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4 » The Red and Black « Friday, May 11, 1990
OPINIONS
"We're figuring If 29,000 can get measles vaccinations during
the next week, then we should be able to get about half of that."
— Bill Crane, Secretary of State Max Cleland's press aid, on the
1990 voter registration drive
The Red & Black
Katabliahtd 1893—Incorporated 1980
An mdtpandant atudtnt ntwtpaptr not affiliated with the University of Georgia
Charlene Smith/Editor-in-Chief
Amy Bellew/Managing Editor
Hogai Nassery/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
No shots, no school
University Health Services reacted quickly in a
crisis situation. Their efforts have, for the most part,
helped Measles Week 1990 pass without serious
incident. But now that the smoke is clearing, some
evaluation is in order.
The biggest questions are what could have been
done to prevent this mess and what can be done to
prevent this in the future.
The University requires students to fill out a
medical record form when they are admitted. However,
the information doesn’t require official documentation
and nothing is done to contact students who didn’t fill
out the forms. Instead, when one of these students
visits the Health Center for the first time, he or she is
told to complete the form. In some instances,
vaccinations are brought up to date.
The estimated 20,000 members of the University
faculty, staff and student body who will receive measles
vaccinations by the end of next week gives a glowing
testimonial to the effectiveness of this policy.
It’s time for a change.
Administrators must make official documentation
of up-to-date shots a pre-requisite for registration. If
students don’t have them, then they must not be
allowed to register for classes, just as if they hadn’t
paid their fees.
It’s not that difficult to do and after the initial
adjustment to health records the process will move
along smoothly. There are too many people at the
University, living in quarters that are too close for such
health risks. The University and the Board of Regents
must take responsible action regarding the health and
welfare of everyone on campus.
Requiring up-to-date shot records won’t just
prevent measles outbrakes, it also would be a positive
step towards preventing other communicable diseases
like mumps and smallpox.
Pointing fingers and trying to place blame for this
year’s measles crisis won’t help anything now. But
pointing fingers at policies that need to be changed may
help in the future.
So before the state and the University System
prepare to shell out another $500,000 for emergency
vaccinations in the future, they should follow a simple
rule of public education that starts in kindergarten: No
shots, no school.
Call your mama
“There are times when parenthood seems nothing but
feeding the mouth that bites you."
— Peter Devries
Moms are pretty high on the list of things everyone
takes for granted and no one seems to fully appreciate.
They’re there to wipe your nose, pack your lunch and
teach you the alphabet long before you even know how
to tie your own shoes.
When you’re all grown up, they’re there to listen to
your romantic problems, give you money when you
bounce checks and wipe your nose, not to mention the
extra jobs they get to pay for your college education.
And it’s always comforting to know that no matter
how much of a scumbag you turn out to be, your mother
will always love you.
But for all her worrying, she is often rewarded with
evil glares, mumbled curses and threats not to visit on
major holidays.
Sometimes, moms get a little crazy. It’s not easy to
cut the apron strings. And as annoying as their nagging
can be, just remember it’s all because they love you.
If you have forgotten that Mother’s Day is Sunday,
there’s still time to catch a ride home, send flowers, or
at least call.
STAFF
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The Tish are dying.
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Gay history deserves a place in
books
What do Alexander the Great, Eleanor
Roosevelt, and James Baldwin have in
common?
A) They were significant historical figures
B) Their names have less than 18 letters
C) They were gay
D) All of the above
That’s right, folks, the answer is D. These
three are among the many people who, being
gay, form a more or less distinct subset of
human history. This gay thread is rather diffi
cult to discern in the skein of history; indeed,
one anthology of gay history is appropriately
named “Hidden from History."
There are two major reasons for this lack of
acknowledgement of the gay element in our
past and present. One is the idea of homosex
uality is vague and, to some extent, dependent
on historical context for its meaning. Everyone
knows, for instance, that homosexual activity
was a fact of life for upper-class Greek men in
days of yore; just read Plato’s “Symposium.” In
fact, homosexual relationships are common
cro6s-culturally and throughout history. Are
these, however, ‘gay* in modern terms?
The second strike against a fair recognition
of gay history is the incredible stigma which
has often been attached to it (and in the case of
lesbianism, the total ignorance of its existence).
This stigma is not universal, but it can be pow
erful, and it has led to a brushing-over of his
tory, both by homosexuals themselves and by
those who study their lives.
A striking example of this historical airbrush
is Eleanor Roosevelt. According to Doris
Faber’s ‘The Life of Lorena Hickok,” Hickok
and Roosevelt shared a long and passionate
emotional relationship. Roosevelt wrote frankly
of her love. In one letter to Hickok she declared
her desire to ‘lie down beside you tonight and
take you in my arms.” Hickok replies, that “I
Lawson
Sullivan
want to put my arms around you and kiss you
at the corners of your mouth.” Faber also ac
knowledges that Hickok was, indeed, a lesbian.
But Faber, and most others, go out of their
way and stretch the facts to deny that Roose
velt’s relationship with Hickok could have been
physical. It might not have been; even if it was,
it is unlikely that Eleanor Roosevelt identified
herself as a lesbian. But it is absurd to reject
the possibility, and to ignore the fact that these
two women loved each other .
To get around the twin traps of the ambi
guity and aversion to homosexuality, I will de
fine gay to mean having a primary or
significant emotional/physical attraction to
one’s own sex. The question remains, however,
whether gay history need be studied at all. The
overwhelming answer is yes.
Gay history is significant for the same rea
sons that black history and women’s history
are. Gays, like African-Americans and women,
form a significant percentage of humanity
(most studies say 10%) and thus of human his
tory. Moreover, the contributions of gays are
likely to be overlooked in a society which has
long been disproportionately attuned to the ac
tivities of (presumably) straight white men.
To those who say that one’s sexual orienta
tion makes no difference and should be left un
said, I say hogwash. Not that the titillating
tidbits of historical figures’ private practices
are relevant; for the most part, they are not.
But when it is not made clear that people are
gay, they are erroneously assumed to be
straight. This is not respecting privacy: it is re
writing history.
Recognition of the contributions of gay
people is important for lesbians and gays them
selves, who certainly benefit from having a
truer and more positive image to relate to. But
gay history is for everyone, for we all benefit
from acknowledging the richness and diversity
of the human experience.
Indeed, gay history is nothing if not rich and
diverse. Certainly, we have our heroes, among
them Michelangelo, Queen Christina of
Sweden, James Dean, Gertrude Stein, and
John Maynard Keynes. Then there are the un
sung heroes, from the small-town spinster who
helped everyone out to Harvey Milk, the first
publicly gay city official, who was assasinated
by a colleague. We also have our share of bad
apples, much as I hate to claim them. Among
these are Ernst Roehm of Third Reich fame,
and Roy Cohn, Joseph McCarthy’s queer -
baiting right-hand man who died of AIDS in
1986, denying to the grave his undeniable ho
mosexuality.
Gay history has been hidden for too long, and
it’s time to acknowledge the women and men
who are a part of it. Gay History Day is
Tuesday, May 15, and I hope you’ll come to Tate
Plaza to help celebrate and learn more about
it.We have faces, we have names, and yes, Vir
ginia, we have a history.
Lawson Sullivan is a senior history and polit
ical science major and co-director of the Athens
Gay and Lesbian Association.
Prudent George keeps power balance
The chain of economic and social reforms
that Mikhail Gorbachev initiated have radi
cally altered the long standing world order. The
Cold War appears to be drawing to a close, and
1989 saw communism lose its grip on Eastern
Europe. No individual, no matter how in
sightful, could have foreseen the impact that
these reforms would have on the current state
of world affairs. Today, Mr. Gorbachev is not
the master of the reform process; he is its pawn.
He must continually react to unanticipated
changes while walking a tightrope between
hardline and reform interests within the Soviet
Union. The latest crisis to confront the Soviet
leader is the question of independence for the
Baltic republics, Lithuania in particular. As
with all important issues facing Mr. Gorbachev,
the Lithuanian dilemma has a direct impact on
the national interest of the United States.
What will be the American policy, and how
strongly should the Administration pursue that
policy? These are the questions that face Presi
dent Bush. Thus far, the Administration has
voiced its support for the cause of Lithuanian
independence. This support, however, has not
manifested itself in any form other than the
sympathetic words of Mr. Bush. The Adminis
tration has neither recognized Lithuania as an
independent state nor has it chosen to imple
ment sanctions against Moscow. Mr. Bush re
fuses to act against the Soviets unless military
force is used to crush the Lithuanian indepen
dence movement.
The Administration has come under attack
from a number of critics for its apparent lack of
action regarding Lithuania. The prevailing sen-
Ernest
Morgan
timent among Mr. Bush’s critics is to call for
immediate imposition of economic sanctions.
Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell has
stated that “Bush should act to express disap
proval and to deter further action against Lith
uania.* On May 1st the Senate voted 73 to 24
for a non-binding resolution urging Mr. Bush
not to submit legislation relating to the new
U.S.-Soviet trade agreement until Moscow ends
its sanctions against Lithuania. Vytautas
Landsbergis, the Lithuanian president, has
compared the American position to that of the
British and French policy of appeasing Nazi
Germany before World War II. The point that
the Administration's critics fail to grasp is what
effect, if any, will economic sanctions have.
In 1980 the Carter administration imposed a
grain embargo on the Soviet Union in response
to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The ef
fect of this embargo was mainly felt by Amer
ican agriculture, not the Soviet Union. Other
grain-producing nations filled the void left by
U.S. sanctions. There are few indications that
economic sanctions today would be any more
successful. Moreover, the Lithuanian crisis dif
fers substantially from Afghanistan. Afghani
stan is a sovereign nation while Lithuania is a
part of the Soviet Union. Here, many people
would argue that Lithuania was forced to be
come a Soviet republic and therefore should be
allowed to secede post-haste. True, Lithuanians
had little choice in 1940 but to succumb to So
viet military power, but this is not a unique
case in world history. The economic sanctions
called for by the Administration’s critics will
have few positive effects regarding the Lithua
nian crisis.
On the negative side, the imposition of eco
nomic sanctions will accomplish three things.
One, American international business interests
will again be handicapped by the actions of the
U.S. government. Two, an additional burden
will be placed on the Soviet reform movement,
increasing the chance for hard-line resurgence.
And finally, America will send the wrong signal
to Lithuania, for economic sanctions will en
courage the Lithuanians to press ever faster on
the road towards independence, increasing the
chance for a military response from Moscow.
Are Mr. Bush’s critics willing to go the step be
yond economic sanctions and give Lithuania di
rect assistance in the event of a military
conflict? The answer is no; therefore, there is no
reason to encourage an escalation of tensions.
To date, the Administration is following the
correct course of action; be sympathetic to the
independence cause but encourage a peaceful
and orderly transition.
Ernest Morgan is a political science graduate
student. Thie is the third in a series of articles
by the political science department.
Gridiron sexist and stupid
I am shocked and amazed at the
credit given to the secret society,
Gridiron, on the front page of a re
cent issue of The Red and Black.
The society which refers to itslf as
“the best on campus’ successfully
completed a panty raid at the Delta
Delta Delta house on G-Day
weekend. Were all of the distin
guished members of this secret so
ciety attending these ceremonious
pranks? The blatant disregard of
the initiation ritual of the Tri-Delt
sorority by these obnoxious and
most likely drunk members of
Gridiron certainly proves that the
organization is far from “the best”.
After all, how could an organiza
tion that discriminates against
women and insists on remaining a
secret even be worthwhile? How
would President Knapp feel if a
group of drunk women in cocktail
dresses appeared on his door step
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and Black's offices at 123 N. Jackon St, Athens. Ga.
in the middle of the night to per
form a boxer raid? senior, risk management/lneurance
Caroline Caehln daughter of a Gridiron member