Johnston: &#039;One Must Not Be Intimidated&#039;

Title

Johnston: 'One Must Not Be Intimidated'

Description

Writer Jill Johnston spoke at the University about "Homosexuality and Women's Liberation" for the fine arts forum on Wednesday, November 4th, 1970.

Creator

Campus Times

Date

1970-11-06

Format

Newspaper

Language

eng

Publisher

University of Rochester

Rights

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Source

Campus Times (November 06, 1970), Campus times (University of Rochester), LD4747.C197, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Text

Jill Johnston, a writer for *The Village Voice” since 1959, spoke Wednesday on “Homosexuality and Women’s Liberation” at the fine arts forum, held in Fauver every Wednesday night at 8:30. Miss Johnston was an art and dance critic for the “Voice” until 1968 when she began to write a more personalized journal column.
The talk began when a member of the ‘audience asked Miss Johnston who she was, and for the next hour Miss Johnston read various “autobiograffiti” from her personal journal. These ranged from “Algiers is a CIA plot to get them all together.” to “Why did Robin Hood rob the rich — because the poor had no money.”
Miss Johnston’s basic question to the audience was *How would you like to be the hero of your own life story?” She believes that this involves the ability to say, ‘I am awoman, I am a wife, I am a man, I am a mother, l am a writer, I am a homosexual, I AM…’
She explained this further by saying, “One must have the courage to say I like purple mushrooms when so many people don’t, and not be intimidated into believing that you’re sick or psychotic to like such a silly plant. We must affirm all we are.”
Miss Johnston supports the Women’s Liberation movement, and yet is not in favor of women banding together in order to confront the patriarchal system. Rather, she supports women uniting in a sororal group. ‘She likes men to carry her packages and open door for her and generally adore her as a “lesberated” woman.
Her principle grievance with the female-male status quo is that “men have the organ of invasion.” She cannot see how a woman can be liberated if she allows the male the right of “invasion.” She believes that we are all living out a millenium of tragic separation of men and women, and that it is ultimately desirable to evolve back to unisexual animal. According to Miss Johnston the fear of menfor women and vice versa is an archetypal one reenacting the original separation of the sexes. She summarized her views somewhat facetiously, explaining, *The true Avant-Garde is hermaphroditic.”
She accepts the idea that a revolution is coming to this country, yet believes that a revolution is
always based on the principle, “ ‘I want what you have,’ not ‘I want you to have what I have.’ ” She sees this as inevitable, contending, “The cry for equality is only a euphemism for power. Equality will never exist in any legality on earth.”
Miss Johnston sees initiation (to what she did not say) as rebirth by rebirth, and in this process the influence of the parent is nullified. Unless this initiation takes place, one is still stuck in the grip of one’s parents. They are notthe true parents, anyway, because one’s birth is not real for the individual. It exists outside his consciousness.
Miss Johnston sees this initiation as the exultation and horror of drugs. It is the horror because through this process of initiation one realizes that oneis not a particularized person, and yet the exultation is that one can thereby live one’s fantasies and be anything he wishes.
Miss Johnston believes that each person is “an alternate America.” Each person must accept this and proclaim all that he is. It is perhaps in this proclamation that one begins the Process' of initiation that will free us all.