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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 1994)
Sexuality, obscenity linked, lawyer says By Matthew Trwdell Staff Reporter Promiscuity is the factor that makes homosexuality and obscen uy a continu ing societal problem, a Miami law yer said Wednesday night. Jack Th o m p s o n spoke to about 30 people about Thompson gay rights and obscenity during a lecture in the Nebraska Union. Thompson was a key figure in arguing that rap group 2 Live Crew’s “As Nasty As They Wanna Be” should be ruled obscene. The Florida Supreme Court in 1990 ruled the album was obscene in the first such ruling in! the United States. Thompson also was the Repub lican candidate for Dade County prosecutor in 1988. His opponent, who defeated him, was Janet Reno, the current U.S. Attorney General. Obscenity in any form contrib utes to social problems, Thompson said. He said he was opposed to the music of 2 Live Crew because it contained violent, gratuitous sexual references. Thompson said he had worked with rape victims where pornog raphy was a factor and was able to see the severe damage that such obscene material caused. The same forces that claim to champion freedom of speech, Th ompson said, have attempted to si lence him. 2 Live Crew lead singer Luther Campbell sued Thompson in an attempt to keep him from speaking about the Florida obscen ity case. The gay rights movement in the United States also is tied to obscen ity, Thompson said. Both obscen ity and homosexuality celebrate promiscuity, he said, which is the cause of many social problems. Thompson’s speech, sponsored by the University Program Coun cil, presented only one side of the debate on obscenity and homo sexuality. Torie Osborn, a national gay rights activist, will present opposing viewpoints Oct. 11 in a speech at the University of Ne braska-Lincoln. Thompson said his feelings about homosexuality were based on Christian beliefs and acceptance of the bible. An audience member at the lec ture asked Thompson whether he thought AIDS was a curse from God on homosexuals. Thompson said he believed God created the world in such a way that there were consequences for all sins, but that AIDS was not actually created by God specifically to punish homo sexuals. Thompson said an organized movement existed in the United States pushing for acceptance of homosexuality. Although he feels homosexual behavior is wrong, Thompson said he does not hate homosexuals. Th ompson said homosexuality was a chosen, learned behavior that stemmed from good intentions. Encouraging homosexuality also is wrong because it is self-de structive, Thompson said. In ad dition to sexually transmitted dis eases, Thompson said, homosexu als are more likely to commit sui cide. Civil rights activist speaks By Cathrlne Blalock Staff Reporter Civil rights activist Lela Shanks said on Wednesday that her experi ences and efforts against discrimina tion would help young minorities in the future. “The civil rights movements paved the way for your generation,” she said. About 60 students and faculty members gathered in the Wick Alumni Center on Wednesday to hear Shanks give a lecture titled “Black History and the Civil Rights Move ment: An Activist’s Perspective.” Shanks has been involved with civil rights movements for more than 50 years and in organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter in Lincoln. In 1993, Shanks received the Alice Paul Award from the Lincoln/ Lancaster Commission on the Status of Women for her lifelong achieve ments on behalf of women and mi norities. In the past, she said, the achieve ments of African Americans have been ignored. During the lecture, Shanks dis played two paintings by 19th-century African Americans, posters of an African map and newspaper clip pings of her involvement in protests. Shanks also talked about African American inventors and scientists. She said information like that had been kept from history books. “We really need to know these things,” she said. There is much more African American history that the rest of the country doesn’t know, Shanks said. Shanks said the first Africans who came to North America were explor ers, not slaves. And between 1865 and 1900, 22 African Americans were elected to Congress, she said. Others’ ignorance about history is what Shanks said she had to get past to achieve greater equality. Michelle Paulman/DN Ula Shanks spanks about African American history to stu dents and faculty at the Wick Alumni Center Wednesday. 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