BuzzFlash Reader Contribution

Gay Hypocrisy, Cheney Style

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION

I have to laugh at the "outrage" from Dick Cheney and his wife over Sen. Kerry's mention of their daughter's sexual orientation.

The right wing is portraying Mary Cheney in childlike terms by mentioning her only in the context of her parents, and as a victim of a vicious smear. In fact, Mary Cheney is 35 years old. By virtue of having served as Coors Brewing Co.'s director of corporate relations for gays and lesbians, she has built a career on her sexual orientation.

It was Dick Cheney who first raised the issue of his daughter's homosexuality in this year's campaign, by mentioning it during an appearance in Iowa. As for Lynne Cheney's outrage over the subject of lesbianism, it apparently wasn't present in 1981 when she wrote "Sisters," whose cover describes it as "the novel of a strong and beautiful woman who broke all the rules of the American frontier."

"The women who embraced in the wagon were Adam and Eve crossing a dark cathedral stage," Lynne Cheney wrote. "No, Eve and Eve, loving one another as they would not be able to once they ate of the fruit and knew themselves as they truly were." And so on. This is the author who now declares herself grievously offended by Sen. Kerry's mention of the love that dare not speak its name.

Is there a whiff of hypocrisy here? No, not at all.

Charles Pluckhahn
Seattle

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION