This week Rick Perry told a 14-year-old openly bisexual girl who questioned him after a town hall in Decorah, Iowa, that he doesn't believe gays should serve openly in the military because "homosexuality is a sin." I sure hope young Rebecca Green saw the iconic image days later of two female Navy petty officers, Marissa Gaeta and Citlalic Snell, sharing the first same-sex kiss at ship's return. Because that sweet and wonderful photo is the future. And Rick Perry is the ugly and wretched past that we can hopefully move on from after this hideous GOP primary campaign.
A presidential candidate telling a teen she is damned to hell because of her sexual orientation is heartless enough. But in an atmosphere of reports almost every week of gay teens committing suicide because of the condemnation and rejection they experience it is downright diabolical. How cold-blooded and ruthless is this guy?
In the same week, Michele Bachmann and husband Marcus rejected the Kinsey Reports when a woman asked them if they realized that "2.8" of their 28 children and foster children are likely gay. I generally don't think it's fair to drag political candidates' kids into any discussion of their views ( though Bachmann drags her children into the spotlight at just about every debate).
But I do think it's not only fair but completely appropriate to remind all parents -- including presidential candidates -- that their kids might be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. In fact, I think we have a responsibility to do so. Again, in a climate in which teens are committing suicide because of attacks on their sexual orientation or gender identity, they are all our kids.
Without getting into a debate about Kinsey and the 10% figure, whatever the percentage of gay and bisexual people in the population, it's safe to assume the Bachmanns could have at least one gay or bisexual kid -- and all of us who are gay know there are many families where several siblings are gay, lesbian and bisexual. The Bachmanns could have a transgender child as well, as could any parents.
A few weeks ago, when Michele Bachmann was asked by Jane Schmidt, a student at Waverly High School in Waverly, Iowa, why gay and lesbian couples can't marry, Bachmann replied that gays "can get married" -- to someone of the opposite sex. That tells us exactly how the Bachmanns would respond to a gay child of their own, forcing him or her to "pray the gay away" in a repressive, emotionally-damaging program like the kind Marcus Bachmann runs, and pushing him or her to marry someone of the opposite gender. And to tell a young person at a campaign event -- and all young people -- to just forget about equality and deny who you are is pretty callous.
At least Newt Gingrich didn't advocate praying the gay away or marrying someone of the opposite gender when a man this week asked how he would "engage" gay voters. No, he instead just bluntly told the man if your civil rights are more important to you than issues Republicans care about, you're out of luck with the GOP: "If [marriage] is the most important issue for you then you should be for Obama."
And Rick Santorum, basking in his endorsement from the Iowa evangelical kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats, told Greta Van Sustern on Fox News after she asked how he'll get the the gay vote that he " has nothing against gay people" and would try to reach out to them on "national security" and "lower taxes." His agenda, which includes stripping gays of their rights and pushing for an amendment that would make them second-class citizens in the Constitution, is "not a personal attack," he assured. It's just "a public policy difference."
How cold-blooded and ruthless are these people?
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We Vulcans have been called cold-blooded. However, we openly accept our gay brothers and sisters.
I give her credit for not telling him where he could shove his opinion. She handled his rudeness very well.
Trust me - being a veteran, you never forget about those people you've killed or helped to kill in war. However, we made a promise at one time to our soldiers to never send them into an unjust war again. We should be ashamed that we lied to them.
A hint to the 'religious:' If your 'religion' includes the degradation, dehumanization and humiliation of law-abiding citizens, you've chosen quite wrongly and rather stupidly.
Can one even imagine Rick Perry treating Michele Bachmann publicly in the manner the bible dictates and demands that she is to be treated as a woman? Or for him to suggest Herman Cain not have been allowed to participate due to what is written in the bible about those with dark skin?
So, about 'the religious' I can only wonder, how? How??
How do they wrap their brains around the fact that religious heterosexuals do not for one second hold THEMSELVES accountable in the secular world to the rules of their very own bible, yet they seem to believe they hold the power to enact biblical law toward LGBT citizens in the United States.
I mean, if you are going to go around trying to destory the lives of LGBT citizens and using your RELIGION as the impetus to do so, don't y'all think you should be following the laws of your religion as it pertains to your HETEROSEXUALITY?
I can only wonder if ANY of them care about the total destruction they have caused to the name of Jesus Christ and message.
They are extremely cold blooded and Ruthless.....which leads me to the fact that I'd NEVER ever ever ever ever ever ever ever Voter GOP...ever!
Everyone nodded thoughtfully for a minute and then Sister Faye, beaming beatifically, piped up, "Well, I think they ought to have stoned her anyway!"
Sister Faye also went door-to-door proselytizing for the church. When one of her neighbors closed the door in her face, she broke his front window and stuck her head through saying, "HEY! I WASN'T DONE YET!" Again, with her beatific smile.
The neighbor called the cops on her and had her arrested for criminal trespass ...
I think I like this Sister Faye woman, for nothing other than her persistance. Maybe a few stones to the head would have made her change her opinion.
To us suicide as a point of argument also seems a bit extreme.
It is a matter of personal opinion if this article constitutes a rallying point for LGBT or the Hetero community. I can only offer that NO politician can or will be all things to all people, but I do agree that thought before speaking would have been the best avenue for Mr. Perry!
Like Gingrich said, If you like America, enjoy freedom and want to pursue happiness rather than talk about the best/worst ways to torture supposed enemies and strip taxpaying Americans of their rights then vote for Obama.