Do we need a leather man to know which way the wind blows?

First an aside: Back in the 1990s, while I was a convention service manager at Chicago's Congress Hotel, we-had a preconference meeting with the men in charge of the International Mr. Leather competition. The gay marriage issue had just come to life, and our reservations manager asked one of the IML organizers about it.

He responded, "Hey, we're leather dudes...we don't want to get married. We're here to get drunk, get laid, and have a good time."

Yes, this conversation took place over a decade ago, but I have a feeling that gay marriage is not a top priority for every gay person. The same goes for gays and adoption.

Back to the present: As virtually everyone now knows, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, answered Perez Hilton's question about gay marriage in a way that didn't please the rabid weasel.

Because Prejean replied that she is against it--as most Americans are--Hilton called her a "dumb bitch."

Hilton has some kindred spirits in Great Britain.

The Daily Mail explains:

People who have concerns about the adoption of children by gay couples are 'retarded homophobes', the state-funded national adoption agency said yesterday.

Those who protest over controversial gay adoption laws are merely 'whinging' (My note: British slang for "whining"), according to the British Association for Adoption and Fostering.

Its insulting description angered senior MPs and former Cabinet Ministers, Roman Catholic and Church of England leaders.

It also offended disability campaigners, who have been trying to discourage the use of the word 'retarded' for years. Whitehall has banned the word for civil servants.

Is there a possibility for rational discussion on these issues?

Maybe the leather men know the answer to that question.

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