I’m just shy of 60 and clearly remember when “fag” was the worst thing you could call another guy. Now I’m a classical musician involved in the local arts and theater scene. Needless to say, gay people are a part of my day-to-day life…

That’s part of why I will never vote for any Republican for any office for the rest of my life. The only way they could possibly get my support is a turnaround like the Democrats did with the Klan.

The homophobia — ignoring AIDS, the attacks and fundraising — is repellent at a level I can’t get my mind around. I don’t care if it’s in some holy book. Holy books say a lot of stupid shit people ignore, why focus so much on this one thing in particular? If abortion and homosexuality were going to be the defining moral tests of our times, how is it that Jesus never mentioned them? It’s hard to imagine it’s anything but trying to find wedge issues people find easy to support. The Bible says “no” to a lot of things, why ignore the rest? Horrifyingly cynical.

I do feel sorry for some of them sometimes, based on various factors I suspect conservative Christianity (and resumably every other religion) is shot through with self-hating LGBTQ folks.

I haven’t always been a great ally, and for that I apologize. Pleading age is a very weak excuse — somewhere in the back of my head I always knew “gay-bashing” was wrong, but didn’t always speak up.It’s been stressful over the last couple of decades to gradually realize how good “straight white guys” like me have it. I remember posting something on Facebook ten years or so ago about hating the way America was going and wanting to flee to another country. A POC former student furiously informed me that I’d better not, I have a responsibility to people like her to help put right all the damage my people have caused. One of the advantages/disadvantages of being a teacher is staying in contact with youth culture.

So now the least I can do is vote the right way and be upfront and vocal. Love and life are hard enough to find as it is, nobody needs bigots trying to bring them down. I hope you’re doing better, I will try to do better for you.