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Crime
Victims ’
N eeds
'Assessment
Cl
D ° y014 feel the Catholic Church is scapegoating gay priests by linking pedophilia
to homosexuality?
A
I
never have taken seriously gay men who espouse
the liturgy of the church. W hat hypocrites!
O n the other hand, gay men probably make
very good priests (and priestesses) after suffering all
the personal anguish and torment. They certainly
must have excellent compassion for all the other
tortured souls (can’t join the church without one).
T he church’s reaction to this controversy has
been, for a bunch of narrow-minded, extremely
conservative old white men, surprisingly com
passionate. 1 haven’t noticed the scapegoating
the question alludes to.
This sideshow might have an unintended
benefit of demonstrating the dangers of not
coming out, at least if you’re a brainwashed
Catholic boy bent on perpetuating the world’s
longest passion play.
psychiatric and child protection organizations
and force them publicly to renounce the truth
that homosexuality isn’t linked to pedophilia.
As my ex-nun mother would say, why does any
one, especially gays and women, want to stay in
the church?
T om S oppe
Portland
Y
es, it is!!! It’s easier to blame gay m en
th a n to accept the fact th a t priests are
n o t perfect.
I was raised Catholic, and maybe this scandal
will make the church realize it needs to bring
itself into the modem world. It’s not a sin to use
birth control; using a condom can save lives.
AIDS is real.
• • •
S ister G uadalupe G uajardo
Portland
There are some genetic/medical reasons why
some people are obese, but they still can try to
live a healthy life. Let’s not use the term “self
acceptance” as an excuse for being unhealthy
and not willing to change.
O ne of my best friends who is a big woman
has lost so much weight within the past two
years that she is feeling better, has more energy
and is breathing easier. She is my role model in
being patient and persistent with oneself.
So thanks, Marty, for keeping the dialogue
open and making us all think.
P at A mes
Portland
Through thick and thin
To the E ditor :
ne of the things I love most about the les-
J bian community is our ability to be out
raged and vocal. W hen Marty Davis wrote her
editorial about our growing “size,” I knew there
would be an uproar. And, indeed, there was.
Acceptance of each woman’s size has long
been a benchmark of the unconditional love we
give one another. T h a t’s been a hugely impor
tant philosophical stance for our community..
I, for one, knew I will continue to practice
acceptance and tolerance wherever I go and
whatever I do in the world. However, my take
$25 partcipation fee
E va H offman
Milwaukee
I
am a Roman Catholic nun, a lesbian and a
theologian. It’s important to make a distinc
tion between “the Catholic C hurch” and the
hierarchy of the church located in Rome.
T he Catholic C hurch is 97 percent laypeople
and 3 percent clergy— of which 2 percent are
nuns and about 1 percent are priests. So it’s not
fair to blame “the Catholic C hurch” when those
in authority and power are making the decisions.
Yes, I believe the bishops and cardinals in
fact are scapegoating gay priests for the
pedophilia. According to canon law, “pedophil
ia” is referred to as “the worst sin,” so they cer
tainly aren’t going to pin that on the heterosex
ual priests, th a t’s for sure.
A heterosexual priest friend of mine told me
that while he was in seminary training for the
priesthood he was told, “T he best way to stay
celibate is to stay away from women.” If they
thought gay priests were the problem they would
have said, “Stay away from boys.”
For a small, confidential
Focus group on Tuesday, July 2
From 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Contact Mary Louise McCIntock at
(503) 493-4397
Balmcc@teleport .com
• • •
CHAS N ol
Oakland, Calif.
Seeking Gay, Lesbian, &
Transgendered
Victims of Crime
• • •
• • •
y linking pedophilia to homosexuality
the C ath o lic C h u rch is scapegoating all
gay people, no t just priests. T he church can
kill two birds w ith one stone this way as it
wants to b o th have a scapegoat for the prob
lems created by its unnatural, arbitrary sexual
rules and further public opinion against gay
rights.
Despite th e fact th a t it usually comes out
smelling like roses because of society’s and the
m edia’s unwillingness to criticize C hristian
institutions, the tru th is th a t th e church is
still quite adept at demagoguery. T his is just
one more way th a t th e church establishm ent
hasn’t changed th a t m uch in essence since its
inquisition.
I bet if it could it would pull a Galileo on the
B
on Marty’s observations didn’t strike me as par
ticularly exclusionary or overtly critical.
It felt to me as more of a personal epiphany
she had observing a large group of women. And
even more personally, she included herself in
that observation.
I have to agree I’ve felt the same way when I
go to events and see my beautiful sisters show up
in full force. More than once, I’ve thought we
really aren’t doing much to keep ourselves healthy
and living a long life. And I can add myself to that
group because I am overweight, as well.
W hat is it about this issue that hurts so
much? W hy is it that the only dialogue we can
have is to defend one’s right to be fat? W here is
the dialogue about how we support each other
to live healthy?
And I don’t think any of us believe that
means being a size 2! We’re smarter than that and
have worked too hard for our place in the world.
But come on. Let’s really talk about how
being severely overweight can limit the options
you have in the world.
I hate it when I can’t walk as swiftly as my
thinner friends or when I have to struggle to get
seat belts buckled on planes—just annoying stuff
that reminds me my size influences the quality of
my day. Although I certainly think my friends can
slow down and those damn belts could be a little
longer, I don’t think that’s the only issue here.
1 want to walk longer, and l love to get on
Y
es, the C atholic C hurch is anti-gay, and to
preserve its way of thinking— that hom o
sexuality is wrong or abnormal— it needs to
blame the gay priests. Pedophilia is about
power, no t sex.
D iane M c A llister
Portland
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next I kki! [J So wm
and Qrace suddenly want to
procreate: Will this open people’s
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families, or will this set our cause
back 5 0 years1 Respond at
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planes and travel. More importantly, 1 want
my cholesterol level to come down, my knees
to stop hurting and my shortness of breath to
go away.
Therefore— some days kicking and scream
ing— I watch how much I eat of certain foods,
and I make myself get out there and move. I am
mindful that I can influence my own day and
improve the quality in it.
I am in this for the long haul, and I don’t
mind spending the rest of my life thinking and
living in ways that make me healthier. I don’t
find that offensive or limiting. I find that loving.
I urge women to take some thought and love
into your hearts and find ways to support your
self and others in finding the best, most work
able path to a healthier and more joyful life. We
really are worth it.
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R ose C raig
Lake Oswego
Campus hypocrisy
To the E ditor :
O tudents at Pacific U niversity in Forest
O Grove recently held a rally to protest the
termination of a wrestling coach. His supporters
claimed injustice, coupled with a trail of similar
• C a rin g S taff
• S u p p o rtiv e Com m unity
A C A A c c re d ite d
For more info:
(503) 294-7476
www.campwestwind.org
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