LETTERS

Navis

Coverage Criticized

To the Editor:

It is a very very sad day in Cleveland when your newspaper decided to destroy the character and reputation of another gay organization-Dignity. The extensive coverage of one local man's problems (Mr. Robert Navis) is an outrage. What would your newspaper do with a national story?

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What about the parade Columbus, the Ritz Lawsuit, and other events in Cleveland over the last 30 days?

Since when it is [sic] proper journalism to have the same reporter interview both parties to an issue? Is your staff so small that you could not assign more people to the story? Your paper lists 11 writers on your staff.

Your Editorial entitled "Dignity Loses It" is a case of a newspaper using its powers to personally attack an organization that is not the main issue. Whether Dignity suports [sic] Navis or the Catholic Diocese is its own affair not yours. The first paragrph of your editorial was the only one that was factual, the rest of the editorial was a personal attack on the caracter [sic] of Dignity. The Catholic Diocese is the one who fired Mr. Navis not Dignity. If your newspaper was really trying to be professional it would have tried to interview an official of the Catholic Diocese. Please don't tell your readers you tried. If you had you would have said so.

If your newspaper is to be taken seriously then start acting like a responsible paper who's [sic] job it is to report just the facts in your stories. Not one

of

the Navis articles was written as a news story, but instead was a small editorial played out as a news article:

What happened to Mr. Navis is not right, but in all fairness to your reading public report the facts. The Editorial page is where you express your opion [sic] based on FACTS. In this Editorial you were writting [sic] about gossip not fact.

Your credibility in the Gay community has been severaly [sic] hurt. You may not even be able to recover but it was your paper that cut its own wrist. The pen is mightier than the sword.

I hope you will print this letter as written. For it reflects the feeling of many people, gay and non-gay. William A. Meltzer

[Mr. Meltzer is a member of the Social Justice Committee of Dignity. His letter was printed exactly as written.]

Navis

Coverage

What they really mean...

by Rob Daroff

DAROFF

GPC

100

Commended Metroparks

To the Editor:

I want to commend you on your July issue. I was especially pleased with your very complete coverage of the ordeal of Bob Navis and Jeff Gerhardstein. The fact that you covered this milestone in Cleveland's gay community with insight and a bit of emotion speaks well of you and your staff.

NO Your Special Place

Not

bit of emotion speaks wel Catholic Dogma Clarified

The pictures of the Midwest Gay and Lesbian Freedom Parade were also a source of joy. Keep up the good work. John White

Chronicle Commended

To the Editor:

For a young person, new to Cleveland, the Chronicle is a blessing. I enjoy all the articles, including the one on Body Language [May 1985]. I have gone over it four times now, and wonder how it could ruin the reputation of the paper. To Mr. Glassborn [letter, June 1985] I would say, "If you don't like what the gay community is, back into your closet!!*

Keep up the work wonderful paper.

After astating

go

on this

Steven Edward Farley

To the Editor:

Read your July issue with great interest. Thorough Coverage is an ability to be proud of. Your coverage of the Parade and the Navis affair demonstrate your strengths.

There is one point in your editorial with which I must, however, take exception. In the interests of fairness and clarity, the Roman Catholic Church has no dogma whatever regarding homosexuality or homosexual acts. "Dogma" is a term reserved for those matters which must be believed in order to remain in good standing in the RC Church. Disbelief in any "dogma" automatically cuts one off (excommunicates) from the body of belief that is Roman Catholicism. "Current" is an inaccurate term to use with regard to Catholic dogma as well, inasmuch as "dogma" never changes. "Dogma" becomes "dogma" when it is officially pronounced "ex cathedra" by the Pope as a "res fidei" (matter of faith). There have been less than half a dozen such "ex cathedra" pronouncements in the past 400 years, and none of them ever touched upon gay lifestyles.

While it is true that the current "school of thought"

among many, but not all, Catholic theologians is that homosexual activity is sinful, the matter is open to discussion and the Church is vulnerable to more guidance by the Holy Spirit on this matter. A Catholic is free to be gay. The 1976 Pastoral Letter by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said that God made some people gay. The most widely accepted Catholic theologian of all time, Thomas Aquiñas, held that a thing must act in accord with its own nature. The Bishops say it is our nature to be gay. Aquinas, were he living today, would have to say that we must act according to our gayness in order to fulfill the gift of sexuality God gave us. The inconsistencies of some Catholic theologians and administrators today are based on tainted Manichaean and Mithraic dualistic teachings that the Church herself has branded heretical. Let us all pray that the Holy Spirit will soon imbue Christian theology with an accurate understanding of God's intentions in giving different gifts of sexuality to different people. H. Herrmann Columbus, Ohio

seven years of devDaytime Group Needed

heartache

and suffering ice the pain,

gay community, has the sickness that caused thousands to languish and die finally im pacted humanity? Has the rumor and then the confirmation July 25 that an internationally known movie personality, Rock Hudson, is an AIDS patient at last opened the hearts of the world? Will Mararet Heckler and President finally act?

Reagan

These questions have yet to be answered. But do you still question the fact that only one more person can make a difference? Choose your own destiny; don't wait to for fate or your God thrust martyrdom upon you. Make to a commitment be yourself and do with

pride.

OS

Bob Reynolds

To the Editor:

I have just finished reading the Chronicle and I am impressed both by the paper by the number of groups and activities available in our community. But I am also saddened and feel a deep sense of alienation from my community because as a second-shift worker I cannot partipipate in these groups. All of them meet during the week, in the evening hours. I truly miss the feeling of belonging to the beautiful lesbian/gay community.

This is such a medically oriented city that I feel quite certain there are more off-shift lesbians out there somewhere, who are also missing, the sense of truly belonging to the community and who are wanting a family of friends to relate to.

I would like to know if there is any interest in forming a support group that

would meet during our "play time" in the late morning or early afternoon. I find it personally very frustrating to be in need of an extended family of kindred spirits and find that 99% of them are at work and the other 1% is nowhere to be found. I know you are out there somewhere and I would like to find you.

I find that I no longer want to face this lack of support. How about you, my sisters? I suggest we get our second and third shifts in gear, and sit down to talk about it.

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If you are interested such a group, please call Annie at 382-7455 during the day, and let's talk about it. I personally feel we off-shifters are long overdue to meet and offer each other some support! Annie