Washington Blade Letters en-us http://washblade.com/rss 2009 - Washington Blade: The Gay and Lesbian News Source of Record - D.C. and National Gay News, Entertainment and Opinion Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EDT Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EDT editor@washblade.com Letters
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Friday, November 13, 2009
Younger generation of gays must get engaged, overcome apathy

To the Editors:

When I started high school in 1999, I was the only openly gay person at my school. I had just come out to my friends, and even in rural Oklahoma I was accepted among my close network of friends.

I quickly realized this was a rare exception and that across the country gay and lesbian teenagers were not treated as well as I had been. In fact, when I left that school with my family in 2000 to begin my sophomore year at a Wisconsin high school, I began to face real harassment head on.

For the most part, I dealt with the insults fairly well, ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/11-13/view/letters/15540.cfm Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, November 06, 2009
This straight guy says let gays put a ring on it

To the Editors:
Re: “Emotions run high as Council hears marriage testimony” (news, Oct. 30)

Editors' note: The following was submitted as a letter to the editor along with this note: “I testified Nov. 2 before the Council in support of marriage equality. As a very happily married straight man, I thought I had an interesting perspective to offer on the issue — namely, that everyone should be able to experience the same happiness as I do.” The following is h ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/11-6/view/letters/15499.cfm Fri, 6 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
Obama supports gay rights, but what about animal rights?
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Friday, October 30, 2009
To the Editors: Re: “Obama speaks of 'unwavering' commitment to equality” (news, Oct. 16) 

President Obama recently made a historic pledge on gay rights that moved our country closer to that original promise of “liberty and justice for all.”

In my Washington, D.C., neighborhood, gays are not only “out” but out and about: Same-sex couples hold hands on the street and laugh and chat at tables in restaurants. Only a mean soul could begrudge them the joy of being “de-closeted” on a fine autumn evening. And only a dead soul could wish to deny them the basic rights that most of us take for granted.

Washington ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/10-30/view/letters/15452.cfm Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, October 23, 2009
President Obama let us down, and so we marched

To the Editors:
Re: “Thousands take to D.C. streets for Equality March” (news, Oct. 16)

On Oct. 11, thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, alongside our straight allies, marched from the White House to the steps of the Capitol to demand full equality.

There were signs and chants and banners aplenty. But there was a central theme throughout the day along the two-mile parade route and during the three plus hours of the rally on the west lawn of ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/10-23/view/letters/15411.cfm Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
Taxi scandal article unfair, disappointing
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Friday, October 16, 2009
To the Editors: Re: “Graham dogged by media as taxi scandal grows” (news, Oct. 9)

The Washington Blade article last week on the taxicab scandal and the indictment of Ted Loza was upsetting and disappointing.

First, the Blade never sought to contact me for comment on this story. That violates basic journalism principles and resulted in a very one-sided article.

Additionally, the Blade suggested that I was being “dogged” by media. This is simply not true. To be clear: As multiple news outlets have reported, I am not the target of this investigation ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/10-16/view/letters/15365.cfm Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, October 09, 2009
I seek gays' forgiveness for contributing to mistrust

To the Editors:
Re: editorial cartoon (Forum, Oct. 2)

As a conservative Christian opposed to gay marriage, I was curious about the Blade's perspective on the developments in D.C. I put down the paper now with a profound sadness in my heart. The editorial cartoon featuring a priest attempting to crucify a man representing LGBT civil rights was especially distressing.   

I am saddened to see those who wear the cross represented as delivering torture rather than truth and love. Yet, while I disagree with the sentiment expressed, I know, unfortunatel ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/10-9/view/letters/15339.cfm Fri, 9 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, October 02, 2009
D.C. gave White House an overdue earful on HIV/AIDs

To the Editors:

Re: “White House hosts HIV/AIDS forum in D.C.” (WashingtonBlade.com, Sept. 23)”

It is long past time for the District's leaders to treat HIV/AIDS as the epidemic it is, instead of repeatedly proclaiming its heart-felt intent to do so.

All District youth deserve a science- and reality-based sex education curriculum. But why are some of the District's youth being left out? In Washington, D.C., we have new Health Learning Standards that inc ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/10-2/view/letters/15290.cfm Fri, 2 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, September 25, 2009
24 years living with HIV and some things haven't changed

National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day takes place on Sept. 27. This event was started by the National Association of People with AIDS.

The day before the first annual National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day marks the 24th “anniversary” of the day that I found out that I was infected with the AIDS virus. This means that I have been living with HIV for more than half of my life. When I look back over the last 24 years, I realize just how much things have changed.

The day I got my results, I was terrified. At that time, there were no meds you could take, n ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/9-25/view/letters/15235.cfm Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters

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Friday, September 18, 2009
We need Mendelson's leadership, not a rubber stamp for Fenty

To the Editors:
Re: “Ray is best candidate for Council next year” (letter to the editor by Jack Jacobson, Sept. 4)

Jacobson's ill-informed letter denigrates Council member Phil Mendelson's leadership on an array of pro-gay laws and inappropriately gives credit to me. While I am very proud of my contributions, I am not a member of the D.C. Council and could not have possibly gotten the bills passed without Council member Mendelson.

Mendelson wrote, introduce ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/9-18/view/letters/15200.cfm Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, September 11, 2009
LGBT movement focuses on needs of the elite only
To the Editors:

Re: “Nation mourns Kennedy” (news, Aug. 28)

Late last month, the Blade celebrated the life of Sen. Edward Kennedy on its front page. No one, gay or straight, is more deserving of such an honor, because no other national figure has been a more loyal advocate for the rights of gays, lesbians and transgender people than Ted Kennedy.

As AIDS czar for the city of Boston in the early 1990s, I had the privilege of working with Sen. Kennedy and his staff when the National Commission on AIDS ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/9-11/view/letters/15165.cfm Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
Ray is best candidate for Council next year
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Friday, September 04, 2009
To the Editors:

Re: “Ray to challenge Mendelson for Council seat” (news, Aug. 28)

I am an activist in D.C., an ANC commissioner and an openly gay man. I read with annoyance and amazement the article by Lou Chibbaro Jr. on Clark Ray's announcement that he is challenging Phil Mendelson for the Council at-Large seat. The argument made by Andy Litsky and Bob Summersgill on why we shouldn't run against a supporter of gay rights is really specious. 

We are fortunate, through the hard work of many advocates over many years, to have had 12 of 13 Council ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/9-4/view/letters/15127.cfm Fri, 4 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
We can fight in Maine and march in Washington
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Friday, August 28, 2009
To the Editors: Re: “Stop talking to buildings, start talking to people” (op-ed by Toni Broaddus, Aug. 21)

In a condescending put-down of the National Equality March, Toni Broaddus gives the national community some very bad advice. Broaddus urges the grassroots LGBT folks who were energized by passage of Proposition 8 to ditch plans for a march on D.C. and converge on Maine instead. This is a false dichotomy: It is possible to support equality in Maine while joining the national LGBT community in the first coming-together in Washington of the 21st century. Moreover, any ventu ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/8-28/view/letters/15075.cfm Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, August 21, 2009
pan class="aheaderBlue">Thanks for standing up for those of us in the military

To the Editors:
Re: “Gay Iraqi recants tale of atrocities” (news, Aug. 14)

Thanks very much for your update on the gay Iraqi story. I'm heartened to hear that Hussam was shown to be a liar, although I'm dismayed that the retraction of his story hasn't received any further coverage in the wider media. It seems to imply that such outrageous allegations are not a big deal, a “ho-hum” attitude when it comes to alleged military actions.

I'm back from my fo ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/8-21/view/letters/15068.cfm Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
Marriage opponents should use the brain God gave them
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Friday, August 14, 2009
To the Editors:
Re: “Gay marriage proponents motivated by love of God” (letter to the editor by Mike Rachiele, July 24)

After reading Rachiele's letter, I felt compelled to respond to some of its many distorted points. Rachiele wrote about Martin Luther King Jr. and moral law, as well as about Christian principles, but he conveniently ignored the fact that many Christian churches in the South were the bedrock of slavery and creators of segregation. Crimes were justified as “per the Bible.”

And the hate from many of those churches poisoned Sou ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/8-14/view/letters/15033.cfm Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
March on Washington leaders should heed lessons of the past
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Friday, August 07, 2009
To the Editors:

As one of the lead organizers for the LGBT community's first two marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987, my ears perked up when I heard there were plans for a new one. I checked out David Mixner's web site where the new “National Equality March” was announced, ostensibly for and by the LGBT community, although the name of the event was devoid of any such reference. 

The date was set, as was an overarching statement of purpose, but unlike the earlier actions, there would be no specific demands. Despite rhetoric invoking the “grassroots,” it appears the leadership already had been decided: Mixner, and a few self-select ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/8-7/view/letters/14990.cfm Fri, 7 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, July 31, 2009
pan class="aheaderBlue">Study the Bible before using it to condemn others

To the Editors:
Re: “Gay marriage opponents motivated by love of God” (letter to the editor by Mike Rachiele, July 24)

We are to believe that Mike Rachiele's letter is a rational argument against gay marriage. Unsupported assertions, however, do not constitute a rational argument. Granting Rachiele's assumptions — that the Christian God exists, that the Christian Bible reflects His will and that both of them condemn homosexuality — the most an unprejudiced reader ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/7-31/view/letters/14958.cfm Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, July 24, 2009
pan class="aheaderBlue">Don't belittle Sen. Franken

To the Editors:
Re: “Franken has the last laugh” (news, July 10)

Keeping expectations in check is one thing; blind cynicism is another. And that's what was wrong with the front-page article about Al Franken becoming the Democrats' 60th senator. It is true that 60 members of one party does not make for a true filibuster-proof Senate. 

But the Senate is not just simple math. And senators do more than vote. On his fifth and sixth days as a senator, Al Franken demonstrated during the Soni ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/7-24/view/letters/14929.cfm Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
Why is marriage top priority of LGBT rights movement?
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Friday, July 17, 2009
To the Editors:
Re: “Alas, poor activism, we knew her well” (editorial by Kevin Naff, June 26)

I am a human rights activist who participated in the rallies, protests and demonstrations that have come to be known as the “Three Days of Rage” following the Stonewall Rebellion.

Though Naff and I may disagree on movement priorities, such as the proper place for the same-sex marriage issue in the struggle, I agree wholeheartedly with his point about the need for LGBT activists to show some backbone in holding Democratic as well as Republican “f ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/7-17/view/letters/14899.cfm Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
We must support moderate, pro-gay Republicans too
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Friday, July 10, 2009
To the Editors:
Re: “Alas, poor activism we knew her well” (editorial by Kevin Naff, June 19)

Kevin Naff's recent editorial, “Alas, poor activism we knew her well,” struck a responsive chord with this reader. Sadly, the causes of our community's lack of progress go beyond even the wide range of culprits that Naff identifies.

In addition to our unwillingness to hold Democrats accountable for unfulfilled promises, there's also no evidence that we support moderate Republicans who back our cause, especially on the local and state levels.

A ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/7-10/view/letters/14868.cfm Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EST Letters
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Friday, July 03, 2009
pan class="aheaderBlue">Black Americans should stand with gays in fight for rights

To the Editors:
Re: “D.C. officials block marriage referendum” (news, June 19)

On behalf of the Maryland Black Family Alliance, I applaud the District of Columbia Board of Elections' rejection of the call for a voter referendum on the recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. 

The election board understands that a person or group's civil rights should not be validated by the pleasure or displeasure of any vocal group or segment of the electorate. We African Americans should be especially sensitive to calls for voter approval of ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/7-3/view/letters/14825.cfm Fri, 3 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EST