High in Colorado.

A couple weeks ago Queerty.com published a story about how some Colorado Springs residents are fed up with the city’s homophobic reputation. “Mike Kazmierski [of the] Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp . . . wants the world -- and investors -- to know that Colorado Springs has had a change of homo-heart: ‘We're really very diverse. . . . If we can get [people] to come visit our town, Colorado Springs sells itself.’”

I added a comment to the Queerty article about my personal experience: that it’s not just gays who are unwelcome in Colorado Springs. A hetero friend of mine from Los Angeles (a Buddhist Caucasian married to an Asian woman) moved there, and almost immediately moved back. He thought it’d be a family-oriented environment where he could raise a family, but he quickly discovered everybody different is shunned.

"Deb" added a hopeful note to my comment. “It's changing, but slowly,” she said. “Give us credit for trying! We are NOT all those people you hear about. Come to our Cultural/Diversity Festival in August!

Well, Deb, sorry but I’m not going to make it. After I posted my thoughts on Queerty, I received the following big purple email. 

ONE SIMPLE QUESTION:  DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE?  IF SO, WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT GAY SEX?  CLEARLY SAYS IT’S A SIN, JUST LIKE ADULTRY,  STEALING, ETC.  USING ANOTHER SIN TO JUSIFY YOURS DOESN’T WORK.  WHAT HAPPENED TO “WE JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE” CLAUSE YOU ALL USED WHEN AMENDMENT 2 CAME UP?  YOU’RE ON AN AGENDA, JUST LIKE PERKINS SAID YEARS AGO.  RE: PEOPLE WHO WENT BACK TO LA, GOOD, MAYBE YOU & YOUR OTHER GAY FRIENDS SHOULD DO THE SAME, SINCE LA LIKES EVERYTHING EXCEPT WHAT THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED UPON.  IF EVERYONE WAS WHAT YOU WANT, GAY, HOW DO WE REPRODUCE? 


Now, ordinarily I write off angry email, but this isn’t just from some yahoo. It’s on business letterhead, from a company founder and chairman. It includes his work address and phone number, as well as a glowing P. R. blurb and a link to their website. Checking there, it’s obvious the man is important. In fact, he’s the patriarch of one of Colorado Spring’s fine, upstanding families, and one of their most successful businessmen.

Which prompts a few thoughts.

1. This email is relatively rude, calling me a sinner, yet it includes his company information. Is he thinking that expressing hatred can turn into a business opportunity?

2. I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“WHAT HAPPENED TO ‘WE JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE’ CLAUSE YOU ALL USED WHEN AMENDMENT 2 CAME UP?”  Um, dude, you must have found my blog to get my email address. You should know I’ll be the spokesman for stupid before I’m a spokesman for the gay community. I've never heard of Amendment 2 or "Perkins." I’ve never said everybody should be gay, though maybe it'd help me find a date. And personally, I don’t want to be left alone. I want equal rights.

3. For such an upright, heterosexual guy, he sure does like big purple type.

4. It seems odd that one of the city’s most distinguished residents is telling me and my gay friends to move away. That would be difficult, since we’re not there.

But, you know, maybe I just have a bad attitude. Maybe Colorado Springs should be proud. I mean, in New York you’d pay a fortune to get advice from accomplished businessmen, yet a pillar of their society is offering it for free.