Dear Editor:

In Mr. Wilhelm’s endorsement of Ms. Hunter he asks the rhetorical question, why should gays vote for a straight Democratic party line because you are gay. The answer is the Republican party platform. Not only do they want to ban Gay Marriage with a hateful amendment to the constitution but they also want to ban all domestic partnerships. My question to Mr. Wilhelm is, until the Republicans change their party’s platform, how can any self-respecting gay person support any of their candidates?

Calvin Radford

Dear Editor:

Our friend Ben Dillingham effectively laid out the reasons to vote for Ron Roberts for Mayor and we whole-heartedly agree. Ron has worked with this community for well over a decade and his actions speak volumes about his support of civil rights for both the LGBT community and all San Diegans.

History demonstrates the necessity for supporting public figures with proven track records. Readers may recall how our community was devoted to former Mayor Roger Hedgecock, even when he was under indictment. We personally remember the San Diego Democratic Club’s Freedom Banquet when attendees jumped to their feet in adoration. In learning from that foolish mistake, all of us must be prudent about supporting candidates who have no list of accomplishments for the City and us. As we “mainstream” ourselves in immeasurable ways into larger society and continue to mature politically, we must bond with the larger community by supporting the best person for both our community and the entire city. Who is best able to solve the City’s financial problems as well as protect civil rights?

The histories of Dick Murphy and Donna Frye are interesting. The Mayor has not supported us on important issues but instead appointed a few LGBT members to commissions. Donna Frye has supported us on a number of recent issues, the majority where the political stakes are not high. Seasoned political strategists tell us that voting 8-1 is not equivalent to voting 5-4. An 8-1 vote indicates an outside vote but other officials tend to ignore the vote because they see it as being ineffectual and they do not discipline that public official. Donna Frye’s 8-1 votes do not impress the experts because she has not brought others to her view, i.e., she is not a leader who persuades others.

We support Ron Roberts because he has a long history with this community and because he has stood up with us in a number of 5-4 votes. When Christine Kehoe pushed for domestic benefits for city employees, Ron became the fifth vote in support. When Christine decided to run for City Council, Ron Roberts was the first leader who stepped forward to endorse her. In addition, he was an affirmative vote for the Human Dignity Ordinance and was instrumental in negotiating revisions to the final City Council redistricting map that helped to ensure district elections.

We support Ron Roberts because he has a history of doing what is right, even when he doesn’t have to do so and even when he receives criticism from some quarters. He has earned our vote over numerous years. Most of all, we believe that political maturity for this community evolves as we support a candidate, as Ben says, whose “record is widely known, his fairness respected by all sides, his integrity above reproach.” Having learned a valuable lesson from the man in the Trojan Horse, Roger Hedgecock, we hope that our community will vote for Ron Roberts who has been in our corner and willing to fight our battles over the long haul. Vote for a proven record.

Bill Beck and David Huskey

Dear Editor:

Although I voted for John Kerry, and even referred to him as “president” in positive affirmations as well as desperate hope, he didn’t stand a chance because the folks who were supposed to vote skipped this most important election.

Exit polls confirmed that the 18- to 24-year-old whiners and dissenters didn’t get off their lazy duffs to participate in an election with the potential to affect their lives for decades to come. The number of first-timers and in the aforementioned demographic remained the same stagnant 17 percent as in the 2000 contest. Blacks, Hispanics and Asians also failed to turn out in record numbers.

However, the neo-conservatives who fear the left-leaning Commie-Pinko fags, Jews, (fill in the name that most debases your heritage and/or affiliation), etc., contributed 24 percent of the vote that elected Bush.

If ever there was a time in the 228-year history of our country where the queers, Jews, coloreds, etc. needed to pull together, that time would be now. The right-wing, neo-conservatives believe they have a mandate to control how the rest of us will live in “their” country.

It’s up to us to put aside our petty differences – white gays versus lesbians and/or trannys of color, GLT versus Update – and acknowledge the much bigger picture by galvanizing the efforts to protect our constitutional rights during the next four years. If a constitutional amendment can be made against gay marriage during this administration, then it isn’t far-fetched to suppose such an amendment can be proposed against the gay “lifestyle,” a woman’s right to choose and “mixed” marriages.

Lee A. Schoenbart