Love and Marriage in a World of Judgment
In an ideal world, this entry would not be called "political." Of course, in that world I would have no need for this entry at all. Sexual orientation should not be a partisan issue, but like race in the 1960s it has become one of the most divisive.


First, I'd like to give a shout out to one of my political heroes, Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco. I was saddened to hear that the California Supreme Court voided the 4,000 same-sex marriage liscences Newsom issued this spring. The court ruled that the mayor overstepped his bounds, which may be true, but calling the marriages "void from their inception" is just wrong. We should not live in a world where elected officials have to overstep the limits of their authority to affirm basic human rights. A friend of mine flew from Connecticut to San Francisco to marry at the time. When he returned, his joy was heartwarming, proud and infectious as he showed us the wedding band. Now the court is trying to make that ring mean nothing.

In New Jersey, Governor James McGreevey announced his resignation after admitting an affair with another man. I suspect that the hype and scandal surrounding this would not have been the same had the adulterer been straight. Infidelity is contemptible, but is it enough by itself these days to ruin a career? Think about the outcome for Bill Clinton had Monica Lewinsky been male. We live in a world of double standards. If all men are not created identical, let them at least be treated as equals.