From: owen@autodesk.com (D. Owen Rowley)
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: Re: Call/Fax/Write Fernandez
Date: 11 Dec 92 19:50:13 GMT

In article <1g8as3INNqbn@hp-col.col.hp.com>, smithw@col.hp.com (Walter Smith) writes:
> I do have
> to say, this insinuation that if someone has a negative view of
> homosexuality, they are "gay-hating" is both tiresome and counter-
> productive to gay/straight people talking rationally and getting
> along. 

excuse me Walter, but you are missing the forest for the trees.
Homophobia is institutionalised in our society, all of us queer
and strayt alike are affected by this. Talk about tiresome and counter
productive, we are homosexual *PEOPLE*, not some social construct that
you can feel negatively about without affecting us and yourself and those you
deal with when those negative feelings are exhibited.

> But neither case requires a book teaching that it is normal. 

excuse me Walter, but your are missing the forest for the trees again.
I am perfectly normal, absolutely ordinary as a matter of fact.
Loving other men is my natural state, and I am not being normal when
I am kept from being able to be myself.

> What I would prefer to do (especially at that age) is to teach them that
> all people are valuable, without having to specify things like their 
> sexual preference.  I don't "categorize" myself as "hetrosexual".  Teach
> the kids that it is OK to be different, and if someone chooses to be
> different, they should not be abused for it.  However, you can disagree
> with the person's choice without being disrespectful of it.  (or homophobic...) 

except that you just said that homosexuality is not normal.
what kind of message do you want to send?
*That homosexuals are not normal but thats OK?*
excuse me Walter, but thats not OK with me.

> Why does the question of sexual orientation have to come up at all?  And
> just out of curiosity, how many households are there where the parents
> are same-sex homosexual?  

Because, Walter, there are children out there who have a homosexual
orientation and are being subjected to a nightmare existence in your
* don't need to categorise heterosexuals because its whats normal* world.
There *are* homosexuals in your family walter. You probably don't know it
because they hide it from you, they know you feel negatively, they've heard
you express it. Consider how horrible it would be if you had such a child.
Hearing those things all his or her life, never being able to say what is
inside, knowing that you told them they were not normal.

This is what happened to those of us who grew up before this modern era when
it has been possible for some to escape this fate.

You have no idea what it is like Walter, would you really want one of your
children to find out first hand?

> I don't feel that I really did justice in my response to all the things
> you had to say.  But I've got a lot of posts I wanted to respond to, and
> limited time in between other things.  If there is anything you really
> wanted to see me address better, re-point it out.

Forget BBC, and his ilk, they have extremely immature concepts of these
issues.


LUX ./. owen
--
D. Owen Rowley {uunet,fernwood,sun}!autodesk!owen

  " It will be a cold March 17th that I celebrate the imposition of
	Romes rule, on Pagan Ireland. Erin go ppphhhhhttttttt! "
Newsgroups: soc.motss