I am so sick of this - of someone's sexual or affectional orientation seen as a shameful condition. What is this - the 1960’s so pointedly portrayed on the AMC series “Mad Men”?
This latest case - a Senator who was caught “soliciting”, they say, sex in an airport men’s room - has led to firm and furious denials of “being gay” - am not and never was. As if there’s something wrong with that.
Oh yeah, I forgot. This is the United States in the early 21st century... there is something wrong with that, in some people’s eyes. But it’s hard to listen to the news on NPR and hear people asking for his resignation because of this.
You see, it’s not clear if he ought to resign because he lied, was arrested and pled guilty to something. If those were the reasons, fine. He is not trustworthy and shows poor judgment.
Or he should resign because he is homosexual - a closeted gay man in a homophobic, straight world.
In my heart I think it is because he may - or may not be - homosexual. That is the crime, the transgression. I have to think that hurts every gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, any queer person. To hear, over and over, how unacceptable we are - even if it’s only inferential. Sigh…
About Me
- Rev. Susan
- Greetings! I am a Unitarian Universalist minister and serve the UU congregation in East Brunswick, New Jersey. What you will read here is from the heart, passed through the fire of thought; concerned with both the intimacy of our individual lives and the ultimacy of our place in the universe; centered on how we human beings are created to bring more good into the world. And sometimes it’s commentary on what’s going on in and around my life.
2 comments:
I think your fears are completely founded!
My reaction to his press conference was, "Nobody cares if you're gay. They care that you were arrested having illicit sex in an airport bathroom."
I might not be right, though. Maybe Senator Craig knows more about what people care about than I do....
-m
I don't know; I think he should resign because in the past he's called for the resignation of Senators involved in illicit sexual behavior. Most of the people I've talked to about it feel similarly, but then again, I do tend to run in liberal circles. ;-) I also think that if his constituents think they don't want to be represented by a man who solicits sex in an airport restroom, then they have the right to call for his resignation.
On the other hand, I have to say that reading the incident report, I it reads rather like an episode of Seinfeld or Friends. I mean, I'm sure most sitcoms of the era had at least one show where someone innocently performed certain actions that were taken by someone else to be a request for sexual activity, with funny and/or tragic results (the only one I remember for sure is the "Just the Ten of Us" date-rape episode). So maybe he is innocent--he didn't walk up to someone and say "Hey man, wanna f---?" Which would put a whole new spin on the situation. I mean, if I were issued a ticket for smoking in a city park (which is illegal here), I'd probably say I "I'm not a smoker and never have been," y'know?
I was going to say "I don't really care if he's gay," but that's not going far enough (though it is true). I think that fundamentally, my opinion of the whole affair is irrelevant.
BTW Checked out your blog because I was talking with someone about the ministerial selection process, and I realized I miss you and the church ... the UU church here and its minister have not filled your shoes.
Bethany
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