No One Should Use Foley Scandal for Political Gain
(Washington, DC) – “Anti-gay groups should stop using the Mark Foley scandal to push their anti-gay agenda,” said Log Cabin Executive Vice President Patrick Sammon. “This is a political scandal and a personal scandal, but it should not be used to denigrate gay and lesbian Americans. The anti-gay groups appear more interested in using this situation to score political points than in figuring out exactly what happened in this terrible situation.”
“Millions of gay and lesbian people go to work, pay taxes, raise families, and make this country a better place to live. Their lives and character shouldn’t be demeaned because of Mark Foley’s disgusting behavior or the Congressional leadership’s response to it,” Sammon said.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Paul Weyrich from the Free Congress Foundation, “American Values” President Gary Bauer, and Pat Buchanan, among others, have been using this situation to push their anti-gay agenda. Tony Perkins said on “Hardball with Chris Matthews” that gay men are more likely than heterosexual men to molest young people. Also, Pat Buchanan made an identical claim on the same program. These claims are categorically false. In fact, in 1998 the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 98 percent of male pedophiles are heterosexual.
“These people should spend more much time holding our elected officials accountable for their behavior and less time scapegoating gay Americans,” said Sammon.
I have both a gay brother and sister, so I'm sensitive to any demonizing of homosexuality.But...the damn Log Cabin Republicans have worked long and hard (um) to help elect those who both demonize gays and dream up punitive homophobic legislation.And they were expecting different from the fundies in their party who have made no secret of their hatred? The traditional tales about selling one’s soul to the devil all follow a similar path: the devil pays for the soul with wordly riches and fortune, but seven years later comes to collect the body and the person attached to that soul.It’s only been 6 years that Bush has been in office, but if you throw in the campaigning leading up to to that election: voila!Gay Republicans sold their souls years ago, and the devil is getting his due.Metaphorically or not, who knows? And they have consigned the rest of us to the purgatory of an immoral war, bankrupting deficits, and speedy global warming.
Posted by: judybrowni | October 07, 2006 at 04:13 PM