First Post: Larry Craig and the 24-hour Newscycle
by Brian | August 30th, 2007 |Matt, Thanks for the introduction. My personal blog has been mainly to keep my friends updated during Equality Ride and then I as continue to meet new people across the country–and continue to move around the country–it helps to stay connected with the people I’m no longer geographically close to. I’m excited at this oppurtunity to comment on news, politics, and culture. And as Matt said, expect some musings.
If you are an American and you have a television, a radio, or a computer, you have heard about the Larry Craig scandal. Matt has commented on it. The Washington Blade blog watch has at least fifteen stories on it. CNN news and video continues to report on it. And though I haven’t turned on a television in the past week (how I managed I’m still not sure), I imagine that the cable news stations continue to include “updates” (”rehashings” might be a more appropriate term). Gay bloggers rip into his hyprocrisy and even his GOP collegues are stepping away. But in the midst of this firestorm, are we asking the right questions? Was Larry Craig soliciting sex? Do police have a right to send plain-clothed officers into public restrooms? Was a crime actually commited? Yes, these are all important questions to be asking but I think there is another, more pressing, question that needs to be asked.
What kind of society have we created when a United States Senator feels the only possible outlet for a gay relationship is an airport bathroom?
Without jumping to judgement on Senator Craig’s sexual orientation or heaping unrequested pity upon him, I would like to pause for a moment to consider this sad state of affairs. Even if this a one giant misunderstanding, cruising in bathrooms and other public places still happens (though not as often as some Florida politicians would led us to believe). I know at my LGBT-incusive alma mater, the University of Southern California, the school newspaper did an investigation into cruising on campus and they report, in light of the Larry Craig coverage, that it still happens.
Straight couples have been known to have trists in common showers, library bookstacks, and probably even out in public at I’m sure most colleges and universities. But what is an adventure for straight people can be a necessity for deeply closested gay people.
I can not imagine what the pit in my stomach would feel like as I swipe my hand back and forth across the underside of a toilet stall or nudge my leg up against an anonymous person. And I thank God for that. I was surronded by friends, classmates, and official resources to help me cope with the difficulties of being gay in an unfortunately anti-gay society.
If Senator Craig’s bathroom debacle tells us anything it tells us that all Americans need to be covered by employment non-discrimination, that all Americans need the right to marry, that all Americans need the right to serve, that all Americans need to be eligible for the Boy Scouts of America. Society cannot continue denegrate and dehumanize gay people because when it does so, it isn’t punishing some “obscene other” that lurks in the shadows, it is taking our friends and family and even our elected officials and it is pushing them into the shadows.
12 Responses to “First Post: Larry Craig and the 24-hour Newscycle”
Nice first post, Brian. Empathetic, fact-based (I saw that article about USC), and full of grace when so many are quick to leap to condemnation. Many of us have seen Sen. Craig’s fall coming, waiting with the sort of dread familiar to those who live under a volcano… but I can’t help but wonder if, on some level, the man isn’t relieved to have been caught. He has a chance now to end this game - here’s praying he finds the strength to do so, one way or the other. Keep posting - I’ll be reading - and God bless.
By Casey on Aug 30, 2007
Perhaps another question is why a closeted gay Senator feels the need to align himself with those who would like nothing more than to see all gay people pushed back into the closet or exterminated?
A member of an email list I’m on pointed out how this issue can and does also intersect with other broader issues of power and privilege. Senator Craig’s only possible way of gaining power, and retaining the power he already had as a straight male, was to lie about his sexual orientation. If Senator Craig had come out as gay, the probability of being elected to a position in the United States Senate would have weakened.
By Matt on Aug 30, 2007
Thanks Casey! And good question Matt.
With this out in the open, Senator Craig has the option of healing deep wounds or just stuffing them down further. I hope he and his family can begin the long-overdue process of healing together.
By Brian Murphy on Aug 30, 2007
Of course the gay “tattletales” (nobody here) aren’t realizing the backfire of publicizing this Craig thing to the high heavens. The public is now associating gays with sneaky toilet sex. And it doesn’t change anyone’s position on how they’ll vote in the future. The InterstateQ work made more of a positive difference than the bitter gay tattletales will ever make.
By Joe T. on Aug 30, 2007
I have to admit that I was momentarily overtaken by schadenfreude. Who wouldn’t be? The man has an HRC voting record score of zero. However, that feeling was quickly replaced by outrage. The case stinks of homophobia, entrapment and police intimidation employed to get a conviction, any conviction.
By Jim Walters on Aug 31, 2007
Joe T you’re right. What is wrong with you people. Listening to all the news reviews, the general public has made toilet sex and gays synonymous. Why aren’t gay men speaking out against this comparison.
This guy is a pervert. Toilet sex is a sickness: Those who practice this behavior should seek help. Why would we find an excuse for this type of behavior: There is none.
What sort of diseases (Hummmm HIV/AIDS) lurk around toilet sex?
Stop talking about bad habits that drive gays to do stuff under cover like this. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight, or curved, you haave the ability to sense wrong. Your morals drive you.
If you do not have morals or cannot control bad habits than this is what you get.
By Patricia on Sep 1, 2007
Yes Patricia… we all know, public sex is bad. And we should stop that behavior - you are right - using whatever legitimate means we can, including stopping the behavior at its causes. If we want to stop something for good we have to be smart enough to ask what causes it. We can have reactive strategies to stop the behavior (sex stings), but that won’t stop the behavior for good until we have proactive and preventative measures to stop it before it even begins.
By Matt on Sep 1, 2007
Patricia and Matt : I’m one of those “decadent” guys who isn’t too upset hearing about sex in public restrooms (though I think it’s skeevy, and obviously a concern health-wise). But I know it’s always gone on. The problem is that so much of the public will get the impression that it’s the norm for gay men to do that. Still, certain gay activists are publicizing this case all over, and none of them are spending time explaining that very few gay men actually engage in such behavior. It’s almost like it’s more important for activists to “take down” a Republican, even if it takes down the whole image of gays too. Their hatred for Republicans outweighs their love of fellow gays and lesbians. (P.S. : Matt, yes I didn’t miss your point about the initial causes of such behavior, etc)
By Joe T. on Sep 1, 2007
Sorry, I should have made myself more clear. I agree with both of you, Patricia and Matt. Sometimes it’s just bad behavior, but in some cases we can blame underlying societal reasons why people do it. (But my post was on the other thing).
By Joe T. on Sep 1, 2007
Thanks Joe…
I think this whole discussion about public sex is a good one and I think that yes, Joe, you are right that the image of the entire LGBT community, specifically gay men, are being hurt by this story.
Public sex is something that does happen all the time and we know it happens, with gay and straight and bi and whatever people, at all ages. I guarantee you that if you walk on to a college campus at night you will find public sex going on somewhere sometime, gay and straight… and maybe more straights doing it. I don’t really think public sex issues are a gay or straight issue… I just think it is a basic public courtesy issue. Do what is private in the privacy of your own home.
By Matt on Sep 1, 2007
Clarification to the above comment of mine…
We’ve all done stupid things at some point in lives… whether that be getting drunk in public or something like public sex. I mean, we are humans and aren’t perfect. I think the majority of people, even if they make a stupid mistake like public sex, later regret it and learn from it.
By Matt on Sep 1, 2007