A rather distressing article on page ten of one of our gay weekly newspapers. I find it flippant and ignorant, and will counter it with a letter to the editor.

SX

Oh dear. Lots wrong there. I'm sure they're gonna LOVE your letter!

Read it, eeeeks :/ Flippant and ignorant is right, I couldn't believe the attitude of the writer towards all this. I wish you all the best with your letter Silas!

Just shaking my head in dismay and disbelief here....

I. Havnt read said article but I faith in you good sir,go team silas

go get 'em silas

Just don't use too many big words, Silas! You know small-minds can't grasp your extensive vocabulary.

I think you only need one word: distasteful.

It's a shame really, because there is a real niche for gay supprt of inmates anywhere, not just in America, and this could well put people off who were considering it.

The writer, Trevor Ashly is just taking the p!ss out of the whole "write a gay prisoner" thing. This guy writes like this, if you look at some of his other work it is not much different. To be honest i think he did well to draw attention to the site, by name. I would think some would take the time to look around and others would just read over it. I find it hard to believe many would really take this guy seriously on this subject.

Saying all of that, does not mean i find it acceptable, but i guess over the years i would rather someone say it how they see it in full view with there name attached. Lets face it the guys never written a letter in his life to an American gay prisoner, he is no different to many who share their thoughts. To be honest i find this less offensive than what a friend shared with me yesterday about her thoughts and she was engaged to a man behind bars. I can excuse the ignorant, but find it hard to excuse someone who not only has knowledge and education on her side, but has lived and breathed the system the last few years.

Best of luck with your letter Silas, knowing you it will be a good one, we may even see that in print.

Interestingly enough, it was an article in a gay magazine that first informed me of the existence of Writeaprisoner. It was a proper magazine that I bought, not one that is given away in bars and sex-shops like SX. (Most guys pick up SX because of the pretty picture on the cover) The article in my magazine was very encouraging, and referenced several other sites as well as WAP.
I had been writing to prisoners for more than twenty years before I discovered Writeaprisoner.