Kerry Statement on Mary Cheney [View All]

[dolstein]

I regret that some people took offense at the fact I mentioned the name of Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of the Vice President and Lynn Cheney, in last night's debate. My reference to Mary Cheney, who is a lesbian, was in response to a question, originally directed at the president, about whether he thought the sexual orientation of gays and lesbians, including, one presumes, Mary Cheney, is a matter of choice. I believe that Mary Cheney, like most openly gay lesbians in this country, would take offense at the suggestion that her sexual orientation was simply a matter of choice. I believed then, and continue to believe, that Mary's lesbianism is a fundamental part of who she is, and I attempted, perhaps imperfectly, to express my own support for her, as well as for other lesbians who do not happen to be daughters of the Vice President and Lynn Cheney. However, out of deference to the wishes of the Vice Presidnet and Lynn Cheney, who clearly care deeply about their lesbian daughter Mary, and do not want her lesbianism to be the focus of this campaign, I will no longer discuss Mary or make any additional references to her status as a proud, openly gay lesbian, or to the fact that the Vice President and Lynn Cheney are proud parents of an openly gay lesbian daughter.