Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

Matthew Dulin        Ray Hafner       Geronimo Rodriguez
         Shaun Salnave          Cara Sarelli

Itis rare to have two events help even out the world and its many moral fallacies. Given the events that have graced headlines in recent days, itis fair to say the world of ethics has a knack for compensating ignorant acts with sensible, almost heroic acts.

One day after the American Civil Liberties Union slapped Klein High School with a suit claiming it violated a lesbian studentis right to practice the First Amendment, Jerry Thacker withdrew his nomination from a presidential AIDS advisory panel for abusing the same right.

The Washington Post reported Thackeris withdrawal was propelled by pressure received from those taking offense to the Christian activistis derogatory remarks toward homosexuals — he has called AIDS the "gay plague" and defined the gay lifestyle as the "deathstyle." Itis puzzling to think someone of his ignorance was inches away from advising the nation on AIDS — a disease whose capabilities he apparently refuses to fully grasp.

Meanwhile, the 16-year-old Klein student, Marla Dukler, is treated like the schoolis ugly duckling and is being denied the right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance, which will "work toward ending anti-gay bias and homophobia," the Houston Chronicle reported.

In other words, she would help people like Thacker, who contracted the HIV virus from his wife (who was infected with the disease through a blood transfusion), understand people other than homosexuals get the disease.

Thacker, who has written <I>When AIDS Comes Home<P> and offered his dull insight to the video <I>Everything You Wanted To Know About HIV/AIDS But Were Too Afraid To Ask!<P>, and others like him will keep blinding themselves from such issues, stumbling toward a rock-steady wall of ignorance.

Dukler should invite Thacker, who appears to have as much sense as a stack of Bibles, to her first meeting — let him slide on the club dues and save him a seat in the front (donit anticipate a "thank you").

Granted, Dukler hasnit been given the right by Klein H.S. to create the GSA club, but it should have been as easy as filling out the required form and the ACLU shouldnit have had step in.

As it is, the ACLU deserves credit and Dukler should have a building on Klein campus named after her -- if thereis just one building, Dukler-Klein High School has a nice ring to it.

As for Thacker, give him a clue and let us hope the Christian activist can be saved.

Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu