ReThink Review: Outrage -- One Reason Why the Bird/Shepard Hate Crimes Act Took So Long

How do you get republicans, who take such pride in their talent for "supporting the troops" and "defending America", to vote against a defense bill in the midst of two wars? Make it a defense bill that defends gay people!

That's right -- 35 republican senators voted against the defense bill because it contained a provision called the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would make it a federal hate crime to assault someone based on sexual orientation, gender and gender identity. This legislation has languished in Congress since 1998, the year that Shepard, a gay Wyoming college student, was kidnapped, tortured and killed by two men because he was gay. That same year, Byrd, a 49-yr-old black man, was chained to a pickup truck and dragged to death by white supremacists.

Republican-controlled Congresses during the Clinton and Bush Jr. administrations (along with the threat of a Bush Jr. veto) kept this legislation from a presidential signature, which still had to be attached to this year's defense bill to ensure it wouldn't be blocked by a republican filibuster.

Why do repubs hate this hate crimes bill so much that they would risk their "I support the troops!" credentials by voting against it? Their justifications have ranged from the hypocritical (abuse of Senate procedure) to the nonsensical (being gay is a choice, whereas religion is not) to the irrational (the bill will prosecute "thought crimes").

But the main reason is because hatred/fear of gays is running neck-and-neck with hatred/fear of government for the most defining, unifying characteristic of the "modern" republican party. Gay marriage or anything that would lead to increased acceptance of gay people is considered unacceptable and a danger to America. This was perhaps best exemplified by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) who claimed that the Shepard/Bird hate crimes bill would lead to legalized necrophilia, bestiality, pedophilia, and somehow, Nazism (though Gohmert is not the first republican to make these comparisons). It has been the repub party's go-to surefire way to energize their base and get them to the polls.

That's right -- as this latest vote proves, republicans now hate gays more than they love militarism and love pretending they give a damn about soldiers.

How did the republicans get this way? Don't they have any gay friends or colleagues who could set them straight (no pun)? As Kirby Dick's excellent 2009 documentary Outrage shows, they probably do, whether they be gay staffers, members of the media, or even fellow repub congressmen. But as the film points out, many of these gay republicans are so profoundly closeted that they attempt to disguise their sexuality by fighting against every piece of legislation that could be construed as helping gay people, from gay marriage to gay couples being allowed to adopt to the Shepard/Bird hate crimes act. By doing this, these closeted repubs effectively distort the debate on gay rights because their votes have little to do with justice or sound policy analysis and everything to do with their own shame, hypocrisy, and the GOP's desire to pander to their homophobic base.

Watch my ReThink Review of Outrage below.

For more political movie reviews, visit ReThinkReviews.net.

 

Follow Jonathan Kim on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ReThinkReviews

Comments

[Grada3784]

Just look at Jerry Falwell's reaction to Mel White.

Any hint of gay and the Rebiblicans run as fast and as far as their little legs will carry them.

[bokiluis]

I am almost finished reading "Republican Gomorrah" by Max Blumenthal (captivating read by the way) and having just seen "Outrage" on HBO, I still marvel at the age old adage, "sometimes the oppressed are the worse oppressors". It is so disturbing to know, and unfortunately always having known, that the so-called "pink mafia" has done more to hurt LGBT causes than some of the worse religious fundamentalists. How these guys (and women) suffer from cognitive dissonance when parsing away social/moral ills, is truly disgusting and disturbing. Throughout history, the evil personalities in the world have effectively in listed the assistance of members of said oppressed group, to inflict further damage on that group. History notes that the slave ships were filled with people that were tricked into slavery by their own. It is little different with those closeted politicians in regards to LGBT issues. There is nothing a member of the Log Cabin Republicans that will ever convince me that how they conduct there lives has any degree of being honorable. It underscores every bad trait libeled on bitchy queens that sell their souls for false entry into "mainstream society". Watching "Outraged", I wanted to jump inside my television screen and commit some violent act against these noodle-spined traitors. I cannot understand that deeply rooted self hatred. Live with you own demons, but, the moment you make efforts to inflict it on others, all bets are off and their fate is ultimately their deserved downfall.

[SILVANUS]

Republicans of late pander to hate and ignorance, and that is why I make every effort to defeat them. To stoop to that throws any other redeeming traits out the window.

[TryToBeFlexible]

"Pandering to their homophobic base"

Just about says everything. Except, throw in racism for good measure, and the Republican base is beside itself with joy.