As I continue to observe the LGBT news regarding threats coming from both Christians and Muslims, this curious message has started to bubble up in my brain pan several weeks earlier. And it crystallized the moment I heard a Youtube video of Newt Gingrich’s speech at the Republican National Convention on July the twentieth, two thousand sixteen:
“Christians are using Muslim anti-queer jihad to make themselves look gay friendlier than a hot, bisexual, 19 year old Navy Seal tweaking his buns off in downtown Montreal on an arctic chilled Christmas Eve ready to do anything to keep warm tonight.”
Forget for a moment, the hilarious manner in which My Glorious Gay Angels have conveyed such a revelation, and see for yourself what I mean. Click on the video link below, then listen to what he says for the next twenty seconds.
Newt Gingrich’s Speech at the 2016 RNC
I find Mr. Gingrich’s declaration in that snippet of film so robust with import, at least from a gay man’s perspective (but surely from an Imam’s perspective, too, though for the opposite reason), as to be more than worthy to repeat below, in plain text, that it become deeply ingrained in posterity:
“If our enemies had their way, not a single woman in this room could define her future. If our enemies had their way, gays, lesbians and transgender citizens would be put to death, as they are today in the Islamic State of Iran.” – Newt Gingrich, RNC 2016
And also as a public domain pic, free to the entire planet:
Gingrich’s speech is a WINNING STRATEGY to beat the Democrats this November. But IT IS A TRICK, and a very clever one at that. For the GOP is obviously picking up issues that our party is either neglecting, or on which they’re dragging their feet. And NO OTHER TOPIC is as timely and of such great import, than LGBT rights!
When has President Obama or any other progressive leader (such as Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton, and a whole slew of others) directly addressed the rainbow striped elephant in the living room that threatens to divide our nation along the bloodiest line: HOMOPHOBIA? The Orlando massacre was their golden opportunity to do just that, but instead, Obama focused on guns and not being Islamophobic…even when he knows that the perpetrator was raised by a fanatic Muslim who SUPPORTS THE TALIBAN, and who spoke VEHEMENTLY to his son about the evils of homosexuality, throughout his entire, short life.
In fact, I believe that Obama has BETRAYED our community by downplaying homophobia, along with never confronting anti-gay bigotry in any of his speeches, including his State of the Union addresses. Especially in light of this tidal wave of anti-queer bills flooding the red states, and Republican lawmakers here and there, vociferating DEATH TO GAYS.
So now Newt Gingrich steps up to the podium and gives one of the most breathtaking–albeit brief–declarations in stolid support of sexual minorities, than any politician that came before. But I know it’s a deceptive play in this game of party rivalry. And Donald Trump’s selection of a rabidly homophobic vice president confirms my suspicion as clearly as the sun is bright.
The new Republican meme, therefore, is: “We are the strongest allies of LGBT rights than any other party in history!”
And THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT for two reasons: (1) the Dems have never addressed anti-gay bigotry, even when that is precisely what is so sorely needed these days, and (2) Islamic homophobia is far worse than that of the Christian brand. And that’s saying a lot, since Christians are directly responsible for inciting hatred, discrimination and violence against LGBT’s with especial vigor in recent years. THEY ARE HIDING BEHIND THE SKIRTS OF ISLAM in order to appear like cuddly puppy dogs to LGBT’s.
But I am hoping that Newt’s inspiring (though devious) speech will force the Democrats to catch up, and even surpass, the GOP’s newfound “rally ’round the gays” scheme. Just as Sanders’ own progressive platform has motivated Hillary to swing more to the left than she would otherwise. But if this does not occur, look forward to:
AN OVERWHELMING RUSH TO THE GRAND OLD PARTY BY FORMERLY DYED-IN-THE-WOOL-DEMOCRAT SEXUAL MINORITIES. I’m sure the Log Cabin Republicans will cream in their Dockers over this.
For unless she makes a sea change (and I hope she will), Hillary will do little to advance our struggle for equality, except for a baby step here, a baby step there. EVEN NOW, WHEN WE’RE UNDER PHENOMENAL ATTACK BY BOTH CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM.
There are some of us who believe, at this point, that a win for Trump will give us better odds than a win for Hillary. The reasoning is thus: should “The Donald” gain the highest office, he will be a lame duck throughout his entire term. In which case, LGBT’s can generate a greater force for change in our favor, than Hillary’s pro-disaster capitalism and war-hawk neoliberalism ever can. (And this will obviously be true for all other progressive causes.) The Republicans may even cater to our every whim in order to upstage their adversary, in hopes of making further inroads into their political aims.
And maybe even morph into a party more liberal than Bernie Sanders, as they inadvertently fall into a bottomless well of progressive waters, in their blind scramble for power by seducing left-wing sirens! Oh what a tangled web we weave.
No doubt about it: we are stuck between Iraq and a hard place (pun intended), for it looks like either vote is a roll of the devil’s dice.
ZekeBlog 2.0 