Community Corner

How Will History View Discrimination Against Gays, Lesbians: Letter to the Editor

With the U. S. Supreme Court's ruling striking DOMA, a federal law denying federal benefits to legally married gays and lesbians, the big domino has fallen for the advancement of equal rights for gays and lesbians.

In time, lawful (not necessarily de facto) discrimination against them will be as dead as lawful (not necessarily de facto) discrimination against other minorities.

History's retrospective view of the homophobic, right wing opposers of gay and lesbian equality will be interesting. By and large, it will be akin to how it views, with red-faced  embarrassment, the opposers of equality for African Americans - think vicious dogs, white pointy hoods, fire hoses, angry accented racial slurs as compared to histrionic, voter campaigns, blitzkrieg (a fitting term) lobbying, angry rhetoric.

However, discrimination against gay and lesbians is rooted in Christianity, so there will always be that festering undercurrent of God-fearing sorts that will not let up - in the name of Jesus, of all things.     

Jack Hearn, Des Moines

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