It’s been a while. I returned to Allegheny for less than 48 hours to congratulate a couple seniors, and I saw something in The Campus that compelled me to respond. Or in other words, how about one more for old times’ sake?

Katie McHugh wrote in The Campus about Ryan Sorba’s now infamous anti-gay tantrum at Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this year. She is wrong on a couple of important points.

Foremost, Mr. Sorba’s argument, which Ms. McHugh defends, is a non-starter. I do not see how because the majority of human beings are programmed to have female to male sex, civil rights should be denied to persons who are not heterosexual. What I can divine of this argument is fallacious.

Second, I believe Ms. McHugh’s description of Mr. Sorba as brave is inaccurate.

It is my opinion that Mr. Sorba’s short exposition might better be described as bewildering and spiteful.

Third, her image of the “homosexual movement” spreading like melanoma speaks volumes in its poor taste. Additionally, I don’t want to pass over her recasting of the continued struggle for equality as the “homosexual movement.” It’s a neat rhetorical trick, but no, being gay is not something that sprung up recently and their continued assimilation is not a stain upon our society.

Fourth, the idea that there is a moderate defense of Sorba is intriguing. He chose to spend his time talking at a conference that avoided the direct topic of non-heterosexuals and spent that time saying that non–heterosexuals weren’t worthy of civil rights and that the CPAC shouldn’t have invited them.

Fifth, Sorba was addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference, which has not historically been receptive to non–heterosexual suffrage. It is not traditionally hostile to a self–identified conservative.

Ms. McHugh’s final comment that the “homosexual movement isn’t founded on honest arguments” highlights the gulf between us. If equality and respect are dishonest, her candor frightens me.

–James Hepplewhite, ‘09