More on ‘hetero’ Market Days

I respectfully wish to express my disagreement with some of the opinions expressed by Xenophon P. Kalathas’ Letter to the Editor (CFP Aug. 22) titled “On ‘hetero’ Market Days.”

“Family” is not limited to heterosexuals and Market Days is not an “adults only” event. LGBT parents, as well as heterosexual parents who support our LGBT community, should not feel intimidated for attending Market Days with their children.

While Market Days is a preeminent LGBT event of summer in Chicago, whether it outshines Pride in the number of out-of-town visitors is debatable.

Demanding the firing of the executive director of the Northalsted Area Merchants Association (which organizes Market Days) for taking issue with an “I fuck on the first date” shirt publicly displayed by one of the event’s vendors, is an overreaction. While it may be “cute” at a bar or other “adults only” establishment, its appropriateness at a publicly held event that isn’t age-restricted is also debatable, regardless of one’s sexual orientation. It’s unfortunate that one who would disagree with Kalathas’ viewpoint would be stereotyped as a “hetero-normative prude.”

George Pappas

Chicago

On equality for women

Eighty-seven years ago, on August 26, 1920, women finally won the right to vote in the United States. Each year we commemorate this pivotal date for women, hailing it as Women’s Equality Day.

Thanks to the leadership of great women who have organized, demanded change and fought for their rights, today’s women have more opportunities than ever in education and employment, more economic freedom and reproductive options and a better future for themselves and their families. But many of those gains are threatened.

So in celebrating Women’s Equality Day 2007, we should pause and ask, “Is this what equality looks like?”

On average, women still only make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes; for women of color the percentage is even less. The boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies are still overwhelmingly male. Working women have no guaranteed medical leave for childbirth and are often discriminated against in promotions and salary.

A woman’s right to safe, accessible, legal abortion is threatened as never before—as is the availability of birth control and family planning services. One in six U.S. women is a victim of sexual assault, and for many women violence is a part of their daily lives.

Although the proportion of women in elected office is growing, we’re still a far cry from parity in policymaking roles. Women make up just 16 percent of our representatives in Congress, 18 percent of governors and only 23.5% of state legislators across the country.

The suffragists endured ridicule, ostracism, abuse and imprisonment, and their steely determination sets an example for all of us who continue to work toward equality for ourselves and our daughters. Until women earn the same wages as men; until we are in charge of our own reproductive lives; until racism and sexism and violence are eradicated; until we have overcome discrimination and bigotry; until women are included in the U.S. Constitution, we will keep working for equality and justice.

Kim Gandy

President, the National Organization for Women

Washington, D.C.

On Attorney General Gonzales’ resignation

It’s high time this attorney general resigned. Alberto Gonzales was the “Enabler General’”for the imperial Bush presidency. He undermined the Constitution, made a mockery of the rule of law and turned the Justice Department into an arm of the Bush administration’s political operation.

Gonzales protected the interests of George W. Bush over the interests of the American people at every turn. He oversaw a Justice Department that was twisted to serve political interests, from the president’s domestic spying program to bogus allegations of voting fraud that kept minorities and poor people from the ballot box. He showed open contempt for oversight by Congress and gave testimony under oath that was at best incompetent and at worst, deliberately untrue.

We first called for the attorney general to step down in March, and our petition calling for him to step down garnered more than 80,000 signatures.

Now it’s time to heal the Justice Department and find a new attorney general who will restore integrity to the office. The next attorney general must demonstrate the independence of the Justice Department from the Bush administration, respect the rule of law and accept the just oversight of the American people. The Justice Department must once again be worthy of its name.

Ralph Neas

President Emiritus, People for the American Way

Washington, D.C.