Dear Senator Clinton,
I am one of your constituents, and was, until today, very interested in the dialogue you began in earnest with the country some weeks ago.
I write with great disappointment having just read an interview you gave to ABC political correspondent Jake Tapper. During the interview you were asked your opinion about the recent comments made by General Peter Pace, in which he referred to homosexuality as "immoral." You answered by stating your position that the current "don't ask, don't tell" policy is not working, with which I agree. But when Mr. Tapper pressed you to express whether you felt, as General Pace had asserted, that homosexuality was "immoral,” you responded that the question was “for others to decide."
Senator Clinton, as a gay man living in the year 2007, I can tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. The question of whether homosexuality is immoral isn't left for others to decide. The question, I’m happy to report, has already been decided. The answer was a resounding "no."
“No.”
No, homosexuality is not immoral. No. It’s not. Yes, some people, mostly fearful heterosexuals or closeted homosexuals, may say that they personally find homosexuality immoral. But, truth is, homosexuality itself, a man loving a man, a woman loving a woman, has already been decided on, and the verdict is in: nope, not “immoral.”
And who, you might ask, did this deciding? Who are these "others" that you refer to in the future tense, but actually exist in the past, present and future? They are me and my boyfriend. And my friend Oliver. And the cool lesbian that tends bar at Nowhere. We are the “others.” Us and every other gay man and woman in this country who at one moment in time had to confront themselves with all the poisonous, confidence shattering garbage that people like General Peter Pace have polluted our consciousness with. Standing there, staring into a mirror and thinking, "I am a homosexual. Is there something wrong with me? Am I immoral?"
And every single one of us, Senator Clinton, we've answered no. Maybe not the first time we’ve asked, maybe not the tenth. But in the end, we've reached what is really an unprecedented consensus on this one. The answer is no. We all thought you got the memo.
After we answered that question, we went on to discover that we were, throughout history, some of the most moral, spiritual, beautiful, creative beings that have ever walked this Earth. That was in the memo, too. If Mr. Tapper calls back tomorrow, feel free to respond accordingly.
Which brings me to my disappointment. Senator Clinton, I know you don't think homosexuality is immoral. I mean, I know that in reality your personal opinion is that, no, of course homosexuality is not immoral. But that is not what you expressed today, given the opportunity to do so on a national stage. Which, to me, suggests one of two things: you are either a coward or a liar.
Please, Senator Clinton, would you clarify your remarks? I don't want to think of you as a coward or a liar. Those labels don't rank very high in my book. Just a notch above immoral, actually.