WSBE releases research on gay men

“Are you looking for my big gay opinion?” asked Stoke Hall director Jamie Depelteau upon being asked for an interview.
New research released last Wednesday by the Whittemore School of Business and Economics revealed that gay men working in traditional, blue collar jobs make less money than straight men.

“I’m not surprised to see that type of finding,” Depelteau said after observing the research. “Traditional blue collar jobs are very masculine jobs, and the stereotypical gay man is not a masculine man.”

Professor of economics Dr. Bruce Elmslie conducted the study based on the U.S. Census 2004 Current Population Survey, in order to see what the evidence suggests regarding the wage gap between homosexual and heterosexual men and women.

“You can show that gay men make less money than similarly situated heterosexual men,” said Elmslie. “You can’t prove that it is discrimination, though. You can only show that the evidence is consistent with discrimination.”

The study, entitled “Sexual Orientation and Labor Market Discrimination,” found that cohabitating gay men earn 23 percent less than married men and 9 percent less than heterosexual men cohabitating with women. The term “cohabitating” refers to two unrelated people who are in a relationship and living together, as opposed to two unrelated people living together as roommates. The figures apply to blue collar and managerial positions.

“You have to break it down by occupation,” said Elmslie. “The results of comparing similarly situated gay and heterosexual men were striking, but the evidence was only consistent in blue collar and management jobs.”

These men hold the same occupation, are the same age, of the same race, hold the same degree of education and are remarkably similar in all ways except for sexual orientation.

According to the article, the most prevalent indicator of discrimination based on sexual orientation is the theory that blending homosexual and heterosexual employees could be hazardous to productivity. Employers may assume someone is gay and choose to hire or not hire based on that factor alone.

Lesbians were accounted for in the research, but the results were not the same. “There is no evidence that lesbians are more discriminated against than other similar women,” Elmslie said. “The study is not saying that lesbians are not discriminated against,” he added. 

Kucinich grants TNH exclusive interview

Editor’s note: On Oct. 26, TNH Staff Writer Abigail Crocker interviewed presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich in his Dover office, which is manned by young interns. On that date, Kucinich put in his official bid to run for president.

While presidential contender Dennis Kucinich has a reputation for being a more fundamental leftist than most of his Democratic peers, the congressman classifies himself as a “Democrat’s Democrat.” He carries with him a miniature version of the U. S. Constitution, in which he has underlined key phrases with a red pen.

“I’m an independent running inside of a Democratic party,” said Kucinich, of Ohio. “I’m a Democrat, and I stand for all things assumed of a Democrat.”

Kucinich is best known for his adamant opposition to the war in Iraq—from the very start.

In 2002, Kucinich presented an analysis of joint resolution on Iraq. It outlined foreign policy points that stressed why U.S. occupation in Iraq would be a negative move for the country, both morally and financially. Today, he holds firm to this view more than ever.

“The Iraqis were cheated by crooked contractors. We have to rebuild Iraq and get jobs. One million civilians lost their lives. It’s a moral problem. We’re going to look back and see a moral breakdown, which is so powerful and undermining,” Kucinich said.

If elected, Kucinich promised to remove all troops from Iraq within three months of taking office without leaving a vacuum in the country. He plans to eventually implement peace negotiators between the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. But, Kucinich said he wouldn’t have any U.S. influence in Iraq until the country is invited back. The U.S. Embassy would be temporarily removed because, if left, it would be a reminder and signifier of occupation, said Kucinich. He insists that the country needs a “healer” to undo what the Bush administration has created.

“The Bush administration has dishonored our flag and based foreign policy on lies,” Kucinich said.

Emphasizing the political differences in his platform when compared to other Democrats, Kucinich likens candidates such as Clinton and Edwards to Republicans who voted for the Iraq war while in Congress.

“The people have a real choice. Clinton was in favor of the war. Who’s to say she’ll be different than Giuliani or Romney?” Kucinich said. 

Clothesline Project returns to UNH

An array of colored shirts hung on clotheslines in the Strafford Room on Oct. 29 and 30, bearing the drawings and words of those affected by intimate partner abuse and sexual assault. The messages ranged from declarations of anger to assertions of survival. Some shirts had short statements, while others were covered with lengthy personal stories.

The shirts were part of The Clothesline Project, which aims to educate and raise awareness about sexual and domestic violence. The display was sponsored by SHARPP, in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness month, and will be displayed again in April to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness month.

The Clothesline Project was started in 1990 in Cape Cod by a small group of women who had experienced various forms of violence. Using a clothesline with hanging shirts came from the idea that laundry was women’s work and that women often talked to each other while hanging clothes out to dry. The clothesline and shirts represent the airing of society’s “dirty laundry.”

The intent is that by decorating a shirt, women affected by sexual and domestic violence can heal, educate others and let others affected by violence know they are not alone. The shirts are color-coded to represent different types of sexual and domestic violence, but those who decorate shirts do not always follow the color code. The names of people who make shirts remain confidential.