I was recently annoyed when I read a letter to gay Republicans on the Gay Voices section of The Huffington Post. The letter depicted all Republicans as having the same beliefs as Senator Rick Santorum.
The letter was as offensive to me as Rick Santorum is to "progressive activists." Obviously this activist's piece and little Ricky's statements on gays share one common characteristic: they both come off as close-minded.
Rick Santorum is blinded by his religious values. He can't see the gay cause as a civil rights issue because he is too entrenched in his religion. However, I believe that gay activists are often blinded as well by hate and intolerance of gay men and women who's opinions on political issues are different from the norm in our community.
To characterize the entire Republican Party as a mirror image of Rick Santorum is very ignorant. Like little Ricky, these liberal gay activists use inaccurate, hateful language to incite the fanatical liberal base of their party. Do you honestly think that demonizing an entire political party will help our cause? Your words only serve to scare the religious base of the Republican Party while the liberals dig their heels even deeper into the dirt.
In my opinion, this person did not research the subject of his letter very well. Did he not get the memo that New York has gay marriage now? That was possible because of four Republican state senators who voted in favor of the pro equal-rights bill. New York would not have this landmark legislation without these four Republicans.
One of these Republicans, Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo), is a devout Catholic and still had the courage to vote for equality. Senator Grisanti is facing a backlash because of his vote and has an enormously tough election ahead of him because he spoke truth to power. I am sure reading letters like the one I read that overlook his courageous vote on equality make him feel unappreciated at best.
I admit that there are many Republicans who don't believe we gay individuals deserve equal rights. But not all Republicans share the views of Rick Santorum. If you really want to serve our cause, stop making misleading and inaccurate accusations. We will catch more flies with honey than vinegar on this issue. Gay activists should rise above the fray and fight with facts rather than emotion.