# Are homophobic ads OK if they're run by Democrats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 10, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719 "2002-10-10T19:26:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/221 "2002-10-21T22:49:35Z")
I don’t know who this “political activist” is, but his campaign is totally repulsive. > [@](#): > > GOP political activist Dave Wilson has a message for fellow Republicans – If you vote straight, you vote gay. > > Wilson is sending Republican voters an automated telephone message telling them not to vote a straight Republican ticket because it includes a gay candidate. The county party chairman disapproved of this homophobic campaign – but for the wrong reason. > [@](#): > > “Why would Dave do this?” [Harris County GOP Chairman Jared] Woodfill said. “I mean, I agree with him on the homosexual issue, and the party position on that is clear.” > > “But it is wrong for Republicans to send the message not to vote straight ticket,” he said. “The straight ticket helps all of our judicial races in Harris County.” Ugh! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/222 "2002-10-21T22:51:52Z")
Oh yes. [Cite](http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1622160) ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/223 "2002-10-21T23:04:29Z")
Thank you, I do my utmost to represent things fairly, even things I disagree with. Re: Subjective/Anecdotal evidence of homophobia in the ad. Since the ad didn’t say “Don’t vote [for] this gay guy”, since no one confessed, and since no one has established the actual effect the ad had on the viewers, I’m afraid I’ll have to keep my own counsel regarding the actual intent/effect of the ad. I don’t believe a reasonable person could be asked to do otherwise. I trust the good people of Montana to do the same. Re: Homophobia in the flyer. Point taken. I don’t follow Sullivan’s work and I don’t recall that cite being given in this thread, my apologies if it was and I missed it. Still seems to be riding on the coat-tails of the assumption of homophobia in the TV spot. Even that cite doesn’t attempt to assert “it’s a drag queen” like you did, **december**. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/224 "2002-10-21T23:24:17Z")
Heh, that’s what I get for not previewing. Re: Dave Wilson and Jared Woodfill FOAD, Dave Wilson. FOAD for being such a homophobe that you would encourage people to vote against a candidate based solely upon their sexual preference. FOAD Jared Woodfill. FOAD for even worse reasons than Dave. First for having such an ignorant view of your own party’s position(If the GoP was clear on this issue I’d know about it. You don’t grow up in a household where your father is the precinct judge, attend Republican national conventions, run the local polling place during elections for fifteen years and attend social events with GoP Senators without knowing a little something about the party). Secondly, FOAD being so rabidly partisan that you’d ignore your own obvious homophobic tendancy, not because you recognize it as being wrong, but because you put partisanship above your own beliefs. At least Dave puts his own judgement and beliefs(however ignorant) above blind loyalty to the party. You don’t even have the cojones to do that. ARRGG! See **december**? This is exactly the kind of dirty politics we should be ripping apart. Spending our time debating positions that exist primarially in the mind of pundits is pinching pennies and losing pounds. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/225 "2002-10-22T04:00:03Z")
This horse is, you will pardon the expression, spavined, blind, bow tendoned, broken legged and generally used up. Shoot the poor beast, already, and put it out of its misery. This horse will not run. This dog will not hunt. This has been going nowhere from the starting gun. Put it to bed. Let it go. Leave it alone. Bury it. ---
**Author:** ![Kirkland1244](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kirkland1244](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kirkland1244)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/226 "2002-10-22T08:16:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > \*\*I don’t know who this “political activist” is, but his campaign is totally repulsive. The county party chairman disapproved of this homophobic campaign – but for the wrong reason. Ugh! ☹ \*\* Yeah, pretty horrid. Highly dispicable. But what I found most disgusting was this: > [@](#): > > Wilson said he wants to emphasize a plank in the 2002 Texas Republican Party platform that says homosexual “behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders and shared by a majority of Texans.” Well congratulations, Texas Republican Party. For the last four months I’ve been fairly torn apart, trying to figure out how to reintegrate party politics into my life now that I’ve come out. As a political science major, politics is one of _the_ major planks of my existence. I’ve been working for Republican campaigns since I was 15, was invited to the Inauguration in 2000 after working my rear off for Bush-Cheney. I want to work in elective politics, which means that I need a party. I’ve always been a moderate Republican, and never had any love for the Tom DeLays who cost us votes and support horrid, backward-looking legislation. But I could handle it… until I started being honest. For months I’ve wrestled whether I could morally support a party that has many key leaders who are gay-hating beasts at core. So I looked into Log Cabin Republicanism, while taking a look at the Democratic Party as well, to see what my option was. Particularly the DNC. I couldn’t make up my mind… do I go with my concern regarding social issues and become a moderate Democrat? Or do I stick to my standard pocketbook issues and stay Republican? Is there some way to split the difference? Since I’ve always defined myself in terms of politics, this has been a real soul-searcher of a journey. And along the way I’ve encountered things that pushed me to one saide, then the other… And then I saw this article, and the viscious evil that is in the GOP Texas platform, and realized I could never support those people again. They clearly don’t want me. So they won’t have me. Or my vote. I’m now a Democrat. In part because the Republican party gives me no choice. I hope the DNC uses my $150s worth of contributions to make the lives of people like Wilson a living hell. Wilson didn’t want people to vote straight-party Republican, and in his crusade has helpd to convince me to vote straight-party Democrat instead. Good job, Wilson. Kirk Oh, and back to the OP: I saw the ad. Didn’t think it was homophobic. ---
**Author:** ![Kirkland1244](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kirkland1244](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kirkland1244)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/227 "2002-10-22T08:19:23Z")
> [@](#): > > So I looked into Log Cabin Republicanism, while taking a look at the Democratic Party as well, to see what my option was. Particularly the DNC. Grrr… I mean “DLC,” not DNC. Democratic Leadership Council. The New Democrats. Social liberals, fiscal moderates. Kirk ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/228 "2002-10-22T20:46:02Z")
Taylor is back in the race. [http://www.taylorussenate.com/countdown.jsp](http://www.taylorussenate.com/countdown.jsp) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2002, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719/229 "2002-10-23T03:14:12Z")
[track announcer’s voice] Well, folks, the odds-on favorite stumbled and fell coming around that last turn, so it looks like…WAIT! What’s that? I don’t believe it! The favorite fell, but MIRACULOUSLY got up and started to run again. I’ve never seen anything like this in my 52 years of calling horse races! He’s coming on strong, he’s closing the gap, 11th, 9th, 6th, now coming into the home stretch…neck and neck. **Poly** How rare do you want your steak done? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homophobic-ads-ok-if-theyre-run-by-democrats/131719.md?page=11)