Letters to the Editor: Rohrabacher’s remarks on LGBTQ homebuyers are deeply offensive

Dana Rohrabacher is in the news again — this time, not as “Putin’s favorite congressman,” or because he’s called climate change a “fraud,” but because he’s declared that LGBTQ people don’t deserve fair-housing protections under the law (“Rohrabacher’s remarks about selling homes to gay people could be another wrench in crucial California primary,” Los Angeles Times, May 25).

Haven’t you had enough? Aren’t you weary of reassuring your friends and family members in other parts of the country that this man’s shadiness, willful ignorance and prejudice don’t really reflect the values of our community?

I’m embarrassed to be “represented” in Washington by a congressman who doesn’t resemble the honest, intelligent, empathetic people with whom I live and work. I’m ready — more than ready — for a change, and I hope others who feel the same will flood the polls on June 5 to ensure that we have a reputable and intelligent challenger to Rohrabacher on the November ballot.

Democrat Harley Rouda is prepared to represent us with integrity and keep the 48th District out of the humiliating national headlines. Let’s give him that opportunity and give ourselves a congressman to be proud of again.

Eliza Rubenstein

Costa Mesa

48th District needs a centrist

Virginia Cassara makes a common and often fatal assumption in her commentary (“Hans Keirstead is the right choice,” May 8) that both sides suffer from. It is called shortsightedness or projecting hopes for the primary over hopes for the general election.

There is no chance for Keirstead to win the general election. Either Republican would eviscerate him simply on registration imbalance alone. For a Democrat to win, it will take a centrist candidate who can go toe-to-toe with a Republican challenger and pull in moderates, independents and undecideds.

That candidate is Harley Rouda. He is smart, articulate and assertive. Keirstead might be good enough to win a primary among like-minded progressives, but those voters who desperately are seeking change in the 48th Congressional District need to back a winner in the general election. They need to rise above the flawed Republicans and the two-dimensional Democrats and elect Harley Rouda.

Tim Geddes

Huntington Beach

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