Rob Portman, a conservative windbag that until recently viewed gay men and women as some sort of second class citizenry, has suddenly decided maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to let those sodomites do what they like, instead of having them “be put to death” (his religion’s solution for that “problem” – see Leviticus 20:13).
While Portman probably didn’t want to execute all the gay and lesbian couples in the United States, his policies up until now dealt them a similar fate, albeit in the political arena. He was a co-sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act, a piece of religious law masquerading as civil code. He also worked to block same-sex couples from adopting homeless children, a move which noted bigot Rick Santorum applauds.
Rob Portman and his son, Will
When Rick Santorum endorses you, it should be an immediate wake-up call, but that isn’t what got Portman to rethink his position on denying Americans their rights. His change of heart only came when the stark unfairness of his policies affected his loved ones. Rob’s son came out in late 2011 and being confronted with a flesh-and-blood gay person seems to have motivated Portman to pull his head out of his ass.
I applaud Rob Portman’s change of opinion on gay marriage, but I think forgiving him for his decades of destructive, hateful work against personal rights in this country should not be easily forgiven. While it seems even the dullards over at the GOP are beginning to realize there’s no holding back the progress of social freedom, there are still enough of them still bitterly clinging to their antiquated Biblical notions and feelings the U.S. Government should be in the business of legislating their particular brand of monotheistic morality.
But this GOP old guard may be on their way out. It is curious to note that at this most recent CPAC rally (to which the Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud were not invited… again) many of the younger members of the group voiced displeasure at the GOP’s bizarre insistence on federally legislating the definition of marriage. There may be hope for this more libertarian bend of the Republican party, but it does not change the fact that the true leadership of the GOP (which, till recently, included Portman) is still mired in wet dreams of an American theocracy.
So it appears that Rob has his work cut out from him. I believe he should now be duty-bound to use his substantial voice within the GOP to address the moral shortcomings of his party. If his change of heart is truly genuine, then Portman must openly denounce the Republican party planks that discriminate against homosexual Americans and personally call out John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, John Thune, James Inhofe and every other Congressman or Congresswoman that believes his son should not have the right to marry the man he loves. He should learn from the example of that noted moral coward Dick Cheney, who chose George Bush’s hatred over openly backing his lesbian daughter. If Rob lets his career in the GOP supersede his devotion to what he now feels is right, then the reprehensibility of his actions trumps all his previous offenses against human rights. While ignorance is not much of an excuse, to willfully do wrong is an altogether different beast.
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All too often Republicans take the attitude of, screw ‘those’ people, until they find out some ‘those’ people include ‘their’ people. In this case it took Rob Portman coming to grips with his son’s sexual orientation to get him to rethink his opposition to gay marriage. New York congressman Peter King was against disaster relief for Katrina victims, but then Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast and he changed his tune. Why do Republicans have to personally be faced with the consequences of their unjust policies in order to understand the pain and suffering it inflicts?
Very well said.