Why did Bill Safire make stuff up in his recent column on Mary Cheney? And why does he think being gay is such a horrifying thing? My take on Safire’s homosexual panic can be read here. Money quote:
The question raised was whether homosexual orientation is a choice. The most obvious argument that it isn’t a choice is that many gay people would obviously be better off if they were straight. Why would they choose something that difficult if they didn’t have to? This is particularly the case with people in the current Republican Party. If homosexuality is a choice, why would gay Republicans exist? Since the party is now institutionally anti-gay, it would make sense for all those who have “chosen” to be gay to “choose” to be straight. But they can’t. Why? Because it isn’t a choice.
And, whether she likes it or not, the most prominent gay Republican in the entire country is Mary Cheney. In fact, she’s particularly poignant proof that homosexuality is not a choice. Her lesbianism is a source of acute embarrassment for the Republican Party. That’s why she was pointedly absent from the family tableau at the Republican Convention. And yet she endures. And her family embraces her and her partner, Heather. What data could be more relevant in response to the question asked?
Only if you believe lesbianism is a “problem” can you believe that what Kerry said is off the mark. And it’s been truly revelatory to find out how many ostensibly tolerant people really do, in fact, believe that being a lesbian is a problem.
The Dish 