‘Ultimate Battle’

In the article “The Ultimate Battle” (May 15) was the following quote by Dr. A. Brad Truax: “The unfortunate part is the disease is even going to come closer to home for most people in San Diego when their relatives--their cousins, their fathers, their daughters--develop AIDS too.”

“Most people” in San Diego denotes in excess of 500,000 or over 50% of its population. That’s an outrageous assumption! It causes me to suspect that the gay community here has a sinister expectation that AIDS should spread rather than be contained.

Throughout history, promiscuity--hetero- or homosexual--invariably has brought disease to the participants, be it syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes or now AIDS. Social costs to contain such disease are staggering, with no end in sight.

I resent having to subsidize someone else’s promiscuous life style. To assume that such a life style has socially redeeming value and to promote it as such is revolting to me.

I believe that a gay person who is socially responsible will be readily accepted by society. A gay person that insists on leading a promiscuous life style and tries to build support for such a life style through gay activism represents a threat to my family. When that same person makes unfounded claims as to the probability of my being affected, I become very annoyed and my resolve to fight the notion of “right to promiscuity” toughens.

From my perspective, the “ultimate battle” is to control promiscuity.

WALTER A. STOEWE

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