Dan Savage: "When Do We Get to Meet Elizabeth Santorum's Imaginary Gay Friends?"

[kpete]

When Do We Get to Meet Elizabeth Santorum's Imaginary Gay Friends?

..................

Political reporters? When Elizabeth Santorum says, “I have gay friends and they support my dad because they agree with him about family issues,” i.e. her dad’s opposition to gay people having a families of their own, your immediate response should be a request for the names and phone numbers of some of these gay friends. Because that claim requires checking out before you put it in print or pixels. Reassure Elizabeth you’ll quote her friends anonymously to protect them from potty-mouthed gay bloggers, they can talk to you on background or whatever, but tell her that you’re going to need to verify the existence of these gay friends. Because you’re a journalist, not a stenographer. You’ll either catch Elizabeth Santorum in a revealing lie—what does it tell us about this moment in the struggle for LGBT equality that even homophobes like Elizabeth and her dad perceive a political risk in being perceived as homophobic?—or you’ll land a pretty fascinating interview.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/01/03/when-do-we-get-to-meet-elizabeth-santorums-imaginary-gay-friends

[HopeHoops]

1. (SHHHH - Ricky is still in the closet)

No offense intended at the GLBT community - but face it, most rabid anti-gay wingnuts have a closet they don't want anyone to look in.

[qb]

2. She has gay friends who are inexplicably unable to speak for themselves.

If there really were gay people who wanted to see Santorum elected, wouldn't they be saying as much?

[treestar]

3. Even if they exist they don't prove anything

But that one or two gay persons can be located who feel that way. Any population will have a variety of opinions.

Ron Paul found a black man whom he had treated well at a hospital once.