8 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE April 20, 2001

letters tothe editor

Evertz appointment builds bridges of commitment to both the gay rights move-

To the Editors:

As president of the nation's largest gay right to life organization, PLAGAL, the ProLife Alliance of Gays and Lesbians, I am extremely pleased that the highest ranking, openly gay individual in the Bush administration is also someone who recognizes the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn, healthy and disabled, gay and straight.

Scott Evertz's appointment [to head the White House Office of AIDS Policy] is tangible evidence that the new administration is honoring its promise to build bridges between communities which stereotypically perceived as being at odds. Evertz has demonstrated a strong history

are

ment and to the pro-life movement, as well as an undeniable record of service to people living with HIV/AIDS. PLAGAL wishes to encourage some of the pro-life organizations who oppose homosexuality to support the appointment of Evertz. By the same token, PLAGAL is asking the GLBT rights organizations who support unrestricted abortion on demand, to support Evertz. The fundamental teaching of the pro-life movement for the past 28 years has been that life is a continuum, beginning at conception, ending only at natural death. The value of life is not diminished by disability, whether physical, mental or viral.

Scott Evertz has reflected a keen recognition of this teaching in his support for not only the HIV/AIDS community, but also for

speakout

the right to life of the unborn. The hypocrisy of the situation becomes unfortunately most evident when a pro-life organization would announce their opposition to a fellow prolifer simply because he is gay. But the appearance of hypocrisy also cannot escape the gay rights organizations who would oppose a gay man committed to the gay rights movement and to serving the needs of the HIV/AIDS community simply because he is pro-life.

PLAGAL was organized in 1990 to advance the pro-life message within the lesbian and gay community. PLAGAL is a 501(c)(3) organization with nationwide membership and active groups in several major cities in the United States. More information about PLAGAL may be found at http//www.plagal.org.

Cecilia Brown Cleveland

Events in Cincinnati are about all of us

This statement comes from a broad-based group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Cincinnati in response to the recent killing of yet another young unarmed black man who lost his life because of the violent actions of a Cincinnati police officer.

The sentiments expressed reflect our pain and outrage over the recent events, and the systemic racism in our city that led to them.

Our thoughts come from individuals representing many groups, including People of All Colors Together, Stonewall Cincinnati, Queen City Careers Association, Crossport, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

The impetus for this statement came out of a meeting of the group working to bring the Out and Equal Workplace Issues Conference to Cincinnati in October. In conjunction with bringing the conference to our region, the local Out and Equal organizing committee is engaged in ongoing anti-racism work, as shown by the May 5 workshop hosted by the group that will address the "Intersections of Racism and Homophobia."

For now, though, we simply need to have our voices heard. We send our condolences to the mother of Timothy Thomas, and to all the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers who have had to bury a loved one because of police violence.

The uprising and subsequent civil disobedience that we have witnessed in the streets of Cincinnati since the shooting of Timothy Thomas has compelled us to respond. We are people of many colors, backgrounds, ages and genders--but to listen to the news cover-

age of these tragic events, you would think that this recent tragedy is only an issue for the African-American community.

We are here to tell you that there are plenty of white people, gay people, Hispanic and Asian people and many others who are also outraged by the killing of Thomas. You are not alone in your struggle for justice.

On a recent Channel 19 Ten O'Clock News broadcast, one of the announcers, who is white, said, "With the riots going on, Cincinnati is truly a city in crisis." He added, “The protests have gone too far." Another announcer, commenting on the property destruction downtown, said it was "all because of a mad mob that took over the city today."

We are appalled by the emphasis news reports have put on black youth attacking white motorists or white-owned businesses. The sensationalistic language used to express the victimization of whites at the hands of blacks only adds to the racist perceptions that already exist in the minds of too many white Cincinnatians.

Mayor Luken last evening added to this rhetoric by saying, incredulously, "White citizens are now being attacked!" and "This nonsense has got to stop!"

We are by no means advocating violence or destruction of property, but an attack on any citizen, regardless of their race, is equally alarming. Our lives are not worth more or less because of the color of our skin. Where was Luken's plea to the Cincinnati Police Department for "this nonsense to stop" after Thomas was gunned down in an alley?

And why did it take so long for Police Chief Tom Streicher to offer his condolences

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to Timothy Thomas's mother and family? How does it compromise an investigation to have the common decency to tell a mother who has to bury a son, "We're sorry for your loss, and we're working to find out exactly what happened." How far would that small courtesy go in healing some of the wounds that have festered in our community far too long?

We applaud Prosecutor Mike Allen's decision to release the videotape to the public via the news media. However, we believe that it shouldn't take rioting in the streets to bring about this type of disclosure. Certainly Angela Leisure, Thomas' mother, should have been able to view this tape as soon after her son's death as possible. Instead, she waited five days yet another incident that only adds to the distrust between the police and city officials and the residents of this community.

Our city has been in crisis for far too long. Young African-American men are under siege, and have been long before these protests started. It is time for people of all races, religions and sexual orientations to come together and say, "Enough is enough!" Those in charge of running this city need to know that people representing many colors are fed up. This is not a "black" issue, this is a "community" issue, and all members of this community need to come together to support our brothers and sisters in the black community, and demand accountability from police and city officials.

We too are sick and tired of the bigotry; embarrassed and outraged at the systemic violence against the black community, and saddened by the deep divisions that exist between our communities.

As Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, "Racism has become endemic. It is becoming respectable. You must oppose the injustices of racism with a passion not for altruism, but for your own sake."

For our own sake and the sake of this city, we must stand up together, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm. We must fight with and for each other. Whether we are white, black or brown, rich or poor, urban or suburban, male or female, gay or straight, Christian, Muslim, Jewish or none of the above-we must all recognize that we cannot let this go. We must get to the heart of this, the heart of the community, and put and end to hatred and violence once and for all.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, not so long ago, "Our freedom was not won a century ago, it is not won today, but some small part of it is in our hands, and we are marching no longer by ones and twos but in legions of thousands, convinced now it cannot be denied by any human force."

We are with you, marching towards a brighter tomorrow and a better future for all of our citizens. And together, we shall over-

come.

GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

Volume 16, Issue 42

ISSN

Publisher: Martha J. Pontoni

Business Manager: Patti Harris

Editorial Board: Brian DeWitt, Christine Hahn, Pafti Harris, Martha Pontoni

Associate Editor: Brian DeWitt

1070-177X

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