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POSTED
Letters from our readers
In Zach McClure’s article AIDS & FAMILY PLANNING, a great deal of attention is spent analyzing the impact the disease can have on a family, whether it is a traditional family or a modern household. I thought the article did a great job on spreading awareness of the hypothetical influence, however I was a bit disappointed that McClure did not include the possibility of an AIDS infected woman. At risk of sounding insensitive to anyone who has been affected by Aquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome, I feel as though the general public have turned the subject of AIDS and HIV into a Patriarchal topic. I would advocate for more information on the diseases impact on women and their families.
Daniel Guerra, New Jersey
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Dear Daniel, First of all, I would like to extend my apologies for Staff Writer Zach McClure’s arguable lack of female representation in his article. I think you bring up a great argument and one that is rarely discussed for fear of, as you say, seeming insensitive anyone that has felt the effect of the horrible disease. AIDS and HIV have indeed become a male dominant idea and, unfortunately, is still related to a social stereotype of the gay man. I have sent your letter, along with a proposal for an extension of last week’s article to McClure. You can
expect to see your argument fully analyzed in this month’s Culture Section. I believe he does a wonderful job at including a full and unbiased overview. I thouroughly enjoyed the article on Hollywood’s influence on the fight for gay rights. However, as pessimistic as it may sound, I wonder if many celebrities simply feign an advocation for the rights of gay men and women for the sole purpose of jumping on the band wagon. Is it possible that a part of Hollywood has taken a part in fight for gay rights as an attempt to advance their fame?
determination to silence the voices of Gay and Lesbian citizens. Are there parallels to Hitler’s Russia to be pulled? Do you think he is a threat to the rights of gay and lesbian citizens in other countries in the alliance?
Rebecca Schefkind, California
Dear Alex, You bring up a good point. In this month’s issue, M.O. discusses Hollywood’s effect on the sanctity of marriage and Gay Rights and I hope you will be pleased to see this idea mentioned. It does seem as though the advocation of same-sex rights has become vogue, however the ends may justify the means. Whether or not a celebrity puts his or her name on the fight for equality for selfish reasons, the publicity indeed advances the argument. In summart, perhaps it does not matter at all if the movement is a ploy.
Dear Rebecca, David Cameron has been heavily criticised since he stepped into his role of Prime Minister by the old, the young, students, the disabled and those receiving benefits. The prime minister has recently frozen financial aid to all the nations in the commonwealth that are anti-gay. Around 41 of the 54 countries in the commonwealth currently have laws that ban homosexuality amongst its civilians. Although removing these laws seems like a far cry from more pressing issues in these countries such as poverty and sickness, there is no doubt that illegalising homosexuality is a breach of human rights and yet another excuse for unprovoked homophobic attacks. We at M.O. have dedicated a great deal of time to researching Prime Minister Cameron’s Adgenda. As it these events are ever changing and unpredictable, we have decided to cover them online. I suggest you visit momag.com for up to date coverage.
I am quite interested to see what how your writers can tackle the Russian Prime Minister’s recent
I am an active Republican an am sometimes attacked for contributing to an “anti-gay adgenda.” I hate to pull
Alex Carmadelle, Michigan
the “My best friend is gay” card, but... My Best friend is gay. I believe men and women should have the ability to marry whomever they choose, regardless of gender (discluding, of course, those too young to legally enter the union. I was hoping that you could shed some light on gay rights in the Republican party.
Sofya Weitz, New Jersey Dear Sofya, We all know that when it comes down to it, NOM and its staffers always end up standing against not only marriage equality but also civil unions. We saw this recently in Rhode Island, where NOM RI director Chris Plante portrayed the state’s passage of a civil unions bill as a “disappointing and dangerous day for marriage.” We saw it years ago in Connecticut, when NOM president Brian Brown (then the director of the Connecticut Family Institute) did everything in his power to stop that state’s civil unions, under the claim that “confusing marriage with any other institution, creating a mimic of marriage, undermines the very nature of what marriage is.” There has never been a civil unions proposal that NOM has supported. Ever. Not one. Not even a little bit.
Send correspondence to posted@momag.com or go to momag.com to respond to individual comments
NOAH’S ARCHETYPE
The Toronto Zoo argues the need to separate a set of same-sex penguins By Alex Sullivan
A decision by the Toronto Zoo to separate a pair of male penguins has sparked an international outcry. The African penguins, named Buddy and Pedro, formed a close bond while part of a “bachelor flock” at Pittsburgh’s National Aviary. The penguins remained close when transferred to the Zoo, and displayed courtship and mating behavior towards each other. Because of this they were called the “gay penguins,” although zoo keepers said their relationship was not necessarily sexual. “It’s a complicated issue, but they seem to be in a lovingrelationship,’’said Joe Torzsok, chair of the Toronto Zoo’s board.
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WOMEN HAVE COLLUDED WITH STRAIGHT MEN TO OPPRESS LGBT MEN How Teen Vogue and New York Magazine are teaching young women to exploit their gay peers. by Elliot Bandheart
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THIS ARTICLE IS A PRIME EXAMPLE Miss OF THAT America 2011
In their most recent issue, Teen Vogue stated that the season’s hottest accessory was not a hand bag or new pair of shoes but a gay man. New York Magazine then wrote about the idea in a form of celebrating it. The women at Teen Vogue should know better: they’ve presumably had the advantages of educations and come from backgrounds (editorial work is notoriously underpaid, & mostly populated by rich, white girls whose parents can support or at least underwrite their careers) which reflect the
article’s ambivilence which is, really, about social positioning, achievement, etc. These editors are, consciously or not, grooming women to befriend queer boys as a way of either shoring up their social status or advance. It doesn’t take much imagination to see that, at some point, these girls will, for the most part, merge into herteronormative culture. straight, married culture which is not friendly or supportive of queer culture. continued on Page 70
M E N AC E S O F M AT R I M O N Y by Alexa Kennedy
HOLLYWOOD DIVORCES AND THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE Marriage proponents acknowledged that divorces like reality television star Kim Kardashian’s desecrates marriage but said the solution is not to redefine marriage. Kardashian’s divorce from New Jersey Nets player Kris Humphries after 72 days of marriage has rocked pop culture. Several people weighed in on the shocking split, including gay activists who feel that the speedy divorce is reason enough to reconsider the sanctity of traditional marriage. Danielle and Aisha Moodie-Mills, the first lesbian couple to have their same-sex union featured in Essence Magazine, took to the Web to chide pro-family groups and advocate gay marriage.“One can’t help but notice the dead silence from groups like the so-called National Organization for Marriage (NOM) whose sole mission is to ‘preserve the sanctity of marriage’ by blocking gays and lesbians from joining in it,” the couple wrote. “Why aren’t they outraged when these straight starlets stomp all over ‘traditional marriage’ in their Louboutins? Surely this match-made-for-media-fodder erodes the sanctity of all that marriage is supposed to be. So why aren’t they attacking Kim’s right to get married the way they do ours?”
“Hollywood is full of same sex marriage proponents. Perhaps that is because the sancity is seen as less serious than in more conservative settings.” An an email to The Christian Post, NOM Board Chairwoman Maggie Gallagher responded, “I’m reluctant to criticize any given individual who divorces because moral judgments are hard without more information that it is my business to know – and celebrity divorces are too common to warrant special notice. Hollywood in general and Kim Kardashian in particular support gay marriage. She further pointed out that the biggest supporters of gay marriage, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, “are apparently not that interested in marrying the women they love.”
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AN EPISODIC EXPOSÉ: LGBT PORTAYAL ON TELEVISION This month, ‘Glee’ showed the world that a boy and a girl and a boy and a boy go through the same trials and the same achievements, the same loves, the same losses and the same firsts. The Parents Television Council slammed the episode for “encouraging teenagers to have sex.” However, the “controversial” fifth episode of Glee’s third season didn’t have a single shot of gratuitous teen sex, nor did the characters bare any skin. That’s because last night’s episode wasn’t about teens having sex. It was about love. Unlike most teen shows on television, Finchel (Finn & Rachel) Klaine’s (Kurt & Blaine) first times were tender, sweet and almost too private. It was so refreshing to see two couples share such an intimate moment. It wasn’t raunchy or needlessly provocative. It was sweet. It was everything you imagine your first time to be -- and everything it should be -- regardless of sexuality. Kurt and Blaine, and their extremely normal relationship, inspires gay youth in a way that we haven’t seen on network television yet. I think that they’re amazing role models for all teens -- gay or straight. Chris Colfer (Kurt) told E! News, “It is just kind of a known fact that a lot of gay kids are very promiscuous and non-exclusive... which is really sad.” Colfer hopes that Kurt and Blaine can change that trend of gay teens being loose. Glee also introduced a new character last night: a well-traveled and liberated boyfriendstealer with a mouthful for a first name, Sebastian. The new character throws a wrench in Kurt and Blaine’s committed, monogamous relationship.