Apartheid Boys

May 31, 1985—Stanford University

It never ceases to amaze me how gay communities rush to a call to arms whenever a segment of society has been targeted for discrimination; victimized due to intolerance or some other means of prejudice. I wonder why as a class they rush to defend the rights of others when those same people would return the favor with intolerance.

In the early ‘80’s South Africa’s policy of apartheid was being challenged around the world. Demonstrations popped up everywhere, especially on university campuses. Stanford was no exception.

Stanford’s board of trustees was gathering at the university for their regularly scheduled meeting. A group of students organized by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance at Stanford (GLAS) assembled a large group of students including gays, straights, whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc., to demonstrate outside of the board meeting. The demonstrations were peaceful, but never the less a police presence was required.

The tactic demonstrators used was one of obstruction. They would block entrances to the buildings where the trustees would meet and impede their movement any way possible. They went so far as holding trustee’s cars hostage. After their first day of demonstrating, some protestors decided to campout in front of building entrances, afraid the police would erect some type of barriers that would prevent them from being effective.

On the following morning I was sent out with a team of other officers to evaluate the demonstrator’s strength and motivations. We found them all asleep. In the gay group of demonstrators they were the most prepared in their overnight accommodations; equipped with mattresses, candles, blankets, pillows, food and drink. A few of the gay boys were sleeping together all spooned and cuddled in each others arms. I watched, no—I stared at them for a long while taking it all in. I thought how loving it looked; how peaceful they were; how intimate and natural it all seemed. I also thought of how brave they were.