Dear Editor:

I am responding to your editorial, “A seat at the table” (Issue 938, 12/15/05).

I think the GLBT community should carefully target those offices that would better be served by a qualified member of our community.

I do agree that State Senator Christine Kehoe is the obvious choice to support for higher office. She is the leader of the San Diego GLBT community, and has served with distinction in several posts.

I also agree that her next step should be to the U.S. Congress. However, I think she should challenge Susan Davis, not Bob Filner. She lives in Davis’ 53rd District, as do most of San Diego’s GLBT community. Filner’s 51st District is over 50 percent Hispanic, and his successor should be a progressive Hispanic; I think Chris would agree with this.

In September, 2005, the California State Legislature passed Kehoe’s SJR 11, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” resolution which urges the U.S. Congress to repeal this infamous policy. However, Senator Kehoe’s own Congresswoman (Susan Davis) does not support its repeal! How absurd! She has long been supported by the GLBT community, so this should be a no-brainer for her. This is reason enough for Chris to consider challenging Susan for her seat. The reason to oppose her is Susan’s failure to support Donna Frye for San Diego Mayor. Chris and most Democratic Party office holders (including Bob Filner) supported Donna, but not Susan.

These two issues are reason enough for Christine Kehoe to consider challenging Susan Davis in the Democratic primary, and I think she can win!

Susan cannot be beat in the general election, but she is vulnerable in the Democratic primary. She is out of touch with her GLBT constituents and can be beaten by a strong challenger like Chris!

Remember, Chris ran for this same Congressional seat in 1998, and barely lost to Brian Bilbray. We know she would like to be a Congresswoman.

Tedd Bunce

Dear Editor:

You’ve got to stop making Scott Marks go to the movies.

Michael Oubre’

Dear Editor:

It has recently been brought to our attention on the part of certain San Diego supporters and benefactors of our HIV clinic in Tijuana, which include AIDS Walk San Diego; the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative, and the Imperial Court of San Diego, that in the November 10, 2005 issue of GLT, an article by Jonathan Young about the Tijuana AIDS organization Afabi appeared in the San Diego News section entitled, “Tijuana opens nation’s first community-based HIV/AIDS clinic.”

The article starts out by saying, “AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and Agencia Familiar Binacional (AFABI) have partnered to open a free AIDS clinic in Tijuana, the first community-based comprehensive HIV/AIDS clinic Mexico.” This propaganda was also posted on the AHF website for a time and distributed on their press release fliers.

On behalf of our patients, staff, and board of directors, I would like to take the opportunity to clarify that our HIV clinic, Acosida Tijuana, was established by AIDS activists from Tijuana and San Diego in 1983, and was actually the first private, not-for-profit free HIV clinic in Mexico.

Now in our 22nd year and staffed by an HIV physician, three nurses, and a medical psychologist, Acosida continues to provide as it always has, free comprehensive HIV outpatient treatment that includes free HIV medications from our in-house pharmacy, and free psychological services to residents of Tijuana living with HIV who do not have public or private health insurance coverage. We also provide free T-cell and viral load testing to those patients who cannot afford the outside lab fee, and free HIV counseling and Western Blot blood testing to the general public.

In 2003, a representative from AIDS Healthcare Foundation of Los Angeles visited our clinic to announce that they were considering the establishment of a 100-bed in-patient facility in Tijuana for AIDS patients, and inquired about possible collaboration on the part of Acosida. Our response was that this would be a monumental project to take on, but that Acosida is always open to collaboration with other individuals and NGO’s that have access to greater resources for the benefit of persons living with HIV in the region. That one visit was the last we had heard from AHF.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s press release described Afabi as a “respected local Mexican NGO,” although AHF does not explain why Afabi, which was established in 2005 in part by former board members of the now-defunct Procabi Tijuana, has earned “respected” status as opposed to collaborating with a long-established and reputable HIV NGO like Acosida.

One must question the motives of individuals who elect to start up separate HIV NGO’s in Tijuana as opposed to pooling their resources with Acosida for the greater benefit of those living in the region with HIV.

Ricardo Dueñes, M.P.

President

Clínica Acosida Tijuana

Dear Editor:

I am responding to syndicated columnist Rex Wockner recent article “Views: Clueless in Rome” published December 14, 2005. Rex believes that gay bishops and priests should be outed. Outing is a term that refers to the public revelation of a person’s sexuality without the consent of the person. “Outing” grows out of the frustration many gay men and lesbians feel about not only the recent pronouncement of the Vatican, but the on going homophobia being directed at the LGBT Community.

Although outing has a long history, until recently it was a homophobic tactic. Homophobic organizations such as vice squads and the military, politicians who aimed to smear their opponents and newspapers that practiced yellow journalism were generally the ones engaged in outing.

Those who began to out others believed that they had a moral right to do so. Those who were forced out of the closet they believed would have to back the gay rights movement or be discredited as hypocrites. Is this the type of strategy we really want to promote in LGBT media?

In my opinion, the issue is really one of values. Is it proper for us to use the very tools that were used against us, and direct that anger and violence at others? Outing will only dirty the image of our movement, and confuse those in our community who are looking for integrity in our journalists, and our leadership. Does the end justify the means?

In 1990, the International Lesbian and Gay Association formally condemned it.

Joe Murray

US Convener

Rainbow Sash Movement