Tuesday October 11, 1994 ber 11, It)} • H SPORIi iFS am takes nnesota len’s golf teai ie Northwester; rmorial Classi; lead over ed by Anthor;, ed fifth in Hit with a 71,Drt 3th place. Rp jtt tied for n. i by Jeff Bror Wearing 'gay' T-shirt on campus draws criticism, compliments Ison lay ’) — Any- )ilers uni ts booed iless it’s the team are of crit- , Richard- med exis- is as the quarter- . Richard- proach to ithusiasm Id scram- an enter- iining fea- !9t as I can round ail i Sunday nebodys ippen.” niggling hoot of- mpts to s of the ack sets lee and i Kevin barge of ? been hing of- d offen- )n have a heavy nearby a&m, the Oil- ss. His iy when would- covered ee and owl ction. , it identi- 3 that re- her were ty-owned :ertifi ca ' company ! 103,195 e in the ji s putes 3t of sH ! project, for any dit- But city o ffl ' dnst the .tractors d-IVtac's utive of- iied any ;ed fully er, nev- been Jal'Mac in Mon- Dali 88 t know they’ re Asa freshman, I remember seeing a /\ man in Bemie’s with a T-shirt that JL Ajsaid “Everybody thinks I’m straight.” The way the people stared at him was both rude and painfully obvious. At the time, I idly remarked to my friend that I would be interested in wear ing a shirt like that sometime. When I re alized that October 11 was National Com- ng Out Day, I was galvanized into action. I went to Club 202 - the only place in town that is open-minded enough to sell T-shirts that support the homosexual community - and bought one that said “Some of my best friends are straight.” I have had one uncle die from AIDS, and another is presently infected with the disease. In addition, several people have told me horror stories about the cruel treatment inflicted upon them because of their sexuality. As a result of these and other reasons, I have al ways been openly supportive of the homo sexual community. I am a member of Allies, a homosexual sup port group here on campus. This accepting atti tude is sometimes difficult to maintain in this bastion of conservatism, so I constantly try to --vC' 1,7 The Battalion • Page 11 Walking a mile in their shoes wears on your soul ELIZABETH PRESTON think of new ways to pub licly demonstrate my re ceptiveness to the A&M homosexual community. The night before I wore the shirt I spoke with sev eral friends to gauge their reactions. Three thought that I was coming out of the closet. One friend pointed out that I would be telling the community I was gay, and that every one - gasp - would not read my column to correct that impression. I was only a few hours into this experiment and already feeling uncomfortable. I then began to worry that the homosexual peo ple on campus might see me and trust my T- shirt. If someone came out to me because they believed I was homosexual and then discovered that it was an experi ment, the betrayal would be deep and uncorrectable. All this oc- I curred to me before I even walked out of my house. I walked to school early and went to Pie Are Square. A handsome man sitting at a table stared at my shirt openly and then pointed me out to his friends as I waited in line. As I walked around campus all day, the reac tions remained constant. In Hullabaloo people stared as they read my T-shirt, then quickly looked away without making eye contact. When I was walking with a friend in the after noon, a young woman looked at me closely and then laughed out loud. She touched my arm and said “Great T-shirt!” with a kind smile. In my last class of the day, a man who always compliments my style glared as he read the shirt, rolled his eyes at me and then scoffed audibly as he turned his back. This was the worst re sponse of the day. The surprise reaction for the day came from the Quad. I stereotypically assumed that when I strolled around the Quad people would stare, point or otherwise show Homosexuals do not choose to be gay, but in coming forward with their sexuality they are choosing to be an example in honesty that we should all strive to follow. themselves to be homophobes. Actually, all of the people I encountered there that read the T-shirt smiled broadly at me and practically yelled an enthusiastic “HOWDY!” I don’t know if I just came across accepting Corps members, if the stereotypes are overblown or if the Corps are just so scared of being burned by another scandal that they are overcompensating. Whatever the reason, they were the nicest ^ people I came across all day. The reactions were nowhere near as hateful as~ I had imagined they would be. Speaking with < friends this weekend, many pointed out that the reactions would have been sig- nificantly different had a man worn thev shirt. For inexplicable reasons men re act much stronger to gay men than do women. I also realize that throwing on a T- shirt and wearing it around campus all day does not come close to discovering how it feels to be homosexual in today’s homophobic world. Today is National Coming Out Day, and all T around the country brave men and --y- women are stepping out of the closet to - join the ever growing homosexual popu- Il lation. Facing the stares and comments £ for one day, even knowing the next day E'- - would be straight again, was a humiliat ing and humbling experience. Having the guts to come out and face v* those reactions for the rest of your life! is admirable and must be the most dif- ^ ficult process a person can go through. Homosexuals do not choose to be gay, but in ■ : .\£ coming forward with their sexuality they are choosing to be an example in honesty that we '*■ should all strive to follow. Elizabeth Preston is a junior English major The Battalion Editorial Board Belinda Blancarte, Editor in chief Mark Evans, Managing editor Jay Robbins, Opinion editor jenny Magee, Assistant opinion editor Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express tne opinions of the authors. Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. \it & coNHa SUMCE'EH ur Toutwni! Legislating Lobbying Need for reform remains despite bill's failure The Lobby Reform and Disclosure Act passed the U.S. House of Repre- | sentatives, but Thursday, a filibuster Allied the bill in the Senate. Although the bill had flaws and was should not have passed, reform of the lobbying industry is still needed. Lobbyists constitute one of the most powerful political forces in this country. The influence they wield can help determine the fate of al most any legislation, including funding for universities like Texas A&M, determining crim inal punishments and estab lishing tax rates. The failed bill included several points which would be beneficial to the future regulation of the lobbyists. When a similar bill come to Congress’ floor again, these features need to be present in it. Under the Lobby Re form and Disclosure Act, small groups who paid out more than $2,500 for expenses or spent more than $5000 during a six-month period, would have had to register with a director of lobbying. The same would have been required of groups who spent 10 percent or more of their time contacting federal offi cials over specific issues. Groups who dedicate such resources should be considered influential on legisla tion, and subject to regulations. The banning ofrfree T TuHebes is also needed. Such practice is considered unethical in several professional fields, and congressmen should be held to the same standards, if not higher. They earn enough money to pay for their own food, and should not be influenced by “ritzy” dinners at “the club.” Religious organizations would have been exempt from such reg ulations under the proposed bill. However, these organizations also have special interests and spend a great deal of time trying to attract the ears of Washington. They too, should be in cluded as lobbyists, as they attempt to influence public policy. Many constituents are members of these lobby ing organizations and should have the right to know how their membership dues are being spent. Yet, individuals who are not members of interest groups should also have the right to equally access their representative. With such government regula tions, both lobbyists and individuals will still be able to voice their opin ion and see its effects on the law. rthir rmticv: otnrtn or. niernot 1RLM That lAEKE 'S kA -