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silverfoxesclub-digest In this issue:
-Letter to Dr. Laura
Subject: a Letter to Dr. Laura
A friend of mine was doing some bible reading while
listening to the good Dr and had these questions for
her:
Dear Dr. Laura,
Thank you for doing so much to educate people
regarding Gods Law. I have learned a great deal from
your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as
many people as I can. When someone tries to defend
the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind
him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an
abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice
from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws
and how to follow them.
1.) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess
slaves, both male and female, provided they are
purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine
claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not
Canadians. Can you clarify? Why cant I own
Canadians?
2.) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as
sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what
do you think would be a fair price for her?
3.) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman
while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness
(Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I
have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4.) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I
know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev.
1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the
odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5.) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the
Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put
to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
6.) A friend of mine feels that even though eating
shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a
lesser abomination than homosexuality. I dont agree.
Can you settle this?
7.) Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the
altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have
to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision
have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
8.) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed,
including the hair around their temples, even though
this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should
they die?
9.) I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of
a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play
football if I wear gloves?
10.) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by
planting two different crops in the same field, as
does his wife by wearing garments made of two
different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend).
He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it
really necessary that we go to all the trouble of
getting the whole town together to stone them
(Lev.24:10-16)? Couldnt we just burn them to death
at a private family affair like we do with people who
sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively, so I
am confident you can help. Thank you again for
reminding us that Gods word is eternal and
unchanging.
Subject: Beyond our borders
Ben Boxer comments: In or out of
the closet, each one of us on this list
is subject to the same possibility of
violence and hatred in our daily lives
as the incidents reported below, no
matter where we live. Some of us live
in openly repressive societies, and
others of us live in socio-political
infrastructures purported to be more
tolerant, less hateful. Americans like
to think of their (our) country as the
latter, but such thinking is wishful, at
best, and idiotic, at worst. What we
have gained as GLBTs --
gays/lesbians/bisexuals/transgendereds
-- can be snuffed out at the ballot box
next week. VOTE!
Headline:
A perspective
Text:
As we round out yet another national
election campaign in the United
States, renewing our commitment to
fighting for GLBT rights in this
country, many of our sisters and
brothers abroad face a much bleaker
situation. From Argentina to
Zimbabwe, theirs is a much greater
struggle to secure recognition and
protection of their fundamental
human rights.
Millions of GLBT people around the
world cannot even imagine the
possibility of coming out, fearful that
the revelation of their true identity
will result in scorn and persecution.
Their fear is warranted. Not only are
those suspected of being gay, lesbian,
bisexual, or transgendered subjected
to regular harassment, harsh
discrimination, and violence from
other citizens; in many countries
people may be beaten, imprisoned,
and sometimes even killed by their
own government for engaging in
homosexual acts.
GLBT people in America understand
the fear that makes others live
behind a wall of secrecy because we
have all experienced it on some level.
Growing up in a small town in
southwestern Michigan, I felt that
sense of shame and fear that my own
secret uniqueness would be
discovered.
I also remember from a very early
age being offended by injustices
perpetrated against anyone who was
perceived as different, whether they
were from other countries or ethnic
and racial minorities in our own
country. I never dreamed that my
convictions would lead to my working
with the largest human rights
organization in the world, Amnesty
International, directing the Outfront
program, which focuses on
international GLBT rights violations.
When I now reflect on why I was so
interested in other cultures, injustice,
and this whole notion of difference, I
believe it was in part a way of
beginning to recognize the difference
in myselfand most likely also the
desire to escape my small corner of
the world, where I felt trapped and
isolated. I now not only recognize
and take pride in being gay but also
realize that there is no escape from
the injustice and violence we face on
a daily basis and that we must work
together to make the whole world a
safe and tolerant placeincluding
the small corner where I grew up.
The GLBT community is a
microcosm of the larger global
community. We should see our rights
as grounded in the basic human rights
of all people, that our identity overall
is human, not just GLBT. As such,
we must learn to see beyond the
borders in our minds, whatever those
borders might be. This means we
care as much about the torture and
rape of a lesbian couple in a Brazilian
jail or the execution of men accused
of sodomy by the government of
Afghanistan as we do about the
rampage in Roanoke, Va. We need to
protest the hate murder of a
transgendered person in Harlem or
Guatemala as quickly as we do the
brutal killing of a young college
student in Wyoming. When we see
GLBT rights as grounded in human
rights, we recognize our struggle as
inextricably linked to the overall
human rights struggle. In this way
our demand for tolerance and respect
can also acknowledge our connection
to all humanity.
(Heflin is director of Amnesty
Internationals Outfront program.)
Subject: Gay Silverfox: Ambassador James Hormel
Headline:
Text:
From his ten-year marriage to Alice
Turner, James C. Hormel is the
proud father of four girls and one
boy. Resident of San Francisco since
1976, James C. Hormel was for many
years with Larry Soule. His current
partner is Timothy C. Wu. The
former Dean at the University of
Chicago Law School, Hormel is also
well known for his philanthropy and
community involvement.
In addition to his $500,000 challenge
grant to the Gay and Lesbian Center
at San Francisco Public Library,
upon completion of which was named
for James C. Hormel, the most
impressive among his many
philanthropies include: $1.5 million to
the School of Social Justice,
Swathmore College; $500,000 to the
Public Service Program, University
of Chicago Law School; and $600,00
to an American Civil Liberties Union
endowment.
James C. Hormel was nominated as
ambassador to Fiji in 1994, an
appointment which was ultimately
dropped. After an extended and
controversial delay including
references to his support of the San
Francisco Public Library's Gay and
Lesbian Center, Mr. Hormel was
appointed ambassador to
Luxembourg on June 5, 1999 making
him the first openly gay United
States ambassador.
------------------------------
End of silverfoxesclub-digest V1 #31
|
James Catherwood Hormel was born
on January 1, 1933 in Austin,
Minnesota, the third boy after
George (Geordie) and Thomas,
progeny and heirs to Jay Hormel, son
of George C. Hormel, the German
immigrant who founded the Hormel
Meat Company.