Hooray for Hardaway honesty

That’s the title of a letter written by a Mr. Lee A. Prins in the Arizona Republic today. And the letter is quite ugly. It’s quite depressing. And it’s certainly confirmation that there will always be ignorant bigots (is this redundant?) in the world. But this letter marked a real breakthrough for me. For the first time since I learned that one of my beloved children was gay, I did not go quietly into the bathroom, lock the door, and sob until I had no tears left. I guess I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that there will always be people who hate what does not conform to their definitions of normal.

Does this mean I will stop trying to change hearts and minds? Hell no. I will never give up on that. Never. My son has to live in this world with neighbors just like Mr. Prins.

But I do have to wonder, how many moms and dads did sneak quietly into the bathroom, lock the door, and sob today after reading Mr. Lee A. Prins very startling admission. I am sure there were many.

Here are the searing words of a man who probably never misses a Sunday church service:

Feb. 20, 2007 12:00 AM

Hooray for NBA player Tim Hardaway for saying what's on a lot of people's minds. He would not willingly play ball with a homosexual, and neither would I, nor would anyone I know.

I see that the media pushed him into almost apologizing for what he said, but that's the insidiousness of this gay issue. Maybe less than 1 percent of the population is gay, but they have twice the protection of most other people.

You can call me a stupid nimrod and get away with it. But if you tell a homosexual what you really think of him or her, you are called a homophobe.

Most people try to avoid the issue. But homosexuality is being pushed at us from every direction. The world isn't gay and most of it doesn't love gays and probably never will. They and their fellow travelers need to get used to that.

Lee A. Prins, Gold Canyon