Dear Editor,

Thank you to Paul Zoubek for his Letter to the Editoar (April 2) about the March 4th marriage equality rally. I appreciate his efforts to hold his representatives accountable.

I am proud to have spent many years fighting for equal rights for the LGBT community prior to my election, and I’ve continued those efforts now as your Councilmember. Since my swearing in three months ago, I’ve attended numerous marriage equality events and rallies, helped light City Hall blue for equality, voted to appeal the verdict in the firefighter’s Pride Parade case, and led the City Council to endorse a state holiday honoring Harvey Milk.

In response to the points raised by Mr. Zoubek, I am happy to report that the City of San Diego is indeed on the record supporting the legal case seeking to overturn Proposition 8. The City joined the City and County of San Francisco’s in its petition challenging Proposition 8 on November 19, 2008. Stronger than an amicus brief, this action made the City one of the plaintiffs of the case.

And on the date of the rally in question, I was unfortunately held up in a prolonged session of the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhood Services. Without my presence, the Committee would not have had a quorum and the important issues on the agenda would not have been heard. My heart was with my friends and my community at the rally while I was representing our interests at City Hall.

I am grateful to all who continue to lend their voices to our struggle for civil rights. The only way we will win full equality is to continue to work together.

Sincerely,

Todd Gloria

Councilmember, District 3

Dear Editor:

In response to Nicole’s comments Mike Aguirre lost by 70,000 votes in the last election in a city where the Democrats hold a twenty percent advantage in voter registration. That means that not only the Republicans thought he was bad news but so did the Democrats. When the Democratic voters switch their votes to the Republican candidate then you know not to ever use that candidate again. Aguirre lost the support of a high percentage of the union Democrats and the LGBT Democrats based on his actions in office as San Diego City Attorney. Of course there were the others that dropped him when they saw he kept changing the answers to the same questions. Now is the time for Democrats with honest reputations in District 8 to consider running for City Council and that leaves out Michael Aguirre. Donating money now to any Aguirre campaign for political office is like flushing it down the toilet. Aguirre is now relegated to making a living in his unpopular law practice.

Juan Gonzalez

Dear Editor:

The GLT Times has been a staple of most importantly local, national and world news in our community for quite a long time now.

I find it really odd that when so much is going on in the news world for all LGBT people that the magazine choose to put Lady Gaga on the cover? It was an obvious choice for Frontiers and Lavender Lens possibly...but as a newsworthy publication, it seemed odd that The GLT Times would somehow follow suit. Haven’t the days of the circuit party gone by the wayside for a majority of our community and didn’t the magazine think that not everyone is gaga over that lady?

Tom

La Mesa, CA