Letters to the Editor: Ironic Victory, Mixed Reviews on Proposition 8, Very Important Initiative, Opportunity of a Lifetime
November 16, 2008
Ironic Victory
Isn’t it ironic that Emil Guillermo can recognize the hypocrisy of one injustice falling (the election of a black man as president) while another calcifies (gays being allowed to marry) without mentioning that the former supports the latter (Emil Amok, Nov. 7)?
Joseph Connelly
San Francisco, Calif., Nov. 7
Mixed Reviews on Proposition 8
Gay marriage has nothing to do with Asian culture; gay marriage is not acceptable in Japan, China or India (Beyond Borders, Nov. 7).
The bottom line is that Asians are already targeted for discrimination and will remain that way regardless if we support a bunch of white homosexuals or not. In fact, are the authors of the above article even of Asian descent? Belinda and John Dronkers-Laureta do not sound like Asian names to me.
It seems like white homosexuals are trying to use the Asian community to promote their interests, but it is not going to work: As an Asian American, I am not in a very tolerant mood right now considering that I am basically a second-class citizen in America.
Robert Chin
Norfolk, Va., Nov. 10
Whether this affects you or your community directly in a negative or positive way is irrelevant. What we should be focusing on, and what is laid out on the table, is the right for two individuals, regardless of race, gender or creed, to marry. Anything beyond that is hogwash.
Discrimination is universal and should be fought against in solidarity. As history has consistently shown us time and time again, it might be “them” who is targeted today, but it may just as well be “us” tomorrow.
Belinda Yam
Davis, Calif., Nov. 10
I am a 25-year-old Asian American who voted yes on Prop 8. To me, Prop 8 has a very narrow focus, which is to define the word marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Like many others who voted for Prop 8, I support gay unions and equal rights for gays.
To challenge the status quo, voters need to look beyond California. Our state already grants the same rights for gay couples as heterosexual couples. The difference lies in federal law, so political activists should take it up to that level instead of trying to change things here.
Forcing me to change my vocabulary to include unions between two members of the same sex is a violation of my beliefs and the beliefs of many other Asian Americans. Please call it civil unions or domestic partnerships, just not marriage.
M. Gao
Sunnyvale, Calif., Nov. 6
Very Important Initiative
Finally, decades since the vaccine was first available in the early ’80s, children around the world are being protected with the first vaccine against cancer (“Global Hepatitis B Initiative Launched in San Francisco,” Oct. 31).
This initiative is an important partnership to support countries as they attempt to control hepatitis-B-related diseases. This partnership is especially important for Asia, a region with a disproportionate burden of disease, and will allow countries to protect newborns and older persons as well as to offer treatment to those already infected.
Steven Wiersma, MD, MPH
Medical Officer,
Hepatitis Prevention
Immunization, Vaccines &
Biologicals, Expanded
Programme on Immunization
World Health Organization
Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 1
Opportunity of a Lifetime
It is so great for Hmong Americans to have the opportunity to star in a Hollywood movie (“Eastwood’s Next Film Features Hmong American Cast,” Oct. 3). I am an actress myself and have always dreamed of something like this. I am very excited for the future for more opportunities like Gran Torino. Thanks Clint Eastwood!
Skittles Yang
St. Paul, Minn., Nov. 4
AsianWeek, the voice of Asian America, welcomes letters commenting on our coverage and other topics of interest to Asian Pacific Americans. Please keep letters as brief as possible (we reserve the right to edit letters for length and style), sign them and include a daytime telephone number for verification.
Mail letters to:
AsianWeek
809 Sacramento St.
San Francisco, CA
94108 U.S.A.
Or reach us via e-mail:
asianweek@asianweek.com
Comments
2 Responses to “Letters to the Editor: Ironic Victory, Mixed Reviews on Proposition 8, Very Important Initiative, Opportunity of a Lifetime”
Got something to say?
Thank you for printing editorials on Proposition 8. I would like to respond to Robert Chin’s letter. I am an Asian-American lesbian, and that the right to gay marriage affects the Asian-American community. It is not a “white homosexual” issue. A simple web search will show that gay communities exist in China, India and Japan. It is as much a part of culture in Asia as it is in the U.S.
Mr. Chin: Instead of using the case of your oppression to fight for equal rights for all, you want the rights that affect you immediately first. I think all parts of our community- gay and straight Asian-Americans- can work together for everyone’s benefit.
For your information, Belinda and John Dronkers-Laureta are Filipino-American and Indonesian. Please examine your assumptions before judging.
In hopes that we can help each other become first-class citizens soon,
Valerie Kameya
“Like many others who voted for Prop 8, I support gay unions and equal rights for gays.”
How can someone truly support gay unions and EQUAL rights for gays if you do not support same-sex marriage? Domestic partnerships and marriage are not equal. I guess it’s a good thing that you are one step ahead of many people to approve of domestic partnerships and civil unions, but don’t fool yourself to think you believe in EQUAL rights for homosexuals.
The legal definition of marriage will never infringe on your right to believe what marriage means to YOU; however, you just infringed on the legal definition of marriage, which limits citizens’ right to a contract with another person of the same sex.