To the Editor:
As I read David Brooks’s insightful essay about saying goodbye to the anything-goes culture and returning to a world of “responsibility, cohesion and unity,” I couldn’t help but wonder how I fit into this new paradigm as a gay man.
Will I be allowed to join the military? Will I be allowed to marry the person I choose? Will I be allowed to adopt a child, or be a foster parent?
Which will prevail: President Obama’s campaign rhetoric supportive of gay rights, or Rick Warren’s evangelical and political campaign to repress gay rights?
Is there room for me within this newfound “unity”?
Jeff Hersh
Austin, Tex., Jan. 20, 2009
Note from KBJ: Allow me to answer Jeff Hersh's questions. (1) You are already allowed to join the military. You have always been allowed to join the military. What you cannot do is join the military while broadcasting your sexual preference, for that has no bearing on your ability to do the job and interferes with other people's ability to do their jobs. (2) You are already allowed to marry the person you choose, as long as it is a female. In Texas, marriage is between a man and a woman. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. You can't marry a child; you can't marry your dog; you can't marry two people at the same time; and you most certainly can't marry another man. If you want to do that, move to Massachusetts. (3) It is not up to you (or to President Obama) to decide whether you are allowed to adopt or be a foster parent. That is a matter of social policy, not constitutional right. As such, it is up to a majority of your fellow citizens. If you don't like their judgment, either move to another state or persuade them to change their minds. That is how the democratic process works.
