Mary Cheney

I know she injected herself into politics by working on her dad’s campaign, but I still find some of the criticism of her over the top.

Would I have liked her to stand up and denounce the GOP and it’s anti-gay agenda? Sure.

But as every gay person knows, family are tough. Even the most liberal family doesn’t embrace gay children without a bump or two. And, I think, all gay children have held their tongue a time or two when our families have been less than open or understanding. Sure, there’s a difference here – which I am nor blind to. Most families, as a rule, aren’t leaders of a political group who has adopted a ‘scare America with the gays’ platform of getting elected. And, not every gay person would chose to be part of such a campaign.

But I repeat. Family is hard. And, as much as we might like to view this purely in terms of politics, it is essentially an issue of family.

Still, less understanding people might criticize it for her, which is fine. But calling her the ‘top self-loathing out queer on the planet’ is completely overboard. There are gay GOP members who vote for anti-gay measures, who live loveless lives with their ‘beard’ wives, or who stay single and seek out fleeting sex encounters.

Mary Cheney is out. She’s with her partner, and doesn’t hide who she is. What she is being criticized for, ultimately, is not standing up to her family. Well, I’ll be the first to say that if I was in her shoes, I’m not sure I would be able to do that either. Not because of the politics, but because of the family. And, looking purely at the family, the Cheney’s seem to accept her and her partner. Since they’re a conservative GOP family, that seems to me an extraordinary thing.

Criticize her for taking part of the campaign if you like. But self-loathing? Hardly.