PGN exclusive interview with Gov. Milton J. Shapp
Adapted from reporting by Mark Segal and Keith Clark
As former Gov. Milton J. Shapp campaigned for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination, he talked with PGN about his lifelong support “to end discrimination anywhere it raises its ugly head.”
PGN publisher Mark Segal and editor Keith Clark traveled to Harrisburg for an exclusive interview with Pennsylvania’s 40th governor, the first to serve two terms.
“Certainly discrimination because of sexual preference is one of the big fields that still remains for people who want to discriminate,” Shapp told PGN.
Shapp said he got both praise and criticism for the 1975 order he signed banning antigay discrimination in Pennsylvania government. He also talked about Dr. Walter J. Lear, openly gay state health commissioner for the Philadelphia area and member of the governor’s administration.
“If [people] want to publicize any fact about themselves — whether they’re gay, what their religion might be or their ethnic background — I encourage people to do this. A lot of people have hang-ups about it and this creates a lot of internal anxiety in people. And I think this frustrates people because they feel they can’t accomplish all the things they would like to.”
Shapp emphasized how coming out could open doors for gay people in the future.
“For many years, gays in the military or in intelligence-gathering services have been ostracized, kicked out, on the basis that they would be easy to blackmail,” he said. “But the more gays that come out in the open, the less chance there would be in the future for anybody to be blackmailed. It would be more and more common, and people wouldn’t feel they had to hide.”
Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia, ultimately won the Democratic nomination and presidency in 1976.
New features in PGN
Adapted from reporting by PGN staff
PGN debuted three new columns in February 1976: two in arts and one in news.
Betti Watts, a longtime arts critic and artist, started writing “Speaking of Art” to highlight gay sensibilities in graphic and fine arts. Nina Feldman started “Classical Notes” to feature reviews of new classical releases and think pieces on appreciation and history of the music.
Staff at PGN started “Etc …” to highlight snippets of local, national and international news.
The two arts columns have ceased appearing in the paper. But “Etc …” morphed into “News Briefing” for local coverage, “Media Trail” for national coverage and “International News” for the rest.
— compiled by Paige Cooperstein