LETTERS

Gay Bashing
Misses Mark

Breaking Down
Gay Barriers

In his letter ("Reform Challenged On

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2001

Adat Shalom Synagogue
29901 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills

6 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Registration

Seder and festive meal

All women age 12 and older are welcome.
Dietary laws observed • No solicitation of funds

Send check for '36 per person, payable to Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, along with your name, address,
phone number and names of those with whom you'd like to sit.

Mail to: Women's Campaign and Education Department
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
P. O. Box 2030, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-2030

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Please bring kosher-for-Passover food items on the
evening of the seder. Donations will go to Yad Ezra.

Terran Leemis

Carol Weintraub Fogel

Chair

Associate Chair

Gay Scoutmasters," Feb. 23, page 5),
Douglas H. Ruben of Okemos states
the Reform movement has missed the
point ("Scouting: Not For Everyone,"
Feb. 2, page 16).
I will let my friends who are
Humanistic Jews speak to the issue of
atheists teaching Judaism. My area of
expertise is homosexuality. As director
of Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition's ,
ECHO (Educating our Community
about Homosexuality through Out-
reach) program, I have been working
to include gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender individuals and families
in all aspects of Jewish life.
One point of importance is that
Jews as a people know the danger of
myths and misconceptions that can
cause others to hate without ever
exploring what is true and what is
not. We also know about being
stereotyped, discriminated against,
persecuted and murdered because of
what others think we are. Leaders of
the Reform movement recognized this
and did the only thing they could,
make a strong statement against those
who discriminate on the basis of sexu-
al orientation.
The qualities that a person possess-
es that make him qualified to be a
scoutmaster have absolutely nothing
to do with the people to whom he is
attracted. The leaders of the Boy
Scouts seem to think that gay scout-
masters will teach boys to have sex
with boys. Are they teaching them to
have sex with girls? No, because that
is not what Scouting is about.
I especially take issue with the
qualities that Mr. Ruben thinks could
not possibly be exemplified by a gay
man. He mentions Scouts being trust-
worthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, cour-
teous, kind, obedient, cheerful,
thrifty, brave, clean, reverent, pinna-
cles of truth and honesty, and possess-
ing prudent judgment and communi-
ty responsibility. My gay friends and
colleagues are all of those things and
much more. They are sensitive, car-
ing, and highly educated individuals
with incredible gifts to give to people
they help, teach and love. Any Boy
Scout could consider it a privilege to
have one of them as a scoutmaster.

-Arlene E. Sorkin

Southfield

For information, call Toni, (248) 642-4260, ext. 183.

'3/2
2001

6

T his is .Pecieration

Visit us on the Web: www.thisisfederation.org

Fedetution

Although I am not from a Jewish
background, I am a weekly reader of
the Jewish News. I was saddened by
the letter from Douglas H. Ruben of
Okemos on the Reform movement's
opposition to the Boy Scouts of
America's barring of homosexual
scoutmasters ("Scouting: Not For
Everyone," Feb. 2, page 16).
Rarely have I ever read anything
in the Jewish News that upset me
more.
It is not true that "atheist's princi-
ples are contradictory to and offensive
to religious believers." Atheists do not
deny the existence of a deity; they
simple deny their personal belief in a
-deity. They generally choose not to be
a part of organized religion, but many
participate in humanistic congrega-
tions, such as Humanistic Judaism or
Unitarian Universalism.
They adhere to the same moral and
ethical principles that all "religious"
people espouse.
It is not true that "homosexual
scoutmasters contradict the underly- .
ing moral principles of the Boy
Scouts, which are to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous,
kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave,
clean and reverent."
To allege that a homosexual, by
definition, cannot possibly be "trust-
worthy, loyal, helpful, etc." is to
promote the worst kind of prejudice
against a select group of people. We
must not fall into the trap of por-
traying all homosexuals as having an
"ultraliberal philosophy or uncon-
ventional lifestyle." One would have
to clearly define what is meant by
those terms. I would be hard pressed
to pigeon-hole anyone with those
labels.
I am a member of the Multi-Cul-
tural/Multi-Racial Council of Farm-
ington/Farmington Hills. We strive
to celebrate our diversity while
maintaining a respect for our differ-
ences. I believe that only hate, mis-
trust and misunderstanding pose
serious "emotional hazards" to the
well being of our children and all of

U S.

Rev. Suzanne Pau

Farmington