Now I understand politics, dimplomacy, and dialogue. But the fact that other lesbian and gay organizations, elected officials, and gay activists are wasting their time and their supporters money coming down on the ESPA instead of saying, "Yeah, that's true," is beyond me. And that they are so critical - I mean, it just smacks of the neutered, WASP-y, middle class homosexual coming down on the truth-telling drag queen or the fat, butch bull dyke who says look at me and love what I am. There's closety self-loathing all over this reaction.

Moreover, the memo was internal. It does not endorse another candidate or withhold a future endorsement from Clinton. It does not cut off dialogue or belittle the support she showed in the past  (however safe, slight, and uninspired or unenthusiastic it was). It simply says that we can't let her continue to exploit us like a silly intern with big hair and political aspirations.

After all of Mrs. Clinton's video game censorship crap, support of the war in Iraq, and her Orwellian support of a national ID card to "protect" US citizens and root out illegal immigrants, most of New York state should feel like Monica now. Instead we treat the junior senator who has been slumming state-wise before leaping back onto the national stage like she's a celebrity and the greatest supporter of all us New Yorkers. If we want these pols to really take our side and take us seriously, we've got to stop blowing them behind closed doors - letting them use us and our dollars. That doesn't mean we shouldn't vote for them or even endorse them when the playing field is down to two or three frontrunners, and she's the best we can do. But why should the Empire State Pride Agenda be Hillary's intern if Mrs. Clinton isn't going to show us queers the respect we deserve? I certainly will not be asking ESPA to swallow.

Their pride, I mean.