Dear Editor:

Thank Nicole for telling us in his column that City Attorney Mike Aguirre has confirmed that there are no “raids” being planned for our baths and bars. This is the same Nicole who two years ago introduced San Diego Police Chief William Landsdowne at the coffee house in Hillcrest when the Chief announced he was not going to send undercover police into LGBT businesses while at the same time he was doing it. It is a matter of public record how Aguirre prosecuted two LGBT owned businesses, the 2200 Club and G & B Emporium, while ignoring similar straight owned businesses like the F Street Bookstores. Aguirre has lost much of his support in the LGBT community and Nicole’s less than honest comments will not change that.

Dee Keng

Dear Editor:

This is in response to Robert W. Fuller’s letter to the editor printed in the May 10 issue. Robert, I concur with much of what you write about “serial daters” and the need for empowerment among gay men. However, your remarks are misdirected. I’m guessing that you haven’t read my column over the past eight months because you have missed the fact that it’s a humor column. Most of my writing is tongue-in-cheek, and my last column’s advice on “staying single and avoiding commitment” (gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=9655) was no exception. Read it again, and appreciate that I’m poking fun at gay men’s fear of commitment … not condoning it.

Gary Thayer

Dear Editor:

Memorial Day weekend thousands of Leathermen from throughout the nation will gather in Chicago for the International Mr. Leather (IML) weekend. Among them will be many Leathermen from the San Diego area.

The organizers/producers of the IML event have long championed the rights of transgendered people, and do not ask anyone’s birth status, nor discriminate against transgendered (FTM) men. However, another prominent organization in Chicago has a blatant policy of discrimination against all transgendered men and will be prominent at IML.

Chicago Hellfire Club is a 35-year-old Chicago-based Gay mens leather organization with a national membership of over 400, many of who live in Southern California. Hellfire Club parties are a feature of IML weekend. Despite its long and distinguished history, in recent years it has adopted a formal written policy that excludes all transgendered FTM men from its events. They refuse to honor state or federally issued “male” photo Ids, including passports!

Hellfire’s policy of discrimination against transgendered men would be prohibited for any business or public organization in the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, the State of California, and many cities throughout the nation. Chicago Hellfire is only able to continue its discrimination through the unchallenged argument that it operates as a “private club.”

This argument is false; Hellfire actively and publicly solicits one-time paying guests, and new “members” for its extensive schedule of “private parties”, at public events like IML, MAL, and elsewhere. This leaves questionable the argument that it is a private club, and by doing so may well place it in violation of non-discrimination laws in Chicago and Illinois that protect transgender people, and is contrary to public opinion in the Gay community throughout the nation.

IML attendees need to know that these men’s parties and other events organized by Chicago Hellfire exclude FTM men, even those with current government ID’s identifying them as male. Responsible people in the Gay and Leather communities need to speak up and express their anger at such policies of exclusion. Leathermen can have a great time at IML and elsewhere without supporting this organization’s activities.

Dan Ostrov

Dear Editor:

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence participating in the “protest” (I prefer the terms Educational Opportunity over protest) of the Battlecry event at SDSU it reminded me of when I was a student at UC Davis and invited the Sisters around 1981 to speak on the “Quad” on Campus. Some lgb students and community members were outraged. Well those of us who supported free speech and free expression won out. The Sisters were fantastic and most of those who expressed doubt and were worried about our/their image came around.

Sure, if I was an astute political advisor/marketer whose sole purpose was to win over more people I would definitely present a bunch of male “protesters/educators” all dressed in suits and women all wearing dresses and each with an American flag on their lapels and a cross around their necks. And likewise during pro-immigration marches I would advise all Hispanics to carry the American flag rather than any other flag, and go in for haircuts and perhaps a spa treatment beforehand. And when Harvey Fierstein speaks I’d tell him to butch it up and I’d advise Rosie O’Donnell to wear a flowing gown and lose 80 lbs. And could I live with my conscience in effect by silencing these natural voices? I don’t think so.

Those who are going to write complaining about the image that these Sisters portray ought to get off their butts and simply overwhelm the Sisters by outnumbering them by 100 to 1 in support of similar goals, but my guess is that just like the “straight acting, straight appearing” closeted gay man who is threatened by any gender variations, you will choose to whine and complain about others instead of working together in a rich, diverse, educational environment and join the Sisters in this and future protests. Those who would protest the Sisters’ right to be present as they are, in effect oppose the First Amendment rights for this portion of our community. Shame on us all!

Paul Harris