LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMPTalk: Just How Queer are Our Republicans? |
by Bill Sievert |
It may be shocking, but it's true. A few of my best friends are gay Republicans. Problem is, you can't always distinguish these truly queer people when you first meet them. Some of them easily pass as normal gays. By the time I discover their curious political leanings, it's often too late to summarily eject them from my life. So, as a proponent of social diversity, I tolerate them and pretend they're like the rest of us. But I'm always ready to do battle when arises the subject of the civil rights of homosexuals versus Republican policy. The official Platform adopted by the new "inclusive" Republican Party this year offers plenty of ammunition to make gay men and lesbians lift up their Constitutionally protected arms. My queer Republican pals have countless times rewarded my tolerance of them by proselytizing to me, serving up a litany of reasons to respect their efforts. "Someone has to try to heighten the GOP's consciousness." "There are some pro-gay Republican office-holders." "There is room for disagreement in our Party." "We're not simply one-issue people." None of us is or should be a one-issue person. Our democracy requires attentive caring about a lot of important issues from educational opportunity to affordable health care for all citizensincluding gay men and lesbians. The problem with Republicans, as is made perfectly clear in their platform, is that they do not want to include or even acknowledge us as comprising a small slice of their American pie. It's an odd stance for a Party that has long claimed to oppose government intrusion into private lives and to support the equality of all individuals. All individuals, that is, except those considered distasteful by the Party's fundamentalist right-wing activists. Let's look at the key language directed to gay people in this year's Platform, which amounts to the consensus of the delegates and the official party line. (The parenthetical comments are mine.) The section on "Renewing Family and Community" begins by stating that "diversity is a source of strength" and "equality of individuals before the law has always been a cornerstone of our party." (You go, girl. That diversity line is right out of the Gay Handbook.) "We therefore oppose discrimination based on sex, race, age, religion, creed, disability or national origin." (Okay, fine. But where are we?) "We denounce all who practice or promote racism, anti-Semitism, ethnic prejudice and religious intolerance... We call on all Americans to reject the forces of hatred and bigotry." (Sounds like they're all for hate-crime legislation. But where the heck are we???) (Oh, here we come...) "We rely on the home, as did the founders of the American Republic, to instill the virtues that sustain democracy itself. That belief led Congress to enact the Defense of Marriage Act, which a Republican Department of Justice will energetically defend in the courts. For the same reason, we do not believe sexual preference should be given special legal protection or standing in law." (It's "orientation," honey. But at least we get a mentionand fair warning that the courts will be used to deny us any standing in law. Think about all those Supreme Court appointments the next President will get to make. Wow, a Republican would have quite an opportunity to pack the Court and hinder our pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of love, health care, housing, employment and benefits of partnership.) (Oh, yes, about partner benefits. The Platform says more.) "We support the traditional definition of 'marriage' as the legal union of one man and one woman, and we believe that federal judges and bureaucrats should not force states to recognize other living arrangements as marriages." (Or, allow legal recognition of our relationships by any other printable name. Again, there's that threat of using the courts to stop us.) Just to make sure we understand our rightful place in their society, the Republicans go on: "We support the First Amendment right of freedom of association and stand united with private organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, and support their positions." (So, take that, pansies!) Now, the hard core GOP-gays are telling us that "no one pays attention to party platforms anyway." And they claim that this platform demonstrates how nicely their efforts are beginning to pay off. The anti-gay planks, they say, are less mean spirited in language and tone than those of four or eight years ago when Pat Buchanan was still in the Party. At this rate of success, queer Republicans will win some sort of statement of non-discrimination from their Party by the year 3000. For the Millennium in the meantime, gay people and their friends and family should think long and hard before voting for the national ticket of a Party that pledges to use the courts to fight us at every turn. Whether the issue is hate crime legislation or domestic partner rights, you can be certain that the GOP's leadership will not be with us. As someone who has been involved in CAMP Rehoboth through most of its history, I understand that it is not the purpose of this publication to endorse candidates. However, it is one of the purposes to discuss and dissect political issues as they pertain to the welfare of the gay and gay friendly community. This fall's election poses a true threat to all of us, one that can seriously set back many of the strides toward equality we have achieved in recent years. Deep inside, I am hoping my queer Republican friends will behave like many professional politicians, saying one thing and doing something completely different. It's all fine and good for you GOP-gays to preach about the value of infiltrating the hierarchy of your party; it's cool to pressure George Bush into meeting with you and you can try to teach him a little about gay people. But, once you step into the voting booth this fall, why bite into the party line your platform urges you to swallow? Why not privately cast your ballot to take a stand in favor of real inclusiveness and true support of diversity? These are not frivolous concerns, but serious issues for 21st-Century society to addressissues that, for most of us, begin very close to home. Bill Sievert's CAMPtalk is a regular feature of Letters. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 11, Aug. 11, 2000. |