[Article: The Foundation for Human Understanding] Page: 3 of 4
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page 7
KOctober 1987
:Take Note
DGA to meet in D.C.
by Davie Jones
The October general member-
ship meeting of the Dallas Gay
Alliance will be held out of
town for the very first time.
Since so many DGA members
will be in Washington, D.C. for
the National March On
Washington for Lesbian and
Gay Rights, it was decided to
have the October meeting in our.
nation's capital.
The Carlyle Suites, 1731 New
Hampshire Avenue, N.W. (202)
232-3200, is the site of the meet-
ing which will be held on Mon-
day, October 12th at 7:00 p.m.
After the meeting the DGA will
host a dinner/social at 8:00 p.m,
at the Paramount Steak House, a
locally gay owned restaurant,
1609 17th Street. NW. (202) 232-connuedftrom p3 .:
headlines (as it did with Dr.
Huse). Let's see how many more
on the behalf of the food serv-
ice workers about to be fired by
Enserch, to cite Enserch's policy
as insanity, that AIDS could
not be transmitted by food serv-
ice workers. He could have, in
a single phone call, stopped
most of the tragedy that was
about to occur for those young
men. But he politely told me he
would 'write a letter.' Of
course, the rest is history.
Enserch's policy continues to be
among the worst in the nation.
As HIV testing became the
lightning rod of controversy,
sidestepping education as the
real 'cure" for AIDS, I later had
a different argument with
another well meaning physician
regarding the use of the infor-
mation from the test.
He said that patients should
be involuntarily tested as they
entered hospitals, with results
given to all health care workers
who may come into contact with
the patient. I said it was more
important to take precautions
for all patients, as the test was
inadequate as far as timing of
infection was concerned.
He has never understood that
once mandatory testing is ac-
ceptable, there is no limiting the
scope. The Mesquite case now
proves that, as there are calls
for mandatory testing of
physicians and health care
workers (Dallas Times Herald,
September 18, 1987 editorial,
"Doctors need AIDS0395. There will
charge for dinner,
and the upstairsbe a 520.00
plus cash bar
dining roomwill comfortably seat 50 people.
Plans are currently underway
to have a local Dallas politician
address the meeting. No one has
committed at press time.
In a follow up report, there
will be a special Town Hall
meeting organized for the fol-
lowing Monday, October l9th,at
the MCC at 7:30 p.m. This meet-
ing will be a refection of the
previous week's march complete
with slides and inquiring in-
sights to the behind the scenes
happenings in Washington, D.C.
If you can't be there for the
March,- then the Town Hall
meeting will be the best sub-
-stitute offered.***Guidelines") to protect potential
patients.
It seems the high risk groups
are homosexuals, hemophiliacs,
Haitians,- IV-drug users and -
now, welcome to the panic
world, the friendly family doc-
tor. How about publishing the'
names of doctors who have
many gay patients, or those who-:
treat PWA's? Considering its
recent history, I'm sure the Dal-
las Times Herald would love to
put the information in banner
practices its editors can ruin,
and don't think it can't happen.
Don't forget you read it first
in the Dallas Times Herald
("AIDS Carrier Endangered
Forty Children", August 8, 1987)
about the recent non-AIDS scare ,
in Marlin, where, upon further.
research and testing, there was
no relation to AIDS anywhere. -
Forget the families whose lives-
were ruined overnight.
Regarding Mesquite, I think
that some of the compelling
comments were those of Dr.
Charles Ginsberg, medical
director of Children's Medical
Center and professor of
pediatrics at UT Health
Sciences Center, who said, "The
majority of people I've talked to -
were unjustifiably anxious.
They seemed unwilling to think
rationally and logically, and
when given rational and logical
explanations to their questions
based on sound scientific
data..refused to accept it.' .
Why he was surprised is
beyond me, especially since
some physicians and scientistshave been waffling over the
real truth about AIDS for some
time. But now that doctors'.
practices are threatened, - I
-suspect we'll start seeing a lot
more conversion to absolutes
about AIDS transmission. And
that's good because it will help
food service workers, too.
- Hopefully, we will also see a
-redoubling of efforts by the
city, county, and state govern-
ments to educate everyone, from
mothers in Mesquite to school-
children in Marlin, about sex
education and AIDS. We will
welcome. the pressure on
politicians by the powerful
doctors' lobby, the Texas Medi-
cal Association.
A final note about AIDS. As
- you may be aware,. the Dallas
Gay Alliance is often accused
of being too political to be an
AIDS agency (forgetting that
it's now the largest AIDS agency
in the city), that we are not fit
for government funding (which
we don't get) because we're too
political. Believe me, if saving
lives can be political, then we're
going to be political.
But I can't but notice how the
shoe tightens on Cinderella's
sister down in Houston. Mayor
Kathy Whitmire, tossing aside
the gay vote that helped put her
into office, recently named that
city's new AIDS Commission.
Reporters were aghast at the
omission of the experts (gays)
who have wrestled the most
with this disease. Her honor
commented that she didn't wantWiain Nelson s
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3 7IO8w Szt7t''
4546-9&98VIncome Tax and
Bookkeeping Service
Property Management
P.O. Box 36546
Dallas, Texas 75235
(214) 528-7363Dr. RB 'Buzz'
Tucker
ClinicalPsychologist
Individuals and Couples
(214) 528-2349
to put any gay activists (or
garden-variety gays for that
matter) on the panel for fear of
politicizing it, rendering it in-
effective. All this, despite the
fact that 85 percent of
Houston's cases are gay men.
As of this writing there are
rumors circulating about a
similar AIDS Commission in
Dallas. Ironically, no one from
the AIDS Resource Center, the
Foundation for Human Under-
standing nor the Dallas Gay Al-
liance has been approached
regarding service on such a
committee.
Now wh-o is playing
politics?***
Philip D:Spicery
: Tax and Managem.,.
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Dallas Gay Alliance. [Article: The Foundation for Human Understanding], article, November 1987; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc916391/m1/3/: accessed June 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.