Folks on ‘Queer’

Having read the letters commenting on your articles about “Queer as Folk” (Nov. 28), I am amazed at the ridiculous remarks that have been made, in particular by the Rev. Dean Coonradt. He has obviously found the prospect of an American version of the series offensive. Yet, I would ask, has he viewed even one episode?

Well, I have seen the entire series and, as a happily married man, I found it fabulously funny and entertaining. As a man of God, the reverend should be displaying tolerance and open-mindedness. It appears that some Americans fear that a television show like “Queer as Folk” would damage the social and moral fiber of this great country. It is a well-proven fact that the United Kingdom is a far more morally functional society in comparison with the United States, yet the U.K. is a nation of tolerance. Until people, especially those in senior community positions, get a grip on their fear, how can this nation heal its social wounds?

P.S.: By the way, I am a Brit!

PAUL MOSSON

Los Angeles

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I can’t believe that not one of the published responses to the “Queer as Folk” cover story mentioned the single incontrovertible objection: The boy involved was a minor aged 15!

How can anyone, homosexual or heterosexual, accept blithely an affair between a 29-year-old male and a 15-year-old minor?

WILLIAM H. SUTER

South Pasadena

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It is a crime in the civilized world to sodomize a child, whether the minor is willing or not. Not one adult male involved in the genesis of this show expressed outrage or reservations about this. Regardless of one’s sexual orientation, this show must be condemned for what it is: statutory rape with all the angst that surrounds it. Surely creative minds can do better.

ROSEMARY HARRAHILL

Monrovia

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Oh, if only self-important Christians could be as persecuted as gays are! I think that may be the point of “Queer as Folk,” to let non-gays understand what it’s like to be an outsider in a hostile, potentially deadly world. On the basis alone, “Queer as Folk” should be seen in this country.

ALLEN TURNER

Sacramento