Poison of anti-gay bigotry still destroying far too many lives

The first time I knew that homosexuality even existed was at Central High School in the 1950s, when a whispering campaign began, alleging that two 15-year-olds in our all-male class of about 350 were “fags.” I began observing the two for some signs of deviance, but I never saw any. One of the two was a poor student, but the other was a brilliant student. One was fat, but the other was thin. One was a very poor athlete, but the other was a good one. To me it was most confusing.

One of the two gossip targets was somewhat effeminate, but so were many other kids at Central High School, including some of the gossipers. Decades later, at a class reunion, I learned that both had led very troubled adult lives because of anti-gay bigotry and that one had nearly died in a botched suicide attempt.

I don’t think I gave the issue one more minute’s thought after high school until I became a reporter for the Philadelphia Tribune in June 1967. Two weeks later — on July 4 — one of the first news stories I covered happened to be the first Gay Rights March in Philadelphia history. About 30 protesters marched with picket signs in front of Independence Hall.

I was still as mystified as ever, since the male marchers wore suits and ties and the women wore dresses. The picketers looked no more threatening or depraved than a conference of Rotary Club members. (March organizer Barbara Gittings, of the Lambda Society, explained to me at the time, “We insisted on this style of dress to show that we are basically no different from other people. We don’t want to take anything away from anyone else. We just want the freedom to be who we are, without discrimination or persecution.” (A one-hour documentary film on this history-making march on July 4, 1967, recently aired locally on Channel 12.)

Certainly no one can deny that, as with the fight to combat racism, much progress has been made in the struggle to achieve Ms. Gittings’ goal. But that campaign is a long way from victory. One only has to look at the demolition derby of charges and counter-charges surrounding New Jersey Gov. McGreevey’s resignation to see the results of a climate in which people are not free to be themselves.

Mt. Airy is undoubtedly one of the nation’s most progressive and welcoming communities — with a greater number of gay women than any other section of the Delaware Valley — but even northwest Philadelphia is not shielded from the whips and scorns of the flat-earth proponents. See, for example, the current struggle of the Rev. Irene “Beth” Stroud, pastor at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, whom many in the church’s Eastern Pennsylvania Conference are trying to oust because of her sexual orientation. (An article by Michael Mishak in the August 12 issue of the Local reported on the controversy.)

Joanne Fleisher, a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Philadelphia, wrote recently in a local paper that she was “married for 12 years and had two children when I realized my (true) feelings.” Fleisher has since counseled hundreds of gays who “did not have the strength or resources to deal with the pressures of homophobia and tucked their feelings away.”

It does not help, of course, to have a President of the United States who, instead of preaching tolerance and mutual understanding, tries to exploit bigotry and fear with such clearly politically inspired gambits as the proposed Constitutional Amendment that would ban gay marriage. But the struggle of fair-minded people, both gay and straight, goes on, with the goal to force anti-gay bigotry to slither away, to borrow a metaphor from the recently deceased poet Donald Justice, “like a snake, with the grass closing behind it.”

Len Lear

Opinion: hold politicians accountable

by SHARON M. REISS, ESQ.

First, let me assure your readers, and especially N. Sivin, that I am not now, nor have I ever been a “local dirty-tricks volunteer for the Committee to Re-elect the President.” I find the suggestion offensive, and wonder whether Mr./Mrs. Sivin was one of the individuals who, during our mayoral campaign, espoused the view that the bug in Mayor Street’s office was part of the “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.” The facts subsequently proved otherwise in that instance, as evidenced by the first wave of indictments.

Second, I want to thank N. Sivin for informing me about www.factcheck.org. I agree that it seems to be quite fair and balanced, as well as non-partisan. Indeed, the top three headlines for the most current FactCheck articles read as follows:

“Bush Nails Kerry’s Poor Attendance at Intelligence Committee Hearings.” The article summary states: “Official records show Kerry not present for at least 76 percent of public hearings during his eight years on the panel, and possibly 78 percent … Kerry could ask that his attendance records be made public, and hasn’t … Aides also claimed repeatedly that Kerry had been vice chairman of the intelligence committee, but that was Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, not John Kerry. If anything, the ad understates Kerry’s lack of attendance.”

“Media Fund Ad Misquotes Bush.” This article, referring to an ad released by the Media Fund on August 11, quotes Ohio residents criticizing President Bush as follows: “When President Bush says he’s going to help companies outsource jobs, it’s infuriating.” FactCheck then states: “Maybe it would be infuriating if Bush really had said that, but he didn’t … What Bush has actually said is this: “The best way to deal with job creation and outsourcing is to make sure our businesses are competitive here at home.” “This ad is just the latest in a steady drum-beat of Democratic attacks blaming Bush for job losses overseas.” I find this point especially interesting in light of some estimates I have read that the Heinz company does approximately 60 to 70 percent of its business overseas.

“DNC Ad Says Bush Lost Manufacturing Jobs.” This article refers to an ad released on August 6, 2004, by the Democratic National Committee claiming that 2.7 million manufacturing jobs had been lost under Bush. While this fact is true, the ad ignores the fact that the decline began three years before Bush took office. The author goes on to state: “The Democratic National Committee ad uses the time-honored tactic of putting the opponent’s worst foot forward. It’s a one-sided presentation that doesn’t give the full picture.” For example, it omits the fact that the decline in manufacturing jobs has been significantly offset by gains in government, and the health care and construction industries.

As for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth being funded by a major Republican donor, I find this somewhat disingenuous, given the millions of dollars given to MoveOn.org and other 527 groups by George Soros, a billionaire. A look at their Web site home page includes the following: “The Communists had Pravda. The Republicans have FOX [referring to the Fox News Channel].” Also: “Fire Rumsfeld. View Our TV Ad.” Or how about: “Censure Bush for Misleading Us.” This is particularly offensive, given Kerry’s outright lies about the brave soldiers he served with in Vietnam, when, upon his return to the U.S., he accused them of committing such atrocities as beheadings, burning villages with women and children, cutting off ears, etc. One only need read some of the affidavits (which I read on www.factcheck.org) from some of his commanding officers. Example: George Elliott, Kerry’s commander during most of his stay in Vietnam, who took an oath on July 21, 2004 that “When Kerry came back to the United States, he lied about what occurred in Vietnam … comparing the American armed forces to the army of Genghis Khan …” Example #2: Van Odell, a gunner on Swift Boat PCF 3 on the day it was mined, and which Kerry used to claim his third Purple Heart and a Bronze Star: “Kerry directly and through is advertisements has lied about this matter. What actually occurred was that PCF 3 … was mined and its sailors thrown in the river … Kerry fled the scene while other boats and we stayed to recover the wounded … Kerry’s boat returned after no return fire occurred and recovered Jim Rassman … there was no fire …”

Example #3: Dr. Louis Letson, whose July 21 affidavit states in part “In Dec. 1968, I treated John Kerry … in connection with the slight injury for which he later claimed and received his first Purple Heart. The crewmen with Kerry told me that there was no hostile fire and that Kerry inadvertently wounded himself with an M-79 grenade.”

Example #4: affidavit of Grant Hibbard, who also commanded Kerry: “In Dec. 1968, Kerry came into my office in order to apply for a Purple Heart. He had a tiny scratch … others who were present during the incident had reported that Kerry had fired an M-79 too close, inflicting a tiny wound upon himself.” Mr. Hibbard comments on Kerry’s “direct betrayal of the loyalty and trust customary between shipmates” concerning Kerry’s meetings with the North Vietnamese in 1970 and 1971.

Rose Naftulin and Marvin Thrall both refer to “a President who lies.” Though their letters provide no facts in support of this claim, I assume they both refer to the faulty intelligence regarding the presence of stockpiles of WMDs in Iraq — the very same intelligence available to the entire Senate and House, including Kerry and Edwards. This, if I’m right, and if Bush “lied,” then so did Kerry and Edwards, since they too believed the WMDs were there.

Mr. Thrall’s letter also misstates President Bush’s position on stem-cell research. He has never opposed stem-cell research. He is only against federal funding of the research. Private research can continue, restricted only by the complex moral and ethical issues which abound.

As for the administration’s energy policy, the President proposed, in 2002, after reports from several scientific studies of the issue, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as the best way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The proposal would have limited the drilling sites to a very small percentage (my recollection is somewhere around 15-20 percent) of the total land mass. Congress failed to act. Crude oil prices are now at a record high.

Finally, as for Ms. Naftulin’s suggested reading list, I have indeed read 1984 by Orwell, as well as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and found both to be incisive and provocative. However, I fail to see how either is relevant to Kerry’s qualifications for the presidency.

As for the U.S. Constitution, I can assure Ms. Naftulin and any of your readers who wish to stay informed: Weapons of Mass Distortion — The Coming Meltdown of the Liberal Media, by L. Brent Bozell III (founder and president of the Media Research Center); The Connection — How Al Qaeda’s Collaboration with Saddam Hussein has Endangered America, by Stephen F. Hayes, of the Weekly Standard; An End to Evil — How to Win the War on Terror, by David Frum and Richard Perle (former assistant Secretary of Defense); The Many Faces of John Kerry — Why This Massachusetts Liberal is Wrong for America, by David N. Bossie (Committee on Government Reform and Oversight during Clinton’s administration) and the 9/11 Commission Report — all 428 pages.

In conclusion, I agree with Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynahan when he said, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.”

Sharon Reiss lives in Mt. Airy.