Bob Enyart’s hateful letter of Sept. 15 was forwarded to me by a friend, and it is especially shocking in its blatant hatred. I don’t know where to begin refuting Enyart’s slander toward gay people.

Early in his letter, Enyart states that homophobia is a natural defense mechanism. This is baloney. A great many people interact with gay and lesbian people everyday, and they understand that they are in no danger.

Only those folks who have trouble dealing with their own sexuality are uncomfortable around gays. This doesn’t make the homophobe gay necessarily, it just means that the homophobe has issues to sort out. And yes, you can unlearn hatred. It just takes time.

Enyart goes on to say that “homosexuals make most people gag.” If this is true, then I wonder if he can explain why nobody seems to have that reaction toward me.

As an openly gay man in a conservative, Republican majority state, (Alaska) I nonetheless am safe at home and am not met with revulsion. Most of the people I know treat me with the same respect that I afford them.

As for Enyart’s twisted “facts” regarding child molestation: He needs to do a little more checking on the matter.

To begin with, child molestation does not represent either heterosexual or homosexual sex. Child molestation is a violent crime.

Period, end of story.

Any adult who molests a child is not performing a sex act, because children are not capable — either physically or emotionally — of performing sex acts.

The act is merely a forced act on an intimidated child. You can brainwash the kids into believing that they are consenting, but the truth is that child molestors are violating children.

As for NAMBLA, I have grown weary of this group, its convolouted “logic” about sex and its insistence that it is a gay rights organization.

As a gay man, I do not support this group. I believe they are destructive to the gay rights cause, harmful to the well-being of children and the worst kind of trash.

They are simply a group of pedophiles who see the gains the gay rights movement has made in recent years and want to tag along for the ride. Well, they aren’t going to tag along with me.

As for the so-called recruitment, this is just more anti-gay hate talking.

Trying to change someone’s sexual orientation would be as futile as trying to change the color of one’s skin.

Bob Enyart needs to get to know some committed gay couples, really get to know them on a personal basis.

Not members of NAMBLA, not radical activists, just gay men and women out there living their lives, like me. If he did, I’m sure his opinions of gay people would change almost overnight.

Michael A. Haase

Resident

Anchorage, Alasksa