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Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's
Comments On Gay Issues
Reflect IgnoranceSenate Majority Leader Trent Lott's (R-MS) inflammatory comments about Gay Americans in an interview with commentator Armstrong Williams for the America's Voice network, which was aired Father's Day weekend, that homosexuality is a sin and a personal problem like alcoholism, kleptomania and sex addiction were "outrageous and displayed great ignorance on the part of Lott," according to the Human Rights Campaign's Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. "Poll after poll shows that Americans reject discrimination and a wide range of respected medical organizations, from the American Psychiatric Assoc. to the AMA, reject the type of ill-informed assertions made by Lott."
When Williams asked Lott if he believed homosexuality is a sin, the senator replied: "Yeah, it is. You should still love that person. You should not try to show them a way to deal with that problem, just like alcohol or sex addiction or kleptomaniacs. There are all kinds of problems, addictions, difficulties, experiences of things that are wrong, but you should try to work with that person to learn to control that problem."
"It [these comments] also may explain why he hasn't scheduled time for the nomination of James Hormel," Stachelberg said, referring to the San Francisco philanthropist and Democratic Party donor whom President Clinton nominated to be ambassador to Luxembourg, and whose nomination has been stalled since last Nov. by the majority leader, and whom Lott views as an aggressive advocate of the Gay "lifestyle."
Joan M. Garry, Executive Director of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), said that "We remind the Senate Majority Leader that his hurtful and indelible remarks extend well beyond the adults he wishes to appease and the 'sinners' he hopes to demoralize. As a parent, I am shocked that my eight year old will hear such shameful rhetoric, likening her mothers to criminals and kleptomaniacs, coming from one of the most powerful elected officials in this country."
Jennifer H. Einhorn, GLAAD Director Of Communications, said, "We could not have scripted remarks which would reveal more clearly the platform which a portion of the conservative leadership is slowly but surely embracing. The more vocal the Majority Leader is about acknowledging his intolerant and fearful disposition, the sooner the American public will seek to replace him with a leader who celebrates diversity and healthy debate."
"To have a leader of the U.S. Senate engaging in this kind of scapegoating and hate mongering is a moral outrage. The seriousness of this rhetoric cannot be overstated," said Rebecca Isaacs, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force political director. "Senator Lott is obviously deep in the pocket of the extremist right," added Isaacs.
The Task Force further charged Lott with being out of step with most Americans. "From Wrongs to Rights," a recently released Task Force report analyzing public opinion trends for the last twenty years, shows that most Americans support basic civil rights for Gay men and Lesbians and that disapproval of Gay men and Lesbians is steadily declining.
"We are not mollified by Senator Lott couching his hate in the context of the Bible and claiming people should still 'love the sinner.' This is hateful rhetoric, and we believe most Americans will see it for what it is, " said Isaacs.
And the editors of New Orleans' Times Picayune weighed in: "...In his [Lott's] moral universe, it's only the Gay people who insist on falling and staying in love who are the problem.... Seeing sinister plots in a sensible bill, he viewed a 1996 anti-discrimination bill as 'part of a larger and more audacious effort" to make the public accept homosexuality.... Call it the domnino theory of homosexuality: if Mr. Hormel is confirmed [for ambassador to Luxembourg], he will export some amorphous "Gay agenda" to Luxembourg, and before you know it the entire postage-stamp-sized country will turn Gay. Then Andorra, Monaco and San Marino will fall, and in time the twin scourges of disco music and fashionable haircuts will spread unimpeded across the plains of Europe....Most reputable research suggests that sexual orientation is set at birth or not long thereafter, and common sense suggests that Gay people have no more 'choice' about being homosexual than straight people do about being heterosexual.
"Unfortunately, common sense sometimes fades in the face of prejudice. Get over it, Sen. Lott."
D'Amato Slams Lott
In a stinging letter to Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), Senator Alfonse D'Amato weighs in against anti-Gay intolerance, with specific reference to the nomination of Jim Hormel to be Ambassador to Luxembourg: "I fear that Mr. Hormel's nomination is being obstructed for one reason, and one reason only: the fact that he is Gay. In this day and age, when people ably serve our country in so many capacities without regard to sexual orientation, for the United States Senate to deny an appointment on that basis is simply wrong. What's more, on a personal level, I am embarrassed that our Republican Party, the Party of Lincoln, is seen to be the force behind this injustice."
'Camp' Camp Provides Getaway
For Gay, Lesbian AdultsRemember summer camp? Singing around the campfire, so'mores, skits, swimming in the lake, ghost stories, cute counselors, and talking with new found friends late at night? If ever you were a camper and loved it, or even if you didn't go to camp but always wished you could, `Camp' Camp, the nation's first summer camp for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender adults, may be for you.
"Whether you're in or out or in between, you'll feel comfortable and welcome," according to 'Camp' Camp founder and co-director Bill Cole.
The camp, now in its second year, will take place in Kezar Falls, ME, from Aug. 23 - Aug.29 and Aug. 31 - Sept. 6 "'Camp' Camp is a place away from your hectic life, a place and time to heal yourself," says Cole, the former director of a camp in Virginia and a professional in the camping field for nearly 20 years. Camp Co-Director Joanie Schwartz agrees. "It's a place to rediscover your sense of sheer joy, make new friends, and maybe meet the love of your life," Schwartz says.
'Camp' Camp offers a balance of individual free time and such activities as aerobics, canoeing, dancing, hiking, biking, music, pottery, glass, sailing, swimming, theatre, volleyball, yoga, meditation, and discussion groups. All activities will be led by trained counselors. "We try to offer something for everyone," Cole says. "For some people, that 'something' may mean hanging out, just relaxing."
The camp is located at a scenic, secluded property with quaint, rustic cabins mingled with modern camp buildings, 45 minutes northwest of Portland, ME, 2.5 hours from Boston. Nestled between two lakes, the camp has over 4,500 feet of shorefront with two sand beaches.
'Camp' Camp facilities include a theatre, recreation and weight-training facilities, five tennis courts, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, studios for crafts and creative and performing arts, and a large sports field. Accommodations will be in clusters of cabins, each containing bunk beds shared by groups of 8 to 12 men or 6 to 8 women.
For further information, contact Cole toll-free at 888.924.8380 or visit the Camp Camp web site at www.campcamp.com.
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