Unfortunately the backlash isn't restricted to France, Ronnie. I'm not sure how closely you follow the New York media (I suspect that you do). But are you aware that gay bashing crimes are up something like 300 percent here, in uber-liberal New York City, since same sex marriage kicked in?

A couple of weeks ago a gay man was shot dead at point blank range, basically an execution, on the corner of West 8th Street and Sixth Avenue. His crime was holding hands with his boyfriend. This hits particularly close to home for me because I manage a property that's owned by myself and some family on West 8th, just off MacDougal, not even a full block away.

Now that's the heart of the storied West Village. The 10011 zip code boasts some of the highest property values in the country. Violent crimes in that neighborhood are almost unheard of today. It's home to God knows how many Hollywood types. But there's always been a good sized gay population in the Village, too, even prior to Stonewall (although it's now dwindling because even they're getting priced out).

And let's face it, God knows that not all gay men are meek and afraid. That's an ugly stereotype. But a lot of them still won't fight back for fear of public humiliation. So this will continue to be an uphill battle. It's Pollyannaism to think otherwise. The laws have finally caught up with the times, but that's not going to stop the hate all together, even here in uber-liberal New York City.

There used to be a very ugly saying among the cops in the Village back in the '60s, '70s and '80s. If you're offended by such things, stop reading. It went something like this: The only thing a fag won't blow is a whistle. The connotation being that even after they get beat down, they still won't file a report for fear of trouble at home, embarrassment at work, etc. And until that attitude changes, this shit will continue.