Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJanuary 3rd, 2011
Here’s a odd little note about Pat Toomey, the incoming Republican/Tea Party Pennsylvania Senator: (NYT)
But as he prepared to take office this week, Mr. Toomey hardly sounded like a partisan rabble-rouser.
For one thing, he supported repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law to allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military.
…
On “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Mr. Toomey said that since the military brass believed that allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly would enable the armed forces to execute their mission better, he was supportive of a repeal. He also said that the previous policy was wrong because it forced gay service members to “live a lie.”
I’ve bought into the portrayal of Toomey as extremist and assumed his Tea Party fiscal conservatism was a cover for his right-wing social agenda. I hope this is an indication that perhaps there is a more nuanced Toomey than has been portrayed, and that he is approachable on some of our issues.
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Tom in Lazybrook
January 3rd, 2011
I also noted his support for a repeal of DADT. However, I’m going to wait before I move him out of the ‘extremist’ camp.
Furthermore, it remains to be seen if he will have any support on the remaining civil rights issues such as ENDA, UAFA, marriage equality, etc.
Stefan
January 3rd, 2011
Good to hear about Toomey. I believe Rand Paul also would’ve voted for repeal had it come up when he was in office. Funny that repeal probably would’ve passed in the Senate even after the lame duck session!
Bruno
January 4th, 2011
Given he’s from a center-left state, we’ll probably see him on the center-left side of things. Don’t expect an endorsement of the repeal of DOMA anytime soon, or a trans-inclusive ENDA either for that matter.
Rossi
January 4th, 2011
Every once in a while you see flickers of light from the other side of the aisle, where party discipline had once ruled in lockstep against gay rights.
I think it remains to be seen whether such discipline returns–you wouldn’t notice any give from anyone save Michael Steele in terms of a “big tent” anytime soon during yesterday’s joke of an RNC candidate discussion. In fact, the likely replacement from Steele is a hard-liner, litmus testing “you can’t be in the GOP unless you’re on board with the entire platform” type, which could trickle down to the biggest thing that would make a Rand Paul or Pat Toomey stray:
Election money.
Rossi
January 4th, 2011
Oops, I wanted to say “that would prevent a Rand Paul or Pat Toomey from straying”.
Keyboard’s fault. :)
L. Junius Brutus
January 4th, 2011
WI’s new senator Ron Johnson also supports repeal of DADT, if I’m not mistaken.
Emily K
January 4th, 2011
Bruno, Unfortunately, my state (PA) has a tendency to elect batsh!t insane right wingers. We do, after all, have Pennsyltucky. And they gave us Rick “Man-On-Dog” Santorum.
TampaZeke
January 4th, 2011
Some of the most anti-gay people out there support our right to die fighting for THEIR rights; especially when they are typical pro-war, ANY war, chickenhawks unwilling to fight in one themselves.
I don’t think support for repeal of DADT qualifies for being pro-gay, or even not anti-gay.
Ed B
January 5th, 2011
Being in PA, I’m in a wait and see pattern and have concerns he could be Santorum-lite. Once you subtract out the ‘progressives’ in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the rest of the state has red-leaning tendencies.
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