# Could a homosexual get elected POTUS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 16, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624 "2006-03-16T17:54:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/21 "2006-03-17T15:07:11Z")
This thread brings memories of Pierre Elliot Trudeau, one of Canada’s more successful and revered prime ministers. In the early years when he was elected as bachelor in his late forties, there were many Canadians that suspected he was gay. His famous slogan that the government had no place in the bedrooms of the nation only reinforced that notion. His brief and failed marriage, followed by his declining to get married again only leads to further speculation. So yes, in my mind it is possible for an openly gay person to get elected as POTUS, but he has to have a superior intellect and leaderships skills plus a charisma that I don’t see in any openly gay (or straight) politician today in America. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/22 "2006-03-17T18:58:26Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And here it is, in case you were wondering! 🙂 > > [Welcome bettybowers.com - BlueHost.com](http://www.bettybowers.com/homoagenda.html) Y’know, I was wondering…! And everything actually seemed plausible until 3:33pm. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/23 "2006-03-17T20:47:08Z")
I’m just trying to imagine the Marine Corps Band playing a techno remix of _Hail to the Chief_. Regardless, can you just _imagine_ the inaugural gala? Cher, Liza, Beyonce, Madonna and Bette Midler would just be the opening act. Most contemporary biographers accept the homosexuality of James Buchanan (aka “Mrs. William Rufus King” [his nickname by detractors in his own lifetime due to the longterm live-in relationship he had with the effeminate Alabamian VP). Unfortunately he was a terrible president so it really doesn’t benefit the gay cause to claim him. President DeGeneres might get votes just for the guys wanting to see her kiss the First Lady after the inauguration. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/24 "2006-03-17T20:52:22Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > President DeGeneres might get votes just for the guys wanting to see her kiss the First Lady after the inauguration. And because it’s so long since we’ve had a president with a really good sense of humor! 🙂 In fact you’d probably have to go all the way back to Lincoln . . . whose sexuality was . . . well, let’s not go **there!** ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/25 "2006-03-18T05:18:31Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Come to think of it, does **any** country have an openly gay elected chief executive? Scott Brison is mulling a run at the leadership of the federal Liberal Party in Canada, now that Paul Martin has confirmed that he’s resigning the party leadership. Mr. Brison has been out for some time - don’t know how long. Even if he wins the leadership, of course, he would have to win the general election. Svend Robinson ran for the leadership of the NDP about a decade ago and came in second. However, the NDP have never been in contention for forming government. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/26 "2006-03-18T15:21:33Z")
> [@Northern Piper](#): > > Scott Brison is mulling a run at the leadership of the federal Liberal Party in Canada, now that Paul Martin has confirmed that he’s resigning the party leadership. Mr. Brison has been out for some time - don’t know how long. Even if he wins the leadership, of course, he would have to win the general election. That would be a while yet, wouldn’t it, since the election that brought the Conservatives to power was just a few months ago? How often do you have general elections in Canada? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/27 "2006-03-18T16:05:52Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > That would be a while yet, wouldn’t it, since the election that brought the Conservatives to power was just a few months ago? How often do you have general elections in Canada? The Tories only have a minority govt. If they lose a vote of confidence, there’ll be an election within 6 weeks or so of the vote. Aside from that, the governing party has to call an election within 5 years of the last one, and usually does so at about the 4 year mark. ---
**Author:** ![hildea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ebca7d/32.png) [@hildea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hildea)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/28 "2006-03-20T22:01:17Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Come to think of it, does **any** country have an openly gay elected chief executive? The closest I know of is that for a brief while in 2002 or thereabouts, minister of finance Per Kristian Foss was acting prime minister of Norway, while both the prime minister and the foreign minister were travelling. We vote for parties, not individuals, but I’ve never heard any speculation that the prominent position of Foss in the Conservative party has cost them votes. (I have seen attempts from the conservatives to use Foss to woo pro-gay votes, but I don’t think it has made much of a difference either way.) ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/29 "2006-03-21T03:45:20Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > If they won’t let Homosexuals serve in the armed forces, somehow I doubt one would be able to get elected. To be kind of unnecessarily nitpicky, it’s not the same “they” and if we (the people, the ones who vote for the president) voted on the current military policy, perhaps it would be rejected. To be realistic, though, I doubt it. If you want to get into local officials, I believe the current mayor of Hermosa Beach, CA (or some city nearby) is gay. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/30 "2006-03-21T16:43:39Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > As amusing as that notion is, it would be highly unlikely in our mud-slinging era that a gay person could run for office without his/her sexuality being discovered. Well, Jim McGreevey wasn’t found until after he was elected. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/31 "2006-03-21T22:22:21Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > In fact you’d probably have to go all the way back to Lincoln . . . whose sexuality was . . . well, let’s not go **there!** Is there any really good evidence Lincoln was gay? He was, after all, married for a good deal of his life to the same woman. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/32 "2006-03-21T22:47:45Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Is there any really good evidence Lincoln was gay? Some, but not really good evidence. The Master speaks: [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040402.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040402.html) But try telling that to the Log Cabin Republicans!\* \*Boy, they’re not going for subtlety, are they? It’s like, “So, how many logs have you had in **your** cabin, Senator?” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/33 "2006-03-21T22:54:50Z")
[Andrew Sullivan](http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=express&s=sullivan011105) in _The New Republic_: The proper debate isn’t over _whether_ Lincoln was gay. It’s over _how_ gay he was. He slept with another man for _four years_ in the same bed. Not out in the wilderness, where bed or board was hard to come by. In Springfield, the capital of Illinois. When Lincoln was a practicing lawyer. In his thirties. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/34 "2006-03-21T22:57:41Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But try telling that to the Log Cabin Republicans! The Log Cab Republicans were founded and named in the 1970s, long before the was-Lincoln-gay thing came up. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624/35 "2006-03-22T01:10:08Z")
Openly gay André Boisclair was recently elected leader of the Parti Québécois. If PQ wins the next election he’d be the first openly gay (at the time of election) subnational head of government in North America. Of course he really wants to be the first openly gay _national_ head of government in the world 😉 . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-homosexual-get-elected-potus/348624.md?page=1)