Volume III. No. 11
 10-16-04
 The Gay Daughter
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2004
 

 A brief firestorm erupted out of Wednesday's final presidential debate
 when Senator John Kerry awkwardly referenced Vice President Dick 
 Cheney's lesbian daughter as he answered a question about whether 
 homosexuality is a genetic trait or a personal choice. Immediately after 
 the debate, Lynne Cheney angrily denounced Kerry as "not a good
 man" for bringing her daugher into the political discussion. 

 This is really a tempest in a teapot because Senator Kerry's unfortunate
 reference is hardly going to turn the election one way or another. But 
 the abrupt and angry tone of Lynne Cheney's denunciation of the senator 
 is worthy of examination.

 What is this really about? Is it merely a family protecting the privacy
 of a daughter? Or is it an opportunity for the Cheney family to place 
 another derogatory label upon John Kerry?

 Vice President Dick Cheney works for a man - and is a member of a 
 political party - that has long used divisive social issues as a means 
 to energize the base. Whether the discussion be about blacks, illegal 
 immigrants, prison parolees, and of course gays, a little "demonization"
 of some subset of society is a tactic conservative republicans have 
 frequently turned to in order to get people on the far right of the political
 spectrum into the voting booths.

 A classic example that is often cited by liberals is the late President Ronald 
 Reagan's choice of Philadelphia, Mississippi as the location to launch his 
 1980 presidential campaign. { this was the municipality from which three 
 civil rights workers disappeared from and were subsequently found murdered 
 back in 1964 }

 Reagan's choice of Philadelphia, Mississippi was insensitive to southern
 blacks, not to mention bizarre. But, what did it matter? The "message" got 
 through clearly to the people that Reagan's campaign wanted it to. Blacks 
 were never going to vote for the conservative Reagan in large numbers 
 anyway. So there was nothing at all at risk for his campaign to connect 
 with individuals who may harbor a deep dislike for blacks, civil rights, 
 the FBI { federal government }, integration, and everything that goes 
 along with it. These bigots were a substantial part of Reagan's political
 base down south.

 Hostility towards gay people is the last acceptable prejudice. Oh sure, 
 everyone on Sunday morning talks of love, tolerance and of reaching 
 out to those among us who may be sinners. { and even if they are not 
 actually sinners... }  On Sunday, gays are as John Kerry so eloquently 
 stated "children of God." Unfortunately, even in some houses of worship 
 homosexuals are decidedly not welcome. The brutal reality is that at the 
 workplace, in the classroom, on the sports field, or in the entire realm of 
 everyday social life, homosexuals may encounter bigoted behavior that 
 can only be described as right out of a nightmare. This applies also to 
 individuals who are merely rumored to be of a homosexual orientation. 

 So what then to make of Dick and Lynne Cheney's protestation of 
 Senator Kerry mentioning their daughter in a political debate?

 Oh, it's okay for our Republican Party to demonize homosexuals en 
 masse in order to bolster George Bush's reelection campaign. But, just 
 don't reference our beloved gay family member in any manner - even 
 to explain your gay-tolerant point of view.

 This is an example of hypocrisy that is absolutely haunting. But the 
 Cheney family is not alone in this kind of display. Tragically it is quite 
 common in families where a relative may be homosexual. The fact that 
 Vice President's family is involved this time, has raised an awareness 
 to what seems a strangely inconsistent attitude on their part.

 The Cheney's are caught in an awful position to be sure. An expression 
 of tolerance of their daughter's sexual orientation out of their own 
 mouth's { or an outsider such as John Kerry } antagonizes the deeply 
 religious republican base who believe that homosexuality is a sin. 
 Period. To the true believers across middle-America the fact that 
 Dick Cheney has a gay family member doesn't soften their viewpoint 
 one bit.

 Homosexuality is wrong.

 The intolerance of homophobes can be amazing. Many Bible-toting 
 ministers down south, let alone the common folk, have been quoted 
 openly that the difficulties in life that homosexuals face is deserved,
 and is the result of their own tragic lifestyle choice.

 In other words, it is the homosexual's fault that they are reviled.

 The flip side of all of this, is that a low-key acquiescence to President 
 Bush's gay-baiting election campaign exposes the Cheney family to 
 an accusation of having a double standard. That of tolerance and 
 understanding for gays who are family. And quiet indifference towards 
 the plight of those who are not.

 Either way the Cheney's are open for criticism. And who in this world 
 would want to be caught in that conundrum? 

 There is a final note to add to this brouhaha. This situation, if you will, 
 seems as as if it is being carefully "handled" by the Bush campaign to 
 minimize damage to their political base. Protecting family is one thing. 
 But, promoting tolerance at the expense of potentional votes is another. 

 That in itself illustrates just how far the discussion of this sensitive 
 subject has to go in this country. How very far we are away from any
 consensus on the issue.

 Kerry may have been impolite to so casually reference the gay daughter
 of Dick and Lynne Cheney. This is politics afterall, and he opened himself 
 up for rebuke whether what he did was intentional or just an awkward 
 attempt to be kind.

 In the meantime, the resulting light that has been shone upon the last 
 acceptable prejudice is hardly a bad thing.
 

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