Right-wing Wrath. You know you"re winning the
culture wars when the anti-gay right starts criticizing Bill
O"Reilly, conservative host of Fox TV's high-rated "O"Reilly
Factor," for being too accommodating to gays. Here's a rant titled
Even Bill O'Reilly Is Part of the Media's "Gay Spin Zone", from
the right-wing Culture and Family Institute. Writes the CFI's
Stephen Bennett:
O"Reilly has even said that he's "on the side of the angels" in opposing bans on homosexual adoption. (This was in regard to the state law in Florida that lesbian comedian Rosie O"Donnell and her friends in the liberal media have targeted for elimination.) Sad to say, one by one, even conservative stalwarts in the media are caving in to the homosexuals" grand, sinister plan.
Don't tell the gay left, though. They think things are only getting worse!
Another Sign of Progress. A serious contender
for the Los Angeles Police Department's top job, David Kalish, is
gay, and that's no big deal, reports the
San Francisco Chronicle story. According to the report, Kalish,
now a deputy chief,
seems to be one of the few among the dozens of candidates for the $240,000-a-year job who appears to be not only well-liked both inside and outside the department, but to have made no major enemies along the way. "He's commanded thousands and thousands of officers, and he's always been successful," says [L.A. City Council member Jack] Weiss, a staunch supporter. "Kalish is known for having a strong relationship with everybody. His orientation just is not an issue."
I don't know if Kalish will be named chief, and given the competition he probably won"t. But being seriously considered is a far cry from what a gay candidate could have expected just a few short years ago. (And it's a happier case of our new inclusion than, say, Michael Kopper being accepted by the top execs of Enron as part of their inner cabal.)
--Stephen H. Miller