PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Gay & Lesbian Rights - not With John Kerry
by Casey Dobash Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004 at 2:07 AM

Last night we saw John Kerry for the soulless political demagogue that he truly is. Hiw attack on Mary Cheney was absolutely sickening, and should be cause for serious concern by all gay, lesbian and crossgender Americans.

I was shocked and appalled when John Kerry found it acceptable to try to "out" the lesbian daughter of Dick Cheney. I have not been a big fan of the Bushites, but this act of political desperation by John Kerry has caused me to seriously consider the character of the man that we are asking all Americans to make their political leader.

As a happy and proud lesbian American I support the fight for gender and sexual equality. But John Kerry's (and John Edwards' last week) comments were clearly an attempt to assault a private citizen for his own political purposes. We all may know that Dick Cheney's daughter is openly lesbian. But we also know that the Cheney's have treated their daughter with love and respect. As we all know, these are highly personal family matters. Neither Dick Cheney or Mary Cheney have made this or their personal lives part of the political campaign. Yet John Edwards and John Kerry and our Democratic party have made the sexuality of private citizens a political campaign issue.

I am certain that if Mary Cheney were not open about her sexuality, the Democratic party would have outed her. This is offensive to me and I have to believe many others.

John Kerry should not be so arrogant as to preume to speak for me, Mary Cheney or any other individual private citizen. As much as I may have misgivings about the Bushites, I now have serious concern about John Kerry's ability to lead and act with dignity. Oh where is Ralph Nader?

add your comments

Nader on GLBTIQ issues
by Quinten Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004 at 9:42 AM

While the Green Party has always as far as I know been good on those issues, Nader is not that great on GLBTIQ issues...I think in 2000 he said something about gonadal politics that got quite a few people offended. On the other hand, in Pennsylvania we can still vote for a Green Party candidate, David Cobb, who does more strongly support the issues of non-heterosexuals.

add your comments

John Kerry Makes Me Sick
by Tamara L. Friday, Oct. 15, 2004 at 9:17 AM

This is so sickening. The Johns have made the 'gayness" of one woman the focus of a campaign attack. Then John Edwards wife starts talking as if she expects everyone else to be 'ashamed' of a gay family member. All of this is now part of a calculated political attack.

I knew that Dick Cheney's daughter was a lesbian long before John Kerry felt the bizarre need to remind us all as he was taking a swipe at her and her parents. I also knew that the Cheneys have been very supportive and loving of their daughter. There was no need for the Kerry campaign to turn to this 'issue". I wish that my own parents had been as supportive. No, my parents were more like John Kerry's campaign manager who beleives this is "fair game'. OH PAHLEESE !!!

What has happened to the Democratic party and to us if we are so willing to accept this sort of conduct. If we intend to win in this struggle we can not convenienetly give our leaders a pass when they do this sort of thing. In my rush to elect anybody but Bush, I was receptive to John Kerry's return to traditional Democratic themes. But with this BS, I am ashamed that I could be fooled by someone so desparate for political power that he could not only say such a thing, but make it a campaign effort. I don't want to feel that my political leaders are going to turn on me for their own gain.

John Kerry did not have to do this, but it is clear now that he can't help himself. He is going to make the sexual preference of one woman a centerpiece of his attack campaign. My God !!! That IS sickening. If he wanted to show that Dick Cheney and his wife are more moderate and understanding that Dubya, he could have done it without attacking Mary Cheney. And John Edward's stepford wife did not need to go out talking like some southern cracker about the "shame" that the Cheneys must feel.

I couldn't bring myself to vote for Bush. Now I can't think of voting for John Kerry and John Edwards (and their mantle-piece wives). I will be voting this year, but screw them all. I am not voting for either of Kerry or Bush.

add your comments

A Little Gay Baiting Never Hurt A Good Democrat
by Yassar Datsmibebe Friday, Oct. 15, 2004 at 12:08 PM
yassardatsmibebe@ummah.com

John Kerry’s desperate act of gay-baiting was probably due to the fact that George Bush was kicking his ass in that debate. No one expected GW to come out and be more personable and articulate than John Kerry. But when he did, Kerry was visibly unnerved. It was clearly an act of desperation that caused Kerry to lash out at the Cheney’s.

More importantly, we should all take note of the way that John Kerry handled himself and tried to answer the question. His attack on Dick Cheney’s daughter and on the Cheney’s was entirely calculated and thrown out there to keep him from having to directly (as if he ever directly answers any questions) answer the question posed. Here is the question as it was asked of the candidates:

“Both of you are opposed to gay marriage. But to understand how you have come to that conclusion, I want to ask you a more basic question. Do you believe homosexuality is a choice?”

So the question was not one about same sex marriage, since they are each acknowledged to be opposed to same sex marriage, but it was one about their own personal beliefs of what it means to be “gay”. John Kerry had a real opportunity to shine with this one, but he was probably astounded at the candor and depth of understanding that Bush showed in his response. Bush clearly handled the question far better than John Kerry. Bush stated that he didn't know about whether gays and lesbians were born to their orientation or not, but that they should be treated with respect and dignity regardless. Bush never mentioned Mary Cheney. It is notable that the Cheneys exemplify this treatment of respect and dignity that Bush spoke of.

Now John Kerry, forever running himself in circles with nuance and political nothing-speak, fell not just flat, but went off the scales with his lack of dignity and respect in his answer. Kerry absolutely failed and showed what a failure a Kerry Administration would be on such issues. Kerry did not respond with an answer, nor did he discuss how his stated policies differ in how to treat gays and lesbians. He pretty much endorsed Bush's position on marriage, before he went on a rampage against Mary Cheney.

Bringing up Mary Cheney in response to this question (or at all) serves only one purpose -- to try to embarrass the Cheney family, an odd thing to do for someone who purports to sympathize with gays and lesbians. This would be equivalent to Bush using Julia Thorne, Kerry's ex-wife, to refute Kerry's insistence that he is a practicing Catholic and that Kerry respects families. If Bush were to bring up Kerry's annulment -- another interesting parallel to his Massachusetts mentor and lifeguard school flunky, Ted Kennedy -- he would rightly be blasted by Democrats as engaging in smear tactics.

Why are Democrats so silent now, and why do people like Steve Fisher from the Human Rights Campaign (a gay activist group) rationalize the objectification of Mary Cheney?

add your comments