SILENCE=DEATH

Obama has once again demonstrated that not only does he have no

silence=death

intention of including gays and lesbians in his post racial paradise, he has gone out of his way to thumb his nose at us by continually associating with some of the most bigoted homophobes in this country.  From Meeks to McClurkin, Kmiec to Warren, Obama has time after time shown the whole country that he is ok with people that discriminate…as long as they are only discriminating against gays. 

The reaction from other marginalized groups has been pathetic to say the least.  Taking a page from their own oppressors handbook, many African American Democrats have tried to turn the tables on gays by telling them their own bigotry is the reason for this situation (as if that were a legitimate  justification even if it were remotely true).   I can tell you from experience, the gay community is one of the most racially integrated, and diverse communities in this country, if not the world, no matter what racists like Jasmyn Cannick say. 

Haven’t we heard for years from the religious zealots that those of us who preach tolerance are ourselves intolerant for not accepting their viewpoints?  And hasn’t the left (including african americans) always scoffed at such twisted logic?  Why are non-gay progressives using that very same argument to try to silence us now?  Could it be that they are nothing more than opportunistic hypocrites, just like Obama?   Where is the outrage from civil rights leaders, like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, who up until recently claimed to be allies of the LGBT community?  They are cowards and hypocrites, plain and simple.

Several years ago the NAACP fought very hard to have the confederate flag removed from the SC state capitol.  They claimed it offended them as a reminder of the history of slavery and oppression that the flag symbolizes.  The response from southern whites was much the same as the response that gays are getting now.  They claimed that African Americans were intolerant of their heritage and that they should open a dialogue rather than demanding that the flag be brought down.  I, like many other liberals, saw this for what it was, an attempt to muddy the waters and make it look like the African American community was itself guilty of intolerance and extremism.   Mike Huckabee even used the argument against John McCain during the SC primary.

And a radio advertisement paid for by an independent group used the flag issue to attack Mr. McCain, of Arizona, and praise Mr. Huckabee. “John McCain assaults our values,” it said. “Mike Huckabee understands the value of heritage.”

The NAACP boycotted South Carolina, supported universally by every other member of the Democratic coalition, including the LGBT community.  In fact the LGBT community has been standing by the NAACP for quite some time, even as a large portion of that community regarded us as an “affront” or, like many white evangelical homophobes, as morally repugnant.  Many times we were one of very few people who would stand beside African Americans to promote equality and justice:

The NAACP’s continuing criticism of the TV networks for lack of ethnic diversity in their new fall shows got limited backing this week from an Asian-American group and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

“The NAACP’s concerns about the lack of African-Americans on television are fully warranted,” said Scott Seomin, GLAAD entertainment media director. “Looking at fall TV for 1999-2000, there’s a major lack of gays and lesbians of color.”

Now Obama has selected a bigoted homophobe to give the invocation at his inauguration.  And the only people who seemed concerned are the very gay leaders that helped elect him.  His response, typically, is “get over it”, and that theme has been picked up by every other member of his Democratic coalition, including African Americans who should damn well know better.  All Democrats who do not demand that this man–who equates gays and lesbians with people who molest children and commit incest–be scrapped from the program are cowardly hypocrites as well.  And any gay apologists left out there, including the African American ones, are just down right stupid. 

We all know that the argument of inclusion is pure bullshit.  No self respecting liberal would say that our message of tolerance includes tolerating people who hate us.  We are tolerant of diversity, not discrimination.  That should be taken for granted.  Using that argument makes us no better than the intolerant people who have used that argument in the past.  People like David Duke, and Fred Phelps, and the helplessly stupid parents who felt they were being discriminated against because no bakery wanted to put “happy birthday Adolph Hitler” on a cake, even if it was their son’s name.  Groups like the Minutemen and Michigan Militia or any other hate group.

Once again Obama and his supporters are trying to silence our justifiable outrage over his pick by accusing us of intolerance.  Pretty soon those charges will change from intolerance to racism for fighting back against the bigoted worldview of Barack Obama when it comes to gays and lesbians.   Those of us who were prescient enough to smell Obama’s bigotry from a mile away have already been branded with the scarlet R.  Are the groups that participated in this rhetorical lynching of many gays and lesbians now willing to accept that fate themselves to fight for what is right and just?  As I said before, the gay community took it upon itself to end the AIDS epidemic in this country when nobody would even say the word out loud.  It is time to again gather our courage to face the barrage of insults and slander that will accompany our objection to Obama’s homophobia.  That is the only way we will ever get the rights that are legally conferred on every other American, including marriage.

…And as if you need further proof of Obama’s homophobia and total dismissal of the gay community, this from The Advocate:

Gays Shut Out of Cabinet

As if the news of antigay pastor Rick Warren’s invitation to deliver Obama’s inaugural invocation weren’t insulting enough to LGBT Americans, we’re now hit with the reality that no openly gay people will be seated at the cabinet table to weigh in on the next antigay flap.

LGBT Americans were hit with yet another piece of bad news Thursday — no openly gay people will be appointed to President-elect Obama’s cabinet.

Less than 24 hours after the announcement that antigay pastor Rick Warren would be giving the invocation at Obama’s inauguration, reports surfaced that Rep. Hilda Solis is the incoming president’s pick as secretary of the Labor Department. The Labor and Interior posts having been the only two positions left for which openly gay qualified candidates were still in the running, LGBT leaders conceded that no out person will be seated at the cabinet table.

“It’s now clear that President Obama’s top appointees will gather in a cabinet room that does not reflect the living rooms, board rooms, or rooms of worship across this country,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund…

Steve Elmendorf, a former deputy campaign manager for John Kerry and senior adviser to Dick Gephardt, called it “very disappointing” that a number of high-quality LGBT candidates had been passed over. “It’s a very diverse and inclusive cabinet for every community except for the gay and lesbian community,” he said.

Not that anyone’s counting, but the 22 cabinet-level positions as announced/projected include three Latinos, two Asian Americans, four African-Americans, five women, and, yes, two Republicans.

Yes, even Republicans, and of course bigots like Warren, are more welcome in Obama’s inner circle than even one single gay or lesbian.  Wake up people, sheesh….

SILENCE=DEATH