DOUG%YSUB.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU (Doug Sewell) (02/11/90)
It's unfortunate that, like it or not, Andy Rooney was right - homosexual sex - as a vehicle for virus transmission - was responsible for a lot of deaths in the '80's, as were the other causes he cited. I didn't find that statement offensive, or necessarily anti-homosexual, even though others did. It may not be PC to say so, but it's true. It's unfortunate that we only have Chris Bull's and Andy Rooney's word on what was said in the interview - no recordings by either party, no one else to verify what was or wasn't said (as far as I know, anyway). It's unfortunate that whether he made the racist statement or not, he's "guilty until proven innocent" in CBS's eyes. The circumstances do look 'fishy' to me, and if I was being interviewed by a possibly-hostile interviewer, I would certainly guard my words and record the interview. His suspension is a shallow victory, since it wasn't on the basis of his anti-gay beliefs, but that gays were responsible for reporting his alleged racist statememts. We still haven't proved that anti-gay feelings and statements aren't acceptable in America - whatever that may take to do. Statements reported to be in Chris Bull's 'Advocate' interview (Feb 27) are offensive to homosexuals. My impression is that these statements do reflect his beliefs. Doug