Renata: Bless this man - and bless Uncles Stanley and Ronald also. Of course the Governor’s parents never thought he was in danger. If Bean and the people like her ever bothered to get their facts straight, they would discover statistics show it is not the homosexual community that rapes, nor abuses children. We are no less kind, or caring, or giving than any other human who takes morality seriously. Thanks for the post - we too shall overcome!

Mugsy: Change and acceptance are in the air. Take a deep breath and feel it. I hope you were as encouraged as I reading all the comments of the people who support our mission, straight or not. Don’t let the few frightened, misinformed, bible misquoters get to you. As you have intimated, our survival skills have been honed by an eternity of fighting to be seen simply as we really are - equal children of the Universe, not some heinous creation of the devil. I know the string of lights around our hearts will one day light the path we trod. Keep the faith.

Renata: I can feel the pride in your postings about this remarkable man. He has had an amazing life which enables him to see with his heart as well as his brain. I have so much hope for his tenure as Governor. It’s about time!

What on earth are you talking about, bean? Is your definition of marriage only about a vaginal sex act? If so, I definitely qualify! Although anal sex may be one of many options open to folks of all persuasions, the only pain in the ass I personally have experienced is the self-righteous rantings of people like you.

Josie: We survived. Thank Heavens. Let our personal history be the fuel that strengthens us for the fight to ensure the pain and humiliation suffered by us - ends with us. I agree “Jesus rocks”, and there is not enough I can say about my respect and appreciation for Ellen and the other celebrities like her. By coming out of the closet they opened the door for the kids of today. By the way, I think the L Word rocks also.

I remember back in the day when we would quake in our boots at the mere thought that anyone would suspect we were gay. I remember house parties where we took turns staring out the window for fear of being caught in a surprise raid. I remember my family throwing me out of their home because I was “diseased, corrupted, and perverted”. Recognition and legitimacy is critically important. Suicide among gay teenagers is rampant. Society and public officials must do everything possible to tell them it’s okay to be who they are. No one can thrive in a world that says: We are all created in God’s image…except if you’re gay, or bi-sexual, or muslim, or at one time black. Governor Patterson has done the right thing. I admire him for his decision.

YES!!! and thanks for your views.

Frank: Your kind words and support mean the world to me. “Illegitamati non carborundum,” I love it! Yet it is not the bastards who worry me. It is the decent people of this world, who spew venom, and hate, and prejudice, because of what they were taught to believe. It is the closed mind that is my enemy, the concept that it is okay to judge what you don’t understand. You, and many others on this site, who have spoken out in our defense are so appreciated - and valued. Thomas Jefferson wrote: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. Thank God for Wowowow’s noisy group! P.S. Frank, I would be honored to be your friend. However, I’m a professional restauranteur. I’d much rather have dinner with you than a beer.

Although with your obvious intelligence and powerful vocabulary you are able to portray my comments as a diatribe, I cannot see where I have launched a bitter attack against anything or anyone. What is it with this country lately? Any time one speaks out in defense of something they believe in, they are accused of attacking. What’s next? Am I going to be called unpatriotic because I’m fighting against the majority. You also accuse me of not being content with a civil union or domestic partnership. What I have said, in every post, is that I don’t care how we are identified as long as it is the same as any other legally committed couple. I do not wish to be part of a fragmented group who have special laws and labels created for them. I say again: I want and deserve the rights granted to every other couple married under the law. Call the union what you will, but call your union the same. I am truly sorry you see my lively discussion with you as an attack. I thought I was sharing opinions with someone who was worth the effort. I still feel that way. You also claim that I am vitriolic. I take that to mean caustic, malicious, acrimonious. Where do you see that in my responses? I am sorry my true feelings haven’t come across to you. I am frustrated, confused, and saddened. I know the value of our relationship, of our life. I only look forward to the day when we need not defend it.

Bless you, Deni. And thank you too.

“Gayness is just a sex act like any other” Really?!! I would love to sit down over a cup of tea with you. You are in desperate need of an education. That is if you do not think I am too shameful to be in your company. I have read your comments on other subjects in the past. So I know you actually have a working brain. I wonder if you’ve ever taken the trouble to get to know a gay person or if all of this moralistic judgement just echoes the views of those who surround you. “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear…” Although I sense you don’t give a darn about what I have to say on this topic, I am very interested in your view. Unfortunately it’s shared by a large portion of society. I wonder if an open dialogue would help. I wonder if anything could help to penetrate a mind that seems so closed.

Thanks - you’re very sweet.

You are quite a man Frank. Not only for your ability to love like that, but also for your willingness to share it so unashamedly. I’ve been reading your posts for quite a while and you make even my gay little heart sing. The world needs more like you!

Bonnie: Of course rights are in dispute no matter how clever the argument. The one little word you refer to doesn’t mean a hill of beans to me. And certainly not as much as it does to those of you who claim all that it implies belongs to you alone. What I fight for is equality under the law. I will never be satisfied with the veiled implication of “civil union”. Not the words, but the notion that I am less than any other sector of humanity: less entitled, less deserving, less than fully and sanely human. You seem to question whether I have earned the right to seek marital status. And believe me it is the status I’m after, not your precious m-word. May I ask why you believe I do not? Full equality for me means I will be referred to, both under the law and societally, in the same way as any legally committed couple. If you can figure out a way for that to happen, I’ll happily accept “civil union” as the label for my relationship. That is, if you will accept it for yours.

Thank you for the clarification, Arlene. It means a lot.