G.O.P's sexual politicsEditorial
Article Last Updated: 08/31/2007 02:57:43 AM EDT
Under other circumstances, Senator Larry Craig would deserve some measure of pity. Arrested while allegedly trying to solicit sex from an undercover police officer in an airport bathroom, Mr. Craig, an Idaho republican, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine; his career is now in jeopardy. His behavior was lewd, embarrassing and dangerous, typical of what happens when gay men are driven deep into a closet and grow to hate themselves as they believe the world hates them.
But Mr. Craig has too long been an instrument of others' misery. He supported a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and opposed banning workplace discrimination against gays. In state after state, his Republican party has calculated that it can drive conservative voters to the ballot box by trotting out gay marriage referendums and asking citizens to vote on the civil rights of a minority. This demagoguery of gay issues has helped Republicans win elections, but at the cost of a decent, civil society that treats gay men and women as equals.
The Republican shock and awe on gay issues pushes gay men and women into the closet. Told their behavior is aberrant, some shrink from the light of day and — as Mr. Craig seems to have done — pursue subterranean trysts with complete strangers, a high-risk sexual practice that increases the likelihood of contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Gay teenagers, given the clear message that homosexuality is shameful, find it harder to accept themselves, and a Massachusetts Department of Public Health study found that gay high school students are four times as likely to commit suicide as their straight peers.
The string of recent sex scandals involving Republicans has highlighted their hypocrisy, but Democrats must shoulder their own blame. It was President Clinton, after all, who signed the shameful Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Eleven years later, most Democratic presidential candidates refuse to support gay marriage.
Massachusetts remains an oasis. Our Legislature wisely voted to preserve gay marriage. Representative Barney Frank, a Democrat from the state's Fourth District, is one of only two openly gay congressmen and easily wins re-election every two years.
moreuhc comment: This is my last Larry Craig post, I promise!