Gay GOP Candidate Accuses Democratic Rival of Gay-Baiting

Jim Burroway

October 14th, 2011

In case anyone was under the illusion that gay-baiting was strictly a Republican tactic:

Patrick Forrest, the gay Republican running for state Senate in Reston, Va., said he’s heard that Democratic volunteers for State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston) have been reaching out to conservative voters in her district to inform them of his sexual orientation in an effort to dissuade them from supporting him.

Forrest said he heard this information from Republicans in Virginia’s 32nd district while knocking on doors and campaigning.

“I’ve been approached by several people … very, very conservative — and had basically said to me, ‘You know, we heard you’re a homosexual,'” Forrest said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m gay. I’ve always been openly gay.’ Well, we were actually told by … volunteers from the Democrats that you would be promoting the homosexual agenda in our schools.'”

 The Washington Blade obtained recordings of between Eric Newland, Forrest’s field director, and Kavita Imarti, a Democratic precinct captain in Reston, who both justifies the tactic and claims that it is coming from Howell’s campaign:

Asked on the recording to clarify whether this tactic is coming from the Howell campaign, Imarti says, “Yes! You guys are openly prejudiced against someone due to orientation. I think that’s wrong. That’s wrong.”

Later, Imarti says, “What my campaign is saying is here’s your Republican candidate. He’s a homosexual. Why would you want to vote for someone who’s a homosexual and is going to push his agenda in your schools?”

Howell vigorously denies that her campaign is engaging in gay-baiting. Imarti herself is not affiliated with Howell’s campaign, and she now says that she was drunk when the recording was made. Forrest however says that reports of gay-baiting go way beyond Imarti’s admission, and says they include contacts with GOP leaders in the state legislature.

Howell denies the charges, and points to her endorsement by Equality Virginia, as well as her sponsorship of bills allowing companies to provide life and health insurance benefits to the partners of their gay employees and her opposition to the 2006 anti-marriage amendment.

Forrest  has been endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

TampaZeke

October 14th, 2011

Jim, I’m not aware of ANYONE under such an illusion.

Priya Lynn

October 14th, 2011

Zeke, I on the other hand was a bit surprised by this. It not that I thought Democrats were necessarily above this sort of thing but because all the examples of gay baiting I’ve heard up until now were Republicans gay baiting gay/gay friendly Democrats.

Blake

October 14th, 2011

Terrible terrible campaigning in action. She’s in essentially a safe district & she’s been in office since 1992. What’s more, according to VPAP she’s out-raised her opponent nearly 4 to 1. Its truly a poor political calculation to get into gay-baiting at this point. The best I can guess is that they’re figuring if they can alienate him from his base then… what? They’ll win by an even larger margin. Stupid.

San Diego Rob

October 14th, 2011

Oh snap, though I’m not for gay baiting on either side, I kinda chuckle knowing that it is being done to a republican.

Erin

October 14th, 2011

I’ve kinda seen this sort of thing before. A Democrat sent out flyers that reminded voters that his Republican opponent was a middle-aged single woman and questioned if she would advance “family values.” I forget where that was and what office they were running for.

David Waite

October 15th, 2011

Jim, this is a cheap shot on YOUR part. I was so shocked by such an allegation against Howell that I had already begun a post for Daily Kos, in which I was prepared to ask fellow kossaks to give her public hell about this matter. Naturally, I was planning to link to the Blade’s article, with a shout-out to BTB for bringing it to my attention.

Then I read the Blade’s article. Jim, you left this admission by Imarti out of your column: “I do not have any knowledge of anything either campaign is doing, any strategy or anything like that,” Imarti said. “I was speaking for myself as a Democrat, as a person.” By only putting in her admission that she was intoxicated, without the preface I quoted above, you leave the impression that she might well have acted with the implicit or explicit consent of the actual Howell campaign. Moreover, you didn’t bother to inform your readers that Frank Kowalski, the Howell campaign manager, said the campaign has sent a message to the coordinated campaign of Fairfax County that Imarti has “no further association — volunteer or otherwise — with our campaign.”

Still, if that were all, you might be excused for being suspicious that Imarti and Kowalski and Howell were merely doing what politicians do best –lying after being caught cheating– and I wouldn’t have bothered with this comment. The part of your column which makes me suspect your own agenda in reporting this is your use of the accusing Republican’s statement that GOP legislators were also targeted with this tactic, without pointing out something the Blade itself was careful to state: The names of the two antigay legislators who the candidate named as having been targeted, and the fact that neither legislator has agreed to comment to the Blade about this alleged targeting of them with this tactic against the candidate. I guess that would have clashed with your lede, Mr. Burroway.

Apparently, I was the first BTB reader to actually click on your link and read the Blade’s article before commenting, and I’m ashamed to say that (until now) because I’ve had such confidence in your integrity, I’ve felt it unnecessary to double check you. This time I did, but only because I was about to raise a big stink about a politician I’ve liked for years.

The Blade’s article clearly reveals that Imarti, a Democratic precinct captain, used gay baiting, and if she did it is very likely that the canvassing team she would have fielded were instructed by her to do likewise. To stretch that infama into an implication that the Howell campaign itself was behind the tactic is a bridge too far, especially in the face of Howell’s stellar record on our issues. Shame on you.

Charles

October 15th, 2011

Politics is a dirty game. However, there is nothing wrong with being gay or have people telling others that you are gay. Using such tactics should back fire.

Donny D.

October 17th, 2011

TampaZeke wrote:

Jim, I’m not aware of ANYONE under such an illusion.

Nor am I, and while I question that any regular visitors to BTB believe it, in these moronicly hyper-partisan times, I can believe that the kind of person who uncritically frequents the more vociferous and intellectually sloppy left of center websites might.

Timothy Kincaid

October 17th, 2011

Let’s let Howell’s campaign speak for itself. Her website talks about her priorities:

Families and children
Equitable Taxes
Job Creation
Legislation
Personal Decisions
Quality Education
Transportation

Nope, no mention of gay rights or discrimination or even diversity. So I thought perhaps we are “personal decisions”. But that is abortion, genetic information, and end of life decisions.

It appears that issues such as marriage equality, DADT, the Gay Tax and the like just didn’t make it onto her radar. So you’ll just have to forgive me if I’m skeptical about Howell being a big supporter.

Which makes me wonder if there was anything at all other than party registration that qualified Howell for Equality Virginia’s endorsement.

Timothy Kincaid

October 17th, 2011

Charles,

There’s nothing wrong with “Patrick Forrest’s gay and his partner is a great guy.” But “Patrick Forrest will promote the homosexual agenda in our schools” is homophobic bigotry.

And it looks like it’s backfiring big time. While she’ll probably still win, she now has lost face and has been exposed.

Leave A Comment

All comments reflect the opinions of commenters only. They are not necessarily those of anyone associated with Box Turtle Bulletin. Comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

(Required)
(Required, never shared)

PLEASE NOTE: All comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

 

Latest Posts

The Things You Learn from the Internet

"The Intel On This Wasn't 100 Percent"

From Fake News To Real Bullets: This Is The New Normal

NC Gov McCrory Throws In The Towel

Colorado Store Manager Verbally Attacks "Faggot That Voted For Hillary" In Front of 4-Year-Old Son

Associated Press Updates "Alt-Right" Usage Guide

A Challenge for Blue Bubble Democrats

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance

Featured Reports

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.