Show J 0 t LETTERS TO THE EDITOR C 4 t tH Ii Pi h c f j j. j lt Misinterpretation Sparks More on Gay Debate A C C 4 i H. H To The Editor Nikki Stuarts Stuart's response to my letter to the editor was corre correct t A comparison of homosexuals homosexuals homot homo homo- t se ls to pedophiles or gang-bangers gang is is indeed absurd absurd which which is is why I did not make that corne com corn e W parson parison 4 My references to pedophiles and gang bangers were used as examples of the way our national nation nation- al moral standards will continue to erode if we persist in preaching rights while ignoring I would not compare homosexuals to pedophiles or gang-bangers gang because I know and have worked with several gays who are all intelligent productive law-abiding law citizens I certainly would not use those adjectives to describe pedophiles or gang However while I do not notY Y partake in gay-bashing gay I do not condone their lifestyle In answer to Stuarts Stuart's question Who do gays harm read these statistics and judge for yourselves AIDS is the most obvious danger commonly associated with homosexuals While the spread of AIDS is by no means confined to the homosexual community 53 of infected HIV-infected Americans are homosexuals compared with IDUs IDU's 25 and heterosexuals 7 Minority and young male homosexuals are especially high In 1994 men having sex with men accounted for of AIDS cases AIDS is the leading cause of de death th among men age 44 25 and the fourth leading cause of death among women in the J o 1 1 J 0 Lt- Lt 0 same age group Perhaps gay and lesbian couples fighting for adoption rights should consider the American children who have bave lost their parents to AIDS That number is estimated to exceed in the next next four years HIV mv is also an economic drain on our society The lifetime cost of treating a person infected with HIV lIlY is now estimated at Multiply this by the Americans who have acquired HIV through homosexual contact and we arrive at the sum of 30 As well wen as the threat of AIDS there are other problems associated with homosexuals such as the psychological distress reported by many gays This information was compiled from vari various us sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CAPS the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies The Columbia Unive University ity Record and the Electronic Gay Community Magazine all of which are pro-gay pro or tolerant gay-tolerant organizations We have all heard the statistics many times Ultimately the question we will eventually have to answer is whether homosexuality is moral or i immoral To answer that we will have to adopt some moral standard to support our decision What will that standard be Sarah L L L. Metzger General General Education Major |