NO LONGER ASHAMED
Growing up gay is an exercise in secrecy. A t a very early
age we learn that boys are to be “a certain way.” To deviate from
that norm is to be different. N o one wants to be stigmatized so
we hide our true selves and pretend to be someone we are not,
living our lives in shame, fearful that we will be found out.
Hidden from the world, we believe that exposing our true
nature and facing its bigotry and malice would be too painful to
bear. Yet, until we find the courage to step out of the closet, we
are victims of shame.
W hile in the closet, we find many ways to rationalize our
fear. W e may think we are protecting our loved ones or we may
believe that God does not approve of our living honestly. So
presenting a façade, we waste energy uselessly supressing our
true selves. In some instances, we carry on covert activities and
rationalize that we have no choice.
W e are created in the image of God. In our hearts we know
that our sexual orientaion is really a gift of creation and not a
mistake. It is a part of Gods stamp of Truth within us. Referring
to Truth, Jesus said,‘‘N o one lights a lamp and hides it under a
bed.” Jesus knew that the human spirit longs for authenticity.We
are to live our lives honestly and openly.
A m e s s a g e fr o m th eA n a w im C om m unity.
If you are considering coming out or are recently out and would
like an opportunity to participate in a confidential discussion group
beginning in January, call 493-8505 for information.
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CALIFORNIA
MINNESOTA
teven Cozza is a 13-year-old Boy Scout from
Petaluma, and his father, Scott, is an assis­
tant troop leader. Both Steven and his father
have been active with the Scouting for All cam­
paign, a project organized to fight the Boy
Scouts’ refusal to admit gay boys to the Scouts
and to approve gay leaders. They believe their
work with Scouting for All is the reason Dec. 31
will mark Scott Cozza’s last day as a Scout leader,
according to a story in the Nov. 14 San Francis­
co Examiner.
The Boy Scouts deny that Scouting for All
had anything to do with the decision to dismiss
Cozza. Steve Venckus, president-elect of the
Redwood Empire District Council, said, “To the
best of my knowledge, the reason for not renew­
ing. . .had to do with the way he conducted him­
self with the troop, not with the other issues he
is promoting.”
Cozza pointed out that he has been an assis­
tant scoutmaster for two years. Until now, no
one had talked with him about any problems
with his performance as a Scout leader. He
remains convinced the decision to dismiss him
grew out of the anti-gay sentiment of some of
the parents involved with the troop.
M onthly, one of three publications serving
the gay and lesbian community in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul area, has folded.
The last issue of the 4-year-old paper was
published just before Thanksgiving. Like other
newspapers around the country, Q Monthly fell
victim to the “bottom line.”
Stem Publishing of New York City became
the owner of Q Monthly in March 1997 when it
purchased the Twin Cities Reader, a free weekly
alternative paper, according to the Dec. 6 Star
Tribune.
Although Q Monthly generated $200,000 in
revenues last year, the owner felt the paper
wouldn’t remain profitable in the coming year.
Papers still serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual
and trans community in the Twin Cities are
Lavender and Focus Point.
S
ichael Huffington, 51, who spent $28 mil­
lion in his nearly successful campaign to
unseat Sen. Dianne Feinstein four years ago, is
now acknowledging he is gay and dated men as
early as the 1970s.
Huffington divorced his wife, columnist Ari-
anna Huffington, last year. In the January issue
of Esquire magazine, he tells writer David Brock,
“I know now that my sexuality is part of who I
am. I’ve been through a long process of finding
out the truth about me.”
According to the Dec. 6 Los Angeles Times,
Arianna Huffington issued a brief statement say­
ing, “I wish Michael well, and all that matters to
me is that he’s a good father to our daughters.”
Brock writes that Huffington, who talked
about dating men 20 years ago before his mar­
riage, has now begun to date men again.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported
Oct. 30 that Huffington recently gave $140,000
to the University of Southern California’s
Annenberg School of Communications for the
formation and teaching of undergraduate and
graduate courses on sensitivity in reporting
issues of sexual orientation. The courses will
begin in the fall of 1999.
FLORIDA
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n 8-year-old girl who is living with HIV
has finally found a troop she can call her
own after several other Girl Scout troops reject­
ed her, the Associated Press reported Dec. 3.
Quashawn Donovan was invited to join a
Brownie troop led by a man who heard news
reports about her in the town of Queensbury,
about 45 miles north of Albany.
A
M
hat goes around comes around. In 1977,
Anita Bryant led a successful campaign
to repeal a Dade County gay rights ordinance.
Now, 21 years later, the county government has
approved an ordinance prohibiting discrimina­
tion against gay men and lesbians in the work­
place and in housing.
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Q
According to media reports, county commis­
sioners listened to more than four hours of pub­
lic comment before enacting the law by a 7-6
vote on Dec. 1. The new ordinance adds the
words “sexual orientation” to an existing law
prohibiting discrimination based on race, color,
ancestry, national origin, gender, pregnancy,
age, disability, marital status or familial status.
Although her mother, Dianne Donovan,
said Quashawn is excited about joining the
troop, she said she is still upset by the reactions
of local troop leaders.
“There’s feelings of anger, hurt and great sad­
ness at seeing how it made my daughter feel,”
she told the AP. “But there’s also empathy and
understanding of the fear.”
Donovan began searching for a troop for her
adopted daughter to join in mid-October. She
said she was initially given an enthusiastic
response from the Adirondack Girl Scout
Council when she told them of Quashawn’s
HIV status, but later was rebuffed by troop
leader after troop leader.
Donovan and her husband adopted
Quashawn at eight months, and her brother
Danny, now 10, at four months of age. Both sib­
lings are living with HIV.
UTAH
high school teacher who said she was fired
as a volleyball coach because she is a les­
bian had her day in court and won.
Wendy Weaver, a psychology teacher at
Spanish Forks High School, claimed school offi­
cials violated her rights by placing her under a
gag order that forbade her to talk with students
or staff about her sexual orientation, even out­
side of school, reports a Nov. 25 Associated
Press story.
Federal Judge Bruce Jenkins agreed that
Weaver’s rights of free speech, equal protection
and due process were violated. T he Nebo
School District was ordered to lift the gag order,
pay Weaver $1,500 in damages and offer her the
coaching job.
In his ruling Jenkins wrote, “Although the
Constitution cannot control prejudices, neither
this court nor any other court should, directly or
indirectly, legitimize them.”
No comment was available from the school
district’s attorneys.
A
■ Com piled by KRISTINE CHATWOOD