Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California
Vol. 74 No. 11
COURIER
Thursday
December 5, 1991
Workshop target
of clubs’ protest
□ CARP club status is
jeopardized by GLSU
complaints
By AMOR PADILLA
Editor in Chief
Approximately 30 members of the Gay and
Lesbian Student Union (GLSU) and the Inter¬
national Committee Against Racism (InCAR)
turned out to protest a workshop on campus
which both groups labeled as “soft gay bash¬
ing.”
The workshop sponsored by the campus
club Collegiate Association for the Research
of Principles (CARP) featured counseling psy¬
chologist Richard Cohen, who discussed the
controversial viewpoint “Freedom to Choose:
Transitioning from Homosexuality to Hetero¬
sexuality.”
During the question and answer
period of Cohen’s discussion, protesters
angrily voiced their views and challenged
Cohen to back up his remarks. “We have
problems
with gay
bashing on
this campus.
We don’t
need you to
come to this
campus to
promote
these anti¬
homosexual
ideas,” said
one protester.
Accord¬
ing to GLSU
and InCAR
members, the
workshop
was insulting
and biased
Tommy Alva/ The COURIER against gays
and lesbians because it perpetuated the con¬
cept of homosexuality as a psychological
problem. As means of protest, members of
GLSU carried pink triangles and displayed
signs reading staying queer, uppity fag, dedi¬
cated dike and forever gay, among others.
“By the end of the meeting, everyone in
there agreed that what Cohen had to say was
completely unfounded and insulting not only
to gays and lesbians but to Christians,” said
Jack Hawkins, Inner Club Council representa¬
tive for GLSU.
In his discussion, Cohen, once a homosex¬
ual, explained his views, based on extensive
research. He said homosexuality was not in¬
nate or genetic but an acquired condition brought
forth by familial, environmental, sociologi¬
cal, cultural and spiritual factors. As such, a
homosexual was not born homosexual, there¬
fore he could make a transition into hetero¬
sexuality. “Once gay always gay, is not true”
was Cohen’s motto.
“I’m not anti-homosexual. I’m offering a
possibility to men and women who want to
make a change,” Cohen said.
According to the protesters, Cohen is mis¬
taken in his claim that homosexuality is an
acquired condition. They stated that the
studies yielding the genetic root of homo¬
sexuality are far more extensive and nu¬
merous that the ones backing up his the¬
ory.
In his workshop on Nov. 26, Cohen
also gave a brief round up of the process of
transitioning . He explained that the transi¬
tion from homosexuality to heterosexual¬
ity required a development of a relation¬
ship with God, a healing of past traumas, a
development of a positive self image and
a fulfillment of unmet love needs.
The religious aspects of Cohen’s the¬
ory also sparked remarks from protesters
who were Christians. Alfred, a GLSU
member, pointed out another reason be¬
hind the protest. “The problem was he had
a very bad argument in the first place. He
spoke only about his experience. He might
have had this experience, that’s fine, but
he was generalizing it as that of all homo¬
sexuals.”
According to John Holmes, president
of CARP, approximately 10 people at¬
tended the lecture but were scared away
by the presence of the protesters. He was
relieved that the GLSU and InCAR mem¬
bers carried out the protest in an organized
manner. “I was really surprised that they
were well behaved. Cohen really got to
present everything.”
“I understand their pain,” said Cohen
after the protest. “I was also called names
in the past. Obviously my theories are very
threatening to them because they are inse¬
cure. If they felt secure in their prefer¬
ences, they would not have shouted. I have
compassion and respect for them,” he said.
Both Cohen and Holmes were aware of
the possibility of a protest. The GLSU ap¬
proached the Inner Club Council (ICC),
Friday Nov. 22 in an attemptto stop the the
lecture from taking place on the grounds
that it was a “prejudicial seminar.” During
the ICC meeting, GLSU presented a letter
signed by 35 of its members including its
faculty adviser. The letter called for an
explanation and disciplinary actions, as
well as an apology from CARP. Also,
various members of GLSU voiced con¬
cerns and reasons for stopping the work¬
shop.
“I can’t see wrong in this. Even if our
workshop was conflicting with another
club, we should be able to talk about what¬
ever we want. We don’t go into GLSU’s
meeting and protest,” Holmes said.
During the ICC meeting, CARP pre¬
sented its constitution. Because of past
experiences and problems with CARP on
other campuses, the board voted to add
three conditions to CARP’scharter. CARP
was placed on a one-year probation. Its
charter will be revoked if CARP violates
ICC or the college’s guidelines and if any
verifiable student complaint is brought
forth. GLSU’s concerns and complaints
were passed on to the Appeals and Review
Committee of the ICC. They will meet in
the final weeks of December to discuss the
validity of these complaints and to decide
if any measures will be taken against CARP.
Photo by Richard Espinosa/ The COURIER
GLSU and InCAR members protest counseling psychologist Richard Cohen’s
workshop “Transitioning from homosexuality to heterosexuality” held on campus.
Lines lengthen as deadline looms
Photo by Katrina Ten/ The COURIER
Students hoping to make the mail-in-registration deadline wait in line for coveted counseling signatures and approvals to
register in classes with prerequisites. Students took an average of 45 minutes to get through the process.
AS vice president resigns post
By WES KAWANO
Special Corespondent
After two weeks of speculation, Jorge
Comejo, executive vice president of the
Associated Student Body announced his
resignation at the weekly AS board meeting
this week. He will step down from his posi¬
tion on Feb. 15, 1992.
Comejo, an engineering student, stated
that the primary reason behind his resigna¬
tion was academic. “I need to take more
units next semester. I mean, it would have
been kind of difficult to do both’,’ Cornejo
said.
Comejo felt that he basically accom¬
plished what he had set out to do. “I held the
ICC conference, which might take place
every year, and helped set up some pro¬
grams fortheclubs. I just wantto finish one
more project then I’ll consider myself
done, let somebody else do it,” he said.
Comejo’ s last project involves the creation
of a new constitution for ICC. Currently,
the council shares its guidelines with the
AS.
Besides his position in AS, Comejo
will also resign as president of the Inner
Club Council (ICC) and president of the
college’s Roteract Club, a nation wide or¬
ganization that works with the community.
Comejo has been attending PCC for three
semesters and has always been a participant
in club activities. He first joined the Interna¬
tional club, moving on to join the AS. He was
elected as executive vice president last June.
Comejo plans to graduate and transfer to Cal-
poly Pomona next semester.
In the next AS board meeting Comejo
plans to propose the formation of a committee
responsible for finding a new executive vice
president.
Many practice unsafe sex
Sex
AIDS
By CHRIS LANGREHR
Opinion Editor
Despite increasing evidence that AIDS
is spreading among the heterosexual com¬
munity, at least half of the sexually active
PCC students do not use condoms. Rather,
they are having unprotected sex with
people that they feel they know well.
Many students are also not lim iting them¬
selves to just one sex partner, since they
believe that only homosexual and highly
promiscuous people are endangered by
AIDS.
In a survey of 105 PCC students, 46
percent of reported that they did not
regularly use condoms. Fifty-two per¬
cent of students do not use condoms with
their steady boyfriend or girlfriend.
Many students are engaging in this un¬
safe sexual behavior despite being edu¬
cated about the AIDS virus. Twenty-
four percent of students feel that it is safe
to have sex without using a condom with
someone they know very well. Ninety-
four percent said that a person who
changes partners each year is also at risk
from the virus. However, many students
do not feel that the disease poses a threat
to them. Fifty-two percent of those sur¬
veyed are worried about catching AIDS.
One promising sign is that most stu¬
dents are involved in monogamous rela¬
tionships or are not sexually active. The
average respondent has had one sex partner
in the past year. Sixty-six percent have
had one or zero sex partners in the past
year.
Face- to-face interviews, however, pro¬
duced more disturbing results. These dis¬
cussions showed that many students feel
It’s safe to have sex without a condom,
yes 24%
no ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■176%
Use condoms on a regular basis.
Use condoms with steady partner.
AIDS only affects highly promiscuous in¬
dividuals and gays. Students, who did not
practice safe sex could easily be found.
Barbara Bondurant, PCC health center
registered nurse, estimates that less than
10 percent of PCC students use condoms.
Most of the people she talks to are at the
center for pregnancy tests. “We have an
opportunity to ask them whether they are
having unprotected sex or not. And they
almost always say that they are engaging
in unprotected sex,” she said.
Bondurant admits that getting students
to use condoms is difficult. “I don’t think
young males want to bother with con¬
doms. For them sex is a form of instant sat¬
isfaction. They don’t need to take time to
think about what they are doing.”
When Bondurant suggests to girls that
they carry a condom, she is also met with
resistance. “Girls think the idea that they
should carry condoms is appalling. They
think it’s the man’s responsibility.”
This means that couples are not using
condoms. “I don’t bother using condoms
when I am with a steady girlfriend. I am
Worried about catching AIDS.
yes ■^■■■■■■■■i 51%
no ■■■■■■ 49%
Who’s in danger of catching AIDS.
Homosexuals: yes 91% no 9%
Promiscuous people who don’t use
condoms: yes 97% no3%
Promiscuous people who use
condoms: yes 42% no 58%
Anyone who does not use condom:
yes 71% no 29%
not worried about catching a disease,
unless I am with a girl who is promiscu¬
ous. You can tell whether a girl is likely
to have a disease by talking to her,” said
Frank Gutierrez.
He is worried about catching AIDS as
a result of having a one night stand.
However, he admits that the longest he
has seen a girl is for four months. He
usually dates a girl for one or two months.
Women also seem to feel safe about
having unprotected sex with someone
they are well acquainted with. One
person who wished to remain anony¬
mous admits to having unprotected sex
with men she has dated for awhile, de¬
spite being concerned about catching
AIDS. She also admits that she is pro¬
miscuous. “I use condoms because I am
promiscuous. If I want to have sex, I will
do it as long as I have my protection. I
feel safe with a condom.”
Men on campus can be found who
have unprotected sex with women that
they hardly know. “Sometimes I don’t
Please see AIDS page 5
yes
no
48%
■ 52%
к
1
I
