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Generation X: Letters to the Boston Phoenix Editor, January 7, 2011

Letters

Letters to the Portland Editor, October 10, 2008

Props on connecting the dots
If I could type my applause, I would. Your last two issues, specifically the cover articles, were superb.

The “I Had An Abortion” piece (by Anonymous, September 26) was succinct and very well thought out. I appreciated the personal anonymous story, and the transition into where our presidential candidates stand on choice was smooth — and an important connection to make! (See “Where They Stand,” by Deirdre Fulton, September 26). All too often, the pro-choice movement has to play cards that are starkly black and white. Reading an article in a magazine as prevalent as yours that so easily connected the dots for readers, well, it just had my activist heart all a-flutter.

I was already feeling pretty on top of my pro-choice, sex-ed world, and then the next issue came out and you lifted my spirits even more! David Kish’s “Losing Common Ground” article (October 3) on the state of AIDS activism was incredible. I think that folks who aren’t specifically involved in actions and education around AIDS don’t necessarily understand that medical cures come from science.

The glamour of celebrities telling us to buy things that support addressing the AIDS crisis in Africa, or movies where a character discovers his or her status take away from the reality of our current global situation: there is no cure for AIDS. And simply wearing a red ribbon isn’t enough. It was refreshing, albeit upsetting, to read about the rift between activists and scientists — drawing the connections between education, awareness, and scientific breakthrough is a difficult task, and Kish did an excellent job.

Keep up the great work!
Katie Diamond
Portland