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To the Editors: Re: “O’Malley betrays gays” (blog post by Kevin Naff, Sept. 20)
Thanks for your blog entry about O’Malley’s flip-flop on same-sex marriage. I live in Baltimore, am active in community politics there and have seen O’Malley operate pretty closely. And my reaction to him was and is disgust.
Leaving aside rumors of his own marital infidelities and his cronyism, I’m not too surprised that O’Malley’s response to the Court of Appeals decision on marriage equality was to stab the gay community in the back. It’s a pattern that emerged again and again in dealing with him on local Baltimore issues, where he repeatedly sold out loyal local constituents to try and attract a state-wide following.
The story with O’Malley is that he always has his eyes on his next job, and he believes — wrongly — that he has the stuff to move into national politics. And so the bottom line is that he will not take any meaningful, supportive role on gay issues, such as marriage equality or domestic partnership, because he’s afraid that doing so will hurt his chances of moving on and moving up.
Baltimore
To the Editors: Re: “Heartbroken couples vow to fight on” (news, Sept. 21)
I read the remarks of plaintiff Lisa Polyak, in the Washington Blade, regarding the recent decision in the Maryland courts over gay marriage and Gov. Martin O’Malley’s position.
I am a supporter of O’Malley’s, a personal friend of the O’Malley family, an elected official and a member of the GLBT community. My partner and I have been together for more than 10 years and understand the disappointment over the court’s verdict. Polyak and her partner, as well as multitudes of others worked tirelessly to bring a much-deserved equality to us — the right to legal recognition as a couple. All of these champions will have a place in Maryland’s history and deserve recognition. However, I believe Polyak may be a victim of misinformation. I would like to — with the utmost respect — make some necessary points about her letter and the O’Malley administration’s stance on gay marriage.
The governor is extremely supportive of the GLBT community. He has worked closely with local, state and national GLBT organizations. The statement was made that he “respects” the court’s decision; he did not say he agrees with it.
O’Malley would like to preserve the ability to arrive at a consensus, knowing the time may not be right for gay marriage, but may be prime for civil unions.
Let’s not diminish the hard work that Polyak and all of the others have put into this cause. Instead of bashing the governor, let’s work with him, work together and continue to fight for our right to be with whom we choose and to be likewise recognized.
Mayor, Kensington, Md.
To the Editors: Re: “Fenty, 9 Council members back gay marriage” (news, Sept. 21)
The opinion of one person — such as Rick Rosendall — should not be taken as representing the larger community’s feeling on marriage equality.
There is a large and soon-to-be vocal group in our community whose members see marriage as a priority for D.C. residents that the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance does not represent. GLAA and Rosendall have done good things in the past. Their past efforts are much appreciated, but as we move forward, it’s imperative to consider the large number of people whose opinions have not been taken into account.
The gay residents of the District deserve full and equal marriage rights and we should not have to wait decades for that to happen, nor should our future be decided by one person. It is critical that we find a smart and focused way of moving forward that brings together members of the gay community rather than divides us.
Washington
To the Editors: Re: “Critics claim ‘ex-gay’ study flawed, biased” (news, Sept. 21)
I’m writing to correct a misperception that was conveyed in this story, for which I was interviewed.
The reporter wrote that I “had not yet read” the study that I criticized. This is somewhat misleading (and certainly not intentional), but I was severely criticized by Warren Throckmorton on his blog because of this characterization.
In my e-mail to the reporter, I wrote: “To be fair, I have ...
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