# Gay activists flip off Reagan's picture **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042 "2012-06-23T06:32:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/41 "2012-06-23T15:19:47Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > Fuck Reagan. His Alzheimer’s ass sat on his hands and kept silent for nearly a friggin’ decade while millions of _Americans_ were dying of HIV. Cowardice incarnate. That’s worse than the Bush-Katrina debacle. Consider yourself lucky that his portrait got the bird - the portrait could’ve used a splash of ejaculate, far as I’m concerned. > > - Honesty That’s not the point. There are a lot of people that should get the bird for what they’ve done, (or haven’t done), in power. There’s a time and a place for these things. This was not the time, nor the place. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/42 "2012-06-23T15:22:16Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > Fuck Reagan. His Alzheimer’s ass sat on his hands and kept silent for nearly a friggin’ decade while millions of _Americans_ were dying of HIV. Cowardice incarnate. That’s worse than the Bush-Katrina debacle. Consider yourself lucky that his portrait got the bird - the portrait could’ve used a splash of ejaculate, far as I’m concerned. > > - Honesty If you want to get mad at someone about the spread of AIDS in the gay community, how about the gay activists in San Francisco who demanded that the bath houses remain open while AIDS was spreading like wildfire. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/43 "2012-06-23T16:10:00Z")
In case you are wondering the White House isn’t happy. > **[White House rebukes guests who flipped bird at Reagan portrait](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-rebukes-guests-who-flipped-bird-at-reagan-portrait)** > > The White House on Friday rebuked two visitors who were photographed last week at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue flipping the middle finger below a portrait of the late President Ronald Reagan.  ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/44 "2012-06-23T16:15:37Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Let me tell you a story about Mr. Reagan. Back in 1978 the was a measure on the California ballot called Proposition 6 aka The Briggs Initiative. Thanks, **hajario**. I was about to post exactly the same story, with exactly the same quote. In the California History class i teach, i discuss the debate over Prop 6 during the lesson on the rise of the gay rights movement in the state, and also use it as an example of how some politicians don’t always do what people might expect them to do. I have little time for Reagan’s politics. I think his anti-communist obsessions as head of SAG during the HUAC witchhunts of the 1940s and 1950s were damaging to American liberties; his obsession with Berkeley and the counterculture movement during his run for Governor was hysterical opportunism; and i didn’t think much of his presidency either. But he stepped up big time during the Prop 6 debate, and there were people within the California gay rights movement at the time who felt that his announcement made the difference in the outcome. You could argue that he sat on his hands during the AIDS epidemic, and i think that there’s some merit to that argument. But he certainly wasn’t the Lone Ranger in that respect, and he was also working under pressure from a large section of the American right that were putting heavy pressure on him because they felt that he had not been a strong enough supporter of evangelical Christian politics. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/45 "2012-06-23T16:52:33Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > If you want to get mad at someone about the spread of AIDS in the gay community, how about the gay activists in San Francisco who demanded that the bath houses remain open while AIDS was spreading like wildfire. False dilemma. Why not both? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/46 "2012-06-23T17:05:47Z")
This is my problem with activists. Not just gay activists, but activists in general. They go out of their way to be obnoxious at times. Why the hell don’t they act with respect and dignity in the President’s house? ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/47 "2012-06-23T17:56:27Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > If you’re going to take silly pictures, why not go for more juvenile humor and [hump a statue](http://www.google.com/search?sugexp=chrome,mod%3D5&q=humping+a+statue&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=EbblT-CMNOrr0gGhvqCUCg&biw=1300&bih=707&sei=FLblT4nrCOH30gGNyfDECQ)? Squeeze the tit on one at the National Art Gallery. I did. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/48 "2012-06-23T17:59:53Z")
> [@mister\_nyx](#): > > Yes, how outrageous that gay people would show disrespect to Reagan and then share photos of their disrespectful act on Facebook. The principles our country was founded on certainly don’t encompass the right to be disrespectful of political leaders. :rolleyes: Can we please stop trotting out this “waah, freedom of speech” nonsense every time somebody is told to censor _themselves_? The same principle encompasses our right to tell these people they were acting like jackasses. Nobody is talking about sending them to jail or fining them for exercising their rights. I can flip off your grandmother, too, and be perfectly within my rights. It doesn’t mean I’m not being a douche. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/49 "2012-06-23T18:11:28Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > This is my problem with activists. Not just gay activists, but activists in general. They go out of their way to be obnoxious at times. Why the hell don’t they act with respect and dignity in the President’s house? Because going out of their way to be obnoxious gets them and their cause attention? If they _had_ “acted with respect and dignity in the President’s house”, this thread and other discussions of them and what they did wouldn’t exist; and plenty of people and organizations subscribe to the “any attention is good attention” theory of advertizing. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/50 "2012-06-23T18:15:55Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > Fuck Reagan. His Alzheimer’s ass sat on his hands and kept silent for nearly a friggin’ decade while millions of _Americans_ were dying of HIV. Cowardice incarnate. That’s worse than the Bush-Katrina debacle. Consider yourself lucky that his portrait got the bird - the portrait could’ve used a splash of ejaculate, far as I’m concerned. > > - Honesty Millions in a decade? [Derh…](http://www.avert.org/usa-statistics.htm) > [@](#): > > **Since the beginning of the epidemic** , an estimated **617,025** people with AIDS have died in the U.S. Don’t inflate numbers to ‘make a point’. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/51 "2012-06-23T18:20:36Z")
They’re not disrespecting Reagan, they’re disrespecting Obama. Incredibly rude. I’m not outraged, though. If I got outraged every time a douchebag acted like an ass, my head would have long ago exploded like that guy from _Scanners_. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/52 "2012-06-23T19:19:08Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Will you _please_ just admit that they are douchebags? Boors, yes. Douchebags, not quite. If they’d smuggled in silly-string and decorated the painting (without actually damaging it)…douchebags. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/53 "2012-06-23T19:26:12Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Because going out of their way to be obnoxious gets them and their cause attention? If they _had_ “acted with respect and dignity in the President’s house”, this thread and other discussions of them and what they did wouldn’t exist; and plenty of people and organizations subscribe to the “any attention is good attention” theory of advertizing. Not it this case. It was a HUGE mistake fro them to do this. Not only was it just plain disrespectful to the Office of the President, Reagan, Obama, and the White House, it was tactically a beyond dumb thing to do. If you believe in gay rights, do you think this is going to win over more people or create more of a barrier. Hell, do you think it would win over even one person who is already not sympathetic to the cause? You can believe what you want now, I’m not going to try to penetrate that layers of psychoses that makes you you. You can judge if I’m right after you see these pictures when gay issues come on the ballots in various states in the future. My money say they’ll be used by those who are against the very policies that those two asshole advocate. If you’re right, they’ll be used but the gay activists, too. Yeah, right. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/54 "2012-06-23T19:30:24Z")
> [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > Millions in a decade? [Derh…](http://www.avert.org/usa-statistics.htm) > > Don’t inflate numbers to ‘make a point’. How dare you interfere with the competition. Can’t you see that **Honesty** is trying to steal the title of Biggest Douchebag on the SDMB from **Der Trihs**? Though he trying to add a little flavor of “I’m a Tough Guy”. Just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. It’s the human equivalent of monkey throwing feces. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/55 "2012-06-23T19:31:44Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Because going out of their way to be obnoxious gets them and their cause attention? If they _had_ “acted with respect and dignity in the President’s house”, this thread and other discussions of them and what they did wouldn’t exist; and plenty of people and organizations subscribe to the “any attention is good attention” theory of advertizing. They were at a White House reception. Doesn’t that indicate they had already achieved some recognition? This isn’t 1970 - gay rights issue are out there on the public agenda. Apparently they decided it wasn’t enough so they had to make a gesture to spread the message. Of course that message turned out to be “gay people are assholes who hate America.” With a side helping of “Obama invites people like that to the White House? He must hate America too.” Yes, I know that isn’t remotely true. But that’s what a lot of people are going to be thinking. By acting like assholes, Hart and Strauss punched the gay rights movement and the Obama administration in the nuts. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/56 "2012-06-23T19:33:06Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > If you believe in gay rights, do you think this is going to win over more people or create more of a barrier. Hell, do you think it would win over even one person who is already not sympathetic to the cause? We can always rely on you to know what’s best for the gay rights movement, right? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/57 "2012-06-23T19:36:40Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > We can always rely on you to know what’s best for the gay rights movement, right? Do you think what I said is wrong or right? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/58 "2012-06-23T19:41:50Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Because going out of their way to be obnoxious gets them and their cause attention? If they _had_ “acted with respect and dignity in the President’s house”, this thread and other discussions of them and what they did wouldn’t exist; and plenty of people and organizations subscribe to the “any attention is good attention” theory of advertizing. While the rest of us sit there, shaking our heads, and wondering what kind of idiots are piloting their agenda. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/59 "2012-06-23T19:51:23Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Do you think what I said is wrong or right? I think it was partly right, but i also don’t think it will really have any effect either way. It’s not going to gain them any supporters, but i’d be very surprised if it lost them any either. More generally, i think it’s an infinitesimally small blip in a much larger trend towards greater recognition and acceptance of LBGT rights, and greater commitment to LBGT equality in America. Hell, just yesterday one of the major supporters of Prop 8 here in California, a guy who was one of the two main witnesses supporting Prop 8 in the 2010 federal court case, wrote [an Op-Ed piece](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/how-my-view-on-gay-marriage-changed.html?_r=1) saying that he now supports recognizing homosexual unions as marriages: > [@](#): > > For me, the most important is the equal dignity of homosexual love. I don’t believe that opposite-sex and same-sex relationships are the same, but I do believe, with growing numbers of Americans, that the time for denigrating or stigmatizing same-sex relationships is over. Whatever one’s definition of marriage, legally recognizing gay and lesbian couples and their children is a victory for basic fairness. > > \ > > I had also hoped that debating gay marriage might help to lead heterosexual America to a broader and more positive recommitment to marriage as an institution. But it hasn’t happened. With each passing year, we see higher and higher levels of unwed childbearing, nonmarital cohabitation and family fragmentation among heterosexuals. Perhaps some of this can be attributed to the reconceptualization of marriage as a private ordering that is so central to the idea of gay marriage. But either way, if fighting gay marriage was going to help marriage over all, I think we’d have seen some signs of it by now. I don’t care very much for his stigmatizing of “nonmarital cohabitation,” and there are still plenty of other areas where his priorities and mine differ, but at least he has the intellectual honesty to recognize that banning gay marriage isn’t somehow going to make straight marriages better or improve the lives of children, and that just because marriage has previously been defined as man/woman, it doesn’t always have to be that way. His turnaround gives me some hope that even an asshole like you might one day see the light, but i won’t hold my breath. ---
**Author:** ![mister\_nyx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@mister\_nyx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_nyx)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042/60 "2012-06-23T20:25:21Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > My money say they’ll be used by those who are against the very policies that those two asshole advocate. If you’re right, they’ll be used but the gay activists, too. Nah. People who are already anti-gay will shout out how outrageous this is and screech about how very, very offended they are, but exactly zero people are going to actually change the way they vote because of something this insignificant. And a week from now only the screeching anti-gay lunatics will even remember it anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-activists-flip-off-reagans-picture/626042.md?page=4)