Even though the whole Chick-fil-A kerfuffle is so last week, and everybody's moved on to something else now, at least one good thing came of it. ---

In response to my Aug. 4 blog entry lamenting the failure of the local chicken-chain protest, activist and PRIDEinUtah blog author Eric Ethington was inspired to write a thoughtful and well-worded essay, "Seizing the Future for the LGBT Community."

Ethington makes a convincing case that it's really the courageous actions of individuals -- and not necessarily big, flashy demonstrations -- that win hearts and minds. In the end, however, the people who have a real impact on public policy are those who actually bother to show up to vote*.

I think Ethington's essay is required reading for anybody interested in the future of the LGBT equality movement.

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* By the way, if you've always wanted to vote, but your life is simply so fabulous that you can never quite find the time to show up to the polls on that chilly Tuesday in November, why not consider voting by mail? In the Salt Lake area, all you have to do is register to vote, and then fill out one simple form. Yeah, it's two things, but you only have to do them once. Forever afterward, our friendly County Clerk Sherrie Swensen will be happy to mail you a ballot well in advance of every election. You'll have days and days to vote at your leisure, in the privacy of your own home. Then, with a bit of origami, your ballot cleverly converts into its own self-enclosed envelope! Simply pop it into the mailbox, and enjoy the blissful sensation of satisfaction that washes over you: It's the feeling that you, a good citizen, have fulfilled your democratic duty.