EDITORIAL
Negative campaigns
min GOP chances
Oh, the pleasures of democracy.
With only a few weeks to go before the primary on
May 17, things have just begun to get interesting — and
sleazy.
Craig Berkman and Denny Smith. Republican candi
dates for governor, are joining forces, in a show of party
unity Their objective? Apparently, they want to guaran
tee that, just like in 1990, the Democrats will win the
governorship, as tho Republicans blow their chances by
engaging in another pointless debate over 'family val
ues.”
Flailing in the polls at no more than 15 percent, Berk
man has begun a vicious negative campaign against rival
Smith. Smith, a former U.S. congressman, was favored
by 42 percent of polled Republicans in a survey con
ducted by The Oregonian and Portland's KATU-TV last
week.
A political commercial financed by the Berkman cam
paign, which began airing last week, blasts Smith for
alleged instances of “bad judgment." For evidence of
this bad judgment, tho commercial states that Smith's
printing company. Eagle Web Press, prints a guide to
topless bars and strip joints known cleverly as the TfrA
Times.
In his commercial. Berkman describes the T&-A Times
as "pornographic,” although the newspaper itself isn't
specifically named. Defenders of Smith have described
the guide as "tastefully done,” presumably because it
has the tact to use tho euphemism "T&A."
It should also bo noted that Smith's company has no
control over the guide's content. That responsibility
belongs to publisher Phil Yoder, who over two years has
paid Smith's company $250,000 to print tho guide.
At a press conference in front of a Eugene sexual nov
elty store on Wednesday, Berkman called Smith a "fam
ily values candidate profiting off the smut industry."
(Jreat. In 1990, Barbara Roberts slipped to an easy vic
tory in the race for govornor, primarily because her
Republican opponent. Dave Frohnmaver — now doan of
tho University law school — lost much of his Republi
can support to independent conservative candidate Al
Mobley.
Fortunately, this is just tho primary. If Smith hangs on
in the face of Berkman's attacks and wins the Republi
can nomination, then there might bo enough time for
him to shako off the mud before tho general election in
November. That is, unless Berkman or some other “fam
ily values" type decides to screw things up all over
again, by running an independent campaign.
If tho Democrats are going to win the governorship —
favorite John Kitzhaber being a strong candidate for the
job — then they should have to oarn it. Tho state's
Republicans ought to have enough sense to leave each
other alone, rather than give away the state's highest
office for the second time in a row.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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OPINION
However you swing, pride’s a good thing
Lia Salcktia
Hats off lo the queers for
Pride Week. The work
done by the University's
Lesbian, Gay and Hisexuai
Alliance is commendable
bet ause of its celebratory tone
and its positive focus
If 1 were to say that I had
attended all of the campus
events of Pride Week. I’d be
lying Hut from what I did get a
chance to see, and from hearing
others talk about the panels,
speakers and events that were
offered, I’d have to say 1 was
impressed by how the week
seemed at once non-apoiogetic
and searching
One of the most powerful
things any political movement
can be is proud of what is is It
sends the message. "We won't
be messed with."
1 got that message loud and
clear when I saw bden Ajrian
Omari dancing in drag and lip
syncing to Whitney Houston m
tfie bMU courtyard Monday
during the Pride rally. Whatever
your opinions on drag may be
(some find it offensive, some
think it's silly, some say it belit
tles women), you have to admit
that few of us have the courage
to do it. I won't say that it took
balls, rather, it took guts.
It took a sense of pride that I
think exists in every movement,
but comes across more clearly in
the gay and lesbian movement,
at least the one that's here now.
Kvery underrepresented group
whether you call its members
minorities, the oppressed, the
marginalized, whatever - has a
lot to say about victimization.
Oftentimes it has a lot to say
about it, precisely because it has
experienced it.
Unfortunately, telling people
how they have victimized you
isn't going to get them to want to
understand your culture. Some
times. understanding isn't the
goal and it s more effective to
say, "Look. I think you're screw
ing me over "
But the gay community really
can't afford not to he under
stood, lest ballot measures like 9
and Son of 9 gain enough popu
lar support to vote away its civ
il rights Nor can it afford for the
world to think that AIDS is only
a gay disease. If it wasn't for
consciousness raising done
largely by gay communities
across the globe (Ac t Up, for
example), probably most of us
would still think AIDS affected
gays only
1 he truth is. queers are pun
ished routinely by society. Many
religions decree homosexuality
a sin. people make fun of gays
all the time, and even some of
the most opentninded straight
people get queasy about what
homosexuals do beneath the
sheets l.GHA member Trov
Shields commented that before
corning out of the closet, most
gays, lesbians and bisexuals
have had to deal with the homo
phobia they have inside of
themselves And to think, they
probably wouldn't have felt that
they were somehow sick and
many of them probably
wouldn't have entertained
thoughts of suicide, if society
hadn t sent out the message that
they were sick and bettor off
dead it's enough to inspire a
real and passionate anger
But as Shields puts it, being
angry all of the time equals one
big nit.
"We're finally identifying
who we are,” he said. What's
more, "once we come out, we
are free” of the oppressions
caused by internal and external
homophobia, he said
Freedom should be both
examined and celebrated
That in part explains the edu
cational and the celehrational
focus of the panel discussions,
from Tuesday’s "Ask a queer
everything you wanted to know
about queers but were afraid to
ask ... " to Wednesday’s "Color
Me Queer." which explored
coming out in minority commu
nities, to Thursday's "Glowing
up Gay in a Religious House
hold."'
I learned a lot at the panel
about coming out in a religious
ly charged atmosphere, and
couldn't help marveling as one
woman told her story of a
< hurch experience where the
words of someone speaking in
tongues were translated to state
that there were homosexual peo
ple in the room with devils
inside of them, and this woman
thought, "Oh, they're talking
about me!"
It's important to note that not
all queer people think alike and
not all of them get along. Part of
the process of universal accep
tance is looking at the differ
ences between us and under
standing them without
judgment. There's still a lot of
stereotyping and cattiness going
on in queer communities about
race, gender, political and reli
gious affiliations, and bisexual
ity.
Pride Week doesn't deny this,
but rather makes a stab at trying
to resolve some of those oppos
ing perceptions.
All of us — from those who
are straight as a corset-bound rib
cage, to those of us who enter
tain thoughts and actions on
troth sides of the fence, to those
who are so flaming they could
toast a marshmallow just by
walking near it — could benefit
from a little pride in who we
are. Every movement is
strengthened both inside and in
terms of public visibility when
it's clear that the people who
make up the movement express
glee with who they are and
eagerness to share it with others.
So if you're curious, check out
the events that are left on this
last day of Pride Week (noon
today in the EMU and a dance
tonight at 9:00 p.m. in the EMU
dining room).