Man on a mission: not finished outing conservative gays

[Stone_Spirits]

(http://www.baywindows.com/news/2005/01/20/NationalNews/Man-On.A.Mission-836754.shtml)

Man on a mission
The activist behind blogACTIVE says he's not finished outing conservative
gays

By Ethan Jacobs
Published: Thursday, January 20, 2005

Last August Michael Rogers emerged as a giant-slayer when he ended the
electoral career of Virginia Beach's anti-gay Republican congressman Edward
Schrock by outing him with the click of a computer mouse. Rogers has a new
giant in his sights, the newly elected head of the Republican National
Committee, Ken Mehlman, about whom gay rumors have circulated since last
summer. Rogers has ratcheted up his efforts to out Mehlman, who oversaw
President Bush's reelection campaign, in concert with President Bush's Jan.
20 inauguration. On Jan. 18, the day before Mehlman was elected to his new
post, Rogers sent an e-mail to what he claims are thousands of Republican
activists, describing Mehlman as an out gay man. Not that Rogers is trying
to cost Mehlman his job.

"Having a gay chairman of the Republican National Committee, that to me
would be a good thing for gay people, because I think when Ken Mehlman sits
down with the president and sits down with leaders and Karl
Rove and they start to beat up gay people, they should know that the guy
they're beating up is one of the people sitting in the room right there,"
said Rogers.

Speculation about Mehlman's sexual orientation grew after the Washington
Blade published a May article on openly gay staffers in the Bush campaign.
The article made no accusations about Mehlman's sexual orientation, but it
described his bachelorhood in sufficient detail to raise eyebrows within
the community. In a later editorial the Blade's editor Chris Crain said
Mehlman refused to speak to journalists on the record - even to issue a
statement that he is heterosexual - for that story.

Following Bush's November win and the announcement that Mehlman would run
for RNC chair, Rogers began speculating on his Web site, blogACTIVE.com,
that Mehlman was gay, as did out New York Press columnist Michelangelo
Signorile and Air America Radio host Randi Rhodes. Yet the rumors failed to
catch the attention of the mainstream press (see "The Outing of Anti-Gay
Republicans Deserves Scrutiny," Nov. 18).

-more-

[katinmn]

1. Exposing hypocrisy is a good mission.

[BeatleBoot]

2. More at this link

http://blog.democrats.com/node/2700

[rodeodance]

3. I have reservations about "outing", but when policy is being set by people

in his position, then -the gloves are off!!

[terrya]

4. Mike Rogers is doing good work.

Hey, the Republican Party had its chance during the Party Platform hearings before the convention last August to officially go record as being inclusive to gay and lesbian people in the party...the Log Cabin Republicans pushed for such a plank in the party platform. It was soundly defeated. The party is one of discrimination...no on ENDA, no on gay marriage, no on civil unions, no on hate crimes legislation, no on gay couples adopting. If you're a gay man or woman, by voting Republican you are voting against your own self interests.

And as long as the Republican party exists to discriminates against gay people, then those involved with the party who are gay should be outed. No hand wringing on this about privacy or the morality of outing. They should be outed. Period. And in the case of Ken Mehlman, yes...George Bush should know that he is dealing with an openly gay man. Maybe that might enlighten him. One can hope, I suppose.

So...Mike Rogers is a good man. He's doing the right thing.

T

[sweetbutterfly]

5. outing

Shouldn't Ken Mehlman be the one to decide who gets to know his sexual orientation? I don't care one way or another if a person is hetero, homo, or bisexual (unless of course I'm dating him!)...but I also don't think it's anyone else's business to tell the world. Doesn't the right to privacy apply here?

[The Great Escape]

6. I've Always Agreed With You In The Past...

but these high profile conservative gays are working for the betterment of a class of people, that have chosen to treat GBLT people as second class citizens. They have forfeited their right to privacy, where this is concerned. In my opinion.

[terrya]

8. Ken Mehlman has forfeited his right of privacy.

When he, as a gay man, signs on to a political party that does treat GLBT Americans as second class citizens (and don't forget the anti-gay Federal Marriage Amendment is coming up for another vote this year. Bill Frist has promised that), then Ken Mehlman is tacitly agreeing with that kind of discrimination. So, no he does not deserve any kind of privacy regarding his sexual orientation.

I'm getting tired of these gay Benedict Arnolds (which definitely includes Mary Cheney) going along with this crap.

[drdon326]

9. I kind of agree with you.....

would be interesting to know why the Log Cabin Republicans havent chimed in?

Are they afraid?
Are they being politically correct?

One would think they would be at the forefront on this,no?

:shrug:

[terrya]

11. One would think that.

Since they got seriously slapped down during the Platform Hearings last year. I can't tell the LCR what to do, but it seems to me that this "go along ans change things from the inside" just isn't working. I would think that it's time for them to start speaking out.

At least the LCR did NOT endorse Bush. I guess that's saying something.

The LCR silence right now is puzzling.

[drdon326]

12. Reminds me of Pro-Choice Repubs....

you wonder what the hell they are thinking.

too bad LCR and Pro-choice repubs cant stand together to change that reactionary party.

[terrya]

13. That would be smart thinking.

I suspect that most LCR'ers are pro-choice. And that most pro-choice repubs agree with the LCR and gay issues in general. It would make sense for them to find common cause and band together.

[drdon326]

17. One more thing.....

try to picture a repub party that was pro-choice and pro-GLBT issues.......



Nahhhhhhhh....What the hell was I thinking !! lol

[slor]

10. On one of this mornings political shows...

it was said that ken mehlman is working to make the Dem party suffer in "permanent minority status", by mobilizing an army of "foot soldiers" comprised of the new volunteers from this past election. It is clear that he does not believe in Democracy, so may I suggest you save your concerns over his privacy, and think about the survival of Democracy over fascism. He is misrepresenting himself for selfish political/personal gain, and does not deserve privacy in this case.

[w13rd0]

14. Not when he's undermining those that share his...

..."struggles". He let the religious right invade my right to privacy, why shouldn't I invade his?

[leeman67]

7. that's right. You DO forfeit your right to privacy when..

you take it upon yourself to invade others' right to that same privacy. I have a problem in general when outing people, but not in this case. Just my humble opinion...

[drdon326]

18. Makes sense to me.

.

[Tsiyu]

15. You go, Mike Rogers

Look, these people have 30% of the population convinced that hordes of gay couples are roaming around Amurika demanding weddings and breaking up nuclear families and corrupting small children. These roving bands of Gays are more dangerous than the erosion of our Constitution, more evil than fat white men who kill innocent people for $$$$$$, more insidious than a decimated environment and a soaring deficit and rampant poverty.

Okay, then. I want to know who ALL of these Roving homos are ESPECIALLY the Repuke ones!

(Sarcasm off)

[G_j]

19. I wonder if thinks he is going to hell too

or is it just all the other gays? Because that is what the RR shouts from the hilltops.

this guy deserves to be outed, he chose to be a member of a 'club' that wages a war of hate against his fellow human beings

[seabeyond]

16. and dryer, though a calif i really want him outed n/t

[Melynn]

20. Just another right wing hypocrite

Mehlman is just another right wing hypocrite who will preach "family values" and won't live up to his version of a moral life. See Newt, Rush...etc.

The more we out these hypocrites for whatever behavior they are engaging in, such adultery, drug addiction or whatever the better for us.