Gay folks and Democrats owe a lot to Mary Cheney. She's the woman who single handedly broke up the Republican coalition. This, Pudentilla suspects is the reason why the Cheneys are so peeved with John Kerry, who responded to the question, "is homosexuality a choice?" by saying:
"We're all God's children. And I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was. She's being who she was born as. I think if you talk to anybody, it's not a choice."
Pudentilla doubts that the Cheneys are annoyed that Sen. Kerry suggested that Mary Cheney is God's child. They can scarcely claim that Sen. Kerry "outed" Mary Cheney. In a 1999 interview with the lesbian magazine Girlfriends, Mary said, ""The reason I came to work here [Coors' Brewing Co.] is because I knew several other lesbians who were very happy here." (source)
Perhaps they are angry because Mr. Kerry presumed to speak for Mary Cheney. But Mary Cheney, the well-paid director of vice presidential operations for the Bush-Cheney campaign, refused requests for interviews to speak for herself, so she's hardly in a position to complain. (story).
Pudentilla thinks they are angry because Sen. Kerry suggested that their daughter's homosexuality is not a choice, but a God-given gift and a natural aspect of her personal identity. Certainly Republican Alan Keyes, whose own daughter is a lesbian (story), appears to believe that homosexuality is a choice and that homosexuals like Mary Cheney are selfish hedonists (story). Mary Cheney, herself, did not respond to Mr. Keyes' remarks, and the response of the Cheney family (no "angry father" when a fellow Republican insults his daughter) to his charge was a tad underwhelming.
And Elizabeth Cheney Perry, the vice president's other daughter, said on CNN: “It doesn't deserve a comment.” Bush-Cheney campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said simply that the comments were out of line.
Why would the Cheneys totally lose it when John Kerry suggests that Mary Cheney's homosexuality was a part of her natural identity, a gift from the God who made her, and hardly raise an eyebrow when Alan Keyes called Mary a "self-hedonist" for being gay, implying that her homosexuality was a matter of choice?
Because the Republicans rather desperately need homosexuality to be the choice of selfish hedonists who willfully embrace their sinful lifestyle. The hateful Christians believe this (check out the quotes from Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell on the Matthew Shepard Online Resources page, or Jerry Falwell's "Open Letter to Mel White" if you have the stomach for it). And the Republicans rather desperately need the votes of hateful Christians to maintain their control of Congress and the White House. By one survey's estimate 86% of evangelicals support Mr. Bush. (story). Pudentilla doubts that such folks would ever vote for Mr. Kerry, but in a very close race, the decision of such a secure voting bloc to stay at home would be devastating to Republicans. And the price for this voting bloc is hating homos because they choose their sinful lifestyle.
The problem for Republicans is that Dick Cheney's daughter is a dyke. And thanks to Mary Cheney (thanks, Mary!) the two-step Messrs. Bush and Cheney have been forced to take in talking about homos has radically transformed political discourse about the roles and rights of queers in American society. Think about the discussion of homosexuality that has taken place in this year's debates.
Four positions have emerged. Mr. Bush took the most conservative stance: he'll amend the Constitution to make sure queers can't marry. On the other hand, he felt constrained to say the following:
I do know that we have a choice to make in America and that is to treat people with tolerance and respect and dignity. It's important that we do that.
And I also know in a free society people, consenting adults can live the way they want to live.
And that's to be honored. (transcript)
For Mr. Bush, queers at least have the legal right to live the way the want to and other people (including hateful Christians) have to treat their choice "with tolerance and respect and dignity." Mr. Edwards announced the next most conservative position on the issue.
And I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and so does John Kerry.
I also believe that there should be partnership benefits for gay and lesbian couples in long-term, committed relationships.
But we should not use the Constitution to divide this country.
No state for the last 200 years has ever had to recognize another state's marriage.
This is using the Constitution as a political tool, and it's wrong. (transcript)
Mr. Edwards wouldn't amend the constitution to prevent states from recognizing gay marriages. He wouldn't recognize them himself, however. And he can't explain how he would prevent states from recognizing gay marriages. Perhaps he assumes all the hateful Christians will leave states that do and it will sort it out as a federalism solution. Edwards, moreover, would give queers marriage by another name - "partnership benefits." It's hard to make the words "civil union" scan in a sonnet, but from a legal and political point of view this is revolutionary.
Mr. Cheney, took a different position than that of his boss and ultimately more "liberal" than Mr. Edwards.
And I said then and I believe today that freedom does mean freedom for everybody. People ought to be free to choose any arrangement they want. It's really no one else's business.
That's a separate question from the issue of whether or not government should sanction or approve or give some sort of authorization, if you will, to these relationships.
Traditionally, that's been an issue for the states. States have regulated marriage, if you will. That would be my preference. (transcript)
For Mr. Cheney, like Mr. Bush, queers have the right to choose any arrangement they want and it sure isn't a hateful Christian's business. Cheney, however, goes farther than Bush and Edwards. If a state should choose to recognize these arrangements as a marriage equal to that entered into by straight folks, the state may.
But Mr. Kerry took the position with the most radical of consequences. He suggested that God made queer folks queer. Now if you sincerely believe this, it will be hard to argue that their is any reason in law or religion to deny queer folks marriage or any other rights afforded to straight people - equal protection and human decency would forbid it. Sure Mr. Kerry is a Catholic and the skirted child-molester-protectors who define moral theology for his church insist that acting queer is a sin and that marriage is between a man and a woman. But Mr. Kerry won't legislate his articles of faith on citizens who don't share that faith. And even Catholics will have a hard time theologically defending Church teaching on homosexuality if scientists prove the existence of a gay gene.
Gentle Reader, the idea that these four perspectives would be the range of positions offered in political debates about the roles and rights of gay people in American society is extraordinary. Only a dozen years ago, Pat Buchanan demonized gays at the Republican National Convention. The idea that only twelve years later national politicians would feel compelled to speak about queers at all, much less with such respect and tolerance is extraordinary. The idea that a candidate for President would espouse the position that God made gay people queer is extraordinary.
What the debates did was elimate the political possibility of asserting that homosexuality was a sinful choice. And the hateful Christians have nowhere to go politically. The Republicans will not amend the Constitution to "protect marriage." The votes will fail and when the Falwells of the world come calling, Mr. Bush and his friends will answer, "sorry, there's nothing we can do. The country's moved too far on this one. We had to treat Mary Cheney decently for Dick's sake and things got out of hand." The hateful Christians will stay home, or they will split, but they won't be trusting establishment Republicans anytime soon. If not this election, then the next. But it's over. Mary Cheney (thank you, Mary!) broke the devil's bargain between the Republicans and the hateful Christians.
Civil unions and gay marriage are a coming. As John Kerry pointed out, we too are God's children, and our sexualities, as much as the sexual identity of straight people, are gifts from God to each of us. Pudentilla would like to thank you, Senator Kerry. But, Mary Cheney, Pudentilla - and all queers and Democrats should join her - would really like to say,
Thank you, Mary!
