San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Motherhood???
One of my more luminous memories of that odd year, 1974, was a dance performed in Central Park in New York by three long and lissome non-pregnant maidens in white gauze gym suits. This “non-fertility rite” was part of a Happy Non-Parents Day. The event was put on by NON, the National Organization for Non-Parents.
In all, the occasion could have been called the nonevent of the year.
“Congratulations,” says a NON greeting card, “for questioning the stork.” The manifestos and speeches of this non-movement are redolent of the clichés of Planned Parenthood, Zero Population Growth and the National Organization for Women.
“In a world in which population is outrunning food supply, in which the rich nations preach population control to the poor, and in which every American child innocently consumes a disproportionate amount of the planet’s energies and resources, the decision to bear children can no longer be based on purely personal considerations,” declares NON.
What IS interesting about this rump movement is that it is the first organization I know of that has frankly come out against motherhood in this country. Even the more extreme of the liberated women’s outfits pay lip service to motherhood and more and better child care centers.
NON is against what it calls “pronatalism” — the idea that birth and reproduction are in themselves good.
NON is largely the creation of Ellen Peck, who wrote a book called “The Baby Trap.” Sample Peck quote: “Traveling across the country we have found many people who have been on the brink of having children and who have said no with relief when they learn they need not feel like pariahs if they are childless.”
This is one part of NON that I cannot argue with. If a woman decides she does not want children, for any reason, good or bad in the eyes of others, she should certainly feel free. There are certainly women in this world who are simply unfitted, emotionally or physically, to have children. The sooner they realize that, and act on the realization, the better.
NON also argues that people who choose not to have
Serpentwithfeet:
If you haven’t taken the time to listen to serpentwithfeet (Josiah Wise), it’s about time you let him seduce you with his honeyed mix of gospel, R&B, and classical influences. Wise just dropped his debut full-length album, “Soil,” and it’s a beautiful offshoot of his EP “Blisters,” which earned him lots of praise. 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 19. $20. Swedish American Hall, S.F. www. swedishamericanhall. com
Hot Pants:
Once upon a time, there’s was a little queer dance party called “Hot Pants,” and … OK, just kidding. It wasn’t little. It was basically the place to be. But parties aren’t forever and, eventually, the good times ended. Thankfully, Hot children get a bad rap economically from the U.S. government. They point out that a single man with no children and an income of $12,000 a year pays about $500 more in federal income taxes than a man with two children.
This sort of tax thinking is a holdover from a time when children were thought of as security, both to the family and the nation. This viewpoint is increasingly questioned by young people today, and they may indeed have a point. What single people by choice do NOT have is the expense of bringing up children. This is surely as legitimately deductible a tax allowance as can be imagined.
Unless you hate children. This is where NON seems to me to mire. The outfit piously Pants is being resurrected this Pride for a night of dancing and nostalgia. The original DJs — Chelsea Starr and DJ Campbell — are back, along with two guests. Don’t sleep on this one. 9 p.m. Friday, June 22. $10. Cat Club, S.F. www.sfcatclub.com
Discwoman:
declares that SOME people make good and responsible parents, but its basic thrust is that kids are a pain. NON is an organization to hold together people who hold that view.
I see no reason why such an outfit should not exist, and be given the privileges of, say, the Knights of Columbus or the National Football League. It is when an eccentric private prejudice, and dislike of children is certainly that, is elevated to the plateau of eternal truth that we old male pigs say, call a halt. NON is an outfit dealing in responsive readings among the already saved. And, as I have often said, there is nothing you can do about the saved.
This column originally appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle May 28, 1975.
In a match made in queer heaven, the New York collective Discwoman is teaming up with Oakland’s Club Chai for one of the most stacked Pride lineups imaginable. Local faves 8ulentina and Foozool will be throwing down with the likes of Jasmine Infiniti, Bearcat and Shyboi (and so, so many more). This party prioritizes people of color, queer people and trans people, so be sure and come with that in mind. 10 p.m. Friday, June 22. $25. 1015 Folsom, S.F. www.face book.com/discwoman
Wild Things:
This crew always throws an incredible (unofficial) Dyke March after-party. But this year, they’ve outdone themselves by bringing in Oaklandborn Kehlani as their headliner. Her 2017 debut album “SweetSexySavage” earned her wide acclaim. The evening’s lineup also features a long list of DJs from up and down the West Coast. 7 p.m. Saturday, June 23. $55. The Public Works SF. www. publicsf.com