From: echo@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Super U.S. citizen, super achiever . . .)
Newsgroups: rec.skiing,rec.travel
Subject: Re: Colorado amendment 2 information / boycott
Date: 12 Jan 1993 18:18:01 GMT
Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucscb.ucsc.edu


In article <1993Jan11.022319.2968@mercury.cair.du.edu> elesatz@diana.cair.du.edu (Eric LeSatz) writes:
>Why not? Isn't that the entire point of special discrimination laws?
>If Blacks had been making big money in the 60's it is doubtful that
>they would have asked for special protection. I don't believe in
>special protection for anyone unless they can clearly show there is
>discrimination against them. So far homosexuals have not only failed
>to show this, but the factual evidence proves that there is little
>discrimination. 

If you believe that there is little discrimination against homosexuals,
then you have obviously never walked the streets of the Castro district
in San Francisco.  Every block or two is a spray-painted symbol on the
sidewalk with the caption "A Queer Was Bashed Here."  These are places
where gay men were attacked and beaten by straights.  Does that count
as discrimination, or were these people just looking for anyone to beat
up?  I don't think so.  I've even been threatened and shouted at walking
down the streets there *with my girlfriend*!  I'm walking and a truckload
of idiots from somewhere outside of the city goes driving by yelling
at me, "You fucking fag!"  But that's not discrimination, that's just free
speech, right Eric?

Even in SF, where the gay community is well established and respected by
most city dwellers, there's still discrimination.  People lose jobs and
homes because they're gay.  And the only way for these people to get
their jobs and homes back is to file a discrimination suit.  Except now
in Colorado, *they can't*!

Let's suppose that CA passed a law that all people with the name LeSatz
no longer have "special protection" under the law, ie they can't file
a discrimination suit on the basis of their name being LeSatz.  I happen
to really despise people with the name LeSatz.  I am a professor at USC
and you, Eric, do a wonderful job in my class.  In fact, it's obvious
to all that you are the most qualified person in the class.  I fail you.
When you ask why, I reply that I hate your stupid name, LeSatz.  Indignant,
you reply that it's wrong for me to do that.  So sue me ... But wait!  You
can't!  I can discriminate against because you cannot claim discrimination 
on the basis of the name LeSatz!  Basically I can do whatever I want to
you.

Now just stick in being gay/black/latino/and so on in there and that's
Amendment 2.

The hope that I see is that Amendment 2 is blatantly unconstitutional
i.e. under the US Constitution, and state constitutions must adhere to the
tenets of the US Constitution.  So when a case does finally work its
way up the courts, it should be struck down by even the relatively
conservative US Supreme Court for being blatantly discriminatory.

-- 
  //          ---<--@     PRS             -Echo
\X/                                        The Potato-Salad-Eatin' Fool.
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