Where is the outcry?

Timothy Kincaid

September 11th, 2010

After Judge Victoria Phillips found the Military’s anti-gay Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy to be in violation of the First and Fifth amendments of the US Constitution, the usual wacktivists shouted their indignation. But other than the wackadoodle fringe, no one seemed to be either surprised or upset by the decision.

We are in the middle of a sprint to elections and I’ve not yet heard a single politician seeking to make an issue over the end of DADT. No indignant speeches from Senators demanding that the will of the people be upheld. Not even the cantankerous military chiefs are grumbling. Nothing at all.

Which – more than any announcements by the President or congressional leadership – tells us that this policy is dead. Over.

And if there is any doubt, consider the most telling (and amusing) line from a Washington Post article:

McCain’s office did not return requests for comment.

David C.

September 11th, 2010

Republican leaders have allegedly told candidates to keep social issues out of their campaigns. All the better I suppose to let slide the dangerous and homophobic planks in the national and state platforms. Almost as if to say “don’t bring that up, we have enough to talk about with the economy being in the toilet and, well, a socially conservative agenda is not what we’re pushing this year and people don’t care anyway”.

Rob San Diego

September 11th, 2010

I think we’re in the Star Trek alternate universe. I’m seeing more and more people wearing goatees. But your right, zero backlash and don’t forget that there was no backlash over prop 8 being overturned.

cooner

September 11th, 2010

No outcry, and yet Republicans are still obstructing the passage of the “must-pass” military bill with the DADT repeal compromise added to it, and Democrats are still too spineless and self-defeating to press harder for it.

Hard to tell sometimes how much things change vs. how much things stay the same.

johnathan

September 11th, 2010

I would guess it is more or less due to two things (at least) — both of which, in the Republican political election mind-set must play hand-in-hand to be successful to electing their candidates:

(1) GLBT families are becoming more and more visible and, thus more and more acceptable within American mainstream societal values.

(2) Due to #1, the social stigmatization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual Americans by the Republican political establishment during the election time will not appeal to these mainstream American “independent” voters. It is these “independent” voters the Republican political candidates need to win, and IMO, the reason politicians have been silent over GLBT-related issues.

Do I expect to hear our community slammed by anti-gay politicians to placate the rabid social conservatives after the elections? In the words of Sarah Palin: “You betcha!”

Emily K

September 11th, 2010

I’m waiting for when the big decisions roll down from higher courts. THEN we’ll see some outcry.

If not, THEN we’ll know something has truly shifted.

grantdale

September 11th, 2010

Where’s the outcry? More pointedly, why is there no outcry right now.

I suspect, and wish I didn’t have too in this day and age, that Teh Uppity Gay will return to a central scaremongering role as soon as Teh Uppity Neegra theme runs its course.

(/breathlessly “Have you hud?, not even born ‘murican and is one of them commie mooselims!”)

Social attitudes, from the wrong side, are shifting; but not that quickly. This suggests something else is at work… for the time being. I’ll go with Emily K on this: wait and see.

ps re the lack of comment: McCain was too busy watching the installation of a tannoy on his front porch on the day. Everyone eventually reaches an age when the pesky local kids seem more of an danger to life and limb than the imminent collapse of the whole of Western Civilisation. Also, about the story, when I was wearing an onion on my belt, which was the fashion in those da..ay..zzzzz Zzzz zzz…

ebohlman

September 11th, 2010

Also, Republicans may have learned a lesson from this year’s success of the Conservatives in the UK. The Tories’ embrace of homophobia in the 80s and 90s was widely considered to be one of the reasons they eventually lost power. They kicked the homophobes out of the party and ran lots of openly gay candidates, and won.

customartist

September 12th, 2010

I’m hearing much pundit commentary today (Sunday) on TV about Islamophobia in America, and with every comment, for and against, all I can do is to relate these sentiments to Homophobia.

The hype about the building of the Mosque near Ground Zero has been all worked up by political factions, just like gay rights during past elections.

We are not important, right now, but let DOMA, DADT, and ENDA approach the Supreme Court and we will see vocal resurgence of Southern Evangelicals, Mormons, Catholics, etc. with loud rhetoric.

Jaft

September 12th, 2010

Tim, the first link sends me to a log in page for BTB.

Timothy Kincaid

September 12th, 2010

Jaft,

Sorry ’bout that. It’s fixed now.

Bruno

September 12th, 2010

The policy seems pretty “not dead” to me at this juncture. Sure, it’s likely it’ll die sometime, but the deeply, deeply homophobic military establishment is fighting tooth and nail. I’m not expecting McCain to remove his filibuster threat just yet, not until he’s re-elected.

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