There is an article on CounterPunch today about Bob Fass: https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/04/29/bob-fass-and-revolutionary-radio-the-man-and-the-medium/
I was a teen listener in the 60's then when he came back to radio in the 1980's I assisted in engineering his program. He was a dear friend. He had my back.
My being Queer my love for boys was no big deal to him. "...Any love all caring wherever directed is to the good, and should be cherished". He would say on the air so often.
He stood by me, and others when the station gave us shit.
He was part of the process to change homophobic behaviors...remember AIDS was happening then, and gave cover for Queer hate. That, and he addressed the demeaning of women culture at the station.
Yeah even Pacifica radio was infected with that. Though outwardly it politically supported Queer, and women's rights. The internal "guy" culture despised these. I was there I witnessed it heard it saw it. However with time it did change...as much as it could.
Women were openly sexually harassed Queers were routinely demeaned. Bob was part of the internal process to finally ending that. Making it not okay not cool. he gave a heartful talk on the air about hypocrisy among some progressives, and later at a staff meaning.
Which he followed up with personal acts against it as management looked the other way as it always did as incidents happened. For example I received death threats from a clique of Black race nationalists entrenched at the station.
My sins? I had too many white friends I was queer my program wasn't about black politics I was too pacifist, and still believed in integration. These were hated by the black far left as treason.
I got several threats of death for this,...management some of them I later learned had actually joked about these. They did nothing.
Bob told them if they didn't investigate a threat of murder he was contacting the police as no one at the station would be safe. ...he reminded them he had friends, and listeners on the City Council.
They suddenly were concerned for my safety.
When someone scrawled "Faggit", on my locker, and management showed little interest. Btw ya notice how Nazis always misspell everything especially their favorite words?
Bob went on the air with it, and embarrassed management to pretend they were shocked. ...Yes he could be difficult contradictory who isn't sometimes...he was human in a human space. 'But he was a man a soul who stood up for the good, and right.
Bob was my friend for decades...I loved the guy. I'm still shaken. So many dear ones gone from our lives. However one goes on ...we go on.
It all looks pretty heavenly to me!
ReplyDeleteThere is an article on CounterPunch today about Bob Fass:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.counterpunch.org/2021/04/29/bob-fass-and-revolutionary-radio-the-man-and-the-medium/
I was a teen listener in the 60's then when he came back to radio in the 1980's I assisted in engineering his program. He was a dear friend. He had my back.
ReplyDeleteMy being Queer my love for boys was no big deal to him. "...Any love all caring wherever directed is to the good, and should be cherished". He would say on the air so often.
He stood by me, and others when the station gave us shit.
He was part of the process to change homophobic behaviors...remember AIDS was happening then, and gave cover for Queer hate. That, and he addressed the demeaning of women culture at the station.
Yeah even Pacifica radio was infected with that. Though outwardly it politically supported Queer, and women's rights. The internal "guy" culture despised these. I was there I witnessed it heard it saw it. However with time it did change...as much as it could.
Women were openly sexually harassed Queers were routinely demeaned. Bob was part of the internal process to finally ending that. Making it not okay not cool. he gave a heartful talk on the air about hypocrisy among some progressives, and later at a staff meaning.
Which he followed up with personal acts against it as management looked the other way as it always did as incidents happened. For example I received death threats from a clique of Black race nationalists entrenched at the station.
My sins? I had too many white friends I was queer my program wasn't about black politics I was too pacifist, and still believed in integration. These were hated by the black far left as treason.
I got several threats of death for this,...management some of them I later learned had actually joked about these. They did nothing.
Bob told them if they didn't investigate a threat of murder he was contacting the police as no one at the station would be safe. ...he reminded them he had friends, and listeners on the City Council.
They suddenly were concerned for my safety.
When someone scrawled "Faggit", on my locker, and management showed little interest. Btw ya notice how Nazis always misspell everything especially their favorite words?
Bob went on the air with it, and embarrassed management to pretend they were shocked. ...Yes he could be difficult contradictory who isn't sometimes...he was human in a human space. 'But he was a man a soul who stood up for the good, and right.
Bob was my friend for decades...I loved the guy.
I'm still shaken. So many dear ones gone from our lives.
However one goes on ...we go on.