Antigay postcards
target gay Massachusetts candidate

Anonymous homophobic postcards were sent out to Massachusetts residents this week, urging voters to vote against an openly gay man running for town selectman. West Bridgewater residents reported receiving the postcards, which claimed that candidate Jerry Lawrence was pushing a "gay agenda," on Wednesday.

Many in the city, located south of Boston and in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, greeted the smear campaign with disdain. "What his personal life is, is nobody's business but his own," one resident told a local television station. "The people who sent that out ought to hang their heads in shame."

Lawrence, who's been on the school committee and the local board of health, claimed the postcards were not only hateful but disingenuous. "I think it is pretty spineless," Lawrence told the news station. "There are no names on the card. It didn't come from anyone in particular. They never called me or asked my opinion or my stance on any of the issues that they are claiming are my platform." (The Advocate)