Page 2
THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 1977
Students give views on gays, lawsuit
Editor:
Established under the Morrill
Act, Texas A&M College was offi-
Icially opened on October 2, 1876.
'Over the past hundred year history
*at A&M , many traditions have been
-established at A&M — traditions
•that separate Texas A&M aside from
lany other college or university in
^the United States. A person was and
T still hope is, proud to tell someone
-that he or she graduated from Texas
I A&M and they are and forever will
Ibe an Aggie!!
I But lately it seems as though
^some of these traditions and many
'others have lost their meaning.
They haven’t really lost their mean-
ling, they’ve lost their support from
members of this University! I dare
_not say that there are only a few
people on campus that know a lot
about A&M traditions and history
I (faculty and students included) with
;exception of the Corps of Cadets.
* The most recent and most promi-
-nent change in traditions and or-
-ganizations at Texas A&M has been
the Gay Student Service Organiza
tion (GSSO). Now the GSSO has
-sued Texas A&M because the Uni
versity won’t recognize them as an
organization. For Christ sakes, can’t
the GSSO take a hint! I just wish
that the GSSO would pack up their
gear and “high tail it” to t.u. and
leave the Aggies here at Texas A&M
who want to be true Aggies and who
want to live up to that good old
Aggie spirit alone. We don’t want
the Twelfth Man to be a homosex
ual!!!
—Frank Robinson, ’80
—Jim Parker, ’79
—Don Glockzin, ’80
—Tim Peters, ’80
Society clings
to status quo
Editor:
I am white, male, and sexually
“straight;” characteristics which
could easily predispose one to cling
ing to tradition and the status-quo
and fearing any change which would
undermine our, “American way of
life.” “I fear the woman who ex
hibits ambition and intelligence,
daring to compete in our ’man’s
world.’” “Even today I begrudg
ingly accept the Black, for it has
only taken 200 years to realize that
maybe he is a person, even if he is a
different color.” The list continues,
and the philosophy of Mr. Chauvin
is alive and well at Texas A&M.
Specifically, I am speaking of the
unrest concerning the GSSO. I am
not homosexual — believe it is
wrong for me. However, I do be
lieve in homosexuals’ rights as
people and American citizens.
“But homosexuality is illegal in
the state of Texas,” you say? In
deed, it is; but then so is heterosex
ual oral sex and extramarital sex. It
is still technically illegal in the state
of New York for a woman to bare
her ankles in public, and if Texas
state law was strictly enforced in
College Station, literally hundreds
of Aggies would spend the night in
jail after every midnight yell prac
tice.
“But homosexuality is con
demned by the Bible,” you say? In
deed, it is. But look again, my
friend. It is condemned along with
drunkenness, premarital sex, and
many more activities. The Bible
does not quantify sin. One “sin” is
no more wrong than the other.
But my purpose is not to debate
religion. Suffice it to say that we
often tend to be very selfish. We
choose to enforce the laws which do
not affect us, and to categorize as
immoral those activities which we
do not desire or understand.
Granted, the state of Texas is
perhaps a more appropriate defen
dant in a civil rights suit. A&M re
ceives state funds and is bound to
comply with state law, however ar
chaic that law may be.
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• Troubleshooting
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However, this fact and one’s up
bringing should never excuse inflex
ibility to constructive change. If this
were the case, the Black would still
be saying, "Ah’m a good nigga,
Massa,” and women would still be
saying, “Yes, dear, anything you
say..
—Randy C. Potts, ’77
‘True Aggies
cant he bigots 9
Editor:
I have had it. I cannot believe the
prejudice that exists on this campus.
If someone isn’t complaining about
the blacks, it’s the whites. If not the
gays, it’s the rednecks. If it isn’t the
jocks, it’s the theatre people. This is
ridiculous.
I have known blacks and whites
and jocks and theatre people and
rednecks and. Heaven and God al
mighty forbid, gays, and I don’t
know what the hell any of you bigots
are talking about when you say that
rednecks are stupid, that blacks are
crude, that theatre people are
strange, or that gays are all on the
make.
I don’t think for one half of a sec
ond that I was just lucky in meeting
the special ones from each group. I
think it’s my attitude. I wasn’t
raised with this attitude, I acquired
it. I saw how being mean, thought
less, and cruel can affect someone. I
know you all have also.
I bet three-fourths of you have a
friend that is black, or redneck, or
gay, and he or she is a good friend.
And you say to yourself, “I hate
blacks, but my friend’s different. I
hate rednecks, but my friend is dif
ferent. I cannot stand, at all, gays,
but my friend is different.”
Like hell they’re different. They
are the same as you. The same as
me. The same as anyone else. Their
skin, or sex, or religion, or sexual
preference may be different, but in
side, they look just like the rest of
us.
All it takes to understand is the
time it takes to sit, and listen to
their side of an argument. Then, if
you want, storm off hating them.
but damn it, listen first. It doesn’t
take shuttle diplomacy to settle ar
guments. It takes patience, trust,
understanding, and a little love.
Scream all you want, the best
friends I have up here are the ones
that I listen to and that listen to me.
True Aggies can’t be bigots. Leave
that for t.u.
—Charlie Andrews, ’80
Constitutional
rights important
Editor:
Regarding the letters published
in the March 3 issue of The Battal
ion, there are a few issues that must
be addressed.
First, to the four members of the
S.S.O.: there is no doubt that you
have the right to apply for recogni
tion and that you have the right to
file suit. I must point out, however,
that several members of the
G.S.S.O. have had the courage and
conviction of their beliefs to allow
their names to be made public. That
you did not even have the nerve to
sign your names to a sarcastic letter
(an action of the Batt which I
strongly condemn) renders your
opinion worthless.
To Mr. Holley: thank you and
congratulations for writing an intel
ligent comment. I do not, however,
agree with you. Homosexuality is
not an illness and I refer you to the
position taken by the American
Psychiatric Association, American
Psychology Association and numer
ous professional studies especially
those of Dr. Evelyn Hooker.
Most important, however, is the
issue of constitutional rights. No
one ever claimed that enforcing the
principles of the Constitution would
be easy, or that constitutional rights
only apply to issues that everyone
agrees with. The suit filed by the
G.S.S.O. is based entirely on con
stitutional rights. If the Constitution
is to mean anything, the rights it ac
cords must be assured for all citi-
zens.
—Michael J. Garrett, ’77
RICHARP E. LEAKEY
"OUR HUMAN HERITAGE-
Millions of Years of Man in Africa”
8:00 EM. March 8 Rudder Auditorium
Texas A&M University
$1.00 Students $3.00 Non-students
Tickets available at the door
and through the Anthropology
Club, Anthropology Research
Labs 311 Bolton Hall
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-F The Battalion, Summer 1977
+ The Battalion, Fall 1977
+ The Aggieland, Academic year
1977-78
The Student Publicatlone Board la accepting appllcationa for
Summer and Fall editorships of The Battalion and for 1977-78 editor
ships of the Aggieland.
Application forms may be obtained at the Student Publications
office, 216 Read McDonald Building, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
Completed application forms should be returned to Bob Q. Rogers,
chairman, Student Publications Board, 301 Read McDonald.
Deadline for submission of applications is 5 p.m. Tuesday, March
22.
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gust 24, 1977.
The Battalion Fall Semester editor will serve from April 18, 1977,
through Dec. 4, 1977 (with the exception of the summer term.)
The Aggieland editor will serve for the academic year 1977-78.
Qualifications for editor of The Battalion are: 2.0 overall and major
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one year of experience in a responsible editorial position on the Bat
talion or comparable student newspaper OR at least one year of edito
rial experience on a commercial newspaper OR at least 12 hours of
journalism including Journalism 203 and 204 (Reporting and Editing I
and II) or equivalent. The 12 hours must Include completion of or
enrollmant In Journalism 402 (Law) or equivalent.
Qualifications for editor of the Aggieland are: 2.0 overall and major
QPR at the time of taking office and during the term of office. At leaat
one year In a responsible staff position on the Aggieland or equivalent
yearbook experience elsewhere.
Is Batt withholding the real story
Editor:
Thank you very much for the ex
cellent interview with Carl Oglesby
(Battalion, March 3) which was both
revealing and invigorating. But
what disturbed me was the poor
coverage in Friday’s Battalion about
his speech on “Yankee/Cowboy
Theory of American Politics.”
Due to a conflict with my class
schedules I was unable to attend
Mr. Oglesby’s and Mr Kostman’s
earlier lectures, but I assume their
reportage was equally poor because
in summing up his speeches during
the last talk, Mr. Oglesby said more
about them than did your para
graphs .
I did not take notes during the
lecture, and so I do not recall pre
cisely all the issues he talked about,
but I do remember certain salient
features which I thought were im
perative to be included in any news
report about the speech.
For example, there was no men
tion of Galin and his Nazi hoodlums
who were hired right after World
War II to lead the U.S. foreign in-
The Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the
editor or of the writer of the article and are not neces
sarily those of the University administration or the
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versity and community newspaper. Editorial policy is
determined by the editor.
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Editor Jerry Needham
Managing Editor James Aitken
Associate Managing Editor Rusty Cawley
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telligenee apparatus. The ink;
political marriage between!
Eastern Establishment (Yank
power elite and that of the S*
(Cowboy) which were manifest!
such partnerships as (i
n edy / J oh nson, Johnson/ Humpt:
Nixon/Kissinger, and nownn
ifested by Carter/Mondale wasi
conveniently left out. Whatactna
led to the uncovering off
Watergate incident, andwhyi-
Johnson and Agnew forced tots
were not mentioned either.
You are beginning to son
ominously more like the nafo
media. The colleges are theta
of intellectual endeavors andM
is no exception, but when tkf
dents are deprived of their rijk
information by their veryn
school newspaper such emtai
are hard to pursue. The nati:
media have shameslessly beta
their cause to serve the Amen
people, and I am afraid the cam
newspapers may follow suit. S
FREE, Batt!!!
—Ishtiaq A. Chisti
Editor’s note: Your letter set
to insinuate that The Battafc
involved in some national me
conspiracy to keep some truthlr
the American public. Letmeass
you this is not so.
In your opinion, the coverayt
one Battalion reporter ofi
speech was not adequate, but'
should not make blanket assiit
tions about the skills or motive!
all Battalion reporters.
The lengthy interview is ant
cation that The Battalion was
trying to bury Oglesby orhisidf
The reporter, through latl
skill or lack of space, didnotgoi
detail about the particular!
spiracies Oglesby mentionedai*
which you seem to be intereste
If you want to know more a!
Oglesby’s theories, you migll
his book, “The Yankee Covd
War: Conspiracies from Dafc
Watergate.”
The Battalion generally ca«
sign only one reporter to a p(*
tially newsworthy occurence. 1
because we are, using students'
are still developing reportingi
we may sometimes come up s!
of the full story. On manyarti
the problem can be alleviatei
rechecking with the sources,
one only gets one chance ate*
Even though the coverage of
wrap-up speech of the led'
series may have seemed rai
shallow, the editors’ only alls
tive would have been to notn#
article at all.
And then what kind of conspi
theory could you have developi
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