LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMPTalk: Party Time, Part Two: Dems, Greens are No Joke |
by Bill Sievert |
Quite a few of you have told me how much you enjoy the humor in my columns, and I usually can find something funny to say about almost any topic. I even found a way to have some fun last issue with the Republican platform, which is hardly a laughing matter when it comes to gay rights. In fact, writing about the GOP gave me mixed emotions. On the one hand, there was plenty to chuckle about in the carefully orchestrated display of token diversity at the party's convention. But the GOP's refusal to make even a single positive statement about gay people, whether by way of its platform or speakers, was downright disturbing. Why, even the one homosexual delegate who was allowed to address the gathering dared not speak of "sexual preference." (The Republican platform writers purposely used that term in order to liken our existences to a choice as casual as selection of a breath mint.) For the gay speaker, it was a matter of "don't-ask, don't-tell"a policy the platform pledged to scrap in favor of returning to a total ban on our participation in the military. Now there's Republican inclusion for you! The Democrats, including Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman in his major address, used the more accurate and acceptable term "sexual orientation." Lieberman also had no problem proclaiming from the podium the specific inclusion of gay men and women under the big American umbrella. Likewise, the Democratic Party's 2000 Platform is rich in its support of our rights. Its references to us don't provide gay journalists an easy target for satire, but its message is much more encouraging for our full participation in society. As I did with the Republicans, I now offer you the words Democrats officially used to speak of and to us. The following language can be found in the platform's section on "Progress," in a chapter titled "Building One America": "We must remember we do not have an American to waste. We continue to lead the fight to end discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, age, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation...We support continued efforts, like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to end workplace discrimination against gay men and lesbians." (Even as the Democratic convention was unfolding, the current Democratic Administration was going to court for the first time ever in support of a local government's effort to protect gay people from employment discrimination. Justice Department lawyers urged a federal trial judge in Louisville, KY, to reject a challenge from a religious fundamentalist to that city's new anti-bias ordinance.) As you may recall, the Republican platform specifically stated the Party's opposition to homosexual marriages and "special legal protection" for gays, offering our relationships no form of recognition. To the contrary, the Democrat's document states: "We support the full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of the nation. This would include an equitable alignment of benefits." The platform also discusses the Democratic Party's commitment to eradicating AIDS/HIV and the urgency of expanding hate-crime laws (as Presidential Nominee Al Gore mentioned in his acceptance speech). "Hate crimes are more than assaults on people, they are assaults on the very idea of America," the platform reads. "They should be punished with extra force. Protections should include hate violence based on gender, disability or sexual orientation. And the Republican Congress should stop standing in the way of this pro-civil rights, anti-crime legislation." Sorry, readers, I can't come up with any funny commentary about any of those ideas. But thanks, Democratic delegates for making my job so difficult. The Green Party USA, which has gained a surprising amount of clout this election year, also has much to say about the gay/lesbian/bi-/transexual community. It includes us as a key component of its "National Program." The Greens, who are running some 235 local candidates in 20 states and DC as well as Ralph Nader for the presidency, offers a strongly worded chapter of support entitled "Gay Liberation." It says, in part: "We regard heterosexism (the cultural belief that the only legitimate form of sexual expression is between men and women) as a violation of human rights and dignity. "We oppose discrimination based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/transgender status, including in the realm of adoption, inheritance, family visitation and benefits... "We support the right of consenting adults to engage in any sexual activity and not be subject to any form of harassment, arrest, criminal prosecution, discrimination or other negative treatment by any state, local or federal government. "We support legal recognition of same sex marriage... We support individuals' right to be treated as members of their chosen gender... "We support progressive sex education in public schools, and education on sexuality and sexual orientation, with parents and communities having input on what is taught. We support a 10 percent goal of l/b/g/t teachers in public education. "We call for an increase in funding for research and development on the prevention of and treatment of AIDS, along with an increase in educational efforts on AIDS and its prevention. This must extend to ALL types of research. We must not continue to let the pharmaceutical cartels dictate the treatments. Research must be done with the sole goal of what works best and what does the least harm and not what gives the greatest profits..." Great stuff. But, nope, there's as little to laugh at in the Green Party's papers as in the Democrat's. About the only amusing thing I can think of involves the chances the Greens have of getting their national ticket elected this year. So far, it's a tough campaign season for gay political humor. Actually, Joe Lieberman had one of the better barbs to date. As you may recall, he described the Republican convention's display of diversity as the best acting in the City of Brotherly Love since Tom Hanks went to Philadelphia. Good work, Joe. Want to help me write a humor column geared to gay families and friends? Perhaps we could do a send-up of all the diverse characters who populate TV's "South Park," featuring their fearless leader Big Gay-friendly Al. If Joe's too busy to help me with humorous inspiration, I could always turn to one of the Reform Party's two rival presidential nominees, the inimitable Pat Buchanan. Pat's always good for a guffaw, such as when he recently accused his old pals in the Republican Party of selling out to the "homosexual agenda." Or, a couple of weeks ago when he warned that "rampant homosexuality" had led to the doom of great empires and similarly threatens the United States. Now, there's a real thigh-slapper with which to end this column and begin the serious work of choosing our next President. Bill Sievert's CAMPtalk is a regular feature of Letters. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 12, Aug. 25, 2000. |