I have worked with youth all my life. Most of it in a time when American was very intolerant.. In the fifties and sixties...probably before you were born, I integrated a summer camp with professional counselors from Spellman and Clark Colleges(Previously the staff had only kitchen help and station wagon drivers of color ).. I was part of Civil Rights movement.. for years. Integrating...acceptance...understanding. I had a Aunt who used to say, on the battlefield, if one were bleeding and the donor were Black.. would you say, no I don't want your blood ?
Later after two of my students killed themselves by shooting their brains out I became an advocate of acceptance of homosexuality as their discovery that they were GAY was what gave them the impetus to self destruct. Two beautiful young men whom I have never forgotten.
Therefore, when you minimize being gay with a choice like choosing a hand gun, or OTHER CHOICES in life I have to strenuously disagree. Maybe most Americans will not believe this,however, being gay or Lesbian is NOT A CHOICE and passing it off so casually as well you made your choice now live with it is discriminatory... biased and bespeaks of a complete lack of understanding of the subject. This is one of the reasons the Log Cabin Republicans have chosen not to support Bush..
Also see the following although not completely relevant to our discussion it is newsworthy.
Friday, Oct. 15
Mary Cheney's use-use situation
For what it's worth, here's my take on the latest Mary Cheney flap.
Dick and Lynne Cheney pilloried John Kerry for invoking Mary's lesbianism in the final presidential debate. Kerry said she was "being who she was born as" to underscore the truth President Bush could not bring himself to utter: Homosexuality is not a choice.
Lynne called Kerry "not a good man" and Dick announced that he's a "pretty angry father." One would think the Cheneys might be a tad upset with Bush's suggestion that their daughter may well have chosen her "deviant lifestyle."
This is nothing more than posturing. For months now, the Cheneys have used their lesbian daughter to put a happy face on the GOP's anti-gay smear campaigns, which have been taking place primarily at the state level. The veep himself invoked Mary on the eve of the Republican convention in reiterating his "freedom means freedom for everyone" philosophy about same-sex relationships.
GOP operatives know that gay-bashing plays poorly with suburban moms, many of whom either have gay kids or know others who do. What kinder, gentler way of reassuring these women than talking about the vice president's support for his beloved daughter?
This has the advantage of giving the White House the space and permission to ply its base with an anti-gay agenda. Dick Cheney truly loves his daughter and insists that "freedom means freedom for everyone," but he doesn't actually do anything about it. God forbid he should go to bat for his daughter and her community.
If Dick Cheney can talk about his daughter, why can't John Kerry and John Edwards?
Mary Cheney has handled the crossfire with dignity, choosing to discuss her concerns with her family privately and stay out of the limelight. That's a choice to respect.
Yet in many ways, Mary Cheney herself triggered the whole debate. Before she went to work for the Bush-Cheney ticket in 2000, Mary served as the Coors Brewing Company's liaison to gays and lesbians. She was paid to smooth the troubled relationship between the community and the company, and she invoked both her famous father and her sexual orientation to achieve that end.
Friday, Oct. 15
Mary Cheney's use-use situation
For what it's worth, here's my take on the latest Mary Cheney flap.
Dick and Lynne Cheney pilloried John Kerry for invoking Mary's lesbianism in the final presidential debate. Kerry said she was "being who she was born as" to underscore the truth President Bush could not bring himself to utter: Homosexuality is not a choice.
Lynne called Kerry "not a good man" and Dick announced that he's a "pretty angry father." One would think the Cheneys might be a tad upset with Bush's suggestion that their daughter may well have chosen her "deviant lifestyle."
IT IS NOT A LIFESTYLE OR A CHOICE.
|
