jdowney
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Ex-Gay Community Publisher Portantino Takes Own Life
Don, I've read more than half of these posts before I began to wonder a few things. Ok, first, you did lay it on a little harsh in your report. I've read some reports from other online publications as well and some of them were a little harsh too. However your lesson here should be two things. #1, even though others were stating some of the same comments, did you really need to do the same? You couldn't just turn the cheek and leave out all the negativity? Afterall a death had happened here. #2 if you have an ounce of humanity in you, do you feel just a little like Michael felt in his last moments, the torment, the torture of people plugging at you because you said something wrong? You don't know the feelings of someone on edge in this situation, nor could you begin to feel what Michael was feeling at that moment! I did know Michael and no matter what he may have done to get the DA involved, that was not for you to state in this ad. I knew him in the early to mid 90's and when I was going through a rough time in my life. I actually worked for him for a very short period. My employment was in exchange of advertising so he could help me out with my own situation. At one point he even extended me a cash loan, not a lot, just to get me through rough times. When I went to repay him, he said keep it! I also knew the not so kind side of him, but we all have two sides when provoked. Your other side here would be to admit you could have done this report better ... kinder. Sometimes being a good reporter is leaving out some of the details for the moment that did not need to be mentioned. You even admitted full well that you had not personally spoken to the DA, you could have saved yourself some time and grief by leaving that out. Maybe reported that in another report, another time. Just my opinion but these should have benn your two lessons of now 79 comments. Oh and also, I read up to the point of the "Ex-Gay" portion and though I do realize what the heading was meant, better wording should have been in place. Have you read the article about "Praying away your gayness"? The LGBT community is always under attack and from all angles, choose better words next time! Maybe it should have been ... "Former Publisher and Staple Figure of the LGBT community .... we know the rest".— January 1, 2011 7:43 p.m.