LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2004

In This Issue
 AIDS in The Gambia
 Good News/Bad News
from Peace Corps
 The Unexpected in
Mauritania

NewsLetter
 Peace Corps’ Outreach to
LGBTs
 NPCA Conference

August 2004

A
ugust’s issue begins with Tim Mah’s story about his time in The Gambia
learning how to get across the reality of AIDS to Gambian youth.  Mike
Learned reports on Gay Pride month at Peace Corps, along with the clarifi-
cation of “marriage” for recruiters caused by recent court rulings in Massachusetts.
 Jay Davidson tells us about his unexpected experiences in Mauritania.  We also
report on recent Peace Corps outreach efforts to the LGBT community and the NPCA
Conference in Chicago.

Believing AIDS is Real

- Timothy Mah, RPCV, The Gambia, 2001-03
The Peace Corps experience is
filled with hurdles and obstacles,
which if overcome, can turn into
very positive defining moments. As
a recent college graduate, I looked
upon my Peace Corps service as an
opportunity to find that specific path
that I knew awaited me somewhere
- possibly in one of those Peace Corps
moments that I had previously heard
about.
I applied to the Peace Corps with
the notion that I wanted to do HIV/
AIDS work - whatever that meant in
the context of my assigned country
and community. I had some previ-
ous experience as a pediatric AIDS
researcher during college and as an
intern at an AIDS service organiza-
tion, but I was unsure what those
experiences would mean to me as a
community health educator in Africa.
At some point during the application
process, I was asked why I wanted
to work in the HIV/AIDS field. At
the time, I didn’t have a very clear
answer. But I think I can answer that
now.
AIDS is an intriguing epidemic that
has affected communities in countless
ways - some foreseeable, others with
surprise. AIDS is unique in its ability
to transcend its label as solely a health
problem; it has social and cultural,
religious, political, and economic
components, all of which have had
a role in defining the epidemic. For
At some point during
the application process, I
was asked why I wanted
to work in the HIV/AIDS
field. At the time, I didn’t
have a very clear answer.
But I think I can answer
that now.
many years, HIV was seen as a gay
disease. Some purported it be punish-
ment for homosexual deviance, and
some people continue to believe this.
It was at another time a Haitian dis-
ease, brought to the US by unwanted
immigrants. Some have theorized
that it was engineered as a social
and scientific tool to dissuade overly
sexual and promiscuous people from
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their immoral behaviors. It has been
and still is used as a political vehicle -
linking funding for prevention efforts
with primarily one form of preven-
tion, abstinence, rather than a more ef-
fective and comprehensive approach.
From an economic perspective, an
entire generation of working age men
and women in parts of southern Africa
has nearly been wiped out.
It is different from any other
disease that has so affected people.
Unlike many of the common ailments
found in developing countries, HIV
doesn’t necessarily show outward
symptoms all the time. While sick-
nesses such as malaria, tuberculosis,
or a host of stomach ailments can be
easily seen and understood, HIV is
invisible and more often than not, not
understood. HIV also strikes through
a basic yet taboo subject - sex, which
is rarely if ever breached in many
communities. All of these factors
make this epidemic multi-faceted and
utterly dynamic - changing with time
and place.
I spent much of my Peace Corps
service organizing HIV/AIDS
education programs and events for
continued on 5
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2004

Peace Corps – Mixed Messages - Mike Learned, Editor

Gay Pride Month at Peace Corps Married Volunteers – Only a Man and a
Woman
For the third year in a row, Peace Corps Director, Gaddi
Vasquez, designated June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month Shortly before same sex marriages commenced in the
at Peace Corps. He has done this in a political environment
Commonwealth of Massachusetts in May, the Peace Corps
where many federal agencies have not done this. Again Manual was amended defining married couples going into
we congratulate him for his recognition of our place in the
the Peace Corps as volunteers as a “man and a woman.” In
Peace Corps family and his political courage. The Direc- the past, married couples were identified according to the
tor’s message sent on June 8 follows: laws of a particular state. In some states “common law”
marriages are recognized, often defining common law
To: All Peace Corps Staff marriages as those where the couple have lived together as
From: Gaddi Vasquez, Director husband and wife for a least seven years. This provision
Subject: Gay and Lesbian Pride Month defining marriage according to State law seemed by some
to open the door for same sex couples
I am pleased to designate June 2004 married in Massachusetts to apply to
as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month at Creating a work en- Peace Corps as a married couple. Fol-
Peace Corps. vironment where each lowing is the communication to Peace
Gay and Lesbian Pride Month is
celebrated throughout the United
employee and Volunteer Corps staff that clarifies the issue, and
of course excludes same sex couples
States during the month of June. This is valued and afforded from qualifying as married for purposes
year marks the 35th anniversary of the mutual respect, regard- of Peace Corps placement. Peace Corps
historic Stonewall Rebellion as a major is not alone. No other federal agency
turning point in civil rights for gay and less of their sexual will accept married same sex couples as
lesbian Americans. This commemora- orientation, is a key ele- married. But I wish Peace Corps had not
tion provides Americans with the op-
portunity to recognize and celebrate the
ment of the Peace Corps pushed this in our face. Read on...
important contributions lesbian and gay organizational culture. Section 201 of the Peace Corps
Americans have made to our society. - Gaddi Vasquez Manual, 22 C.F.R. § 305.2(f), provides
Peace Corps has a long history of that only married couples who are
recognizing and celebrating diversity as “husband and wife” can apply to be
one of the strengths among its Volun- placed together abroad. The Defense of
teers and staff worldwide. Creating a work environment Marriage Act, 1 U.S.C. § 7 (1996), defines “marriage” for
where each employee and Volunteer is valued and afforded federal administrative bureaus and agencies as a union
mutual respect, regardless of their sexual orientation, is a between a man and a woman. This Act precludes a federal
key element of the Peace Corps organizational culture. agency like the Peace Corps from implementing the recent
The fulfillment of the Peace Corps’ mission to foster Massachusetts Supreme Court decision creating same-
greater understanding among the world’s citizens requires sex civil marriages in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts
that we adhere to the highest standards with respect to Supreme Court recognized the preclusive force of the Act
equal opportunity for all Volunteers, employees and ap- in its February 2003 opinion.
plicants. Recognizing the talent, energy, motivation and By establishing a federal definition of marriage which
creativity of each person contributes to the cause of world excludes same-sex couples, the Peace Corps does not rec-
peace and improved understanding. ognize the “marriage” of a same-sex couples for purposes
During this month, I encourage all employees to partici- of legal eligibility, or treat same-sex couples as “married”
pate in the many activities at the Peace Corps and in your under Section 201 of the Manual. The following language
communities that celebrate the contributions and achieve- in the Peace Corps Guide to Recruitment (2003) and
ments of gay and lesbian Americans. Guide to Placement (2001) is inconsistent with regards to
this policy, and will be amended.
“Recruiters should accept an application from any
couple who has a recognized marriage under the laws of
their state of residence.”
In accordance with the aforementioned, “any couple”
must be comprised of a man and woman.

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 LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2004

The Unexpected in Mauritania - Jay Davidson, PCV

Maybe you saw the same message on the lgbrpcv with twenty-year-olds since I was one myself.
Yahoo listserv that I noticed in May: a Peace Corps invitee These people had grown up in a social environment that
describing himself as “scared and disappointed” at the was markedly different from the early 1970s when I was
prospect of serving in a Muslim country that would be their age. They all knew gay characters on television and
“rigid and stifling.” The author was out to his PC recruiter. in the movies; they have lesbian sisters and gay brothers;
He had correctly surmised that gay life would be differ- they attended colleges with active gay student unions. For
ent in an Islamic Republic than in the United States. He most of them, my being gay was a very big No Big Deal.
had every reason to be concerned for his well being and It was a good thing everyone knew, because it was from
to wonder to the listserv group if he would possibly have one of my fellow trainees that I had the invitation to meet
a greater chance for success in an environment where his Mamadou, my first gay Mauritanian. Mamadou cruised
very existence is not punishable by death. fellow trainee Bill near the Senegal River in Kaédi, our
Anyone who has lived or traveled abroad has seen first- training city. Bill took it in stride, probably fortified after
hand that there is a vast difference between the reality of having lived in San Francisco himself, when Mamadou
any given country and the way it is portrayed in the media. told him, “Je suis bisexuel.” A nice looking straight guy
I was hoping - no, depending - on that being the case for like this must have been hit on at least once, and didn’t
me when I received my invitation to serve in Mauritania. unravel. All he needed to do was say, “Je suis pas comme
The day after the invitation arrived, I looked on a world ca.” And then, of course, he told me what happened.
map to see what the flag looked like. When I recognized I persuaded Bill to introduce us. I met Mamadou just
the star and crescent that appears on a few hours before swearing in as a
the flags of many Islamic nations, the Anyone who has lived volunteer. As luck would have it, he was
first sensation I felt was queasiness, a or traveled abroad has there in Kaédi to visit extended family.
nauseous feeling in my stomach. Maybe He really lived in Nouakchott, the capi-
this wasn’t such a smart idea after all. seen first-hand that tal, where I was going to be living.
Why not just retire from teaching and there is a vast difference Once Mamadou found out where I
take it easy in San Francisco, enjoying lived, there was no holding him back.
life in what many consider to be the
between the reality of Not only did he come to visit without
global epicenter of gay life. Within a any given country and notice, as is the custom here, but he
day I was filled with a different feeling the way it is portrayed usually brought a friend with him. This
altogether. My inner voice - the one built up the network of gay men I met.
that I had learned to trust when it spoke in the media. I was hop- Meeting this way was a good way to
- told me, “Accept the invitation. You ing - no, depending - on meet men, as there are no gay bars,
will teach what you need to teach and social networks or known cruising areas
learn what you need to learn.” It was
that being the case for for making contacts.
with that leap of faith that I plunged into me when I received my At the same time, though, I shouldn’t
the maelstrom of activity that is needed invitation to serve in have worried too much about meeting
for both retirement and leaving home people. Public displays of affection
for two years. Mauritania. are discouraged between women and
Joining the Peace Corps fulfills my men, but they are perfectly acceptable
ambition that I have had since President Kennedy started between men and between women. One of my favorite
the organization. I was 13 years old at the time, and very scenes is two soldiers, uniformed, walking down the street
impressionable. The only question for me was when it was holding hands. An army of lovers cannot fail.
going to happen - never if. In 2001, when my partner of Even without Mamadou, however, there have still been
eleven years informed me that he wanted to be out of the other opportunities, all of which are unexpected: the taxi
relationship, I climbed out of my complacency and took a driver who smiled at me and put his hand in my lap; the
look at what would be next for me. It turned out to be the hotel manager who offered to show me more than a room;
Peace Corps. the kickboxing instructor who was with his wife when
During the month that preceded our departure, nine- we met, and lost no time telling me he gives massage; the
teen invitees found each other on the Internet and became shop owner who, upon finding out I was an American, told
active on a listserv. This was my first opportunity to be that the best part about his visit to his brother in “Texas,
out at large. As members of my training class introduced Dallas” was that he could see sexy movies where he sat in
ourselves, I seized the opportunity to describe myself as a his own little room and invited others to join him.
gay Jewish vegetarian. When we met in person at staging, I want to make myself abundantly clear that this is
word got out in the group. I hadn’t spent so much time
continued on page 4
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LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2004
LGBT Presence at NPCA Conference: Recent PC
Chicago - Mike Learned, Group Leader
The National Peace Corps Associa- our NPCA members and recommen-
tion celebrated its 25th anniversary
early in August at its biannual confer- support.
ence in Chicago. LBG RPCVs has
been an active affiliate of the NPCA
for more than ten years. Chicago in
August, you say? Well, a wonderful
surprise: weather in the 70s, low hu-
midity, no rain, breezy. It was lovely,
lovely, lovely. And the new Millen-
nium Park is spectacular.
Most of my efforts at the NPCA
this last year have been to work with
other affiliate members on a proposal
to decrease the size of the NPCA
Board, the number of committees,
and to improve overall governance.
The Board voted to place such a
bylaw change on a special ballot to be
presented to NPCA members this fall.
About half of LGB RPCV members
are also NPCA members and will be
eligible to vote on this issue. Prior
to the election, I will get informa-
tion about the proposed changes to
Mauritania...
continued from page 3
certainly not the liberated life that
Americans are used to leading. At the
same time, though - at least for me
living in the capital - this is not so
bad. Not bad at all. Probably the most
amazing part about the attention that I
am getting has to do with the fact that
the people who seek me out are sig-
nificantly younger than I am. Most of
them are men in their twenties, thirties
and forties. You may not believe this,
but I was not this hot a commodity in
San Francisco! Nor do I think most
56-year-olds are, except for their
highly specialized niche market.
Two factors contribute significantly
to my being in the position where I
am. The first is that I am in a culture
in which age is revered and respected,
which is just the opposite of life in
the United States. The second factor
is related to the first, and that has to
Involvement
dations along with my reasons for
in the LGBT
The President’s Forum (to be re-
Community
named Group Leader’s Forum) voted
overwhelmingly to support the Board
reconfiguration proposal. Under the
leadership of the current President’s
Forum Coordinator, Carol Rogers,
I sense real energy and a sense of
NPCA Group coordination and coop-
eration that I have not felt before.
Chicago Peace Corps Recruiter
Michael Dane helped us organize a
get-together of LGBT conferees and
RPCVs living in the Chicago area. A
dozen of us met for a couple of hours
on the Saturday evening in the lobby
bar of the Palmer House, the Confer-
ence location. Thanks to Michael for
helping us scout things and get the
word out.
do with the fact that because I have a
significant part of my work life behind
me, I have come to Mauritania with
experience that the Ministry of Educa-
tion wants to tap into. The Ministry
is in the capital, so that is why I am
too. That’s the Experience Factor - the
one that makes a difference in where
any volunteer gets placed, based on
matching skills to needs.
When I was teaching I consistently
encouraged the parents of my first-
graders to create a home environ-
ment that was conducive to lifelong
learning. I asked them to set examples
for their own children by keeping lots
of books at home and turning off the
television set so that they could read,
talk, and play with their children.
Being here, I am trying to practice
what I taught. I continue to teach. I
also continue to learn. And to grow.
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– Mike Learned, Editor
As part of reaching its diversity goals,
Peace Corps offices around the country
sponsored recruiting and information
tables at Gay Pride events this summer,
and panels featuring LGBT RPCVs tell-
ing their stories about their Peace Corps
experiences. I know I haven’t heard about
all the events, but let me report on those
I have.
There were Peace Corps recruiting
and information tables at the Atlanta, San
Francisco and Washington D.C. gay pride
events in June. I sat at the PC table at the
Gay Pride Festival at Civic Center in San
Francisco for a couple of hours. Lots of
people stopped by: people interested in
the Peace Corps, RPCVs (many surprised
to see us there) and members of the com-
munity seeking information. Peace Corps
staff ran out of brochures and printed
materials they took along, one sign of
success.
The Boston, Denver, Los Angeles and
San Francisco offices sponsored recent
panels featuring LGBT RPCVs. I’ve heard
second hand about the panels in Denver,
central Massachusetts, and Connecticut. I
was on a panel sponsored by Peace Corps
at the Commonwealth Club in San Fran-
cisco last month. More than 50 people
showed up, and as one sign of success, not
a single person left early.
Our thanks to the many LGBT RPCVs
who took part in these events and our ap-
preciation to Peace Corps for this outreach
to our community.
Jay Davidson maintains his own
web site (www.jaydavidson.com) with
weekly postings. He can be reached at
teacher@jaydavidson.com.

AIDS is Real...
continued from page 1
youths throughout The Gambia, a
small country in West Africa. These
programs provided the youths with
basic information about HIV/AIDS
- prevention strategies and modes of
transmission, as well as more general
“life skills,” such as relationship, deci-
sion-making, thinking, and negotiat-
ing skills. Some of the boys were
trained to be peer health advocates in
their schools and communities, while
others were trained simply to help
prevent themselves and their friends
from becoming infected and to dispel
the rumors and misinformation that
floated around the villages.
During many of my workshops
on HIV/AIDS with Gambian youths,
the questions would inevitably come
up: “Where is AIDS from? How was
it found?” How could such simple
questions be so difficult to answer?
I could easily have said, “AIDS was
discovered in America and France
in 1981, by doctors who noticed an
unusual number of gay men were
becoming sick with strange and rare
sicknesses.” Finished. Next topic. That
answer however was not as simple as
it sounds and introduced myriad cul-
tural, political, and colonialist issues
into the discussion: If it was discov-
ered in America, why do people say it
started in Africa? If it started among
gay men, how did it get to Africa,
since there are no gay people here? If
it was discovered in America, why are
there so many more people in Africa
who have it now?
At first, the answers to these ques-
tions just seemed secondary. Shouldn’t
these boys ultimately be concerned
with whether or not they have the in-
formation and ability to prevent them-
selves and their friends from getting
HIV? To the participants however, the
answers they knew to these questions
were the basis for their denial of the
existence of HIV. The answers fed into
the numerous conspiracy theories that
surround the AIDS epidemic in The
Gambia. I soon learned that it didn’t
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2004
matter if the boys knew everything
about prevention or the modes of
transmission. It mattered that they
first believe that HIV was real and
could have an impact on their health
and well being. It therefore often be-
came my role to persuade the youths
that HIV was indeed real and that it
could affect anyone in their commu-
If it was discovered in
America, why do peo-
ple say it started in Af-
rica? If it started among
gay men, how did it get
to Africa, since there
are no gay people here?
If it was discovered in
America, why are there
so many more people
in Africa who have it
now?
nity, from their friends and siblings to
their parents and the village leaders.
Whenever possible, I would include
HIV positive individuals in the work-
shops. 99% of the youths I worked
with had never known, heard of, seen,
or interacted with a Gambian living
with the virus. My hope was that see-
ing truly would mean believing.
So many of the simple scientific
aspects of the AIDS epidemic are
completely intertwined with seeming-
ly distant political and cultural issues.
From questions about the discovery
of the disease to prevention (aren’t
condoms just a western way of keep-
ing Africa’s population in check?)
and treatment issues (why are there
drug treatments widely available in
the US, but not in The Gambia?),
there are no simple answers. But
these are the challenges that make the
AIDS epidemic unique, interesting
5
and frustrating.
In addition to those motives for be-
ing interested in working in the HIV/
AIDS field, there were the more per-
sonal reasons. There was the issue of
being gay. Did I subconsciously feel
that I needed to give back in some
way to the gay community, which has
been so grossly affected by AIDS?
Would I be able to do that by going
to The Gambia? Would my efforts in
The Gambia even have an impact on
the gay community in the US?
In a general sense, no, my efforts in
The Gambia didn’t have an effect on
the gay community in the US. How-
ever, despite the obvious differences,
the epidemics in the US and through-
out Africa are inextricably linked.
Progress on one front means progress
on another. My work in The Gambia
gave me the opportunity to see the
epidemic from a different perspec-
tive. It put me in a place where the
reality of the epidemic was still not
understood. I was lucky to have the
foresight when I worked in the Gam-
bian villages that if people weren’t
educated early on about the dangers
and consequences of this disease, then
communities there and around the
world would continue to be unneces-
sarily hurt.
In the past two decades, there
has been much progress in the fight
against AIDS. While the epidemic has
hopefully peaked in many commu-
nities, there are countless others in
every corner of the world where it is
just beginning. There is still so much
work left to be done.
Tim Mah has spent the last 7
months working in the Public Policy
Department of the San Francisco
AIDS Foundation. He starts graduate
work at the Harvard School of Public
Health in September. He can be con-
tacted at tlmah22@hotmail.com.
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2004

Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Who are we?
We’re an organization of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and others who are
former volunteers, current volunteers, former and current staff members and friends. Founded in
Washington D.C. in 1991 we have several hundred members throughout the country and around the
world who have served in the Peace Corps since its beginning in 1961.
We are made up of a national steering committee and two regional chapters: the San Francisco
Bay Area and Washington D.C. We are an active affiliate member of the National Peace Corps
Association.
What’s our purpose?
We promote Peace Corps ideals and the legal, political and social rights of LGBT people through-
out the world.
What do we do?
 Provide support to our national members and current volunteers.
 Actively involve ourselves as an affiliate of the National Peace Corps Association.
 Offer through our Mentor Program informational resources and mentors for LGBT applicants,
potential applicants and those offered a Peace Corps assignment.
 Take an active part in Gay Pride events around the country encouraging LGBT people to
consider the Peace Corps experience.
 Promote policies and projects that support the acceptance and active involvement of LGBT
people within Peace Corps.
 Host social events for our members.
 Communicate regularly with our members and others through our web site, quarterly newsletter
and listserv.

New Membership | Address Update Form

Name: New Member
Change of Address/Renewal
I would talk with PC appli-
Street:
cants about my experience.

City: State: Zip:

Phone: E-mail:

Country of Service: Years:

PC Project: Current Work: 08/04

Membership: $15 for LGB RPCV Affiliate Only or FREE to Current Volunteers
$50 for LGB RPCV Plus the National Peace Corps Association (http://www.rpcv.org)
LGB RPCVs; PO Box 14332; San Francisco, CA 94114-4332
e-mail: lgbrpcv@lgbrpcv.org | http://www.lgbrpcv.org
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