‘Chilling’ Words

Christopher Knight states that James Woods’ comments were “chilling” and exhibited “homophobia” when Woods expressed his understandable distaste for an art exhibit featuring a picture of one man urinating into another man’s mouth (“Censorship Run Amok in ‘Pictures,’ ” May 27).

I know many people including myself who feel exactly the same way that Woods does but I would no more characterize them as homophobic as I would label Knight a responsible art critic.

Woods was not advocating censorship in his comments but merely expressing his values, which clearly, and thankfully, are at odds with Knight.

RICK NEWELL

Trabuco Canyon

Knight finds James Woods’ comment regarding Robert Mapplethorpe’s work “homophobic,” does he? “Chilling”?

What I find “chilling” is that an American citizen, including James Woods, cannot criticize such obscenities as Mapplethorpe’s photograph of a man urinating in the mouth of another without being labeled with a pejorative.

DENIS HIGGINS

Ventura

Knight’s review of the Showtime movie “Dirty Pictures” seemed to be missing something important: Robert Mapplethorpe’s pictures, so that we readers may judge for ourselves if they are obscene. Oh, The Times won’t print them? I guess the newspaper he works for is in collusion with, as he termed them, the “loose constellation of Cincinnati bluenoses, religious fanatics, gay-bashers, right-wing politicians . . . and assorted others.”

For what it’s worth, there are people of both gay and straight preferences who find “a picture of one man urinating in another man’s mouth” simply unacceptable.

ARTHUR METZ

Irvine

I’ve been pondering for days why the recent advertisement in The Times regarding Laura Schlessinger made me feel so queasy. After all, I fully support the right of the gay and lesbian community--or any community--to protest that which they feel is wrong and to make their opinions publicly known.

But there was something about that ad that was so negative and unpleasant that I came away from it feeling that the gay and lesbian community is no longer simply trying to keep Dr. Laura’s upcoming television program from being broadcast, but that the goal is to put her completely off the air.

I may not agree with everything that Dr. Laura says, but she certainly has the right to voice her opinions, just as we all do, without fear of being silenced by any group with an agenda, be it political, religious or otherwise.

Knight’s article put the matter in perspective. Or, rather, Salman Rushdie did, when he made the following statement: “If you can’t defend what is unpalatable to you personally, then you don’t actually believe in free speech. You only believe in the free speech of those who agree with you.”

It could not be better or more truthfully stated.

MARY SPENCER LIMING

Monrovia

I’m wondering why Calendar won’t publish the stunning Polaroids I took of myself urinating on Knight’s review?

You don’t want to “chill” my singular artistic vision, trample on the 1st Amendment or deprive me of a taxpayer-subsidized federal arts grant, now do you?

WILLIAM CHITWOOD

La Canada