Mark, it's time to come out...
I've never quite been able to understand gay Republicans. Just like Black Republicans, it's like the chicken voting for colonel Sanders. It's just plain self-defeating. A rather crass friend of mine spares no words, calling gay Republicans "butt boys for bigots". He's not too far off the mark, considering the regard which the Republicans leadership holds gays and lesbians (Lott, DeLay, Sanatorum, etc.). But upon watching the whole "Mark Foley is gay" story develop, it's become clear that not only do gay Republicans hate themselves, but they're sometimes just plain stupid.

Of course, this all started innocently enough. The New Times, a small alternative weekly paper in south Florida ran a story trying to out Mark Foley - a GOP congressman from south Florida seeking the Republican nomination for the (probably) open senate seat in Florida in 2004 (unless Graham runs again). The New Times story didn't create a big stir in the mainstream press at first, and no one paid much attention. But the Internet bloggers caught on to the story, and forced it to become a story in the mainstream media.

Now, Mark Foley perpetuated the story by calling a press conference to discuss the issue on Thursday which of course got mainstream press coverage all across Florida. That's the just plain stupid part. Either confirm it or deny it, don't play the whole, "I'm not going to discuss my private life" game:

U.S. Rep. Mark Foley took the offensive Thursday to address a question he acknowledged may affect his bid to become the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate: Is he gay?

The answer, Foley said, is that it's nobody's business but his own. He called the innuendo about his private life ''revolting and unforgivable,'' and blamed it on Democratic activists who fear his strength as a candidate.

''Elected officials, even those who run for the United States Senate, must have some level of privacy,'' Foley, 48, of West Palm Beach, said during a half-hour conference call with newspaper reporters from across Florida.

''My mother and father raised me and the rest of my family to believe that there are certain things we shouldn't discuss in public,'' Foley added. "Some of you may believe that it's old-fashioned, but I believe those are good ideals to live by…"

''I believe everyone's talking about it,'' Foley said. ``This is a proactive attempt to talk with you all relative to the chatter that's going on behind the scenes.''

He pleaded with reporters to ``zero in on my track record and my ability to do the job I am seeking to do.''

Asked if he is gay, Foley said flatly: ``That's the kind of question that I do think is highly inappropriate.''

Technically, Foley's right. It shouldn't be anyone's business if their senator is gay or straight. Sexual orientation shouldn't be an issue. But that's not how the world works. Sexual orientation is a one of those things that people just want to know, and when you leave it open for interpretation, as Foley did, the media will hound you until you literally come out with it. Foley's sexual orientation may not be that big of a deal in his south Florida district, but it will matter in the north and especially the Florida panhandle. Foley's use of language doesn't make much sense either. If calling him gay is, as Foley says, "revolting and unforgivable", then you would think that Foley would also say that he's not gay. Instead, one can only assume that Foley is gay, but considers it, and himself to be revolting. Sounds like a bad attitude to me.

As for the outing of Foley, I have mixed feelings about it. I have absolutely no problem with the outing of closeted gay and lesbian officeholders that have an anti-gay record. These folks are hypocrites and ought to be held accountable. Foley doesn't really fall under that category, even though he did vote for DOMA, he has received consistently high ratings from the Human Rights Campaign (83% rating currently). Still, even when closeted gays and lesbians have a decent record on gay rights, should it be their responsibility to criticize their party when a high ranking member of their party shows an appalling level of disrespect for the gay community? While gay and lesbian elected officials should always focus most on non-gay issues (as there's probably only one congressional district in the country where gays and lesbians are perhaps the largest and most organized group of voters - and Nancy Pelosi represents it well), I tend to believe that gay and lesbian elected officials do have a responsibility to speak out when the gay community is attacked. How can Mark Foley stay silent when his party believes that he, along with all other gays and lesbians are criminals? How can Mark Foley stay silent when leading Republicans compare homosexuality to kleptomania, pedophilia, adultery and polygamy? As a gay Democrat, I have a hard time understanding how any gay person in a position of power could stay silent.

Mark Foley has a choice to make. He can come out, continue his Senate campaign, and we'll witness a holy war in the Florida Republican primary next year, or he can come out, see the writing on the wall, and just run for re-election to the House, where his south Florida constituents don't care too much about what he does in private. Or, Foley can continue to say that his private life is his own business, and continue to get hounded by the media on a daily basis. Or, Foley can flat out deny that he's gay - something that would look quite foolish after Thursday's news conference. Needless to say, I wouldn't want to be in his position right now. Thank god I never will be. Democrats don't hate gay people.

Posted by: Byron L.