them as much as they could love
themselves. Their mothers' homes nourished them and protected
themtothemomentjust before madness.Thenthey fled, leaving
their mothers' homes more desolate andbarren thanbefore they
arrived. Their mothers weep, knowing that their only desire will
remain unfulfilled.
Thefaggots reached out to their fathers. But their fathers are
abstractandemptyandhavenoenergytoreachback.The faggots
trytoanswertheir mothers' unspoken pleasfortheanswer. Their
fathers askfornothingand sothefaggots neverknowwhattosay
tothem.
WOMEN WISDOM
Thestrongwomentoldthe faggots
thatthe moreyoushare,thelessyou
need.Atfirstthefaggots thought the
strong women were being either
obtuseorUtopian.Butasthey began
to share their clothes and their
secrets and their magic potions and
their spaces and their incantations
andtheiranimalsandtheirbooksand
their visions and their food, they
learned, slowly, that the more they
shared with each other, the more
there was that could be shared and
the less anyonefaggot needed.
THE MORE THAT
GOES AROUND THE
MORE YOU GET
BACK.
The queer men cannot saythe truth. When the men ask them,
"What didyoudolastnight?",theyhearthemselvessaying, "Oh,
I finally fucked her" or "Oh, I stayed home and studied the
documents" or "Oh, nothing, adrink and ahot bath." These are
lies.Thetruth isthat last nightthey sucked cockorleft the men's
realityfor another spaceorsankintothedepression of aloneness.
Theyare, after the men leave them, different from whatthe men
see.
This constant deception does not make the queer men respect
themen less. It does makethem viewthe men differently.
In Ramrod theonlyway to tell the sane from the insane isby
whohasthekeys.Thesanehavethekeys,theinsane donot. The
sane have the keys that lock doors to keep the insane in(sane).
Thosewith the keys guard their keys carefully.
Thefaggots, tomock and undermine normal reality, elaborate
onthewearingofkeys.Onedayallthe faggots appear with keys.
Keysonlongchainsandonshortchains;keysontherightsideand
keysontheleft; keysonthecockandkeysoutthe ass;keysonthe
titsandkeysunderthearms;keystoproclaimsanitybythosewho
the men see as insane.
The men believe that activity results from frustration and
frustration resultsfromneverbeingabletogetwhatyouwant. The
perpetual out-of-reach. The men frantically scurry about with
great schemes and much noisetotry and reach the out-of-reach.
Eachtries to be first orrichest or strongest ormost potent. Each
compareshimselftotheothersandeachisalwaysinadequate; less
than first, not yet rich enough, or strong enough, or potent
enough.
Noneofthis leads tohappiness, but then the men do not look
approvingly at happiness. None of this leads to contentment but
then the men care nothing for contentment. Theyfilltheir heads
withinflated notionsoftotalcontrol and empire and strength and
sexual conquest. Theyfilltheir bodies with meat and drugs and
dirty air. And they rush about in a frenzy making messes and
ugliness and fear everywhere.
And when they tire they sit with each other and lament and
blabberhowlittletheyareappreciated andhowhard they try and
hownothing ever worksout quite asthey plan.
THINGSARENOTALWAYSEASYFOR
THE QUEER MEN
Amansays, "Why don'tyouandthelittleladycomefor dinner
next week?"
A queer man must find something to say, maybe, "I don't
possess a little lady." No, that will never do. Maybe, "She's
stayingwithhermother,who'sveryill,youknow."Whynot, "My
boyfriend and Iwould love to." Come on, it's always the same.
"Thankssomuch,butit'simpossiblerightnow.Thingsaren'tthat
goodbetween us. We're tryingtowork itout. But it's hard. And
you know...." And on and on and on and on and on aslong asit
takes tocreate agirlfriend whocan be disposed of whenever the
bluff is called.
Onceagainafather inquiresofhismalechild, "Isn't ittimeyou
got married?"
Aqueer man says wearily what hasbeen said sooften, "Ijust
haven't met anyone yet."
The sad father says, "It istime. Loveisnot everything."
The queer man almost explains, then says, "You just don't
understand me so stop asking."
The sad father stops asking and does not understand.
Awoman falls in lovewith aqueer man.
Shesays,"Ilikebeingwithyoubecauseyoudon'ttrytopawme
all the time."
The queer man says, "Yeah, Iknow."
They goto fancy places and opening nights and coolparties.
Shesays,"I'vetoldyousomuch aboutmyself, but Ifeel Idon't
knowthat much about you yet."
The queer man says, "Yeah, Iknow."
She says, "Love without sex isnewfor me."
The queer man, sad at this deception and her confusion, says,
"Yeah, Iknow."
The men never talk about how they feel. They pretend to be
machines.Areplaceablepartwhensomethingwearsout. Someoil
inthemotortokeepitgoing.Testingthemachinetofindouthow
much it can withstand before it stops.
They pretend to be machines correctly programmed. Say the
proper words and movethe proper way. Follow the instructions.
The personal is saved to bore women with. The personal is
unreliable and makes nomoney.
Onemachineknowsnothingabouttheothermachines.Soallthe
machinesbecomefearful andsuspicious.Theyfear defects intheir
own programming. They suspect others of plotting to overcome
them. Andthey hide moreofthemselves hopingtofool the other
machines.
Thefaggots find ithard tobe near the men. Thefaggots know
that you choose to either obey the programs or to defy the
programs.Theyfindittroublesometobearoundthosewhosaythe
program is inevitable.
When theempireofRamrodwasstrong andthemenincontrol,
more or less, there appeared a group of women who adored the
faggots.Theysatwiththefaggots through longbleaknights;they
ateelegant, uproarious dinnerswiththefaggots;theyadvisedthe
faggots on matters ofthe heart.
The men hated these women and called them fag hags. "Any
friend of afaggot isnot afriend ofours," the men would say as
they slapped each other with drunk hands.
ThismadeToniandJerrifeelbad.Theyfigured,ifyoulikemen,
it's bettertobe with faggots. This wayyou don't get raped. Toni
and Jerri knew that fag hag was not a friendly way to describe
them.
ForalongtimeToniandJerriworried andgotdepressed. Until
oneday,inthebrightsunshine,ontheedgeoftheocean,theysaw
thattheywerenotfag hags but smart, strongwomen.They were
strong for loving whomthey wanted tolove and smart for loving
gentlemen.Sotheysetthemselvesfreetolovetheirfaggot friends
andthe faggots celebrated.
DISRUPTION: TACTICS
Thefaggotsnevertireoffuckingwiththemen's minds.Onceall
thefaggots lettheirhairgrowlong,worenecklacesmadeofsilver
andshellsandclothesofcolorful, elaboratefabrics.Theylookedso
stunning that the men over-looked their principles and began to
look stunning also. When the men all looked like faggots, the
faggotscuttheirhair,putonblackleather andlookedlikethemen
usedtolook.Themenwereannoyedandpretended nottonotice.
Growing bored with basic black leather, the faggots began to
elaborate.Theyworeblackfish-netstockings and high heels with
their black leather jackets. They carefully sewed imitation
rhinestones allover their black leather pants. They wore feather
boas asthey rode their motorcycles through the devastated city.
Theyworeflowinggoldlamegownsandworkbootswiththeir short
hair and dirty fingernails. They drank beer and swore, in velvet
robes and furs. They sipped champagne and talked refined in
paint-splattered bluedenim.Themen did not want tolook at any
ofthis.Andwhentheyhadto,theybecameconfused and petulant
and unpleasant, which pleased the faggots.
Thewomenwholovewomenwroteasongforthefaggots. Itwas
called, "Anything you dothat the men don't likeiso.k. by us."
PART 2
THE
ENERGY
OF
OPPRESSION
After athousandyearsthemenhavebeguntoloseenergy.They
have explored and elaborated their games unhindered until they
havebecometrapped inrepetition. Theysaythe samewordsuntil
thesewordsnolongerholdanyresonance.Theydothe same acts
until they become like a dream. It is hard for the men not to
become cliches. Violence has been seen in its every conceivable
form. Thedomination ofother livingthings hasbecometotal and
soboring. Distance from others has gone sofar thatthe men are
strangers to everyone. Paranoia from success and despair over
failure aresowellknownthattotalkaboutthem anymoreinduces
sleep.
Asthe energy ofthe men declines, they find that they can no
longer compel everyone else to explore what they can barely
explorethemselves. Asthe energy of the women grows and the
energy ofthe faggots and their friends grows, the men begin to
lose confidence intheir ways.
SURVIVAL: STRATEGY
As the energy of the men decreases, the faggots and their
friends comeaboveground.Theyknowtheydonothavemuchtime
beforethemenwillnotice.So,asquicklyastheycan,theybeginto
arrangethemselves intoanintricatenewworld.Theyneed access
tofood and towarm spaces, to hiding places, to excitement and
to each other. The great gardens of the fairies begin to expand,
producingfoodinabundance.Thefairiesshowertheplantswithso
muchlovethattheplants,withgratefulness, producealltheycan.
Spaces to be in begin to be created around the great gardens,
warm, woody spaces, softly illuminated.
The faggots, passing as men, procure spaces all over the
devastated city.Althoughthemen have divided allthe city space
up and given each space aname soit couldbe used for only one
purpose, the faggots turn everything they can get into spaces to
livein and to eat in andtolovein.
Thequeens elaborate their dens inthe rubble to create hidden
places where one can live for long periods oftime safe from the
cold, sharp eyes of the men. And they elaborate their forms of
outrage.
NOTHING CAN DEFEAT THE SPIRIT
OFTHE EARTH.
The fairies knowthat the earth willnot tolerate the men much
longer.Theearth, scarred andgouged and stripped and bombed,
willdenylifetothemeninordertostopthemen.Thefairies have
left themen's reality in order to destroy it bymaking anewone.
The fairies arethefriends ofthe faggots. They helpeach other
whenever they can. Thefairies donot live amongthe men. They
liveintreesandcavesandbushes.Theycomeoutatnighttodance
and sing.Themen knowthat there arefairies but arenot sureif
they have seen one or not. Onlythe faggots have seen themfor
sure. Sometimes the fairies dance and sing for the faggots and
sometimes the faggots dance and sing for the fairies and
sometimes, the best times, they dance and sing together.
The great gardens of the fairies prosper. The fairies worship
their plants and they grow and bear abundant food. In the
afternoon, they sing and chant and weed. Asthe sun cools they
make love with each other, surrounded by tomatoes and
marigolds. At night they sleep curled around the cucumbers or
intertwinedinthebeansorcoveredbythecorn.Whenthey awake
in the coolmornings, they strokethe plants and give them food.
Andsometimesthefairies are soovercomewith love and passion
that they lie inthe watermelon patch and masturbate.
In the winter the fairies liveinlong, log houses. They learned
howtobuildthelong,loghousesfromthegentlepeoplewhoonce
livedontheland.Thegentle people are now gonefrom the land.
The men, believing that gentleness would disappear when the
gentle people vanished, slaughtered them.
The queens,named to commemorate the glorious past reignof
the women, are also friends of the faggots. The men hate the
queensandtryineverywaytoexterminatethem. Thequeens are
not, however, afraid. They laugh at the men and taunt them for
beingsostupidandcoarse.Sometimesthefaggotsjointhe queens
to laugh at the men and tell them they are stupid and coarse.
Usually the faggots sit and listen while the queens tell of their
thrilling adventures and applaud when the queens, once more,
escape from the clumsy clutches ofthe men.
Thequeensdressinthosepartsofthedevastated citywhichthe
men have abandoned. In the spaces created by ruined buildings
the queens have made adazzlingnewworld. It is all trickery, of
course.Fabrics and dimlights and soft pillows and tinkly sounds
andsweetsmellsandlaughtereverywhere asthe queensdressfor
thestreets.Thequeensliveonthestreets.Theyeatoffthe streets;
they conduct their business in the streets; they have their love
affairs on the streets. They make the men on the streets very
uncomfortable, sometimes even violent. It amuses the queens to
see the men in such astate.
O
nenight deep inthe catacombs ofthe devastated city where
thequeensweredressing,oneofthequeens,inmockdesperation,
cried, "God save the Queens!" Another queen in serious
explicationreplied, "Godneedsahotfist uphistight, horny ass."
"I mean, reaaaly, everyone knows god died last year."
"Oh? How did that happen?"
"Well,the story isthat oneday abunch ofqueens knockedon
thepearliesandGabrielbeing,youknow,sympatico,invitedthem
in.Thequeenswereloungingonafluffy, pinkcloudcombingtheir
heavenly white wigswhen god spotted them. 'Not on my clouds
youdon't,' hescreechedandordered allthequeensoffhisclouds.
Well, you can imagine, after they split, things got pretty dull
on those clouds. I mean absolutely nothing of any interest was
happening.Thenwordcamebackthat allthe queenswere having
areallyhottimeintheirnewhome.JC, whowastired anywayof
sitting on god's left hand, split to join his friends. God, always
uptight about what the neighbors would think, simply died of
mortification."
"Get your actstogether, Queens, wegotta hit those streets."
"Honey, youlooklikethose streets done hit you."
"It' s the new disaster look."
"You'd be agreat ad for war."
"Slapthat sillyqueen andgethisassmoving.Thestreets need
us."
The queens luxuriate in variety. They often make fun of the
faggots fortheir drab uniformity and their addictiontothe men's
fashions.Thequeensdisplayinfinitewierdnessestotheworld.For
them, style is the path into the unique self and so to
transcendence. They long for everyone to reveal themselves
wherever they are.
TheGreat Goddess ofthe Earth and the fairies' special books
haveledthefairiesintoalivingritual.Theyget upwiththesunto
sitontheearth andthinkaboutbeginning. After anhourthey are
aware andfocused and soproceedto dothe tasks that need tobe
done. These are done slowly, deliberately, calmly. The fairies
becomeabsorbed intothetasks sothat their nature isrevealed to
them. The fairies receive joy from this knowledge. The tasks
changewiththeseasons.Springisplowingandplanting, summer
iscultivatingandbuilding, fall isharvesting andstoring, winteris
fixing and elaborating the inner spaces ofhouse and self.
When the sun is high, the fairies gather to cook and eat and
chant. The chant brings them into restfulness. They allow
themselvestobecarriedawayintocalmpsychicplaces.Whenthey
return, slowly, refreshed, they begin the afternoon yoga. In the
summer they practice theyoga of play. They use movement and
making sounds and playing natural instruments and acting out
fantasies and swimming and picking flowers and sitting under
trees and makingloveand walking and being with the cats.They
are helped intheir summer yoga by the small white mushrooms
that grow abundantly under the bean vines. In the winter they
practice the yoga of making things. They weave and bake and
crochet andpotand sewand paint and work with wood and glass
andleather and stringsandwords.They are aided intheir winter
yoga by the long, dry plants hanging upside-down from the
ceiling. Inthe springtheypracticethe yogaofbeing onthe earth
carefully andinthefalltheypracticetheyogaofseeingthe plants
transform themselves.
The afternoon yogas end as the sun approaches that moment
whenyoucanseethecrackintheworld.Thenthefairies gatherto
quietly celebrate. The darkness isfor livingtogether. The fairies
eat and talk and sometimes read and sometimes dance and
sometimestouch.Thedarknessisfor doingwhatevermakesbeing
together feel good. Whenthe body signals, the mind relaxes and
the fairies sleep.
The ritual is suspended for celebrations, during natural
disasters, forhuman sufferings andonemontheverywinterwhen
all the fairies gotothe devastated cityand turn into faggots.
Wh e n the faggots visit the fairies it is always like entering a
wonderful dream. It seems like a dream to the fairies also. The
earth is gentle and nourishing. The plants grow and flower and
fruit. Thesunandrainandmoonandwindcomeandgoandallthe
livingthingsarethankful.Thefairiestreattheearth well,yetthey
do so little compared to what results. They never imagine that
their effort matters all that much. They aid and abet. But most
happensbecauseithappens.Theylivewiththemiracleof growth
andchangeanditis soconstantly astounding that it seems likea
sweet dream.
The men love papers. They love to sign them, file them and
move them around. They believe that certain papers are sacred
anddisplaythem. Theybuypapersfrom eachother andtheylock
papersup.Theystoretheminhugeundergroundhidingplacesso
other men who are their enemies cannot have them. They make
women sit endlessly in airless,tall buildings making new papers
forthemtowriteonandthensendtoothermentowriteon.Andif
enoughmenwhothementhinkareimportantmensignapaper, it
becomeseitherfamousandisputonguardeddisplayoritbecomes
important andishidden away and gossiped and speculated about
endlessly. All the men accumulate paper. But if a man can
accumulateenoughofthecorrectpapershecanbecome powerful.
Then hehires other men to watch over his correct papers. Most
men never get holdof many correct papers. Stillthey hoard and
protect the papers they dohavehopingthe market willchange.
The fairies use their papers to start fires and to wrap up the
trees inthe winter.
The faggots throw their papers away every spring when they
clean out the winter tribal odors.
The queens usetheir papersto wipetheir asses with.
ITTAKES ALLKINDS TO MAKE THE
REVOLUTIONS
The Queens are poor and raunchy.
They liveon what othersnolonger want.
They have no power.
Theyhave no socialplace.
They almost havenoallies.
Allthis makesthem angry and amused.
It makesthem restless and outofplace.
It makesthem high-spirited and disruptive.
They knowthat ittakes allkindsto makethe revolutions.
Others donot knowthis yet.
The Queens are out and are not coming back. They wait for the
others tojoin them.
The Queensfindthe queer men a source ofinfinite amusement.
"Did you seethat?" aQueen yells as a queer man walksby.
"His eyeballs werebouncing alloverthe street."
"Trying notto seeyouinyour pinktaffeta bathrobe."
"Trying to get agood glimpse of my basket."
The Queensthink thefairies are cute.
"But howcan youlivewith allthose trees allthe time?"
"I mean, Ihear they don't even have sidewalks there."
TheQueensthink thefaggots are sweet, but not yet serious.
"I sawthem holding hands."
"Well, my dear, everyoneholdshands these days."
The Queensfindthe women a source ofinfinite inspiration.
"Get a load of Scarlet Redhair tearing up the drapes to make
himself a frock."
"SadieTomTomisfucking upset cause his missionary couldn't
get it uplast night."
TheQueensremain originals, not like any of the others that the
men willever see.
From deep in the elaborate rubble where the queens dress
comes a cry. "We must do something! The situation is fast
approaching the desperate."
Suspecting a queen's private drama, the others continue to
create themselves in silence.
"Soon when they have no one left to throw their bombs at
they'regoin'tostartthrowingthematus.Markmyword,Queens,
they're makingmorebombs every day. More and more and what
doyouthink they're goin' to dowith them. I mean weknow the
men are crazed. Itell youthis shit has got to stop."
Nowthe other queens listened for they knewthe cryof insight
which can precede propaganda bythe deed.
"I mean, they've got more instruments of destruction than
anybodyever.Andthey'renotgonnajust sitaroundandstrokeall
those bombs. They're gonna use them. They're spending
everybody's moneytomakeallthesehorridthings.Really, germs
andnastychemicals andwhatthefuck doyouthinkthey're gonna
dowithall this shit? Honey, you and me are gonnaget it, unless
weget them first."
Theothersknewwhathesaid and were ready for the concrete.
But the queen who spoke what they all knew to be true lost
himself inself-creation and, forthemoment,the moment passed.
The faggots havetheroutinesofcommunity andthe rhythmsof
thestreetstoliveby:visiting,lunches atsmallcafes, late daytea,
walks, accidental encounters, organizing, issuing manifestoes,
putting on plays, changing lovers, shifting alliances and living
arrangements and gossip, endless gossip. They share shifting
notions about the men and power and how to take it away from
them.Theyfindroutinesintheircollectivelivesandturnthem into
rituals.Theycreated theritualofthebrief encounter, theritualof
dyinglove,andtheritual ofoutrageousness. They live in aworld
invisible tothe men.
Moonbeam isoneofthe faggots. Moonbeam lovesthosewhom
the rejected have rejected. He learns most from those whohave
lost all that the shabby world has tooffer. He searches for those
who have lost the respect of all others but have kept their own
self-respect.
One day he met Eva Destruction, a Queen who had lost his
energy for splendor andhis desire for comfort. Hewore garbage
and dirttoblend inwiththe street. Inthemidst ofthefilth shone
hiseyes.When Moonbeam sawEva'seyes,herelaxedandbegan
toweep.Heknewhehadfoundonewhocouldteach what he had
toknow.
With Eva he learned that he could break all the men's rules.
With Eva he learned how to break the most fundamental of the
men's rules; with Eva he became a complete non-man. He no
longerlookedlikeamanortalkedlikeamanoractedlikeamanor
felt like aman. Moonbeam washappy.
O
ne bright afternoon Moonbeam caught the interested eye of
another faggot walking past him. They both slowed down and
quickly found an excuse to stop. Moonbeam looked in a shop
window,theotherfaggot cleaned hisfingernails. They glanced at
eachotherandastheritualforbrief encountersproscribes, smiled
discreetly. The other faggot moved slowly on down the street
lookingback twiceto indicate that Moonbeam should follow. He
did, his heart pounding and his imagination running wild. They
entered an abandoned building and amidst the debris, without a
word, made delicious love. The other faggot's name was Loose
Tomato and he and Moonbeam became friends.
Loose Tomato loves to fuck-up. The men, obsessed with
propriety, demand polite actionfrom others intheir world. Loose
Tomato is never proper. In the men's indoctrination centers he
farts inthe classrooms, he callstheteachers "boss," he smokes
magic substances in the halls, he steals silk bed sheets from the
president's house, and he wears cheap dresses to elegant
occasionsto which he has not been invited inthefirstplace.
Whenhe drinkstoomuchofthemen's deadlyelixirs,he leaves
consciousness andthen hecanpissinempty wastebaskets, throw
upon the carpet before dinner and walk naked inthe streets.
His manner is tough and crude but his soul is kindly and
generous and laughing. He is always dancing on the boundary
between eccentricity and insanity. Hecultivates the spontaneous
and the unexpected which can lead one absolutely anywhere.
Lilac isafriend ofMoonbeamand LooseTomato.Theymetone
night in a dark corner. They moved quickly, nearly without
noticing,from warmtalkandlaughtertodeepfriendship. Lilacisa
romanticaddict. Intellingastoryordoing an action, Lilac always
exaggerates, or dramatizes, ashelikestothink of it. This makes
things more realfor others.
Pinetree is Lilac's sometimes lover. Pinetree is idealistic yet
sensibleanddowntoearth.Hecanbeeasily seducedbythe deep,
longing look in Lilac's eyes.
Lilacand Pinetree metinanorange grove. Each was alone and
hungryfortouch.Theirfirstdaystogethertheydidnotspeak, they
kissed and licked and sucked and caressed until the hunger was
goneandtheyknewtheywerenolongeralone.Passion, aprecious
giftfrom thegreat goddess,flowed around them. Lilacsometimes
wept, but mostly he purred. Hepurred after a quiet meal in the
garden.HepurredwalkinghandinhandwithPinetreeinsoftrains
oncoolcitynights.Hepurredlyingnakedonhotfaggotbeaches as
the waves covered hisbody wrapped around Pinetree.
S
ome days Lilacwould be in a trance. The smell of Pinetree's
body would stay in his pores and make his nose twitch all day.
They madeloveat night and inthe morning and the odorswould
get strong and definite and hypnotizing. The odors evoked love
and spurred onloveandmadeLilacremember love.By afternoon
theywouldbegintofade andLilacwouldretirefor smallmoments
to smell himself and what remained of Pinetree.
These days were best when they were spent with his cats.The
catsknew,fortheytoocouldbecometransfixed bylovesmells.He
would lienakedonthebed andthe catswould smell him andlick
off the love that Pinetree had spread all over him. And as they
licked, they would become, like Lilac, abstract and transformed.
They would lie with him and their noses wouldtwitch as they all
tried tokeepthe memory oflovealiveand well.
Lilac,inhisjoy,pressedflowersandsentthemtohisfriends. He
made things out of lace and ribbons and bright paper. He wore
longrobes and danced inthe sun. Tosee people andplants grow
made his heart calm.
Hemovedacrossthemarred landscapeofRamrodfindingquiet
placestolovein,visitingthegreatgardensofthefairies, gossiping
behind closed doors with the Queens and acknowledging the
women who love women lounging on the hot sidewalks of the
ruined cities. As he yearned for Pinetree's arms, he found
romance everywhere. His heart stayed open to any who would
pretend with him for a moment that love could thrive in the
paranoid wierdness ofthe men.
Lilac is never sentimental for sentimentality makes him weak
and weakness means defeat by the men. He is, however,
superstitious. When the morning glories that he and Pinetree
planted together refused to grow, he knew their passion was
growing weak. Warm, caring, gentle friendship then began to
grow.
Pinetree dreams ofaglorious, non-violent revolution. Between
the dreams he isproficient inthe practical. Heis certain that he
has enough money, which means he always has more than he
needs. He iscertain that he has a place to live, which means he
alwayshas several placestolive.
He stays in solitude a lot to keep his dreams of the glorious,
non-violent revolution alive and he wishes Lilac and the others
would stay with him and his dreams.
Tomakehisdreamsrealhelivesquietlythrough hisreactionary
emotions. Heexperiences desiresto control his environment and
heexperiencesjealousywhenhispleasures arethreatened andhe
experiences possessiveness of property. He accepts these
emotionsmuchasheaccepts depression and the men's brutality.
They have tobe acknowledged and gotten through.
To make his dreams real he celebrates his revolutionary
emotions. He experiences joy in sharing and he experiences
completenessinlovingandheexperiences satisfaction inworkfor
othersdonewith compassion. These emotions hewrites about on
papers stucktowallsandtellsstrangersaboutonboats.These he
will not forget.
If he can live as if the glorious, non-violent revolution has
happened long enough, hewill awakeonedayto find that it has
happened.
Sometimes he isconfused about the meaning ofwhat he feels.
Thenheisdepressed andafraid andlongsfor hisfriends Lilacand
Loose Tomato and Moonbeamto sit with him.
Hollyhock livesinthefaggot community ofthe devastated city.
He inhabits a cool space where faggots, weary of the streets,
refresh themselves. Heentertains allwhovisit with funny stories
oftheolddayswhenitwasbad. Hisbodyisbloated, hisface lined
and his hair is falling out. Yet Hollyhock in ruins is still
magnificent to view. The weary faggots sit in the coolness,
drinking quietly, watching the beauty live in the decay of
Hollyhock's body.
But Hollyhock does not live here in contentment. He likes his
cool space and his faggot friends but he feels cut off from
somethingthat ifhehadwouldmakehimfeel morewhole and he
doesnotknowwhatitis.Soheentertains andhislifegoeson.Yet
atnight alonehewonderswhatismissing and ifhe will everfind
it.
Heavenly Blueworried allthe time. Heworried about the bills
and the roof that needed repairing and the strange men who
alwayswatched the house and what the neighbors might donext
andaboutHollyhock'sunhappiness.Heworriedmostofallthat he
would gomad. Hisworrying gotthe bills paid and the roof fixed
and drove the men away and calmed the neighbors down and
helped Hollyhockbe happier. Andfinallyhisworrying drovehim
mad.Itwasthemadnessoflookinginwardandbeingafraid. There
had never been enough love and warmth around him and he
thought he had gradually dried up inside. He wanted out but he
did not knowwhere outwas.
Lilac and Pinetree and Moonbeam and Loose Tomato and
Hollyhock gathered. They held Heavenly Blue in their arms for
days, they let him cry and stare and slobber and scream and be
silent. They paid the bills and looked after the roof and watched
the street for strange men and talked to the neighbors and
Hollyhockkepthimself happy. Their housefilledup with comfort
and routine and gladness until Heavenly Blue could no longer
resist and became response-able again.
Heavenly Blue now had a house filled with his friends.
Contentment overwhelmed him. After much chattiness they all
decidedtocallthemselvestheTribeofthe Rising Sons. Everyone
felt quite elated about the name and about the house and about
Heavenly Blue's recovery. They painted the house pink and the
trim lavender. They carved peacock feathers in the wood around
thedoorandplanted roses inthe front yard. Then they all began
again to be whothey were.
Quickly,theyallgoout intothe neighborhood to discover their
friends andfindafaggot worldbeing made.
Next door live the tribe of Angel Flesh. The concept of Angel
Flesh makesLilacquiverand LooseTomatogiggle with glee.The
house of Angel Flesh is old, elaborate and slightly tilted. Vines
completely cover the crumbling porches. Inside is misty, hung
withsoftfabrics, andsmellsofjasmine andthesacred substances.
Lilacwas, when he entered for the first time, immediately calm.
Eachroominthehouseisdevotedtoadifferent livingform. One
isfilled with velvets and feathers and make-up and sparkles and
costumes and silks. It iswhere the faggots gowhenthey wantto
transform themselves. Another room is for plants to live in;
anotherisforquietmusic;anotherisfor silenteating;and another
is for methodically drinking teas of healing herbs. All who live
there move softly about the house, living allthrough it.
Atnighttheysleepalltogetherinthecentralroomofthehouse.
Thefire glowsover the large pillowsthat coverthefloorwith the
tribecovering the pillows. Theyeach have givento allthe others
complete access to each other's body. They massage each other
until the secrets of tension and pain are revealed. Now they
massage eachother againto cure the pains. They learned toheal
each other by saying magic words over and over again and they
learned to bring loving vibrations to the body to make it strong
again. Allthisthey sharewithallthose around them whowantto
know.
Each night in the big central room of the house, when sleep
comes, they hold each other until they hardly knowwhere oneof
themstopsand anotheronebegins.Thosewhocometovisit sleep
with them inthe great central room onthe huge pillowswith the
fire glowing.
Down the street in ahouse sitting nearly onthe sidewalk, with
notonedrapeonanywindow,isthe House ofthe Heavy, Horney
Hunks, known affectionately in the neighborhood as Horney
Heaven. These faggots love to fuck and suck in public, in
bathrooms and in parks, in trucks and in warehouses, under
bridgesand neartraintracks,infront oftheir nakedwindows and
intheparkinglotnearby.Tostimulatetheirlusttheymakemovies
of their activities, which they show selectively in the neighbor-
hood, and they sniff ancient potent powders, which they sell
discreetly in the neighborhood.
Inthebarn inthebackoftheirhousethey run the Faggot Fuck
Palace.Hereonwoodenfloors, fluffy pillowsand round, spinning
bedsandsoft carpetsthefaggots loveeachother. Hereinswirling
water and steamy rooms and soft lights the faggots love each
other. Here, with their heads filled with the magic powder, the
faggots sing an old tune, dance a new step, tell a bad joke and
thank the great goddess for such afine palace.
On the corner the Gayas aGoose Tribe looksafter the mellow
space they have created there out of an old grocery store. They
coveredthewallswithold wood, hung ferns everywhere, allowed
threepussycatstolivethere, putsoft chairsandhomemade tables
around andmadefoodforthe community inan old, funky kitchen
intheback.Theyread palms andthe magiccards andthe sacred
stars.Theymakemusicanddancetheolddances.Moonbeamcan
sit all day and half the night in a soft chair, eating sprouts and
sweets, knitting and watchingthe faggots andtheir friends play.
All the communities' information moves through this mellow,
corner space. Pinetree never misses a day for to him the
communities' gossipisthe sameasthe newsfrom the revolution.
At the end ofthe street sits acarved house with close-cropped
lawnsanddiscreteflowergardens.Hereliveagroupknownonthe
streetasthe BoysintheBackroom.Theycanputthefixintohelp
a friendly faggot in distress. They help protect the community
from thedangersofthemen.Theycan play allthe men's games,
andthe dirtier the better. They saythey have, over many years,
taughtthemselvestolook,talk andact,although notfeel, likethe
men. They did not learn this easily nor with great pleasure. But
they learned itwell.
They live quietly, listening to old music, reading old books,
surrounded byoldthingsand drinking alot. They likeeach other
enoughtostayhomeandgetdrunktogether. Hollyhockvisits one
night every week. He draws comfort from theorder oftheir lives
and from their humor, the source of their sanity, which is ironic
and bitter. They knowtoo much of the men's evil to believe in
anything anymore, except domestic tranquility and work for
others.
In one of the rooms is a long table. Here they sit together to
write their briefs and their tracts and their analyses and their
letters of protest. They write with eloquence against the men,
usingthemen'sownlanguagetoembarrass them and sometimes
even to rout them.
Daffodil and Woodthrush, after lifetimes ofpleasure and pain,
moved with friends into a structure of light and gleaming wood
next tothe Boysin the Backroom. Daffodil and Woodthrush had
lived together in a love with a delicate balance for many years.
Then one day the love turned to hate and they both went crazy.
Daffodil wrapped himself in grandeur and descended upon the
men.Robesandjewelsand scents movedthrough thestreets.The
menthought thisvision was awoman and sothey stolefrom him
andyelledathimandhithim.Theylovedhimandthenthey hated
him for the pleasure. He thought then that he deserved it. He
could not be worthwhile unless Woodthrush loved him.
Woodthrush became melancholy. Thelanguage ofthe academics
obsessedhim.Hedreamedofaccumulatingknowledgeandawoke
tired from the weight. His sexual organ shrivelled up. It would
occasionally twitch involuntarily.
Love came back to Daffodil and Woodthrush as soon as they
understood reality. In the joy of reconciliation they joined with
friends and moved totheir structure of light and gleaming wood
nexttotheBoysintheBackroom.Herethey arefree tomovetheir
heads into the revolution. Here they learn to trust the realityof
feelings surrounded by reassuring ritual.
Theycallthemselves Elegant Cityandintheir structureoflight
and wood they pursue the bourgeois rituals of old. The forms
remain pure. The instructions are carefully, though never
obsessively,followed.Thetableissetproperlyandthespoonsare
used in the proper order. The liquors are drunk in the correct
sequence and each sitscorrectly onthe couchestotalk. Although
the talk is subversive and salacious, it is never loud or coarse.
Their life has become elegant and stable allowing warmth and
sharing and radical actiontoflow outward.
The No-Name Tribe live in an inconspicuous house, set back
fromthestreet,shadedbytall,enveloping sprucetrees. Noonein
the community speaks about them or what they do, although
everyonespeakstothem. Theylivequiet, apparently decentlives,
sitting at home in front of large looms weaving cloth and
tapestries.Theystudyesotericmanuals,oldmaps,calligraphyand
the banking system.
Exactly who is a member of the tribe remains publicly,
purposefully, vague.Theytrytobepresent inthecommunity, yet
inconspicuous, fortheyareonelink in avast network of fugitives
fromthemen.Forthisworktheyneeded acommunitytofade into
andfaggots amongfaggots alllookaliketothemen.Herethey feel
safe.
Theyareexpertsatrecreatingtheofficial documentsofthemen
tomakenew official identities for the fugitives. They know about
bombsandhowtomakethem; they know about locks and howto
pick them; and they know about prisons and how to get out of
them. Although they do not do any of these things themselves,
theyaidthefugitives, whododothesethings,inanywaytheycan.
Sometimesthey receive moneytaken byforce from the men and
give it to the fugitives; sometimes they give the fugitives
information thefugitives needtooutwit the men; sometimes they
drivethefugitivesfromoneplacetoanotherintheirspiffy Mable's
Bakery Truck.
Thosetimes,andtherearemanyofthem,whenthefugitives are
hidden even from them, they sit at home in front of large looms
weaving cloth and tapestries and studying esoteric manuals, old
maps,calligraphy andthe banking system, andtalking about the
time when the faggots and their friends willbe free.
There are many other faggots who live here on Pansy
Patheccentrics and ne'er-do-wells ofallkinds:street merchants
and belly dancers, glass-cutters and leather-feather collectors,
corner poets and medicine fags, sewers of cloth and imitatorsof
stars.Dayafter day,witnessingthisexquisiteelaborationoftypes,
Lilac's imagination willbegin to vibrate from being so stretched.
The TribeoftheRisingSonsispleasedtohavefound this place
tobe.Pinetree isamazed that the revolution has come sofar and
looks sobeautiful; Lilac is thrilled; Heavenly Blue feels at home
andsafe;LooseTomatotalksofmovingtotheBronxand marrying
his sister; Hollyhock feels full ofactivity and faggot contact; and
Moonbeam realizes he can, here, cease to be a non-man and
become a person.
Wherever thefaggots settletheywishittobe near the women.
It is from the women that they learn wisdom and magic.
Fortunately, under the highway, on the edge of the faggot
community, workthe honest women. They sell their skills to the
menwhowill paythe most. Somuch to wash the dishes, a little
moretopaint aroom, morethanthattofixacar and much, much
more to fuck. They make a decent wage, steal from the men
whenever they can and go home after work to their own
independent lives.
They are friends of the faggots. They constantly exchange
information witheachotheronthepresent stateofthemadnessof
the men. They commit espionagefor each other sothat each can
survive.
Beyond theelevated road inAmazonAcreslivethewomenwho
lovewomenandthefewoftheirchildrenthatthemenwillletthem
keep. Pat and Leeand Meredith live here inthis world so unlike
any that the men live in. Sometimes Pat and Lee and Meredith
invite the Rising Sons to dinner and sometimes the Rising Sons
invite them to dinner. They exchange the latest stories about the
men,storiesofatrocities,violence,mendacityand stupidity.They
wonderifthe men are getting weaker; they wonder what istobe
doneto makethe men weaker; they wonder if they are doing it.
Theytalk of recent love affairs and hate affairs, friendships and
death. Thewomen, bynow, knowthat they will win. They know
that the days of the men are numbered. Life comes from the
womenandcangoononlyiftheywin.Thisknowledge,from deep
inside, makes them jolly and strong. Meredith chuckles at
Pinetree's hopeless, andsoseeminglyrealistic, assessment ofthe
power ofthe men.
"Well,ofcourse," shesays, "that iswhatthemenwantyouto
believe.Buteveryonewilldieifthemenare allowedtogoonwith
their ways, eventhe men. Those whodonot want to die just yet
must stop them and wewill."
HeavenlyBlueisn't sure.Heknowsthemenfear life and might
killusallratherthangiveup.HewantstobelieveMeredithbuthis
faith is weak. Lilac encourages the women to talk. Their talking
soothes his doubts. Theirtalking might make itso.
Dessert is the best time. They gorge on fresh fruits from the
fairiesandwhipped cream, onspicycakesandgooeyfrostings, on
thickpuddingsandonfresh pies.Theyexclaimandpraise andeat
untilfinally they relax and half-doze. Nowthey talk ofhowmuch
they carefor eachother andhowdifficult and how richtheir lives
are.
Patsays, "Howvast women's knowledge is.Howwonderful to
beone ofthe first in a thousand years to explore this. And how
dreadful itistobepoor.'' Thewomenwholovewomenare nearly
allpoorsincethemencontrolthemoneyandgiveitonlytowomen
who signthe bondage contract.
Pinetree sighs, "Poor is sad. But the rich do not experience
deep loving friendship. They merely take care of their own kind,
which isnot the same."
Theyallsigh.Theyknowthatwithoutthe uncalculated givingof
affection everyone islost. They knowthat friendship freely given
sustains them.
The faggots oncecalledthemselvesthemenwholovemen. But
they discoveredthatthey,did not love men, they loved onlyother
menwholovedmenwhichwasnotthatmanyofthemen.Themen
whohateotherswerefalse and death-inflicting andobsessedwith
being strangers.Themenwhohateothershatethe men wholove
men. Andthis hatred is so strong that itturns the men wholove
men intothe faggots.
TakethecaseofPinetree.Whenhewasyounghisgentlemother
toldhimthatwhenhebecameagrown-uphewouldbeagrown-up
man.Pinetreelikedtothinkaboutthis.Helikedmen,grown-upor
not. Sohethought it would be OKtobe agrown-upman.
When he left his gentle mother for the men's indoctrination
centerheheardothervoices,harshvoices,demanding"Beaman,
atonce."Hedidnotknowwhattodoandsobecameconfused and
frightened and longed for hisgentle mother.
Thentheharshvoicestoldhimwhattodo. "Be meanto allthe
others and distrust other men. Be mean to all the others and
distrust other men." Overandoverineverytonetheharshvoices
couldmanagetheyrepeatedtheinstructionsforbeingaman. "Be
mean to all the others and distrust other men."
Pinetree discovered that ifhe did not appear to bemean to all
theothersandtodistrustothermenhewouldbehurtbytheharsh
voices.Soheappeared tobemeantoalltheothersandtodistrust
othermenwhilelongingtosharewithalltheothersandtocherish
the other men.
By the time Pinetree left the men's indoctrination center he
knewthat hewouldneverbeoneofthe men. Hecould not follow
the admonitions of the harsh voices, he could barely appear to
follow them anymore.
In the devastated city, where he found himself alone and
bewildered, hebegan to notice other men whoappeared to share
with alltheothers andtocherish someoftheother men. Pinetree
didnot know ifwhat they appeared tobe waswhat they felt, but
what they appeared tobe waswhat hefelt sohetook achance.
One quick glance led to a longer look which led to talk and
touching and agood night kiss.
Another quickglanceledtoalongerlookanda smilewhichled
to talking and walking and lying in a big bed entwined with
another man.
Alonglookledtoasmilewhichledtotalking and drinking and
walking and making love and having breakfast and talking and
walking and saying, "Tomorrow."
Pinetree was not a man and was not alone. Helearned that he
was a faggot and that there were lots of faggots. They had all
heard the harsh voices and noneofthem had believed them.
Lilacknewfromanearlyage,mainlyfromhisgrandmother, that
itwasnotsowonderful tobeoneofthemen.Healsowastold from
anearly age, mainly byhis grandmother, that he did not haveto
trytobeoneofthemenifhedidnotwantto.Henever wanted to
and sohe never tried.
Hestayed byhimself andplayed infantasy. Helivedinaworld
wherehecouldbeamotherorafather orahusband orawifeora
passive object or an aggressive force. He could be whatever felt
likehim. Somedayshe wore hisgrandmother's long dresses and
somedaysheworehisownshortpants.HewasRitaandLanaand
June as often as he was Van and Cary and Tyrone. He was
glamorouswhenhewokeupandseductive atnight. Heknewhow
to get aman from an early age and he practiced this inhis mind
and waited.
When he wasyoung,the other boyscalled him sissy.
Ashe grew, the other boyscalled him faggot.
When he was ayoung man, the other young men called him
effeminate.
When he walked down a street in the men's section of the
devastated city, the men called him queer.
PoorLilac,hehardlyknewwhattocallhimself.Maybeaqueer,
effeminate, faggot sissy.Yethedidknowwhattodowhenoneday
hemetanothermanwhohadbeencallednamesandwhohadlived
inhisowndreamsandwhoalsoknewwhattodo.Itfeltevenbetter
than Hedy and Jayne and Marilyn had led himto imagine. After
that when the men called him names hewould smile. He knewa
secret.
LooseTomatogrewuptough.Nooneeversuspectedthathewas
scared every time he walked down the street. Any lip and they
got their ass kicked. Nobodyfucked with him. Nobody asked any
questions.
He found that he liked wrestling most of all, but also general
roughhousingandshowerroomsmellsandboys'sexualtalk.Later
hegrew to like drinking with the boys and hacking around inthe
car and letting faggots suck him off. Then he discovered that he
liked to suck the faggots off and his life changed. He could no
longer wrestle in innocence. He got a hard-on from the shower
room smells. When he got drunk with the boys, he became so
friendly the boys got edgy and nasty. He wanted to talk to his
friends about cock sucking, but was afraid of their fear and
brutality. He began to drift away from the old neighborhood and
the old bars and the old boys. He was looking for another who
could have a few drinks and suck some cock without a lot of
violence. He found him leaning up against a wall in a dark,
crowdedbar. Theyhadsomedrinks, smiled alot, held hands and
finally went home to suck some cock. It was all done with
innocence andjoy.
As the old boys figured out Loose Tomato's trip, they began
whispering 'faggot.' The whispers spread until everyone was
saying 'faggot' outloud. LooseTomatogotangry at the word and
angry at his friends. Occasionally he would comeback to the old
bars andthreaten tokicksomeass. But his heart wasn't in it and
he did not convince them. Mostly he spent his conscious life in
bars looking at the faggots. Sometimes he went home with
someone. Hewaswaiting for the day when hewouldlove.
Moonbeam alwaystriedtobe agood boy. Heplayed nicewith
the other kids; he never talked backtohis mom and dad; and he
kept his room tidy. Hetook care of his loyal dog; he made good
marksinschool;andhewenttobed ontime. They lived in anice
housewithniceneighborsinanicesmalltown. Everyonebehaved
astheywereexpectedtobehaveinthisonlyofallpossibleworlds.
From an early age Moonbeam knewwhat shape his life would
take.Hewouldimagineitoverandover.Ashegrewuphewould
gotogoodschoolssohecouldbecomeagoodworkerlikehisdad.
Hewouldmarry agoodgirlsohecouldhavegoodchildrenlikehe
had been. Hewould belongto anearly-fancy country club where
hewouldplayagoodgameofgolfandabetter gameofbridge.He
wouldliveinanicehouseanddie atthe appropriate time leaving
enough money behind so his good children could go to good
schoolsto become good workers liketheir father had been.
Heknewthe shape ofhis life sowellthat when it was time to
beginithewasboredwiththewholeideaofit.Hopingtoleavethe
boredombehind,heproceededtodotheoppositeofwhathadbeen
expected ofhim.Heleft thegood school and refused towork. He
movedtoadarkroominthedevastatedcity.Hespent hisnightsin
barswhereheplayed alousygameofpool and always got drunk.
He masturbated and never had dates with women.
As it became clear that his strategy was working, Moonbeam
moved deeper into the contrary. His hair grew, his clothes
disintegrated, hishead filled with women's wisdom. He allowed
himselftobecomeacriminalandthenhefell inlovewitha faggot.
Thiswastoomuch.Hisgoodparentsforced Moonbeam,for his
owngood, to have contact with oneofthe men's mind butchers.
Moonbeam told the mind butcher lies and the mind butcher told
Moonbeam lies. This did no harm. Then the mind butcher put
Moonbeamonarackandshothugeamountsofenergythrough his
bodytohisbrain.Thiscould doharm soMoonbeam hid from the
mindbutcherandhisgoodparents untilthey alllostinterest.And
bythenhewassodeeplyintobeingafaggot outlawthattherewas
nogoing back.
THE FAGGOTS ARE ALWAYS IN
SOME KIND OF TROUBLE
OnedayLooseTomatoand Moonbeam wentto seethe Bishop.
Hewasdressedinflowingrichrobes.LooseTomatowassothrilled
atthesightthathewantedtogivetheBishopagift sohe splashed
some tasty cockjuice onthe Bishop's robes. The Bishop became
incensed, enraged and overcome. What will the other Bishops
think he screamed and ordered trouble for the faggots.
OncewhenhewasyoungHollyhockwasordered tojointhemen
andgooff andkillsomeother men. Whenhearrived atthekilling
place,hewassooverwhelmedbythegentlebeautyofthosehewas
tokill and they were sooverwhelmed by his sweet radiance that
they fell into each other's arms for love. General Waste-more-of-
everything went bananas and ordered trouble for the faggots.
Heavenly Blue once worked inone of the men's indoctrination
centers. He played with the kids and treated the girls and boys
alike.Thissooncametotheattentionoftheauthorities.Theywere
shocked andordered Heavenly Bluetobegin at oncetowork, not
play,withthe kids, andtotreat girlslikegirlsand boyslikeboys.
He might have complied with the authorities if he could have
remembered what they said exactly. But something was always
coming up with him and the kids to please him and make him
forget the authorities. Authorities must be obeyed or else they
cannotbecalledauthorities.Soinahailofdenunciation and alarm
theyordered Heavenly Blueremovedfrom thecenterandordered
trouble for the faggots.
SURVIVAL: STRATEGY
Oncethementriedtostopthe queens.Firstthey declaredthem
non-existent. Ifthey did not exist no man could be punished for
harmingthemsincetheydidnotexist.Thequeensrefused tohide.
They dug deeper into the ruins of the devastated city. On the
streets they continued tolove and talk and plan and notice. And
themencontinuedtobeatthemand starvethemandlockthemup
when they could catch them trying to kill them softly. Often the
fairieswouldcomefromthecountryandthefaggots andthe fairies
wouldtransform themselves into queens and join the queens on
the streets. The men would think that there were oh so many
queens and goaway.
Buttheyalwayscamebackwithharder,bigger ramrodstomake
the queens into men. The men became more ferocious and the
queens suffered. Gradually, the queens began tofade away from
the sight of the men. The men thought they had liquidated the
queens,butthe queens had merged intothe general strangeness
ofthe city.
Since the queens looked something like women sometimes and
since the women who love women look something like women
sometimes
andsincethequeensandthewomenwholovewomenwere friends
the men lost the queens amongthe women wholovewomen.
Atanothertimethemenbegantogetparanoidaboutthewomen
who love women. There were so many of them and they kept
attracting the women who men fuck. Sothe men began to issue
more frequent pronouncements onthe propriety and etiquette of
the ownership of women. In a moment of panic, after
Warren-And-His-Fuckpole's daughter announced that now she
wasawoman wholovedwomen,themendeclared allwomenwho
men fuck, state property, and all women who love women,
outlaws.Thewomenwholovewomendidnotnoticethattheirlives
changed much.Theyhad alwaysbeenoutofthe lawand the men
saying itonce more did not make it anymoretrue.
But sometimes the men would become vicious beyond the
ordinarybecausethey could not stopwomen from loving women.
Atthesetimesthewomen wholove women would merge intothe
general strangeness ofthe city.
Since the women who love women look something like men
sometimes and since the faggots look something like men
sometimes
and since the women who love women and the faggots were
friends the men lost the women who love women among the
faggots.
IFTHE MEN GIVEYOU SOMETHING,
YOU GET NOTHING
Loose Tomato is sitting on a pillow drinking a mint julep and
writingalovepoemwhen Lilacrushes inwiththe newsthat they
have alljust become legal.
"How can faggots belegal?" LooseTomato scoffs.
"It's true. The Boysinthe Backroomjust got the word from a
slimy stool-pigeon whoknows everything."
Asthe surprise spreads down pansy path everyone gathers at
theGayas a Goose Cafe towonder at such an unexpected event.
"The men would never dosuch athing."
"Maybe they will want to register us all now to make our
liquidation easier."
"Maybe they got confused and thought they were making
faggot killing legal."
Asthe dayspass itturns outthat itistrue.
Pinetree says, "It can't last." Lilac swoons at the thought of
beinglegal.LooseTomatostartselaboratingtests to seejust how
legal he reallyis.
After aweekthe faggots ofHorny Heaven put a neon sign on
their barn proclaiming it as the Faggot Fuck Palace and invite
everyonetoaparty.Theparty goesonfor nearly aweek. Noone
can think of anyreason to stop celebrating this peculiar event.
Barely recovered from so much good feeling, the Boys in the
Backroom hear from the slimy stool-pigeon that the men without
color did make a mistake and will not allow this situation to
continue.
"The faggots and their friends got 140 days. Then the party's
over."
Thefaggots wait.Whatformwillthemen'swrathtakethistime.
Thebig money says, "Let Godtake care of this one. He's done
littleenoughlately."SoMildredMunich,whosedirectlinetoGod
was widely whispered and whose hatred of faggots is legendary
among her short-haired fans, is hired to lead the men in one of
their favorite gameshumiliate the faggots.
Every morning Mildred Munich pours over the book of insults
that the mencompiledforjust suchsituations. Everyevening she
appears infront of crowds of stone-faced, tight-assed look-alikes
whoscream as she shoutsthe insult ofthe evening. The faggots
andtheirfriends arecalled sick, sinners, liars,traitors, seducers,
perverted, weak, silly and ugly.
Thefaggots andtheirfriends organizethemselves quickly.The
Boys in the Backroom issue eloquent denunciations of Mildred
Munich's filth and contact alloftheir important contacts seeking
support.Thefairies sendfoodtotheCafewhichgivesitawaytoall
who need nourishment for the fight. The Fuck Palace begins a
roundtheclocksuck-ininorder toraise money. Heavenly Blueis
panicked. He takes to his bed to be alone with his fear. Lilacis
franticwithanger.HeandLooseTomatoandPinetreemoveabout
the community collecting and sharing information. The queens
leavetheir elegant densinthe rubble andtake overthe streets.
Thefaggots and their friends fight knowingthey will lose. 140
daysandtheneighborsandthecolleaguesandthefamiliesandthe
men's money and power and Mildred Munich's hate speeches
make, through legal means, the faggots and their friends illegal
once more.
"I feel morelikemyold self already," LooseTomatoexclaims.
Heavenly Blue thinks being illegal is better. "When we were
legal they called us every dirty name they could think of. Now
maybethey will shut up."
Lilac,whohadbeen thrilledtobelegal,nowhastoagree. "We
can get on with our subversion," he chuckles as he eats a
mushroom.
"I guess," Pinetreemuses, "weknownowthat ifthemen give
youanything,yougetnothing.Ifwewantit,wegottotakeitaway
from them."
ACTION:FIERCEAGAINST THE MEN
Onewarm and rainy night, the faggots and their friends were
gathered inoneoftheirfavorite cellarsdancingand stroking each
other gently.
Suddenly, the men, armed with categories in their minds and
guns in their hands, appeared at the door. The faggots, true to
their training for survival, scrammed out the back windows, up
into the alley and out into the anonymous night. The queens,
unable to scram in their gold lame and tired of just surviving,
stayed. They waited until boldness and fear made them
resourceful. Then, armed with their handbags and their high
heels, they let out a collective shriek heard round the world and
charged the men. The sound, one never heard before, unnerved
the men long enough for the queens to get out onto the streets.
Andonceonthe streets, theirturf, mayhem broke out. Theword
wentoutandfromalloverthedevastated city, queensmovedonto
thestreets,armed,toshoutandfight. Thefaggots, seeingsmoke,
cautiously came out of hiding and joyously could hardly believe
whattheysaw. Elegant,fiery,exuberant queens weretearing up
thestreet,buildingbarricades,deliveringinsults,daringthemen.
Sotheyjoined the queens andfor three days and three nights
thequeensandtheirfriends toldthemen, ineverywaytheyknew
how, to fuck-off.
CELEBRATION
Eachyearthefaggots andtheirfriends celebratethecomingout
of summer. Onthe summer solstice they showthemselves to the
world.
The fairies make floats of hay and locust branches on their
trucks.Theymakeclothesfromthe daisies andthebuttercups and
thepansies andtheIndian paintbrushes.Theymoveslowlydown
thecountryroadssingingtothemapletreesandthewildroses.In
afieldhigh inthe hillsthey gather to eat sweet pea flowers and
drink dandelion wine.Thewineandthesmelloftheflowers make
them exuberant. The soft bodies and the melting sun makethem
ecstatic.
The faggots arise late and have coffee in the garden. They
slowly prepare to appear on the streets to celebrate. They sit,
surrounded bytheir beloved plants and loose cats, to comb each
other'shair. Someofthefaggots haveonlywispsofhairfalling in
longcurlsfrom theringoftheir scalp; others have wild, free hair
floating all over the garden. Their hair is carefully brushed and
braided repeating aloving action yet one more time. They dress
according to their latest dreams, take some of their magic
substance and stroll out intothe streets.
The queens are already there. They have been preparing
themselves for days.Thefaggots aredressedforplay,the queens
are dressed to live in another world. They have allowed their
tattersoftinsel andlacetoturn them intofantastic creatures that
theworldhasneverseenbefore. Onthisoneday,allthemenplay
golf and leave the faggots and their friends alone to cavort and
amuse each other inthe streets ofthe devastated city.
Throughthe streets alive nowwith balloons and streamers and
children and animals and laughter and songs and glitter, they
meander until they reach a large field in the middle of the city.
Herethewomenwholovewomen singsongsofdefiance andlove
andinstructthefaggots andtheirfriends innewwaystoperceive.
Together and joyous, they form a circle to salute the great
goddess. They sway and chant; the circle begins to move, faster
andfaster; soundandmovementmakethemhigh.Exhausted and
elated they fall to the ground laughing. The great goddess is
pleased.
ACTION: BOLD AGAINST THE MEN
For general outrageousness, Airamel, one of the queens, was
lockedinRamrod's campfortheundesirables.Therehecouldnot
resistpoutingandcooingandprancing andprovokingthe Ramrod
menlocked upwithhim.The undesirables have a chant, "Fuck a
queen and you're a faggot. Fuck a queen and you're a faggot."
which was supposed to protect them from Airamel's charm. Yet
often the chant failed. Then Airamel would get raped. And each
time this happened was further evidence that Airamel must
remain locked in.
As might be expected, Loose Tomato had fallen in love with
Airamel.When Airamelwastaken away, LooseTomato wept. He
missed Airamelsomuchthat hebecame numb and desperate. So
onedayhewalked intooneofthe men's money depositories with
oneofthemen'sgunsinhandandorderedeveryonetoshut up,be
calm andhandoverthecash.Thenhecalled the delicatessen and
ordered pastrami on rye for everyone. Next he called
Warren-And-His-Fuckpole to announcehis demands:the money,
Airamel, andtwoticketstosomeplaceelse. Sincethe men control
the wholeworld and none ofthe men anywhere like faggots and
queens,itwashardtofigure outwherethis someplaceelsewasto
be. Warren waslividas usual and called out histhugs and goons
who could think of nothing to do but move through the streets
terrorizingpeople.TheBoysinthe Backroomquicklyarranged for
the release of Airamel and the No Name Tribe slipped him into
hiding. The queens ofthe devastated city surrounded the money
depositorytoplayhavocwiththegoonsandthethugs, creatingso
much chaos thatLooseTomatoslipped away with the money and
hispastrami on rye tojoin Airamel in hiding. They had found a
placetobe.
ACTION:GENTLEAGAINSTTHEMEN
For the love of his fantasies for a glorious, non-violent
revolution. Pinetree decided to act. He made a very small sign
which said 'freedom' and sat down in front of the house of
Warren-And-His-Fuckpole. Hejust sat there, smiling, drinking
water, talking to anyone who came by about the glorious,
non-violent revolution. Moonbeam and Heavenly Blue and
Hollyhock came every day to sit with him. Lilac, afraid that the
menwouldhurthimwhennoonewaswatching, satwithhimeach
night, allnight.Thelongerhesatthere, withhislittlesign, saying
his gentle words, the more distraught the men became.
Warren-And-His-Fuckpole wasclosetocollapse.Somethinghadto
be done.
Sothemenreadouttheirrulesandmarched intotheircourtsof
vengeance. Lilac alerted the Boys in the Backroom who strolled
intothecourtsofvengeance andshamelessly out-maneuvered the
men.
The men then brought out their mind butchers who examined
Pinetreefrom adistance andpronounced himoutofhismind and
therefore dangerous to public reality. Late that night the men
came for Pinetree. Although his soul ached, Lilac was brave in
order to make Pinetree strong.Theytook himto aRamrod camp
for undesirables, lockedhiminacage and fondled the cold metal
keyoftheir victory. The Boysin the Backroom moved swiftly but,
unsuccessfully tofree Pinetree.
Lilacand hisfriends were fearful. They cautiously approached
the weavers of NoNamefor help. The weavers listened gravely
smiledsympathetically andtoldthemtogoandfind aplacetolive
near the great gardens of the fairies. Pinetree would join them
soon.
Theyall left the devastated city at once and wenttothe fairies
whoreceivedthemwithsoftness andkindness.Theybuilt asmall
houseofhidinginthewoodsatthefootofthehillnearthe stream.
Andtheretheywaited.Untilonenight, late,theyheard Pinetree's
songoflovefloating downthestreamtowardthehouse ofhiding.
Howdelicious that re-union was.
Soon, toosoonforLilac,theTribeoftheRisingSonsmovedback
tothe devastated citytoresume the appearance of anormal life.
Pinetree remained behind with the fairies to create a new face
and anewpasttoget himthrough this new present. He emerges
asJackDaniels,asoft-spoken, male,housepainter. Hemovedtoa
new devastated city to practice Jack Daniels and to wait for the
other out-of-sight faggots to contact him.
The Tribe ofthe Rising Sonsknowthey willnot know Pinetree
againuntiltherevolutionsaremoreadvanced.Theyknowtheywill
notsee Airamel andLooseTomato again until the revolutions are
moreadvanced. Theygobacktothedevastated citytoseewhatis
to be done next.
HOW TOPROCEED:
EMERGING WISDOM FROM
THE WOMEN
The faggots and their friends and the women wholove women
can keep the men off balance for a long time by subtly, but
continually, changingtheir identities.Themen whoare in charge
of controlling it all find it difficult always to know how many of
each kindthere are and whothey are. Each group can grow and
shrink asthe men's changing ferociousness demands.
But the men's viciousness will grow as their panic increases.
They carry with them the knowledge always that there are
enemies.Andevenwhenthemenhavetroubleseeingtheenemies
clearly, they do not stop punishing. To punish, at random if
necessary, isbelieved effective against the enemies.The faggots
andtheirfriends andthewomenwholovewomen knowthat for a
whilethey can find some safety in the confusion they can create.
They have sometime to develop their resources tosurvive.
Yetatsomepoint, collectively,theywillbegin toknowthat the
menwillcontinueaslongasthey continue.Theycanplaywiththe
men'scategoriestotrytoneutralizethemen's guns.Yetthiswill
notmakethemfree.Theybegintoknow,fromtheinside,thatthey
cannotbefree untilthisdanceisstopped.Themenwillnotstopfor
they have nothing else to do. This dance brings the men riches,
power and fame and they will keep it going as long as they are
able. The faggots and their friends and the women who love
women can, they begin to know, stop and do no-thing. That is
something for them todo.
They will begin slowly to move their energy from the men's
deathly dance to a stillness. No movement and high invisible
energy willbetheir goal.
Theywillbegin slowly.Theywillfast afew days at atime until
theydonotneedtoeatunlesstheywanttoeat.Theywillputaside,
from time totime,their magicsubstances until they do not need
their magic substances and take them only when they want to.
They will begin to abstain from sex to rest from the exhausting
chase and get. They willstop flirting and seducing until they no
longerneed another warm body to feel real. Then they can make
love when they want to. As what they need decreases, their
activity decreases. Theywillthen be close to doing no-thing and
therefore closetonotbeingwhatthemencreatedthemtobe.They
willceasetobeother andthemenwillbegin tofear for their own
sanity.
Themen's needs are strong and overwhelming. They need the
faggots and their friends inorder to know whothey are not. But
thefaggots andtheirfriends willnolongerneedthemen.Theycan
sit and produce high, invisible love energy or they can do
anything.Buttheywillnotneed. And when thefaggots and their
friends cease being the faggots and their friends, the deathly
danceofthemenwillbegintowaneandanewdancewillbeginto
emerge.Then thethird revolutions will engulf us all.
The idea for the faggots and their friends came to me one
drizzling, stoned night hanging out on Castro Street in San
Franciscowatchingthoseamazingfaggotsplayingonthatamazing
street.Ithoughtitwouldbeachildren'sbookandIworkedoniton
andofffor acouple ofyears. Bythen Ithought it wasdone andI
knew it was not a children's book. My friends read it and, as
friends do,praisedmeformyefforts. They,however,didnotthink
itwasdone. SoIworked on it again on and off for another year
when Idecided itwasdone. Iasked Ned, with whomIlive in the
Lavender Hill commune and whose work I had long admired, to
illustrate it. I did not want to become involved with a big
publishing company so I submitted the manuscript to small
presses. The straight onesfound it notto their liking for various
vague reasons and the gay men's publishing concerns, while
positiveaboutthecontent,wereallsobrokethattheycouldbarely
publishthefewthingstheywerealreadycommittedtopublishing.
Sowedecided to do it ourselves. It is an old American tradition
after all. With the support ofourloving friends here it has been
easier than wethought and much more fun than we anticipated.
The Faggots andTheir Friends Between Revolutions is the first
bookfromCalamusBooks.Weareeagertopublishotherbooksby
gay male or lesbian writers which, in our opinions, will aid the
progressiveforceswithinthegaymale/lesbian movement.Weare
eager tohear what youthink ofthis book.
Calamus Books
PO BOX689
Cooper Station
NewYork, NY 10003
Price$6.95
the house is old
Isitinanother housewhosecharacteris
justnowformingaswelivehere&
dust&scrub&clean&washwindowsor
justlivetogether nowourenemieshavegone
enemiesbecausethat'swhatfriends become
sometimeswhentheyleaveusorweleavethem
&castoneanotheroutofourliveslike
leavesclutteringthelawn,thegrassgonetoo.
becausewearesometimesdifficulttolivewith.
wegossipsometimes&tearoneanother into
tinyragswewearinpreferencetowarm clothing
furs&scruffyrugsmadeintohairboas
likesnakestowraparoundusinthedark.
enemyisnotawordofhate.it'swhatwecall
ourloverswhenwedon't lovethemanymore
nowthey'verejectedus.welivehere.
wethinkoftheotherhouse.
thehouseisold.
it'slikeanoldpersonwearegettingtoknow
forthefirsttime.orthesecond.
abovethehouseahawk dives
downforamousebesidethepond,beside
thegarden,therosarugosa,the
blackberries.besidethehousewhere
thefaggotslivewiththeirfriends.
RonSchreiber
calamus books
p.o.box689
coper station
new york, ny
10003