Mary Cheney and Partner Are About to Be Moms

Washington Post ^ | December 6, 2006 | Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts

[West Coast Conservative]

Mary Cheney, the vice president's openly gay daughter, is pregnant. She and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, are "ecstatic" about the baby, due in late spring, said a source close to the couple.

It's a baby boom for grandparents Dick and Lynne Cheney: Their older daughter, Elizabeth, went on leave as deputy assistant secretary of state before having her fifth child in July. "The vice president and Mrs. Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation to the arrival of their sixth grandchild," spokesman Lea Anne McBride said last night.

Cheney, 37, was a key aide to her father during the 2004 reelection campaign and now is vice president for consumer advocacy at AOL. Poe, 45, a former park ranger, is renovating their Great Falls home.

News of the pregnancy will undoubtedly reignite the debate about gay marriage. During the campaign, Mary Cheney was criticized by gay activists for not being more publicly supportive of same-sex marriage. Her father said people "ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to" but deferred to the president's policy supporting a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. Cheney herself called the proposed amendment "a gross affront to gays and lesbians everywhere" in her book, "Now It's My Turn: A Daughter's Chronicle of Political Life," which was published in May.

Cheney has described her relationship with Poe -- whom she took to last year's White House dinner honoring Prince Charles and Camilla-- as a marriage. The two met in 1988 while playing ice hockey and began dating four years later. They moved from Colorado to Virginia a year ago to be closer to Cheney's family.

[tuesday afternoon]

The authors conclude: "Our study provides population-based, prospective evidence that childhood family experiences are important determinants of heterosexual and homosexual marriage decisions in adulthood."

New Evidence Found for Childhood Family Factors Influencing Sexual Orientation

[ConsistentLibertarian]

"Why do you think that there's more predators in the Catholic Church than in the general population?"

I don't. I'm undecided. I'd need to no more before I make up my mind. Otherwise I'd just be guessing.

But seeing as you've already made up your mind, I'm asking you to share your reasons for thinking the percentages are roughly the same.

"sexual predators make up a small portion of the population and therefore would likely make up a minuscule portion of both populations."

You're assuming your own conclusion. The percentage in the population gives one no information at all about the percentage in a subset of that population.

[jamese777]

"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals.

That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision."
-- Lynn Lavner

PS: its meant to be a joke. ;-)

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Citations please? Jesus must have spoken often and clearly about the evils of homosexuality for you to be so adamant on this point.

Jesus of course never addressed dozens of sins specificly. He didn't have to. No Christian that I know of believes in excising what would amount to 99% of the Bible and restricting it ONLY to the words attributed to Jesus. And considering that Jesus himself makes explicitly reference to the Torah repeatedly reinforces it as gospel.

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

"But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh."

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

I hope people here can muster some common decency and show a little of the dignity and class the Cheney family demonstrates.

So it's "classy" to embrace bastardry?

[ConsistentLibertarian]

Thank you for that link.

The paper cited is "Childhood Family Correlates of Heterosexual and Homosexual Marriages". It's available online, but only for purchase. However the abstract is available at http://www.springerlink.com/content/al4574p6203628w0/

Abstract: "Children who experience parental divorce are less likely to marry heterosexually than those growing up in intact families; however, little is known about other childhood factors affecting marital choices. We studied childhood correlates of first marriages (heterosexual since 1970, homosexual since 1989) in a national cohort of 2 million 18–49 year-old Danes. In multivariate analyses, persons born in the capital area were significantly less likely to marry heterosexually, but more likely to marry homosexually, than their rural-born peers. Heterosexual marriage was significantly linked to having young parents, small age differences between parents, stable parental relationships, large sibships, and late birth order. For men, homosexual marriage was associated with having older mothers, divorced parents, absent fathers, and being the youngest child. For women, maternal death during adolescence and being the only or youngest child or the only girl in the family increased the likelihood of homosexual marriage. Our study provides population-based, prospective evidence that childhood family experiences are important determinants of heterosexual and homosexual marriage decisions in adulthood."


All very interesting.

But I don't see any mention of homosexuality as "learned behavior". What does having older parents or being one of the last born children have to do with "learned behavior."

In particular, there is NO mention of ANY correlation between having gay or lesbian parents and marrying a person of the same sex.

In fact, based on the research you provided, the first child born to young gay parents is more likely to be heterosexual than the second child born to older straight parents.

[tuesday afternoon]

But I don't see any mention of homosexuality as "learned behavior". What does having older parents or being one of the last born children have to do with "learned behavior."

Family/social life = environmental factors = learned behavior. BTW, you left off the biggest correlation, coming from a broken home.

In particular, there is NO mention of ANY correlation between having gay or lesbian parents and marrying a person of the same sex.

The study looked at marriages from 1989. If that is when marriage was made legal for homosexuals in Denmark, their children are too young to be married.

Here's some more cause and effect for you:

From Tammy Bruce, The Death of Right and Wrong, p99

Almost without exception, they gay men I know (and that's too many to count) have a story of some kind of sexual trauma or abuse in their childhood - molestation by a parent or an authority figure, or seduction as an adolescent at the hands of an adult.

From Born or Bred? Science Does Not Support the Claim That Homosexuality Is Genetic

Post reporter Laura Sessions Stepp writes:

Recent studies among women suggest that female homosexuality may be grounded more in social interaction, may present itself as an emotional attraction in addition to or in place of a physical one, and may change over time.11

She cites one such study by Lisa M. Diamond, assistant professor of psychology and gender studies at the University of Utah, who in 1994 began studying a group of females aged 16 to 23 who were attracted to other females.12 Over the course of the study, "almost two-thirds have changed labels," Stepp reports.

[MadIvan]

But it will be used to shove the gay rights agenda down our throats.

We have no evidence that Mary Cheney is doing this personally. Don't blame her for the actions of others. If indeed there is some wacko group in San Francisco that makes hay of this, by all means, open fire. We should rightfully attack them for taking what is a personal, private event and trying to exploit it.

Regards, Ivan

[tuesday afternoon]

It's already started: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1749692/posts

[MadIvan]

I have zero problem in hitting gay rights groups over the head for broadcasting this. If they dare use the word hypocrisy against Vice President Cheney, time to unleash the dogs of war.

Regards, Ivan

[JedForbes]

Sorry, but what is "two lesbians using AI"?

AI = artificial insemination

No, no, AI = artificial intelligence.

Well maybe they're using both, since AI (the latter variant) can just about simulate the intelligence of a fly at this stage.

[saneright]

This is a truly sad event. 2 dykes becoming "parents" is no cause for celebration.

If I recall correctly Mary Cheney used to have a job with Coors Beer Co. before working for her father. She was some kind of liaison between the homosexual world and Coors marketing dept. I specifically remember that one summer she accompanied some sad excuse for a man with the title of Mr. Leather 1999 around the country while promoting Coors Beer in gay bars and queer pride parades (and I read it all right here on FR).

[DungeonMaster]

So let me get this straight -- you're a horrible father because you try to instill good morals in your children?

I guess so. My wife and 2 of my daughters sure laughed at the idea of my being called a horrible Father for having a biblical view about sodomites.

[JCEccles]

No need for amazement. It's the kind of situation that forces people to choose between public politics and personal beliefs.

It's an example of profoundly sick people who believe the best way to cure their private sickness is to force everyone else to accept a redefinition of the sickness so that it is considered normal, healthy, and even desirable.

[snugs]

No I am British read my tagline

[snugs]

I see you did check afterward - sorry for my previous post - why one should always read to the end before jumping in.

[beezdotcom]

I don't agree with her lifestyle but as long as she is not pushing it on me I see no reason to get into her business.

SHE may not be pushing it...but it IS being pushed, make no mistake about it.

[meandog]

A)There is no scientific evidence that homosexuality is anything but a learned behavior. B)Many lesbians claim their homosexuality as a choice.

It is interesting how just about every credible source, medical professional, and scholar on the subject disagrees with you:

click here ...After all, who would choose a lifestyle that that, knowing the social, political, and medical repercussions associated with it?

[snugs]

It will be interesting to see in years to come if children growing up in a household with 2 parents of the same sex percentage wise are more likely to become a homosexual themselves.

I would guess probably not and probably in a lesbian situation a girl is less likely to be anti men than growing up in single parent (mother) family where a succession of men have come and gone.

By this I am not advocating or agreeing with Lesbians/homosexuals adopting or using AI to have a family but just speculating that statistics will probably show it does not have an affect on their sexual orientation. How balanced and how good they will cope with relationships etc is open to debate and I would say is dependent upon the normal male/female role models they have had contact with. In the case we are discussing I would say that interaction with Mary's sister's family and Dick and Lynne Cheney the grandparents will and should be very important and I am sure that Mary and Heather are intelligent enough to know this.

[ruthles]

Unfortuantely, You may be right. Yuck