The Integrity of Michael Petrelis & the Tragedy of Gay Iraqis
I should perhaps link blogger/activist Michael Petrelis more often on this blog. Michael is a lefty whom I first met at Marvin Leibman’s 70th Birthday Party in 1993. I was surprised then that someone so radical could be so cordial to all the gay Republicans in the room — as well as to some of the straight Republicans.
Unlike all too many of his ideological confrères, Petrelis is a man of integrity. He has criticized the gay left, heaping particular scorn on Joe Solmonese and HRC. In the wake of Prop 8′s passage, he called for Geoff Kors to resign as head of Equality California. As have we here at GayPatriot. Also like us and unlike the national gay organizations, he has focused on the plight of gay people in Iran.
Lately, he’s been standing up for gay Iraqis increasingly facing persecution.
Unlike all too many on his side of the political aisle, Petrelis actually commends conservatives when they do the right thing. He did just that in a blog post yesterday, singling our for praise a man he described as “a hard-right blowhard self-declared heterosexual,” Big Hollywood’s John T. Simpson:
In a May 8 post, framed by the argument that Ronald Reagan was more of a friend to LGBT citizens than Barack Obama, Simpson segues into a diatribe about the troubles and slayings of LGBT people in Iraq.
As irritating as some of Simpon’s writing and rhetoric may be, he’s saying some important things we ought to listen to. His heated words used to emanate from Queer Nation types, and, more cool comments about this subject might have come from professional homosexual advocates at HRC, NGLTF and GLAAD in the 1980s.
But now the m.o. is to basically keep a shut mouth about the atrocities faced by LGBT people in Iraq. Except for a damn straight GOP loud-mouth, stirring up the pot.
He thanked Simpson for “asking the troubling questions HRC, NGLTF and GLAAD are supremely uninterested in posing.” Calling what’s happening in Iraq a pogrom, Simpson wonders at the latest media obsession of the gay left:
And somebody wake up Perez Hilton. Bigger problem here than Miss California, methinks. See if she can’t get the Prop 8 crowd as rabid on the horrific slaughter of Iraqi and Iranian gays as they are with the Mormon Church and us!
In his post, provides ample evidence for his claim that the Gipper was better for gays than the incumbent President of the United States.
Kudos to Simpson for pointing out this horror. And Kudos to Petrelis for praising a conservative for standing up for gays. If more left-leaning gay bloggers did that, more broad-minded conservatives might speak out on our behalf, knowing they’d be acknowledged for their good words.
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Throw in the alleged Amnesty International and the International Red Cross who, along with liberals here at home, chastise America for alleged “human rights violations”.
Behead Americans and leave their bodies burning in the streets, no prob. Splash water in the face of the guy responsible for the deaths of almost 3,000 people (that we know of), and you’re a “war criminal”. Crush millions under the heel of dictatorship and kill thousands you don’t like, no prob. Free 50 million from tyranny and you’re a “war criminal”.
I don’t care who you are, that’s fucked up right there (and that’s putting it nicely).
Comment by ThatGayConservative — May 12, 2009 @ 4:45 am - May 12, 2009
“Also like us and unlike the national gay organizations, he has focused on the plight of gay people in Iran.”
National organisations not getting caught up in international situations? There are international organisations, such as the ILGA (Notably, ILGA-Europe has ECOSOC status within the UN), and there are catchall organisations (Such as Amnesty International) who also issue reports regarding the status of gay rights in other countries.
Of course, if you do assert that it is the job of national groups to get themselves involved in international functions, when can I expect an embassy from California or New York State (or really any state, American Samoa is close, that could be a possibility) to be opened within my country?
Comment by Bart M — May 12, 2009 @ 6:46 am - May 12, 2009
I’ve known Michael Petrelis from the early days of the plague when he was an out, loud and proud DC activist and I was at C-SPAN taking his pitch calls. He continues to fight the good fight.
Comment by Craig — May 12, 2009 @ 10:35 am - May 12, 2009
#1 – Bart, the point that Dan is trying to make is that for all their caterwauling about Prop 8, state definitions of marriage et al, that HRC, NGLTF and GLAAD are not addressing more life-threatening issues facing gays in other parts of the world.
After all, HRC does stand for “Human Rights Campaign.” Why aren’t they at the forefront of this issue? Or is it because the execution of gays for simply being themselves doesn’t fit their “victimhood-in-America-only” template?
Think about it.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — May 12, 2009 @ 10:41 am - May 12, 2009
I understand the priorities argument, how it points to hypocrisy, and how it fits in with leftist identity politics, but authoritarianism is anti-reason.
My personal goal for homosexuals in this and every other country is that we’re respected for who we are and neither respected nor denigrated for what we are. In fact, I’d rather the intersection of sexuality and politics were limited to obscure blogs.
) This is a challenge to gay conservatives: If we are truly interested in respectful assimilation, we must then be equally outraged with instances of raped wives and stonings, with tortured children, with imprisoned journalists and outspoken common men and women, with the treatment of those born with birth defects who are regarded in some cultures as demonic and cursed, meaning we must be concerned with the mindless mysticism fueled by collectivist thinking.
I refuse to fall into the collectivist, special interest trap the left has set for us. It is simply too convenient to abandon my stated goals of self-respect and the respect of and for others by becoming outraged when those who merely share my sexuality are assumed the highest claim on my moral indignation. Conservatism deals with causes, not with symptoms. Anti-gay bigotry isn’t the cause.
Comment by Ignatius — May 12, 2009 @ 11:20 am - May 12, 2009
#4 – “Bart, the point that Dan is trying to make is that for all their caterwauling about Prop 8, state definitions of marriage et al, that HRC, NGLTF and GLAAD are not addressing more life-threatening issues facing gays in other parts of the world.”
Again, it really depends on what role the HRC et al have within the international arena. My argument is that they have no role, they are primarily national organisations that operate strictly within the USA (Although the GLAAD did condemn a Vatican document, arguably it does affect them as the Vatican does speak for a large portion of the US populace). It doesn’t really make sense for them to also take on the role of ILGA, and spend resources simply to do what another group with identical goals (and far more expertise!) is already doing.
“After all, HRC does stand for “Human Rights Campaign.” Why aren’t they at the forefront of this issue? Or is it because the execution of gays for simply being themselves doesn’t fit their “victimhood-in-America-only” template?”
I don’t think it’s a case of the HRC having a victim complex because they are in the USA at all. More likely is because as an organisation, what goes on in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania etc is outside of their scope. What would be more telling would be to see what the leaders and the members of the HRC think of the ILGA and what happens outside of the borders of the USA. I am 100% sure they would be mortified to see the terrible abuses that take place in other countries, but their organisation isn’t in the business of focusing on those abuses. Same reason I can’t buy a Ford motorboat. Individually, the workers and leaders of Ford may well be able to build me a boat, but Ford is not in the business of building boats and as such they don’t do so.
On a side note, I hope that everyone here does support the ILGA in its work. Even if you oppose ENDA, SSM or whatever, surely matters of life and death in other countries (literally) should be of the utmost importance, and everyone would help people live in peace no matter where they are.
Comment by Bart M — May 13, 2009 @ 1:51 am - May 13, 2009
[...] Petrelis may be, but he is a man of integrity, standing up for gay people suffering around their world when those supposedly representing us [...]
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