Letters to the editor question Lavender on the recent interview with St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly:

“Why Kelly?

Why was Mayor Randy Kelly of St Paul on the cover of your latest issue [Lavender, July 22]?

The interview with Kelley did not include one question related to GLBT issues.

This is quite a shortcoming for a publication that bills itself as �Minnesota�s GLBT magazine.�

It would have been informative to hear Kelly�s current positions on GLBT rights, given that he supported and campaigned in 2004 for George W. Bush, whose administration is fighting to roll back GLBT rights.

Instead, the whole interview was just a puff piece, with softball questions giving Kelly an uncritical forum in an election year.

Shame on you.

Dave Harvey

Ditto

When a politician like Randy Kelly is featured on the cover of Lavender [July 22], I think I detect some blatant vote pandering.

Yet nowhere does Heidi Fellner ask Kelly why he supported the homophobic George W. Bush in the last election.

Or what he has done to make St. Paul a welcoming city for GLBT folk.

Or why GLBT people should support his mayoral campaign.

Or even his feelings on the GLBT citizens of St. Paul.

Instead, Kelly was allowed to prattle on about his accomplishments, and thus gain huge exposure to a large voting bloc.

So, what was the point?

If you�re writing for a GLBT magazine, shouldn�t there be at least one question slanted toward your target audience?

Dennis Carey”