Weekly Column
Last week, I pointed out the absurdity of conservative evangelical minister Franklin Graham’s words of support for Donald Trump, whose only form of worship has been for casinos, trophy wives, and his own reflection in the mirror. I also highlighted the peculiar phenomenon of so-called values voters supporting thrice-married serial adulterer Newt Gingrich.
This week’s example of conservative hypocrisy, however, is priceless. Obsessively anti-gay congresswoman and presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) reportedly embraced the stars of television hit Glee at a Time magazine gala that took place in New York City’s Lincoln Center.
At this ritzy event, Bachmann and her husband excitedly posed with Glee star Darren Criss and e-mailed the pictures to their children. “We looked for Chris Colfer,” Bachmann said of the gay Glee star, but they didn’t find him. “We don’t watch TV, generally speaking. But the kids were thrilled. What kids don’t watch Glee?”
I am absolutely dumbstruck that Michele Bachmann was star-struck over meeting actors who perform in arguably the gayest show in television history. Glee is so gay that Fox 26 in Houston (KRIV) hosted an idiotic and bigoted show titled, “Is TV Too Gay?”, which focused on an episode where the cast performed a campy show tune remake of Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way.”
Bachmann’s desire to pose and preen with Darren Criss and Chris Colfer is incomprehensible and clearly incompatible with her homophobic career. It is the equivalent of me scouting out Pat Robertson at a cocktail party because my family loves the 700 Club. What next? Are we going to find that the Bachmann family’s favorite singer is Lance Bass and preferred movie is Brokeback Mountain?”
This revelation raises serious questions about Bachmann’s sincerity and makes one wonder if her talk of conservative values is just a marketing gimmick to get votes. Is she truly a fundamentalist or a “fake-a-mentalist” whose anti-gay public persona is simply a hick shtick to appeal to rural Republican voters?
Maybe Bachmann is confused and thinks there are different kinds of gays – the bad ones who sodomize and the goody-goody Glee type that harmonize. Or maybe she just doesn’t own the required Focus on the Family handbook which encourages parents to actually know what their children watch on TV.
Whatever her excuse, it is clear that her family’s love for Glee has not led to Bachmann backing off her gay bashing. In April, the congresswoman gave a speech in Iowa to The Family Leader, an anti-gay organization. Here is what she had to say:
“In 5,000 years of recorded human history… neither in the east or in the west… has any society ever defined marriage as anything other than between men and women. Not one in 5,000 years of recorded human history. That’s an astounding fact and it isn’t until the last 12 years or so that we have seen for the first time in recorded human history marriage defined as anything other than between men and between women.”
The Bachmanns acting giddy over Glee would be rather amusing if it weren’t for her ugly anti-gay rhetoric and the insidious legacy she has left in Minnesota. On Monday, a Minnesota State House committee voted 10-7 to advance a constitutional amendment that would prohibit same-sex couples from marrying. Last week, a Minnesota State Senate Committee approved a similar version of the amendment.
Instead of placing her mug in a photo frame with imaginary TV gays from Hollywood, why doesn’t Bachmann stop the rhetorical and legislative mugging of real LGBT people? Perhaps she can take a moment off of the presidential and cocktail circuit to listen to the wisdom of State Rep. Steve Simon (D) who testified against the discriminatory amendment: “How many more gay people does God have to create before we accept that God actually wants them around?”
In her quest to hobnob with Glee’s stars, Bachmann apparently missed the show’s central message – which is love and unconditional acceptance for all, including LGBT people. It is also ironic that Bachmann would cozy up to actors starring in a television series where the homophobes, like her, are the villains.
Much like the stars of Glee, Bachman lives in front of television cameras in a make-believe fantasy world (She actually thinks she can be president). The difference is, once the lights go down, the set is dismantled, and the actors go home – Bachmann has equal rights and people just like the characters she gleefully poses with are second-class citizens.
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And Chris Colfer, who wasn’t available for her to pose with, is openly gay.
Im a little disappointed, I want a picture of her and Jane Lynch for my wallet
Maybe she’s confused because it’s a Fox show, and she doesn’t grasp the difference between Murdoch’s
news and entertainment divisions, which appeal to very different audiences. Maybe she believes Family
Guy is actually a “family” show. I doubt she’s ever actually seen Glee.
Eh, Family Guy is no worse than a lot of what’s on during “family friendly” hours.`
Two things. First of all, Michelle Bachmann is indeed a “fake-a-mentalist.” I find it difficult to believe that most of the so-called teabaggers really, in the bottom of their heart, believe the nonsense that they’re spouting. They’re like parrots — they heard something somewhere, and off they go. Caw — Obama is a socialist! Caw — Obama wants to kill grandma. Caw — Obama wasn’t born in the United States. Caw — there is no such thing as climate change. Caw — homosexuals are bad. Caw — Michelle want a cracker. But the other thing is that these are people who sometimes unwittingly espouse truths which they would not espouse if they really had brains in their heads. In this case it is parrot Michelle’s statement about marriage historically being “between men and women.” The plural is key here. Yes, the Bible does speak of men with numerous wives. One of the key sources of anti-LGBT nonsense in the States, the Mormon Church, is founded on the basis of people who believed that yes, bigamy is just a dandy way to go through life. The woman has spoken the truth — it’s just that like a parrot, she doesn’t realize it.
It’s not really a surprise to me. Gays have their cute li’l mannerisms and their adorable “fabulous” culture, and make great BFFs to shop with and gab with about boys. They make great entertainment for the superior straights.
But equality under the law? No. Their “lifestyles” are cute entertainment and fun to be around (when they’re not attending bathhouse orgies), but if people like Bachmann actually see past that veneer some gay men give off, they’d see human beings who want an equal place in society.
The same thing happened with Blacks. Whites would enjoy listening to jazz and even rock ‘n roll, but equal rights? No. Their cute “jungle music” was a hoot to listen to, but if we start to take them seriously, they’ll want to drink at our water fountains.
Michele, perhaps you will be inspired to go to the local youth shelter and adopt a gay as a pet. They are much more useful and entertaining than dogs or cats.
One of the best features is that, not only don’t you have to clean up after gays, but they will eagerly clean up after you! Gays have been known to clean up entire neighborhoods that had been destroyed and abandoned by straight humans. And they don’t have to be training to do that – they were born that way!
And whether you adopt a male or female gay, you won’t require the added expense of having them neutered. They just naturally refrain from reckless indiscriminate breeding, unlike other pets and straight humans.
Providing your gay with proper exercise is easy, too. Because they possess the innate sense not to run into the street, and won’t bite your neighbors, you won’t need to fence in your yard or use a leash. And like a dog, gays love to play frisbee and fetch.
Gays do require more work where feeding is concerned, though. They have highly refined taste, and you need to be willing to search and pay for the finest gay food.
Michele, I would recommend a male gay pet for you. Not only will he show you how to always look your best in front of those omnipresent TV cameras on the campaign trail, he will provide great companionship to your husband while you’re away from home.
This is no difference then someone who prejudice against black people but are fans of Michael Jordon. She a classic example of the type of people who don’t believe in true equality but some of their friends are (fill in the blank).
Has anyone seen her hubby? Total queen…
I think Richard Rush expressed perfectly how anti-gay bigots can, for example, love to go see “Wicked” on Broadway, or watch “Glee,” and still be absolute in their beliefs that we are inherently second-class citizens.
Fox Houston does not have a leg to stand on! Houston has a gay mayor!!! If that isn’t an example of hypocrisy I don’t know what is! I am sick to death of right-winged, evangelical self-righteous bigotry! Un-American!
WHAT?! No one has jumped on her obvious attempt to rewrite history?!
Her speech given at the Family Leader in Iowa is clearly attempting to change history. Legalized same-sex pairing have existed since ancient Chinese times, and are known to have existed in the classical Greek and Roman areas as early as the 2nd century. She’s choosing to conveniently ignore thousands of years of tradition in order to promote one that really hasn’t existed before the 15th century.
RoRo is absolutly correct! HYPOCRiSY! I am sick-to-death of these CRETINS wanting control over MY life! DONATE TODAY!
Maybe she, like some conservatives, is charmed by the fey, campy types making a bit of diversion on the TV, but once it comes to actually giving them financial, emotional, and familial security, she’s suddenly against it.
Here’s what I’ve noticed about conservative reactions to my gayness: They are okay with me being gay. But they are not okay with me being happy about it. As long as they can assume that I’m single & alone, they’re okay, but once they see I’m in a relationship, they get offended.