Subject: Response to Vaid's Advocate Ltr
From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 14:19:37 EST

Letter in Response to Urvashi Vaid's Letter in the December 1, 1993 edition
of the Advocate
							             	                                                 1234
Massachusetts Ave, NW
			             Apt. 523
			             Washington, DC 20005
									                                             December 16, 1993
Jeff Yarborough						            
Editor
The Advocate

Dear Jeff:
	In light of Urvashi Vaid's article in the December 14 issue of The Advocate,
I must respond.  I agree with Ms. Vaid's statements regarding the long and
sometimes disappointing and rough road to equality.  I also agree with her
that we need to have a concentrated effort on such issues as educating
ourselves and the larger community, doing daily "grunt" work without
complaining, and empowering people that meet homophobia daily in their home,
office and social environments.  Having said this, I also disagree just as
strongly with some of her "Top Ten Old Ideas to Move the Movement."

#10.  The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund [VF] and HRCF should merge.  
	Merging the VF and HRCF would be like shooting ourselves in the foot.  The
VF is a non-connected PAC which does not lobby, nor give money directly to
candidates as does HRCF.  The VF's mission is to empower our own to run and
win in elections at all levels with political assistance, education and other
strategic resources.  VF members make individual contributions directly to VF
endorsed candidates, not the VF itself.  Vaid's suggestion to merge VF and
HRCF would, for example, have taken away over $52,000 from VF members'
contributions to Rep. Studds 1992 re-election campaign because of
increasingly complex and limiting PAC reform laws.

#9. NGLTF should open field offices in every state.
	The most overlooked asset of the GLB movement has a grassroots network in
every state, in fact, there are over 320 domestically and over 340 worldwide.
 This group supports, educates and advocates for GLB equality and is all
inclusive.  There is no internal battle, no external grievance and it has
experienced enormous growth in the past five years.  This organization is
often under-utilized and over-looked.  I am speaking of PFLAG, Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The silver bullet of the GLB
movement in the next decade.

#4. Everyone must join and support gay equality
	You would not walk into a stranger's house ask them for a loaf of bread and
cup of tea in exchange for your companionship, no matter how wonderful you
think you are. You cannot simply walk up to other communities and groups
asking for their support if you have nothing to offer them in exchange.  We
need to educate ourselves and our potential allies of the interwoven web that
the radical right is trying to cast over issues relating to: education
[vouchers, school board elections and censorship]; the arts [Cobb County,
NEA]; the environment [Wise Use movement]; pro-choice; divisions in the
African-American, black, latino and asian/pacific islander communities,
labor; to name a few.

We need to do develop the movement in two areas- personally and
organizationally.  As individuals, the most powerful thing we can do is to be
OUT- the second most powerful thing we can do is to encourage our families
and friends to do so as well.  Together, we will walk and win, divided we
will fall and be swept away.  Organizationally, we need to analyze our
current vehicles for changing the hearts and minds of the populace and go on
from there.  We need to stop trying to re-invent the wheel; all we really
need to do is have a tune-up from time to time.

Sincerely,

George Neighbors, Jr.