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^ens* J °^ n ^ erry an^ J°h n Edwards skipping the vote on the
•*
Federal M arriage Amendment? Were they running scared from an important civil rights
issue, or were they playing it safe to ensure victory in November?
I
honestly believe that both Kerry and Edwards
Amendment from the floor of the U .S. Senate
support civil rights and the rights of all indi (despite his currently appearing in President
viduals to marry, regardless o f what they say in i Bush s television ads).
'
public. It is unfortunate that they skipped out on
the vote, but frankly, if playing it safe wins the
D.E. W agner
White House, 1 am all for it.
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Our nation is too immature and socially
backward to be ready for something like allow
ing gay marriage on the federal level at this time.
We need to get liberals in office, get more posi
’m not sure. But I hope it is noted by us all
tive gay role models on television and slowly
and they are contacted in note. Be active!
change middle Am ericas perception of who a
They know there is no choice: we have to vote
gay person is. This will take time.
for them if we are pro-gay. The question is where
it goes from here.
If Bush’s Christian-Republican Party “activist
judges” can take away basic family rights from
gay people, they could easily take away other
rights from gay people, such as fair employment
and housing. The only way to stop this is to beat
Bush by voting for Kerry and Edwards.
D evin R usso
Portland
D. T imothy B ealer
Portland
• • •
• • •
A
ll of us who have worked on Capitol Hill for
U.S. senators and U.S. House members
know that a so-called “procedural” vote is a damn
waste of valuable time. Better the “two Johns"
were out working those awful Nader states so we
gays and lesbians can achieve victory.
A totally meaningless vote. A technical roll
call to cut off debate in the manner of a fili
buster and achieving the 66 votes of 100 sena
tors. And a VERY transparent attempt— in the
absence in 2004 of communism, allegiance
pledge, flag salute/buming— at a new wedge
issue. G O P Sen. John M cCain of Arizona
termed it a very “un-Repuhlican” measure to
amend the U .S. Constitution— and he sched
uled time to speak against the Federal Marriage
B
itching about Kerry and Edwards’ irritating
political gamesmanship will not help beat
Bush. They would have lost a day on the cam
paign trail and accomplished nothing by voting.
Kerry and Edwards may never actively sup
port gay marriage, but they will stop the
appointment o f conservative judges who are
imposing their so-called “Judeo-Christian val
ues" on everybody without voter approval. For
example, President Bush appointed Judge
William Pryor, who recently upheld a Florida
law that prevents gay people from adopting but
allows child molesters to adopt children. He
compared homosexuality to bestiality and
pedophilia before he was appointed.
Serving Women's
Hemp Needs & More
Since 2002
T homas K raemer
Corvallis
I
• • •
Common law. The possibilities are endless. But
let’s get this one over with first, and call a spade
a spade.
The right-wing conservatives preserve in law
their definition of “marriage” as between one
man and one woman. The left-wing liberals
enshrine the separation of church and state. It’s
a win-win, which leaves to the individual
churches, synagogues, temples and mosques the
right and responsibility to decide the issue of
morality, based on their specific spiritual views.
Maybe this is oversimplification. But the cur
rent approach is clearly a losing battle for every
one involved. It’s time to say so and move on.
During this political convention season, if some
one else has a better idea it’s high time for us to
hear it.
R obert A. B oleyn
West Hollywood, Calif.
Blowing my top
To t h e E d ito r :
1
am amazed and disturbed by your article on
role play [“The Joy of Switch Hitting,"
July li>].
After all these years of gay evolution, the
author indicates that bottoms are equated some-
iustrrrn
;
-
f i t
i t * *
• loc » i
*p*t«too
MASTER PEACE
4314 SE Hawthorne (503) 493-2366
I
don’t think they were either running scared
or playing it safe. From what I heard on The
Randi Rhodes Shout, the Dems had a head count
of how that vote was going to go and could tell
that Kerry and Edwards were not needed, but
they would have come hack to Washington had
they been needed. Their campaign schedules
made it hard for them to make a trip back to
Washington at that moment.
Kerry has an exceptional record on queer
issues. Edwards is also a very worthy ally. Focus
ing on how they missed this unneeded vote
(which was a vote to end debate, not a vote on
the amendment itself) could serve to weaken
the queer community’s resolve to support this
ticket. This would not be good, as this ticket’s
victory would be the best thing that ever hap
pened to our community, and the less we sup
port them the more chance that the dangerous,
evil incumbent will win.
T om S oppe
Portland
r f T T T T l How do you feel about the July 28 Willamette Week cover story on Portland Fellowship?
^
r*
1 . L
worthwhile information, or did it lend unearned credence to the “ ex-gay” movement?
(Please see related item on Page 13.) Respond at www.justout.com. (Don’t forget to include your name, city and
daytime telephone number.)
no choice hut to say it openly, or to vote for the
amendment. It’s a high-profile “outing" of the
most appropriate kind— forcing bigots to admit
to their bigotry, or work with their opponents to
defeat it.
Yes, their spinmasters have done a magnifi
cent job of convincing God-fearing mom-and-
pop types from the Midwest that “marriage" has
always been a secular institution that shouldn’t
he legislated or redefined by “radical judges”
hell-bent on its destruction. But have you heard
them once say they’d undo the legal rights and
responsibilities they’ve obtained through past
legislation of the issue?
So , as a m atter o f com prom ise, why
shouldn’t we concede what we’re told greater
than 60 percent of Am ericans believe: M ar
riage, in its traditional sense, is a religious
institution that should not be modified by the
government. Let’s give them that point, and
move on to our strength.
As a secular institution, "marriage” cannot
he legislated due to the separation of church and
state clause. Therefore, all rights that have been
conferred to straight Americans by virtue of
their “marriage” must he rescinded.
We can debate the newest terminology for
legal protections from now until the cows come
home. Civil unions. Domestic partnerships.
to
Lick in g B u sh
in 2 0 0 4
how with the feminine role. As a top of 30 years,
I have to say that I have NEVER thought of bot
toms as anything hut equals who are the other
half of my equation.
Can you believe that anyone other than
straights and gays who have just come out would
even go near this connotation? How degrading
to gay men. Shame.
D. T imothy B ealer
Portland
Alzheimer's isn’t funny
To th e E d ito r :
A
lthough I usually get some gcxxl chuckles
from reading “The Gospel According to
Marc,” the column in your July 16 issue also
upset me (“Botoxic Shock”].
It is fine to ridicule celebrities for their obses
sive cosmetic surgeries, but it is not amusing to
make light of a victim suffering the memory loss
caused by Alzheimer’s disease— even if the
object of derision is a person for whom I have no
great respect, admiration or fondness. Funny?
Definitely NOT.
L yle M. T ucker
Lake Oswego
Now accepting opinions on all topics
in "Letters to the Editor"
at www.justout.com
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