Answering Hate with Strength

I really appreciated the July 2001 issue of OutSmart ["Autopsy of Hate"]. Its focus on hate comes at a time when I've been thinking a lot about that. A number of events have brought this to the fore.

During the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the DiverseWorks venue had a wall entitled "HomoPhobias" on which people were to write their fears. Later, I thought that one of my phobias for the wall would be, "What will happen to my career when the antigay oil company I work for finds out that I'm homosexual?"

The day of Houston's Pride parade I was riding in a car with a group of friends. We passed picketers that were carrying signs of the sort, "AIDS is God's Punishment for Gays." My friends were upset. One of them wanted to roll down the window and yell at the protesters. Another wanted to tease them, "asking for a date." I told my friends the best thing possible was to ignore them entirely.

I have experienced this kind of hatred before-but in a different setting. My most vivid memories are of attending religious conventions in Los Angeles as a child. We would pass through picketers to get in and then back out again. We were taught not to acknowledge their presence. I still think this is good advice. Angry confrontation only agitates; it is a short trip from hate slogan to hate crime. Enflaming, irritating the roughnecks is only going to make them more violent. If they don't attack the person confronting them, they'll save up the anger and attack someone weaker later on. Also, by reacting to their signs and protests, it conveys to them that their message has been communicated-a victory for them.

The season finale of Queer as Folk (yes, I do watch the show-when friends with Showtime invite me over for it) had the cute twink, Justin, getting bashed in the head with a baseball bat by the football jock with whom he had had a brief sexual encounter. As disturbing as that image was, it reminded me how easily something similar could happen. We get so accustomed to a freer environment when we're with friends and in our little gay-friendly section of town that the real dangers are too often ignored.

Living life in constant fear is not life at all, but neither is ignorance bliss. We must keep a conscious eye on reality. The articles presented in your July issue struck a chord with me. Thank you.

Name Withheld by Request
Houston

May the Soulforce Be with You

I just read the article on Soulforce and their trip to the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans ["Taking on 10,000 Southern Baptists," by Karen Morgan, July OutSmart]. What a moving, thought-provoking, and well-written article. It is so sad and depressing to think of people like the Fred Phelps of this world who could consciously plan out and appear at a funeral holding such a hateful, hurtful sign. As we are all aware, funerals are for the living to mourn the loss of their friends or family members. How could a so-called "pastor" have so much hate in his heart while still preaching the gospel according to the Southern Baptist Convention? I can't believe someone like that even has a church! It is upsetting.

But, thank you for telling the truth.

Judy M. Borders
Houston

Don't Forget Your TG Comrades

While I applaud Rev. Schaibly in his desire to unite the various churches, and get ministers behind him supporting the nondiscrimination policy proposed at city council ["Taking GLBT Rights to the Pulpit," July OutSmart, by Rev. Robert Schaibly, founder of Clergy for a Fair Houston], I would like to remind the good minister that in his statement in OutSmart-"Soon the Houston City Council will vote to add sexual orientation to the list of categories for its nondiscrimination ordinance for city employees"-I noticed he left out the terminology Gender Expression which is also included in the nondiscrimination ordinance.

Brenda Thomas
Transgender Outreach Project
City of Houston Health Dept, HIV Prevention

More Moore!

To Daryl Moore:
Your commentaries in OutSmart are to me the highlight of every issue. I just wanted you to know here's one old queen who really likes what you have to say. Your latest article on Karl Rove and the Salvation Army fiasco [August LeftOut, "The man behind the curtain of the Bush presidency is no friend of Dorothy"] comparing Dubya and Company to the scarecrow, tin man, and cowardly lion was superb. Keep up the good work!

Gene Eignus
Houston

James Dean Not Flawless

This letter is in reference to [Blase DiStefano's] coverage of the program James Dean [August OutSmart].

I watched the program, and although the directing and acting are superb and the story as told is interesting, it is far from accurate.

Just two small examples. There was one brief meeting between Winton Dean [Dean's father], James [Dean], and [director Elia] Kazan at the airport. The story as related otherwise is imagination.

James' relation with Pier Angeli was intense and the most important he had with a woman. But he was not living with her. He was living on the Warner Bros. lot most of the time, and later moved in temporarily with a male friend.

The writer [of the TV script] not only bent over backward to avoid direct referral to James' bi nature, but in so doing, missed some of the more significant parts of his life.

This letter is not meant as a criticism of your coverage, which was flawless. It is only meant to suggest that anyone wishing to delve into the realities of James should look elsewhere [than this film] for information.

N.R. Woodward
Houston