[Magdalen] 50 - 50

[Jim Guthrie]

Jim H writes:

>A propos of nothing, Ft. Indiantown Gap had quite a crew of residents and STD 
>fellow screening for STDs with very little equipment and no lab.  One of the 
> >fellows developed a tool he called the gonoscope by taking a stethoscope, 
>removed the diaphragm and attached a Foley catheter in its place.  To use it, 
>one >placed the catheter tip in the location of interest and listening for the 
>clap.

Quite relevant -- and thanks for reminding me (I think). I now remember hearing 
of this at the time, or perhaps after our visits.

This was quite a concern with FEMA as the sexual activity was rampant (nothing 
else to do except eat and sleep, after all), especially given the numbers of 
cross-dressers who might bed a dozen or more guys a DAY.

I think the untold story on Mariel would be the apparent higher numbers of 
Cubans dying of AIDS during the next 4-5 years. I have to guess it was far 
higher than the general gay population, and far higher, of course than the 
general population. For the gay Cubans, the U.S. provided a wide-open sexual 
marketplace, and given the repression they had suffered, they took every 
opportunity.

Of the gay teens who invaded my apartment (see below) only Albert is alive 
today. The last one died in California in 1993 after staying with us for a few 
months in 1990. He was quite hostile to us after awhile because he couldn’t 
understand us as homebodies and not going out every night (almost never) like an 
old married couple. He'd go to clubs, work men's rooms and parks and all manner 
of unhealthy stuff.

From: Jay Weigel

>Have you been able to see the ones who had to stay, who are REALLY dark? As
>in black? Not many of those made it over here in either wave.

Again, not my experience as an eyewitness (and the first reporter to be allowed
into the camp to interview and observe and write about it). I had to get Rep Tom
Foglietta to file an FOI request from his office to arrange the visit. FEMA was
not pleased, and neither was the Carter Administration that was trying to keep
the lid on the press because of the large numbers of LGBT people that Castro
had, essentially, forced on to the boats without any regard to race. I should
add that there seemed to be fewer persons of color who were expelled from the
Cuban Psychiatric Hospitals and put on a boat. I remember the criminals expelled
from jails and put on the boats as a  more mixed crowd. And then there were
others -- families and adventurers (the latter very helpful in helping locate
and speak with some of the others.

I should add that there was a huge amount of resentment (and to a certain extent
still is) from the "Old" 1960s refugees and the Marielitos, and the large
numbers of dark and black Cubans in the mix was a major reason for that.

We drove up from Philadelphia and spent three days visiting the camp -an editor,
a photographer, and me.

There was at least one heavily-guarded barracks building with Cubans that we did 
not
have access to, and the FEMA people said  that  those inside were considered
dangerous.

Newsweek got access about ten days after we did -- mostly at the camp in 
Arkansas, as I remember -- which seemed to have more criminals than Indiantown 
Gap -- and I think FEMA transferred the worst of the worst there.

It was one of the two biggest and most important stories I covered over the
years, so it's still kind of near and dear to my heart, as is the afterstory:

Taking in and helping eight men from the camp get settled in the U.S. with jobs
(only one failure), plus "hosting" if that's the word for it a dozen Cuban gay 
teens
when they ran away from their group home as another aspect.Neighbors called my
apartment "Little Havana."

But the LGBT folk were kind of a special case, because U.S. law prohibited 
homosecuals from entering the country (remember the border refusals for 
scientists and others coming to the U.S. for AIDS Conferences because they wer 
thought to be gay?).

And the teens had adouble whammy -- U.S. law had No provision for persons 
younger than 18 to enter the country without a parent of legal guardian. But a 
lot of gay kids were loaded on the boats -- plus quite a few other kids looking 
for a better life. So this was a real issue, which FEMA and the rescue agencies 
like the Quakers and the Lutherans (the group I worked with) finessed that, 
keeping the kids under wrap until they turned 18 and only then filing the 
paperwork. God Bless them!

Of the teens, Albert stuck around, and made it his business to clean the
apartment while I was at work --  "Cuban Clean" as some (particularly Puerto
Ricans call it derisively), right down to my desk  -- which was piled high with
file folders and papers in no particular order that contained information on
stories, various projects on railroad history and article materials for DX News,
with a variety of forgotten sticky stuff and coffee spills underlying all of
this.

Albert managed to clean the desk, while replacing every pile of stuff just as I
had left it (so I could find it in a moment I was moved to work on something)
while having the desk cleaner than it had been in a long long time.

Cheers,
Jim