Now we know why we never learned anything at all about his two years at Occidental College the MSM protects their own.
Considered being gay, the same way he considered not lying his ass off about everything in his entire life. Didn’t he also consider being anti-America? Can anybody doubt that he was and still is anti-America?
But, if he could run again, his “perhaps gayness” would be considered a big plus in his resume.
So, are we now supposed to consider adding another group to the LGBT community, and with perhaps gay, we’d end up with “LGBT-PG”? Nothing “PG” about perhaps gay, but that’s how abbreviations work, unfortunately.
BTW, wasn’t there a character on SNL by the name of “Pat”, an androgynous character whose gender was “un-determinable”?
We had 2 “Pats” in the White House for 8 years.
Garrow reveals a close relationship Obama had with an openly gay assistant professor named Lawrence Goldyn.
Lawrence Goldyn 73
In April 2009, the Advocate, a leading gay and lesbian magazine, asked president Barack Obama who had most profoundly influenced his ideas about gays and lesbians. The first person on Obamas list was his mother; the second person was his political science professor at Occidental College, Lawrence Goldyn 73.
He was a wonderful guy, Obama said. He was the first openly gay professor that I had ever come in contact with, or openly gay person of authority that I had come in contact with. And he was just a terrific guy. He wasnt proselytizing all the time, but just his comfort in his own skin and the friendship we developed helped to educate me on a number of these issues.
For Lawrence, the remark confirmed something he had long believedin theory, at least. This is great consolation to anyone who has ever been a teacher, he says. You never know whom you are going to influence.
As Lawrence spoke to Reed from his office in Fort Bragg, California, it was easy to imagine him as a dynamic lecturer. He was observantly precise at one moment and bitingly off the cuff at another, and his New York accent was deliberate, measured, and tough.
This style gave Lawrence a high profile at Occidentalhe describes himself as a magnet for outsiders at the college. His roguish references to sensitive issues undoubtedly contributed to his popularity among independently minded students in the 70s. Marginalized groups flocked to him: gay men, gay women, women of colorand Obama.
Obamas presence was exceptional, Lawrence says. Most straight men did not want to be seen associating with gays because of the social stigma, but Obama was not concerned about what people might think.
Lawrences willingness to serve as mentor stemmed from his own undergraduate experience. He arrived at Reed uncertain about his own sexual identity at a time when most gay men kept their sexuality firmly locked in the closet. Dissatisfied with this furtive existence and the limits of social support on campus, he took a leave of absence and traveled around Europe. There he crafted a new identity, developing a greater comfort with the tag gay with each new destination.
When he returned to Reed, he resolved to be upfront about his identity, but the response was underwhelming. Nobody cared in the slightest, he says. Thats the flipside of no supportnobody cares. I realized, this is what happens when theres no mentor. So halfway through grad school I decided to become a mentor. I sort of forced my way though this, and since then Ive encouraged gay men and women to use me as a mentor.
Despite his popularity among studentshe was nominated for a teaching awardLawrences career suffered from his open sexuality. After teaching for two years, he was denied tenure. The reason I didnt get it is because I was too stuck in sexual politics. I took it as them saying, Youre gay, youre too publicly gay.
When I was at Occidental it was an extremely straitlaced white Protestant school, and for anyone who didnt fit that mold, you clearly stood out, said Lawrence. Occidental has changed a lot [since]. That makes me feel good because I think I probably contributed to it. But the price I paid for it was that I lost my job in the process.
Disillusioned with academia, Lawrence retrained himself for a career in medicine. He earned an MD from Tufts University and now practices in Fort Bragg, where he is the medical director of the Mendocino Coastal Clinics, specializing in HIV.
For many years, he considered his teaching days as a wasted decade. But the rise of his old pupil has given him fresh perspective. Though unwilling to take credit for the presidents path in life, Lawrence remembers that he used to advise students to get their first taste of experience through community organizationObamas political starting ground.
Obama actually speaks the words gay and lesbian, in itself a turning point for the national conversation, and has asked Congress to repeal the Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy.
Lawrences tone turns stern when he criticizes the presidents support of the Federal Family Protection Act and reticence on Californias Proposition 8, but livens again when he thinks about the future of gay rights.
Scratch the doctors surface, and the political scientist in Lawrence shines through. He says of Obama: I think hes been a little conservative on gay issues, but Im sensitive to what kind of compromises he has to make.
Brandon Hamilton 10