Harvey Milk was right. So long as people actually know a gay person, they are far more likely to support equal rights. That’s the case with Dick Cheney, father of a gay daughter:
“I think freedom means freedom for everybody,” said the 70-year-old, who is on a book tour promoting his memoir.
“And you ought to have the right to make whatever choice you want to make with respect to your own personal situation. I certainly don’t have a problem with it,” added Cheney, whose daughter, Mary, is a lesbian.
Cheney has shown some support in the past for equal rights, but this is about as explicit as he has gotten (as far as I know, at least). It’s too bad he spent 8 years causing harm to people like his daughter, but late change is better than no change.
Filed under: Same-sex marriage | Tagged: Dick Cheney, gay marriage |
For the Sake of Science 
Cheney gets 1 thing right. That ties him with Gov. Perry
Things Cheney got wrong so far: 6.245 X 10^34. He is way ahead of Perry here (mostly because he is older).
If as vile and evil a figure as Darth Cheney can be swayed by personal acquaintance with a homosexual, that’s strong evidence that direct exposure overrides all other factors when it comes to overcoming Republi-bigotry. Good news indeed.
“Republi-bigotry”
I have a had time continuing to believe in the intelligence of others when I see stuff like that over and over. As if republicans are some how magical and possesses all the hate available.
You guys begin to sound like you are looking for witches to burn or hang (depending on your geography). It’s really getting kind of childish.
You guys? Painting with a mile wide brush? Generalizations like this are childish.
I don’t think that is too wide of brush. especially in this case. Every time gay marriage is even mentioned here, its followed by some jab at conservatives or republicans, despite the fact that a large number of democrats must be against gay marriage for any of these attempts to pass.
Or at the very least a big chunk of independents. If anything, when you get to some of the more extreme members of the “right” such as libertarians, you are likely to see them voting for gay marriage or against it because they don’t beleive the government should be involved at all, not because of the sexual orientation being mentioned.
I don’t notice that one party is anymore bigoted than the other.
“evil, hateful, bigoted republicans!!!!” Is being followed with yawns these days. It’s just gotten a bit old and tired.
When these issues come to vote in state legislatures, the split is usually along party lines. Perhaps a few individuals will switch sides, but they are the exception. It is overwhelmingly part of the conservative platform – and formally in many cases – to discriminate against gays because, well, I guess what they do is yucky.
If you’re tired of Republicans being bashed for their bigotry… well, don’t shoot the messenger. Try getting them to STOP THE BIGOTRY.
First they need to recognize and acknowledge their bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny.
Well Michael, I’m not really interested in what our political classes do. When the public votes on these questions, the only possible way of passing is with independent and democratic support.
I’m not even going to try and respond to the other two. Republicans are always every name you can come up with. Complete nonsense of course, but you just can’t help yourselves.
About 75% of liberals support same-sex marriage. 19% of conservatives do. (2009, http://www.gallup.com/poll/118378/Majority-Americans-Continue-Oppose-Gay-Marriage.aspx).
But if this is about applying the term “bigot” equally, I have no problem: As of 2009, 25% of liberals, 81% of conservatives, and 46% of moderates* were blatant, proud bigots.
*We all know there really is hardly such a thing as a “moderate”. It’s a term people use because they fallaciously believe the center must contain the most correct answers, sort of like “C” is always the right answer on multiple choice tests.
I don’t presume that every person who is against gay marriage is a bigot. It’s kind of irritating that every time someone holds an opposing viewpoint they must do it out of hate and so we must afix to them a dirty little word.
There are likely to be reasons ranging from religion to practical issues for people being against gay marriage. While some may harbor hatred, I’m not sure that is the rule rather than the exception.
I don’t think that 25% of liberals is comprised of bigots, simply because they don’t favor gay marriage. The world simply isn’t that black and white, divided into right and wrong answers with no shades of grey or any other colors.
Unless someone is entirely ignorant, and not willfully so, I don’t really care what their specific reason is for discriminating. They are separating a class of people and targeting them for no other reason than that they are different and a minority. That’s the definition of bigotry.
Michael, you must realize by now that countering Nate’s fact free opinions with actual facts and evidence doesn’t work. He will support Republican bigotry, malfeasance, lying and underhanded doings regardless. Just like he supports the RCC and it’s rampant pedophilia by saying that some teachers do it too
Not necessarily Michael.