I think some of you may be misinterpreting Akenaton's remarks. I believe what he is objecting to is the media and legal activities of a specific and very vociferous group of people who act as if they represent ALL gays when in fact they do not. Those people seek confrontation and controversy. So do their counterparts in the religious right who hate gays. What you have is two groups of fanatical and obsessed people polarized in extreme and opposite positions, and seeking conflict with one another...and the rest of the public (most of whom would just as soon live and let live) being held hostage in a sense and dragged into legal battles and political battles that are exaggerated and not very helpful if one wants to have a free and harmonious society.

Now, I have seen the same thing happen before around black/white issues, Native-American issues, Jewish/anti-semite issues, male/female issues, and a number of other issues.

It's extremism posturing as open-mindedness. It's fanaticism posturing as the search for equality. It's the desire for conflict and even the desire for martyrdom posturing as the search for freedom. And it's a pain in the neck for most of the people, most of the time.

I have never had a problem with gay people, but I don't exactly see why they must now have a "Gay Pride Week" in my little town. Why? Who else has a "Pride Week" around here? I don't have a burning desire to have some kind of "Pride Week" around any of my particular unique characteristics and choices in life...I just enjoy being who I am, that's all, and I think that a gay person who is comfortable in what he or she is would do the same.

What is this obsession about confronting every conceivable public thing that can be confronted? I think it's a sign of a psychological problem...one that has nothing whatsoever to do with being gay, but has a great deal to do with being a one-issue-obsessed person with a chip on his/her shoulder and a desire for attention.

If I was gay, I wouldn't get in everybody's face about it all the time...and I wouldn't hide it either. I'd just relax about it and be who I was and leave other people alone about it. And that is exactly what I would prefer the religious right to do as well...leave other people alone.

As for the marriage thing, as I said, I have no objection to adults marrying whomever they wish to marry. That's their business. I understand that there are financial and legal aspects to it, but I don't care too much about that either. As for health care...in a decent, modern society EVERYONE should be entitled to full health care at no charge as far as I'm concerned. That's socialized medicine.