Dear Editor,

Thank you so much for your cover story celebrating lesbian mothers. Moms in our community come to parenthood in a number of ways, and we commend you for recognizing them and telling their stories.

Too often, lesbian mothers are completely invisible, or viewed only as mothers and not recognized as lesbians. But every day, lesbian moms play an integral role in shaping the future of our community. They are raising children who, studies show, are more open-minded and accepting of diversity. They are challenging teachers and school administrators to be more inclusive and respecting of all different types of families in their classrooms. They are demanding that lawmakers and courts validate their legal relationships with their children so they can care and provide for their children in the most comprehensive ways possible.

The Family Pride Coalition commends these lesbian mothers — in San Diego and all across the country — and is proud to work for them every day.

One note of clarification — your article cited figures from the Gay & Lesbian Parents Coalition International (GLPCI) regarding the number of children being raised by lesbian or gay parents. GLPCI was renamed the Family Pride Coalition in 1998.

We thank you for your ongoing coverage of parenting and family issues, and look forward to similar recognition of the courageous gay fathers in our community next month.

Sincerely,

Corri Planck

Policy & Public Affairs Director

Family Pride Coalition

Dear Editor,

I very much enjoy the format of local “old school” radio station Magic 92.5 (XHRM-FM), and am aware that they do quite a bit for all kinds of organizations in San Diego. In fact they usually have a float in the annual Pride Parade — at least they have in the four years I’ve been living here.

However, the station sponsored a Cinco de Mayo breakfast for the benefit of a local Boy Scout troop. With planning for [this year’s Pride] parade well underway, I can only hope that the parade committee will give serious consideration to Magic 92.5’s participation given this circumstance.

Magic 92.5 is certainly under no obligation to take a political stance on any issue and they are certainly free to support any organization they choose. However, if they wish to support an organization that clearly discriminates against the LGBT community, I hardly think our Pride Parade should be used as a vehicle (no pun intended) for the station’s benefit. If the earlier start time to this year’s parade is any indication of the number of organizations that wish to participate, then Magic’s absence won’t be a significant financial loss.

I’m recalling last year’s incident with Councilmember Brian Maienschein, who voted against the LGBT community, but was still “allowed” to participate in last year’s parade. Let’s not have a similar situation with a local radio station. Let’s send a message that if you don’t fully support the LGBT community (and therefore are AGAINST LBGT organizations/institutions), then seek your free publicity elsewhere.

Yours truly,

David A. Thaler

North Park

[Editor’s note: the following letter was received in response to articles appearing in the press about openly lesbian professor Pat Washington’s fight for tenure at SDSU. Washington maintains she has completed her requirements for tenure and that an attitude of homophobia and racism may have led to her being denied.]

Dear Editor,

Recently, articles have appeared in the press accusing Women’s Studies faculty at San Diego State University of creating an atmosphere of the closet and perpetuating a homophobic work environment. The sheer absurdity of this claim requires a response. Here four senior members of the department detail for you our political activism and scholarship on LGBT issues. We urge you to use your own judgement(s).

In the Fall of 2000 we offered a 14-week community outreach course at The Center in Hillcrest entitled “Lesbian Sexualities.” for community members. We did so as out lesbians and attendance was about 15-20 students per week.

Susan E. Cayleff, Professor/Chair, adjunct faculty in American Indian Studies has been a gay and lesbian public ed speaker since 1973 in the Massachusetts, New York, Houston and San Diego areas. She was a founding member of the Lesbian Caucus of the National Women’s Studies Association (1977-1981). In 1992, Cayleff and Zimmerman were the first faculty sponsors at SDSU for Lambda Delta Lambda, the openly lesbian sorority. Cayleff has also participated in the high school LGBT day that welcomes students to SDSU. Her biography on athlete Babe Didrikson won the 1996 Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Outstanding Book Award in San Diego. Cayleff was interviewed about Babe by the gay and straight press in Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, National Public Radio, Sweden, and Russia. She always presented herself as an out lesbian. Since 2001, she has contributed articles to the Encyclopedia of Lesbian Histories and Culture and the LGBT Encyclopedia. In the Spring of 2004, she will be teaching the SDSU graduate course, “Lesbian Lives and Cultures.”

Oliva Espin, a pioneering Latina lesbian scholar on issues of migration, lesbian sexuality, lesbian psychologies and therapy, received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns of the American Psychological Association (APA) (1999). She served as President of Division 44 (Society for the Psychological Study of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues) of the APA (’92-95). Prior to that she successfully passed the APA resolution refusing military advertising until they lifted their ban on homosexuality.

Espin’s scholarship has contributed significantly to LGBT issues: she has edited the Journal of Lesbian Studies and Contemporary Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychology. Most recently, she was a member of the Board of Directors of The Center in San Diego.

Kathleen B. Jones has been an active/visible member of the lesbian and gay community for years. She was a board member of Diversionary Theatre (1992-5) and its Vice-President (1994-5). She and partner, Amy, have been active financial supporters of Diversionary. They also hosted a fundraiser for the Lesbian and Gay Historical Society in their home. Currently they are evaluators of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center’s Safe Haven Project, a youth advocacy program addressing bias/hatred against LGBT youth in LA city schools. Jones is past president, program chair and active member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Caucus of the American Political Science Association (APSA). She co-authored “Queer Citizenship/Queer Representation: Politics Out of Bounds,” presented at the APSA (1996); it won the Best Paper Award by the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Political Caucus. In 2002 she offered a workshop on writing at The Center in San Diego.

Bonnie Zimmerman, internationally recognized as one of the founders of lesbian studies, created the first lesbian studies course at SDSU (1979) and has taught six different courses since then with a lesbian or LGBT focus. She has recently co-created the LGBT minor. She has published lesbian scholarship since 1976; has written or edited four books, and published more than 20 scholarly articles on lesbian topics and spoken on these topics internationally. She has written for the lesbian publications: Lavender Woman, Conditions, Lesbian Review of Books, and San Diego’s own Thursday’s Child.

Since 1972, Zimmerman has been active in lesbian movements in Buffalo, Chicago, and San Diego. She is a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Issues Committee at SDSU and argued successfully for domestic partnership rights. She served as an openly lesbian President of both the National Women’s Studies Association and Chair of the SDSU University Senate, among other accomplishments.

Professors Cayleff, Espin, Jones, and Zimmerman

San Diego State University