As a gay man, New York Times Op-Ed columnist, Frank Bruni in his article “Sex, Lies and Houston”, argues that the LGBT community, a loosely defined grouping of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people, are wrongly and unfairly judged and labeled for their choice of lifestyle and have to face the reality of the fact that they will never be fully accepted into society. He supports his claim with personal experiences and reliable sources, citing cogent facts and statistics and successfully engaging emotional appeals. Bruni’s purpose is to criticize and challenge the mindset of people in order to bring about change where everyone is viewed as equal. He creates a thoughtful tone for those not aware of real life for the LGBT community. …show more content…
He uses emotionally-charged words and sentences that creates a sympathetic image. Bruni states he can “relate to the awful, shameful, fury-making feeling of having who you are reduced to a caricature.” He also knows what it’s like to feel “a sting” that people shouldn’t have to suffer from, “a slap” that could cause a teen to struggle to come to terms with themselves and makes them question the warmth of the world, and “the chill” that comes with being “trivialized and cast aside.” All of these phrases evoke harsh images of the feelings for those of the LGBT community. To develop a greater connection to his readers, he calls out to other minorities. This too, creates a sense of unity for those singled out. Additionally, he discusses what Margaret Spellings said as an answer to a question she was asked about confronting her anger towards a PBS cartoon that included same-sex parents during her time as the country’s educational secretary. She declined to speak on the issue and said, “I have no comments about those lifestyles.” Bruni is offended by her “equating someone’s love” to “a decision to live in the exurbs.” He mentions “transgender people aren’t raiding their voices and risking rejection” for a mere lifestyle. His need to quickly and aggressively defend his kind and transgender people over these injustices, awakens feelings of disappointment, guilt, and shame for those who thought the same as