  urlLink NGLTF - News Views : "A Letter to My Best Friend, Steven Powsner On the Death of Former President Ronald Reagan Matt Foreman, Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force June 6, 2004 Dear Steven, I so much wish you were here today to tell me what to do. You would know if it's right to comment on the death of former President Reagan, or if I should just let pass the endless paeans to his greatness. But you're not here. The policies of the Reagan administration saw to that. Yes, Steven, I do feel for the family and friends of the former President.
The death of a loved one is always a profoundly sad occasion, and Mr. Reagan was loved by many. I have tremendous empathy and respect for Mrs. Reagan, who lovingly cared for him through excruciating years of Alzheimer's. Sorry, Steven, but even on this day I'm not able to set aside the shaking anger I feel over Reagan's non-response to the AIDS epidemic or for the continuing anti-gay legacy of his administration. Is it personal? Of course..." 
