Dear Editor:

It was great to see both bisexual and transgendered flags in the 2004 Pride Parade. Rather than ask whether those flags are really necessary, I ask: wasn’t it about time they were included?

The purpose of having both bisexual and transgendered flags is to help erase invisibility. Speaking as a bisexual, invisibility would not be an issue if so many in the gay, lesbian and straight communities had not historically assumed: that bisexuals don’t really exist and are really just gay, but refuse to admit it, that bisexuals are confused about their sexual identity, that bisexuals are only going through a phase, that bisexuals are more promiscuous than gays or straights, that bisexuals cannot be monogamous, that bisexuals transmit HIV from gays to straights, that bisexuals are supposed to love both genders equally, that bisexuals are more accepted by the straight community, that bisexuals can choose to be either straight or gay. There are probably other unfounded assumptions I have not listed here. It is widespread invisibility that results in and maintains such false assumptions.

If there is no need for a unique symbol of bisexual and transgender visibility, then why have we had to struggle for so many years to get the ‘B’ and ‘T’ added to the “G & L’? Why have bisexuals been shunned for so long by so many in the gay and lesbian community? Most bisexual and Transgendered folks have always supported the gay and lesbian community. Why has it taken so long for most gays and lesbians to return the favor? Even with the relatively recent ‘LGBT’ name changes to various community institutions and Pride events, it often feels to me like acceptance by the gay and lesbian community has largely been in name only. What’s a major factor behind this lack of acceptance and inclusion? Institutionalized and cultural invisibility. Now, tell me again: why should bisexual and transgendered folks conveniently blend into the rainbow flag?

Bill Balliet

Dear Editor:

The John McElhose article What Aids Looks Like Now, was based on very questionable assumptions. I DARE anyone to type “AIDS CONTROVERSY” into a web search! HIV/AIDS is not as black and white and definite as his and most mainstream articles portray. 20 years have passed since HIV was first claimed to exist, but we still have not erased any of the contradictions of the HIV/AIDS paradgm, answered nagging questions, and the mystery has deepened! Articles on Drug Company pay-offs to scientists and doctors are all over mainstream media lately. No HIV test is FDA approved for diagnostic use. American scientists still disagree as to how to read both Elisa and Western Blot tests to diagnose someone as HIV positive. Five US government agencies have five different standards which differ from all other countries. You can be positive in one lab or country and negative in the next. You can be both in the same lab with the same test. The tests are proven to cross-react to 67 known and often common conditions such as FLU, herpes, and hepatitis. God knows Gay men have more antibodies to more things in their blood than a farmer in Podunk Iowa who has had sex with one girl in his life. Yet we stake our very lives on believing these tests are 99.5% accurate as we were told early on. Scientists such as Dr. Kary Mullis, the Nobel Laureate inventor of PCR, known to us as the Viral Load Test, has publicly stated that this test cannot actually count HIV or HIV antibodies and such use of it constitutes fraud, as the test counts a range of genetic material that may or may not be a virus or may even be a part of our own cells. Yet HIVers still run down monthly in fear to get their Viral Load Count. Even the common flu can show as HIV viral load. A quote from Nobel Laureate Dr. Mullis: “It is not even probable, let alone scientifically proven that HIV causes AIDS”. He and several others have written books about it for years! There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, doctors, and health care workers of the same opinion. I think we should all continue to use condoms to stay safe from proven diseases. I sure have questions about HIV and if we should even be taking the tests! All of this confusion leaves us asking what are we dying from? Is it simply due to toxins, emotional problems such as those stated by Johns article, and a fear-filled focus on sickness and death instead of life and living? Is it power of the mind? Some long-term HIVers believe the AIDS drugs saved them. Is this the placebo effect of believing in them? Are the drugs actually doing something? Many say they are long-term survivors because they stayed away from the AIDS drugs and focused on health. Hundreds of San Diegan’s claim to have lost loved ones with two things in common: HIV tests and treatment at San Diego’s drug company funded AVRC. Now the big focus of the government and drug company paid HIV specialists is to focus on the naïve Black and Latino communities! Lots will wrongly test positive, many making themselves sick over it, and running to drug companies to fix it. It was said thousands of years ago “As a man thinks, So he is”. We might want to Question Everything, Get Educated on all sides of the issue, and Think for Ourselves.

Michael Geiger

Dear Editor:

I was delighted with the recent editorial and news article in the recent Gay & lesbian times concerning Mayor Dick Murphy. This article and editorial pointed out how Murphy has refused to take a dignified stand against the Federal Marriage Amendment and how he is a “spineless cowardly wimp” for not doing so. I say: BRAVO! At the Spirit of Stonewall rally I was amazed how people lined up to get their pictures taken with this two faced, back stabbing, mealy-mouthed scoundrel. He then had the audacity to stand up at the podium and list the many members of the LGBT community he had appointed to various boards, like that was some proof of his commitment to our community. Like this city’s mayor could in the 21st century completely ignore the Gay community by not appointing members of our community to various boards? I don’t think so! He showed his total lack of respect, understanding or support of us when he voted for the lease extension for the Boy Scouts of America in Balboa Park. I was at that 12+ hour meeting and watched in complete disgust and disbelief as Murphy and various other city council members (Byron, for one, is running for re election) give hateful, shameful and mean spirited excuses for going against city law in prematurely granting them a lease extension. George Stevens, who is eligible to run for the now vacant city council seat held previously by the late Charles Lewis, was particularly vicious and downright evil in his right wing religious diatribe against the Gay community. In the two years since, a judge has ruled that the city (Murphy and cronies) did indeed evade and disregard the San Diego human dignity ordinance by granting this lease. Murphy likes to boast how he has amended the Human Dignity ordinance to include transgender persons! That was done without any leadership from Murphy but he wants to take the credit for it alright. What is the point of amending the Human Dignity ordinance when as an elected official in charge of enforcing it; you completely disregard the rule of law? I don’t think so! .The Boy Scout lawsuit consequently cost the city a million dollars of our tax dollars for no other reason than them taking a very public stand in favor of discrimination, divisiveness and hatred. Leadership is what the truly honorable mayor of San Francisco did in standing up for basic human dignity and grant marriage licenses to its citizens in face of the expected lawsuits and potential loss of a future national office for his stand. Can you, in your wildest imagination, think of our Mayor Murphy doing such a thing? I don’t think so! Murphy’s lack of leadership in needle exchange programs endangers many lives and his non- support of compassionate use of marijuana is simply despicable. Do you think it is appropriate to reward these hateful and wasteful persons with our vote come November? I don’t think so! The only thing Murphy deserves is our utter and complete contempt.

Now, I don’t know if Ron Roberts would be any better concerning LGBT issues, but at least he is willing to address our community at an upcoming San Diego Democratic Club mayoral forum on the issue (7pm Thursday august 26 at the Joyce Beers Center) I had been looking forward to hearing Murphy explain how he could dare ask for our support for him in the mayoral election after he has consistently slapped us in the face, spit in our eye and generally showed nothing but distain and disrespect. Murphy’s representatives contacted the SDDC twice to confirm his participation and presence at this meeting only to recently send a letter stating:” Due to a scheduling conflict, we regret to inform you that the Mayor will be unable to attend the SDDC candidate forum on August 26th”. Are you surprised coming from a “spineless cowardly wimp” and “jackass”? I don’t think so!

Jay Schneider