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From: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle)
Newsgroups: net.motss,net.politics
Subject: Re: Articles on gay Nicaraguans
Message-ID: <2076@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 9-Jun-85 17:10:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.2076
Posted: Sun Jun  9 17:10:22 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Jun-85 02:21:56 EDT
References: <1450@bbncca.ARPA>
Reply-To: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle)
Organization: U. of Tx. at Houston-in-the-Hills
Lines: 31
Xref: watmath net.motss:1748 net.politics:9361
Ya-Vencio: "Bob"

I appreciate Ron Rizzo's articles giving Cuba and Nicaragua hell for the
conditions faced by gays there.  Homophobia, especially if it is
institutionalized, is vicious and wrong and shouldn't be swept under the rug
or apologized for.

On the other hand, I wish that he would use equal zeal in condemning the
homophobia which exists in other countries in Latin America.  I've travelled
a bit in Mexico, and I've heard some pretty hair-raising stories about
quasi-official harassment of gays there and read the graffiti that is ample
evidence of the homophobia of the general population as well.  I'm not
saying that two wrongs make a right, but if the issue is really mistreatment
of gays, why single out two small countries when almost all of Latin America
deserves criticism?

I'm also disturbed (and confused) by Ron's implication that there is a
direct connection between the Sandinista revolution and homophobia in
Nicaragua.  Is he saying that Sandinista Nicaragua is homophobic but
Somoza's Nicaragua wasn't?  I'd sure like to hear some details.

As for Cuba, I have only one bit of information to throw out: an
acquaintance of mine just returned last month from a trip to Cuba with the
Venceremos Brigade, and one of that was stressed on his trip was that things
are supposed to be different now for gays.  I have no doubt that this is
intended to cover up the abuses which do continue (and I hope that Ron will
continue to inform us about them), but I think it bears mentioning that the
open and unapologetic homophobia Ron mentions appears to be a thing of the
past.

--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
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--- riddle@ut-sally.UUCP, riddle@ut-sally.ARPA, riddle%zotz@ut-sally