EDITORIAL
Acceptance for gays
still slow in coming
Margo Schott, Fox Broadcasting and the tX^A: poli
tics, it swins, makes strange bedfellows — particularly
concerning the emotionally charged politics surround
ing gay rights.
In throe wildly unrelated but coinciding events.
Schott, Fox and the OCA have proved that the march
toward acceptance for gays, losbians and bisexuals is not
without its obstacles — obstacles that come in many dif
ferent forms.
The Oregon Citizens Alliance's five local anti-gay
rights measures received a majority in each of their sev
eral localities during the primary election on Tuesday.
Fifty percent or more of the voters in Cottage Grove,
Veneta. Onkridge, Roseburg and Gresham elected to pass
the OCA’s measure — although in Gresham a 60 (wrcent
vote is required to amend the city charter, so the mea
sure failed.
The Oregon Legislature passed legislation in 1993
which nullified the legal significance of any local mea
sures relating to gay rights, so these measures are seen
as largely symbolic — a stepping stone to another
statewide measure, which the OCA hopes to put before
voters in the fall.
In n far less ominous but still outrageous incident this
week. Margo Schott, owner of baseball's Cincinnati
Rods, chimed in with tho kind of comment that would
make OCA loaders smile. In a speech to the Ohio Coun
ty Treasurers Association, Schott told tho audience that
she didn't want any of her players wearing earrings,
because, in Schott’s words, "only fruits wear earrings."
We'd expect that from Schott, the same nasty woman
who was suspended by baseball officials in 1993 for
using "racially and ethnically insensitive” language,
focused primarily on blacks and Jew's.
But from Fox Broadcasting, the network that has made
a hobby of bucking popular opinion and taking a risk
here and there?
The same network that brings us In Living Color. The
Simpsons and Married... With Children the network
for whom almost nothing is sacred — balked at the
chance to show two men kissing on the season finale of
Melrose Place, which aired on Wednesday. The pro
duction company left it up to Fox executives to decide
whether to air the kiss; the executives got cold feet.
Instead, tho camera cut to a witness of tho scandalous
event, who looked on in surprise.
Far be it from viewers to expect Melrose Place to bo on
the cutting edge of social commentary — brainless tripe
that it is — but since the show apparently has no qualms
about gratuitous and tasteless heterosexual sex scenes,
it seems strange that it should suddenly got shy.
All these incidents, transpiring in a single 24-hour
period, just go to show — in variously serious degrees
— how acceptance for gays, lesbians and bisexuals is
not hero now, nor on the immediate horizon. Whether
it’s a TV network, a loud-mouthed hag or the OCA.
there’s still a long way to go — and a lot of things are
getting in the way.
Daily
•»o aot m* iuc»f’* c»tGO**?*ej
f N» CVepon Os*y £ ^e^aief«» putofcafted da*y Monday Owough f '«CLay du**ng the tct\cx»
y»*» Toe*d*y ftfHj Thursday during the *umm©' by !h© Oregon Oa-iy Eme'akJ
PU^-thtoQ Co . toe . at th* Urv*er*4y Crf OrMO'V tugene. Oregon
TN» tmerntf operate* independently o* the Un^ver^y ofhcee a! Su*e 300 ol toe
t'b Memorial Union and 4 a mombe? of toe A»<x.»ated Pf<**>»
TN» FmrntU *» private property The OnlewM '©mow* Or aMi o» paper* .» prr»*acuti»t*e
oy lew
Edhor irvCh»«f .lake B®*g
Oregon
Emerald
Mvtagtna Editor
Editorial Editor
Graphics Editor
Fraaianca Editor
Cafray Andarto*
Daw*} Thorn
Jafl Pasiay
Aia»rva Baum
Sport* Editor Steve Umi
Edltortel Editor Pc*h»di
Photo Editor kJhchMi Shvx*»
Supplement! Editor Kely Soto
Night Editor: Ka*y Solo
AmocIH* Editor* Edward KiopFensiem. Student GovimmtiWActtwtt**. Rebwxa Merritt.
Commu/Ufy, tieoiiNtr'c lime*. H*yh#r tOucat&vA&nifugtrati&n
New* Staff Lo»» Bettmaeto. WMson Chen. Dev* Charboon**u. Amy Colombo Jen CWs.
Meg Dedoipb, Amy Devenpori. Tasna Etchenteher. M»a F tetts. Ma/t>n F>shar. Sara*
Mender too. Yin Lena Leong, Suzanne Made Mar»u» Me-and. Tr.ata Noel.
Meentt^ern*. Robbre Reeve* Kate Sabourm. i at Salocaa. Scott S*monaon $tepnan*e
Season. Susanne Slehona, Uct^« Thompson. Amy Van Tuyt, Dot* West
General Manager Judy R*»dl
Advertising Director Mark Walter Production Manager Mc*e*« Rom
Advertising. Brian Da**. Sub*» Dutta. Nicole Her/mark. Teresa Isabelle Jett Ma/»on.
Jeremy Mason. Mctva* Ms*e<t«. Ke»aey Wekefl
Classified Hecky Merchant Manager Victor Me^a S*m Txe Teck
Distribution John Long. Ferenc Rakocx>. Graham Simpson
Business Kathy Carbone. Supervisor Judy ConnoAy
Production Dee McCobb. FVodUchon Ccvvc*njfcv Shawns Ab*e, Greg Desmond. Ta/a
Gauftney. Brad Joss. Jerwter Hotand. Natl Thangvijit. Clayton Yee
34ft-5511
34ft-5512
Htwwoom ..
BuftlrwM Oftk«
Display Advertising__
ClMSifled Advertising.... .
711
WMM
<^wv«
IVCfK
FWfccm
OTCouftt
(9UTW
C^¥lptt€N
UfcTMtM
I
TUPWE A
LtCM
fhooucl
TO0KCO
B£OITt*$*
NR*
uoews.
I
LETTERS
Nixon s in Hell
I had just finished gagging over
tin* mils*, madia's sentimental his
torical revisionism prompted by
Ric hard Nixon's death when !
rec eived a copy of your April 25
editorial in Trie kv Dick's defense
You criticized my statement
that Nixon was a "sleazv crook."
I wrote that in 197-1 when I was
the Emerald's editorial page edi
tor. And it's just as true today,
even though Nixon has gone to
Hell and the Emerald editorial
page has apparently been taken
over by a hntm-dead yuppie wan
na-!*'
I suppose the current editorial
writer was unborn or in diapers
when Nixon was ravaging Amer
ican democracy. so inav 1 remind
you why, alive or dead. Nixon
w as one of the most despic able
si millings ever to disgrace the
presidency
Your editorial praises him for
beginning the U S withdraw al
from Vietnam Anyone who was
alive and conscious at the time
would remember that Nixon and
Henry Kissinger prolonged the
war for years, resulting m the
unnei essary deaths of thousands
of Americans and tens of thou
sands of Vietnamese and Cam
bodians. They also bombed the
holy crap out of Cambodia for
fac e-saving political purposes,
a massacre that should have put
them on trial for war c rimes
Watergate wasn't some two-bit
burglary or a minor sideshow in
the Nixon presidenc y It was a
massive, evil and totalitarian con
spiracy against democrat v by
those sworn to protect it
All the simpering by amnesia
afflicted apologists won't change
the fact that Nixon was a mass
murderer, a phony and a lying
crook. Those who forget ore
bound to vote for another Nixon.
Lee Siegel
Salt Lake City, Utah
Take back...
This year is the 15th anniver
sary offake Ba..k the Night After
talking to many people on cam
pus. 1 have learned to my dismay
that many people do not know
what Take Hack the Night is
Take Back the Night was created
in 1978 during a feminist con
ference on pornography in San
Francisco. During this confer
one*, over 3,000 women marc died
through San Francisco's pornog
raphy district and consequently
shut it down for one night.
One year later in 1979, over
5,000 women hold Take Back the
Night in Times Square in New
York City Imagine 5,000 women
extending 20 blocks of the crime
ridden streets of New York, pro
claiming to the world, "We will
not ac cept being beaten, battered
and raped — we will take hack
the night!"
Sine e then. Take Hack the
Night has become a tradition in
cities and towns all across Amer
ica It is a time for women to gath
er together to show their power
and to let their oppressors know
that they will not sit passively by
while a woman is beaten every
three minutes and raped every
five minutes Take Back the Night
is also a celebration — a cele
bration of our solidarity and
progress.
Violence against women isn't
simply a women's issue, howev
er Men must learn to understand
their role in stopping tint vio
lence While women march
tonight at 8 p m , starling at PLC,
men w ill hold a speak-out (at the
i’iXI as well), a place to talk open
ly and honestly about their
thoughts and feelings on this sub
ject. 1 hope you will take* this
opportunity to partic ipate in
Take Back the Night The oppres
sion and senseless beating of
women affects all of us — so let's
do what we c an as responsible
men and women to take hack the
night from yiose who still insist
on overpowering and conquer
ing.
Mandi Hood
Students tor Choice
...The Night
Violent ac ts against women
occur every hour of every day in
America The threat of these
crimes causes women to be afraid
for their safety when simply
walking down their own neigh
borhood streets, This fear should
not bti necessary. The fac t that
It exists, however, has led women
across the country to make a
statement allow! ending violenc e
against women. This statement
come* in the form of Take Back
, the Night Started in 1978 in Sail
Francisco, Take Back the Night
r
has given women the chance to
band together and collectively
say that they have the right to
walk down the street at night
without fearing for their safety
By taking part in the march,
women tire saying that violence
against women is not OK — that
it has to end.
If you believe that violence
against women has to end, please
come to this year's Take Back the
Night, tonight at 8 p.m. at PLC.
Before the inarch, inspiring live
music will be performed. Speak
ers will also he present, talking
about their personal experiences
and about violence against
women in America. While the
women are marching, concerned
men can take part in a speak-out
sponsored by Men and Women
Against Rape This male speak
out gives men a chance to speak
to one another and learn from
each other as they share their
personal experiences and feel
ings about violence against
women. After the march, a female
speak-out will also take place
If you believe that violence
against women must stop, come
to Take Bar k the Night and make
a statement that speaks louder
than words
Jennifer Carter
Pre-Journalism
Mislead
The story regarding Gordon
Johnson's victory in the Twi
light Mile way very misleading.
It trivialized Johnson’s win,
emphasizing his failure to meet
the automatic national quaifying
time by a mere second. The race
was very exciting to watch
because it was such a tactical
and competitive race. Johnson
may have played down his win
to the media but it was actually
a very big accomplishment. It
was a win over some very tal
ented post-collegates who make
a good living at this sport. It may
not have been as fast as it could
have been, but track is about
more than just times, it's about
competition It is this type of
competition that makes the
sport exciting,
Jen Doyle
Women's Track
LETTERS POLICY
1 h« Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt lo print all letters
containing comments on topics of interest to the University
community.