I have blogged only once on today’s National Equality March in the nation’s capital. And I might not have done even that had Bruce not encouraged me to participate in a conference call with the organizers. While impressed with their tone, I was uncertain about their strategy for achieving their seemingly diffuse array of goals. Still, I appreciate the grassroots nature of their endeavor. They do not come from the mainstream gay organizations, thus not bringing with them their partisan baggage and petty animosities.
Still, while they invited both Bruce and me to participate in their conference calls and sent (each of) us regular e-mails, they don’t seem to have done much more to include gay conservative in this event. For example, while there are five people on the speakers’ roster identifying themselves as transgender, there are none identifying as Republicans (though I had seen Michael Huffington’s name on a list released on September 30).
That said, while I did I note the absence of Republicans, I also noted the absence of such supposed leading lights of the gay community as HRC President Joe Solmonese and “Equality California’s” Geoff Kors. Nice to see a move away from the “establishment” gay leadership. Perhaps, with the new tone adopted by the march leaders, we might even, should this march prove to be a galvanizing event empowering its leaders, a new crop of leaders who understand they could benefit the community by reaching out to and working with gay Republicans.
All that said, let me make one prediction (hey, I’ve got a pretty good record on predictions so far this weekend). No matter how large the crowd today, the event will get better press than did the September 12 Taxpayer March on Washington for smaller government. The media is much more comfortable with the leftish mantra of equality than the conservative/libertarian ideal of liberty.
And whereas all too many MSM organs downplayed the size of last month’s crowd (which easily reached 350,000 and likely exceeded half a million), they will exaggerate the size of today’s crowd. After all, it fits their narrative, a supposedly oppressed group rallying for its rights. The notion of people rallying for smaller government just doesn’t register with them.
All that said, I’m not really sure today’s march is necessary. The real work that needs doing is changing hearts and minds. And that can’t be accomplished in Washington nor should we try to do that through the institutions of government, but rather by our own increased openness and the process of gentle suasion.
You’re so complacent, it’s actually funny. Gays are “supposedly” oppressed? Hmm, why don’t you try being gay somewhere outside of the big cities (all of which owe their widespread acceptance of homosexuality to their liberalism)?
There sure as hell won’t be any teabagger jokes.
John McCain weighs in on the tension between Steven Schmidt and Sarah
Palin, and her new book Going Rogue. This interview with John King of
CNN.
http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/10/john-mccain-lets-let-thousand-flowers.htm
Hmm, why don’t you try being gay somewhere outside of the big cities (all of which owe their widespread acceptance of homosexuality to their liberalism)?
Yes; for some reason, people outside the liberal enclaves aren’t amused by your need to dress children as sexual slaves and take them to sex fairs for “educational experiences”, or your demand that their children be taught gay sex in kindergarten as part of “queering elementary education”.
Perhaps if you could control your need to do that, you wouldn’t have so much of a problem being accepted outside the pedophile-employing Obama Party.
I’m a gay man in Central Nebraska who goes to a Lutheran church. I’m sorry, maybe I’m missing the oppression. What, exactly, is supposed to happen? They tend to drive slowly–is that oppression?
Switched from football to C-span coverage. Kate Clinton says “We need a rainbow slowdown, go to work and just mess up. If you’re a flight attendant shut down the bathrooms in mid-flight”.
Now some fool is trashing the American free enterprise system.
They always take up the whole leftist agenda. All this hothead rhetoric is so tired and immature, and a dead tone to the ears of the middle swing voter.
#5: “They tend to drive slowly–is that oppression?”
For DavyJG, YES, it is. Unless what they are driving is a two-tiered float populated with shirtless boys in hot pants, dancing to techno music in celebration of your attraction to other men. Anything less than that is what the gay left calls a “hate crime.”
Oh wow, seriously? You’re bringing up the Folsom Street Fair and adult pride marches? Straight people behave outrageously and distastefully on St. Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras and pretty much every single weekend in every single town. I guess by your twisted logic, heterosexuality is a social ill too?
#5, are you honestly trying to make the point that oppression is just an invention of lefty, insidious gays or something? Because I’m pretty sure there’s a reason suicide rates are so much higher among gay teens than any other group. And if you think the anti-gay rhetoric that constantly flows from the Republican Party is not in the least harmful to the psyche of gay Americans and to the safety of families headed by same sex couples then I’d really like to hear you justify such opinions. Otherwise please don’t deride the fact that too many gay Americans face bigotry every day. We get enough closeted Republicans telling gay people to “get over it”, I don’t think we need the out ones to join in too.
#8: “And if you think the anti-gay rhetoric that constantly flows from the Republican Party is not in the least harmful to the psyche of gay Americans and to the safety of families headed by same sex couples then I’d really like to hear you justify such opinions.”
Well, DavyJG, since you brought it up, how about providing us with some links or examples of “the anti-gay rhetoric that constantly flows from the Republican Party,” and then we’ll see if we can justify it, okay?
And I’m really curious–could you explain exactly what it is that you expect government to do legislatively that will protect the psyches of gay Americans like yourself and suicidal gay teens? Clearly, you see it as a government responsibility and an important political issue. So, tell us–WHAT should be done about the “anti-gay rhetoric” constantly flowing from the Republican Party that jeopardizes “the safety of families headed by same-sex couples”? Would you support a law that prohibits Americans from saying anything negative about gay people? Or, what the heck, how about a law that requires every American to approve of your lifestyle and affirmatively demonstrate their approval in some tangible way (like marching in a parade of some kind or designating a homosexual their “official shopping buddy”?) You have to agree, such a law would certainly ensure that fewer gay people got their feelings hurt or felt like they weren’t “accepted” by our society, right? Or, should Obama just demand that Congress pass a law requiring every man, woman, and child in America LOVE YOU and tell you that you’re super awesome?
Seriously, you’ve carried on histrionically about the oppressive discrimination and bigotry that “too many gay Americans face every day,” so what’s your solution? What do you expect the pro-gay, liberal Democrats that you voted for to do about it?
P.S. One more question, Perez–who are these “closeted Republicans” telling gay people to “get over it?” Who are you talking about? Which closet? The Republican closet? The gay closet? Or, is it just that in your world, anyone who tells whiny, eternal victims like you to “get over it” must be a closet homosexual?
The reason suicide rates are high among gay teens is because older men exploit them, introduce them to drugs and STDs, and then dump them, without pity.
Straight people behave outrageously and distastefully on St. Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras and pretty much every single weekend in every single town.
The difference being, though, that there is widespread and universal public condemnation of such behavior by the vast and overwhelming majority of straight people.
Perhaps when gays like yourself can scream how “outrageous and distasteful” the behavior of your fellow liberal gays at the Folsom Street Fair and gay pride marches are, then people will take you seriously. As it stands, now you are condemning heterosexuals for behavior that you fully support and endorse when your fellow liberal gays practice it. You’re nothing more than a child whining and screaming that other kids do the same thing when you get caught.
and DavyJG, Republicans also face bigotry every day. Just examine your own rhetoric with a critical eye and you should be able to understand.
Living now in a booming metropolis of 1,100 souls, I can tell you that the only snotty, homophobic remark I’ve ever received was on the Upper East Side of Manhattan about six years ago.
Yup, Reagan country!
Best wishes,
-MFS
I lived in Southeast Iowa for 7 years in the little town of Libertyville, Population 250 from 1996 to 2003. The next closest town, where you did all your shopping, was Fairfield with a whopping population of 10,000. I never once felt oppressed anywhere I went and I openly told people. Yup, dating wasn’t easy but still I did meet people the entire time I was there.
They stuck that law in with our soldiers funding and along with a bunch of other crap. That’s what the Dems do, they put bills inside of bills that don’t belong with each other. That’s why the Rep voted no. Read the bill!
Ashpenaz @ #10:
Ashpenaz, do you have some actual evidence to back up this sweeping assertion?
“and DavyJG, Republicans also face bigotry every day. Just examine your own rhetoric with a critical eye and you should be able to understand.”
Please, grow up. Being a Republican being gay aren’t the same thing. Some is a set of ideas that one chooses to actively advocate for, the other is an innate, unalterable human trait. Criticising someone for believing that greed is a virtue (which is seemingly the GOP mantra since Reagan reigned) and criticising someone for being gay or being black or being Asian or Irish or whatever are obviously two different things. One is a set of opinions, the other is an innate human characteristic. Describing my disdain for Republican greed and foreign aggression and racism and homophobia as “bigoted” is absurd.
“The difference being, though, that there is widespread and universal public condemnation of such behaviour by the vast and overwhelming majority of straight people.”
You obviously have no idea what you’re talking about; your post is logically ridiculous. Straight people condemn the bad behaviour at Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day and EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND and that’s fine and dandy …. then you say gay people don’t condemn this kind of behaviour at gay events because they go on to repeat the behaviour every year …. but straight people are also repeating their bad behaviour every year too. Hmm, that’s what I call a double standard. And double standards usually render arguments that include them useless.
Basically, it’s not about “straight vs. gay”, it’s about “people” and truthfully people behave in a disgraceful manner sometimes (be it at Mardi Gras or L.A.’s Pride Parade). But to make the leap from “some gay people misbehaved on this one day” to “homosexuality is therefore a social ill and undeserving of sympathy or support” is really quite absurd. Yes, gay people sometimes mistreat their children by bringing them to inappropriate pride events. But is any one going to say that no straight people has ever mistreated their children? Of course not. Like I said, it’s about “people in general” not “gay people vs. straight people”. Now please promise me you’ll never make that silly, typical wingnut talking-point argument again?
“The reason suicide rates are high among gay teens is because older men exploit them, introduce them to drugs and STDs, and then dump them, without pity.”
You’re obviously a homophobic, scared Christian who’s been fed these kind of lies by your pastor, right? I know the kind, I used to go to Baptist churches, I’ve heard the lies.
If you really -do- think that suicide rates are so high among gay and LESBIAN (read: female, is not attracted to any kind of man, including older, manipulative ones) teens is because they are all riddled with STIs and emotionally traumatized by invisible hordes of old gay men … then you’re really a perfect example of the kind of vitriolic, ill-informed hatred that comes from the right and stand as an example also of why it’s irresponsible to support the Republican party. Can anyone seriously imagine a Democrat (even the most stupid Democrat, and there are certainly plenty of them) making this kind of ridiculous, hateful comment?
nah Davey, you don’t know Ash.
More importantly, we don’t need to imagine such hateful comments as comparing Homosexuals to pedophiles coming from Democrats.
DavyJG is so hate-filled! Far more than any Republican I’ve ever encountered.
I think it’s an interesting myth that the gay community is a wonderful, warm, nurturing place for young gays where older gays gently mentor the young ones toward lifelong, monogamous relationships. Gays ONLY have problems because of homophobia. Nothing which occurs in the gay community causes any unhappiness or any pain–everything is coming up sunshine and lollipops.
What’s wrong with me? Why I have I never seen this wonderful world? I must be the worst, most ungrateful gay EVER! 🙁
#17: “Basically, it’s not about “straight vs. gay”, it’s about “people”…”
Unless of course you’re murdered or assaulted. Then, in your view DavyJG, if you’re gay, then you are quite possibly entitled to greater vindication for the crime by the state because it’s FAR WORSE for a gay person to be victimized by a violent crime than some boring straight person.
#18: “… then you’re really a perfect example of the kind of vitriolic, ill-informed hatred that comes from the right and stand as an example also of why it’s irresponsible to support the Republican party.”
DavyJG, if it’s so completely beyond dispute that “anti-gay rhetoric constantly flows from the Republican Party,” and “vitriolic, ill-informed hatred comes from the right,” then why can’t you give us any examples of it? And you haven’t answer my other question–if the GOP is nothing but a fire-breathing, hate-spewing, homicidal torturer and oppressor of gay people and their precious “psyches,” WHAT do you believe should be done about it by the US Government and/or the Democratic Party?
Describing my disdain for Republican greed and foreign aggression and racism and homophobia as “bigoted” is absurd.
Well, then, you should have no problem condemning these statements and the people who made them as bigoted and antigay, right?
“God don’t like men coming to men with lust in their hearts like you should go to a female. If you think that the kingdom of God is going to be filled up with that kind of degenerate crap, you’re out of your damn mind.”
And:
“I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman”.
Then when you’re done with that, tell us whether or not it’s antigay to support and endorse state and Federal constitutional amendments banning gay marriage — and state that the fact that any member of a party does indicates that that party’s base is antigay, as you do for parties you don’t like.
Meanwhile, the best part of the day: Barack Obama calls gays “part of the Internet left fringe”.
How utterly perfect.
Your rabid hatred and bigotry is absurd because it’s not grounded in reality. Rather, it’s based on the bullshit that’s been routinely spoon fed to you by dregs of society.
Sucks ass to be you.
Personally, I felt more pressure from the gay community to fit in. I was never “gay enough”. I’ve lived in small towns in Ohio, New York, and now a small city in AZ. I’ve not found more anger and hatred than I did in the gay community in New York, nor did I feel as much rejection and as much an outsider as I did in the New York gay community…and that was BEFORE I came out as a conservative. The worst “oppression” I ever encountered was someone driving by and yelling “nice ass faggot” when I was leaving a gay club one night and another time I was at a gay coffee shop and someone drove by yelling “fags”. The first was basically a compliment (all that exercise did me some good) and the second merely a statement of the obvious.
Davey,
You do realize that the President is pushing for a resolution to ban your anti-Christian rhetoric, right?
So you can’t speak bad about religion anymore. OTOH, he has no problems with dealing with folks who drop walls on gays and want to keep women uneducated and poor.
A question he hears a lot, heh.
21.I think it’s an interesting myth that the gay community is a wonderful, warm, nurturing place for young gays where older gays gently mentor the young ones toward lifelong, monogamous relationships. Gays ONLY have problems because of homophobia. Nothing which occurs in the gay community causes any unhappiness or any pain–everything is coming up sunshine and lollipops.
Ashpenaz, we don’t live in a world where it has to be one extreme or the other. On the one hand, we do have predators that are gay and prey on gay teens or younger. That does not mean that this is as widespread as you believe. On the other hand, stating that the problem is not as widespread as you believe does not mean that everyone is nurturing, etc. Sometimes one has to do things for oneself.
What’s wrong with me? Why I have I never seen this wonderful world? I must be the worst, most ungrateful gay EVER!
The wonderful world is there. You have to want to look for it. And when you do see the bad, don’t get yourself trapped into thinking that’s all there is. Victimhood doesn’t always work.
Ask Ash to substantiate his sweeping assertions, and the next cards in his deck are usually the Persecuted Martyr card, and/or, the If You Question Me That Just Means You Want Young Gays To Be Buggered card.
Just to be clear, this isn’t about ending “Don’t Ask” because no employer, including the military, can ask about sexual preferences – so to be honest – the discussion is simply about ending the “Don’t Tell” aspect of our military’s policy.