Forums | MacLife

Dr. Betty Berzon wrote:

....Not everyone is so fortunate. Some people continue to struggle against themselves, and in the process they do things that compromise their own well-being. Sadly, maddeningly, when such a person is in a position of power, their behavior can also be destructive to other gays and lesbians whose lives are vulnerable to the anti-gay politics the individual may be promoting. During the last year, there has been an explosion of outings involving people who are playing out their own internal identity wars on the battlefield of other gay people's lives.

James E. West, the mayor of Spokane, Washington, has a 23-year record of opposing all gay rights legislation in his city and state. In May, he was publicly outed as a gay man who allegedly trolled the Internet for dates with young men, even offering them jobs at city hall in exchange for sex.

Arthur Finkelstein is a longtime power broker in the Republican Party. He is credited with enhancing the careers of many anti-gay politicians, including Jesse Helms. Don Nickels, one of Finkelstein's clients recently made a speech in the U.S. Senate saying: "Homosexuality is wrong, it's immoral, and it shouldn't be condoned, and it certainly shouldn't be elevated to a special protected status by the federal government." The announcement that Finkelstein married his male partner of 40 years last December in Massachusetts came as a big surprise to his many anti-gay political clients in the Republican Party, particularly those known for their rabid opposition to gay marriage.

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum enjoys a reputation as the most vocally active political enemy of gay people in the United States. His most famous statement about gays? "While homosexuality is not, you know, man on child, man on dog ... the question is, do you act on those orientations?" Santorum has also suggested publicly that the government has the right to prohibit gay and lesbian individuals from expressing love for each other physically. "There are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire."

In July of this year it was revealed that Robert Traynham, Santorum's director of communications, is an openly gay man. Traynham, who has worked for the senator for eight years. One has to wonder what goes on in Traynham's head when he listens to Santorum demonizing gays. From that part of him that still struggles with his own sense of identity, does he quietly say to himself, "Right on Rick, what you say is so true"?

We are inclined to say of all this, "Ain't it awful?!" But isn't there something to do about it? One thing we can do in our own lives is be vigilant for homophobia we may have internalized without realizing what we were doing. Internalized homophobia is the enemy within that attacks our natural drive to grow and be healthy and whole.

An example: You pick up that your family doesn't want to hear anything about the gay part of your life. You cooperate in the conspiracy of silence surrounding this because you don't want to upset anybody, yet you feel stifled, punished. You listen to others in the family talk about their lives, loves and friends, but you are silent. This may mean that some part of you must agree that your gay life is not fit for discussion within the family context. That's internalized homophobia, and you are letting it take root and grow by agreeing to be silenced. Speak up. Insist they listen. Talking about your life will normalize it for them -- and for you as well.

Clinton criticises GOP strategist wrote:

Finkelstein, 59, has spent decades helping far-right, anti-gay politicians win re-election, including notorious North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms. He is now galvanizing conservative donors to raise $10 million for a new PAC, "Stop Her Now," to pre-empt a possible presidential bid by Clinton in 2008 by defeating her 2006 re-election to the Senate in New York. Finkelstein made headlines last weekend after The New York Times reported that in December he married his male partner at his Massachusetts home. He was quickly denounced as a "hypocrite" by Democrats. "For years he's worked for right-wing candidates who demonize gays and lesbians, and who have tried to prevent gays and lesbians from being married," said Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman Philip Johnston.

When asked about Finkelstein's efforts to unseat his wife, Bill Clinton responded, "Either this guy believes his party is not serious and is totally Machiavellian in its position, or you know, as David Brock said in his great book 'Blinded by the Right,' there's some sort of self-loathing or something. I was more sad for him."

Log Cabin Republicans had harsh words for the former president, citing the federal Defense of Marriage Act and the military's anti-gay "don't ask, don't tell" policy, both of which Clinton signed into law. Clinton also favored the proposed adoption, by the Democratic platform during the 2004 election, of a policy against the legalization of same-sex marriage and was highly critical of the Democrats' refusal to adopt the policy. Similarly, Senator Clinton has repeatedly expressed the opinion that civil unions, not marriage, are appropriate for gay and lesbian Americans.

It's not just self-hating and/or amoral gays that are the hypocrites and the problem. Santorum has decided to "stand by" his spokesperson, and his spokesperson said the senator knew he's gay. The mind reels...

It's just as one gay commentator on Charlie Rose said: "We have no representation. We have no friends in Washington." He went on to assert that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been condoned by those in power as a way to reduce the number of gays. He cited the number of years in which nothing was done or said by the US government in the 80s, as well as other points.