# White House "outs" ABC News reporter as gay (AND Canadian)? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 18, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463 "2003-07-18T20:23:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/1 "2003-07-18T20:23:47Z")
A rather odd story I found [here at the IMDB](http://us.imdb.com/StudioBrief/2003/20030718.html) (sorry, I can’t seem to find the original Washington Post article online). > [@](#): > > A White House operative, apparently angered over a report on ABC’s World News Tonight about morale problems among U.S. troops in Iraq, alerted Internet gossip Matt Drudge to the fact that the reporter who prepared the story, Jeffrey Kofman, is gay and a Canadian, the Washington Post reported today (Friday). Drudge confirms, for his part, that this came from the White House communications office, and an ABC source comment calls this “appealing to homophobia and jingoism.” If this is true, and not just the work of an overzealous wonk, what the HELL is going on over there? Is this just another indication of how homophobic the Republicans/White House is? If it doesn’t, why would they hire someone who would do this? What the hell are they thinking, using these kinds of personal attacks? And I wonder what Drudge means about them being “more aggressive contacting reporters”? If it means more of this, I want no part of it! And most of all… What in BLOODY BLUE BLAZES are they thinking using “Canadian” as an insult?! WHAT was going through that guy’s mind? Have we just stepped into the South Park movie?!? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/2 "2003-07-18T20:26:57Z")
Any furriner who ain’t with us is agin us, remember? Only trust the Brits and Aussies . ---
**Author:** ![ShoNuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@ShoNuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShoNuff)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/3 "2003-07-18T20:29:16Z")
Bet you he’s one of those “Lipstick Canadians.” Appalling, but unfortunately not entirely surprising. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/4 "2003-07-18T20:36:23Z")
Well personally, I couldn’t care less if he’s gay. But _Canadian_? We’ve got to have _some_ standards! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/5 "2003-07-18T20:45:04Z")
I’ve known some very nice(and talented(take that as you will, I _did_)) gay Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/6 "2003-07-18T20:46:12Z")
Canada is exporting homosexuals now? Tell y’all what, you can send down all the gay people you want, but you have to take back Celine Dion and William Shatner. And no trade-backs. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/7 "2003-07-18T20:48:42Z")
They also need to take back Bryan Adams, Anne Murray, leave us to keep Alanis, and ressurect Phil Hartman. ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/8 "2003-07-18T20:50:11Z")
I’m stunned. Just absolutely stunned. Not that the White House did this, per se, but that they thought outing him would make a damn bit of difference. I can only sit here and try to think who the hell would care… Pathetic, but rather amusing as well. Oh and a lot of our news people are Canadian. Reporters most especially, because the accent of some areas in Canada is universally understandable. There’s no drawl or major twisting of syllables to confuse those from other parts. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/9 "2003-07-18T20:51:23Z")
Peter Jennings got his citizenship just in time, didn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/10 "2003-07-18T20:54:31Z")
**Mockingbird** , you can keep Alanis, you’re stuck with Bryan and Anne, and I’ve been sending the Raelians bits of Hartman ephemera for months. It’s worth a try. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/11 "2003-07-18T20:57:52Z")
Washington Post story [here](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8158-2003Jul17.html) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/12 "2003-07-18T21:08:22Z")
What a petty, vicious, vindictive thing for the White House to do. How can they possibly justify doing this? I hope this backfires on them big time. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/13 "2003-07-18T21:17:00Z")
Smacks of Donald Segretti and the Dirty Tricks under Nixon. First Ambassador Wilson’s wife, now a reporter. Uglier and uglier. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/14 "2003-07-18T21:19:59Z")
Why, those bastards. NUKE ONTARIO NOW! But seriously… I think this says a lot more about the current crop of people in the White House than it does about one particular newsman, if you know what I mean… ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/15 "2003-07-18T21:21:59Z")
Is there any way we can oppose this, like by indicating our support of this guy rather then the disgustingly petty shits who did this? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/16 "2003-07-18T21:24:18Z")
(I apologize for not contributing much toward the OP. I guess I’m so underwhelmed by the integrity of the BushII administration that something like that seems barely worthy of comment. Vile, but part-and-parcel of the whole sorry mess.) > [@](#): > > **Priam** : Reporters most especially, because the accent of some areas in Canada is universally understandable. There’s no drawl or major twisting of syllables to confuse those from other parts. According to [AmIAnnoyingOrNot.com](http://www.amiannoying.com/(aznnoz55st22zcmvcvy52qe5)/view.aspx?ID=4088), Jennings has a speech impediment. I’ve never noticed, (though I get my television news from the [Peter that still has some integrity](http://www.cbc.ca/onair/personalities/national/mansbridge.html), so I may have missed it.) Surely it’s not a Tom Brokaw- or Barbara Walters-sized speech impediment, though. I’m just waiting for Fox News to divine the secret to success – an anchor with a cleft palette. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/17 "2003-07-18T21:27:15Z")
> [@](#): > > White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan “is having a rough first week,” Drudge said. “The White House press office is under new management and has become slightly more aggressive about contacting reporters. This story has certainly become talk radio fodder about the cultural wars-slash-liberal bias in the media.” Desperate people do desperate things. As has often been noted before, politics ain’t bean bag toss. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/18 "2003-07-18T21:28:53Z")
The White House couldn’t have “outed” this person, since it was already public knowledge that he was gay and Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/19 "2003-07-18T21:31:20Z")
I’m still just sitting here thinking “and…?” I could sink my teeth into “ABC REPORTER GAY, CANADIAN, ENJOYS POURING MAPLE SYRUP ON LITTLE OLD LADIES AND SHOVING THEM INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC” But really… this? ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463/20 "2003-07-18T21:40:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > \*\*The White House couldn’t have “outed” this person, since it was already public knowledge that he was gay and Canadian. \*\* I guess that you will spin \*\*\* EVERYTHING \*\*\* that comes out of the White House, won’t you? Amazing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-outs-abc-news-reporter-as-gay-and-canadian/189463.md?page=2)