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Despite the source, money talks

Arizona Daily Wildcat

The government likes our tax dollars.Whether or not they come from gay incomes or straight incomes shouldn't matter. But lately, Republican extremists have been able to tell the difference, even when the dollars come from members of their own party.

Arizona Republican legislator Steve May is caught in the crossfire for his homosexuality yet again, taking hits from his fellow Republicans for being gay.

Last spring, when Arizona Republicans were pushing for anti-gay legislation that would deny non-married couples of their insurance benefits, May fought back with fiery arguments on the house floor.

"This legislation takes my gay tax dollars, and my gay tax dollars spend the same as your straight tax dollars," May said. "If you're not going to treat me fairly, don't take my money."

This time the controversy comes from May being a member of the army. Because of his recent outspokenness. May clearly violated the army's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, a policy which has led to more homosexuals being discharged from the army than before.

But the greater issue at hand is that May continues to be ostracized by members of his own party - conservative stalwarts who are influenced by the far-right's debilitating intolerance - simply for his lifestyle. Why homosexuality exists is still a mystery to us all, but the greater mystery is why social conservatives are still finding grounds to discriminate against people who are different then they are.

Such as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch who is one of the most powerful members of the United States Congress. While May and Hatch have very similar voting records - both believe that cutting taxes is their life's work -Hatch has become the poster child for homophobia.

Recently, Hatch publicly stated that homosexuals do not deserve civil rights because their lifestyles were immoral.

If gays are so immoral, then Hatch's Republican Congress does not deserve to take their immoral homosexual income taxes.

What Hatch and others of his extremist persuasion have yet to realize is that in order to earn back any trust from the American people, they must release their firm, stubborn grip on social issues such as homosexuality. They must stick to the real role of government: taking our tax dollars.

As much as we dislike it, this is more honorable then the disgusting intolerance displayed by the many members of the far right.

This raises the interesting question of why May is a Republican to begin with. Many have criticized him for this, for while he pushes for tolerance and fairness for homosexuals and is a self-proclaimed moderate, he often sides with Arizona's hard-core conservatives on several issues.

May is an ironic figure, for he has embraced a party that has stabbed him in the back because of his lifestyle. He is kind of a political whipping boy, taking hits from his own party but in turn using his leadership to help the gay community.

Perhaps his presence within the party is good in the long run - it forces the far right to listen to reason. Working side-by-side in alliance with some of Arizona's most conservative politicians may force the animosity regarding his sexuality to eventually disappear. May is one of the few Republicans who would rather stick to debating on how to tax the American people rather than condemning their lifestyles. A true conservative, May puts powerful leaders like Hatch to shame.