Candy Hubbub Not So Sweet
Dear Editor:
You I know I commend our GLBT organizations for defending our rights and our lives all 365 days of the year. I can never thank them enough for all the work they do; and I know full well that without their efforts, over half the rights I have now under the law wouldn't be there.
Now with all that said—and I meant every word—what the heck were they thinking when they went after Snickers' Super Bowl ad? Yes! It was a stupid, ridiculous, silly commerical, with two guys kissing just like in Lady and the Tramp. And as the 'manly men,' as these characters in the commerical were supposed to be, they had to do something to 'prove' they weren't gay. But was that offensive?
I wasn't bothered at all by it. HELL! We just saw two guys kiss on national television. Does anyone know how freaking hard it was for us to get that televised—and televised on a national network during one of the highest rated shows of the year ? As I recall during all these of years of fighting for our rights, our leaders would have given their right arms to have a scene like that aired in such a time slot. Have we been fighting all this time to get such a kiss on the air, and in such a time slot, just to tell the company producing the shot it was wrong to do it? Aren't then we sending a double message?
Our leaders screwed up this time. The ad was harmless, but now it's a big thing. Now we have taken a small 30-second commerical and made it a major mistake. And why? Because two guys kissed and then jumped away from each other? Really—if our leaders are really going to get upset by that, can there be no humor in our community? Can you tell me how they are going to fight to get two guys kissing back on a major network during prime time? Thanks to them, I'm not so sure I'll be seeing such a scene anytime soon.
Thanks ... I think.
James Grant
Chicago, IL
Cut to the Quick
Dear Editor:
Eliminating screening of young men at Cook County Jail for sexually transmitted diseases ( STDs ) may save the county $800,000 in the short-term, but will cost millions of dollars in long-term care and lead to a devastating rise in STD infections.
According to Dr. Sergio Rodriguez, the recently laid-off medical director of Cermak Health Services, as many as one-third of all STD cases in Cook County were handled through the jail. This statistic is a testament to the success of Cook County Jail's STD screening program. When STD screening was implemented, the jail identified one in four cases of chlamydia; one in five cases of gonorrhea; and one in ten cases of syphilis in Chicago annually.
The cost of screening for and providing STD prevention education and counseling is paltry compared to the cost of treating a disease that has progressed to a critical state. Individuals with STDs are three to five times more likely to contract HIV. The lifetime cost of treating this preventable disease is nearly $700,000 per person. With more than 1,000 new HIV infections in the City of Chicago alone, cutting STD testing and counseling of individuals who are at highest risk for the disease is a short-sighted, costly and deadly miscalculation.
The loss of STD screening for high-risk individuals who lack regular medical care not only means that thousands of cases of life-altering STDs will go undetected, but also results in thousands of missed opportunities to educate and counsel detainees on disease prevention methods. This is critically important, as approximately 66 percent of jail detainees return to the community instead of going to prison. Without treatment and prevention education, individuals released with active STDs will put loved ones and family members at risk for infection, and we will begin to see infection rates soar.
Lack of STD testing in jails, the closing of community health clinics in resource-poor areas and the scaling back of services at Cook County Hospital are creating a perfect storm for STD infection among our most vulnerable populations. We must not sacrifice the public's health for the sake of a balanced budget.
Sincerely,
Steve Trombley, Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area
Mark Ishaug, AIDS Foundation of Chicago
Soo Ji Min, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health
It's Not Right, and It's Not OK
To the Editor:
I am writing to express my disgust at the hateful attack on James Cappleman, a 46th Ward aldermanic candidate, by Timothy Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church ( son of Rev. Fred Phelps ) .
All of us recall Phelps' repugnant picketing of Matthew Shepard's funeral and their presence protesting us at the annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade.
Each of us chooses individual candidates to support, based on who we believe will best represent our point of view in elective office. Choosing candidates and supporting them based on their record, credentials and involvement in the community is what the democratic process is all about.
Whichever side of a political race we are on, however, we must totally reject attacks on any candidate based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other personal characteristic.
Very truly yours,
Greg Harris
State Representative, 13th District
