Letters

The Battle over Gay Teens

The tendency for young homosexuals to come out with more ease than in the past was embraced by gays and others eager to see sexual orientation destigmatized. But for some readers, gay love now dares to speak its name too loudly--they would be more content if the closet door had never been opened

TIME is to be commended for its insightful, balanced and thoroughly researched cover story on gay teenagers [Oct. 10]. In addition to highlighting some of the benefits that gay teens now enjoy compared with earlier generations, writer John Cloud also accurately depicts a number of the struggles-- personal, social and religious--that young gays face daily. As the head of a nonprofit organization that operates a nationwide suicide-prevention help line for gay and questioning youth, I hear stories of difficulties every day. And although some gains have been made, the sad reality is that suicide is the No. 3 killer of teenagers, and gay youths are more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

JORGE VALENCIA, PRESIDENT THE TREVOR PROJECT Beverly Hills, Calif.

I was very disappointed with TIME's cover. I am so tired of people trying to force us all to accept homosexuality. It is really sad that you can't read a magazine, watch television or go to a movie without finding some form of homosexual innuendo. What is the deal? Are there no longer any morals? At what point will America stand up and say, No more?

SANDRA DYMACEK Bowling Green, Ky.

Oh, if only my generation had had gay-straight support groups back in the 1950s, when I was a lonely teen who thought of myself as a disgusting, repulsive pervert! But there is still so much more to be done.

MIKE VARADY Los Angeles

You did an excellent job pointing out that for many of us, being gay isn't about bars and parties--it's about life, in all its many variations. I just wish you had talked a little less about sex. Being gay, like being straight, is also about how one finds affection, commitment and, yes, lifelong meaningful partnerships.

NATHANIEL R. BROWN Edmonds, Wash.

Cloud didn't use much nuance in saying my film Hedwig and the Angry Inch was "a cult musical about the relationship between a drag queen and a young singer" and includes a scene in which a teenage boy is "masturbated by an adult." Is that what it really boils down to for Cloud? He might have also touched on why it has already found favor with many scholars. I've been told by young people of all persuasions that Hedwig is appealing because it is an exploration of personal identity outside traditional straight, gay or even transgender definitions. In the end, it's about love. Every movie, song, TV commercial, video game and news story is about love. Or the absence of it.

JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL New York City

The assertion that "at many schools it is now profoundly uncool to be seen as anti-gay" is extremely misleading. Not a single day passes without my hearing "Dude, you're a fag" or some other gratuitous homophobic remark. America's schools are not gay-friendly.

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST San Diego

Those who believe that gays can and should be "altered" might be well advised to consider what it would take to change their own sexual orientation.

BARBARA KRENTZMAN Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Homosexuality is a mistaken concept. Evil has become good, and good evil. We Americans are witnessing the moral death of our nation.

ROBERT HOHNER Studio City, Calif.

Young gays and lesbians are much better off today than were those of us who grew up in the dark ages before the 1969 Stonewall riots [which marked the beginning of the gay-rights movement]. But the work must continue. The attacks of Christian Fundamentalists must not be allowed to submerge our gay youth in a cesspool of bigotry and persecution.

PETER A. ALAIMO

Scottsdale, Ariz. DeLay's Indictment

House majority leader Tom DeLay [who defiantly rejects charges of illegal campaign-finance dealings] projects mean-spiritedness [Oct. 10]. He has smirked his way through many media moments. Some leaders choose an adversarial approach to situations that actually call for amiable discourse. But admired leaders demonstrate nonarrogant and confident behavior. That kind of demeanor and knowing the right thing to do are what we constituents desire from our leaders.

JOANNE M. PETROSKE Churchville, Pa.

Republicans are so efficient. It took them only 10 years in power to become as corrupt as the Democrats were after 40 years in control.

WILLIAM C. STOSINE Iowa City, Iowa

Driven Out of Montana

Now that fuel prices are going up, I can appreciate Walter Kirn's difficulty in taking the long drives that any trip in Montana seems to entail [Oct. 10]. I recently had to quit--almost before I started--a job in Kalispell, Mont., the closest town of any size (pop. 14,000) to my home. That's about 50 miles away. The daily round trip on $3-per-gal. gas would have meant that, after the associated costs of commuting, I'd be earning only $2 an hour. That spurred my decision to move to a place that has public transportation. If you want to stay in Big Sky country, you might follow the example of the Amish: trade your gas-guzzling pickup for oat-powered horses and a buckboard. Forward to the 19th century!

MARTIN DODGE Trego, Mont.

A Battleground Untamed

The crux of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq is summed up in a quote in Tim McGirk's article "War in the Shadows" [Oct. 10]. He wrote that after an ambush outside Kandahar, an American officer directed his men not to shoot wildly at the shadows flitting through the chaos because "Dammit! It's civilians mixed with enemy." The U.S. is trying to fight a gentleman's war. There are civilian casualties in any war. We have to quit trying to pick and choose when we fire. Either get out now or fight.

DENISE FITZGERALD Shelby Township, Mich.

My husband is in Kandahar providing intelligence support for the units on the front lines. He is glad to be in Afghanistan instead of Iraq. But at least part of the answer to the question "Why haven't we caught Osama bin Laden?" is that we took on Iraq before the job in Afghanistan was truly finished. The U.S.'s monetary and human resources are stretched too thin for either task to be completed anytime soon. For far too long, Afghanistan has been pushed out of the spotlight. I hope our mission there will regain the attention it needs so we can be successful in that country in the not too distant future.

RENEE MASILON Darmstadt, Germany

While the basic objective that led American troops into Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq remains noble--projecting democratic ideals--subsequent developments have proved the Washington strategists wrong. Once the immediate, specific objective has been achieved, it is time to get out, leaving it to Afghans and Iraqis to sort out their internal problems. They can rebuild their countries and manage themselves. Prolonging those missions only weakens the U.S.

VELLORE S. THYAGARAJAN Madras, India

When an Afghan commander refused to let his men join in a rescue mission, you quoted a U.S. sergeant who said, "Look at these Afghans. Why the hell should we be fighting their war?" Well, after 9/11, the war against the merciless Taliban regime suddenly became our war as well. I understand what men say in the heat of battle because I spent a year in combat myself. But slowly American troops will weed out the enemy, and as its desperation grows, we will continue to stride ahead with confidence and assurance, knowing we will severely punish those who dared to mess with our country, an America we have sworn to protect.

ALBERT SHEPARD, SERGEANT, U.S. ARMY Camp Navistar, Kuwait

Turning Down the Heat

The discussion over what causes global warming and whether it is responsible for more severe hurricanes can go on for a long time [Oct. 3]. There are many variables, and there are also a lot of political and economic vested interests that try to make us believe there are not enough data to reach a firm conclusion. But we cannot afford to wait until there is strong evidence that human activity is at least part of the problem. By then it would be too late. On the other hand, curbing our carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions will cost very little, other than requiring some relatively small changes in our lifestyle and some economic adjustments. But if we don't make a serious effort, the consequences could be disastrous.

GABRIEL RUIZ Valencia, Spain

Look for Common Ground

Your story "Generation Jihad" [Oct. 3] indicated that many moderate Muslims living in Western countries feel that the West deserves to be attacked because it is waging an "assault on Islam." And in return, Westerners find many Muslim practices abhorrent and oppressive. One has to ask whether our cultures have any common ground. A reminder of the fact that God belongs to all religions might help bring people together and help heal the rift that sadly is getting larger.

LAWRENCE GOLDSMITH Wellington, New Zealand