We, the members of Gay Peoples Liberation Alliance, object to the staging of the play "The Killing of Sister George," which is being produced by the Iowa State Players.

We feel the content of the play is objectionable because it follows the societal vogue of assuming that all homosexuals are deviant perverts, inferior, sick, abnormal, and unhappy. The characters in "Sister George," by exaggerating the dominant-submissive roles of male-female sexual relationships, demean women as well as Gays. The play is counterproductive to those of us who are trying to restructure the oppressive framework of our present sexist society.

The dramatic or literary quality of the play is not in question. We only attack its content -- sick and sad Lesbian relationships -- as politically and morally objectionable.

This is not the first occasion that Iowa State ("Straight") University has persecuted those of us of homosexual orientation The movie this fall and the play several years ago of "The Boys in the Band," also misrepresented the Gay community by presenting and perpetuating stereotypes, myths, misconceptions, and lies about homosexuality.

The play, "The Killing of Sister George," is just another example of anti-homosexual material being presented under the auspices of a state university. It is misleading and misrepresentative of how most Gay people (women or men) conduct their lives.

We believe that the university could (and should) be in the forefront in helping to eliminate unhealthy walls of oppression of all oppressed peoples. It is unfortunate when, instead, Iowa State is allowed to forge another link in the chains geared toward protection of the chosen few, the status quo, and the established order.

Sincerely,

GAY PEOPLES LIBERATION ALLIANCE
P.O. Box 1001, ISU Station
Ames, Iowa 50010

[If you did not arrive at this page via the newspaper image of this article, it is available here: The Killing of Sister George Protest]