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Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Letter to Senator Santorum
By Paul Ford
Oh, Senator Santorum, why do you say those things?
Submitted via web form, with my West Chester, PA address as the return. I'm in a really jumpy mode lately, and writing letters to politicians makes me feel better. Now, please note that the way I'm doing it, even if it satisfies my soapbox longings, is wrong--the right way to do it is Mo's way. She says: “use stationery and write in hand. They'll think you're a little old man or lady and write you back and take you seriously.”
I recently read an article (source) in which Senator Santorum (R, PA) is quoted as saying, “if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything.”
I find this to be a deeply offensive, shamefully ignorant viewpoint that demonstrates once more how out-of-touch the Republican party is with any form of social progress.
Most homosexuals, like most heterosexuals, are people who vote, work at their jobs, and enjoy (or want to enjoy, if they're single!) monogamous relationships with one partner. I have known many homosexual couples, and have found that they live their lives around principles that could easily be defined as "family values." Some of the most loving and caring parents I have known have been gay, and I have known far more dysfunctional and abusive straight couples than gay couples.
Common sense, research, and years of public discussion show that openly acknowledged homosexuality is not a sign of decay or social transgression. Given this fact, a policy societal tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality could only prove that we as a nation are willing to throw off the old, ignorant prejudices which hold us back from social progress.
Homosexuality is not immoral. Rather, it is a fact of human existence, and if Senator Santorum wishes to keep his head in the sand about it, he implicitly supports a culture of ignorance and violence against homosexuals that has lasted far too long and is an ugly mark against America's developing tradition of equal rights for all. I strongly suggest that he reconsider his statements in this light and issue an apology not just to homosexuals, but all Americans, for promoting attitudes that have little to do with morality and more with ignorance and prejudice.
Sincerely,
Paul Ford
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