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Dear George, I certainly understand and expect disagreement with my opinions. No argument is air-tight. But I don't want to be misinterpreted. So a few clarifications and questions are in order: 1. The alternative culture in Charlottesville is so subserviant and deferential to the mainstream, it might as well not even exist. In short visits to other "liberal" towns, I might see two or three gay couples walking down crowded sidewalks, holding hands and carrying on just as straight couples do. Here, I've seen two in seven months of residence -- both at Live Arts, one as the lights dimmed before a play, the other on this Web site. It makes me sick to my stomach -- not the affection, but the apparent need to hide it from the public. In Washington, Baltimore, Asheville, Durham and (gasp) Chapel Hill, every day is a pride march compared to Charlottesville. So yes, I was surprised to see so much all at once, all of a sudden. But will this be the new norm, or is it just a fluke? 2. Litigation is a tool for social change, not the answer. I'm sure Martin Luther King and Malcolm X would have fought for justice with or without Brown v. Board of Education. The difference -- they couldn't hide their race. There might be a genetic component to homosexuality, but it does not have an all-encompassing physical manifestatin such as skin color. That ability to blend in makes life a lot easier, and the need for social change a little less urgent, perhaps? 3. Calling for a Senator's resignation from leadership positions for very reasonable comments on the role of the Supreme Court is crass. I found it odd that gay activists even expected an apology from a conservative Republican, but I guess the times have changed. I'm certainly not willing to sacrifice his freedom of expression for the cause, no matter how just. And I can't see how villifying a person by twisting his words serves any cause but petty political divisivness. 4. The law is bad? Change it. Get on the phone, rally the troops, circulate petitions and make it happen. If a court interpretation can make sodomy legal in states where it has been illegal, then justice is served cold, logical and without the benefit of public debate. But if gay activists can gather enough support to strike down or change the laws at the state level, that, in my opinion, would work wonders. Even if the effort fails, we could see a real discussion emerge about how gays do not get "equal protection under the law." Ron Hasson (electronic mail, May 9, 2003)
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