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Posted on Tue, May. 27, 2003

Foley's bedfellows: politics, hypocrisy

Mark Foley can't have it both ways.

The Republican congressman from Palm Beach can't hold himself up as a defender of gay rights while at the same time denounce as ''revolting and unforgivable'' questions about whether he is gay.

Last week Foley held a news conference with a handful of selected reporters to declare that he would not answer questions about his personal life. ''I'm not going to be dragged into the gutter by these rumormongers,'' he declared.

Foley may be within his rights to say he doesn't want to talk about his sexual orientation, but, unfortunately, his words implied there is something wrong with being gay.

Why should it be ''revolting and unforgivable'' to ask if he is gay? And why would it be tantamount to being ''dragged into the gutter'' for him to answer such a question?

Foley's words only serve to feed the hatred and bigotry of the conservative wing of Florida's Republican Party. And he's doing it because these are the people who will decide if Foley is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2004.

Do I believe Foley is gay? In addition to fairly persuasive reports in both the gay press and, more recently, the Broward edition of New Times, a friend of mine said he was at a social gathering with Foley a few months ago at which the congressman introduced his partner and said the two of them had been together for more than 19 years.

Do I care that Foley is gay? No. But I do care if he is being a hypocrite.

And what does it say about the character of a man if he is more interested in his own political survivability than in being honest and open about who he is?

Yes, voters are mainly interested in where a candidate stands on issues like the economy, national security and the environment.

But voters are also looking for leaders, men and women who show courage.

If a powerful United States congressman can't openly be gay, what does that say to those men and women, boys and girls, who are more vulnerable to ridicule and scorn?

I recognize it may not be fair to lay this responsibility at Foley's feet. And in a way, I feel sorry for him. He's right; it shouldn't matter if he's gay. Unfortunately, in today's world, being openly gay would cause some voters to look at him differently.

Which is why he doesn't want to answer the question. Not because voters aren't interested, but because he's afraid some of them would be.

Foley's effort to sidestep the issue was the pragmatic approach of a misguided politician desperate to deny the realities of his own party.

I am stunned Foley thought he could run for the Senate -- as a Republican in Florida -- and not have this issue come up. And he's not thinking clearly if he believes his news conference is going to settle the matter.

After the news conference, leading conservatives -- including House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., and Gov. Jeb Bush -- issued statements of support.

Foley had obviously brokered a Faustian pact with his party's right wing: He would stay in the closet and they would vouch for his conservative credentials.

I'm more troubled that Foley was willing to climb into bed with these men to further his ambitions than I am with whom he sleeps at night.

The more intriguing question: How many of these Republicans would have embraced Foley if he actually had said he was gay? If he had said, ''Yes, I'm gay, but I'm not going to discuss my personal life further, because I believe voters are more interested in the issues.'' What would DeLay and Feeney and Bush have done then?

In the Republican Party, it's OK to be gay, as long as you act somewhat ashamed of it. Among conservatives, you can be queer and here, but just not loud and proud.