From The Memphis Flyer, 3/3/05:
http://www.memphisflyer.com/content.asp?ArticleID=5&ID=7002
A Queer Business
Representative Jim Kolbe of Arizona, Representative David Dreier of
California, Representative Ed Shrock of Virginia, Representative Bob
Bauman of Maryland, Representative Jon Hinson of Mississippi.
These names constitute an honor roll of sorts, the tip of what could
be a considerable-sized iceberg, indeed.
Who are they?
Current or former Republican members of the House of Representatives.
Not just that:
They all have served as paragons of the everlasting struggle of
American values against moral debauchery -- especially the kind
designated by the term "gay rights," which each of these worthies has
voted consistently to oppose.
And not just that:
Each of these past and present congressmen has been reliably
identified as homosexual.
The tip of an iceberg, we say, because we are leaving out a veritable
host of other nationally prominent Republican gays -- fund-raisers,
spokespersons, ideologists, what-have-you -- because most of them have
not been as directly involved in antihomosexual initiatives as the
aforementioned congressmen, whose votes to restrict or deny gay rights
are on the record.
One unavoidable exception:
We have to note that the bogus "newsman" James Guckert (aka Jeff
Gannon), who has been serving as a paid shill for GOP and conservative
causes at presidential press conferences for the last two years, was
also fronting fully for explicit male-hustler Web sites.
We do not mean to suggest that homosexuality in politics is
disproportionately Republican, but the facts are that, questions of
hypocrisy aside, the homosexual orientation of politicians, male or
female, is
A) none of our business and
B) distributed fairly evenly across racial, ethnic, and political
boundaries.
But you would never guess so from the kind of publicity tactics
pursued by spokespersons for the conservative right -- most recently
in a notorious ad from USANEXT, an advocacy group that is pushing
President Bush's controversial plan to privatize Social Security.
The ad targets the American Association of Retired Persons, a famously
stolid group that backed Bush's costly prescription-drugs legislation
two years ago but has so far demurred on the president's Social
Security plans.
For that offense, USANEXT launched a $10 million campaign against AARP
with an ad juxtaposing a picture of American soldiers, marked through
with a big red X next to a shot of two men in tuxedoes kissing.
Never mind the inappropriateness.
You get the message.
Gay-baiting of another kind figured closer to home this week, as the
Tennessee legislature moved quickly and overwhelmingly to vote for a
ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution to prohibit
not only gay marriage but the honoring of marital or civil-union
prerogatives accorded gay partners in the laws of other states.
Let it not be said that the beleaguered John Ford is without honor.
Ford was one of only three state senators who dared vote against the
resolution in a hurriedly called session Monday night.
The others were Ford's Memphis colleague Steve Cohen and Senator Joe
Haynes of Nashville.
As Haynes quite sensibly said, "This is overkill. We already ban
same-sex marriage in the statute. I respect our constitution too much
to vote for this."
Senator Cohen made a valiant 11th-hour effort to amend the resolution
so that it at least recognized certain contractual rights and benefits
of same-sex unions deemed valid elsewhere.
His motion was tabled.
Comparing Monday night's rush to judgment to the hothouse legislation
passed during the time of segregation, Cohen said, "It's the same
warped logic that's feeding this frenzy today."
Yep.
In the old, pre-sexual meaning of the term, this is pretty queer
stuff.
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http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
Scientology crooks: http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
Scientology murder: http://PerkinsTragedy.org
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