Friday May 25, 2007 SGN.org |
 |
Volume 35 Issue 21 |
 |
|
Monday, Oct 13, 2008
|
 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
| |||||||||
Letters |
|
 |
|
|
PRIDE AD CLARIFICATION Dear SGN, It has come to our attention from Seattle Out and Proud that in the Seattle Gay News mistakenly printed that our event name as "Seattle Pride Festival" in a ad to recruit volunteers for QueerFest. We want to make it clear that the event The Seattle LGBT Community Center is producing is officially called "QueerFest: Seattle's 2007 Pride Festival" and the "Pride March". It was not our intention to use the name that appeared in the SGN. We sincerely apologize to SOAP for this error. And we look forward to a great Pride month for all! Sincerely, Shannon Thomas, MNPL Executive Director The Seattle LGBT Community Center FALWELL & FUNDAMENTALIST FLAWS Dear SGN, I am a lifelong believer since three years of age. I'm not perfect or try to be. I am not judge and jury. I am not ashamed and would not trade my relationship with Jesus for anything. Also I am a member of Soulforce and, over the past 8-10 years, I've met with and helped to teach Jerry Falwell that the Creator created Gays just as they are; something the American Psychological and Psychiatric Associations have taught for some 35 years. They claim as policy that being Gay is "simply another human characteristic" such as the fact that our eyes have color or some of us are left handed. Human sexuality is a gift all of us are entitled to celebrate with dignity and integrity. The bottom line is that Jerry's policies and his words (in the name of Jesus no less) actually inspired suicides, hate crimes and Christian families to throw out their GLBT members and children. Falwell, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, D. James Kennedy and others (again in Jesus's name) create and perpetuate "Spiritual Violence" that causes physical, emotional and spiritual death; and in no way is a part of the love and the teachings of Christ. Fundamentalists like Jerry may truly believe what they do and say quite sincerely, but that is different from having all truth. We do not have all truth, yet all of us have a piece of truth: our truth to bring to the table. In my view, fundamentalists somehow insist on telling themselves that to have faith means they cannot grow or change. And to "keep the faith going" means preaching misunderstanding and untruth as absolute truth no matter the cost to them or the costs to the lives of others. I am sad that Jerry did not realize the error of his ways and change as he had the courage to do through growth when he changed his racist views during the civil rights era; his apartheid views; his views on slavery and other views. On those issues, eventually the Spirit of God, the spirit of love solidly embedded in hearts of people of all faiths and in people claiming no faith over time reached his heart and taught him a better way; to do the right thing. I am sad he could never find the courage to admit to himself and to the world he was or could have been wrong. Sad he never apologized to the Gay community before he passed away. I think that courage comes in the absence of fear and would have taken more faith than the proportional gift of faith Jerry thought was all that was given to him and that he clinged to so desperately. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I ask for them and the Gay community to be "very, very courageous" as we are taught in scripture because our work continues. Yolanda King, MLK's daughter who also recently passed away, told me once to keep working "the dream." My friend Rev. Bob Graetz, the only white pastor to march with Dr. King, has hugged me many times and told me: "Cindy - we must keep the dream alive." I believe if we all participate in doing the right things toward each other, we can indeed have the dream. Sincerely, Cindy Hadden Centralia, WA SEAMEC SEEKS COMMUNITY SUPPORT [Editor's Note: The following is an open letter to the region's LGBT community.] Less than a decade after drag queens at New York's Stonewall Tavern came out in a revolutionary way, Seattle's Gay population had a new voice. In 1977 there was barely a right to express your pride in private. In 2007, this state has established civil and domestic partnership rights for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and individuals facing gender identity issues. Our community's voice is heard loudly in Olympia and in other cities from DuPont Circle to Castro Street. The Seattle Municipal Election Committee (SEAMEC) buttonholes officials and candidates for office to measure their sensitivity to issues important to our community. SEAMEC asks questions that candidates don't generally hear, and the result is a list of ratings that many in our community consider before going to the polls. SEAMEC has been providing this public service for three decades with a dedicated base of donors and volunteers and it operates at minimal cost. This year, we have a particularly visionary Steering Committee that wants to expand our jurisdiction beyond King County, and use the tools of high technology to organize and escalate our efforts. But we need your help. Web sites, printers, and paper suppliers are some of our favorite things. Yet our resources are limited by the donations from those of you who kindly underwrite our efforts. SEAMEC wants to expand its coverage of our community and we can do that if the community expands its financial support. Imagine a revolutionary new SEAMEC website that is both attractive and up to date with the latest news in politics within our community. We have the talent on the board to create such a site, but we need upgraded software and the website tools that make such a site possible. Imagine a wider distribution of our ratings beyond our usual distribution at community organizations and the Seattle Gay News. A large percentage of our community no longer lives on Capitol Hill. Imagine the organizational and supply cost of training dozens of volunteers to meet, interview and rate candidates. Our interviewers travel across the county from Shoreline to Bellevue, to Federal Way. Have you priced a gallon of gas lately? For all these reasons, for all that you expect from SEAMEC, we ask that you help us meet our goals with a generous cash or in-kind donation now! This year's primary season is already underway, as a new election calendar has moved the election up a month to August. Please pledge your financial help as SEAMEC organizes for the critical municipal, school board and judicial elections on this year's ballot! As you write out your check and send it to 1122 East Pike Street PMB 901 Seattle, WA 98122, please remind yourself that SEAMEC played a significant role in the advancement of civil rights for our community in this state over the past thirty years. Now, mail that check -- faster than you can say "House Bill 2661." Unable to give cash? We need help in every way possible. Yours for continued success, Jeremy Brown Barbara Sehr SEAMEC co-chairs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2007