Dear Editor:

After a year and a half of pressure on our city government from a group from the religious right the city has agreed to allow the 2200 Club to remain open and operate under the same guidelines followed by San Diego’s other two gay bathhouses. The 2200 Club plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of opening without the proper permit and all other charges and actions were dropped.

All of us should be aware that the intention of the leaders of this group is not to close one gay bathhouse but to run all of the homosexuals out of our city. They claim “there is an evil conspiracy afoot in Hillcrest”— an organized effort among homosexuals to lure individuals into the gay lifestyle, drugs, prostitution and pornography, and to intentionally spread the AIDS virus.” One of their leaders says “There is a whole network of this very dark criminal activity going on in this neighborhood.”

As we now plan for our upcoming celebration of San Diego Pride with its huge festival and parade, the largest annual event in the history of San Diego drawing over 150,000 spectators, remember what the GLBT community has accomplished. Remember what Hillcrest looked like before gays restored and rejuvenated our community. Look at the number of gay and lesbian travelers at our airport. Now huge exclusively gay cruise ships from both RSVP Vacations and Atlantis Events sail in and out of our port bringing thousands of GLBT tourists to our city. Prosperity in the gay community brings prosperity to our beautiful city.

Even if you are not a patron of the gay bathhouses support those that fight for our right to have them. Our gay businesses attract many tourists to San Diego that also patronize our restaurants, hotels, stores and other businesses.

Fred Mcready

Dear Editor:

It would appear that “Don’t ask don’t tell” not only applies to members of the armed services but to who they deal with to. Easy Strikes, the gay bowling league, has been told they are no longer welcome at the MCRD’s bowling alley. After having a successful season and pouring money into an establishment that was slated to be closed they were still turned away.

I do think someone should look into this a little more.

Thank you for your time in this matter.

Bill Raupp

Dear Editor:

Lest I be perceived as the picker of nits (gnits?!) by the likes of Christopher Dye about whether we are welcome in Blue Foot, I would like to draw attention to the fact that there is a difference between ‘welcoming to all’ as opposed to inviting us with advertising in our papers.

A similar situation occurred a few years back when the Whistle Stop reopened in South Park. Once a mixed bar, it was hoped that it would be welcome to all and maybe it is, but, unless there is adverti- sing in our papers to make it clear that I am invited (rather than just tolerated) I’ll stay in the bars where I am comfortable.

I guess I’m still very ‘Old School’ since I’m from the generation that remembers bars that were ‘only gay’ certain nights; otherwise and other nights, we were just tolerated.

Tom Giles