Date: Fri, 14 Apr 1995 20:23:25 -0500 (CDT) From: Kevyn Jacobs To: "Kansas Queer News [KQN]" Subject: UDK coulmn on Eric Moore FROM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS - LAWRENCE APRIL 13, 1995 OPINION PAGE ================================ NARROW-MINDED KANSAN EDITOR TELLS VERSION OF 'TRUTH' In Wednesday's _University Daily Kansan_, Stephen Martino attempted to justify his outrageous behavior in the name of a naive quest for the truth. It is not a particularly surprising explanation, given that Mr. Martino is a member of that privileged class of humans in our society who are allowed to determine for the rest of us what is truth. In fact, as the self-righteousness of his explanation clearly demonstrates, Martino has never question ed the fact that in our society there are people who act for reasons that he can not understand. Further, if he and the writers at the _Kansan_ are so entirely driven by "the truth," why then did Wednesday's front-page article sensationalize that truth, in order to focus the reader's attention on the charges brought against Eric Moore, rather than on the fact of the conviction? An inexcusable wrong was committed by Mr. Moore, but it was not the one that most readers of that article were methodically led to assume. If Mr. Martino agonized over this situation with the care and concern that he claims, one can only read the article published with an equally attentive concern, and judge his misrepresentation of "The Truth" as deliberate. Martino claims that "the _Kansan_ knew [Moore's reasons for resigning] to be false." How dare he attempt to justify the vilification of an individual on the presumptive belief that Martino could possibly know better than that person the reasons for his or her behavior! Again, the privilege assigned in our country to a certain group of men allows them to believe that such a thing is possible, and that it is their responsibility to tell us what to believe. The clear lack of understanding of HIV and AIDS, and the necessary health concerns surrounding it, demonstrates the destructiveness of Martino's belief in his brand of truth. To Martino, Moore's illness was nothing more than an excuse: something to hide behind. Surviving with HIV is a skill, and the results are a prolonged life. When Martino claims that the _Kansan_ knew Moore's reasons for stepping down to be false, he overlooks the fact that at this point, Moore's continued existence on this planet must be of more concern to him than anything else. The simple fact is that when Moore learned that the _Kansan_ might publish his criminal record, he realized the impact that the situation would have on his health: an immunological disaster brought on by extreme duress. He had only one hope. If he stepped down as a public figure, he might spare himself that scrutiny and thus spare his immune system further damage. Martino's headline on the front page article, "LesBiGay director quits amid controversy," exhibits the way he tries to tell us what to believe. The only real controversy was at the _Kansan:_ whether to believe an individual attempting to save his own life, or to pursue a naive version of the truth. There was no controversy prior to the article's publication. Mr. Moore must either protect his health very carefully, or die. Eric Moore committed a reprehensible crime. LesBiGay Services of Kansas, and Lesbigay communities everywhere, unequivocally deplore the sexual abuse of children. Although Moore served the legal sentence for his crime, he clearly will never be able to right the wrong he committed. One might see, however, in the past two years of Moore's dedication to fighting injustice in a variety of areas, an attempt to do everything possible to make a positive contribution to society. I wonder if Mr. Martino will n ow accept the responsibility to live his life knowing that he will never be able to make up for the results of the imposition of his naive belief in one sole truth: his. -Scott Manning, Acting Director, LesBiGay Services of Kansas