NEWS
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - 3
PRIMARY
Dean campaign
0 to stop in Ann
Arbor Friday
Democratic presidential candidate
Howard Dean, former governor of Ver-
mont, will make an appearance in Ann
Arbor Friday.
Campaign officials said the time and
exact location of the appearance have
yet to be determined.
Michigan is not new territory for the
Dean campaign, however. Dean spent
most of last weekend campaigning in
various locations throughout the state,
including Detroit and Lansing.
In a rally in Roseville on Sunday, he
stressed the economy as a key compo-
nent of the upcoming presidential elec-
tion, citing Michigan's staggering job
losses in the manufacturing sector
under President Bush.
Referring to President Bush's state-
ments that the gross national product
went up last quarter, and that he is
going to win because the economy is
getting better, Dean said at the rally
that the economy is not performing as
well as Bush claims.
4"It's getting better when you read the
paper, but when your neighbor doesn't
have health insurance and when you
don't have a job, the economy is not
getting better," he said.
Dean, who did not win any of the
seven states up for grabs last night, has
said in the past that a victory in Michi-
gan would be key to his campaign. The
state offers 153 delegates to the Demo-
cratic National Convention in July,
which is the most of any state that has
held a primary or caucus so far.
Clark to pass
through Mich.,
plans Detroit stop
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark will cam-
paign in Michigan tomorrow and Fri-
day. Clark will appear in Detroit
tomorrow night. Campaign officials
have not confirmed whether Clark will
stop in Ann Arbor Friday."
Edwards leads
candidates in Mich.
money race
Sen. John Edwards of North Caroli-
na raised more money from Michigan
donors last year than any of his rivals
in the race for the Democratic presi-
dential nomination.
He collected $270,875 in 2003.
Dean had the highest number of
Michigan contributors, coming in sec-
ond in the money race.
"Edwards averaged $1,006 per dona-
tion, while each Dean donor gave
$153 on average. Edwards, a former
trial lawyer, received support from
many attorneys in the state, including
a contribution from former gubernato-
rial candidate Geoffrey Fieger. Ann
Arbor residents gave more money to
Dean than citizens from any other
Michigan city did.
Kerry to hold
rallies in Flint and
Warren Friday
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts
will appear Friday at a rally in Warren
hosted by Michigan veterans and fire-
fighters. Kerry will also attend a rally
later in the day in Flint.
p Kerry greatest
beneficiary of
lobbyist money
Kerry received more money from
paid lobbyists than any other senator
in the past 15 years, collecting a total
of $640,000. Telecommunications and
finance companies provided much of
this sum.
Kerry's claim that he will fight spe-
cial interests, coupled with this recent
revelation, has prompted campaign
rivals to accuse the senator of
hypocrisy.
Granholm endorses
Kerry, plans to
campaign for him
Gov. Jennifer Granholm
announced Jan. 31 that she is
endorsing Kerry for president. As
Michigan's Feb. 7 caucuses
approach, the governor and Lt. Gov.
John Cherry will be campaigning
for Kerry.
."John Kerry understands what the
people of Michigan know: that the
country must focus on keeping and
creating jobs and on strengthening
the things that matter most to us -
improving education and reducing
the cost of health care," Granholm
City leaders discuss homophobia in Detroit
By Devoalhomas
For the Daily
DETROIT - Community leaders in Detroit are
starting what they call the "civil rights movement of
our time." But now journalist Brent Dorian Carpen-
ter and other activists say the movement will focus
on the perceptions many in the community hold
toward homosexuality.
"We (the black gay community) are the Rosa
Parks of our time," Carpenter said.
Recent studies, such as a poll conducted by the
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
on Nov. 18, 2003 - the day the Massachusetts
Supreme Court approved same-sex unions - indi-
cated 60 percent of blacks opposed gay marriages.
"It's still a major taboo," LSA junior Madison
Moore said on homosexuality as black church see
it."If you're black and you're gay, (the thought is)
'you're going to hell.'"
In an effort to address the challenges of building
bridges between black gays and lesbians and het-
erosexuals, a panel of city leaders and social
activists at a town hall meeting last week. The ses-
sion covered issues such as gay visibility, mobiliza-
tion, youth outreach, education, the HIV/AIDS
crisis and discrimination.
Organizers of the meeting are also scheduling
similar events in the future.
More than 300 people gathered to discuss homo-
phobia in the black community during the meeting,
which was held after many Michigan residents boy-
cotted the Michigan Citizen, a Detroit-area publica-
tion, for running a feature highlighting a black gay
men's retreat.
Carpenter was the subject of media scrutiny after
talk show host Hodo, a well-known Detroit radio
personality, blasted Carpenter's gay-themed article
on Detroit-based radio station WHPR late last year.
Listeners outraged by the article cancelled their
subscriptions to the Michigan Citizen. Carpenter
and Citizen editor Theresa Kelly joined together to
organize a series of events promoting open dia-
logue about homophobia in the black community.
Terry Lynn Howcott, a proponent of gay rights
and a Detroit ACLU Board Member, spoke during
the meeting about the controversial view of homo-
sexuality as a "lifestyle" choice. "If a couch potato
decides tomorrow that he's going to start exercising
and taking care of his health, that's a lifestyle
choice," Howcott said "But there's no way I'm
going to change loving (my partner)."
Same-sex marriage and religion were salient
issues at the town hall meeting and are wedge
issues within the black community.
Many gay blacks remain silent about their sexual
orientation, speakers said. "Visibility is the most
important thing," said Donna Payne of the Human
"It's still a major taboo.... If you're black and you're gay (the
thought is) you're going to hell."
- Madison Moore
LSAJunior
Rights Campaign. She encouraged gay people to
stand up in their families and churches.
Reluctance to acknowledge homosexuality as an
issue prevalent to the black community and the
high numbers of HIV and AIDS cases among black
men and women are interconnected issues, speak-
ers said. Once seen exclusively as a "white gay
man's disease," the virus is infecting blacks dispro-
portionately hard, regardless of gender or sexual
orientation. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reports that AIDS is among the top
causes of death for black women ages 35 to 44
and men ages 25 to 54.
"AIDS is no discriminator," said Gospel
Against AIDS organizer Rosalind Worthy regard-
ing the rapid spread of the virus in the black com-
munity and the denial over dealing with the issue,
"It doesn't know if you're gay or straight or black
or white. How many lives have to be taken before
we get it together?"
The challenges of discrimination and invisibility
are not limited to the black community, but tied to a
much larger issue of the lack of voices by gay peo-
ple of color in mainstream gay culture and politics.
"Homophobia isn't addressed because it is seen as a
white phenomenon," LSA sophomore Michael
Smith said regarding the under-representation of
gay people of color in mainstream gay culture.
"Most of the gay work is being done by white gay
culture. Most (black gay people) don't identify with
it and don't feel gay culture represents them."
Detroit City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson
urged people to challenge problems of homophobia
in the black community, "Don't wait for somebody
else to do it," said Watson, "move it."
. Efforts are being made to address the longstand-
ing disconnect between gay and non-gay groups.
Moore will give a presentation at a Feb. 27 academ-
ic symposium on race, gender, class and sexuality
at Miami University of Ohio. His work is entitled
"Check Your Skin at the Door: The Intersection
between Blackness and Homosexuality."
Thz will only /urtfor a second
MSA votes for ballot question
on raising Trotter House funds
By Cianna Freeman
Daily Staff Reporter
Students will have the opportunity to
vote on whether they want to increase
Michigan Student Assembly fees dur-
ing winter elections. A resolution
allowing MSA to add a ballot question
regarding a possible $1 dollar increase
was passed last night.
If the ballot question receives sup-
port, the additional fee will help pay
for the William Monroe Trotter House
renovations.
Students representing various multi-
cultural groups attended the MSA
meeting to voice their concern for
Trotter House's poor condition. Stu-
dents also encouraged representatives
to vote in favor of the resolution.
LSA junior Harlyn Pacheco said La
Voz, a Hispanic student group, uses the
building as much as possible. But when
it hosts large conferences, the decompo-
sition of the Trotter House forces it to
hold events elsewhere, Pacheco said.
University administrators acknowl-
edged the importance of the Trotter
House to the academic environment.
"The University recognizes the his-
tory around the Trotter House multi-
cultural center, as a place to celebrate
the many cultures on campus and to
educate others on different cultures,"
Dean of Students Ed Willis said.
MSA Vice-President Monique Perry
said Trotter House is worth supporting.
"We need to show that MSA and the
students care about the Trotter House,
and that we are willing to put our
money behind it, and the University
should be willing to, as well."
President Mary Sue Coleman and
Kenneth Coleman donated a gift of
$50,000 dollars to the renovation of the
Trotter House last year. The center is a
symbol of the University's commit-
ment to multiculturalism and the Uni-
versity is looking at some ways to fund
the Trotter House, Willis added.
"To spend millions of dollars fighting
affirmative action cases that preserve
and increase the diversity at Michigan
and then to cut funding to minority pro-
grams, such as Multi-Ethnic Student
Affairs and Office of Academic Multi-
cultural Initiatives, is ironic," said LSA
junior Teri Russiello. "Furthermore, not
making Trotter House appealing to all
students undoes and segregates the
diversity at Michigan."
The assembly also passed a resolution
to sponsor Dailyjolt.com, a website that
offers a plethora of information about
the University, such as Residence Hall
dining menus, campus events, and links
to various University websites.
"I wanted to put MSA behind this
website because it encompasses all stu-
dents and possess the manpower to sus-
tain it," said Budget Priorities
Committee Vice Chair Anita Leung.
Yesterday was the first day of the Michigan versus Michigan
State University Blood Face-Off. The blood drive runs through
Feb. 27 at various locations across campus.
Correction:
An editorial that ran on Page 4A Monday criticized Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina for "his refusal to release the list of his
major campaign donors" The word donors should have read "financiers," the individuals who raise additional funds for the campaign.
WANTED
UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE UM STUDENTS
WITH CROHN'S DISEASE
OR ULCERATIVE
COLITIS
Please e-mailfor more information
rajus@umich.edu
POLITICIANS ARE ATTACKING
YOUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE!
Join us as. we discuss the current threats to
choice and how it relates to you - the future of
the pro-choice movement.
Who:
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
RIGHT ON CAMPUS!
Interested in building your resume while
you're still in school?
Want to work during
Spring/Summer/Fall Semesters?
The Michigan Daily will give you the opportunity to gain the
following business experiences:
" Sell Advertising to Local and National Businesses
. Manage your own account Territory
* Work in a team-oriented environment
" Earn Commission-based pay
Please pick up application at
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Student Publications Building
420 Maynard Street, 2nd Floor
ra.ll (7341 764 OWaa
Kate Michelman, President,
NARAL Pro-Choice America;
Alma Wheeler Smith, former
state senator
Dr. Laszlo Sogor, OB/GYN
& Chief of Cleveland Planned
Parenthood
What:
"Losing our Choice:
The Bush
A dministration and Reproductive
Rights"
When: Thursday, February 5, 7:30pm
Where: 100 Hutchins Hall (Law School)