The anti-gay intent of Colorado's Amendment No. 2 is clear: It outlaws claims of discrimination based on sexual orientation. It does this by overturning three existing local ordinances and prohibiting future enactment of antidiscrimination laws at the local and state levels.
The law would be fair if the laws which the amendment targeted indeed granted "special rights," such as affirmative action or quota hiring for gay and lesbian people. Instead, the ordinances in Boulder, Denver, and Aspen simply include sexual orientation in a list of human characteristics upon which it is illegal to discriminate in housing, employment, and public accommodations. These laws ensure basic human rights which are often withheld from people solely on the basis of their sexual orientation.
One need not look far beneath the surface of the moderate-sounding rhetoric expounded by proponents of Amendment 2 to recognize that Colorado's law is but one step in the religious right's national agenda to force a repressive and archaic version of Christianity on the American people.
A national boycott of the State of Colorado will send a clear message: Equal rights for all Americans is a costly freedom for us to give up - in more ways than one. Gregory Norton, Boulder, Colo.
Letters are welcome. Only a selection can be published, subject to condensation, and none acknowledged. Please address them to "Readers Write," One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115.