(Note: This is mostly for gay DKOSers, but maybe others can pass it to gay friends--especially in Ohio.)
I'm not one to "share my pain" about being gay. I think that risks turning into a "pity party." And Matthew Shepherd aside, American homophobia in no way compares to the Holocaust or to the virtual lynching-by-neglect of New Orleans. And things ARE better than they once were.
But in one way, I think other minorities have it easier. Jews don't have to go to Thanksgiving dinner and hear family talk about what a great guy David Duke is. Blacks don't have to sit in their churches and listen to sermons on the "negro agenda" and how black marriage ruins white families.
And if some Jews and blacks don't quite get it, imagine how unlikely it would be for a straight, caucasian, middle-class, middle-aged, Christian woman living in Cleveland to tune in to our feelings.
That is why I was totally amazed by this piece by Connie Schultz, aka Mrs. Sherrod Brown, aka Pulitzer Prize-winning Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist.
She captured exactly the "kick-in-the-gut" fealt by every gay Ohioan after Issue 1 passed in 2004--giving Ohio the most vicious, mean spirited, gay-bashing legislation in the U.S. It is so extreme it was opposed by Republican Gov. Taft, and the conservative (twice Bush endorsing) Columbus Dispatch. It is so extreme it has not yet been fully implemented; and if it is, i.e., if Kenneth (gays-are-like barnyard-animals) Blackwell gets elected, expect a lot of us to leave Ohio).
Despite opposition from many TRADITIONAL conservatives, Issue 1 was directly attributed to Pres. George W. Bush's Karl Rove, and Kenneth Blackwell, and those people some Republicans themselves (e.g. Michael Scanlon) cynically refer to as "wacko Christians."
Anyway, Sherrod Brown already has my vote. There is absolutely no choice.
But the fact that Brown's wife "gets it" makes Brown an even better candidate for me. Yes, you elect a candidate and not his or her spouse, but I tend to trust the judgement of anyone who would choose to marry Ms. Schultz.
I will be meeting Sherrod Brown at an HRC endorsed fund raiser on Sunday, September 10th, here in Columbus. I'm looking forward to it. And if his wife is there, I'm REALLY looking forward to meeting her.
- If you want to help Sherrod Brown, here's an HRC donation site.
- If you want to attend the Sept. 10th fund-raiser in Columbus, here's the info..
- If you want to sign on to co-sponsor the fund-raiser, there are 2 days left to sign up. Email Dave(atsign)SherrodBrown.com Sponsorships are at $150, $250, and $1,000 levels.
BTW, if you have seen my comments on the subject, you know I was a total Hackett supporter, and I remain a total Hackett fan--all the more so since he has endorsed Brown.
P.S. Other than co-sponsoring the fund raiser, I'm not affiliated with the Brown campaign.