Expansive coverage fuels his indifference

John Horne has had enough of this whole gay marriage thing.

''It's kind of like 'Desperate Housewives,' " he said. ''I'm not interested in it, so I really don't care."

Sure, he's Catholic. And he votes Republican. He knows his church and his party go the other way, but he thinks people should be able to marry whomever they want. He is heterosexual, and he does not have any openly gay or lesbian friends, so the issue does not affect him one bit. End of story.

So he is wondering: Could everybody just stop talking about it?

''There's so many issues out there that concern a lot more Americans than gay marriage," he said. ''Gay marriage just concerns gay people. I don't see how it affects other people. I just don't think there's any need for the huge publicity, especially when we have a war going on, and gas prices are out of control."

The accountant, 33, worries about border security and illegal immigration, the economy, and children's safety. He is worried that children are learning about homosexuality too early in school, but he does not get exercised about it the way some people have.

''If people are protesting, they should protest something that is relevant," he said.

He has discussed gay marriage with his co-workers from time to time. But he has little patience even for water cooler conversations on the topic now, let alone stories in newspapers and on television.

He has heard about as much as he needs to hear, from both sides.

''I'll see something on gay marriage, and I won't even read it," said Horne, who lives in Mansfield. ''I'm definitely fatigued by it."

And everybody should just get over it.

''Let 'em get married," Horne said. ''There's no reason for the papers to blare out that the courts approved their rights and no reason for there to be protests against it. Just let it be."