Comments on: Video: Sotomayor on gay marriage

By: k. foula dimopoulos

k. foula dimopoulos — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:49:34 +0000

i hope Sotomayor is confirmed. As a white, Appalachian dyke, who sees that the world is full of inequity and injustice, I would be thrilled for a “wise Latina” judge on the Supreme Court. There is no way, unless we have read the legal briefs for the case regarding the firefighters that we can justify it one way or the other. On the outside, for example, I would have ruled with the administrators of the test, and retested everyone. However, I am not a lawyer, nor have I read the case. Unfortunately, it saddens me that racism is so rampant in our communities. And… we wonder why we cannot come together and fight for our rights instead of the crumbs. And, lest folks forget, those folks in Congress who are out, gay, and white, have not always been friends to us folks who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or whatever identity one finds home in. Or people and communities of color. And, certainly have not been a friend to the poor or working class. As a Supreme Court Justice, I have to trust that Sotomayor will be as good O’Connor and Souter — and I didn’t always agree with them. But, she’s better than Clarence Thomas and Scalia.

By: M. Stone

M. Stone — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:59:05 +0000

I have been following the Sotomayor confirmation hearings with interest. I have also been reading some of the commentaries about the insertion of “racism” into these events. I hate to see this happen. I attended a high school where there were hispanics and anglos. There were no blacks or asians. There was definitely racism from both sides. Each side exhibited their sentiments in a unique way but it was there. Hispanics can be just as guilty of it has anglos. What impresses me about MS. Sotomayor is that fact that she has truly worked and studied hard to get to where she is today and she deserves to have her chance. I think she will also continue to learn as she goes on in her career. Other people have changed their points of view as they continued to grow as people. I am sure that as a poor young girl that she also had to put up with unfeeling, ignorant people who made unkind remarks about her ethnicity and her poverty. We are all so good at doing that. I think we all need to be bigger people and help her to understand us as human beings.

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:54:52 +0000

I wish Lindsey Graham would just come out of the closet!

By: Robert, NYC

Robert, NYC — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:51:44 +0000

Judge Sotomayor has a history of hiring gay people to work for her, openly gay at that. One of her gay employees had a partner who was sick and had to spend time in a hospital. The employee spent countless hours at his partner’s bedside and not getting much rest for himself. Sotomayor offered to stay with the partner to give her employee a rest. How can she be deemed antigay if she did that?

Lindsay Graham is a closeted, self-loather. As soon as he opens his mouth, my gaydar flashes on. He even has a certain gay look about him, quite obvious if you ask me. The full faith and credit question was to bait Sotomayor on marriage equality, nothing more. He’s an evil piece of white trash who consistently votes against same-sex rights, against his own people.

By: ArizonaDave

ArizonaDave — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:55:19 +0000

If Sotomayor’s “wise Latina” comment is the worst dirt anybody can dig up about her, then I think that makes her one of the cleanest nominees we’ve seen in years. She’s a shoo-in, and even Lindsey Graham said so in as many words.

Speaking of Lindsey Graham, I think his line of questioning on the marriage equality issue qualifies Queen Lindsey to be outed now. Mike Rogers?

These confirmation hearings have been a huge embarrassment to the U.S. Senate. The pointless grandstanding and douchebaggery from both parties is appalling.

And to BrianNM, who said, “She’ll do whatever she has to do to further hew own career” – how does one further one’s career beyond the Supreme Court? Isn’t that pretty much the pinnacle?

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:16:15 +0000

One last point I’d like to make. If she is this big huge racist, why, out of over 1000 cases is this the only one people can bring up. It seems like everyone has forgotten her dissent on Pappas v. Giuliani (2002), in which she concluded that the NYPD could NOT fire someone for being racist.

By: Zuryanette Reyes Borrero

Zuryanette Reyes Borrero — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:14:43 +0000

Well Chris, I’m a Puerto Rican lesbian- go figure. Now you just met one. And you know what? The amount of queer latinos is a lot larger than what it might seem. Just because you’ve never met queer latinas or gay friendly ones does not mean we don’t exist-maybe it just means you don’t mingle with us a lot?

I hate to break it down to you, but I’ve met quite a few white people who have been incredibly ignorant and sometimes just blatantly stupid. Is that an indication that all white people are stupid? Is there a “stupid gene” running amok in white populations? Of course not. I cannot measure the whole extent of a group based on personal experience alone. And neither should you.

As for her “keeping an open mind”-I’d like to shake hands with her on it. She is an Ivy League educated person who knows how to produce change the Ivy League way-by working inside the system. I would much rather she keeps her mouth shut about it until she gets to power (and beyond Republicans), and works with it once she’s in the system, than outright giving the Republicans one hell of a bait to raise a sizable objection against her among conservative groups. For some people, the Stonewall approach is better but for folks like her, “pisa blandito y jode duro” is best.

By: Rhiannon

Rhiannon — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:46:31 +0000

Why does any of this matter… she will be voted in. this is a waist of time and money and we can be looking into other issues going on.Bill Clinton is a fool.. now he wants to jump on the wagon for a ride..

By: Gerry Fisher

Gerry Fisher — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:44:18 +0000

YEAH! What *Ben* said!

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:38:58 +0000

@Jonathan – Thank you for the full comment, the context is helpful. Sotomayor simply acknowledges that judges are people, and people make judgments based on their background. Chris did so, and so do others.

@BrianMN – as many people has pointed out here, the firefighters case was decided on something like forty years of SCOTUS precedent, precedent created by nine white men. That decision was grounded in the existing rulings of the SCOTUS on Title 7 of the Civil Rights act. In overturing the ruling (and not Sotomayor’s ruling, the the appeals court below her, mind you) the SCOTUS created a new interpratation of Title 7.