TO THE EDITOR: This letter is in reference to your recent article "Queer Club Guide" [Adrian Ryan, March 25]. I was astonished by the amount of straight bashing that was scattered about this work of homosexual favoritism. It made me sick to see such rude comments as "don't breed anywhere," and "do it in a quiet corner where you won't offend anyone." What makes you guys think you can get away with making offensive comments about straight people? Even homosexual friends of mine felt that this article was outrageously offensive. The amount of straight bashing and gay favoritism in your magazine is the reason why myself and many others will never read your paper again.
Fuck Off and Die
WHO READS YOU, BABY?
TO THE EDITOR: The Stranger is well written, informative, and entertaining, but I've got a secret for you (sshhh): most of your readers are straight! I'm not trying to tell you guys to jump into the closet or anything, and gay life is definitely a part of Seattle, but there are other things happening in town. The only other weekly in town is a joke read only by ailing yuppies, but we don't read The Stranger for its writers' personal lives. The first step in the downfall of a publication is self-indulgence.
JoMamma
THE TWINKIE FROM HELL
TO THE EDITOR: Your offensive "Queer Club Guide" was penned by the Twinkie from Hell! I hope you have an excellent P.R. Dept., because they're going to be working overtime to compensate for the alienation your bash article has caused between you and the gay community. As for Ms. Ryan, how DARE you critique a bar based on one visit of "not more than five minutes," according to the bartender on shift at the time! I know several people who would gladly pay for a one-way ticket back to Montana for you, as the last thing Seattle needs is one more shallow, self-obsessed, pissy little queen.
Ryan Harvey
One of the geriatric 33-year-olds who frequents Changes
WORSE THAN WYOMING
TO THE EDITOR: Geriatric fellas? Fossilized crowd? Old drag queens who've seen better days? Adrian Ryan's nasty and mean comments about older gays (i.e., any queer older than 25) is typical of the ageism of the queer community. Older queers don't need to visit rural Wyoming to experience hate and fag bashing, they can experience it in Seattle's queer community!
David Gray
WHAT DOES "QUEER" MEAN?
TO THE EDITOR: Where has Adrian Ryan been for the last 10 years? His "Queer Club Guide" makes it painfully obvious that he missed the fact that the word "queer" was reclaimed from the bigots, and brought into general usage in the queer community, because it is inclusive of men and women, gay, bi, and transgendered. From his opening tale of accidentally wandering into "Wimmin's Night" on his first attempt to find gay men, to his gynophobic description of the Wild Rose's clientele, to his nearly criminal omission of Re-bar's weekly girl night, Mr. Ryan makes it clear that when he says "queer" he's talking about gay MEN. As his editor, it was your job to wake him up and clue him in: the '80s are over, and queer means all of us.
Raven Gildea Queer Girl
OFF TO THE CUFF
TO THE EDITOR:
Bud
UNION VALUES
TO THE EDITOR: I read the article "Union Don'ts: Bus Drivers Take On the Union" [Ben Jacklet, March 25], and was surprised by the misleading viewpoint expressed. The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) is one of the most democratic organizations in the labor movement. Every one of our officers, from the International President on down, is voted into office. They come from the rank and file. Our Local, #587, has over 3,400 members, and while our goal is to try and meet the needs of everyone, there will always be a few members who are dissatisfied with some of the decisions that are made. Jamie and Johnny, those profiled in the article, are two of them. I take exception to their statement that when people are asked to join a union, they [respond], "What for? All you do is take my money and you don't do anything for me. I don't even have a vote." Last year [their] Local was contacted by drivers who work for Laidlaw, asking that we represent them. In the subsequent election, the drivers voted two-to-one in favor of being represented by ATU. They saw the value in having a union.
In Jamie and Johnny's initiative, they call for direct and open elections--which we already have. I do not want some vaguely written statewide initiative with out-of-state backers telling us how our Local should work; it should be left up to the members--those who pay the dues.
Barry Samet
President/Business Representative
ATU Local 587
WE ARE ALL RAPISTS NOW
TO THE EDITOR: Although you've probably received a thousand letters regarding the Isaac Brock controversy ["Immodest Mouse," Samantha M. Shapiro, March 18], I think it is important to remember some things. Whether or not Isaac Brock raped this woman should be left up to a court of law, where all sides have the right to present their case. It is the job of the judge/jury to decide the guilt or innocence of a person. The issue of Mr. Brock's guilt or innocence aside, it is very important to remember that rape allegations are rarely false. Most women (and men) do not just simply make up a story of rape. It is disheartening to read letters from persons like Mr. Sean Hurley accusing the alleged victim of being a sociopath [Suite 1225, March 25]. He may have been in the next room, but only two people know if this alleged rape took place. It is because of attitudes like Mr. Hurley's that so many rape victims do not come forward to accuse their attackers. And contrary to popular and misinformed belief, rape is rarely the act of a stranger. The victim usually knows his/her attacker. This is called date rape, Mr. Hurley, and date rape accounts for most of the rapes in this country.
It is because of attitudes like Mr. Hurley's that so many women and men are victimized without knowing it. When a woman/man gives in to a sexual act they did not want to engage in, this is rape. How many people have had sex with someone just to "get it over with" or get the person "off his/her back?" How many of these people know that they were/are a victim of rape? In a society where male violence is glorified through the media, on television and in films, it should be no wonder that even the victims of date rape don't always know that they are victims, and the attackers do not always realize that they are rapists. Educate yourself.
Sandra Meccia-Rabago
READERS' $10 GIVE-AWAY
TO THE EDITOR: We will match your Publisher's $10 Give-Away. Every week, we'll put an envelope with $10 cash in it into a random copy of The Stranger somewhere in Seattle. We just ask whomever gets it to call us and let us know. Our number will be in with the $10. Good work, Stranger, for getting the ball rolling. Come on, Seattle--pitch in!
Richard Garella
Elena Garella
HUMP CAN WRITE. CAN YOU READ?
TO THE EDITOR:
Bernadette Logue
Editor's note: In his column on the Academy Awards, Wm. Steven Humphrey wrote, "...unlike Elia Kazan, I would NEVER rat out a co-worker who had a case of the Trotskies. I might yank their pants down at a staff meeting, but I would never rat them out!"
HEBREW? I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU!
TO THE EDITOR:
MORE ANNOYING THAN EVER!
TO THE EDITOR:
An Annoyed Reader
