Creating a gay victim status to get out of jury duty
It seems for some gay activists, everything is political. Mark, one of our readers, alerted me to a story about which he, while regularly disagreeing with yours truly, offers commentary that I find spot-on: “stunts like this make gay people look like idiots”. Well, fortunately, most Americans (or so we hope) won’t judge all gay people by the juvenile antics of this one man who wallows in his (perceived) victimhood:
A gay man was excused from jury duty in New York last week because he said that discrimination against gays makes him a second-class citizen and therefore he couldn’t be impartial.
Jonathan D. Lovitz, an actor, model, and singer who will be on Logo’s upcoming show Setup Squad, wrote on his Facebook page, “I raised my hand and said, ‘Since I can’t get married or adopt a child in the state of New York, I can’t possibly be an impartial judge of a citizen when I am considered a second class citizen in the eyes of the justice system.’”
And instead of criticizing the man for this self-righteous stunt, the Advocate reports that some activists are encouraging “others to use the strategy”. Such individuals have so internalized the victim mentality that they define themselves as second-class citizens. Wonder why they need convince themselves of such status.
This is not to say that things are perfect for gay Americans, but the notion that we’re second-class citizens suggests we lack the fundamental rights and privileges associated with citizens, many denied African-Americans in certain states until federal legislation in the mid-1960s overturned discriminatory laws and practices.
No one is preventing Mr. Lovitz from voting, from assembling peaceably to petition for a redress of grievances. And he’s the one trying to get out of jury service. These were all things state governments in the South prevented blacks from doing in the era of Jim Crow.
If this man is not ready to assume the responsibilities of citizenship, can he assume the responsibilities of matrimony?
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Sounds to me like actor/model/singer/waiter Jonathon Lovitz is the perfect symbol of the gay marriage left: he wants the benefits of society (being protected by a legal system) with none of the responsibilities (jury duty). Isn’t that what gay marriage is all about.
Also, his statement that he can’t get married or adopt a child is bullsh-t. New York does not discriminate against teh gheys in adoption, and if he wants to commit to another man and have a ceremony acknowledging that commitment, nobody is going to stop him.
The only place he’s a second-class citizen is in his own mind; and consider his utter lack of honesty, ethics, or personal responsibility… second class would be better than he deserves.
Comment by V the K — March 14, 2011 @ 5:40 am - March 14, 2011
How sad. Where are all the manly man gays? Pity about this Jonathan D Lovitz fellow. He needs to get out in the real world (code for socially disadvantaged communities). Instead, he is crying like a wet pussycat.
Comment by Ben — March 14, 2011 @ 7:16 am - March 14, 2011
Heh, think that would work for me being left handed?
Yeah, it’s just as stupid an idea.
Count down to Granny Goodness, Doomed, etc cheering this guy in 3… 2… 1…
Comment by The_Livewire — March 14, 2011 @ 7:42 am - March 14, 2011
I sure wouldn’t want this self-consumed, self-made wretched cast off from humanity sitting on a jury. In fact, I think that there should be a special program where able bodied people can swap jury duty for mopping out the drunk tank.
Can you imagine the pity party he would inflict on the fellow jurors in the deliberation stage?
Comment by Heliotrope — March 14, 2011 @ 9:40 am - March 14, 2011
What an a$$ this guy is. Not to mention wrong when it comes to adoption, as V the K rightly pointed out in #1.
Comment by Neptune — March 14, 2011 @ 10:39 am - March 14, 2011
I sure hope he doesn’t use the, “I’m a gay conservative please feel sorry for me”, excuse as well that would just be awful. Please let’s stop giving individuals credit for representing everything we don’t like about whatever you’re protesting today. Slandering entire groups of people for the actions of single individuals is about as low as identity politics get, I think people here can do better.
Comment by Tim — March 14, 2011 @ 10:57 am - March 14, 2011
Personally I love it.
How many time we get the letter in the mail and the first thing to enter our mind is “How am I going to get out of this”
Well here it is I say let’s use it. Whatever it take for civil activism.
Comment by Joe — March 14, 2011 @ 11:06 am - March 14, 2011
You wanna see a howl of victimhood from Mr. Lovitz? Make it illegal for gays to serve on juries in New York. Take that mister second class citizen.
Comment by Grizzly Glenn — March 14, 2011 @ 11:06 am - March 14, 2011
Personally I love it.
How many time we get the letter in the mail and the first thing to enter our mind is “How am I going to get out of this”
Well here it is I say let’s use it. Whatever it take for civil activism.
Comment by Joe — March 14, 2011 @ 11:06 am - March 14, 2011
But activists are encouraging others to do the same. How many does it take before it’s no longer a single individual or a kooky few?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — March 14, 2011 @ 11:11 am - March 14, 2011
He should have STFU and did jury duty like all of us have to. This is just a shameless and narcissistic stunt. Fuck him.
Comment by Nick — March 14, 2011 @ 11:22 am - March 14, 2011
Slandering entire groups of people for the actions of single individuals is about as low as identity politics get, I think people here can do better.
Except, of course, when it’s slandering Christians, religious people, Republicans, or conservatives, in which the actions of one represent those of all.
So what we have here is this: Timmy is defending this idiot, the gay and lesbian community is supporting and encouraging more people to behave in this fashion, and even liberal commenters here are touting his behavior, and he’s still trying to whine about “slandering entire groups of people” when he himself regularly slanders all Christians, Republicans, and conservatives based on single examples that he brings up.
You wonder if Timmy is mentally capable of realizing that his behavior is emphatically hypocritical — or if he’s so trapped in a feedback loop of rationalization that he’s even cognizant of the reality of what he’s doing any more.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — March 14, 2011 @ 11:24 am - March 14, 2011
I’m going to disagree slightly. Let’s go back to what the guy said:
It’s a run-on sentence, mashing two statements:
If you just remember (and mentally fill in) that *he* is the one stopping him from having a committed relationship or adopting a kid, and that *he* is the one considering him “a second class citizen in the eyes of the justice system”, then his statements are literally true.
He has problems, that he can’t overcome because he’s a whiny little thing. He misplaces the blame for his problems – but he knows his own condition, namely that his problems make him angry and unfair. In essence, he admits that he’s too much of an ass to be a fair-minded juror and that the justice system would do better without him. Is he wrong about that? Or wrong to admit it? Of course not. He has correctly perceived the situation, that he is unfair and the justice system is better off without him.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 14, 2011 @ 11:32 am - March 14, 2011
Slandering entire groups of people for the actions of single individuals who are then praised and held out as an example for their actions…is completely fair
Fixed it for ya.
e.g. One Palestinian slaughtering a Jewish family doesn’t impart his evil on all Palestinians. But when those Palestinians dance in the street and hand out candy, then it reflects on the community as a whole.
So, until the Advocate, Logo TV (which no one watches), and the HRC condemn Lovitz for being a lying a-hole, it’s fair to assume they approve of his hissy fit, and are just as open to judgment.
Comment by V the K — March 14, 2011 @ 11:32 am - March 14, 2011
To expand on a point that V the K made in comment #1, New York is one of the (now many) states where an openly gay person is eligible to adopt as a single parent, OR may become an adoptive step-parent to a same-sex partner’s child, OR may jointly adopt a child with a same-sex partner, as a couple.
And on the marriage question, New York has neither SSM nor civil unions, but legally recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other states, DC, and Canada (although it’s not totally clear to me what the current status of “everything but the M-word” legal unions from states like California or Hawaii would be in NY).
Comment by Throbert McGee — March 14, 2011 @ 11:55 am - March 14, 2011
Assuming that this actually catches on, can I vote that we call it the “Jon Lovitz strategy” — in honor of the guy who thought it up, and his wife Morgan Fairchild?
Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Comment by Throbert McGee — March 14, 2011 @ 12:00 pm - March 14, 2011
Great! Anybody can use this – ’cause being “gay” is not something that can be actually proved. I’ll be Gay for a Day to get out of Jury Duty, obtain special treatment, cow weaker minds into giving me my way, etc etc, ad nauseum. So many possibilities!!
/sarc
Comment by Tyrone — March 14, 2011 @ 12:16 pm - March 14, 2011
I think some of it is a failure to change gears after sodomy laws fell state-by-state and then Lawrence finally voided those remaining. “We’re fighting for our very right to exist as free citizens” was not just compelling rhetoric; it was literally true when the Mattachines started having their marches, and for decades afterward.
Switching gears to “we’re fighting for the same level of government-provided convenience that heterosexual couples enjoy” isn’t easy (and doesn’t get people to the barricades).
Comment by Throbert McGee — March 14, 2011 @ 12:24 pm - March 14, 2011
Since we’re gay, does that mean we can all stop paying taxes into the evil machine that treats us as second class citizens?
Comment by JervisTetch — March 14, 2011 @ 1:47 pm - March 14, 2011
The fact is Gays are winning in the political arena. They gained more rights than ever possible before, yet they show their lawlessness. This is pure anarchy. This is another precedence set by Liberals. They are such wonderful citizens that their participation almost besides the point. They are outside the law. This is how they live.
Comment by anon23532 — March 14, 2011 @ 2:32 pm - March 14, 2011
I would love to see this excuse tried on the judge who questioned the last jury pool I was part of here in LA. One of the other potential jurors went full-blown “racist” to avoid being picked, and after his rant, the judge quietly said, “Fine. I’m going to move you into the jury pool for a trial involving a white defendant.”
Seeing that guy’s face was worth every moment I’ve ever spent on jury duty in my life.
Comment by Wesley M. — March 14, 2011 @ 3:42 pm - March 14, 2011
Well he missed out. Not only does your work still have to pay you but so does the state after you’re done. For just sitting around! It’s awesome. What an idiot!
Comment by Blaster_84 — March 14, 2011 @ 4:55 pm - March 14, 2011
The Mad Hatter is spot on. Let’s see just how “unequal” the law really is.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — March 14, 2011 @ 5:19 pm - March 14, 2011
Awesome for you maybe Blaster,
With my ADD, if I can’t split my focus, I fall asleep. Not good fo Jury duty to be sitting there with a headphone in one ear.
Comment by The_Livewire — March 14, 2011 @ 6:12 pm - March 14, 2011
Where is all of this self-righteous grandstanding when the gay community talks about Muslims? We want equality, yet we’ll defend the rights of a radical society to hang, starve, abuse and stone fellow gays and lesbians? When this over-privileged little turd speaks up in defense of those who really are second-class citizens, I’ll hear what blathering he has for New York.
Comment by Mel Maguire — March 14, 2011 @ 6:17 pm - March 14, 2011
Maybe I should try Narcolepsy next time I’m summoned.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — March 14, 2011 @ 6:42 pm - March 14, 2011
I’m glad this character was discharged from jury duty.
Does anyone want some shallow twink like this to sit in judgement of another human being?
Comment by SoCalRobert — March 14, 2011 @ 8:42 pm - March 14, 2011
Can’t do jury duty because he’s gay…yeah, that’s the ticket! I don’t understand what all the fuss here is about. All Jon Lovitz wants is to be loved, why is that so wrong?
Comment by John — March 15, 2011 @ 12:37 am - March 15, 2011
Most likely just to shut his ass up. If I were the judge, I’d keep ‘im and put him down for the next 10 rotations.
Hotchie motchie!
Comment by ThatGayConservative — March 15, 2011 @ 5:21 am - March 15, 2011
A true second class citizen wouldn’t be able to participate in jury duty, vote, etc al; he was just looking for an out of jury duty. The judge should have rejected his pathetic excuse.
Comment by Sebastian Shaw — March 15, 2011 @ 10:36 am - March 15, 2011