From: Heather Wright Subject: PFLAG Action Alert: Speak Out Against Dr. Laura Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 16:52:01 -0400 * * * PFLAG ACTION ALERT * * * The July 3rd edition of TIME Magazine includes what they bill as an "Exclusive Q&A" with Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Below are excerpts of the two-page interview that pertain to the GLBT interview. Here is our opportunity to speak out on behalf of our GLBT friends and family members - send a letter to the editor at TIME magazine! Maybe you've heard a "Dr. Laura program", and had personal experiences that contradicted what she was saying about GLBT people. Maybe one of your friends or colleagues quoted "Dr. Laura" to support anti-GLBT attitudes or behaviors. It's important to show that her rhetoric doesn't just offend us individually- it hurts the people we care about and helps to perpetuate the refusal of GLBT civil rights. Send your letters to: TIME Magazine Letters Time & Life Building Rockefeller Center New York, NY 10020 (212) 522-8949 fax Letters@time.com Letters should include the writer's full name, address and home phone and may be edited. Here is the article. Thanks so much for taking the time! ____________________________________________________-- Excerpts from TIME interview with Dr. Laura Schlessinger "Preacher, Teacher, Nag: Dr. Laura Speaks Her Mind" TIME Magazine, July 3, 2000, pgs 59-60 TIME: Can you set the record straight and explain your comments about homosexuals as "deviants"? A: I never called homosexual human beings deviants. I have pointed out that homosexual behavior deviates from the norm of heterosexuality and is forbidden by Scriptures. That is basically the context...Even now I get hundreds of letters a week from gays and lesbians who realize the way I'm being presented is nowhere near the truth. I stand behind basic civil rights - where someone is able to live, and work at his job - and always have. The only place where this is a divergence is the issue that I consider sacred: marriage and family structure around children. TIME: A homosexual couple can't be as good parents as a heterosexual couple can? A: My point has never been that any individual, gay or straight, could or could not be a good parent. My concern is always the well-being of children. And since your average child human being is heterosexual, it seems to me self-evident that the best environment is with the polarity of a mother and a father joined in love, who raise that child with the image of what his future life will be. I say the same thing of straight, single women who have babies. It doesn't't matter to me that you're a loving woman. You're not providing a dad, and it's in the best interest of the child to have a dad. TIME: You've said, "If you're gay or a lesbian, it's a biological error that inhibits you from relating normally to the opposite sex." Do you really believe homosexuals are biological errors? A: We have vaginas and penises. We were biologically meant to give birth to more people. Not being able to relate normally to a member of the opposite sex is some kind of error. I do not see that as insulting at all. It is a statement of biological fact. When you read the whole thing in context, I'm anything but insulting to human beings. Some people just don't want to hear the truth. ... TIME: If a married man realizes he is homosexual, should he stay in his marriage? A: I have had calls like that, and I come down hard on people, the same way I come down hard on the guy who says he has the hots for the neighbor next door who wears short shorts. To me, it's the same thing. You made a vow. You have children. They deserve your sacrifice so they can have what they need to grow up because you made your choices already. So, for straight or gay, I would say the exact same thing. TIME: But living that kind of double life surely cannot be good for children, can it? A: It's not bad for children when someone does it for honor. There is always something more out there...but to just abandon and neglect your obligations and responsibilities - I can't go there. ... TIME: What has been the toll the controversy with the gay community has taken? A: I've cried more at times than I would like to admit because to see my name, my character, my person come under attack...It's astonishing to have your name smeared with such vitriol. I wouldn't't wish it on people I dislike. It's been agonizing. # # # Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families & friends through support, education, and advocacy. Serving nearly 77,000 members & supporters, PFLAG affiliates are located in 430+ communities in the U.S. 1726 M St. NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036 phone: 202-467-8180 fax: 202-467-8194 Email info@pflag.org Web http://www.pflag.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe from PFLAG's Email Alert, send an email, subject line "unsubscribe" to info@pflag.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~