Friday November 10, 2006 SGN.org |
 |
Volume 34 Issue 45 |
 |
|
Wednesday, Dec 03, 2008
|
 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||
|
 |
Letters |
|
 |
|
| GAY SHEEP EXPERIMENTS Dear SGN, Last week's SGN [Nov 3, 2006] reported on the front page that Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University were conducting surgical and drug experiments on sheep to make them heterosexual. Charles Roselli [OHSU] is reportedly drugging pregnant sheep to prevent natural hormone distribution and is cutting open ram's brains to alter their sexual orientation. Frederick Stormshak [OSU] is installing estrogen devices into rams he thinks are homosexual to change their orientation. According to their grant applications, which run until 2008, the experiments are deliberately aimed at finding a medical intervention they can use on humans. Martina Navratilova, Lesbian tennis star, has protested against this practice in a letter to Oregon Governor Kulongoski. I have joined with her and have alerted our own Democrats in the state legislature to be alert for these kinds of homophobic practices in Washington State institutions which, in essence, anticipate the horrors of Nazi "Dr." Mengele in German concentration camps. Sincerely, Janice Van Cleve Seattle, WA [Editor's Note: The following is a letter Janice Van Cleve sent to Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski] Dear Governor Kulongoski, I am shocked to learn that OSU and OHSU are spending thousands of taxpayer dollars to experiment on Gay sheep to make them straight. What's next, Dr. Mengele? Shall we fund state government research into exterminating those with birth defects? With undesirable racial or gender characteristics? Are we going to genetically engineer the "perfect" Aryan Oregonian? Save your money. Just do a frontal lobotomy on the right-wing nut cases who are misusing public tax dollars for these outrageous experiments. Homosexuality is a naturally occurring characteristic and deserves to be celebrated just like all races, genders, and abilities. We are all humans and all of us are "perfect" just as we are. THANKS SGN Dear SGN, Thank you very much for your support of The Trial of Donald Rumsfeld. It was so amazing to have you offer free ads in your newspaper, plus free photo copying. Support from people like you confirmed for me that we are doing the right things. Thanks!! Sincerely, Fred Seattle University Student TED HAGGARD SCANDAL Dear SGN, I was jubilant over the toppling of Ted Haggard and the soul murdering hypocrisy he represents. I am also quite saddened, because he represents so many men and women in the same situation, scared to their shattered cores to be their sexual selves. If there is one thing people can learn from this, it's this: before religion, before the job, before our social image, we are human. Sex is the guts of humanity, and sexuality of every nature is HUMANITY itself, to be honored adored and placed before all idols. I therefore challenge Ted Haggard to be an authentic sexual being, and get impeccably honest, beyond all precepts of how he thinks humans 'should' act sexually. I further challenge him to express authentic oratory on how being his human Gay sexual self, Christianity is not his friend, and how his struggle with ancient inaccurate fear-based self-elected beliefs, has disenfranchised him on most levels of his life. If he gets VERY real, it would help many, many, religiously repressed people in the world start to heal the real. He could potentially turn this sow's ear scandal into a silk purse. We know Ted has balls, the question is, does he really know how to use them -- a question even Mike Jones can't answer. Sincerely, David Wakefield [Editor's Note: The following is an open letter to Ted Haggard from Seattle-based HeartStrong, an organization that supports and advocates for LGBT people who attend religious schools.] Dear Ted, There comes a time in every man's life where his true character is allowed to show. I've never met you but from the events over the past years of your life, it would be safe for me to say that this is your time. Struggling with being Gay is nothing new. In fact, for millions of people around the world, through every place and time, people have struggled to understand their homosexuality. The most common reaction to this fight is to find something to blame for the struggle. As a former fundamentalist Baptist Christian, I struggled for many years as a young Gay man. I was taught that my family structure, coupled with my inability to resist Satan was the cause for my giving into homosexuality. It was much easier for me to find something to blame my homosexuality on than to look into my heart and find that being Gay was as much a reflection of my true self as my sister's heterosexuality was a reflection of her true self. This is your moment for you to show your true character; to stand and be a real man and learn how to accept yourself and respect yourself as you are. Reparative/restorative therapy does not work. You can convince yourself, your family and friends that you have changed your behavior over time. In fact, you can manipulate your brain enough to actually believe that your faith in God will help you with overcoming what you view as a sin. Your own personal history has already shown that regardless of your faith, regardless of your desire to be a heterosexual and regardless of your attempts to build a heterosexual life, you are not a heterosexual. Discovering that is not a reason for sorrow, remorse or shame. Rather, it is a time to reflect, count your blessings and find a way to move into a place of self acceptance. You may want to try reparative/restorative therapy since it has already begun for you. But keep in mind as you go through the process, that while your family, church, accountability partners and others may not see your reality, every single person who has ever struggled to find a place of self acceptance knows exactly what you are going through. We know what it is you will be thinking about when you are alone. We know how easy it is to think about ending your life rather than moving into a place of self acceptance. Believe it or not, your struggle, and the recent events regarding your removal from religious leadership can be the catalyst that allows you to be a real man and stand for what you know in your heart has always been true and real for you. Instead of continuing the charades and duality in your life (yes, many of us have lived that way as well), you can begin your life anew. A life lived honestly and with confidence is the best life to live. Forgiveness for your past of deception and your deadly anti-Gay words is fairly easy to come by. But you have to take that first step, which is honesty. You are not alone. Over the past ten years, HeartStrong has helped many hundreds of people who have attended religious schools like yourself. And, we are here to help you now. Your friend on the journey, Marc Adams Executive Director HeartStrong |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
International Readers read the SGN in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 post your own information on Seattle Gay Blog |
 |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2006