[note] An Open Letter to Your Motives

Dear Mr. Romney and other interested parties,

I find your references to "sanctity," constitutional fidelity, and the democratic process to be a distraction from the real issue in the marriage debate. I stop short of calling your sound bites disingenuous. Unless you're willing to make a speech, hold a sign, or lead a rally in a televised chant of "we hate fags," then please leave gay folks alone. It's when you hide your hate in the mechanizations of the political system that I begin to worry.

If you need ideas for really mean things to say about gay people, please let me know. I've heard a few. It wasn't until recently, though, that anyone claimed the affirmation of my dignity to be the violation of their own political rights or a breach of constitutional fidelity. That form of teasing is new to me. It sounds so academic, so neutral. But, the more I hear it, the more it sounds like the same old thing. "Let the people vote! You're a fag, you're a fag, you're a fag."

Sincerely,
Robert.