EMILY's List, the powerful women's PAC with an abortion rights agenda, is backing a senatorial candidate who supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, reports the Washington Blade. The Democratic candidate is Inez Tenenbaum, running for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina, and EMILY's List has reportedly given her $350,000.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbigay political fundraiser, has long considered support for abortion a key factor in making endorsements (pro-choice voting is also an important category on HRC's congressional scorecards). Likewise, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund requires candidates it endorses to be pro-choice. In both cases, the abortion litmus test has served to deny these groups' funds to GOP candidates who are gay-supportive but favor some abortion restrictions, such as parental notification.
In another development reported in the Blade, Unity, the umbrella group of minority journalists associations (with a decidedly "progressive" tilt) has again denied a membership request by the National Gay & Lesbian Journalists Association, stating that Unity is intended only for racial/ethnic minorities. Instead, NLGJA has been offered an "unofficial" role.
Says the Blade story, Unity "has decided not to extend the parameters of its big tent past its founding mission," and leaders of NLGJA "have gradually come to accept their second-tier status."
Do I begrudge EMILY's List and Unity the right to limit their
agendas and constrain their "parameters"? Not at all. But it does
highlight the absurdity foisted on us by LGBT activists who insist
that every leftwing cause is part of their mission, so that gay
groups involve themselves in everything from supporting race-based
preferences (as HRC does) to opposing welfare reform (as the
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force does). And that's leaving
aside the whole issue of transgenderism, which extends to the cause
of heterosexual cross-dressers.
At Least Bush Lowered Our Taxes.
Senator John Edwards said he and running mate John Kerry have "no objection" to this week's vote in Missouri to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage, according to media reports. "We're both opposed to gay marriage," said Edwards.
I'm waiting for gay activists to deliver another of their increasingly absurdist rationales for their support of these two snake-oil salesmen.
If our movement "leaders" would just hint that gay voters might
stay home on election day (no one expects them to support Bush), it
might be enough to trigger some fealty from the
Democrats.