The Week in Gay: You Call *That* a Repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'?
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| You'll still have to stay in the closet for now, sailor |
The major news media doesn't delve into the details of the compromise bill. The New York Times acts like the gays can start cornholing in the mess hall next week. Buried toward the end of the article is this telling quote from Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ): "This policy will happen only when the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stay that it is the right thing to do for this country." Get that? The Democrats passed this hot potato off for someone else to deal with - and they still get the credit for passing a repeal.
In reality this horseshit is a "conditional future repeal" that allows the Democrats to seem like heroes to sycophantic and myopic queers.
According to Ohio State law professor Steven Huefner, ''The bill gives the executive the power to say not only when, but whether, the conditions set forth in the effective date section exist." So, if the notion of openly gay soldiers doesn't become a wedge issue during the midterm elections, maybe Obama will sign off on the real repeal. Or maybe he won't. The buck has been passed to him.
The fact is that the bill doesn't impose a timeline for the military to act nor does it mandate a non-discrimination policy. LGBT personnel can still be discharged for being gay. Lt. Dan Choi grasped this immediately.
Choi has been arrested twice this year demonstrating against DADT. On Wednesday, Choi released a video stating his dismay about the proposal. In Newsweek, he wrote, "Our "fierce advocate," as the president promised the gay community he would be, has presented us with a last-minute Hobson's choice, and it is no cause for celebration." Today Choi has planned a hunger strike to push for an end to DADT discharges immediately.
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Obama is also getting plenty of heat from right-wing lunatics. Twisted speeches were made in the House on Thursday. John McCain is threatening a Senate filibuster. The American Family Association said that all the Nazis were gay and a repeal will make everyone a gay Nazi. Others warned of increased incidences of gay rape and the scourge of HIV-tainted gay blood infecting everyone.
Elsewhere in the world of all things gay, we venture to Hawaii, where Governor Linda Lingle is wrestling with her (vapid) conscience over whether or not she should sign a bill granting Civil Union rights to same-sex couples. She met with opponents of the measure who march in and out of her office like they are wearing soiled diapers (watch the video).
Also crapping their pants is the National Organization of Marriage (NOM). A judge has ruled that NOM must fork over the names of all the people that donated to the campaign to prevent gay couples from being legally married. Poor supremacists! They can't get away with being anonymous bigots. If they lived in California, those anti-gay voters would be stalked by gays until they changed their hearts and/or minds.
In honor of Harvey Milk Day, Equality California (EQCA) sent out an army (albeit a small army) of gays to convert the haters.The Bay Area Reporter says that, "...just over a dozen people hit city streets to talk to potential voters about marriage equality" for Milk Day in San Francisco. That's hardly even a minyan. The Los Angeles Times featured the story of married couple that went canvassing in southern California. The couple chatted up a "devout Catholic" who said, ""I agree that they deserve equal rights and benefits like other couples. But my religion prevents me from supporting gay marriages."
Sigh.
Patrick Connors is an uppity fag who was arrested along with his husband one year ago this week in protest against Prop 8.
Follow him on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @UppityFag
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