Follow the Rainbow

Joel Koette, OP Contributor

This article is
intended to wel-
come back all the
old and new stu-
dents to Douglas
College and pro-
vide them with
some information
about | the
Douglas Students’
Union’s Pride
Collective.

What is Pride? Pride is a sense of one’s values
and the respect that one has for one’s self, their cul-
ture, and their community. The Pride Collective was
created to help foster positive attitudes on campus
towards gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered
(GLBT) people.

The Pride Collective is quite active in the college,
offering both advocacy and events such as pub
nights, the Equal Marriage campaign, and educating
the college community on AIDS awareness and the
Queer community.

This year, the Collective has organized some

 

 

great events for Coming Out Week, from October
12 to 15 at the New Westminster Campus, and
everyone is invited to attend. As quoted by the tal-
ented Yasmin Irani, Research and Communications
Coordinator from the Douglas Students’ Union, “it
will be more fun then a rave at a day spa!”

National Coming Out Day was originally cele-
brated in the US to the
500,000-person march to Washington for gay and
lesbian equality on October 11, 1987. Since then, it
has also been celebrated in Canada in recognition of
those who have had the courage to come out as
GLBT in a heterosexist society.

The first event during this fabulous week will be
the film presentation of Let No One Put Asunder,
which explores the political, religious, and social
issues that surround the fight for same-sex marriage
in Canada. Alexis Fosse Mackintosh, who produced
and directed the film, will be present to take ques-
tions and comments after the screening. This event
will take place October 12th from 2—4pm in the
upper lounge of the DSU building.

October 13th from 1—2pm will be the Positive
Space workshop, which will be facilitated by Pride

commemorate

Collective Assistant Laine Le Vecque and, of
course, myself. The workshop will highlight the
importance of the campaign and encourage people
to get involved in creating positive space for the
GLBT community on campus. Oh baby, go, go, go!

Last, but certainly not least, will be the Pride
Resource Centre Open House on October 14th
from 2—4pm in room 328 of the DSU building.
Come out—no pun intended—and check out the
Centre to see what the space has to offer to all
College staff, faculty, and students, regardless of
their sexual identity.

One last thing before I go, this article is intend-
ed to create discussion on all types of issues
surrounding the Queer Community, and I encour-
age students to write in and ask questions or submit
your opinions.

If you have any questions about how to get
involved with the Pride Collective, visit the Pride
Resource Centre on the top floor of the Douglas
Students’ Union in room 328, or contact us by
phone at 604.527.5474. Welcome back everyone.
Pride Collective Meetings are held every Thursday
at 4pm...we hope to see you there.

 

STATI

Plas

   

- i

Science Struggle
Under W's Thumb

David Suzuki, The David Suzuki
Foundation

Who’s got the science chops, George
or John? A leading science journal is
leaving. it up to readers to decide.

For this US presidential race,
Nature has done something it has
never done before—it posed ques-
tions about science priorities to
George W. Bush and to John Kerry
and printed the answers verbatim in a
special news feature.

The move is especially curious
given that Na¢ure is a British publica-
tion, not American. But, as Nasure’s
editors point out, America’s influence

Oenover = G/e00l

is such that, “when it comes to eco-
nomic, military, and other decisions,
the US administration’s actions are as
likely to have as much impact on your
country as those of your own govern-
ment.”

So why did Nature choose this pat-
ticular election to grill the candidates?
The answer is simple. Many American
scientists find the George W. Bush
administration stifling, if not down-
right scary. And its policies have
repercussions throughout the world’s
scientific community.

From stem cells to missile defense
to nuclear weapons and climate
change, the Bush administration has
stuck to its ideological guns. Up until
this summer, for example, official
White House policy has been to deny
the human role in global climate
change and to tow the oil industry line
of waiting for “more research.” Mr.
Bush also raised the ite of researchers
by instituting highly _ restrictive
embryonic stem cell research poli-
cies—policies that have even drawn
fire from Nancy Reagan.

The Union of Concerned
Scientists (UCS), meanwhile, has doc-
umented dozens of examples of

times the Bush administration seems
to have altered or suppressed scientif-
ic findings to suit its agenda. Since
February, more than 5,000 scientists
have signed a UCS statement accusing
the administration of misusing sci-
ence. The list includes 48 Nobel
laureates, 62 National Medal of
Science recipients, and 127 members

 

of the National Academy of Sciences.

So, perhaps for the first time, sci-
ence could play a significant role in a
US federal election. Unfortunately,
most of the two candidates’ answers
to questions posed by Nature were

fairly vague, and not especially insight-
ful. But one answer by President Bush
stood out.

Question: Many environmental
problems can be attributed to the high
levels of consumption in developed
nations such as the US. Can science
and technology allow everyone on the
planet to reach these levels of con-

4

sumption? Or do Americans need to
change their lifestyles and consume
less?

Bush: “America in a very real sense
has changed, not by consuming less,
but by consuming and producing

continued on page 10

HUNEPPPeSSs | 8