In this past week the right-wing forces of hatred stole Paul Washington's son claiming he and Tim were unfit parents because they are gay. The Police harassed gay customers on Arenas Road in Palm Springs. I quoted the venerable Morris Kight, co-founder of the Stonewall Democratic Club and recently praised by President Bill Clinton and Governor Gray Davis who said that the George Bush forces of hatred would become more bold and desperate as this close election came to its final days.

Then the FBI asked me to spill my guts--put my heart and soul and every ounce of emotion I could muster in a final plea to the Judge to sentence John Hanley to prison. Hanley has never apologized. Hanley told the Judge AIDS was a curse from God and stealing $200,000 from people dying of AIDS was actually God's work.

Hanley felt people with AIDS should not have nice funerals - heaven forbid kids might get the impression being gay was something to be proud of. He was negotiating for work release and NO prison time for his 10-year embezzlement of money from the most vulnerable people in our society - combat veterans after AIDS began to destroy their health.

The letter to the judge about Mr. Hanley made me angry. It made me remember some past civil rights battles. It made me think of friends who have died of AIDS. It made me think about my own death someday.

It made me think of late Cliff Anchor who died in July. I miss you Cliff. One year ago this Veteran's Day Cliff was living in my home here in the desert. The letter made me cry. However I continued to eat, clean my home and was working on fundraisers for Greg Pettis and being with President Clinton next Monday in Long Beach. As you know, my father had a heart attack in a super market in Florida one week before the Democratic National Convention. He had open-heart surgery. I wanted to be with him but he told me he was proud of me and for me to be there when Al Gore was nominated for President.

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I was inside the Staples Center the night my friend Governor Bob Graham of Florida put Gore over the top. My father had successful surgery. He said that Art Torres, Bob Mulholland, Tom Keefe, George Keefe, Dave Roberts, Louise Ware, Hershel Gober --these fine people will always be treated like royalty should they visit the Swann home. They did something nice for our family. I am the second person in my family to get a high school diploma and I was inside Staples Center.

My Father had tickets to the Florida LSU and Florida Auburn games. These are BIG happenings in the South. Families celebrate successful heart surgery with big tailgate parties. Floridians celebrate life at Florida Field watching the Gators beat hated Auburn. Dave Roberts and Dave Schaub came to my home September 23 and asked me to cancel my vacation for the roll out of veterans for Gore.

My father was upset. Like thousands of activist Democrats I had the stress of balancing family needs and the campaign. As a Marine I was trained no matter how tired--if you are on duty you better stay awake. If the Viet Cong snuck up on your platoon at night and the fire watch Marine fell asleep--it meant death to everyone. So I stayed in California and the roll out in Palm Springs next Monday will be splendid.

I met in my home with the Deacon of my church for prayers. I sent a memo to the AIDS Medical Director of the VA in Washington DC asking him for advice on which protease inhibitor combination to take. I was working on a memo to Sheila Kuehl. I was eating lasagna and asked the caretaker to take a sharp butcher knife home with him. I had opened a drawer and cut myself and the Braille Institute said for me to get rid of things that I couldn't see. The Desert AIDS Project was coming over to offer love and advice. They wanted me to go see my primary care doctor, get a larger dose of medicine and go down to Florida for a break. They started helping me pack my suitcase and I started to cry. I need to go home. I haven't been home for a year and there is truly no place like home. In our home I am the religious guy. I am the guy that prayed at the dinner table. I am the ONLY member of my immediate family that attends Church. The Swann's have waited for me to go home and get us 3 kids together with my Father and thank God for the successful surgery. The best time to pray is right before kickoff at Florida Field. That's because you know God will hear your prayer. Everybody, God, Jesus, Noah, Moses - everybody will be at Florida Field to see that game. Everyone sadly except Tom "Gator' Swann.

A contractor nurse who has never met my primary care physician doctor and gives me an injection every two weeks glanced at my letter about John Hanley. Her husband is a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant. She is voting for George Bush. She considers Clinton to be immoral. I told her I could not go to Florida because of the roll out of veterans for Gore.

She saw her chance and called the Sheriff and said I was trying to kill myself with the butcher knife I told the caretaker to take home. The Desert AIDS Project protested vigorously. They insisted I go with my AIDS medicine and that I go voluntarily--not a forced 3-day hold. In that manner, after a few hours it would be obvious I was not crazy and I would be released. They told the Sheriff they were more familiar with my case than the contractor nurse who has seen me about 6 times in the past three months.

The Desert AIDS Project insisted their plan for me to see my primary care physician and then go to Florida was the BEST solution--not a lock up in the Indio Mental Health facility.

Can you imagine how humiliating it is to be placed in the back seat of a Sheriff's car in the mobile home park after you got everybody excited about the roll out of Veterans for Gore? On the way to Desert Hospital I encouraged the deputy to vote for Gore because he wants to get rid of cop killer bullets. That's right--I was campaigning for Al Gore to the very end.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy promised to call my brother who is a Captain with the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. My brother knows I am not suicidal. No one commits suicide during football season when the Gators are in the top 10. It is impossible.

Sadly everyone lied. I was changed from voluntary to forced 3-day hold. I was denied my AIDS medicines, food or water. They said I was crazy for being gay. I asked to see my primary doctor and they said no--he is gay too.

Then they laughed at me. I told an African-American guard that at least Dr. King knew the charges against him when he was placed in Birmingham jail. They asked for a urine sample. I asked for water so I could do the test.

Instead they stripped me and put something painful on my penis. I found it strange these macho men who called me crazy were so interested in a gay man's penis. I wondered who was really crazy after all. I was denied the right to call my primary doctor, my pastor--anyone. A contractor nurse felt Bill Clinton was immoral and the Desert Hospital had convicted me without a trial or examination by a psychologist. My gay doctor was never contacted. A MRI showed NO HIV Dementia or anything that would cause me to be suicidal.

At around 11:00 PM I gave a Dr. Young the cell phone number of Neil Jordan, the corresponding secretary of the Democratic Veteran's Caucus. I was convinced the Caucus would come to the rescue. I lay there naked in a cold isolated room.

They said I was lying about being blind. These people who never consulted my doctor, my retinal specialist--convicted me of being a habitual liar and faking my blindness. They said I was gay so I did not know what day of the week it was. They said gays were unstable. They said gays do not know who they are or where they are. You think you are blind. You think you are gay. We are sending you to Indio to get fixed.

At 1:00 in the morning I was put in an ambulance and taken to Indio. I was never fed or given my medicine. I missed 2 doses of Crixivan. On the way to Indio I told the guy in the ambulance that after his shift he needed to call Greg Pettis or Ron Oden. Ron has a fundraiser Friday night. At least tell him I can't be there.

The ambulance man said he was not allowed to help me even though he felt there was a mistake. He said they were obviously taking the wrong guy but he could not help me. I said that is the difference between you and me. I work voluntarily for civil rights 24 hours per day and you are just picking up a paycheck.

In Indio they treated me like a human being. They offered me a banana and Kool Aid. I got some sleep in an un-locked room. The next morning I met with a Psychiatrist. I asked him that if people really wanted to help me avoid suicide and that we all know suicide is a sin--so why didn't you call my Pastor?

If I am a tither and member of a church that believes suicide is a sin--why not call the pastor first? I asked him if anyone who disagrees with another person politically could tell the Sheriff you are crazy and you get treated like me? The Psychiatrist asked me if I was angry? I said yes but the way we will get even is on Election Day. Al Gore will beat George Bush.

The doctor said Gore is the only candidate that will do anything about mental health needs in this country. I told him Tipper told me the same thing a few months ago when she just got finished playing the drums.

So they brought me home. NO charges have been filed against me. No drugs were prescribed and no medical appointments were made. This was a campaign dirty trick by desperate Republicans. The Republicans say Bill Clinton is immoral yet look at what they did to me?

Art Torres--bless your heart. I did not see an ordeal like this in the job description of Veterans Caucus Chair. Apparently someone thinks I have been effective and needed to be stopped.

The moral of the story. Be careful who you let in your door to give you medical care. Secondly vote for Al Gore because the right-wing Republicans do not respect the Constitution. The right wing wants to lock you up if they win the election.

Thanks for reading and sharing with others.

Tom Swann,
Chairman,
California Democratic Party
Veterans Caucus
Co-Chair Salute to Veterans
Democratic National Convention
Member, Dept. of Veterans Affairs Community Advisory Board

Even though Oklahoma is backward in regard to GLBT rights, there are a number of us who are doing the best we can to inform others that the closet door is broken for good.