Friday, April 25, 2003

Sorry Sully

Try as I might, I just can't sympathize with Sully after his painful discovery that the leadership of the Republican Party is full of anti-gay bigots.

Maybe it's Sully's unconcealed hatred for certain religions (reflected in his use of the term "Islamofacists" and the sarcastic "Islam Means Peace"). Maybe it's his willingness to stereotype the citizenry of entire states (California), voting blocs (the "Blue States"), political parties and nations as anti-American, traitorous, immoral, hateful, etc. Maybe it's the fact that he referred to opponents of war against Iraq as "Saddamites," a pun also favored by such anti-gay bigots as Eugene Delgaudio. A man who spews such bile so freely should surely be hardened to a little bigotry thrown in his direction.

But the bottom line is line is that I can't take seriously Sully's argument Bush's support for Santorum "is beginning to make it simply impossible for gay people and their families - or any tolerant person - to vote for the president's party."

In the year 2000, at the Republican National Convention, a large group from George W. Bush's Texas delegation turned their backs on Jim Kolbe -- a long-time G.O.P. Representative, military veteran and gay man -- and prayed in protest of his presence at the convention. Bush was silent then as he is silent now. And let's not forget that Bush, as Governor of Texas, did absolutely nothing to repeal the law criminalizing gay sex which prompted Santorum's comments. While Sully was smearing Vice President Gore in 2000, every tolerant person -- and every intolerant person as well -- knew exactly where Bush and his party stood on gay rights and gay tolerance.

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