To
the
Editors:
Re
“Linking
HIV
and
the
‘DL’”
(The
Point,
Aug.
27):
It
is
not
important
whether
scientific
information
backs
the
claims
about
the
down
low,
or
“DL.”
What
is
important
is
how
these
shaky
lifestyles
mix
sex
with
lies
and
ruin
lives.
Even
if
we
agree
that
author
J.L.
King
is
generalizing,
at
least
he
is
brave
enough
to
help
bring
the
matter
to
the
forefront.
The
critics
have
forgotten
that
knowledge
is
power
and
at
least
the
exposed
information
can
shed
some
light
on
why
black
women
are
increasingly
contracting
HIV.
Point
being,
there
is
always
a
high
risk
of
anyone
contracting
HIV/AIDS
when
having
unprotected
sex,
regardless
of
lifestyle
or
marital
status.
Washington
To
the
Editors:
The
stories
in
last
week’s
Blade
about
David
Catania
(“Catania
quits
GOP
to
become
an
independent”)
and
Carol
Schwartz
(“Schwartz
won’t
budge
on
marriage”)
show
that
the
former
is
a
profile
in
courage
and
the
other
a
profile
in
curiosity.
I
do
not
accept
that
Carol
Schwartz
cannot
say
openly
and
unequivocally
that
she
supports
gay
marriage.
I
do
not
accept
her
explanation
that
supporting
gay
marriage
would
do
more
“harm”
than
good.
I
have
sat
in
many
living
rooms
of
gay
couples
where
Carol
glad-handed
with
one
hand
and
took
checks
with
the
other.
Yes,
she
has
supported
gay
rights
in
the
past,
but
I
do
not
feel
compelled
to
thank
her
for
doing
what
was
right
in
the
first
place.
I
see
now
that
her
support
was
qualified
because
she
was
telling
those
couples
who
hosted
her
that
she
believes
they
are
entitled
to
“all
the
rights
and
responsibilities”
that
heterosexual
couples
receive,
but
not
marriage.
How
dare
you,
Carol?
I
attended
the
Human
Rights
Campaign
marriage
rally
in
March.
There
I
lost
respect
for
Carol
Schwartz
and
found
respect
for
David
Catania.
There
are
seminal
moments
in
all
of
our
lives
when
we
must
take
stands
on
issues
we
consider
fundamental.
David
Catania
believes
in
the
basic
tenets
of
the
Republican
Party
but
made
a
difficult
and
painful
decision.
Eleanor
Roosevelt
said,
“Courage
is
acting
in
the
face
of
fear.”
David
Catania
faced
that
fear
and
acted.
The
time
has
come
for
gay
people
to
cease
being
satisfied
with
peanuts
proffered
by
those
we
reward
with
our
support.
Those
peanuts
are
no
more
palatable
coming
from
a
donkey
than
they
are
from
an
elephant.
They
are
especially
not
palatable
coming
from
an
elephant
acting
like
a
donkey.
Washington
To
the
Editors:
After
reading
Jimmy
Swaggart’s
most
recent
homophobic
comments,
as
reported
in
the
Washington
Blade
(news,
Sept.
24),
I
have
concluded
that
he
and
his
ilk
are
terrorists.
Swaggart
and
the
other
“Christian”
fundamentalists
who
share
his
philosophy
are
the
same
as
the
Islamic
fundamentalists:
Both
seek
to
impose
their
beliefs
on
everyone
else.
If
one
group
is
terrorists,
so
must
the
other
group
be
terrorists.
To
the
best
of
my
knowledge,
the
only
difference
is
that
to
date
Swaggart
has
only
talked
about
killing
people,
whereas
the
Islamic
fundamentalists
have
actually
carried
out
their
threats.
Washington
To
the
Editors:
Re
“Pro-gay
blacks
a
‘disgrace’
to
civil
rights
movement?”
(news,
Sept.
10):
Sure
it
was
easier
to
discriminate
against
blacks
because
of
their
visibility,
but
it’s
our
lack
of
visibility
and
our
ability
to
“pass”
that
makes
anti-gay
discrimination
even
more
insidious
in
some
ways
than
the
blatant
hatred
visited
on
people
of
color.
In
fact,
it
was
that
blatant
hatred
directed
toward
other
minorities
and
toward
us
when
became
visible
that
has
coerced
so
many
of
us
homosexuals
to
collude
with
our
oppressors
and
remain
invisible.
Today
it
is
visibility
that
helps
both
blacks
and
gays
to
overcome
discrimination
but
on
that
score,
blacks
have
it
easier.
I
constantly
have
to
tell
people
I’m
gay.
An
African
American
just
has
to
show
up.
South
Palm
Beach,
Fla.
