EDITORIAL
Ashe becomes yet
another AIDS patient
Is tho stigma gone yet? Has some mythical quota of
"straight" people lw*en reached, whereupon narrow
minded bigots truly understand what AIDS is?
On Wednesday, tennis star Arthur Ashe an
nounced he has known of having the HIV virus since
1988 Ashe apparently contracted the virus from a
blood transfusion during an open-heart operation in
1983 before there was an accurate screening test for
blood donors.
Ashe is neither homosexual nor an intravenous
drug user. He does not fall in any of the so-called "high
risk" categories for contracting AIDS He is another vie
tim of ignorance; not his ignorant e. but society's.
The myth of AIDS being a disease attacking a stig
inatized few has been irrevocably shattered lobe sure,
there are some who run a higher risk of contracting
AIDS just us someone who stands in room full of
pneumonia-patients stands a greater chance of las (lin
ing so k Hut one can contract pneumonia or AIDS
without putting themselves in that high risk catego
ry.
It is about time we till understand that AIDS is not
selective It strikes with the randomness and intensity
of a train wreck
Another tragedy about Ashes case is the fact lie
didn’t wish to disclose his _
illness. It wasn't until a
USA Tod>n reporter, re
sponding to .in anony
mous tip. questioned Ashe
th.it he decided to go pub
lic.
As i!) any similar cir
ruinstance. there is usual
1 v a w ish to assign blame.
Ashe's right to privacy
was definitely violated,
not so much by the news
paper but by the voice on
Ashe’s right to
privacy was
definitely
violated, not so
much by the
newspaper but by
the voice on the
end of the
telephone.
the end of the telephone.
Once the .story became known. USA today w.ls under
the gun — to quell it or not Had they denuded to kill
the stor\. there would have been equal critic ism.
There are those who would also criticize Ashe for
not coming forward sooner. That is warped logic. In
l‘)H!t. AIDS had an even greater stigma than it does to
day. besides his right to talk or ktvp quiet about what
ever he wants, by coining forward Ashe would have
subjected himself and his family to public spectac le
He was right to think his mans accomplishments
would have- suffered from ignorant speculation by
small-minded people.
Ashe has said he will work to promote AIDS
awareness, for which he deserves applause He is mak
ing the best of a situation into which he was forced
Maybe through his courage, things can be accom
plished. A true understanding of the disease And may
be. just maybe, a government that will stop playing os
trich and start doing something.
Oregon
Emerald
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PALL
CAMPAIGN
FLA
MY
IRAQ
Brand: Take a stand on the OCA
By Hu" Sc " i '
On April 1 the Minister
tiunrd had .1 (mill page
,irtl( h- highlighting .i It*
gal analysis nI .1 proposed
amendment In Oregon's state
t onstitution being sponsored
Its the Oregon ( rtr/ens A11i
ant f Tilt' analysis, hv I niversi
tv law Professor Dom Vniri.
suggested a number til alarming
consequences which would af
fec I higher < ilut ilium should
tins proposed amend men! be
adopted by Oregon voters
The article also discussed
that University President Myles
llrand salt! he has User) loo pre
iMtupietl with concerns about
Measure ri to put any energy
into dealing with I he Ot As
plans lor the future ol the Cm
varsity (and every other puhlit
school in the stale) brand mill
catod i! would he improper for
him lo t ommeiil in favor of or
against the proposed constitu
tional amendment
While the (HA Is using the
slogan dial guv and lesbian stu
dents should not lie entitled to
"special rights, the gist of the
initiative would he to require
the state to adopt a right-wing,
Christian fundamentalist ye-y\
in all levels of government to
ward guys and lesbians A port
of the test reads All levels of
government, including public
education systems must assist
in setting .1 standard lor Ore
gon's youth which recognizes
that these 'liehavlors are ah
normal, wrong, unnatural and
perverse
ihe preventing of special
rights is hardly the issue here
Whether Oregonians will man
date Into law a view (vised not
on critic.a I thinking, hut on
emotionally charged, narrow
religious biases is more to the
point Whether the Oregon
p n hi it education systems will
In- forced lo promote, encour
age and lac dilute prejudice and
discrimination and he required
to misrepresent truth is at is
sue
If this initiative passes, all
educators in the state will have
to ignore the past 50 years ol
international research and un
derst.Hiding th.it has emerged
regarding human sexuality and
the significant role of gays and
lesbians in political si lence,
hisiorv. lass . literature arid all
other n.'i.is
l! would must i erlatniy I)'1 il
legal, for example. for an in
structor ol fusion or science In
sav that Alan Turing, (he bril
liant Hrilisli m inntist and math
cmatician wlio broke tlie Na/a
submarine code also happened
to be homosexual, or that he
committed suicide a lew years
later when his sexual orienta
tton was discovered ami be
came a puhlii si undiil Such a
historical footnote might, after
all, lie construed as suggesting
that a person could he "unnutu
nil and perverse’ and still
bet ome >i hero
This is hardly the Image ol
homosexuals the OCA would
want anyone to think too much
about l lies might, however, let
it he said that Turing killed
himself because he could not
live anymore with his wrong’
and abnormal tendencies
I'he (X A would much rather
base everyone; believe that
such people have nothing wot
tbs to i ontrihute to sot iety any
was exi ept for Its undoing, so
it is probably lor the better that
he ended Ills life to provide us
all with an objec t lesson m the
hazards ol inappropriate be
haviors
With all due respect and grat
itude lor brand's efforts regard
ing Measure V Issues of <ic a
dernli freedom and truth in ed
uc ation are more than proper
for him to comment on I'he br
ing of any professor known (or
suspec led) to he gay or lesbian,
whether or not tiles ever men
tion homosexuality in the class
room is also a goal of the (X A
This. too. is more than appro
priate for Brand to comment
on
It doesn’t t.ike much to real
ize that if Brand as svell as
top spokespersons of all tire
state's educational institutions
do not comment loudly and
clearly on this measure, they
have grievously wronged the
spirit and potentially the future
of academic freedom in Ore;
gen It is in Jeopardy .is are the
careers of exemplary mini .itors
throughout tlm state
What will the OCA demand
next' Should divorced people
not he permitted to teach our
young people, thereby avoiding
infecting them with dangerous,
anti family iallies'
The only possible rationale
for Brand to take less than an
unequivix al stand on this po
tential fascist direction of state
law is well, less than honor
able It is also unfair to his col
leagues and to the students
While he is concerning himself
with the finani lal future of the
University and presumably the
stale, perhaps he should stop to
consider how state finances
will be affected by the expen
sive lawsuits which will be
generated if this appeal to intol
erance becomes law
Community leaders and or
gan l/at ions statewide are
speaking out in opposition to
attempts of the (XIA to hijack
the political process Brand
would he in excellent company
if he were to use his office for
organizing a statew ide response
In the entire edui atlonal com
rnunity to educate about the
(XIA and its tactiis
It is unsettling to speculate
about how the outcome ol
World War II may have been al
fected if Turing, a hollow at
kings College, Cambridge by
age 22. had lost his opportunity
to !>e a part of the university
system because of something as
ignoble as the OCA’s ballot ini
native It is horrifying to think
about the reluctance of many
influential people in preWorld
War II Cerrnany who felt it was
improper to i omment in favor
or against what was happening
there when they had the chance
to lake a leadership role and do
something about it.
Kon Schllttler is a journul
ism/siudolagy student ill the
University and is a member ol
the Lesbian, (lay and Bisexual
Alliance
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