On Being Gay

I wrote a piece called On Being Trans and posted it on July 23, 2023, not quite three years ago.  I’m writing this now because the politics of sexual identity has exploded out of control.

My first response is simple: the political issue of sexual identity is a Republican wedge issue, and wedge issues by definition are meant to distract from serious issues, like war and peace, the size of our National Debt, wealth inequality, etc.  Another reason this issue is not so important is the number of folks it affects.

Before I go on, let me be crystal clear how I feel/think about the wedge issue of trans rights.

First, apparently a boy/man can claim he is a girl/woman and that makes him a her.  In my book, this is nonsense.  If a male feels female, ok, fine, no problem, but that does not confer oh him/her the right to impose his/her feelings on others.  In other words, the feelings of the girls/women (plural) in their bathrooms trumps the feelings of the boy/man (singular) claiming to be a girl/woman.

Second, trans rights in bathrooms.  From here on, by trans I mean a person who has undergone some surgery.  In private/public bathrooms, like Walmart, their rules apply, period.  In public places, like schools or government buildings, I feel/think that their local rules should apply.  I understand that there are many Americans who feel (surely NOT think) that there ought to be a federal law, one that supports their bigotry.  I was raised with the dictum, “don’t make a federal case out of it.”  In other words, don’t make a big thing out of a little thing.  If you, dear reader, happen to be gay or otherwise non-straight, and you felt insulted by what I just said, sorry, your problem.

Third, gay rights in athletics.  “It is unfair having a trans girl play on a girls’ team in a competitive game.”  Probably the case, probably but not absolutely.  Nevertheless, my feeling/thinking says the same as I said about bathrooms: the decision should be local.  Let the coach decide.  If a game is intramural, between two schools, again, let the coaches decide.  No need to make a federal case out of it.

Fourth, should a trans person feel so strongly that his/her rights are being denied by a coach or a school that he/she wants literally to make a federal case out of it, my advice is: don’t bother, you will lose.  If a federal law were to be written, it would NOT be in your favor.  For at least the next twenty years.

Fifth, “America is not ready for a gay president.”  Proponents of this notion claim that “America was not ready for a woman president, look at Hillary and Kamala.”  As to Hillary, 1) she won three million more votes than Trump, and 2) she was a terrible campaigner (read my book, Stop the Steal: The Handbook for Democrats who want to win their Elections).  As for Kamala, 1) she didn’t have enough time, 2) she was less popular that her boss, President Joe Biden, and 3) she also was not a great campaigner.  As for donald trump, he is New York City garbage, but he knows how to campaign.  Finally, in 2008, when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were vying for the Democratic nomination, I prayed that Hillary would win as I felt/thought that it would be much easier for a woman than a black man to win the presidency.  Who knows how well Hillary would have done in the presidential election of 2008?  Finally#2, we were SO ready for a black president that he won against the most decent and honorable Republican in at least 50 years who was eminently fit to be president; I SO wanted to vote for both men!

Sixth, “America is not ready for a gay president”?   Well, this means Pete Buttigieg.  In most polls of Democrats potentially running for the presidency in 2028, Pete is third behind Kamala Harris (“you had your chance”) and (slick) Gavin Newsom.  Most recently, Pete was second to AOC and she is too young and too polarizing.

Could Pete Buttigieg, a gay man, win the presidency?  For those who think not, please read the Wikipedia article on him and tell me YOU will not only vote for him, but you will also work to get him elected, even if you are a non-MAGA Republican.  By temperament and talent, no political figure is in his league, not just now but for at least the past 50 years.  I dare any Republican candidate for president to debate Pete Buttigieg in front of tens of millions of Americans!

Seventh, my pronouns are I/me/mine.  I understand that many Americans who are not LGBTQIA+ show their respect to their trans sisters and brothers by displaying their own pronouns.  In my case, I wonder which other minorities I might offend by not showing my respect for their group.  I am a great proponent of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, especially the part that reads: “No State shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”  But YOUR rights may not trample mine.

In the final analysis, I wish everyone well, equally!   NO!  That is a baldfaced lie!  I wish (a well-deserved) eternal damnation on the solipsistic monster who thinks he is bigger than God, and the sooner the better!