Letter to the Editor: Gay students outraged by sex column

Dear Tim Green:

Where do we begin? We are your peers. We are the homosexual members of this campus. Until now, we have put up with “Innuendos,” written by Mr. Tim Green But we are embarrassed, annoyed and angered. And we have had enough. You’ve gone too far, and you must be stopped.

Your article entitled “Nippin’ it in the butt” (Nov. 30) is inexcusable. Aside from the subject matter really having no place in The Rider News, your biggest problem lies in the significant falsities of the “facts” that you name.

Your first sentence, “Sex has taken a brave new journey deep into one of the most infamous body cavities,” is a perfect example. Anal sex is nothing new. It has been practiced for thousands of years in just about every culture.

You say that most people will not admit to trying it. How many people did you survey? 100? 75? Three? Where do you get your information, Green?

You say you’ve “heard” it can be quite pleasurable, but you don’t actually know it to be so. Who are all these people that told you “there has to be some other reason [than pleasure] for doing it?” We want names.

We want to know how you can dare say, “Though a person might believe they are [having anal sex] out of love or pleasure, the fact remains that it is about power.”

Is it a fact? Has it been proven? Surely in the extensive research you did online, in order to write your column, you must have stumbled across some document that confirms this data.

We, the gay constituency of this campus, have read your column, and we all have the same reaction: since you have no credibility whatsoever, we’re just wondering, what’s your point? As far as we can see, you’re just looking to shock people. You say so yourself, “The subject of anal sex brings on strong feelings of discomfort to some, but you knew that I would have to talk about it sooner or later.”

Why? Because all you care about is making people uncomfortable? Is that why you just have to talk about it?

You know, it’s one thing to push the envelope in order to get a reaction from people—a reaction that might force them to open their minds a little, to take in new ideas and opinions. It’s another thing entirely to shock for the sake of being shocking. That doesn’t open minds at all; it simply confirms the immaturity of the “shocker.”

What is the point? We know you are an individual, and you are under no obligation to us at all. But, like it or not, Green, the things you write in your column have a direct influence on people’s opinions of the gay community.

And right now, the kinds of opinions you are fostering are detrimental to the social and political progress of that community. The ridiculous statements you make week after week are grossly overgeneralized. They do nothing but confirm in people’s minds the stereotypes we have tried so desperately to vanquish.

We know you want to shock people. And that’s fine, as long as you can follow it with a strong series of points. Perhaps you should spend more time developing an opinion, another important thing your opinion column is lacking. A statement. A point.

You want to shock people? Write something remotely meaningful.

Sincerely,

John Patrick Mintz
Senior, Fine Arts

Editors’ note: Mintz authored this letter with other members of Rider’s gay community