Editor:

Utah is being damaged by Sen. Buttars’ hayseed statements on evolution and his cruel and hurtful remarks about gays and lesbians. As a ?straight male, I find his comment about a supposed “homosexual rulebook” that “targets your kids” an insult to my intelligence.

There is no such book. It only exists in the mind of Sen. Buttars, who is attempting to demonize a small minority of good people for political ends. How brave of you, Sen. Buttars!

I have talked to many of those associated with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Salt Lake City, and we have nothing to fear from these folks. Chill out-your hormones will not change direction because you shook hands with a gay person.

Whatever happened to putting a little love, understanding and acceptance in our hearts rather than issuing statements that sound as though they were mined from a Nazi?propaganda pamphlet?

We must all ask: What good have Sen. Buttars’ ignorant statements done for the image of the state of Utah? And, is this the picture we want to present to the world? The world, by the way, is watching from Park City ?today at the film festival.

Rather than this negative image, what if prominent Utah citizens raised the money for the building of a million-dollar ?GLBT community center? (They have an inadequate, rented place now.) If this gesture of good will and tolerance became reality, it would reverberate around the world.

Imagine the positive ?headlines! Imagine the praise!

I know I’m a foolish dreamer, but I can see Larry Miller, a good man who stumbled on the “Brokeback Mountain” trail, as one of the people at the ?ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Roger E. CarrierLocal Resident