|
To
the
Editors:
What
was
Mubarak
Dahir
trying
to
prove
by
writing
“Getting
HIV
would
almost
be
a
relief,”
(editorial,
April
23)?
He
makes
it
sound
like
all
young
gay
men
are
lost
souls
and
partiers,
only
looking
for
a
good
time
and
a
fast
screw.
He
also
makes
it
sound
as
if
all
older
gay
men
have
HIV,
and
they
are
out
to
intentionally
infect
the
next
generation
of
gay
men.
In
the
article,
Mr.
Dahir
made
a
point
to
tell
us
that
he
is
HIV-negative,
as
if
that
is
some
badge
of
honor
or
somehow
makes
him
superior.
But
he
didn’t
have
to
spell
it
out.
It
was
painfully
clear
that
he
has
never
had
to
suffer
some
of
the
agonies
of
this
disease.
I
suggest
that
since
he
has
no
idea
what
it
is
like
to
have
HIV,
he
shouldn’t
be
writing
about
it.
Does
he
think
all
gay
men
with
HIV
are
sick,
dirty
and
filthy,
and
that
we
are
irresponsible
people
who
somehow
“deserve”
to
be
infected?
Where
have
we
heard
that
before?
What’s
the
difference
between
him
and
a
homophobic
right-wing
zealot?
The
only
difference
I
see
is
that
Mr.
Dahir
is
gay
himself,
which
makes
him
a
self-hater,
and
that
is
even
more
revolting.
He
is
delving
into
the
worst
kind
of
“us
vs.
them”
mentality,
that
gay
people
should
be
better
than
to
stoop
to.
Or
maybe
he
just
thinks
the
rest
of
us
really
give
a
damn
about
his
sexual
prowess
and
how
he
picks
up
unsuspecting
younger
guys
at
the
Ramrod,
as
he
detailed
in
excruciating
detail
in
his
article.
Whatever
his
purpose
was,
I
wish
he’d
just
shut
up.
Now
that
would
be
a
relief.
Fort
Lauderdale
To
the
Editors:
Thank
you
for
Mubarak
Dahir’s
editorial
(“Ask
hard
questions
about
the
Iraq
war,”
May
14)
on
the
abuse
of
Iraqi
detainees
by
our
military.
The
article
once
again
reinforces
the
point
that
LGBT
people
must
stand
up
against
the
war
in
Iraq.
Homophobia
has
been
institutionalized
in
the
U.S.
military
and
this
scandal
is
yet
another
example
of
this
type
of
injustice.
Most
of
us
can
recall
that
image
of
a
bomb
to
be
dropped
on
Afghanistan
that
had
“faggot”
graffitied
on
it.
Once
again
the
United
States
military
has
proven
itself
to
be
one
of
the
most
anti-gay
institutions
in
this
country.
The
abuse
of
Iraqi
prisoners
must
be
condemned
by
every
one
of
us,
including
our
national
LGBT
organizations.
The
sexual
humiliation
of
Iraqis
symbolized
by
the
photographs
that
the
world
has
seen
can
no
longer
be
tolerated.
Washington,
D.C.
Editor’s
note:
The
writer
is
the
founder
of
Al-Fatiha
Foundation,
an
organization
for
LGBT
Muslims.
To
the
Editors:
Re:
“HRC
fighting
for
trans
rights,
too,”
(letter,
May
28):
Winnie
Stachelberg’s
letter
responding
to
Gwen
Smith’s
column
(“Equals
sign
is
only
for
some,”
op-ed,
May
21),
strikes
me
as
disingenuous
at
best.
As
Stachelberg
well
knows,
HRC
has
steadfastly
refused
to
withdraw
its
support
for
versions
of
the
Employment
Non-Discrimination
Act
and
the
federal
hate
crimes
bill
that
do
not
include
gender
identity
and
expression
protections.
The
organization
has
remained
resolute
despite
support
for
equal
rights
for
transgender
Americans
was
reported
in
HRC’s
own
2002
poll
at
61
percent,
far
higher
than
for
same-sex
marriage,
and
the
fact
that
anti-discrimination
protections
inclusive
of
gender
identity
and
expression
already
cover
nearly
a
quarter
of
the
country.
Passage
of
a
non-inclusive
ENDA
and
hate
crimes
bill
would
also
leave
gender-variant
gays,
such
as
butch
women
and
effeminate
men,
without
protection
as
well,
but
HRC
is
apparently
as
indifferent
to
protection
for
these
segments
of
our
community
as
they
are
to
that
of
trans
people.
North
Brunswick,
N.J.
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