Gay Community

BOSTON -- Let me see if I have this right. The Republicans are now accusing the Democrats of being insensitive to gay Americans? Or to one gay American, at least? After John Kerry mentioned Mary Cheney in the third debate, talk-radio hosts finally found a lesbian they wanted to protect. Even the homophobic wing of cable TV rallied to the support of a family with a gay offspring. Meanwhile, Dick Cheney described himself as "a pretty angry father." And Lynne Cheney said of the senator: "This is not a good man."

WASHINGTON - There was a time when Washington's robust and politicized gay community functioned under the same unspoken social rules that apply to other politically involved people in town. Heated battles waged during the day were left at the bar door at night. Barbs might fly over hot topics, but nothing got too personal. No more. The election-year fight over gay marriage has altered the gay scene here in ways that have left some in the community - most notably gay Republicans - stunned and even fearful.

NEW YORK - Before Ellen, Will & Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, before "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," domestic-partner benefits and gay marriage, before AIDS, there was Larry Kramer, movie producer, writer and self-described pain declaring that being gay was not about stereotypes, shame or sex. But when the AIDS epidemic hit in the '80s, Kramer found his most important role in life, one that would transform him, help redefine the gay community and...

Gays and lesbians have experienced a drastic rise in acceptance over the past two decades, according to a new Los Angeles Times poll. Almost seven in 10 Americans know someone who is gay or lesbian and say they would not be troubled if their elementary school-age child had a homosexual teacher. Six in 10 say they are sympathetic to the gay community, displaying an increasing inclination to view same-sex issues through a prism of societal accommodation rather than moral condemnation. On questions ranging from job discrimination to adoption to whether homosexuality is morally wrong, responses indicate that as gays and lesbians have become more open, heterosexuals in return have become more open toward them.

When they watch TV broadcasts of gay marriage ceremonies being performed in San Francisco, Chris Pulido and Craig Martinez look for their friends among the throngs of grooms. And then they wonder, "If we were there, would we be among them?" The question, to wed one's lover or not, is one that the couple, who recently relocated to Baltimore from San Francisco, said should be open for the pondering to anyone - gay or straight. President Bush's call yesterday for a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage made the men shudder.

River Hill kiss: Many missed the point As one of the two instigators of the recent gay-rights controversy at River Hill High School in Clarksville, Maryland, I feel the need to debunk some rumors and media fabrications I have heard regarding the motives behind the tabletop kiss and the nature of the disciplinary action against us. Most importantly, I want to ensure that the underlying message that Stephanie Haaser and I sought to communicate does not...

WASHINGTON - Now that the Supremes have ruled that when it comes to consenting adults, you just have to stop interfering (in the name of love), the country seems atwitter over the effect this ruling might have on marriage. This is an interesting leap. Commentators are not anxious, for example, that legalizing sodomy will open the floodgates to other civil rights, affecting areas such as employment or housing discrimination. Curiously (or not, if you realize that marriage is that one institution that effectively obliterates the wall between church and state)

Harry Hay, 90, a pioneering activist in the gay rights movement, died yesterday in San Francisco. He had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. Mr. Hay, among the first to argue that gays represented a cultural minority, devoted his life to progressive politics and in 1950 founded the secret network of support groups for gays known as the Mattachine Society. His contribution to the American political landscape can be traced to his involvement in the Communist Party and the labor movement in the 1930s.

If Leslie J. Cale is elected Howard County court clerk she said last night that, "I'd love to be the first clerk to marry a same-sex couple." If Steven H. Adler, a Republican, is elected Howard County executive, he said, "I would support benefits for same-sex partners." County Council candidate Diane Wilson, a Republican, got a round of approving laughter when she revealed she has a campaign volunteer who is openly gay -- and he stood up at the meeting wearing her campaign T-shirt. And both candidates for state's attorney -- Democrat Timothy J. McCrone and Republican Robert R. Tousey promised a gay and lesbian group they would vigorously prosecute anyone who commits hate crimes against gays.

Attack on gay rights is attack on us all I wondered after reading Gregory Kane's column ("Gay rights law opponent says logic, not hate, is issue," Aug. 8), whether Mr. Kane has ever connected with the gay community. Has he ever spoken to anyone who was fired, refused hospital services, or thrown out of a restaurant simply because of his or her perceived sexual orientation? Does Mr. Kane know that many gays laugh when the notion of "choice" is mentioned, for they have long known that their being gay is as much an inborn part of them as the color of their eyes or the shape of their nose?