The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 70, Issue 13 - December 2, 1992

VOL. 70 • NO. 13 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY December 2, 1992 Singing the Praises of Christmas RwtO:by.P«|?rWrtjJ}es rftg Toyota Marymom University Choruses will ring in-the Holiday season with their Christmas Concerts on December t and December ^ inSacred Heart Chapel. Tickets are Anonymous Letter Ignites Controversy AG LS Calls for Action to End Ignorance on Campus By Lynn Segas News Editor A n anonymous letter express- #\ ing unsubstantiated accusa¬ tions regarding the homosexual community was personally sent to Ref Rodriguez, President of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Students, a non-recognized stu¬ dent organiztion. The letter was in response to a memorandum sent to selected faculty members invit¬ ing them to view the movie Long Time Companion , and participate in a discussion addressing the psy¬ chological impact of AIDS on the community. Thus, the letter began, “If the threat of AIDS has such a psycho¬ logical impact on you, why don’t you stop screwing and observe abstinence.” Rodriguez responded, “One of the reasons for having this discus¬ sion was to educate people and stop this kind of ignorance.” The letter went on the address Catholic teachings by saying, “If you are Catholics, obey the ten commandments and the teachings of the New Testament.” Rodriguez countered, "No where in the New Testament are we in¬ structed to hate a group of people and oppress them with our words or actions. Jesus taught love and acceptance of many different people, not alienation and disgust. The author of this letter must have studied a different Bible than I did.” “AIDS came into Americathrough one homo.” the letter continued. “They have perpetrated it, and will continue to do so even if some cure may be found.” Rodriguez argued, “It is just this kind of ignorance and belief that perpetuates the spread of AIDS. It is this type of antiquated thinking and misinformation that plagues our society and delays the forward progress necessary to stop the spread of this disease. The Centers for Disease Control says that those at the highest risk for contracting the disease are women of all ages and persons between the ages of 18 and 24. It is no longer a homo¬ sexual disease.” The letter then described the re¬ sponsibilities of a Christian: "Every person has his or her sexual urges, but it is the part of a man, and especially a Christian to control il¬ licit desires and to get the body under the control of the spirit.” “Equally as distressing as the content of this letter is the tone in which it was written* It is demean¬ ing, accusatory, and judgmental,” Rodriguez interjected, “The author has made several unfounded accu¬ sations towards the organization.” He continued, “Although the let¬ ter was addressed to me, person¬ ally, it is geared towards each and every member of our organization. Because of this, the comments made in the letter were insulting to every member, and not just to me. What makes the author think that we have lost control of our bodies and that our behavior is illicit? Where in Christian doctrine does it say that it is the responsibility of a man or woman to suppress these feelings or that such feelings are unnatu¬ ral?” The letter then put forth the fol¬ lowing judgment: “Your lifestyle is corruption supreme and no amount of rationalization will change that fact." It continued, "Homosexuality is unnatural, and most men recognize that. Get your lives in order and then you won’t have to worry about AIDS, though today, as a result of homo activity in the country, it may be too late even for a normal hetero to avoid it.” Rodriguez exploded, "Hetero¬ sexuals are not forced to rationalize their lifestyle, why should homo¬ sexuals have to defend theirs? And why do some people find it neces¬ sary to judge others on the basis of their sexual preference? Only God has the power to judge." He elaborated, "The Catholic Church no longer condemns homo¬ sexuals. Instead, it calls for toler¬ ance and acceptance. Unfortu¬ nately, the author still equates ho¬ mosexuality with AIDS. Through programs on this campus, the Uni¬ versity has taught us that AIDS is a non-discriminatory disease. Getting rid of homosexuality will not get rid of AIDS.” The letter concluded, “I find it exceedingly difficult to see howyour group can be tolerated on a Catho¬ lic campus you are so much at odds with the teachings of the church it serves." Rodriguez answered, “The au¬ dacity of the author not to sign a name to such an inflammatory let¬ ter is appalling. Hate crimes are far more prevalent on this campus than we are willing to admit." He continued, "One of the main goals of our group is to educate the community so that we can stop the kind of ignorance displayed in this letter.” Rodriguez’s final remarks ech- oedthe sentiments that many of the members expressed in their meet¬ ing. "Despite my sexual orienta¬ tion, I try to lead a Christian life and consider myself a good Catholic.” Latino National Political Survey Results Discussed December to Celebrate More than Christmas By Lynn Segas News Editor Я he largest survey every to spe¬ cifically focus on the Latino community will be discussed by its principal investigator from 1 to 3 p.m. on December 4 in Seaver 1 00. This will be the only presentation of the results in the Los Angeles area. It is open to the public. Minority populations are pre¬ dicted to count for a near majority of theU.S. population midway through the 21 st century and the fast-grow¬ ing Latino population will be a po¬ tential major force in U.S. social and political arenas. To better understand this popu¬ lation, the Latino National Political Survey queried more than 2,800 individuals nationally on various aspects of Latino views and iden¬ tity. “The survey results will help elected officials and organizations that serve Latinos to formulate pub¬ lic policy and community services,” said Dr. Fernando Guerra, Chair, Chicano Latino Student Services Department, which is sponsoring the meeting. The results will be discussed by Dr. Rodolfo O. de la Garza, of Harvard University and the Univer¬ sity of Texas ; Louis De Sipio, Uni¬ versity of Texas; and Dr. Harry Pachon, Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Pachon will discuss an ethnographic study he conducted of East L.A. A few of the findings originally announced in February Include Latino contributions and influence in government, ideology, abortion, political parties, immigration and government spending. In the government, the majority of Mexican, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Anglos agreed that govern¬ ment is responsible for solving na¬ tional and local problems. In ideological beliefs, the major¬ ity of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans considerthemselves moderate. The majority of Cubans considerthem¬ selves conservative. On abortion, the majority of Mexi¬ cans and Cubans believe abortions should always be permitted, while the majority of the Puerto Ricans believe abortion should be allowed only in the case of rape or incest. About the political parties, the majority of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans considerthemselves Demo¬ crats, while the majority of Cubans considerthemselves strong Repub¬ licans. About the government spending, the majority of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans agreed that government spending on crime and drugs should increase. Investigators are traveling across the nation to present the results of the survey in similar forums to members of Latino communities. The survey was funded by the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Spencer Founda¬ tion and th# Т“шк$£ founder. By Dr. Arthur Schaefer Contributor И /"Celebrate Diversity” are key v*/ words that are heard often around campus. That short phrase describes a goal of honoring differ¬ ences and feeling enriched by liv¬ ing in a multi-cultural environment. Most of the Loyola Mary mount com¬ munity will celebrate Christmas with its radiant hope for peace for all human kind. And, many of us will celebrate other holidays this De¬ cember. There are many examples of this diversity within our commu¬ nity. Those in the Jewish faith will observe the eight nights of Hanuk- kah, a holiday to remind us Qf a time in history when a small band of people foughtfortheir religious free¬ dom. They will light a menorah, adding a new candle every night, to remember that it is our obligation to ever increase the light in our world by protecting the rights of all to be tothink^and express thoughts freely. Many in the African American community will commemorate the modern holiday of Kwanzaa. More than 18 million people around the globe will light seven candles in the kinara (candle holder). Three green candles signify a prosperous fu¬ ture, three red candles for the struggle and a black candle for Black unity. Some of the Latino people will honor Las Posadas with its rich tradition of celebration and hope for the future. Faith in the rebirth of nature surround many Native American traditions tied to the winter sol¬ stice. And, of course, there are some who celebrate other holidays, or who choose not to celebrate any. The entire community, no mat¬ ter what the individual December tradition may be, are dedicated to honoring our differences. And by honoring the uniqueness in each other, we are, in fact, honoring the uniqueness in ourselves.