The Best Damn Newsletter in New Jersey! ®
CHALLENGE The Newsletter of the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County – Serving New Jersey’s GLBTI Communities Since 1972
Volume 37, Issue 7, September 2011
Happy Anniversary! by Mickey Suiter
Where were you on September 11, 1972? What, you weren’t born yet? Or you don’t remember? That’s not surprising. It was a very long time ago. The only reason I remember where I was, is that was the date of the first meeting of GAAMC and I was in the dining room at MUF.
have many who have hung around for a long time, giving us a sense of where we’ve come from and sharing their experience. But what has also kept this organization alive is the constant stream of new members with their energy and ideas.
At 39, GAAMC is the oldest community LGBT organizations in New Jersey and one of the oldest in the country. We’ve experienced a lot and accomplished a lot in that time. We’ve marched, partied, lobbied, taught, learned, nurtured, made friends, and been friends. We’ve entert a i n e d , b e e n e n t e rtained, informed, and been informed. In short, we have tried to be anything and everything our community wanted and needed – within our resources and abilities, anyway.
If you have an idea about what you think GAAMC should be doing now or in the future, make it happen. Get involved. Join a committee. We have far too many committees of one doing a lot of work but wearing out that one. In December, we will be holding our annual elections for officers and members of the Board of Trustees. Most of these positions are open to all members, not just a select few. If you have ideas for GAAMC that you would like to see put into action, consider joining the Board. GAAMC is only as strong, vibrant and relevant as its members make it.
On Monday, September 12 we will be having a little party to celebrate our anniversary. It will be the usual fabulous GAAMC social with a display of artifacts from our history – publications, flyers, posters, articles, and photos. But while anniversaries are often occasions for looking back to reminisce, they are also great times to look forward sort of like New Year’s Eve, where we’re celebrating the beginning of a new year as much as the end of the old one. There are always new opportunities and new needs. One of the reasons GAAMC has endured while other organizations that started around the same time have not, is that we have tried to change with the times and have apparently succeeded, at least most of the time. As the needs of our community have changed, so have we. Of course, we’ve kept most of the basics – our name, time and place of meetings - the same. People find comfort in tradition and continuity. But we’ve tried to understand the evolving needs and desires of our community and find ways to serve them. We’ve somehow managed to find the right mix of stability and change. I think that is mostly due to the people who have led our organization over the years. We have been fortunate to
Come celebrate our history on September 12, but also help us build the future. GAAMC is your organization and it can be anything you want it to be. Happy 39th Anniversary, GAAMC.
Inside Challenge Challenge Information.... ................................ page 2 GAAMC Events.............................................. page 2 The Bulletin Board......................................... page 3 This Month's Contributors................................ page 3 Getting Personal............................................ page 3 Gleanings: Queer news from around the world .... page 4 Introducing Quiet Auctions............................... page 5 LEAGUE Foundation Announces 2011 Scholarship Winners..................................... page 5 Dancing to Architecture music reviews............... page 6 Calendar ..................................................... page 7 Poetry: Campgrounds: Late Summer................ page 10 10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked, part 3................. page 12 GAAMC Information...................................... page 14