Yet again more IGNORANCE from our Gay Community!
This evening I read an article in the Lavender Lense,The Publishers Notes by Bixi Craig.This article has conjured up so many feelings in me that I find extremly disturbing.At this pIont in time I have come to believe that she has gone fucking insane.Everything she says in this article is a contradiction and undeniably harmful to our,no to MY FUCKING COMMUNTIY!!I am now going to go into points in this article that I believe and know are either incorrect or just flat out LIES that she is spreading. I quote from article "this policy has been formulated out of fear from James Hartline and being sued", she is allegating this comes from "a number of community member,women on the forefront" for one,Bixi,that statement came from Ron DeHarte himself.This is the first time I am going to say,get your facts straight!Another quote "pride is a celebration a lot of adults look forward to" well how about this,ALOT of youth look forward to it as well.I came out to my family at the age of 14.But before that I was taken to pride festivals with older family friends and my own grandmother took me to the parade and festival before I even knew I was gay.At 14,out on my own after my grandmother passed away,I became part of GYA and sought out people I could identify with.The main thing we looked forward to was the Pride festival because we couldnt really feel like we were part of the community because all of the older people we saw were jetting from one bar to another and even though at the festival there is a "gaurded" beer garden where people of age can mingle and consume thier "adult beverages,we were still inside of the even just being in the festival where we could interact and mingle,look at exibits,gain knowledge and a sense of power feeling like we belonged.Just being able to see live bands and sit next to the older lesbian couple with thier children,smiling and feeling the empowerment at seeing and being acknowledged,in a non hurtful,non sexual,in an understanding and poetic nature by the 2 leather boys celebrating thier 23rd festival together in a loving relationship.Nothing hurts more than being an outsider and feeling discriminated against.A few more of the statements made in this article make me feel like she(Bixi) is fueling a right wing fire by pointing out in HER OWN WORDS what she really thinks of our community,that we are a bunch of disgusting filthy pedophiles just out looking to harm young people.Now the next qoute that sems to be just loaded with lies "Certain community leaders have called our office and asked for proof of past incidents of child-adult sodomy and legal consequences of past Pride festivals.The truth is,there have been incidents,but it would cruel to ask underage individuals to testify and the clinical counselors and therapists who treated these children would also breach thier contract of confidentiality". Well well well it seems to me that here is another lie fabricated from the mind of those who are ignorant to the statistics,who lack the motivation to seek the truth,the whole truth and nothing but the truth.For one for a person to be convicted of such a crime there would have to be testimony,last time I checked in this COUNTRY, we are innocent until proven guilty.We,US,OUR COMMUNITY would have heard of these allegations long before.These my friends are lies based on ignorance.The last thing I would have thought was to open a lesbian magazine and read such filth from within OUR OWN, MY OWN COMMUNTIY.At last I come to this quote "The Stonewall Rally,the parade,and the festival are events that empower us and celebrate our uniqueness".Well here is my question,do you really understand what Stonewall was about?Do you really understand what pride is about?Do you really understand that articles and ignorance like this is setting us back in time?Do you understand how RIGHT WING these statements that have been made seem?Do you understand Discrimination?Have you ever really been discriminated against?And fineally you need a reality check,Do you really understand reality or are you too living in a bubble?Maybe you need a padded room where you can be safe from yourself.As for my future use of The Lavender Lense magazine,I love bonfires.I feel sorry for the trees that were harmed and used unwisely for the growth of intolerance.This will not be the last,this is just the beginning.I know one thing,If Mandy where here to see this,only if she could see this now,how pathetic our community has become.It is not that just Pride is abandoning our youth, it is now that our own community has become so hateful and discriminating within our own ranks.We will rise and fight for our rights,even if we must tear down the walls within and remove the cores that hav been planted by our own.I stand for this fight and it has begun.This is who I am,a voice in the crowd,who WILL BE HEARD! ~tamirose