» » 9 * 4 • ría <9 ♦ * ♦ * * ♦ < * *♦ ♦ « *< * ♦ ♦ t * 1 RW W R October 28, 1992...The Portland Observer...Page 3 Setters tô j^th e <5üdit0r Letter To The Editor Dear Editor: I must take this opportunity to voiced strong exception to Ms. Vesia Loving’ s October 7,1992 Letter to the Editor regarding Measure 9. Specifi­ cally her views concerning the issue o f legalized discrim ination against homo­ sexuals not fittin g into her observations o f the Black experience. This is a most peculiar argument. For years and years and years I have heard the “ C hristian” comm unity use biblical scriptures to condemn the religious and cultural practices o f Jews, N ative A m e rican s, H om osexuals, women, etc., etc. It is particularly dis­ tressful when a member o f one op­ pressed group becomes the oppressor o f another. The feel o f power over others is indeed provocative and seduc­ tive, I suppose. How very pretentious o f Ms. L o v ­ ing to state that as a person she does “ not believe in hate crimes against anyone” w hile asserting the argument that “ ho­ mosexuality is abnormal, is im m oral, is perverse, is an abomination and a sex sin along w ith adultery, fornication and God despises. N ow this is a fine ex­ ample o f a p itifu lly befuddled conten­ tion based upon one’ s w ild ly distress imaginings o f what homosexual fo lk are. As a scholar 1 have come to under­ stand ignorance, though I do not think o f it as virtue, I have come to respect it in the context o f what it is (i.e. perhaps one doesn’ t have access to the kn o w l­ edge). Thus I often tolerate and suffer through the ignorance o f others. On the other hand pretentiousness is a human condition I have little regard or temper­ ance fo r (i.e. one has acquired the know l­ edge, but refuses to use it). I have become impatient w ith the pomposity o f pretentious persons and lately the noisiness o f their aggressive untruths surely vexes my spirit. As an individual w ho is a Jewish- white-female and the mother o f a ho­ mosexual daughter, I no longer desire the feigned affection o f those “ Chris­ tian” persons who remain blinded by their own choices and ambitions, namely to feel good about being prejudice. Obviously Ms. L oving does not know my daughter, even more I suspect by her themes that would damn a whole com m unity she really knows very little o f the people who inhabit that comm u­ nity. Ms. L o v in g ’ s prejudices have blinded her as to what virtues may exist there. It is not an accident that the same case o f arrogance has been used in the B la ck-W h ite c u ltu ra l arrangement, moreover as arc haic as it seems it works. W e s till lead separate lives. I urge readers to examine Measure 9’ sargumentcarefully,particularly from whence it comes. The reality is and may have always been, that homosexual persons inhabit our w orld. Moreover and sim ilarly, Jews, fem inist. Native and African Americans, as well as many, many diverse cultural others do too. Furthermore, try as they m ight, nothing Western, W hite, Christian males have done to us (e.g. slavery, torture, raping, internments, etc., etc.) has changed that reality. I w ill not pretend to be what T o The Editor Measure 9 is not discrim ination against any one. It is however, d iscrim i­ nating against Perversion, Gay, Les­ bian, homosexuality, im m orality, and in fid e lity. God w ill not go along w ith Sin and ministers. Pastors, Priests, and Rabbi, that vote no on measure 9, are voting against “ God” , and woe be unto see homosexuality is nothing new. God is voting YES on measure 9. Please do not vote against God. God made women because it is not good fo r man to be alone. Genesis 2:18. them. In Matthew, we read, where our Lord said, “ then w ill I profess unto them I never knew you, depart from me ye that w ork inequity. So church going citizen, i f your Pastor or overseer is voting no on 9, then I say according to the word o f God you are attending the wrong place o f produce life. The only thing two men can pro­ duce is “ acquired immune deficiency syndrome,” better known as A ID S , and that is destructive, and not productively worship. Those that vote no on measure 9 are voting for SIN and God hates sin. God does not hate sinners because he sent his only Son to die on the old rugged cross, so a ll o f us could be forgiven o f our sins, church leaders that go along w ith any kind o f sin fo r any reason are those that Christ spoke o f as being sheep in wolves clothing. A ll true Americans, as w ell as a ll true Christians are voting yes on mea­ sure 9, because it is the “ Am erican” thing to do. I t is true and God supports the truth. B ib lica lly speaking it is impos­ sible to believe in god and vote no on measure 9. G o d d e stro ye d Sodom and Gomorrah because o f homosexuality that was centuries ago, so you can plainly Letter To The Editor: I want to relate a conversation I overheard at a restaurant in Eugene when I was in town fo r the day last week. The more I ’ ve thought about this, the more upset I ’ ve become so I want to share it: I overheard tw o men having a con­ versation about some strategy to pass Measure 9 her in Oregon. I couldn t tell from the conversation whether the “ strategy” was a local one, regional or statewide. These tw o individuals were ta lk­ ing condescendingly about Oregon voters and how all one had to do to sway people was to put stuff in w riting-no matter i f it’s truc-and people w ill believe i t They talked about some brochure or newspaper-type newsletter that is in the works that w ill be blanketed on every person’ s doorstep in the few days See Genesis 2:24. So it is natural for a M A N and a W O M A N to make love, they have the “ where” w ith a ll to be productive and good. Many people think that measure 9 discriminates or is intending to work against c iv il rights or Blacks, or Jews. And none o f that is true. In closing measure 9 is against a group that wants “ S P E C IA L” rights. A ll “ Americans” are protected un­ der our constitution as long as they obey the Law o f God and the law o f the land. And do not need anymore protection than that. Bank robbers, dope pushers, pimps, prostitutes and yes murders, all do these things by choice. Gay, lesbian, and homosexuals live their life by choice. So i f they get special rights give a ll who choose to live outside the law o f God and the law o f the land the same rights. A ll o f the above life styles create crim e and anybody that believes Port­ land is suffering from crim inal activity today, you haven’ t seen anything i f measure 9 goes down to defeat. V oting No on measure 9 is truly before the election. The paper w ill have incredible propaganda and lies about how homosexuals m olest children, about how much the country pays in medical costs for A id s—and how the high cost o f medical b ills is all the fault o f homosexual activities. They talked about making the sta­ tistics look really bad, but not too out­ rageous, about how they w on’ t have to state where the statistics come fr o m - and again, because by people seeing it in print they’ ll believe it. Up to this point, I thought that the backers o f Measure 9, whether the O CA or whoever, righteously believe the stuff they sa y-th at they believe these things to be true. To hear these guys casually, over lunch, talking about the w illfu l ma­ nipulation o f voters by out and out false propaganda was appalling. They talked T o The Editor B ill M cCoy clearly merits re-election as your State Senator fo r North and Northeast Portland. Let me tell you w hy : B ill M cCoy has a solid record o f public service. As a productive veteran o f the legislature he has represented your area effectively and positively. His knowledge and wisdom are a valuable asset in Salem. B ill M cCoy is proud to be a Democrat, and his record shows it. He is not afraid to stand up and fig h t against oppression, bigotry and self-serving corporate interests. I strongly recommend B ill M cCoy as your State Senator B ill Bradbury Senate M ajority Leader some groups would have me be and it is o f great pride that my daughter lives by the truth o f what she is. Proponents o f Measure 9 have rendered truth an anti­ quated notion. H istorically it has been pleasing to such persons when fear tem ­ porarily wins out. Fear, ignorance and pretention have interpreted diversity as problematic, hence we have had the Jewish problem , the Black problem , the Native problem, etc., etc. o f course, dare 1 say it, Christians themselves, once upon a time, were a “ problem.” In hindsight, I think even most Christian people would agree that the proposed “ solutions” to all these human “ prob­ lems” is a chapter many would like to forget. Ms. Loving m ight like to forget, fortunately for her, some o f us are s till around to remind her. In Sisterhood, Pamella E. Settlegoode P.S. Here’ s a little academic e x­ periment for those who believe as Ms. Loving seems to that “ ...the homosexual problem as it is being related to dis­ crim ination against black people...w ill never bring the deprivation, the inhu­ mane treatment that blacks have suf­ fered since slavery.” When in a public place (e.g. a bus, a downtown sidewalk, a store, etc.) simply hold the hand o f a same sexed person, it can be one’ s related teenaged child. Then wait, ob­ serve, see what happens. The result o f this social experiment w on ’ t lake long. You w ill feel it, but be cautious for it w ill be a strong reaction, be forever careful. Alas, perhaps now you w ill be on to it! Letter To The Editor Thank You! for your excellent headline article, “ African-Am ericans Voting No on 9, A New Political A c ­ tion Committee” , in this week’ s issue! Since the O CA seems to be using a “ Big L ie ” technique (the technique made famous by A d o lf H itler in his rise to power), it is especially important that responsible people expose the truth behind the O C A propaganda, as your article did. Many o f the falsehoods now being spread by the O C A have already been p u b licly refuted. For instance, the People o f Faith Against Bigotry are responding to the O C A ’ s mis-use o f B iblical texts, right now. (O f course, we know that tw isting Christian B ib li­ cal quotations out o f context, to try and ju s tify hatred, fear, and discrimination is not new. It is as old as the slave­ holders in our South who tried to con­ vince each other that the Bible justifie d slavery.) A lso , the O C A ’ s id io tic charges against public school teachers were refuted in a recent editorial in the Oregonian. (Bigots using the public schools as a battleground for their pet hates is not new, either, as any o f us who lived during the era o f segregated schools can testify.) I am amazed, however, to see that one aspect o f the O C A ’s hate cam­ paign has been nearly overlooked in the media. The aspect that nearly ev­ eryone seems to have overlooked is this: the O C A ’ s perversion o f the term “ no special rights” . This term (as twisted by the O C A) has become the biggest lie invitin g terrible crime to our streets, so much so, crime today w ill be like “ Sun­ day School” games. Measure 9 is no at all against color, it’ s against sinful crim e against nature. Measure 9 is not discrim inating against color classification, but against in fid e l­ ity and perversion. Homosexuals must go back into the closet and lock the door. Dope is already destroying our country, by crime and youth suicide. President Lincoln said, “ o f a ll o f the armies from all o f the countries in the w orld, none can step across the water and destroy “ Am erica,” he went on to say, i f “ Am erica” is ever de­ stroyed in w ill happen from w ith in .” Oregon does not need any more problems; all people need to do, is give their lives to Christ. This country was founded on the Bible. Now I say i f you do not like America for what it is, has been, and what the founding father prayed fo r it to be. Then my advice to all who do not like it, should leave it. Am erica and Portland has done very w ell w ithout homosexuals being protected from their sinful deeds, a ll o f these years, I feel we should let it be, let it be, let it be. Vote yes on measure 9 then and only then w ill your vote shine’ , and the ligh t w ill be so bright u ntil it w ill blin d the homosexuals as it d id to them at Sodom and Gomorrah. I am a true “ American C hristian” thats why I ’ m voting YES on measure 9. James L . Washinton, Sr. EM E Region #1 Commander United States Veterans, Inc. about how, by making sure people get these pamphlets and/ or newspaper­ like newsletter rig h t before the elec- tio n - it w on’ t give anyone else tim e to respond w ith the facts. This strategy is about contempt for the voters o f Oregon. To say that we believe everything we read, that we’ re too g ullible to think fo r ourselves and th a t we w o u ld take as “ tr u th ” somebody’ s statistics that don’ t even bother to cite their sources-that’ s in ­ sulting. To my fellow Oregonians, I ask you, when this strategy is carried out, when you receive this “ inform ation” on your doorstep right before the Novem­ ber c le c tio n -p le a se remember this scheme and look for the trulh -m ayb c re-read the Voters Pamphlet that w ill have both sides represented. Sharon A m ity Dear People o f Oregon: 1 hear that the Question 9 proponents have been showing you videos o f the San Francisco Gay Pride March to alarm you abut gay people. This is like someone showing me pictures o f your neighborhood on Halloween and saying “ Look at these despicable people! They paint their children’s faces and send them out in the street to beg! I ’ m a lesbian, and I live an ordinary, quiet life w ith my life-partner. We go to w ork and pay the b ills like everyone else. Please don’ t let the bigots persuade you to vote to make the lives o f people like me more d iffic u lt. Betsy W right, Cp ringficld, M A basic human rights most Americans take fo r granted), the O C A has twiste J this term “ no Special rights” to im p ly that our homosexual citizens get (or want) some special break that others do not. Nothing could be farther from the o f all. W hile it is true that homosexual Americans, as a group, have No “ spe­ cial rights” in our society (in fact, homosexuals in our culture face such a burden o f hatred, prejudice, and fear that they’ ve often been denied the most truth! But this is how the Big Lie tech­ nique works: I f enough people hear a big lie often enough, many o f them w ill begin to assume that it is true. Many Oregonians have started to fa ll fo r this by now, assuming, “ W e ll, gee w hiz, I guess homosexuals must be getting some kinda special rights they shouldn’t, just because I ’ ve heard that so much.” This is truly frightening; -esp e ­ cially when we read B a llo t Measure 9 and realize that, in fact, it would legal­ ize Special Discrim ination against ho­ mosexual Americans (or anyone else even suspected o f not-hating homo­ sexual Americans (or anyone else even suspected o f not-hating homosexual Americans!), —special discrim ination that has never existed in our nation that homosexuals currently have spe­ cial rights which this measure w ill remove. Homosexuals do not have spe­ cial rights. Quite the contrary, they have no rights based on their sexual orientation. I f measure 9 fails that re­ mains the same. I f measure 9 passes it w ill single out homosexuals as a class o f abnormal and perverse persons, not worthy o f basic human rights. Proponents o f this measure say they must stop the “ gay agenda” . They use fear and fuel divisiveness and ha­ tred by conjuring up red herrings such Letter To The Editor The issue o f b allot measure 9 is not a moral argument o f “ gay vs. straight, “ or o f “ rig h t vs. wrong,” but o f “ igno­ rance vs. science.” W E o f the vast m ajority o f the social science, educa­ tional, and medical communities be­ lieve that sexual orientation is deter­ mined by birth, rather than a matter o f fluctuations o f hormone levels. It is hypocritical fo r society to accept the variations in m usical, artistic, verbal, mathematical, and other types o f ge- n iu s -y e t single out sexual orientation, which develops ju s t as naturally, and reject it based on ill-founded m orality and cultural bias. Sexual orientation is as normal as any other behavioral bias associated w ith brain tissue develop­ choice. M ost o f us have been taught that females have two X-chromosomes and that males have one X - and one Y - chromosome. T his sim ply is not true: it is the presence o f testosterone in the uterus during the early stage o f fetal development that causes males to de­ velop. I f a rtificial testosterone is present during pregnancy, fetuses that are X X w ill develop as males even though they genetically are females. When women prone to spontaneous* abortion were treated w ith testosterone injections in the 1940s, many X X fetuses that o rd i­ narily would have become females, instead became males. Dr. G. Domer, a German clinical researcher, has publicized that if, dur­ ing a certain stage o f gestation, testos­ terone levels fa ll below a certain point, the male child is lik e ly to be bom homosexual. By giving injections dur­ ing this period, he claims that he can prevent homosex uality from occurring. O f course, many persons regard such genetic engineering as unnatural, and believe that nature (or God) intended a percentage o f humans to be homosexu­ als, as appears to have been the case since the dawn o f history. M ale hormone levels norm ally fluctuate in the uterus during gestation, affecting not only sexual orientation but many abilities and behaviors in­ cluding intelligence and artistic and musical talent. The human brain devel­ ops over a period o f nearly 30 weeks, during which time some tissues be­ come masculinized and others become fem ininized, depending on complex better th ink again. M any people in Germany (who later died in Nazi con­ centration camps) o rig in a lly dismissed H itle r as a “ harmless nut” . The B ig Lie campaign o f the O C A is not harmless, either. N ot since the vicious Jim Crow laws were ended in the South, have Americans been asked to actually pass a law m andating sp e cia l d is c r im i­ n a tio n against any g ro u p o f A m e ri­ before! I wonder how many Americans remember that this is how H itle r got his foot in the door, in Germany, - b y advo­ cating the dame kind o f special dis­ crimination against homosexuals there? Many, many Germans who did not see through H itle r’ s B ig L ie technique, later paid fo r it w ith their lives. Once H itler and the Nazis got their foot in the door by whipping up fear against homosexu­ als in Germany, they soon turned on nearly everyone else; eventually k ill­ ing over 6 m illio n Christians, Jews, labor leaders, members o f opposition political parties, disabled people, Gyp­ sies, and everyone else they could find who did not fit their twisted fantasy o f an” Aryan master race” . I f we are te llin g ourselves, “ It couldn’ t happen here.” mavbe we had Letter To The Editor: As the election day nears and vari­ ous p olitical races become more intense I would like to address what appears to be the most intense, shrill, emotional and for many, fearsome measures on the Oregon ballot-measure 9. Proponents o f this measure say ho­ mosexuality is sinful because the bible labels it so. The bible also condemns the fo llo w in g behaviors: fornication, adul­ tery, masturbation and divorce. Is sinful behavior a matter for a constitutional amendment? I f so should fornication, adultery, masturbation and divorce also be addressed in the constitution? proponents o f this measure say they are sim ply assuring that homosexuals w ill not have special rights. They im ply • as affirm ative action. This is nonsense and cleverly distracts us from the agenda o f the extreme Christian right. This extremely conservative socio-eco­ nomic agenda would put lots o f regu- m ent In 1984, Science Magazine re­ ported the result o f an experiment in which females, straight males and ho­ mosexual males were injected w ith es­ trogens. After four days, theLeutinizing Hormone levels (a pituitary response) were 200 percent above normal in fe­ males; 88 percent above normal in straight males; and 138 percent above normal in gay males, strongly suggest­ ing there is a physiological difference. (Gladue, Green & Heilman, 1984: Neu­ roendocrine Response to Estrogen and Sexual Orientation. Science, 225:1496- 98.) The O C A does not wish to be con­ fused w ith facts. Because their amend­ ment would require the public schools teach that homosexuality is “ abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse,” scien­ tific research would be censored in schools. The vast m ajority o f the scien­ tific com m unity believes that homo­ sexuality is a norm ally occurring phe­ nomenon in a predictable percentage o f any human population or culture, past or present; and that it is no more a moral issue than having blue eyes instead o f brown. It would be a dark day fo r Orego­ nians to establish their place in history by legislating that not only should its youth be kept in ignorance, but that a significant percentage o f its population should be treated as pariahs, and made to feci guilty over what to them is quite natural. To cause our children emo­ tional problems, rather than to facilitate the development o f their artistic, musi- cans. As an American o f color, w ith A f ­ rican Am erican ancestry, I am espe­ cially frightened by what I see coming behind B allot Measure 9, i f it passes. As an Am erican who is old enough to remember the K K K lynchings o f my childhood; old enough to remember watching one o f my own relatives die that way; I know that No One deliber­ ately creates a wave o f irrational fear, hate, prejudice, and falsehoods, as the O C A 'is doing now. except fo r one reason: to ride it to power. M any ruth ­ less people used the hate-mongering and the terror tactics o f the K K K for their own purposes, to ride to p o litica l power. A d o lf H itle r shrewdly chose to attack the most defenseless m inority group in Germany —homosexuals— to grab power and beg in his reign o f terror. Now the O C A is asking our help, to let them do the same thing. I f we let the O C A get their fo o t in the door now, none o f us w ill be safe from the hatred and persecution that they seek to unleash upon us. L e t’ s stop the B ig L ie campaign o f the O C A in its tracks! W hile there may always be some twisted people out there who w ill try to ride to power on hatred and fear, we do N ot have to let them get their foot in the door here. L et’s show the w orld that Oregonians are bigger than the hate- mongering o f the O C A! Sincerely, Tashina Chris Spalding lation on personal activity and remove most regulation from big business and corporations. Measure 9 is not a referendum on homosexuality. It is opposed by many persons who disapprove o f homosexual behavior. Measure 9 is to determine i f the constitution o f this state should be amended to single out a group o f people as abnormal and perverse. Justremem- ber that voting No On 9 maintains the status quo. Yes on 9 changes the consti­ tution and opens a Pandora’ s box o f God knows how many issues which w ill take years to settle in the courts, not to mention in our communities. •* PA - < - « "•J * • s ;. . .. .. fc/XJ -1 » . -,t ‘. . y . / r ' : ' / ' ■j r. - J?* .« X ■ f ' ••• . • fe • ■ i’ ■ . -X • • J- S'* • r; ci»' ; y ij' 7 * * z-t