I thought DU was pro gay rights??? (Genuinely hurt)

[mnhtnbb]

84. The world is complex. Very complex.

And in many cases, so are people. Lots of shades of grey. Room for someone to not be totally evil.

That said, I will tell you that both my sons are gay. It makes no difference to either my hubby or myself.
We love and are proud of both of them.

Right now, the youngest one has just arrived in Berlin on a Fulbright Scholarship. He will be there for
10 months doing his project on an Austrian playwright--Max Reinhardt--whose works are archived
at one of the universities in Berlin. In college, this son took Russian--as well as being a double
major in German and Comparative Lit. Before he left, he was talking about going to Russia for
a semester--or more--to study in Moscow when in grad school (which he hopes to start fall 2014
when back from Berlin).

We have talked about two trips while our son is in Berlin--one is already booked this fall to include
Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, and Berlin. The other one--early next summer--is tentative and projected
to be based around a cruise that would include Stockholm, Copenhagen, and St. Petersburg. Not
long ago I told hubby that I wasn't so sure I wanted to include St. Petersburg because of the
attitude Russia is showing toward its gay population. But what astonished me the most was that
my gay son is willing to put himself at risk in order to study in Moscow. I told him that I would worry
a lot for him--Russian is no place to be in jail--and was he really sure he wanted to do that?

It remains to be seen how his grad school situation will develop. He has been living this summer
with an SO--a former professor of his--and they have plans for at least 3 trips together in Europe
while my son is there on his Fulbright. My guess is that his SO may be willing to travel in Russia
as well, although we haven't spoken of it.

So...I am always ready to stand up and support the gay community. I find it amazing what Putin
has done regarding Syria...but it doesn't make me any less critical of his stand on gay rights. In the same
regard, I applaud what Obama has done for gay rights, but it doesn't make me less critical of his willingness
to go along with Teapublicans, or his support for Wall Street, or his willingness to let Bush and cronies off
the hook for all the lies that led to the Iraq War. I am disgusted that Obama has given that gang of
war criminals a pass.

So...the world is complex. I wish it were easier, but it's not.