Subject: LGNY Article Clarification from Robin Tyler, MMOW Executive Producer
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 15:42:50 EDT

From the Desk of
Robin Tyler, MMOW Executive Producer

DATE: October 25, 1999

I would like to clarify two points from my interview which appears in Nov. 
4th issue of LGNY Lesbian & Gay New York newspaper (Robin Tyler Feisty As She 
Readies To Leave Millennium March).

First, the quote attributed to me which refers to my response to some March 
critics, "A lack of self-esteem leads to this sort of squabbling," is a 
misquote and is taken out of the larger context of the interview. What I have 
consistently said and continue to say is that this movement has too often 
cannibalized its activists. Disagreement can be extremely healthy; but when 
disagreement escalates to such an extent that the personal attacks are 
relentless, it becomes a form of abuse. 

Many in our community have grown up experiencing constant abuse from 
religion, families, schools, psychiatric institutions, science, politicians, 
and the law. It is a pattern in the cycle of abuse that abused people often 
become abusers themselves. This cycle is due to a lack of self-esteem. We 
must continue to understand that the personal is political; how we treat each 
other is just as important as how we are treated by society. It is our duty 
as activists not only to fight for equal rights, but not to allow our anger 
at injustice to turn to rage against each other or even against ourselves. 
For a movement fighting for the right to love, we need to start by loving 
each other. We must work together on areas of agreement and learn not to kill 
each other over our areas of disagreement.  

Second, the article contains a half-truth that the Platform ballot has been 
criticized for "The absence of a specific demand to end anti-sodomy laws." 
Two points deserve clarification. First, the Millennium March on Washington 
is focused on obtaining equality under the federal laws; anti-sodomy laws 
fall under state jurisdiction. In spite of this, the Platform ballot does 
including an option for "Overturning ALL Anti-LGBT laws" as a platform item. 
This covers both federal and state laws, and clearly includes anti-sodomy 
laws. As a point of interest, this issue has received a tremendously high 
response from those who have voted in the process to date.

I thought these two points deserved clarification.

Robin Tyler,
MMOW Executive Producer