OPINION
Tuesday, September 14, 1993
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
5
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Racist skin heads do not exist. Skin heads often take the blame for senseless acts of hate. We are constantly misrepresented by the media, thus portrayed to the public a negative image that does not convey the truth about our movement.
Skin head label is used inappropriately
Skin heads first appeared in England in the late 1960s. They were blue-collar youths ranging in age from 16 to 25. The skin heads were a multi-racial group who believed in their country and used hard work to achieve their goals. After working long hours they would frequent the dance halls to dance to the latest soul and reggae sounds. This was skin head life, and their efforts to improve the country in which they believed could not have been better celebrated than by dancing the night away and drinking a few pints. This remains true 25 years later. Those
original skin heads still do the same thing they did when they were 20 years old, only now there are skin heads throughout the world.
heads in tough weather. No one in the media ever bothered to research this. They automatically assume that since some bald racist punk-rocker called himself a "skin head," then that was what the movement was about. So these so-called "skin heads" are nothing but misled, bigoted youths. An editorial in the Kansan stated that there are 3,500 rocker bone-heads. I do not think so. We have a great deal of pride in what we believe in and will not compromise the skin head name for the sake of some bigot's current fad. The editor asked the University public to take action in any way possible to help combat hate; we suggest the media start finding out the whole truth about the people they condemn before they go to print. Leave the boneheads to us—we can take care of them.
Richard Burk Lawrence senior
Rights should not be based on orientation
Sharon Bottoms experienced one of the joys of life when she had her first son, Tyler, two years ago. Last week she experienced one of its sorrows: seeing her child abducted by a legal system tainted by prejudice.
system cannot be prepared. There is a growing awareness in the United States about the daily discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and gay people. Many cities and states have enacted laws to protect their citizens from discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The injury of this case goes far beyond being an insult to bisexuals, gays and especially lesbians. Judge Buford Parsons explained that his reasoning was based on the "immoral" behavior of the mother. But any attack on the rights of an individual is an attack on the rights of all individuals. Is the way now cleared for an anti-Semitic judge to take away
the child of a mother who has converted to Judaism, and deliver it to a "moral, Christian" grandparent? With the stream of cases of physical, verbal and sexual child abuse perpetuated by heterosexuals, and the equally steady return of abused children to such parents, why take a child away from an environment where it is happy, safe and protected?
We must all, regardless of our sexual orientation, speak out against the violence and hatred of difference. We must take action when violence and hatred are directed at us from our government. The members of Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Services of Kansas urge you to write to express your outrage to Governor L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia. We urge you to attend a candlelight vigil at 8 tonight on Wescoe beach to protest intolerance. And we urge you to support Sharon Bottoms 'struggle through the courts to regain custody of her son.
Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Services of Kansas
Watkins offers good services, low prices
Tisha Heyka must surely have been practicing for her creative-writing major when she wrote her editorial concerning Watkins Memorial Health Center. With thousands of students at KU, it would be impossible to have no waiting for walk-in patients. There are only so many staff members doing the best they can. Try making an appointment.
For services that require a fee, Watkins offers lower prices than off-campus clinics with more one-on-one attention from the doctors. I, for one, am glad we have the health center.
As for self-diagnosis, well, Ms. Heyka, everyone knows that you can't tell if it's strep throat by looking. You have to be tested. Try a different doctor.
Feresa Corcoran
Ottawa sophomore
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