Although I don't agree with most of their politics, I have mad respect for sexual minority conservatives who are both out and proud and active in Republican politics and conservative activism. If LGBT conservatives are able to make inroads in the Republican Party, and our equality issues become less of a wedge issue, all sexual minorities will benefit. One reason that I follow groups such as GOProud and the Log Cabin Republicans is their persistence in the face of overwhelming opposition from social conservatives. The hostility that GOProud has received from the social conservatives speaks to the difficulties gay conservatives face in the Republican party. Given their passion for conservative causes and desire to be a real part of the movement, I can almost understand turning a blind eye to blatant sexual prejudice, but participating in it?
The news of Keith Olbermann's leaving MSNBC has unleashed not only anguish from progressives, but glee from the right wing. We've all heard about the excitement from the far right that the most outspoken media critic of the conservative movement's war on America has ended his run at MSNBC. For me, this tweet was over-the-top.
Rachel Maddow is an out and proud lesbian who doesn't really talk about her sexual orientation that much. Still, her sexual orientation really bothers social conservatives, especially men who just can't deal with the fact that some women don't want to suck their cock. I would normally ignore this crap. In fact, I would never even see it, except that I follow one of the ignorant tweeps who re-tweeted this bigoted tweet. The person with the crosshairs of a gun sight (not a surveyor's symbol) as his profile picture, is a prominent conservative blogger, GayPatriot.
Yes, a self-professed freedom-loving gay conservative re-tweeted a homophobic slur. I can understand the desire not to want to call out ones own "allies" for bigoted behavior. I don't agree with it, but I get it. In contemporary America, where people want to think that prejudice doesn't exist, minorities (gender, racial, sexual) who speak out against discrimination are dismissed and seen as "whiners". The pressure not to "rock the boat" must be especially intense on the right.
But to join in? What message does that send to other conservatives? GayPatriot might think that he is ingratiating himself to other conservatives, but what he is really saying is that such homophobic language is okay, and those who object to it are politically-correct crybabies. Well, I object.
The sad reality is that GayPatriot is validating the dehumanizing language directed at sexual minorities every single day. Those who are appeased by his encouragement aren't becoming more open to LGBT equality issues. No, GayPatriot is only affirming their negative view of the sexual minority community.
"Go ahead and keep walking all over me" won't push conservatives to take different perspective toward gay marriage and ENDA. The message being sent is, "I don't have enough self-respect to call you out." As minorities know all too well, the equality written about in the Constitution doesn't happen because the majority "likes" minorities, it happens because uppity, activists minorities demand it. One can't demand respect and tolerate intolerance at the same time.