!
L
Forced outing
reserved for
political hypocrites
To the Editor,
I ’m writing in response to a letter in, I
believe, the June issue, from a newly-declared
lesbian concerned about ‘outing.* She seemed
concerned that ACT-UP might ‘out* her
without her consent, and she was under a
misconception that ACT-UP ‘outs’ people on a
regular basis.
The only person that ACT-UP Portland has
outed is Mark Hatfield, and the only reason we
expose him at every opportunity is not because
he is gay, but because he is gay and votes anti
gay and anti-AIDS in the U.S. Senate 50
percent or more of the lime. If he did not use
his position to cast oppressive votes, we would
not have brought him out of the closet.
Each ACT-UP chapter is autonomous, and
each has made its own policy decisions
regarding outing. My personal opinion is that,
though the more people who come out, the
better it is for all of us, each person should have
the right to come out on her/his own, unless
s/he is in a position of power and uses that
power to oppress her/his own people. In such a
case, the person needs to be outed to expose
their hypocrisy. I am personally opposed to
outing people simply for the sake of outing.
Some magazine editors claim that outing
celebrities, for example, is necessary, because
we need ‘role models.’ Personally, celebrities
E
T
T
are not the role models I would choose for
myself!
Anyway, please rest assured that ACT-UP
Portland does not have the outing of innocent
lesbians and gays as any part of its agenda. But
please, please— come out as soon and as far as
you can—we need all of you to come out here
with us. And, as I discovered after the passage
of ballot measure 8, we can usually come out a
lot farther and a lot sooner than we think we
can— support comes from the most unexpected
quarters, and the wonderful sense of self
validation that comes with every piece of
coming out is well worth it.
Catherine Smith
Member, ACT-VP Portland
Why New York
City in 1994?
To the Editor,
My deepest gratitude goes to the organizers
and volunteers who made Celebration ‘90, Gay
Games III the most moving and celebratory gay
event of my life. Essential to the success of the
event was locating the games in Vancouver,
B.C.
Vancouver offered beaches within walking
distance, clean air wafted by ocean breezes,
reasonably priced accommodations and food, a
relatively violence-free populace, an efficient
transportation system, a well-defined gay area
EARTH
FRIENDLY
E
R
of town, all located within a city of perfect size
and scale. Why then, after making such a
perfect choice, did the organizers of the 1994
games choose New York City for the next
celebration?
New York may be perfect for many other
events, but not for Gay Games 1994. Every
quality which made Vancouver such a
wonderful experience is lacking in New York
City. No amount of organizing and volunteer
ing will be able to make up for the differences.
Picture hot summer days, traffic congestion,
violence, air pollution, and unbelievable living
expenses. Because of the size of New York
City, the tens of thousands of participants and
spectators will be lost in the millions who live
and work there. That wonderful feeling of
immediate connectedness to all the others there
for the games will simply be impossible.
I have already heard comments from several
who say they will not attend an event in New
York. I have also heard that New York won by
default. There are so many places that have
been used in the past for summer and winter
Olympics. They have the facilities and the
experience to host large events.
I ask that readers write to the Federation of
Gay Games, 584 Castro Street, #343, San
Francisco, CA, 94114. Please also write to the
Advocate, which can serve as an open forum.
The Gay Games is an athletic event and
celebration. Please ensure that the next
location has all the qualities necessary to
maintain the health and spirit of everyone
concerned, even if it means organizing
opposition to the current New York decision.
Will Anderson
Portland
How could we?
Heathens,
I am sorry that I have to call this to your
attention. I am appalled that you would let
something like this take place in your beautiful
state. I had a wonderful time visiting your part
of the country and as I was about to leave, I
saw a picture of a spotted owl in a newspaper.
I picked up the newspaper to see what this
was about because my brother was just laid off
work as a result o f the protection of the owl.
Much to my surprise, I discovered that I was
looking at an advertisement in your homosex
ual newspaper. I was shocked and angered that
you people would use a delicate issue like the
death of the logging industry to advertise your
sin and perversion.
I have always maintained that there would
be no need for prevention or the use of the
condom if these people did not behave in their
sinful ways. I hope that there is something that
you could do to stop this kind of ad from
running. Thanks for your time.
Pat Schwartz
Blaine, Montana
'*
Editor’s note: The advertisement to which
the writer is referring is on page 29 o f the Sep
tember issue o f Just Out. 1 wonder how s/he
got that fa r before figuring out what s/he was
reading.
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