H.L. Mencken reminded us of the “endless series of (imaginary) hobgoblins” meant to keep us alarmed. In that spirit, Mike Michaud’s coming out as gay should serve as a very hard kick-in-the-butt reminder that one’s sexuality ought to be an absolute irrelevancy in life.

We face a world where two nations ruled by madmen, Iran and North Korea, are racing to build atomic weapons. Our government is honing its ability to spy on us while saying “Trust us, it’s for your own good.” That same government which, for better or worse, has become vital to our day-to-day existence, is brought to a partial shut-down and near foreclosure, and any number of other real crises face us every day.

How can we worry about whether someone — anyone — is hetero- or homosexual? That is absolute, utter madness.

To vote for Jane because she is a lesbian, or against Jack because he is gay is sheer lunacy. It is a very dangerous version of Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

Homo- or heterosexuality is not, and must not, be a qualification for public service. If one does use it as a criterion for deciding whom to vote for or against, then you deserve what you get.

Andrew Hall, Lewiston