Sure, the FMA failed, but our politicians are still trying to score points with conservative constituents. What with the Marriage Protection Act passing in the House this afternoon, I’d say it’s time to pressure your senator to work against its passage in the Senate. And, no, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist suddenly making nice in the FMA’s wake doesn’t count. He doesn’t get a second chance with me.
As well, I’m glad the outing campaign turned out to work along the lines of “You were out before this administration came along and your boss is a hypocrite.” I don’t mind obvious hypocrisy getting a high profile and I think it’s quite valuable to point out exactly how this administration treats its GLBT employees. And Tollman? Come on, you knew what you were getting into, doing that beefcake posing years ago. Closeted gay boys don’t do hunky spreads into metro rags.
Here’s what a high profile outing more typically looks like.
Which leads me to say that Tristan Taormino is far more eloquent than I in walking the fine line between privacy and hypocrisy. Best of all, she has the imagination to point out what things would be like if we couldn’t be marginalized based on our sexual practices:
Here’s how I’d like to evaluate candidates based on their sexual activities. If they’re swingers, then they’ve confronted their own insecurities and learned to let go of possessiveness, therefore they’ll be better able to make compromises when writing legislation. Is he into cross-dressing? Good, he’s not oppressed by gender norms, so hopefully he’ll be a better advocate for women’s issues. Rumors say she likes s/m? She’s probably practiced her negotiation skills a lot, and that will come in handy on the Hill. Into dominance and submission? They can see the inherent power dynamics present in society. Their love of anal sex tells me they’ve got a great ability to think outside the box—that could be useful in politics. And if he likes when his wife straps on a dildo and fucks him in the butt, then we’ve found a highly evolved man who’s ahead of his time.
I guess that would make me, your average switch who prefers to bottom, capable of seeing both sides of the issue with some level of expertise and negotiating towards common ground but still given to doing what my constituents want. Of course, I’d have to find a sexual utopia as my constituency. And — oh yes — I can service the “high evolved” man.
BTW, another example of one’s sexual practices ruining your future: Jack McGeorge, focus of the weapons inspector S/M flap from some time ago, claims his career is pretty much over, thanks to the Washington Post. (Scroll down; it’s in there, but be sure to read Gloria’s take on the Ryan incident.
Finally, thank you Dan Savage for daring to discuss how marital agreements of the skewed sort (Yes, I’m avoiding “screwed sort.”) can not only keep marriages intact but help them thrive.
FYI: Sorry about the lack of blogging this month. I’ve been hiking a lot of creative territory this month, working on a novel, writing essays and short stories for publication, and prepping a short film as a film festival entry. Things should slow down now — only one short story to write between now and the end of the month — which should allow me to blog with more frequency.
