novamber 1 fl. 2001 .
EJïEEïll out
RUTH T H O U G H T
SHE HAD T W O L E F T FEET.
opposed survivor benefits for domestic partners,
blamed the terrorist attacks on progressives and
continued to lobby against gays in the military
even as soldiers are sent to risk their lives.
And now this. I urge you to speak out by
e-mailing Commissioner John Busby at SA_Infor-
mation@usn.salvationarmy.org. 1 also would sug
gest that rather than giving to national organiza
tions, choose the charity that best reflects your val
ues, check out its policies and give directly to it.
So when you’re out shopping and you see the
little red bucket, tell the friends you’re with about
the Salvation Army’s policy of discrimination.
Because in a season of giving, we should value
above all the gift of human dignity and equality.
R oey T horpe
Basic Rights Oregon Executive Director
Older but w iser
and compassion. I was moved to tears by some of
the special articles and letters to the editor and
want so much to make a difference and to com
bat the hatred that the gay community has had to
endure. N o one should have to live in fear.
I am a grandm other and have three chil
dren who I have brought up to respect others
and treat everyone in the same m anner and,
above all, not to be judgmental. They are fine
examples today.
Your publication has helped me further to
understand the gay com m unity and how terri
bly difficult life has been for you. I am encour
aged, in my association with much younger
people, to see an acceptance of their fellow
man. They are much more generous th an my
peer group, o f w hich I am som etim es
ashamed.
So, this letter is to say that I support gay
rights to the fullest and those of my gay friends.
Thank you again.
To the E ditor :
I
recently was sent a copy of your newspaper, Just
Out, and 1 want to thank you for your courage
M ary R W astcoat
New London, N. H.
(B O Y , DID W E
PROVE HER W R O N G .)
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to experience this feeling— kind of like being
pushed out on a cultural ice floe to die. Sorry,
folks, not yet.
J esse J ordan
Portland
• • •
throw up. It diminishes all the years of coming
out, the marches we did, the press, the votes on
laws and ordinances and all of the explaining we
did to all of our straight friends. It is the epitome
of hate to me, and I hate it.
B on n ie T inker
Love Makes a Family Executive Director
• • •
his obviously is a generational issue. Older
people who grew up with the word being
used in a malicious way are offended by it. Those
who are younger and who have grown up in a
more accepting environm ent have not had to
endure the word and therefore don’t have the
negative reaction to it.
I have used this analogy to those I work with:
If someone is coming up to stab me and I take
the knife away and stab myself, 1 still am going
to feel pain. T he w ord'm eans “strange” and
“odd,” and I don’t see myself as either.
T
• • •
L
ike Joe Jackson says in the song, “Don’t call
me a faggot unless you are my friend.” Same
goes for queer.
It can be a word that makes me feel proud or
pained. Depends on who’s saying it and how it’s said.
B ryan U t t o
San Diego
• • •
E
ven though 1 am 4? years old, the word
makes me feel cold, sweaty and ready to
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jazzercise
www.jazzercise.com
s a 65-year-old I’m for taking “queer” back.
I use it with gay friends and with straight
friends who know I’m gay.
A
G lenn H eiserman
Portland
• • »
P
ained isn’t the word; insulted is more like i t As
a youth with epilepsy and a left hand that
never has worked correctly, 1 have been called such
hurtful things as “gip,” “chip,” “retard” and “spaz.”
I get the same kind of reaction from “queer.” It
is one of those words like “nigger” and “spic” that
never should be a part of anybody’s vocabulary.
T h e only way we can stop the hurt is to
purge these words from our society. We need to
stick together in unity, not divide by using lan
guage that can hurt so many people.
S c o t t E. S tierle
Portland
• • •
I
N ick E llington
Hillsboro
•No experience necessary.
• W e fit every body.
P aul S. H oefle
PrineviUe
I
think a strong case can be made for using the
word “queer.” It’s much easier to say than
“LGBTQQ” or “sexual minorities,” and every
one knows what it means.
W hen someone is startled to hear it used
positively, there is the opportunity to explain
that “gay” used to be the bad word and that
“queer" was a euphemism. Besides, our move
m ent’s future is in the hands o f the youth, and
they already have decided that “queer" is the
way to go. I’m ready to follow their lead!
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first identified as a “queer fellow," but it made
my ex uncomfortable, so I settled on “gay.” It
doesn’t make a lot of difference to me, but if it
lessens the segregation between LGBT factions,
I’ll be here, QUEER and without fear!
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next 1 14.4! hi Do you feel
H IV prevention tactics are effective in
reaching out to high-risk groups, or do
they enable dangerous sexual behavior
by failing to stigm atize prom iscuity?
Respond a t w uw .justout.com . (Don’t
forget to include your nam e, city and
daytim e telephone num ber.)
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