Kerry’s Reference to Mary Cheney

It is difficult not to be disgusted by the manner in which the two major political parties are talking about gay America in their scramble for votes. In the debates, both Sens. John F. Kerry and John Edwards passed up opportunities to mention gay people in their own lives in favor of making one thing clear to the American people: Vice President Cheney has a lesbian daughter.

Dick Cheney and his wife have called it a tawdry political act (Oct. 15), and they are not wrong. But Mary Cheney’s parents have not been so shy about trading their daughter’s dignity for political advantage when it has suited the Republican campaign’s needs.

President Bush asks us to believe that he really does not know if he thinks homosexuality is a choice, but he is so certain that allowing gays and lesbians to marry would demolish the fragile institution of straight marriage that he has proposed amending the Constitution to prevent it from happening.

The Democrats insist that they support equality for all citizens almost as loudly as they insist that marriage must be reserved for spouses of opposite genders, but they do not have the political courage to reconcile that contradiction.

There has not been a single moment of honest, positive discussion about the hopes, dreams and needs of gays and lesbians in this country during the presidential campaign. I cannot speak for all gay Americans, but this one is tired of being talked about with political motive instead of being talked to with simple respect.

Jonathan King

Venice

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Isn’t it sad that Dick and Lynne Cheney took a supportive comment made by Kerry about their daughter and used it to attack him for political gain. Shame on them. I wonder how they would have responded if Bush had made the comment.

Vicki Stevenson

Sylmar

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To justify Kerry’s despicable cheap shot, his campaign manager has declared Cheney’s daughter “fair game” (i.e., someone to be deliberately hurt or destroyed if necessary to elect Kerry). It is wrong to use a daughter to hurt her parents. How can Kerry, of all people, posture as the defender of the “right to privacy”?

Norman Zezula

La Habra Heights

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I’m amazed that Lynne Cheney would be indignant over Kerry’s remarks. I would hope a mother would be indignant that her lesbian daughter is denied equal rights. Perhaps Lynne Cheney believes Mary indeed has a choice.

Clayton Lloyd

Anaheim