Yahoo! News - Gay Activists Gather for St. Louis Meeting
ST. LOUIS - Organizers of the first national gay and lesbian conference since last week's presidential election say resounding voter passage of gay marriage bans in 11 states has been hard to bear, leaving members devastated and fearful.

Matt Foreman of New York, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, likened the blow to a death, with soul searching in order.

Last week's presidential election saw 11 more states pass constitutional amendments banning gay marriage. Missouri and five other states already had passed similar measures.

It's tough when "the vast majority of citizens in your state not only do not understand you but take hostile steps to change the constitution to take away rights we never even had," Foreman said. "There's no way you can put lipstick on that pig."

Ummm, St. Louis? Why patronize states that have passed these measures? I would like to see boycotts on those states, including my own. Patronize the places that are inclusive, though they are few and far between nowadays.