Gay elected officials not required to seek gay groups’ support

Re: “How do we define ‘openly gay elected official’?” (editorial about Milton City Councilman Alan Tart by Laura Douglas-Brown, June 10)

"I think if somebody is led to seek office, s/he should do it regardless of orientation. If you don’t want to, then don’t. I want people in office who are led to public service. And I don’t care who they sleep with."

"If you are running as a public servant then your preference should not matter. If there is something you believe in as a candidate then stand behind what you believe. Period. I think when running you are a candidate before you are anything else. All that follows is nice to know, but we do not have to know. So I sleep with men and I am a man. That will not change my stand on abortions or my stance on the war."

"Being “out” is about publicly being open about one’s sexual orientation and has nothing to do with aligning oneself with the Georgia Equality and gay political establishment."

"The fact that this was asked would imply the gay leadership in Georgia feels slighted by him not asking for help. Personally, I would rather see him elected because he is good rather than because he is gay."

It’s Pride month, but not for Atlanta. Should we move back to June?

Re: "Why June means Stonewall Week, not Pride, for Atlanta" (June 13)

"I don’t mind having Pride in October because it means it won’t be hot as hell."

"Have you been to Georgia in June?"

"Have you ever been in drag in October? Brrrr!"

"Stonewall Week, combined with the opportunity to celebrate Pride in other cities (without skipping ATL), is a great thing in my humble opinion. We just need to get behind the realities of the situation and support the October event or it could very possibly go away altogether. We should work to make Atlanta’s October Pride a huge international event, since we’re not then competing with other Pride celebrations, regardless of how we feel about the date."

"Despite the heat, I still wish that we could get back to June to be in sync with all of the other major Pride celebrations around the country. … Give us back Pride in June. The Park Conservancy forces are becoming too strong. The drought is over. The park is meant to be enjoyed."

‘Glitter bombing’ LGBT rights opponents: Will it hurt or help?

Re: Discussion at facebook.com/thegavoice (June 17)

"I think this may be the wrong approach. This will lead to tighter security and people getting arrested. Throwing confetti and glitter only shows that the community can be hostile. I’m going to throw this at you because you are a closed-minded person with a different belief structure than me. Then we are doing exactly what they are doing: 'We are going to block this law because you think and act differently than I do.'"

"Stonewall didn’t happen because our voices were heard, it was because we sat back and let them ‘abuse’ and marginalize us and our rights by not 'being in their face.' Glitter bombs (as was Stonewall) are for proving we are not an “abstraction” nor “political fodder”; we are real, we are here, and we’re not taking your crap anymore."