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Gay GOP Friend:
Mehlman Wrong
What must the media report on Ken Mehlman coming out as a gay man? Check out my rant! (Click here if you want to leave a comment on YouTube version.)
Do you know what burns my bacon? Some conservatives and even gay-rights activists are upset that Ken Mehlman, former Republican National Committee leader, didn’t come out sooner in his political career.
Come on, does anyone have any idea how hard it is for a gay man to come out of the closet? Pretty hard. Now imagine being a huge GOP bigwig (no homosexual reference at all, I swear) and trying to come out of the closet? Pretty damn hard.
But you know it’s the 21st century now. The right wing and older Republicans need to realize that gays can be members of the GOP and we all might as well suck it up and deal with it. (Again, not a homosexual reference.)
Listen, I’m not your father’s conservative. I’m the new breed of conservatives that takes a look at gays and say, “Meh, at least they don’t have to wine and dine each other and wonder if they’re getting lucky after dinner.” And why? Not because they’re gay men, but because they’re just men. Period. We’re all pigs that have one thought on our minds. Some of us like our toast butter side up, but that’s OK.
So I can give Mehlman, former President Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign manager, a break. But do you know who can’t? Ironically enough, one of my best friends who happens to be a gay Republican.
Here’s what he — who requested anonymity — had to say after I asked for his thoughts on the Mehlman affair:
“More and more people are coming out these days which is a good thing. If every gay person came out, America would be surprised about how many of them are our doctors, lawyers, politicians, soldiers, teachers, etc. The most recent coming out of Ken Mehlman is an example of this. I find it very unfortunate that he put politics and his job ahead of gay rights. We have seen this before with other politicians (don’t have names off hand). This country will never be truly free until everyone can be themselves in every aspect of their life,” my friend said from a private Facebook message to me.
WBMB: Now, you said that ‘I find it very unfortunate that he put politics and his job ahead of gay rights.’ Considering your job, are you doing a similar thing, by not coming out? What are your reasons for not coming out?
Friend: There are actual conflicting legal issues with this ... Teachers are really supposed to focus on curriculum in the classroom not on personal stuff. Unlike (Ken Mehlman), I certainly not doing anything in my classroom to hinder gay rights that I believe in.
WBMB: Good answer. But what are your reasons for not coming out? I think my readers would be interested in knowing.
Friend: I don’t need to be known as the gay teacher. There are many other important dimensions of me. On another note I don't hide it either …
OK, my friend brought up some good points that I didn’t consider. But still, I think many of us can understand why Mehlman didn’t bother coming out while he was the chairman of the Republican National Committee.
After all, that’s like admitting that you’re a Yankees’ fan at a Red Sox game.
Namely, it's the right thing to do.
Plus, it helps with votes.
On another note, it's good that your friend doesn't focus too much on his "identity" as a gay teacher and just focuses on being a teacher. Sometimes, people try to associate certain labels with people's identity too much. For example, Beyonce can't just be a singer -- she has to be a BLACK singer, etc.
Also, while I can't condone homosexual behavior because of my religious beliefs (just like I can't condone adultery, etc.), I hold no personal animosity towards gays in general.
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