Cover controversy.

• Position: Letter to the editor

Well, I eagerly awaited the November issue to find out what on Earth had been meant by the October cover. I had thought the cover showed poor judgment, not because it featured two men kissing, which is fine with me, or because it featured interracial kissing, which is fine with me, but because it featured Obama and McCain kissing, which needed to signify something, but what, what? With the meaning obscure, I thought it was just for simple shock value. That seemed beneath The Progressive , but it was the best I could do.

Alas, the November explanations failed to solve the mystery. Shahinian's explanation said nothing, and the editor's explanation ("depicting how close the two candidates were on some issues") was too weak to justify such a powerful and paradoxical image.

I'm sorry, but I think it was a stupid choice and made non-devotees of your magazine less likely to take you and your positions seriously.

Leonore Tiefer

New York, New York

Wow! I just got your November issue and I could not believe the negative responses you received. I thought your cover was outstanding because it was indicative of the failure of the two-party system in this "democracy" and also pushed the homophobia button, which always needs to be pushed.

I mean, really, people, get over yourselves. You do not have the right to claim that your love is better than mine. Speaking as a lesbian living in California who is dealing with the negativity and pure hatred around Proposition 8, I am sick of the heterosexual paradigm.

Thanks for that cover and keep the pressure on.

Karen James

via e-mail

I'm a bit late, but, after reading the Letters to the Editor in the November issue, wanted to chime in about October's cover illustration.

I found it utterly disgusting--but completely relevant and actually very funny as well.

What I find much more disgusting, however, is that so-called progressives would write in and complain about the black/white or man/man kiss, or worse, cancel their subscriptions to your magazine based on one cover they disagree with.

Has the progressive movement been taken over by conservative, racist homophobes? Or did you receive a bunch of mail written by Republicans masked as disgusted lefties trying to infiltrate yet another progressive organization?

I applaud the artist Sako Shahinian and you for putting that artwork out there. We need such provocation if we want to grow and have our own beliefs questioned and challenged. If we cannot embrace that kind of...