Dear NY Times

This is in response to an article in the Sunday Styles section from Sunday, May 23.

“…there is a growing sense that a celebrity coming out sways few hearts and minds and does relatively little to alter negative perceptions about gay people.”

There is a rather subversive implication in this sentence: that only straight people are affected when a celebrity comes out of the closet.  The implication is that gay people, specifically young gay people, either don’t exist, aren’t paying attention or don’t have negative feelings about who they are.  There are countless gay youth who are watching Ricky Martin’s (admittedly late) coming out ~ who are watching Chely Wright or Sean Hayes.  For many of these kids, these celebrities are a lifeline.  A hope.

This country has come a very long way in a very short time.  But let’s not pretend that we don’t have a great deal of distance yet to cover.  Violence against the LGBT community continues to [continue reading...]

Dear CNN

Yesterday I noticed that you had up on your website a poll asking Americans if they agreed or disagreed with President Obama’s order to allow gays and lesbians hospital visitation rights.  I am a gay man.  I have been partnered with the same man for almost 13 years.  For the record, that’s longer than all but one of Larry King’s marriages.  I’ve yet to hear a poll which asks whether his current wife should be allowed near him before or after any one of his surgeries.

I found your poll to be disturbing and disgusting.

It is polls such as this that perpetuate the notion that a public debate of our civil rights is perfectly acceptable.  It is polls such as this that perpetuate the notion that gays and lesbians are somehow different; that our relationships are different, less than, the relationships of heterosexual couples.  It does that by taking seriously the opinion that we should not be allowed to visit [continue reading...]

Dear President Obama

Please stop sending me emails asking me for money.  I voted for you and I donated my time and money to your campaign.  I am a 36 year old gay man and I believed in you as I have believed in no other candidate in my lifetime.  The brief filed by your Department of Justice regarding Smelt v County of Orange last week put an end to that.  The arguments put forth in that brief were disturbing and disgusting.  It could have been written by Justice Scalia or Pat Robertson.

President Obama, you tour the world preaching liberty.  You stood in front of a concentration camp and discussed the horrors of bigotry.  You have made a point of apologizing to the Muslim world both at home and abroad for the prejudice they have endured over the past eight years.  You speak worldwide of equality and then send gay men and women overseas to give their talents, their skills, their limbs [continue reading...]