I’ve followed the discussion of gay flags with interest. My overriding notion is that whatever we fly, it should be done with respect for the all-encompassing US flag. My mom taught me to be a stickler for flag etiquette, and although I don’t take my flags down at night as I should, I do fly the gay flag outside my house lower than the national flag, and to its right. It bothers me to see the gay flag (or any flag other than the national flag) on the left, or higher than the American flag.

I also find it disrespectful to bastardize the stars & stripes by replacing the red and white stripes with rainbow colors. We can have our flag, or flags, but there is no need to make people mad about it by mocking the national flag. I remember seeing a flag on the Navajo indian reservation years ago portraying an indian on a horse, looking sad and downtrodden, over the stars & stripes. As with us, they should be able to fly whatever flag they want to represent the Navajo people as long as it doesn’t mess with the US flag.

I do wonder if having a bisexual flag, lesbian flag, leather flag, or questioning youth flag will unnecessarily fragment what should be a more united gay front to the “outside” world, but I suppose it’s everyone’s right to fly whatever flag they want, as long as it’s done with respect to our national flag. And while I would have an angry reaction to anyone burning my US flag, I don’t think we need a constitutional amendment to ban such acts of disrespect.

Jason Ford

Dear Editor:

Recent full-page advertisements in the G&L Times claim that AIDS is not caused by a virus – it’s caused by stress. This idea is so ridiculous! In the early and mid 90’s I would open the gay newspapers each week and read the AIDS obituaries which would fill multiple pages. Such obituaries are rare these days and it’s something to be grateful for.

The pandemic years were a terrible time. Those of us who lived through it know that such horrible deaths could not be caused by stress. I challenge the AIDS denialists to take a walk around the AIDS quilt (which fills 47 football fields) and then tell me that all those people died of stress.

Brent Montejo

Dear Editor:

Miss Yuhas is a self-promoting publicity seeker who will say anything just to get attention. A perfect example is the statement she made that the Midway fundraiser for SLDN was really a sex party.

She loves to get everyone all riled up. And when we do, we give her the attention she craves. I say we ignore the bitch. Soon her self-flatulating radio show will be canceled for lack of interest. Then someone can throw water on her and she’ll melt.

Colton McGregor

Dear Editor:

Interesting that Scott Peters refused to fill out questionnaire for the SD Dem Club (GLT, 9-9-04) but had no problem filling out questionnaires for the Sierra Club and the SD Board of Realtors.

So just as he voted to subsidize the Boy Scouts in their discrimination, sounds like he also discriminates against questionnaires by gay organizations? Double standard, Scott Peters?

And in spite of this anti-gay voting record of Peters, the SD Dem Club is trashing Peters’ opponent Phil Thalheimer, (who has been endorsed by Bonnie Dumanis) even though Thalheiemr came out months ago in opposition tot he FMA (Peters has still not joined coalition in opposition) and Thalheimer has a member of the GLBT community as a senior manager in his business.

As a life long Democrat, add this to long list of why I have not chosen to be a member of the SD Dem Club for quite a number of years.

Don Schmidt

Dear Editor:

Michael: Surely as publisher of the cute little weekly, Gay & Lesbian Times, you should have reigned in your editor before he made a fool of himself by sending this sophomoric piece to so many people and members of the media. I’m sure calling me names and not even getting the name of the show correct is acceptable at CBS, but don’t let CBS take credit for that style of reporting; your group adopted it long before Dan Rather made it popular. Surely your editorial board could have done better than this.

Now, I know it sounds strange coming from me, but some advice: (1) before your editor (or whomever the requestor of the debate is, which is unclear because of the poor grammar of this piece) you should have at least asked Ralls if I invited someone from SLDN on the show to defend their event (I did and have the email exchange between Ralls and myself, which includes his denying me press credentials as well as telling me that if I bought a ticket I would not be admitted to the private event); and I debated gay marriage during Proposition 22 locally and nationally - recall, my side won (2) if you’re going to have an analyst look at my profile, be certain that the questions he is used to answering don’t include, “I’m having sex with my dentist, is that okay” or “I kissed my plumber, did that go too far?” His analysis is hardly worth the paper your paper is printed on and finally, but most importantly, when taking issue with my comments about people with HIV, I suppose you would argue that they got it playing a board game? I must have missed the day that HIV became a disease you caught while standing around talking instead of engaging in unsafe sexual behavior like visiting bathhouses and picking anonymous men up on the internet. You guys should really do a feature about HIV because most people must think you get it from a toilet seat.

Anyway, just wanted to drop you a note and thank you and your editor showing, to so many people, the gay “press” for what it really is.

Read the editorial then juxtapose it against any of my columns. You tell me why I’m in the mainstream press and on the radio and the Gay Times crowd are paying columnists with pizza coupons and sending out editorials to the mainstream press that, if written by a freshman in college, would receive a “C” – if graded on a curve.

Thanks for listening to the program – shall I add you and your staff to my mailing list? It is a little larger than your circulation – well double actually. I would also love to offer you a spot to advertise during the show, but we’ll talk about that after you congratulate your editor on making a fool of himself and your paper.

Steve Yuhas