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From: on@hpda.UUCP (Owen Rowley)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Re: Gay games and South Africa
Message-ID: <1339@hpda.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Feb-86 15:50:20 EST
Article-I.D.: hpda.1339
Posted: Fri Feb 21 15:50:20 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Feb-86 06:26:46 EST
References: <3241@sun.uucp> <1708@bbncca.ARPA>
Reply-To: on@hpda.UUCP (Owen Rowley)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 45

In article <1708@bbncca.ARPA> rrizzo@bbncca.ARPA (Ron Rizzo) writes:
><followup to Will Doherty>
>However, the policy statement isn't very enlightening.  The issue con-
>cerns a series of real events as reported in the gay press (a recent GCN,
>I believe) and not a statement:  the admission of an all-white
>South African contingent to the Games, despite an alleged earlier
>promise that it wouldn't occur, and the subsequent withdrawal of
>contingents/organizations from Scotland and another country (Canada?
>Netherlands?).

Hmmm.. I thought that the policy statement was clear that the games were not
based on participation by "countrys or their teams" but by individuals from
ANY country in the world. Lets not fall into the trap of accepting one 
reporters interpretation as Gospel. The Gay games have been dealt a crushing 
blow ;-) by the courts and I suspect that the olympic commitee would
like nothing better than to see the Gay games go down ;-) in defeat by 
our own bickering.
>
>My reaction is more mixed now due to mail & discussion (thanks for the
>mail, folks), but if the above account is true, whatever the Games staff
>says it does or would like to do, then I frankly can't escape a feeling
>of uncleanness being part of the games.  Is it worth avoiding being
>unfair to particular gay South Africans whose lot isn't easy, at the
>cost of allowing apartheid to ultimate shape South African participa-
>tion in the games.  It strikes me as somewhat sleazy.

I have a suggestion that may be able to defuse this controversy, and
redirect the heat from the Gay Games Organisation to the individuals
in question.
Since the system of Apartheid is currently under close scrutiny by the
whole world,why not require al South African registrants to make a 
clear statement of repudiation for Apatheid and the Race control policys
of the Botha government before being accepted as participants. Those who
will not do so should be barred from competing . Another idea woulbd be to
tell the South Africans to come up with a black team member or stay home!
The ANC or UDF flags could be used instead of the SA national banner.
ther are lots of things that can be done besides being divisive.

Lets take a lesson from the early American colonists who fought against
the Empire...
United we stand divided we fall.....

LUX .. on
Owen Rowley 
hplabs!hpda!on