the rix mix

"Anyone who spends more than two minutes in an airport men's room is guilty of something."

David Letterman

I'm sure you're all familiar by now with Idaho Repug Senator Larry Craig's predicament. One of those political stories that inspires laughter & anger. He did - & continues to - play the homobigot role very, very well. Rich Kim writes in The Nation that Republicans believe "it would be better to be seen in the public eye as an avowed racist than as someone who likes to have sex with men sometimes."

Democrats are different. Not perfect, but better to be sure. When former Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey came out of the closet in 2004, the fact of his being gay was the least scandalous aspect of the "scandal." Sentiment was generally how unfortunate it was that he had chosen to live a closeted life, & that his political ambitions had been one of the deciding factors in his choice. Being closeted had led him into a series of lousy personal decisions hurting those most close to him, & then the rest of us. Mainly we were disappointed & angry about other stuff. McGreevey was a gifted politician - one of the best I'd ever seen, & when he had the opportunity to do the most good with his political talents, he didn't, & maybe couldn't. But in the Republican Party, just being gay means "You're a bad man! You're a very bad man!" - to quote Billy Mumy from a memorable Twilight Zone episode. Hiding in the closet & terrified of being outted warps a life in a thousand ways & directions. At its worst, it makes some people turn their self-loathing on others. & if they go all the way to the Senate, they vote against hate crime laws & for Protection of Marriage amendments & everywhere they look they see their reflections in funhouse mirrors.