[quote=BlakeI
What I'd like to know is this, WHAT PURPOSE DOES A SPECIAL INTEREST MEETING SERVE THAT COULDN'T (PROBABLY BETTER) BE SERVED THROUGH SPONSORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIPING?
[/quote]
Blake has a point.
Many of us warm to the idea of feeling like we belong to a special group of people but if gay people or HIV positive people feel they have issues that nobody else can understand then maybe they need to form some other group and stop calling themselves an NA meeting.
I believe we overlook an important aspect of our recovery when we focus too much on our differences than our sameness.I personally enjoy the diversities I encounter at NA meetings and I believe meetings thrive on it.
Any (NA) meeting that bars entry from an addict with the "desire" is in violation of Tradition 3. There is no grey area there.
The World Service Board and it's devoted trustees may have sold us short with that outdated bulletin #18.