I was quite surprised by Timothy Kelly’s letter, “Homosexuals are not minorities.”

Kelly is obviously so clueless about gay and lesbian people that any reader would realize he has never known one gay person. I am distressed that the Daily would print such a misinformed piece.

I am a lesbian, and I can tell you that I have always been a lesbian.

My family knows I have always been a lesbian.

If I were married to a man and only had sex with that man, I would still be a lesbian.

As everyone knows, the etiology of sexual orientation is still being explored by scientists and researchers, as is the nature of sexuality itself.

Sexual orientation and sexuality are much more than the physical mechanics of sex, which is really a small part of the complex tapestry of sexuality and sexual orientation.

I was raised in Ames and graduated from Ames High and Iowa State.

As a lesbian from Ames who does return on occasion, I can tell you that the discrimination I have experienced in Ames, at ISU and in Iowa is extremely painful to bear.

People do sense that I am a lesbian even when I am walking down the street in my best dress, so I know from my own personal experiences that there is a problem with anti-gay bigotry in Ames, at ISU, and in Iowa.

That is why I and hundreds of other former Iowans choose to live in New York City and other places where people are not going to abuse us because of who we are as human beings.

Every month, gay people are the victims of horrific hate crimes.

When was the last time you heard of a heterosexual person being killed or maimed simply for being a heterosexual?

Many gay people try to hide their gay identity to avoid assault and other types of discrimination.

If Kelly had to continuously pretend to be gay in order to avoid being killed, maimed, beaten-up, fired, failed by a bigoted professor, ostracized by his peers, etc., Kelly would be in favor of legislation and other efforts to protect him from such abuse.

His lack of insight and inability to see beyond his own privileged status in life causes me to wonder just what it is he is getting out of his ISU education.

His narrow and uninformed views of others will certainly impede his future successes in the global economy where such insight and empathy for those who are different are fundamental keys to success.

Sheri Clemons

Alumna

New York City