A response from Gary R. Cohan, M.D. | Issue Letters | Advocate.com | Advocate.com

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A response from Gary R. Cohan, M.D.

As predicted, I am receiving very emotional responses to my editorial piece, "Premature Emancipation". Letters, emails, faxes – split right down the middle in terms of viewpoint.

I respect the evaluations posted on your website by Mr. Somerville and Ms. Boling. I agree that marriage IS the ultimate goal. In fact, if they read the piece I wrote that was published earlier this year on Advocate.com entitled “Rx: Marriage” you will understand two things -- I am neither ignorant of the significance of gay marriage nor are our opinions regarding the importance of getting to this ultimate goal remarkably different. However, in the absence of a broad consensus on how to proceed, I believe that this debate is necessary and healthy. I will continue to agree to disagree with Mr. Somerville and Ms. Boling on strategy. While they are completely right that in any negotiation, one has to ask for much more than what one really expects to get, this time, in my opinion, we got ahead of ourselves. In fact, we were baited by the brilliantly calculating Bush political strategist Karl Rove to make gay marriage an election issue and we inappropriately chomped on the hook. If we had pursued a more viable strategy of demanding our full civil and human rights with the clear intention of eventually getting to marriage, I think we’d be in a more advantageous position right now and we wouldn’t have to dig ourselves out of the hole that’s been created. In any regard, your readers and I do share one thing in common that I believe is good. We care deeply about the issues and are willing to put our pens to paper and our efforts toward the common goal. The real enemy to our community is not internal debate, it’s apathy. Respectfully, Gary R. Cohan, M.D., F.A.C.P.

Gary R. Cohan, M.D.
Los Angeles, CA
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