SchrockPolitics: Bloggers out gay Right Wing pol
It is one of those scenarios that offer plenty to ponder. Why are so many closeted gay men who are politically active vocal opponents of equality for homosexuals? (Indeed, why are so many vocal Right Wingers revealed to have life styles that don't comport with their stated beliefs, period?) Does the closeted gays' hypocrisy provide permission for others to out them? Should bloggers, particularly anonymous bloggers, do the outing? There is all that and more in the revelation that a legislator has resigned after being outed by blogs. Planet Out reports on the controversy.
A Washington, D.C.-based blogger triggered the resignation of U.S. Rep. Edward L. Schrock, R-Va., with accusations that he solicited sex with men.
Schrock, a vocal opponent of gay rights and proponent of several anti-gay laws, announced Monday that he will not seek a third term in Congress.
"In recent weeks, allegations have surfaced that have called into question my ability to represent the citizens of Virginia's Second Congressional District," Schrock said in a press release.
Apparently, the love that dare not speak its name had still better keep mum. His statement is purposely vague. He did not say: I have been accused of being homosexual.
Schrock, 63, is married and a father. The most outspoken of the weblogs that have made the allegations, Blog Active, has posted audio that it says is of Schrock calling gay sex hotlines and soliciting specific acts. The blogger is not apologetic about having taken action against the politician.
The editor of blogactive, Mike Rogers, said his blog's purpose is to expose "hypocrites" in politics. Rogers has promised more embarrassing revelations about people "who say they are Republicans and then use sexual orientation to stay in power."
Is Shrock a reasonable fellow who just happens to be a Repubican? Far from it. He is a poster boy for the extreme Right. He seems to be particularly opposed to liberalizing laws in regard to homosexuality.
Schrock, who received a 92 percent rating (out of 100) from the Christian Coalition, was one of 233 lawmakers who supported the Marriage Protection Act, which would block federal courts from considering constitutional issues arising from same-sex marriage cases, and he was a co-sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would amend the U.S. Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage.
A retired Navy officer and Vietnam veteran, Schrock also has called for ending the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in favor of asking enlistees about their orientation to prevent gays from entering the military.
Schrock apparently thinks the allegations, if believed, would make him unwelcome in the Christian Right, where he has made his political home. That has prompted his resignation. Is there fire as well as smoke? I doubt that Rogers would have openly accused Schrock unless he was certain of the evidence he has in hand. Unlike some of the other bloggers who have accused Schrock, Rogers has put his name and reputation in play.
Gay advocacy groups are responding cautiously. Shrock is the enemy -- a person in a powerful position who has done his best to limit the rights of homosexuals. But, at the same time, he is thought to be one of them, a homosexual man. Steven Fisher, communications director for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) says he cannot condone using outing of gays as a weapon, even when the person suffering the consequences is not someone he sympathizes with.
In his autobiography, Blinded by the Right, former GOP operative David Brock says there has long been a 'gay Mafia' at the higher levels of the party. A sort of Order of Roy Cohn. Despite their homosexuality, they are men (he doesn't mention any women) who have decided the beliefs of the far Right are to be championed, including contempt for homosexuals. It appears that Schrock may have been among that secret society.
