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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 13:33:17 |
I'm not a fan of politics.
But as a journalist, I'm instinctively attracted to the science, scandals and smut that go along with the practice of government. The dorks in office give us a reason to wake up in the morning and a reason for us to write big headlines at night. But as a human being, the mess that follows disgusts me on a regular basis.
In the last year, more than just the thought of two blushing brides or two hunky husbands have come into the political limelight. In case you haven't been keeping score, hot topics regarding the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community include - but are not limited to - the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, adoption, hate crimes and workplace discrimination.
Now, I'm not a fortuneteller, but I have a pretty good guess of which candidates will be in the running for the White House - and what better occasion than Pride month to take a good look at their stance on gay issues?
For the record, the first two Democratic candidates brought this on themselves. Both Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama issued statements in honor of Pride month. I guess you could say Republican candidate Mitt Romney is asking for it too, considering how many times this month he has put his foot in his mouth regarding fags. But we'll get to that later.
Obama believes we have a lot of work to do.
He's right. "It's time to turn the page on the bitterness and bigotry that fills so much of today's GLBT rights debate. The rights of all Americans should be protected." His people did a pretty good job of summing up all the problems we as queers face. I guess someone told them fags don't have a very long attention span. Still, he did little to explain how he plans on fixing all of these problems. And while fags have little time to listen to someone bitch (usually because we're so busy doing it ourselves), we have all the time in the world for results.
Clinton did a better job of showing what work she has done for the GLBT community, including working to defeat the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment and owning up to her husband's flawed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. "When I am president, we will work together to make sure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits and that nothing stands in the way of loving couples who want to adopt children in need," she said.
Speaking of children in need: According to Republican hopeful Romney, children need a mommy and a daddy - not two of either. Romney also believes marriage is more or less a contract to spice up the reproduction of the human race. He didn't release an official statement celebrating Pride, but he did have a run in with a lesbian in a recent town hall meeting in New Hampshire.
"I am a gay woman, and I have children. Your comment ... sort of invalidates my family... If we are sending our troops over to fight for liberty and justice ... why not for me? Why not for my family?" queried Cynthia Fish.
Romney's response: "I'm delighted that you have a family, and you're happy with your family. That's the American way. People can live their lives as they choose ... (But) Marriage is an institution which is designed to bring a man and woman together to raise a child and that the ideal setting for society at large is where there is a male and a female are associated with the development and nurturing a child."
Did I mention Romney is the only person Romney has successfully convinced that he's not anti-gay?
And of course, there is good ol' Rudy Giuliani. He has lived with gays and dressed in drag. For those of you still keeping score, none of the prior candidates have done either. But to appease the Grand Old Party, Giuliani has gone to great lengths to express time and time again that he does not support gay marriage, only civil unions. He's discussed little else regarding hate crimes or his preference on stilettos.
Still, the big question facing the community is not which candidate can point out the most issues (Clinton and Romney are tied), but who can give us the most results to bring us justice and equality. Clearly, it's too early to tell. And sadly, it won't be up to the gays. We, as a minority voting bloc, have little say. So it is up to our hags, stags and allies to ensure our next president understands that the American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is for all.
And that I would cheer for.
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