The Political Zoo. If I don't often focus on the bad stuff coming out of the GOP camp, it's because mindless Republican-bashing is the heart of most gay websites, which obscures the real progress that's been made as of late. But as it is campaign season, there are plenty of instances of Republicans behaving badly that can, in fact, be noted. And some examples where they"re getting a bad rap as well. Among the transgressors, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush disgraced himself in a recent debate with Democratic challenger Bill McBride, who quite rightly called Florida's law prohibiting gay couples from adopting children discriminatory and ''not the American way.'' Bush the younger defended the ban, saying that children should find permanent homes only with couples who are ''a man and a wife.'' He added, for good measure, ''It's the law of the land, but I believe it personally.''
Sadly, Bush is on target about most issues in this campaign. For instance, McBride thinks the school problem can be solved be shoveling still more money down the system's bureaucratic rat hole, while his backers at the teachers" unions oppose the sort of real reforms that could, finally, make schools accountable for their wretched performance. Too bad Jeb is combining his support for innovation and enterprise with subservience to the religious right on an important matter of equality and fairness. If I were a Floridian, I might vote Libertarian in this race.
As an international aside, the British have also been debating the adoption question, and Lady Thatcher made a special appearance at the House of Lords to take part in "heated exchanges" and drive a stake through the heart of Tony Blair's bill to allow gay and unmarried partners to adopt. Of course, if gays could marry then the matter wouldn't be confused by throwing unmarried heterosexuals (who can, but don't , make the commitment) into the mix. But it's not like conservatives are supporting that idea, either.
One of the most
bizarre cases of reactionary Republicanism comes from Houston,
Texas, where a GOP candidate for justice of the peace, who also
happens to be openly gay and president of the Houston chapter of
the Log Cabin Republicans, is being attacked by a GOP political
activist who sent his party's voters an automated telephone message
telling them not to vote the straight Republican ticket because, as
the
Houston Chronicle paraphrased it, "If you vote straight, you vote
gay." It's just a wacko case, but shows how deep the hatred is
among the unreconstructed right.
The Other Side. On the other hand, there are some happier examples of Republicans behaving well. For instance, New York's Gov. George Pataki is successfully pushing a resistant Republican-controlled state senate to pass a gay rights bill, which he promises to sign. Regardless of the merits of such bills, his support indicates a more generally enlightened attitude towards inclusiveness. Pataki has also backed post-9/11 survivors benefits for gay partners.
Finally, there's an instance where a Republican may be getting a
raw deal. In the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, the GOP's Mitt
Romney has pledged: "As Governor, I will introduce legislation to
establish a domestic partnership law in Massachusetts, and I
support any city, medical facility or business that chooses to
extend these rights and benefits to their employees." So of course
he's being
denounced as a homophobe. A Mormon, Romney endowed a management
school with a $1 million donation to Brigham Young University, a
Church school with clearly antigay policies (he is not on the board
or otherwise affiliated with BYU). As the executive who ran the
Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, gay groups praised Romney's
outreach to gays and lesbians.
(A Human
Rights Campaign press release from last January stated: "Our
community's level of participation is unprecedented, thanks to the
Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee's inclusive policies that
respect all residents who want to help make this the most
successful Olympics ever").
For a highly visible Mormon to support gay rights and
domestic-partner benefits is a Big Deal, and perhaps of more value
than support from a liberal, or even an ex-Mormon (which is what
Romney would be if he took on his Church's anti-gay policies
directly). If gay activists truly believe in the separation of
Church and State, they might cut Romney a little slack on this
one.
--Stephen H. Miller