spanish speaking meetings are completely different than meetings that discriminate based on gender, age or sexual preferance. NA meetings are held in the language of the community they are involved in, french meetings in france german meetings in germany, spanish meeting ins communities with large spanish speaking populations. It is a neseccity b/c not everyone speaks english. they don't discriminate based on age, race, sexual identy, gender or religion. THe only requirement is a desire to stop using and the ability to understand spanish....wich in reality is the same as a normal engilsh speaking meeting, the desire to stop using and an ability to understand english.
Would a white person meeting fly? I personally think that it would be quite racist to start a white people in recovery meeting. I don't see a difference between that meeting and a men's or woman's or gay person's or christian's or buddhist's or young people's or old people's meeting. It's all putting reqirements on something other than the desire to stop using.
WHy can't the same goal be accomplished through sponsorship and fellowshiping?
I was at a birthday celebration tonight and I talked about this subject with a few people after the meeting, people who's recovery I respect tremendously, a few of them with 25+ years of recovery. THe are from the old school (which I respect tremendously) and their views were consistant that special interest groups violate traditions. I want what they have so I do what they do, I understand their point. I also understand the idea that some people feel they need a special meeting. I just personally believe they are against traditions.
I think we are just gonna have to agree to disagree on this yall.
It was a fun discussion.
Peace,
Blake
P.S. todd in our entire region, an abstension counts as a NO vote, I just assumed it was the same on the world level.