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Loading ...Neff: Boxing (anti-gay) Republicans
I box — usually in my backyard with a bag and a pair of Everlast gloves or in front of my television with a Wii remote control and nunchuk.
Watching the Republican National Convention I felt like I sparred a few easy rounds while sitting on the sofa. Ever hear of couch-boxer?“Opportunity rises when children are raised in homes and schools that are free from pornography, promiscuity and drugs; in homes that are blessed with family values and the presence of a father and a mother,” Mitt Romney said. “America cannot long lead the family of nations if we fail the family here at home!” He didn’t mention gay marriage specifically, but he threw a punch just the same.
I dodged and had an impulse to jab, but it’s difficult to return a punch to a television set.
John McCain, said a grinning Mike Huckabee, “doesn’t want to change the very definition of marriage from what it has always meant throughout recorded human history.”
I ducked, and felt another urge to jab with my left.
“John McCain believes in the sanctity of human life from conception. He believes in the sanctity of marriage and family life. John McCain is the leader America needs. Viva John McCain,” Tommy Espinoza told the delegates.
And I dodged again, with no place to land my counterpunch.
McCain himself, in his acceptance speech, made reference to judges who legislate from the bench, a reference to the conservative’s complaint that activist judges are pursuing a liberal agenda that includes same-sex marriage.
It was a soft right hook.
A few of the jabs smarted as conventioneers echoed the policies in the GOP’s platform, which states that homosexuality is incompatible with military service and contains a 390-word plank on “preserving traditional marriage.”
But not one speechmaker delivered a knockout punch — although there were some below-the-belt jabs from the floor by delegates interviewed by cable TV reporters.
After 12 years writing for the GLBT media and covering GLBT issues, maybe I’m well conditioned against gay bashing. After all, I trained in the gay press when Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell were big-time brawlers in the anti-gay arena. By their standards, the fighters in the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul/Minnesota were bantamweights.
Sure, Mitt Romney would like to wear the heavyweight belt worn by Robertson and Falwell, but he’s what’s known in boxing lingo as a palooka — a lousy boxer, a 10th-rater who lacks conviction.
So I barely worked up a sweat watching the convention, and was puzzled I didn’t need to put up my dukes when Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin took the stage. Pundits predicted she’d deliver a culture wars speech. She spoke some about her family, but not of right-wing family values.
Missing last week in Xcel — at least for the television cameras — were the heavy-duty, fat punches of previous conventions. Just think back to Sheri Drew’s invocation at the 2004 GOP convention: “Those who support gay and lesbian families are no different from those who supported Adolf Hitler in the years preceding World War II.” That was a haymaker.
With the jabbing and poking, dodging and ducking, it seemed the GOP was pulling anti-gay punches.
Log Cabin Republicans maintain that with John McCain and Sarah Palin heading up the ticket the Republican Party might retire from the fight.
“Sen. McCain is a different kind of Republican. He understands the GOP lost its majority in Congress in 2006 largely because the Party focused on divisive social issues. Sen. McCain knows the politics of fear and division will damage our party and our nation so he’s focusing the GOP on unifying core principles such as limited government, fiscal responsibility, and a strong national defense,” LCR president Patrick Sammon said, announcing the group’s endorsement of McCain.
Maybe, as LCR asserts, the party’s getting tired, the fight’s getting old.
Or maybe last week was just a bit of sparring and, regardless of how McCain wants to fight, the title bout is yet to begin.
Lace ’em up, maybe to go the distance.
Is there a message here about getting off the sofa, turning off the television and getting involved?
Mitt Romney how do you judge people with out noing nowing them first us gays and lesbians fight for are right for gay marriage whial every one elts gets marriad and devores as many times as they want to. and another thing so fare as the hole family values thing goes you just made your self sound like a complet gerk any house hold does not matter if you are gay or staight and you have kids as long if they are getting a good education,living in a good inverment, and are safe why not. mabey this world isn’t ready for the LGBT comunity well gess what wher here were queer get us to it!
Strange republicans are always yelling about smaller goverment, respecting states rights, less goverment regulation, but they are always pushing bills to amend the constition, take away a states right to vote on their own laws, and pass laws to tell people what to do. It is soooo confusing.
No matter how much militant lesbians want to make aborting a child a part of the LGBT movement it just ain’t.
A woman’s issue? Sure.
Just because it affects a small core of lesbians who want to abort their child doesn’t make it an LGBT issue.
And enough with this freedom makes it all our issues stuff.
The KKK wants freedom to burn crosses.
Shall LGBT’ers align with them?
Keep your woman’s issues where they belong – in the feminist movement.
Stop polluting same sex love.
There, not used to being stood up to by a guy these days, now are you?
I think that the best thing for the movement is for GLBT people to tie into the fact that Gay rights are usually a good indicator of women’s rights. (i.e. In Saudi Arabia, homosexuality is punishable by death, and women are secound class citizens).
Tie in with women, and we tie in with a majority of the population.
I wouldn’t say that McCaine thinks the fight is getting old, but instead doesn’t want to draw attention to it. LCR’s need to realize that supporting any Republican canidate that doesn’t openly support gay rights are slapping themselves in the face because they will never get what they want, and they don’t even get lip service for their time.
Jeff Barera and Maggies daddy, you are both really disturbed individuals, adopting the reactionary right wing Carl Rove strategy of divide and conquer.
We don’t want you or people like you in our inclusive movement for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender equality. Please go elsewhere.
I am a white, gay male over 40, disgusted by your posts. Let me tell you a thing or two about our Lesbian sisters.
While you both were hiding under a rock somewhere, our brave sisters were caring for our ill and dying during the first wave of the AIDS pandemic, when others were even too scared to touch our HIV positive brothers.
Our transexual sisters were the first to stand up to the abusing cops at Stonewall, the birthplace of our inclusive movement.
Our sister Roberta Achentenberg became the first sub-Cabinet level appointee to serve in a Presidential Administration.
Our lesbian sisters have stood shoulder to shoulder with us at every stage of our struggle for equality, and have taken then reins of all of our major organizations (HRC, NGLTF, LA Center, etc,) at one time or another.
So please, do us all a favor, can crawl back under the rocks you came out off.
And by the way, Mr. Barera, if you knew anything about US constitutional law, you would realize that the right to privacy and due process concepts enunciated in Roe V, Wade (legalizing abortion) are the same judicial concepts that led the US Supreme Court to overturn sodomy laws – giving you the right to suck dick in the privacy of your own home without fear of arrest.
I agree with Doug Loves You’s earlier post today. Until 365 gay.com takes an editorial stand and refuses to post blogs that have absolutely no editorial value whatsoever, except the desire to be inflammatory – like yelling fire in a crowded theatre when there is no fire – I will no longer choose to
participate in such a a mudslinging, demeaning forum.
And, believe me, this has nothing to do with personally being called silly names, as that is part of the territory in the normal blogging process. But when racist, sexist, and homophobic pejorative statements can be made with no other purpose but to incite hatred and prejudice, who would want to be a part of that process? Not me, I need some small measure of intelligence in the blogs I devote my time and energy to respond to. That is severely lacking here today.
Have fun and goodbye, John
Have fun yall, signing off, John
John Said: ” Until 365 gay.com takes an editorial stand and refuses to post blogs that have absolutely no editorial value whatsoever, except the desire to be inflammatory – like yelling fire in a crowded theatre when there is no fire – I will no longer choose to
participate in such a a mudslinging, demeaning forum.”
Perhaps that is exactly what they hoped to accomplish…to drive those capable and willing of making intelligent, thought-provoking posts surrender the forum to the jackals. Please reconsider and do not give them the satisfaction.
Women’s issues ARE lgbt issues. When 51% of the population is treated like a powerless minority – trust me here – 10% will certainly be. And the fundamental (ahem) objection to feminism is the same as the fundamental objection to the lgbt crowd: We don’t play the gender role-playing game to their rules. What’s that lovely biblical quote they love to use against gay men? About being an Abomination because we have left “the natural use of women?” Thank you, I don’t think women (or men for that matter) are meant to be USED. But then I’m not a Xian and I don’t see that (symbolicall) drinking blood and eating human flesh is any sort of civilized activity.
I’ve deleted Maggie’s Daddy’s very sexist comments. I’m sorry they were up so long.
I left Jeff’s because even though I disagree (strongly) with him, I think that the idea that women’s issues are not gay issues is a widely-held one and should be aired.
PLEASE ping me if you see offensive comments (that is, racist, sexist, homophobic, un-called for personal attacks): jennifer.vanasco (at) gmail
I need all of your eyes to help police the boards.
I see you took Maggies daddy off the blogs. I am glad you did. Such hateful terrible attacks on people that hurt so many others. We need to all learn to live and let live. We do not need to have such horrible feelings displayed for public viewing. Those of you who found that shit sexist and homophobic are right. I think they were meant to just get attention. Shame on him.
Are you sure you could never feel that strongly yourselves? Well I’ll tell right now that I am maggies daddy. You proved my point exactly. I got the reaction I thought I’d get.AND THIS FICTIONAL PERSON WAS A SICK DISGUSTING CHARACTER.
I’M sorry to have done this. I thought maybe we would all see how wrong all this vicious words can be used to do such harm. We should all see the errors of our ways and try to be more tolerant. It’s got to stop.
Again I am sorry I really am, i know i went over the top, but it did get your blood boiling.I’ve been on blogs under other names calling for calm and peaceful ways. All everyone wanted to say was what I wrote, although usually not so hateful.
The part about the 2 women was true. They were repugnant and disgusting. To be so socially unfeeling and in your face militant does gay rights no good. do not feel the way I wrote about. It was meant to get across how bad things can get. No wonder people get so upset when all they see and talk is like this.
For all you who read these letters, I hope you never act or speak this way and will continue to fight for our equal rights. FOR EVERYONE. tHANK YOU.
John, you are awesome and have a lot to contribute. I would hate to think you are going to bow out based on someone else’s stupidity. We need contributors like you out and about and yes posting your insights.