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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
Andrew Sullivan 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.
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 .
