Calling 'Em Out

So the scandals keep on hitting the press in recent days.

The first (and biggest thus far) is Representative Mark Foley, the congressman from the 16th district in Florida. He sent e-mails and instant messages (IMs) to multiple congressional pages, flirting with them and soliciting sex as well as sending them money and gifts. At least one of the young men in question was 16 years old at the time. The congressman is gay, but remained closeted throughout his tenure on Capitol Hill. In defense of his actions, Foley decides to blame his actions on being molested by a gay priest as a child. There is no excuse for being a pedophile. At the same time, one issue has nothing to do with the other. Being gay did not make Mark Foley a pedophile and being a pedophile and being molested as a child did not make Mark Foley gay. There was a recent report that Foley is undergoing alcohol treatment in Thailand. Yeah, I bet he is. I'm sure there's a few lovely establishments in Pattaya that will meet his needs nicely.

Next, we have the Evangelical leader Ted Haggard from Colorado Springs, Colorado resigning after Mike Jones, a gay escort goes public with their 3 year affair. Initially, Haggard denies the affair. Leave it to a bitter gay man, Mike saved the voicemails and whips them out. (As my brother famously says, "Without that stained blue Gap dress, Clinton would still be shaking his finger at us and saying, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." He has a good point.) Haggard then comes up with an absurd story that he purchased meth, but never used it. He also states he paid for a "massage" from Jones, but never engaged in sexual activity. Yeah...and Clinton didn't inhale.

As an out gay man who takes personally ridiculous claims from the right wing that gays are destroying the moral fabric of this country, violating the "sanctity of marriage", and creating more gays by adopting children who need homes, one cannot help but watch this news with an enormous smile and an overwhelming sense of glee. Who the (pardon my french) do you think you (insert plural expletive here) are to start throwing stones when your glass house has (yet another choice word, commonly used in place of excrement) all over it? There was a study done at the University of Georgia several years ago know where they took male college students and quizzed them on their feelings about homosexuality. The subjects were then put into two groups, homophobes and non-homophobes. Sensors were attached to their members and they were shown three types of pornography - straight, lesbian, and gay. The non-homophobes were not aroused at all by the gay porn. The homophobes were aroused. Quelle surprise.

As I became an adult, it became harder and harder to justify my sheltered and judgmental upbringing. I am proud to call myself a liberal and to respect people's beliefs and decisions as their own. As long as you're not hurting yourself or anyone else, live and let live. It's so frustrating whenever political season comes around and you see the media and the national political machines pull out the words or phrases liberal, California, homosexual, baby killer etc. and use them in a defamatory manner. Yeah, it's so horrible to be a liberal from San Francisco isn't it? Mothers, hold your babies close. Indeed universal health care, a functioning education system, and a decent government pension would be destructive to everything the United States stands for, wouldn't it?

At the opposite end of the spectrum, actor Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, MD) came out publicly. Even though he was pretty much forced out by the blogosphere, he made a very classy exit from the closet. "The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships. So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love." That, people, is the way to do it. Cheers Neil!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Cuidate.