# More Democratic gay-bashing **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 29, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325 "2002-10-29T00:59:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/81 "2002-10-30T17:19:36Z")
“Enemy Action”, **December**? Have you checked under your bed for Communists lately? Maybe if you’d researched a little bit more, you would find out that [Mazie Hirono has denounced any such smear campaign](http://66.91.134.218/pressrelease/HonestCampaigning.htm), has distanced herself from them. Given that your cite is a few people who claim “direct knowledge” of a smear campaign against Lingle, without names or facts to speak of, it does look to me like this smear campaign is going the opposite way: it looks like Lingle’s campaign is trying to paint Hirono as a homophobe in order to alienate Democratic voters from her. I do expect to see a denunciation from you of such untoward tactics – we know, after all, that you’re not the kind of hypocrite who would “deny the obvious” when it’s about your own party. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/82 "2002-10-30T17:27:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DanielWithrow \*[Mazie Hirono has denounced any such smear campaign](http://66.91.134.218/pressrelease/HonestCampaigning.htm), has distanced herself from them. Naturally. Both candidates might be making self-serving statements. However, the _Hawaii Reporter_ cites as its source: > [@](#): > > a handful of people outside the Republican Party who had direct knowledge of a new secret whispering campaign. (emphasis added) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/83 "2002-10-30T17:54:51Z")
A handful of people isn’t a great cite. And you need to do MUCH better than that to convince me that Hirono is behind this campaign, or even that the Democratic Party is behind this campaign. For all we know, some crazy lady who used to be Lingle’s neighbor is behind this campaign. If Hirono is behind this campaign, she’s an idiot. Hawaii is famous for being progressive on gay rights; the only thing such a smear campaign would accomplish would be to alienate Democratic voters from her. In other words, look who would benefit from such a campaign: in this case, the only beneficiary I can see would be Lingle herself, who might see fewer Dems coming out to the polls. Goldfinger didn’t say, “Once is crazy paranoia. Twice is an actual case of homophobia from a Democrat. Three times is just crazy paranoia again.” That leads me to believe that he was talking about something else. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/84 "2002-10-30T18:12:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DanielWithrow \* > A handful of people isn’t a great cite. It isn’t? IANAR, but I thought that two sources were sufficient to print a story. > [@](#): > > Hawaii is famous for being progressive on gay rights; the only thing such a smear campaign would accomplish would be to alienate Democratic voters from her. But, the article said that the rumor was being spread to specific individuals. > [@](#): > > in this case, the only beneficiary I can see would be Lingle herself, who might see fewer Dems coming out to the polls. Possibly, but trying to get elected by denying a false cay-baiting campaign would be pretty Macchivellian. Furthermore, I don’t think it would help a candidate to do that. The homophobes would assume she really was gay; others wouldn’t pay much attention. They’d find ways to overlook it, just as you have. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/85 "2002-10-30T18:33:26Z")
I raise my objection again. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by december_ > \*\*Here’s a third instance of the use of homophbia by 2002 Democratic campaigns. \*\* You are not allowed to use the word “third” without some type of qualifier. You can say this it the third instance of **what you believe** to be the use of homophobia. But, as per my count you have ONE instance of homophobia being part of a smear campaign orchestrated by an element of the Democratic party. Your latest piece, the one about Lingle, is hearsay. Reveal the source, talk to the alleged “former lover” and show evidence that the local Democratic campaign put her up to it and you’ve got instance number two. Right now they stand accused, and convicted by you, on the evidence of a handful of **anonymous** people outside the Republican Party(Hey! That group includes me! And **minty** , and **Libertarian**. And about 90% of the POPULATION OF THE ENTIRE PLANET) who **CLAIM** they have “direct knowledge” of this “whispering campaign”. This is flimsier evidence than you had of homophobia in the Montana campaign. Personally I find the revelation that some members of the Democratic party are hypocrites, especially during an election year, entirely unremarkable. Even if we were willing to concede the instances of homophobia exactly as you claim they exist, what does it prove? Some Democrats are hypocrites? Or do you continue to assert that SDMB members will ignore the facts, when they are genuine facts instead of vague assertions or individual interpretations, and defend the Democrats unfailingly? In the one instance you DO seem to have concrete evidence of I’ve not seen this defense. Everyone who has weighed in with an opinion on the comments by Alex Sanders(aside from our beloved **Stoid** ) seems to agree he was wrong to use such tactics. I’m willing to bet you could be matched, case by case, with cites of Republican party members who are hypocrites, especially during an election year. Is this what you’re driving for? An admission that there are Democratic hypocrites? Is this the ignorance you’re trying to fight? MY SIX YEAR OLD KNOWS THIS! Politicians, of every stripe, LIE. This is NOT NEWS. It certainly isn’t one of the “great questions of our time.” PS: **Daniel** Thanks, 🙂 I feel better now. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/86 "2002-10-30T18:52:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > **Some Democrats are willing to do anything to win, even if it violates the principles they claim to hold.** You mean **all Democrats think alike**? All of them hold to **exactly the same principles**? Wow, now I have a problem with them too! I had no idea they were so insidious! **december** , perhaps if you thought about people in individual terms rather than victims of some form of horrible GroupThink, you’d be less likely to make posts like this, and less likely to create topic after topic in search of a defendable, logical OP. Some Democrats are bigoted jerks. Some Republicans are bigoted jerks. Does anyone disagree? Good. That’s the game, kids. Mystery solved. Not that there ever was a mystery in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/87 "2002-10-30T19:12:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > Here’s a third instance of the use of homophbia by 2002 Democratic campaigns. Some Democrats are willing to do anything to win, even if it violates the principles they claim to hold. I strongly doubt that Democrat Alex Sanders, for one, claims to hold to the principle of gay rights. So he ain’t violating dick. He’s a homophobic asshole, but he ain’t a hypocrite. And that’s the point you can’t seem to understand - unlike in a parliamentary system, there is no such thing as party discipline in America. Alex Sanders can be a homophobe, but still be a Democrat. Bob Casey can be opposed to abortion, but still be a Democrat. And Connie Morella can vote against the party line on just about every issue, and still be a Republican. What would you like us poor, benighted Democrats to do about Mr. Sanders? I don’t give any money to him already, so I can’t threaten to cut off the teat. I can’t vote against him, since I don’t live in South Carolina. I could denounce him - well I just did that above. And according to the instant tracking polls, my denunciation did not affect Sanders’ poll ratings. > [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Originally posted by David B Has anybody here on the SDMB actually said anything like this [“Democrats are good people; Republicans are bad people”]? Or are you just arguing against your own straw man? > > At the risk of gently mocking a mod, I note that there is a world outside of the Straight Dope Message Boards. But you are not speaking to that outside world when you post here. You are speaking to the Straight Dope Message Boards. If you want to spread the Gospel that Republicans aren’t bad people to the outside world, speak to them. Why are you wasting our time, since we already know this? > [@](#): > > \*\*\*" Once is Happenstance. Twice is Coincidence. The third time is Enemy Action." \*\*\* I would wager that we’re probably up to hundreds of times that Democratic candidates have tried to smear their Republican opponents by spreading rumors he/she was homosexual. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/88 "2002-10-30T19:20:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > \*\*Here’s a third instance of the use of homophbia by 2002 Democratic campaigns. \*\*\* \*\* The part of this that you keep skipping right past is this: in all three instances of supposed “democratic homophobia”, the \* real \* homophobes are the Republicans…or shall we say perceived or assumed. What has been done, or seems to have been done (two of the three “examples” are subjective and/or questionable in their intent), is skanky in its own right, which has been to “appeal to” the perceived homophobia of the Republican constituents. Not by in any way bashing gay people, but by implying close personal ties with gay people on the other side, or actual gayness in the most recent example. That’s the safest strategy to use, by the way, since it walks the line. With voters like me, for instance, you get a big shrug and a “yeah, so?” but you get the good recoil from voters of a more truly homophobic bent. You can definitely point a finger at the tactics and make your case for how icky they are, but your attempt to stretch them into cases of “democratic homophobia” falls far short of the mark. Try “Democrats exploit Republican Homophobia For Political Gain”. Argue the problems with that, and you are on much firmer ground. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/89 "2002-10-30T20:29:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stoid \* > What has been done, or seems to have been done (two of the three “examples” are subjective and/or questionable in their intent), is skanky in its own right, which has been to “appeal to” the perceived homophobia of the Republican constituents. Not by in any way bashing gay people, but by implying close personal ties with gay people on the other side, or actual gayness in the most recent example. > > That’s the safest strategy to use, by the way, since it walks the line. With voters like me, for instance, you get a big shrug and a “yeah, so?” I find it extremely disheartening that you would merely shrug when a candidate engaged in gay-bashing. Methinks you let your partisanship get in the way of your decency. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/90 "2002-10-30T21:17:56Z")
\*\* Sua, \*\* you missed the point entirely! There is no gay bashing occuring! Wher is the gay person who is being bashed? The only thing that MAY be going on is that one person may be pointing at another and saying “he likes gay people” or “He IS a gay person”. And to that, I respond, “Yeah, so?” However, I understand that the reason the finger pointing is going on is because the person doing the pointing is assuming that there are other people out there whose response would be “Ew! He likes gay people? Gay people suck! I wont’ vote for him!”, which, as I stated, is skanky. Are you suggesting I should get het up about skanky campaign tactics? I’d spend every election season in a perpetual froth. Now, show me a Democrat who is reviling gay people as evil, worthless, wrong, bad, what the fuck ever, I will have a big problem with that. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/91 "2002-10-30T21:43:54Z")
\*\* Sua, \*\* you missed the point entirely! There is no gay bashing occuring! Wher is the gay person who is being bashed? The only thing that MAY be going on is that one person may be pointing at another and saying “he likes gay people” or “He IS a gay person”. And to that, I respond, “Yeah, so?” However, I understand that the reason the finger pointing is going on is because the person doing the pointing is assuming that there are other people out there whose response would be “Ew! He likes gay people? Gay people suck! I wont’ vote for him!”, which, as I stated, is skanky. Are you suggesting I should get het up about skanky campaign tactics? I’d spend every election season in a perpetual froth. Now, show me a Democrat who is reviling gay people as evil, worthless, wrong, bad, what the fuck ever, I will have a big problem with that. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/92 "2002-10-30T21:45:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stoid \* > \*\*\*\* Sua, \*\* you missed the point entirely! There is no gay bashing occuring! Wher is the gay person who is being bashed? The only thing that MAY be going on is that one person may be pointing at another and saying “he likes gay people” or “He IS a gay person”. And to that, I respond, “Yeah, so?” > \*\* Pay no attention to that little man behind the curtain. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/93 "2002-10-30T22:18:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stoid \* > \*\* Sua, \*\* you missed the point entirely! There is no gay bashing occuring! Wher is the gay person who is being bashed? The only thing that MAY be going on is that one person may be pointing at another and saying “he likes gay people” or “He IS a gay person”. And to that, I respond, “Yeah, so?” > [snip] > Now, show me a Democrat who is reviling gay people as evil, worthless, wrong, bad, what the fuck ever, I will have a big problem with that. Oh puh-leaze. That’s exactly what Mr. Sanders was saying about his opponent. “Don’t vote for my opponent. He lives with gay people.” Why would this be presented as a reason not to vote for Mr. Sander’s opponent unless Mr. Sanders was taking the position that living with gay people was bad? Would we even be having this conversation if Mr. Sanders had said, “you shouldn’t vote for my opponent, he lives with black folk”? rolleyes: **Stoid,** you had been doing good for a while, but you are once again giving liberals a bad name. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/94 "2002-10-30T22:38:05Z")
I see the distinction **Stoid** is creating. I think it’s a matter of semantics, and I think that Sanders is doing something worse than being a homophobe if you use Stoid’s definitions, but it is a valid distinction. Imagine a slightly different situation. I know a local animal-rights person who is avowedly atheist. However, he often, in promoting veganism, quotes Bible verses at people. He doesn’t believe in the veracity of the Bible himself, but he knows that his audience does. So he cynically uses arguments that he himself doesn’t believe. He’s quoting the Bible. Does that make him a Christian? I’d argue it doesn’t. Similarly, there’s a possibility that Sanders is parroting homophobic arguments, but isn’t a homophobe himself. Frankly, I’d need to see evidence that that’s the case: I think that, given what we know now, it’s safe to say that Sanders is a homophobe. But there is the possibility that he’s a big ugly hypocrite and not a big ugly homophobe. I don’t, however, think he can be both. At least, not about this issue. And if you define homophobe as “someone who makes homophobic arguments,” instead of as “someone who dislikes homosexuals as a class,” then he’s definitely a homophobe. But I think **Stoid** is using the second, not the first, definition. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/95 "2002-10-30T22:43:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SuaSponte \* > \*\* > > Oh puh-leaze. That’s exactly what Mr. Sanders was saying about his opponent. > > “Don’t vote for my opponent. He lives with gay people.” > \*\* Actually, it’s even stupider than that. He was saying “Don’t vote for my opponent. He was endorsed by someone who lives with gay people.” ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/96 "2002-10-30T22:55:35Z")
**Daniel,** you may be right about “homophobia,” but we were discussing “gay bashing.” So the question is whether what Mr. Sanders _said_ was intolerable, not what he _thinks._ And what he said was intolerable. And **Stoid** pretends that it wasn’t because his words didn’t inspire hatred of gays in herself. That’s irrelevant. If a guy tells me that Jews are evil money grubbers, the fact that I’m not inspired to paint swastikas on my car doesn’t mean that the guy didn’t make an anti-Semetic remark. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/97 "2002-10-31T00:20:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SuaSponte \* > \*\* And what he said was intolerable. And **Stoid** pretends that it wasn’t because his words didn’t inspire hatred of gays in herself. > That’s irrelevant. If a guy tells me that Jews are evil money grubbers, the fact that I’m not inspired to paint swastikas on my car doesn’t mean that the guy didn’t make an anti-Semetic remark. > \*\* No, No, no! Where is the equivalent anti-homosexual statement by \* anyone, anywhere \*in these discussions to “Jews are evil money-grubbers”? Show me, please, because I sure ain’t seen it. The equivalent using Jews would be almost identical: “He’s a liberal! He lives with Jews!” Blacks? Same: “He’s an ultra liberal! He moved in with a black family!” He is appealing to the assumed bigotry of his audience, by stating an otherwise neutral fact. He is not saying a single thing which would inspire anti-gay feeling in a person in the audience, he’s making a statement that pre-existing gay-haters will react to. To tell me that someone lives with gay people or is gay themselves is a completely neutral fact of their existence, and nothing more. Yes, it tells me that they are probably liberal-minded people, and if anything, that is positive. I am not defending his statements as a nice way to act, because Daniel nailed it exactly. It may be hypocrisy, it may be dirty-dealing, but it is NOT evidence of “Democratic Homophobia”, which is what \*\* december \*\* has been arguing. My beef is with sloppy arguments and sloppy thinking. Precision is important if you are going to debate. In the OP example, there was a scent of homophobia in the air, but it was not the Democrat’s. The Democrat stank of hypocrisy. As for me, \*\* Sua \*\* , you can refrain from giving me report cards about how well I’m representing liberals everywhere, because I’m not representing anyone but myself, thanks. stoid ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/98 "2002-10-31T01:11:46Z")
**december** : I take it from your lack of response that you agree with me (from yesterday’s post) on the points you have demonstrated in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/99 "2002-10-31T01:29:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jshore \* > \*\ ***december** : > > I take it from your lack of response that you agree with me (from yesterday’s post) on the points you have demonstrated in this thread? \*\* I do agree with you that the Democratic Party tends to be more friendly to gays than the Republican Party. I don’t want to go into your other points here, because they are deep and complex. Some of your points are worth a thread in themselves. ---
**Author:** ![JDM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/90db22/32.png) [@JDM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDM)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325/100 "2002-10-31T07:53:16Z")
Just for fun (and to get around all the misdirection in this thread): [here](http://www.scgop.com/documents/platform_III.asp) is the section of the South Carolina GOP platforn regarding homosexuality. The specific plank is as follows: > [@](#): > > Morally and pragmatically, the Party considers homosexuality a lifestyle detrimental to the health and well-being of individuals and therefore opposes its promotion as simply “an alternate lifestyle.” We applaud the state for prohibiting same sex marriage and adoptions, and consider such as detrimental to the peace and tranquility or our state. The [South Carolina Democratic Party platform](http://www.scdp.org/DP/platform.htm) has no such plank. The national GOP platform has this plank: > [@](#): > > We support the traditional definition of “marriage” as the legal union of one man and one woman, and we believe that federal judges and bureaucrats should not force states to recognize other living arrangements as marriages. We rely on the home, as did the founders of the American Republic, to instill the virtues that sustain democracy itself. That belief led Congress to enact the Defense of Marriage Act, which a Republican Department of Justice will energetically defend in the courts. For the same reason, we do not believe sexual preference should be given special legal protection or standing in law. while the national Democratic party platform says this: > [@](#): > > We support the full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of the nation. This would include an equitable alignment of benefits. from [here,](http://www.democrats.org/about/2000platform.html) in the section entitled “Building One America.” I had happened to be looking at the North Carolina GOP platform today, and it says: > [@](#): > > We believe homosexuality is not normal and should not be made an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle either in public education or in public policy. We oppose special treatment by law based on nothing other than homosexual behavior or identity. We therefore oppose actions, such as “marriage” or the adoption of children by same-sex couples, which attempt to legitimize and normalize homosexual relationships. We support the Defense of Marriage Act. We also stand united with private organizations, such as the Boy Scouts, who defend moral decency and freedom according to their own long held and well established traditions and beliefs. The NC Democratic Party platform has no such plank. So we have 3 cases of perceived (by some) anti-gay statements or ads by Democrats. Whopee. JDM [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-democratic-gay-bashing/134325.md?page=6)