Word: lesbian
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Second, gay and lesbian people are accustomed to living lives filled with irony; it is, perhaps, the defining characteristic of many of our lives. Our humor, which is often the key to our survival, depends upon it. Never has this irony been more evident than by the choice of an African-American general with a spectacular military career who has become one of the primary speakers against social progress. I am sure that General Powell means well, most people do. But can he fail to see that he would not be in a position to be invited to speak...
Third, I would like to appeal to the many good people in this community who have been supportive of gays and lesbians here at Harvard. We need your support now. We need you to speak out against intolerance and homophobia. We need you to join us in protest. We need you to open your minds and hearts to the real needs of people whose suffering is often invisible, but whose oppression is very real indeed. I began working for civil rights in the fifties and sixties in Louisiana, a struggle that made a real difference in the lives...
There is a University committee now working hard to understand the complex relationship between Harvard and the military, including Harvard's arrangements with ROTC. The gay and lesbian community at Harvard has been asked to be patient and await for this committee's conclusions and recommendations. This we have done for the entire academic year. When we feel that our concerns have been put on hold for this long, it is exceedingly difficult to understand the decision to honor General Powell, one of the most persistent and loudest voices defending the current military...
...cannot in this brief letter go over all the arguments and rationales for my position on this issue. However, I will offer several thoughts to your readers. First, everyone needs to understand that every day lesbian and gay people in the armed services are being discharged, often while being forced to endure humiliation, cruel treatment, and harassment. Women constitute the larger number of these cases, especially women who are moving up in the ranks and threatening the career aspirations of their straight male counterparts. These Americans face ruined careers, shattered lives, and terrible blows to elf-esteem...
Shame on General Powell for his anti-humanist rhetoric. Shame on Harvard for giving him a unique world-wide platform on which to spread his message of exclusion. Thurston Smith, Director Harvard University Network for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues