Letter to the editor of RTT published 8 May 2004

Dear Sir

Mr Grant (Letters 23 April) responds to my letter (19 March) by wondering why the category "excluded minorities" brackets ethnic minorities with gay men, claiming I have done this in order to "bolster (my) silly theory that to criticise one is to criticise the other" and "make up the numbers". As I have made no such claim and harbour no such theory, I need not dignify his comments with a response, but your readers will by now be aware that his obsession with gay men raises perplexing questions about the unstated issues which must actually underlie his world-view in this regard.
When he refers to the litigation in the American Catholic Churches, where sexually abused boys are being financially recompensed and their abusers subject to legal actions, I must point out that this is also a major problem in other Christian churches and other religions in other countries as well. It has long been recognised that gay men make up a substantial proportion of the clergy in all denominations and, because they are forced to lead celibate asexual lives, in many cases the suppression of their natural biological urges will explode and lead to the escalating cases of sexual abuse we are now witnessing worldwide. This situation will not resolve until such time as the churches accept sexual activity as natural and God-given when expressed by clergy of all sexual persuasions.

Mr Grant asks whether "Mr Silk will see at once that it is futile to criticise the church for homophobia under these circumstances, so will he try to denounce it for racism?", to which my answer is that as there is no logical basis for his question no response is necessary.

I now address the 'Children with AIDS Charity (CWAC)', flagged on 19 April, in order to correct a misconception as to number-crunching. The latest data published by the NHS confirms that Richmond and Kingston have 5 HIV-positive infants, born to heroin-injectors or African immigrants, whilst there are 152 HIV-positive native gay men across both boroughs. The chairman of CWAC's West London branch, septuagenarian politician Ray Perrin, who stood for the Independent Party at the last election, is already on record as having misrepresented statistical data when he claimed "33,000 people in the UK have HIV, infecting mostly people under 24", when the latest NHS statistics confirm that this age-group makes up only 16 percent of the total, with the 25-39 age group, mainly gay men, making up 62 percent

I deplore his attempt to massage the data and evidence, as further examination reveals that those below 20 make up only 4 percent and those between 20-24 12 percent of the total.

Whilst I wish CWAC the greatest success in West London, this must not involve publishing misleading and incorrect data whose effect can be, in the minds of the public, to white-out gay men from the local epidemic.

Yours faithfully

Damon Silk
Chief Executive
Gay Men's AIDS Forum

By extraordinary coincidence CWAC has appointed Councillor "Bully Bunter" Cranfield-Adams as parton of its non-existent West London Branch which currently lists its address and contact details as West London Branch Chairman Ray Perrin's residence in Sheen, Richmond. This will no doubt allow Cranfield-Adams to claim a heartfelt connection with the Borough's five tiny tots with HIV. Pass the sick-bag please!