Can we please not have any more "Is (name here) gay/lesbian" threads?

[ZombieNixon]

These do nothing more than create the impression of homophobia on the left. Frankly, I don't care if Condi Rice is a lesbian, I care that she's a horrible Sec. of State. Sure, it easy to make fun of gays, because they're a minority, but they're A) people too, and B) a solid 1/10th or so of the US population. Judging people by sexual orientation is Right-wing thing to do, and I hope we're not like that.

[TrueAmerican]

1. Is ZombieNixon gay?

;) Just kidding of course.

[ZombieNixon]

2. Does TrueAmerican service truckers for pocket change?

:P

[TrueAmerican]

12. Only Union Truckers

Look for the Union Label

[nashville_brook]

37. am i gay?

dammit!
:)

[Rhiannon12866]

41. I mistakenly "outed" myself on DU, one time!

It was a question posed to gay DUers, and I just mistakenly answered the question, without noticing the "gay" part of the question. I probably would have never noticed it at all, except somebody on DU PM'd me, saying that they hadn't thought I was gay! LOL!:D

I don't have a problem with any honest discussion, unless it turns personal and nasty, which too many have, IMO, just recently. What we all have to remember is that we're all on the same side here. Yes, we all have varied opinions, but we wouldn't all be here if we didn't have more in common than the differences that have been dividing us.:-(

[nashville_brook]

42. it's even funnier if you read your post, like i did, in the voice of

jimmy carter... :) i'm having a da da morning.

i keep getting whiffs of the controversy going on -- and i'm trying to understand it -- but it's exhausting!

every now and then people will go off the rails.

[Rhiannon12866]

44. I know what you mean about Jimmy Carter. Sometimes, when I look in the

Mirror, I expect to see his face looking back at me. I've just gotten so accustomed to seeing it!:D

People do actually seem to have gone off the rails, at least this weekend. I haven't been following very much of it, either, but I did see some nasty stuff. I didn't see gay-bashing, but I did see quite a lot of vegetarian-bashing and Michael Moore-bashing. It just makes no sense. I thought about hitting alert, a couple of times, since it was really over the top, but it appears that the mods are awake and on the job.:shrug:

[ProgressiveConn]

3. It is perfectly acceptable.

Bush's "mandate" was built on hatred of homosexuals. Every homosexual republican or friend of the Bush administration deserves to be outed and proved to be a hypocritical uncle tom.

[ZombieNixon]

4. Doubtful it would help erode his base.

They're so wrapped up in the cult of personality they'd just dismiss it as "God's work" or some such rubbish.

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. They would suddenly embrace homosexuals as "God's work"??

...actually I could see that happening. Falwell, Robertson, and Dobson suddenly preaching that God told them it was ok to be gay (as long as you're a conservative)

But those "librul queers" like SpongeBob and Alan Keyes kid (and gay DU'ers) would still be bound for beachfront condos at the Lake of Fire.

[ZombieNixon]

8. Exactly.

IOKALAYAR.

[No Exit]

28. That would be hilarious!

Seeing Falwell, Dobson, Robertson suddenly do a 180 turn and say "they're God's gays", if they found out one of THEIR political friends were gay. ("It's okay when Condi's that way, because she's perfect.")

But lemme tell you: the followers of the above three stooges would NOT be persuaded so easily. They have gotten so used to thinking of homosexuals as the "enemy", they would not accept what Falwell, et al, said. I think they'd be pushing ol' Jerry and pals towards the nearest fiery pit!

[tinanator]

18. theres a faulty premise

sure his real base is hugely wealthy and totally sophisticated, far too much to give a damn. But his false base, those pinheaded phony religimous bigots are quite susceptible to the meaning of Gannon and other scandals in a way that wouldnt mean diddly to us. And NOBODY cares what we think. Youre quite mistaken if you think I was making fun of any minority. Im just pointing out a blind spot in our observation making. And that old hypocrisy thing should mean considerable to those concerned about marital rights. Shunning discussion because as one complainer said- lesbianism "is icky"
is a far bigger failing than to point out something that seems virtually unknown. Of course, Rome is burning and the Haitians and Iraqis and gays are dying and suffering in untold (ever so literally) numbers, so why point out any Achille's heels? After all, she could be our first stealth gay black woman President, better cut her some slack for the sake of progress.
fuck me.

[Warpy]

6. I'm generally uncomfortable with the process of outing anyone

on the theory that whenever they're ready to come out, they will.

However, this administration is the most rabidly homophobic one we've ever seen, even topping Nixon, so they're fair game.

I don't think anybody much cares who they sleep with. It's the HYPOCRISY of fanning the flames of homophobia and thinking their money and power will save them from the consequences.

I especially want to know who ran interference to get Guckert into the press room for 2 years without a background check that he would certainly have failed.

[latteromden]

7. But it's fuuuuuun. :P

Hahaha, I'm terrible. It's just so amusing!

[Siyahamba]

43. Is latteromden a lesbian?

Hey, you're right, it is amusing! ;)

[latteromden]

47. Well, actually... :P I am, which is probably why I find it amusing, haha.

:shrug:

[cally]

9. I'm often uncomfortable with some of the discussion

on left sites on whether someone is gay or lesbian. We often get pretty close, if not over the line, to being very homophobic. I do think someone's life should be private and I don't care about your sex life. Still, the hypocrites must be outed. It's just plain wrong to win votes, or steal them, by bashing gays and lesbians when many in the Repub party are gays and lesbians. I think we have to fight back. Maybe by making it uncomfortable for them they will hesitate to bash our side next time. Knowing they will be outed if they are hypocrites may make them less toxic. I hope so.

Mehlman, Dreir, Mary Cheney, Armstrong Williams, McClellan---all are evil hypocrites.

[Nimrod]

31. I don't think it's homophobia

I've been here a long time and have never sensed any genuine homophobia. I admit the random "so-and-so is gay" threads are kind of silly, but I think it's just a natural retaliation. The administration has been so anti-gay that this kind of mild rebellion is inevitable.

I think of it all as like my "Why doesn't Jerry Falwell use bookmarks? Because he likes his pages bent over!" joke.

Now when it comes to genuine hypocrisy, that IS fair game. Someone who makes my sexuality their business can fully expect me to make their sexuality my business - just like I wouldn't tolerate a professional thief making moral judgments over my stealing something.

[AlinPA]

10. Thank you for the post. n/t

[NVMojo]

11. I agree, it shouldn't make a difference ...illicit sex with whomever is

in office might be the point but does it really matter if the target is Monica Lewinsky, a hetro, or Gannon, a homosexual?

[BeFree]

13. Tolerant of homophobes?

Ya know, homophobes are a huge majority just like the huge majority of people who were for the invasion. Throwing their homophobity in their faces is fun and can help decrease homophobity in the next generation if homos are lucky.

[chieftain]

14. I understand your discomfort with many of the posts , but

we should not shy away from the subject . Baseless speculation about a person's sexual preferences is offensive and in my opinion counterproductive . However in a situation where there is compelling evidence that a key GOP operative is gay , then it is entirely appropriate to point out the hypocrisy involved in the RW positions .Frankly , if the information makes homophobic voters less receptive to the phony " value " posture of these thugs , so much the better .

[No Exit]

15. I think your view is the most sensible one.

It's not about gay/not gay, it's about hypocrisy!

If there is some gay person who is signing on to an administration that clearly hates gays, that should make every other gay person's blood boil.

Most of the people, gays included, whom I've known weren't afraid to dish a little dirt--if the person had it coming. And any gay person who stands with the most destructive administration in recent memory (possibly the most destructive administration in history) deserves whatever they get--just as the straight persons who stand with said administration also deserve whatever THEY get.

[chieftain]

16. Thanks . You make good points.

I especially like the description of these guys as possibly the most destructive administration in history . I refer to them as the wrecking crew . They relish in destroying key Democratic legacies , Social Security , worker safety , environmental protection , the UN ,etc.. The list goes on and on .

[No Exit]

25. Thank YOU--and I have an idea.

Maybe, if threads about "Is so-and-so gay?" are offensive to some... maybe we could instead do threads called (here's just an example):
Is (fill in blank with name of politico, such as "George W. Bush") straight?

[chieftain]

30. Well , I don't know about his sexual preferences , but

as it relates to telling the truth there is nothing straight about him .

[Tigress DEM]

33. In what sense of the word?

I think he likes women in his bed, but he's as crooked as the path of a F5 tornado and a little bit more destructive.

[lonestarnot]

32. You be da chief! n/t

[chieftain]

46. Thanks . As a Kansas City fan , that's very welcome .

[elshiva]

17. Good post.

[leyton]

19. I agree - it's juvenile.

You can make the point that it's pointing out hypocrisy, but I really think that it stems from a bit of homophobia. At the least people are, IMO, subconsciously pushing that idea that it's a big deal to be gay, even if they claim to think it's socially acceptable.

[Catherine Vincent]

20. Sorry. It ain't goanna happen.

There's probably plenty of gays that start threads asking that.

[Freddie Stubbs]

21. Proof that Democrats are just as obsessed with sex as Republicans

Remember how the Republicans went bonkers over the Monica Lewinski thing?

The sheer number of threads on DU about Gannon and speculation about the sexual orientation of politicians shows that Duers really aren't that different that Freepers, they are just rooting for the different team.

[Catherine Vincent]

23. That's not it.

Sure, we get to talk about it and who he is/was doing but the majority of us are thinking if it will lead to some dirty business going on in the white house.

[jdots]

22. Good point Zombie

sometimes we over react to the republiturd's reationary bullshit.By that fault it does look a bit homophobic here,I tend to go off on black republicans,jewish republicans,women warriors,young republicans etc...republicans of color and yes gay republicans because it seems like anybody with half a brain should see that the good old boy's club of neocon tape worm parasites consider the chosen few to be a few royal famillys and everyone else should be thier slaves.Sexual phobias are rampant in life full of images of what is normal,average,accepted and taboo,trendy , artsy or christian.We have to remember product is sold with sex and envy.When they came out with baby formula the breast became a sales tool instead of a food source
beautiful bodys are sold,when beautiful minds seem to be out of fashion.

[freebird1]

24. "Here Here"

Speculation about a person's sexual preferences or activities isn't productive and is only a method of distracting from the real issues.

[No Exit]

26. OK! Would it be all right to do the threads thus:

Is (fill in name of politician, such as "George W. Bush") straight?

[Tigress DEM]

34. Maybe we should cut to the chase - (Politico) HYPOCRITE or No?

I'm just worried that what you have is the flip side of the same coin, but it would be a bit better.

If what we are objecting to is the Hypocrisy and not the gay issue itself then isn't it hypocritical to go there at the get go?

I think this is a valid request asking us to grow up and put the threads out there in a more respectful manner.

It's like "outing" an African American as a "white-black" because of the hypocrisy. It causes more damage than good.

If gay bashing jokes even about repubs are our style, then we have some deeper problems ourselves, don't cha' think?

I'll admit the whole Bush/Lieberman kiss thing grossed me out, but that's because it was Repub on DEM - eeeewww!

[western mass]

27. Need more threads OUTING gay/lesbian republicans...

If you want to fight the misery spread by these gay-baiting, hate-mongering thugs, then drag their hypocrisy out into the light of day. Let people understand that everything they stand for is a lie. Let them stand naked in the public light of ridicule.

Destroy a few GOP lives? The more the better. Karmic payback's a bitch.

[tinanator]

29. not everybody knows the misery or wants to fight

and for darn sure there aint much difference between some "DU'ers" and freepers. Not much difference at all.

[Tigress DEM]

35. Point is, this is a good enough place to grow into real DU shoes

I think "newbies" on the DU can get a bad impression of a lot of our posts. It could lead to someone not wanting to come back or of thinking it's really OK to do this and causing more divisiveness in an already divisive party.

I think if we START the threads asking about the hypocrisy then we can still talk about what it is they are hypocritical about, it's a sublet bit of a difference, but it would show "newbies" how to be more tolerant.

Jesus talked about how it really wasn't a "sin" perse to eat the meat of the Temple, but not to do it anyway because it sets a bad example.

I call this the "Heart of the Law" if we know we truly respect a gay person and they know that and the ribbing is really not bothering them because of the trust that has been established, that is one thing.

However, it is very difficult for someone who doesn't know our intent to sort it out from BS, mean spirited intent and genuine affection/identification with gays who are being bashed and wanting to treat their bashers to an equal amount of pain.

[madison2000]

36. I totally agree with you ZombieNixon

and guess what, single people are human too, (whether they are allowed to be married or not) and don't appreciate having to defend or explain their sexualiity one way or the other.

There has to be a level to which we are unwilling to sink, even if the other side does it.

[BigBearJohn]

38. Ok, then. What POSITIVE steps should we take? Please advise.

[Mutley]

39. you're aboslutely right

however, though i may disagree with it, DUers have the right to ask these questions. Plus, i doubt that it would ever stop anyway unless DU made it against the message board etiquette.

[Stealther]

40. Amen.

[Mr_Spock]

45. It's hypocrisy we are pointing out - NOT MAKING FUN OF GAYS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the fuck is wrong with gays - you're fucking ruining this place by being uber-sensitive. I'm gonna fucking leave this place if this doesn't stop.

[MadisonProgressive]

48. I've never started a thread like that. I don't think most have.