This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
James Oshust's chastisement of "print and broadcast media" for making NBA basketball player Jason Collins coming out as gay the main topic of conversation for a day or two contains an important message ("So what if he's gay," Forum, May 7). But that message is not found in the frenzied maelstrom of apocalyptic dread Oshurst offers as supposedly "important stories that affect all of us" were ignored. Rather, it is revealed in his two simple words, "So what?"
Not long ago, the battle against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights was once considered so important that manufactured ballot anti-gay measures that were guaranteed to rally the conservative voting base in defense of "traditional values." Now that the emerging arc of history has shown itself to be a rainbow, the topic is suddenly deemed so annoyingly trivial as to not merit attention.
Lurking beneath attempts to diminish the importance of Collins' brave and historic announcement lies a tacit concession. It is perhaps the most convincing evidence yet that the debate is truly over and progress will prevail.
Robert Hammer
Salt Lake City