Jaundiced Eye for the Queer Republican
Andrew Sullivan, the gay equivalent of that uncomfortable black guy who was paid to travel alongside George Wallace, stood up this week to say that the Republicans are being attacked unfairly. Apparently, Democrats are on the the administration's case for claiming that "Iraq is an imminent threat." Sullivan's made it his job to prove that it all depends on what the definition of "is" is.
But this column isn't about taking shots at the Bush administration. They seem to be doing a good job of it themselves. No, I want to talk about Sullivan and his ilk, the gay Republicans. Or, as they call themselves, the Log Cabin Republicans.
Now, as anyone who has seen a picture of Mary Todd Lincoln knows, Honest Abe was the first gay Republican. Hence the term "Log Cabin Republicans." I will say, I respect Sullivan to a degree. He often takes stands about the unfair stereotyping of gay people, gay men in particular. It's unfair to paint all gay men as fashion conscious, sex crazed gossip-mongers. Anyone who reads Sullivan's blog, "The Daily Dish" would agree. True, he could have named it something less stereotypical, like "The Pink Hairdresser", but there we are. What's done is done.
Like a scrupleless Dan Savage, Sullivan does seem to steer clear of most of the broad presentations of gay men we see on TV today. The fact that 10% of Americans are proud to see their culture splattered onto television by Aunt Toms dolled up in pinkface on "Will and Grace" is instructive. By watching that show, I've learned that gay men are shallow, childish and dumber than real people. Sullivan doesn't jump on that whole Gaymos and Andy bandwagon, and I respect him for it.
The fact is, gay people in America have a long way to go. The Brian Shapiro column today talked about how gays should keep their expressions of pride to their community so that the general public won't become enraged. First, let's note that some Los Angeles homosexuals might consider their community to be...oh, I don't know...Los Angeles? Second, let me say this to Brian. I live in the Piedmont region of South Carolina. 'Round here, they say that exact same thing about Jews. I don't agree with it in either case, but young Mr. Shapiro might want to check the destination sign on the logic train he's boarded.
Not that I was surprised at all. Brian's what? 18? Try it. Come up to me and say "I've discovered a homophobic teenage boy!" I won't cop to an infarction.
But here's the my problem with Sullivan. In exchange for the upper-class tax break he's getting, this guy's got to implicitly defend every Rick Santorum, Jesse Helms and Dick Armey who comes along. You remember that last one, right? A guy who was against letting gays into the military, whose name was Dick Armey? This is what Sully wrestles with as he tosses and turns to the soothing tones of the white noise machine.
Gays aren't a single issue group of people, not at all. But let me say this. If you were black and voted Strom for president, no matter what your stance on taxation was, I'm going to assume you didn't want a drink from the water fountain
8:05:42 PM 
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