An Interview Witli Cliff Ronning Letters, Commendations, and Stuff

Next Year | We're Going ^^^^^^ ^ All the Way!! ^^W^^ ?^ Inside: An Interview witli Cliff Ronning Letters, commendations, and stuff... The following ore the only letters we received regarding our last issue. Sex, Les and Gender... "Wimpy, MP Svend Robinson middle of the road rag"—NOT! applauds Link's "courage and vision" I am writing to congratulate you and your colleagues at 77ie Link for die courage and vision you have demon• Congratulations! You've finally turned diis wimpy, middle of die road strated in pubUshing your mosi recent issue of The Link including die first annual Gay Lesbian Bisexual sup• rag into a diought-provoking, controversial STUDENT newspaper. So plement The language was often blunt, explicit and powerful. The imagery was strong and real. Most impor- women do have orgasms? I love it! The reaction from die "head-in-die- tandy, you gave your readers at BQT an insight into die loo often invisible and silent reality of our brodieis sand" homophobes and the "nobody here ever fucks" conservatives has and sisters, fellow swdents, teachers, employers, friends, and neighbours who happen to be lesbian, gay or been fantastic! Stand by your guns and PLEASE continue to inject a ht• bisexual. And yes of course we are everywhere, even at BCIT as Gordon Handford wrote so eloquendy in his tle radicalism into this tired insumtion. article in your supplement Let us hope diat die publication of dus issue will generate lots of discussion, dia• Mel Rudeen logue and debate and most importandy greater understanding, awareness, and acceptance of die tremendous Instructor diversity at BCIT and diroughout our community. Automotive Department Again diank you for your leadership on this issue. 1 have no doubt diat it was controversial but trust diat all elements at BQT wdl recognize dial growdi only comes dirough education and awareness. I look forward to an even better issue next year! Dr. John Blatherwick Svend J. Robinson, MP Bumaby-Kingsway commends Link Congramlations to The Link for putting together a well diought out edi• tion on sexuality. I caimot find any references to pornography or sexual AIDS Vancouver congratulates Link sensationalism. No doubt, die edition will upset some people, but on the whole you In response to your letter of May 7di, I reviewed die April 15-28di issue of The Link, "Sex, Lies, and Gender," j have addressed sexuality issues diat are very relevant to our contempo• diat includes a Gay Lesbian Bisexual supplement. Congramlations for putting togedier an interesting and com• rary world. In fact, we must start talking operdy about die continuum of prehensive review of sexuality issues! our sexual expression if we are to prevent sexually transmitted diseases ^ It is a basic fact diat human beings are sexual. As sexual beings we are diverse; we like to experiment and including HTV and save lives. We lived with a perception of sanitized; explore and it is most imponant dial we develop die skills to do diis safely. So, we need to develop a dia• sexuality for a long time, sexuality that is private, covert and taboo.! logue that encourages frank and explicit discussion to take place widiout fear of exclusion or discrimination. Some of the negative results of this continue to be rape, sexual abuse of We must realize that people are becoming infected because we don't have die language or die skills to dis• children, STDs and mV. ' cuss diese issues or to buy latex lo protect ourselves. If we're gay lesbian or bisexual dien we're further Your courageous effort of bringing these issues out in the open will marginalized in a predominantly heterosexual and heterosexist society. validate many people's experience and hopefully bring those who are Our population is smck in an adolescent stage of sexual developmeni where anything sexual is gro«>8 (or uncomfortable widi sexuality further along the road of self discovery. highly romanticized) and women who carry condoms are "bad." The discussion in diis issue of The Link is absolutely necessary to eliminate activities from our lives that put us at risk for HFV infection and for making FJ. Blatherwick, MD, FRCP (C) us more aware of die diversity diat exists among us. PubUcations dial deal openly and frankly with information Medical Heallh Officer on safer sex and sexuality are absolutely necessary to encourage people to talk about sex and all die Issues sur• Vancouver Healdi Department rounding it which is the first step toward feehng good enough about who we are to protect ourselves. It's time for us to wake up. Pubhcations Uke yours are in Une widi die times. Thanks for your work and I hope you receive the support you need to continue. Wie Unit welcomes your letters. We will endeavor to print eveiy letter we receive, except those containing d'lscriminatory or degrading material. Ann Bradbury The link reserves the right to edit for brevity and clarity. Opinions expivssed are Speakers' Bureau Coordinaior those of tlie autlior. i , i -ii IfHen must include name and phone number lor venhcahon (or Hiey vnll nol AIDS Vancouver be printed). In defence of Open House... without even consulting die smdents who had at diat time I was very disappointed upon reading a letter published in Many of the entertainers on campus during Open worked for six mondis and raised $30,(K)0 in corporate the last edition of The Link by Paul Kovach. As Student House were smdents, friends, and family. The hot air bal• Coordinator of BQTs Open House 1992,1 would Uke to loon, besides being a great attention-getter to passeis by, sponsorship. explain why hot air balioon rides, clowns, and RCMP aUowed people to see die truly large size of die campus in I do, however, wish to thank the many odier smdents vehicles add interest and excitement to such an event. one breaditaldng view. and staff who did put much effort and many hours in die While die focus of BCITs Open House has always been As to early closing of many of the displays on Sunday, organizing of die event I believe Open House '92 was a and always will be on BCIT smdents and the high tech I too was very disappointed. All programs were informed very positive, successful event and considering die diffi• nature of their programs, an effort has been placed on dial die Open House was open untd 4 pm on Sunday and culty encountered by Smdent Organizers, I believe dial aU makuig Open House a family event dial is bodi education• some chose to shut down early perhaps from lack of sm• parties involved should gel a pat on die back. al and entertaining. In order lo draw people of all ages and dent involvement. The Open House Committee had more interests, and to create a larger awareness of BCIT within than their fair share of obstacles diis year, die strike hav• Jennifer Comyns Ihe community, it is important to add colour, noise, and ing a major negative effect on die attimde of die smdents excitement lo the campus. and staff towards Open House '92. Several programs would not participate in Open House and several more A focus was put on attracting children and making a dropped out at die last moment Apadiy abounded and was positive impression about science and technology to diem. demonstrated dirough die difficulty in recruiting volun• Besides recommending displays for children to view. teers, die lack of smdent involvement in displays, a very Science World, Imagination Market, facepainters and negative attimde displayed by several staff membeis and a clowns were enjoyed by many children. Those children motion passed by the Staff Society to cancel the event ate die BCIT smdents of tomorrow! The Unk May 20-29, 1992 Opinion Safe Sex? Or How To play Russian Roulette WARNING: In the issue of April 15-28, 1992, several articles used the term 'safe sex.' What exactly is safe sex? According to the following statistics it certainly is NOT 'sex using While this article may sav^^ condoms." 'Sale sex" IS definitely a 'myth.' your soul" It may be hazaroou MYTH*!: Condoms allow for 'safe sex." to your health! [AIDS VancowvBT argues lhat condoms allow lor 'safer sex* when on electronically- tested latex condom is used properly. EDITOR] RESPONSE: MYTH #3 Condoms hove become the focus of the 'safe sex" message. However, given their high failure rates, this is gravely irresponsible. 'Safe Sex" programs will reduce the number of teens at risk from AIDS. • When used as the only means of contraception, condoms have a standardized RESPONSE: failure rate of 15.7% over one year. This figure applies to all condom-users, Given the failure rates of condom and the hesitancy of teens to use them, the number but group-specific failure rates are even higher. [In actuality this 'failure of young people at risk from AIDS increases as the number of sexually active teens , rate is due to human error and specifically to a lack of condom education increases. 'Safe sex" programs increase the number of sexually active teens. EDITOR] • Planned Porentood reports that the NUMBER ONE reason teenagers initiate • This translates, for the average user over the course of one year, into a 1 in 6 sexual activity is peer pressure. Sexual gratification came in fourth behind chance of getting pregnant flilce Russian Roulette). But unlike pregnancy, you curiosity and the attitude 'everyone else is doing it." 'Safe sex" programs can get AIDS any day of the month, 365 days a year. Would you lood a six- increase peer pressure, curiosity and the sense that "everyone else is doing it." shooter with a bullet and point it at your head? [Or would you rolher render ['Safer Sex' should only be one aspect of sexuality education.

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