Danny Cross attributed a quote to me which was completely made up ("Worst Week Ever," issue of May 14). In quotes, he printed "as any God fearing heterosexual would" as a statement made by me in describing Sheriff Simon Leis' dancing.
I did not make that statement, and it makes me look like an idiot in the public eye. If he thinks this is satire, then he should stand behind his own statements and not attribute them to other individuals.
My reputation is important to me and essential in my work and my service to the arts. I hope that your paper will be more responsible with the treatment of private individuals.
— Bonita Brockert, Cincinnati
Putting Words in My Mouth
The fake statement about Big Bird attributed to me was funny, I admit ("Worst Week Ever," issue of May 7), but it should not have been in quotes and especially with no indication that you were putting words in my mouth.
— O. Leonard Press, Founding Director, Kentucky Educational Television
Don't Forget AIDS
Larry Gross' Living Out Loud column "A Hot Potato" (issue of May 14) hit close to home. I've been HIV positive for the past five years.
As Gross said in his column, new medications are enabling many of us to leave longer, but that doesn't mean that AIDS won't kill us.
It's still deadly.
I'm an older person, and what bothers me is AIDS isn't the "Illness of the Month" anymore, if you know what I'm saying. Over the past five or so years, you've read very little about the virus, and frankly sometimes I feel forgotten and alone. This column reminded me that there are others out there like me. I'm not alone at all.
I thank Gross for writing this and also thank him for all the volunteer work he's done for AIDS.
— David Griffin, Hyde Park
Don't Apologize for Emotions
Larry Gross' column about his friendship with Doug and AIDS ("A Hot Potato," issue of May 14) was intense. What a tragic story, but Gross overcame and volunteered. Kudos to him.
He did nothing wrong that he should apologize for. His emotions are real, and that's the way he felt that day at Findlay Market — and that's the way Doug felt when he ended the friendship.
— Frank Gardner, Norwood
Cincinnati Isn't Friendly to Outsiders
Margo Pierce's article on the paper Dan LaBotz wrote about large corporations' control over Cincinnati ("Ruling Class," issue of April 23) got me thinking about another subject I feel deserves as much, if not more, attention. Maybe someone should write an article about the control money itself has on the citizens of Cincinnati.
I'm not from here originally — I'm actually from Tulsa, Okla. — and therefore I feel I have a better ability than Cincinnati natives to be on the outside looking in and see the social problems here.
I think Cincinnati has a severe case of "Keeping Up With the Joneses" disease. "What Kind of BMW Do You Have?" disease is what I call it.
It seems that a lot of people in Cincinnati have gone to high school here and then college and of course work for a local corporation. Money seems to only stay in or come into Cincinnati, but it never leaves.
I think Cincinnati's "lifers" don't like it when outsiders come in and take jobs they feel they or someone else they know should have been offered. And Cincinnati doesn't seem to be friendly to many outsiders at all, really. I think what I need to say is that Cincinnati is also "tribal."
I know how you might respond: This happens everywhere. My response: Of course it does, but it seems to be heavily magnified and widespread here.
I've lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, which probably has a lot more money than Cincinnati does, but I didn't really notice this trend there.
— Ian Webster, Downtown
