…or what makes them believe they can continue to win?
Regarding Michelangelo Signorile’s commentary on Huffington Post titled “Rick Perry and GOP Gay-Bashing in 2016”:We now, and historians in the future, need to try to understand the “thinking” of this man and most leaders of the Republican Party. Do they really think they can continue to win elections without the support of any minorities—how can women, even those who oppose abortion, respect a man who uses the very tactics he claims to oppose?
Are there still, and in 2016, that many white bigots? They must, even in their ignorance and blind devotion to their ideology/religion have some reasons/evidence that the way to win is to preach hatred and fear of homosexuals.
But if LGBT people, Hispanics, et al., do not vote, then perhaps they can win. But can even gerrymandering and voter suppression actually stop those who want to vote for their own well-being?
In 1950, there were no organizations, publications, resources for the hidden LGBT person. Today every major city and every state has an organization and publication informing us of the issues and those who are gay-friendly and those who are anti-gay bigots. There is no excuse for people to not know who is the least bad persons to vote for. And, if the rightwing nuts and leftwing nuts of our movement are more interested in punishing the few politicians who work for our issues but are not 100% in their view, and thus let the politicians who are gleefully/gayly preaching that for us, then they will be proudly but not gayly responsible for our cause losing progress, and undoing what we have done to get us this far, without, mostly, their help.
In case there is any one who can’t understand this, I suggest they read the vile letters and attacks on every homosexual publication in the early days, by closet queens. We were not high-class enough, we had a picture of a nude sailor, we didn’t have pictures of nude sailors, we should take pen pal ads, we should not have such ads, we had fiction, or should not have fiction, we had too many women articles, we didn’t have enough on drag queens, we should not support the service of homosexuals in the military, we are seeking special rights and the public will hate and fear us—as if they did not already, etc.
The only explanation for these people is that they, then and now, do not like themselves. And they fear LGBT people who assume we have equal/civil rights and are working to make that a reality. So these people must find some excuse for not supporting our work.
I suggest people read the words of Henry Gerber, when he tried to help homosexuals a long, long time ago and found no support, only the fear of those who only had time, energy and money for their drag balls. Today they go on gay cruises, buy expensive homes in gay subdivisions, and closet themselves off from the rest of the community—but of course they don’t think they are a part of the community. They don’t need help. They can buy it.
In a sense it is like what some of the nation’s founders said: The danger to our nation and way of life is not from without, but from within.
