TheOtherView
Opinions from around the country

After this year’s midterm elections, voters in San Diego made a surprising, but inspirational move.

For the first time in American history, an openly-gay person was elected district attorney.
As reported in the New York Times, of the more than 570,000 votes cast in San Diego County, Judge Bonnie Dumanis of the Superior Court won by about 3,500 votes.

Although the campaign was marred by typical mudslinging, Dumanis’ sexual orientation was not an issue.

Voters in the historically-conservative city have become pioneers for everyone in America. Even here, in conservative, rural West Virginia, the time has come to acknowledge ability, not attributes.

Dumanis addressed a question about her sexual preference saying, “My orientation doesn’t have anything to do with the job and I don’t intend it to have anything to do with the job ... It is part of me that I am proud of.”

We congratulate the prosecutor on her convictions and charge others in the same position to adopt her point of view. Our state has one of the oldest population’s in the country, and, we understand old habits die slowly.

However, that does not excuse out-right bigotry. If a candidate for Cabell County prosecutor were openly gay, we think he would not be elected. The idea seems like a cliché, but humans are humans, there should be no question about a homosexual person in a position of authority nor should there be a question about any proclaimed minority population.

Maybe this story is a signal that Equal Opportunity Employment laws are working and the labels we impose on people will subside.

Soon, the use of the system could be dissolved, not because of prejudice, but because it is no longer needed. At that point college-educated citizens must lead the way in continuing to enact that change. Not because we are better, but because we are supposed to be open-minded, and, like it or not, we are the future.

Dumanis’ competitor, Paul Pfingst, reportedly resorted to alluding to her “lifestyle” toward the end of the campaign, but in the end, it was not enough.

The conclusion to the campaign means the “lifestyle” is blurring and citizens are accepting change.

It’s not a utopia, but it’s a start.

This is a staff editorial from the Parthenon at Marshall University. This editorial was distributed by U-Wire.