Leave adjectives out of ‘legislator’

This morning I read the story on page B1 about Rep. Marko Liias being proud of his being an openly gay legislator.

My issue is that Rep. Liias feels the need to label himself as a gay legislator, rather than a legislator — period. I personally could care less if Rep. Liias is gay, straight, asexual or reproduces through pollination. But as long as members of the gay community continue to use this label as their primary means of identifying and differentiating themselves, I and other voters are forced to judge him based on that label, and then decide if it is a factor in making our decisions on whether or not to vote for him.

Rep. Liias would be well served to follow the example of Sheriff John Lovick — a competent, talented leader who just happens to be African-American. His campaigns have always centered on his competence and ability to serve, not on issues of race.

If we wish to live in a society where such labels don’t matter, then politicians such as Liias must start acting like the label doesn’t matter.

Don Speirs