To the editor:

I’m shocked by how many people say that as a result of the gay marriage amendment vote they are shocked to find that Kansas is an intolerant, bigot-populated state.

Kansas is a state that chose to support the separation of black and white children in schools, fighting all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the state’s right to discriminate. Just this past year, this state successfully fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court for the right of Kansas University to discriminate and retaliate.

Kansas has allowed Fred Phelps to become a national symbol of intolerance and religion-based hatred. If you naively believe that Kansas has no choice but to protect Phelps’ freedom of speech, contrast that with local federal courts’ decisions (and the government’s and people’s acceptance of those decisions) that civil rights victims and activists can be silenced and persecuted because they’ve offended good white folks by accusing them of discriminatory acts and bigotry.

Even though he offends people all over the world, our court systems and our government have consistently protected Phelps’ right to speak his mind freely with the state’s protection. At the same time, Kansas has not only declined to protect the same rights for minorities who stand up for their rights and the rights of others but has actively sought to limit minorities’ rights.

Kansas hasn’t changed, it’s been “outed” again. Kansans have rightly earned the bigot label for their state and it didn’t start with the gay marriage amendment.

Mike Cuenca,

Lawrence