Here's my two cents worth. Those who attended Straight in the 70's are now in their mid-forties and have pretty much reached closure. We cannot share it with others or discuss it without losing people's focus. Closure is a personal thing that has to be accomplished on an individual basis. The victims of the godforsaken MILLER NEWTOWN REGIME are now in their early to late 30's and are still caught in the turmoil of repressed rage and hostility, and their past experiences most likely surface in their day to day lives. Ditto for those who attended Sarasota Straight, or any of the POST REAGAN YEARS Straight Spinoff programs.
We might as well lump it all into one ball of wax, because the candle it eventually will make will burn far longer than 5 or 6 individual candles all vying for the same attention, respect, and eventual closure.
On a personal level, I still would like to see how Straight affected the youth population of Pinellas County turned into a weekly Television Series, but I lost heart in it. I did'nt care enough about it to make others sit up and take notice. I was too terrified of rejection to reach out and contact potential supporters. I did'nt think what I had to say would be good enough, or interesting enough. What was I crazy? I can start the opening episode with Gail Stevenson splitting from her oldcomer wearing nothing but underclothes and a bathrobe frantically beating on a stranger's door at 2 in the morning, being let in by kindhearted but thoroughly confused people, and when she is barely connected to a cry for help on their phone, three or four goons burst into the strangers living room and drag Gail out kicking and screaming. That kind of drama beats the living shit out of "America's Got Talent" or "Last Comic Standing." I just need to find the right combination of stimulants and support.
