Apparently in response to recent coverage of the local PFLAG chapter comes this letter to the editor in the Daily Times:
How can it be called a gay lifestyle?
I hesitate in writing this for the sake of offend people that I care about. But when we find ourselves in a culture war that we did not ask for it must be fought. One of those fronts is our language. When people choose to lead a difficult lifestyle I donât see any way it can be seriously referred to as a gay lifestyle. Â It is obviously a sad lifestyle, not a gay one. Â How many drug users are referred to as âsmartâ?
Hopefully our News Media will start using proper English some day.
Dan Hobson
If Mr. Hobson can quibble over the use of the word gay, may I in turn question the use of the word lifestyle? Any number of intentionally chosen elements of my life might also imply a lifestyle; living in a small town, for instance, or cat ownership.
The âsadâ thing, of course, is a fairly common cheap shot, and born of ignorance. Ron and I are quite happy, and I trust that Mr. Hobson is too.
Oh, please. This is Kerrville, which seems to be chiefly comprised of old people and religious cults, with a few indigenous rednecks sprinkled throughout. I thought this letter was pretty restrained considering the general tenor of KDT letter-writers. Bet ole Dan was in for a lot of back-slapping down at the Del Norte.
P.S. Glad you’re here, guys.
Yeah, the Daily Times is clearly aimed at the oldest of its readers. Sometimes that’s a good thing: I appreciate it when they do stories on con schemes that prey on the elderly, for instance.
Agreed that this was one of the more restrained letters…there’s no doubt the guy was trying to be nice. It’s probably pretty representative of the spectrum of opinion among my dad’s neighbors in the retirement community.