Romney Battled LGBT Anti-Bully Commission As Governor

[highplainsdem]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Mitt Romney clashed with a state commission tasked with helping LGBT youth at risk for bullying and suicide throughout his term as Massachusetts governor over funding and its participation in a pride parade. He eventually abolished the group altogether.

“We remember well what Romney tried to do as governor of Massachusetts and we now we have more info on some of his own attitudes that may have led to his policy actions,” Eliza Byard, executive director of LGBT anti-bullying organization GLSEN, told TPM, drawing a connection with reports that Romney cornered a youth in high school and cut his hair. “If he’s willing to dismiss that incident as ‘hijinks,’ I could understand that he wouldn’t understand at all why this program was so critical.”

-snip-

At the time, the commission’s co-chair, Kathleen Henry, defended Romney. But relations between the governor and commission collapsed in 2006, after the commission lent its name to materials promoting a long-running annual pride parade for LGBT youth that it helped organize using private funds. Romney, incensed at being officially associated with a gay pride event, threatened to dissolve the commission on the spot.

-snip-

Although Romney backed off his initial plan to end the commission, the damage was irreparable. Fehrnstrom told state representatives that Romney would like to narrow the commission’s focus to eliminate events like the pride parade and broaden its mission to bullying among youth in general and not just among the LGBT community. Romney also wanted the new commission to consist of all new members, according to the Globe. Democrats revolted. Legislators created a new independent commission — over Romney’s veto — tasked with “school-based and community-based programs focusing on suicide prevention, violence intervention and the promotion of zero-tolerance policies regarding harassment and discrimination against gay and lesbian youth.” Romney responded by eliminating the governor’s commission. Aides explained it was redundant to have two groups working on the issue.

-snip-

Read more: http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/05/romney-threatened-lgbt-anti-bully-commission-as-governor.php

[longship]

1. Bully for you, Governor Romney!

The storm is building.

1. Biden, then Obama come out in support of marriage equality.

2. Party not named doubles down against Obama and Biden.

3. Centrist Republicans back the President.

4. WaPo exposes Rmoney as an anti-gay high school bully.

5. Rmoney equivocates.

6. Party not named doubles down by cheering the bullying.

7. Rmoney exposed as supporting bullying as Governor.

Gees, Louise! The pieces all fall together. This guy is a douchebag!



Please, let this have legs!

[truthisfreedom]

4. Jeepers. This looks more and more like a carefully orchestrated chess move by Obama's people.

Somewhere, sometime, I can hear words being spoken to a reporter... "If you truly want to help the President, please hold this story until it can be of the most use to our campaign."

Biden "unwittingly" pushes the issue on Sunday's Meet the Press.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76156.html

Obama stalls for a couple of days, then announces that Biden has made it impossible for him to delay speaking his mind on this issue, which he had intended to do.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/05/todays-worst-day-mitt-romneys-high-school-bullying-story-come-out/52147/

Mittens' story is revealed... the bully that cut a gay man's hair in high school, who later died. Liver cancer is a code word for cirrhosis, which implies alcoholism. Mittens destroyed the young man's spirit. "It was horrible," as I recall his quote.

Now we have this article talking about him ferociously opposing a group that directly associates him with a gay cause.

He's obviously homophobic!

Man, is Obama's team spot-on their game. They've made Mitt stumble. They've left him in a very difficult position where his only defense has been the classic one... "I don't remember the incident." The only problem is, in the original article, everyone remembers the incident, with horror.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romneys-prep-school-classmates-recall-pranks-but-also-troubling-incidents/2012/05/10/gIQA3WOKFU_print.html

[The Magistrate]

2. He Is A Bullying Bigot, Sir: Of Course He Stuck Up For His Kind

[polichick]

3. Someone needs to do THE BULLY ad - lots of material!