Hey, I am writing a letter to Rick Santorum about his view on gay rights as part of a Human Rights Campaign that I'm part of. Tell me what you thing of it: 2/23/06 Dear Rick Santorum, I am writing to you out of concern of the future of our country. I write to you out of fear that our country, historically known as being “the free land,” is heading in a downward spiral when it comes to civil rights. And finally, I write to you in response to the chilling statements you have made to the public, and the backwards step you are asking others to take. When you ask somebody what they believe the purpose of life is, you will surely get a wide range of answers. However, you can be sure that the theme of love will be present in nearly every answer. As you may know, love is what brings everyone together, and is what makes life worth living. Humans live for social encounters, and long to communicate- why else then would there be languages? We long to relate our past, present, and futures with one another, and to form relationships. When I think of my future, I imagine several things. I expect that I will be entering the college of my dreams, and going on to live in a beautiful house. I dream of having a job I love. But more important than all of those things- heck, I would sacrifice all of those things if it came to it- I dream of living with someone that I love. Did I mention that I was a homosexual American? How can you join in on the fight to ratify an amendment banning gay marriage? How can you deny me the right to live with someone I truly love? How can you let the inconsequential fact that I’ll wish to marry a man instead of a woman change your view? I think that I may know your reasoning; I believe I may understand some of your misconceptions about homosexuals. Please let me try to convince you otherwise: Those who are opposed to homosexual relations tend to have a variety of preconceived notions about homosexual love. In fact, those opposed to homosexual relations seem to be under the illusion that only heterosexuals fall in love, while homosexuals only have sex. This is far from true. When I hear someone say this, I wonder if they have ever met any actual gay couples. More often than not, I think these people’s judgment is based off what the media portrays gays to be- flamboyant, superficial, feminine, and low. Need I remind you that the stories that make it onto T.V. are only the most interesting, bizarre cases? Need I remind you that although the gay couples portrayed in these cases seem to have only a love for sex, that this isn’t exclusive to gays- that in fact, this can be the case with heterosexual couples just as often? A fascinating study done in part by UCLA in California found exciting new evidence that homosexuality probably has a link to genetics. Typically, in the production of offspring, one of the mother’s two X chromosomes is deactivated- randomly. Scientists found that “nearly a quarter of themothers of multiple gay sons inactivated the same X chromosome -- in other words, nonrandomly -- compared to just 4 percent of the women without gay sons. Of those with one gay son, 13 percent inactivated the same X chromosome (Randy Dotinga, Yahoo.com).” Although scientists aren’t exactly sure which/if gene(s) are involved yet with homosexuality, this study lends much proof to those who claim genetics does play a role in sexual orientation. Growing up in a world where homosexuality is constantly questioned, I have questioned whether being homosexual is a sin. In fact, it was a worry I had off and on, for months, and it tore me apart. That was when I had my first boyfriend. After having experienced a relationship with a man, I couldn’t believe that I ever questioned myself for being gay. I thought: “How could such beautiful, pure feelings be a sin? How could the fact that these feelings are towards a man automatically make it a crime?” I knew then that loving a man was not a sin, nor a crime, but that these feelings were wholesome- just as wholesome as any heterosexual relationship could be. Hearing such statements from you such as “"f the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery,” and ““Do not be afraid to be intolerant. Intolerance does not mean hating your neighbor; it is caring for his soul by teaching him the error of his ways,” disturb me deeply. These statements do not sound like those coming from the mouth of someone who wishes for progression. They sound like someone who has refused to open his heart to a chunk of the population- the gay population, that is. I call on you to ensure that our nation’s rights aren’t stolen from under our noses, and I ask you, sincerely, to reconsider your views on homosexual rights. This fall, you will be running against Bob Casey, who has a completely different stance on gay rights than you: “The values I live by call on me to fight discrimination wherever I find it.” Casey said during the Human Rights Campaign’s annual gala. “I think it’s time we had a Senator who wasn’t pushing a narrow, intolerant ideology that says – “I’m right, you’re wrong, and you don’t know better.” As our country slowly beings to understand the gay population, we can’t afford to step backwards. While it’s comforting to know that acceptance is becoming less of a problem for gays, it is distressing knowing that some of those in power are fighting to stunt this process. If gays have psychological and habitual problems, like many tend to believe, then it is only because society looks down upon them. Let this year be a historic one, where triumphs for human rights are made. Let us ensure that our nation’s values of justice, equality, and freedom shine bright. I thank you in advance for your intellectual approach, and time. Sincerely, Dylan What do you think? I tried not to come across as being like "you are an ASSHOLE, and closeminded!" I wanted to sound like I was on his level at the same time, too. Let me know how you feel about the letter, and any suggestions. Thanks!Cheers, and Love,Dylan
You know I thought it was great! The country shouldn;t be based on "relgion" because everyone has adifferent view, opinon, some people don't even believe in a relgion. I couldn't agree with you more in what you said! I think you did amazing! Hopefully one day society can open their eyes!
Ahhhh, do I have faith in our youth! Beautiful letter Dylan, unfortunately with someone like Santorum, your message will probably fall on deaf ears I am afraid... but don't let that stop you. I would love to hear his response to this. The gay issues were wedge issues during the 2004 elections in order to get their bigoted base out and voting... they used scare tactics like we were coming for their kids among other lies about our community. Now it is time for mid term elections and they are trotting out the "gay scapegoat" again with someting like 16 states considering a ban on LGBT adoption. Historically we tend to adopt hard to place children and older children. I guess they'd rather keep the children without families in the foster care and adoption system rather than give them a loving home with a gay or lesbian couple. I am also going to a fund raiser myself to battle off our own state's 3rd attempt at placing an anti-gay constitutional amendment up for a vote in our legislature this next session... they've failed twice but they keep on trying. We ALL need to be extra diligent and keep our eyes on the news and get involved with our local LGBT orgs and stave off this mess. Anyway, I am proud of you!
