The Gay Squirm Factor (by Jim David at HuffPost)

[marmar]

Jim David
The Gay Squirm Factor
Posted August 12, 2007 | 03:25 PM (EST)



One of my favorite jokes: a Jewish guy is talking to a gentile and says, "Nobody cares about the Jews anymore. Nobody cares about the Jews. Last night I dreamed Adolf Hitler killed six million Jews, and two rodeo clowns."

The gentile says, "Why did he kill two rodeo clowns?"

The Jewish guy says, "See? Nobody cares about the Jews."

I just returned from Denmark and Sweden, where nobody cares about the gays. In Denmark gay marriage is legal and in Sweden it might as well be. Most of Western Europe and Canada are the same, with full marriage equality or at least equivalent rights. Straight people leave gays alone and let them live their lives and, except for the requisite pockets of religious fanaticism, no one cares. Either they are more enlightened, not poisoned by religion or just drunk most of the time, but nobody cares about the gays.

In America the spectacle of uncomfortable straights tiptoeing around gays is in full squirm. The HRC/LOGO Democratic forum showed the candidates gamely trying to not run screaming into the night. Hillary was at her prerecorded best trying to justify her hubby's crippling Defense of Marriage Act and Don't Ask Don't Tell, two laws passed only to appease said uncomfortable straights. Obama danced around the reasons why black churches are so antigay (if he had just said "The brothers just don't like the 'mos," it would have been honest).

Melissa Etheridge, dubbed by George Stephanopolous as "the new Ted Koppel," helped John Edwards continue his gift of free publicity to Ann Coulter, deny that he ever said he was uncomfortable around 'those people,' and reassure us that he's comfortable now and just as cute as ever. Then she asked Bill Richardson, who once used the word "maricon" on the Don Imus show, if being gay was a choice. He sputtered, "It's a choice," before going into compete "Holy fucking shit, let me backpedal" mode. He might as well have said, "Bear with me, the only reason I'm here is so you maricons will support me - I'm Latino, for God's sake." The only way he weaseled out of it was to congratulate Melissa on her Oscar.

Only Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel endorsed marriage equality, easy to do when you don't have a chance in hell. The others gave convoluted answers, not having the nerve to say Look, it would be OK with me, kinda sorta, but there's no way I'm going to get elected if I support it. I'll pass the buck so your marriages can vary from state to state, like cell phone service. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-david/the-gay-squirm-factor_b_60075.html

[rjones2818]

1. Poor Jim David

He has chattering class-itis. He's one of the memeiban! As long as he keeps repeating the canard that Dennis and Mike can't be elected, he may well convince some people that they can't.

Poor Jim David.

:evilgrin:

Go Dennis!
http://dennis4president.com

[IndianaGreen]

K&R. I agree with the author's characterization of the LOGO Democratic forum

Obama's church supports marriage equality for gays, yet Obama could not bring himself to endorsing his own church's position. Why? Particularly after all that BS about religious faith blah, blah, blah.

Dennis Kucinich is right on all the issues I care about, across the board, including full equality for LGBTs. I owe my vote to someone that fights for my rights, not someone that only thinks about my existence when they are running for higher office.

[Hepburn]

4. I am str8 and I agree.

There is NO reason, none period, why gays should not have IDENTICAL rights to str8s. This BS about civil unions ONLY is WRONG. It hits me like Plessy v. Ferguson when Brown v. Brd over-turned it: "Separate but equal is inherently unequal."

I am with you 100% about candidates who support the same rights for ALL of us!

[Hepburn]

2. Someone PLEASE explain to me....

....why ANYONE is uptight about the sexual orientation of another person. I just do NOT understand that. What in the hell does the status of the intimate relationship(s) of a person have to do with a third party who is not involved one iota?

It just is what it is...and that is that. Sexual orientation does NOT rub off on the people one is around. PERIOD.

[pnwmom]

3. Most of Europe does not have gay "marriage."

They have civil unions with equivalent rights.

And this would be a much easier and quicker goal for us to accomplish, too.

[xchrom]

5. well then -- i guess the republick party really kicked ass -- cause they

didn't show at all.

:eyes:

[Prophet 451]

6. Pretty much true

I'm British. Here, we have gay marriage in all but name (and the name is the only difference) and gay people openly serving in our armed forces and with the exception of a few religious fanatics and the gay people (or their loved ones) directly involved, no-one gives a crap, it's just a non-issue.