From: mush@craycos.com (Randy Murrish)
Newsgroups: soc.motss,alt.politics.homosexuality,co.politics
Subject: Re: Colorado Amendment 2: The First Fatality
Date: 12 Nov 92 16:41:47 GMT
	<1992Nov12.023819.2789@ncar.ucar.edu>
Followup-To: soc.motss,alt.politics.homosexuality,co.politics
Organization: Cray Computer Corporation

In article <1992Nov12.023819.2789@ncar.ucar.edu> 
gary@colossus.cgd.ucar.edu (Gary Strand) writes:

>   tc> Tom Christiansen
>
>   tc> Dying from AIDS, distraught over the death of a close friend, Marty Wayne
>       Booker put a lot of meaning into Amendment 2.
>       For him, it was more than a constitutional ban on laws protecting gays
>       from discrimination.  A powerful symbol, perhaps.  An excuse, maybe.
>       Whatever it was or whatever it meant to the deeply troubled 26-year-old
>       Colorado Springs man, it obsessed him in the final minutes before he
>       took his life.
>
>     This is tragic, of course, but I don't see the relevance of the suicide of 
>     a troubled man with what the true effects of #2 are going to be.

What ARE the true effects of CO-2 going to be?  It already denies
homosexuals equal rights, what else do you want CO-2 to do?

>     People commit suicide for all sorts of reasons, some "honorable", some not, 
>     some that can be seen as "martyrdom", most not. This particular act is hard-
>     ly what I would expect from an individual disappointed at the passage of #2.

What do you know about discrimination?  What would YOU expect from an
individual that believes that society has turned its back on him/her?
True, Marty had a lot of things going against him, but the passage of
CO-2 is what pushed him over the edge.

>     To imply, as the article does, and as the post attempts to imply, that #2
>     was somehow responsible for this man's death is emotional manipulation at
>     its worst.

Marty specifically mentioned CFV in his note.  He also mentioned Will
Perkins (the president of CFV).  His death was caused, in part, by the
passage of CO-2.  The voters of this state need to realize that its
passage has profound impacts on MANY peoples lives.  CO-2 is not a
bunch of words in the Constitution, it directly influences the lives 
of homosexuals and bisexuals in this state.

>		  Quite frankly, I'm irritated and ashamed that his personal trag-
>     edy can be so cavalierly exploited for potential political gain. Aren't 
>     there better arguments available besides this one? It's cheap and tawdry,
>     and hardly respectful of the man.

I knew Marty, and the passage of CO-2 was a tremendous blow to his
self-esteem.  How would you like it if Colorado voters passed an
amendment to the constitution that denied basic civil rights to people
named Gary?  Marty was the type of person who felt things very deeply
and I know that the passage of CO-2 pushed him over the brink.

What Marty, and most homosexuals are looking for is acceptance of
themselves from their environment and the people around them.  What
Marty felt on Wednesday, Nov 4 1992 was rejection.

What most people fail to understand is that most homosexuals view the
passage of CO-2 as rejection of themselves.  It is no wonder that CFV
fears for the safety of its members.  I doubt that any group in society
would feel any different if their basic civil rights were denied.

>   --
>   Gary Strand                      Opinions stated herein are mine alone and are
>   strandwg@ncar.ucar.edu            not representative of NCAR, UCAR, or the NSF

Randy
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cray Computer Corporation                                Randy Murrish
1110 Bayfield Drive                                   mush@craycos.com
Colorado Springs, CO 80906                                719.540.4274