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To the Editor:
C o n gratu latio n s and thanks to A riel
Waterwoman for coming forward and denouncing
NAM BLA for the pedophiles they are [Just Out,
July 1, 1994]. As the nephew of such a man, now
deceased, I feel the gay community has an urgent
need to come down on these people for the exploit
ers they are, and maybe help dispose of the myth
concerning gay men and children. These men are
not gay, they are simply different from what soci
ety accepts and, thus, have found the gay commu
nity sympathetic to their “ struggle.” I will not
identify with this group simply due to their being
different.
Maybe at times in history, society has accepted
exploitation o f children, whether sexual, as labor,
or what have you. Even if this was true in the past,
this does not make it acceptable for today’ s soci
ety. What is needed is an unemotional (right)
discussion o f the true age o f consent. How a 22-
year-old having sex with a 17-year-old is different
from a 40-year-old purchasing a 15-year-old for
sex.
Simply, there is no moral, relevant argument
for letting a 40-year-old use a 10-year-old for his
sexual pleasure.
Richard Knittle Jr.
Portland
Ringing bells
To the Editor:
For a brief moment I thought that the editorial
in the July 1 issue was written by an OCA member.
Unfortunately, I was wrong. I agree with Ariel
Waterwoman that sex with children is exploitation
and evil and illegal. I also agree that N AM BLA is
an organization that is not part o f my militant
agenda for liberation. However, to say that, and I
quote, “ I don’t recall that pedophiles have any right
to civil liberties,” is wrong and dangerous. Civil
liberties are nonnegotiable fundamental rights and
not contingent on behavior. Does any of this ring a
bell?
Linda Shirley
Portland
Editor’s note: The editorial in question was refer
ring to convicted pedophiles in prison. This wasn ’t
made clear. Incarcerated individuals do have re
stricted civil liberties.
In defense of NAMBLA
KAREN OBLUCK
Pager 423-6587 • (503) 235-6789
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To the Editor:
I am writing about your editorial on NAM BLA.
I disagree totally with what you say and doubt your
facts stated in this tirade. Pedophiles do have rights
even though they are criminals. For you to state
that civil liberties do not cover someone is totally
off-base. You need to get a good education about
pedophiles and what they do. They are not exclu
sively male, their behavior is not for sexual grati
fication generally, but for power trips. Protection
from abuse is one thing, punishing and name
calling for those searching out their sexual identi
ties and activities with consenting, knowledgeable
others, without hanging up on the age difference, is
something else. I do not know your sexual history,
but I knew 1 was gay by the third grade and am
thankful for the older gentlemen who taught me
not only the facts o f life, but about life itself.
The age o f consent has differed throughout
time. Marriages were common between pre-teens
and teen-agers, don’t you remember Romeo and
Juliet? To believe that someone becomes an “ adult”
at a certain age is stupid. I know some who were
adults at 10 and others who never made it and are
in their 60s.
For you to jum p on the Christian paranoid
bandwagon is to defeat our fight for civil rights.
Splitting up into little groups destroys our ability to
fight the true battle. The only one who can say “ I
am ready for sex” is the person himself. Telling
that person it has to be after a certain age, and only
with an “acceptable” partner, is discriminatory.
The only re-examination that needs to be done is
your own bias and lack o f knowledge. Have you
not young gays and lesbians to talk to? Did you
wait until 21 to have a relationship? Come on,
please do a better jo b o f investigating your facts
and rewrite your editorial.
] hope that you do re-evaluate your position and
see that you are doing no one except the religious
right any good with editorials like this one.
Jam es Dean Poynor
Eugene
Pride is for everyone
To the Editor:
I missed working at Lesbian and Gay Pride this
year. I really wanted to do sound for our commu
nity again on this special day, as I have for the last
eight years. In fact, I had been hired by Pride
Northwest to do so, but they reneged on my con
tract at the last minute.
The organizers chose to take a last-minute offer
from someone to do sound for free. They didn’t
even approach me about the possibility o f my
doing sound for free this year, to help them out.
This, after they were already obligated to me,
and two weeks out from the event, making it
impossible for me to find substitute employment,
thus putting a huge hole in my summer income. To
make matters worse, Pride Northwest, Inc., flip-
flopped— I was hired, I wasn’t hired, I was hired,
I wasn’ t hired. It was clear they didn’t have a clue
what they were doing.
Secondly, it disappointed me greatly. Doing
sound for our community, and for this event in
particular, is the highlight o f my year, making all
the sore muscles, and sweaty work for others,
somehow bearable. I love my work and am good at
it. What I am not good at is being treated unfairly
or dishonestly.
I am.saddened and angered about the treatment
REPORT HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE
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CELIA J. LYON
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