Outrage

I find this outrageous.

In the past three years, the Manassas City Council has received two applications for home-based massage therapy businesses, and members have approved both. Then Howard Daniel, who is gay, applied.

The backlash against Daniel's request began last month when nearly two dozen people, many of them members of a local church, spoke in opposition to it at a public hearing. When it came time for the city to decide on Daniel's application the next week, council members balked and voted instead to consider changing the city's zoning laws.

Keep in mind the following:

• The neighbors all approved the home business.
• The protestors don't live in the neighborhood.
• The guy is trying to run a legitimate business.
• The client load was below what other home businesses have.

You have a right not to like gays. That speaks to your character, of course, but that's your choice. But to go out of your way to harass them, to hurt their ability to make a living, to treat them differently for something that's none of your business is just plain wrong.

I do take some comfort in the many supportive comments posted after the article.