BY MATT MILLS – A gay guy has announced a bid for the US Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Fred Karger, his name is. He’s never run for political office before, but he reportedly served as an advisor to presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush I.
Here’s what he said when asked how he could reconcile being a Republican with the party’s irrational, stubborn and tiresome stand on gay issues: “Being a gay Republican is kind of an oxymoron,” he told CBS news. “I have been a fighter in my party. I have always been on the more moderate side, but I’m also a protégée of Lee Atwater. We need to open up this party, and that’s one of my reasons for running. The party should not be dominated by one faction or another. It should be open to all.” Take a good look at him. This may be the last time you hear his name mentioned on mainstream television. I love you Fred, now fuck off. * * * And speaking of gay guys who hid in the closet for years, building impressive careers on the backs of oppressed gay people, and who came out, to great adulation, only after the cat got out of the bag and they realized they were going to be okay…. The Pink News reports that Ricky Martin performed for a group of managers from US retailer Target, just weeks after Lady Gaga kicked them to the curb for donating money to rightwing, anti-gay causes. I love you too, Ricky, now fuck off. Dug this last week…Are you my mommy?
And speaking of big US retailers who don’t want to get in trouble with social conservatives, check this out from JoeMyGod: Walmart blocks “gay” from book reviews. * * * This piece from the Miami Herald suggests that most Catholics favour gay marriage in the US and are comfortable being at odds with the Catholic Church on key issues. I think perhaps those enmeshed in the ongoing tussle over the ban on the word “gay” – the effective ban on gay-straight alliances (GSAs) – in Ontario’s Catholic schools, might consider turning to some of the parents who have kids in those schools.
If you have a son or daughter in an Ontario Catholic school and you disagree with the bishops’ position on GSAs, contact andrea.houston@xtra.ca. In fact, if you have a son or daughter in an Ontario Catholic school and you’ve decided the drawbacks of church teachings on any matter outweigh the value of having your child in that school, I know Andrea would love to hear from you.
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The City of Fort Worth, Texas, pays $400,000 to man injured in a police raid on a gay bar. Chad Gibson suffered a brain injury during a raid on the Rainbow Lounge in June of 2009. City officials say the payment is a good business decision on the part of the city, nothing more. * * * Yesterday I reported on the murder of Edinburgh, Scotland, man Roger Gray. He’s the third gay man found murdered in that city in a month. Just a couple of more details this morning: Gray was stabbed and his home was reportedly locked from the inside when his body was discovered. I’m not sure how you can tell if a lock was most recently actuated from the inside or the outside, but that’s what the news reports say. A chain perhaps? Anyway, John Hein, editor of ScotsGay magazine, told The Scotsman: “Our advice is that people should always be aware of their personal safety and make sure that if they are meeting anyone new, who they don’t know, they do so in a public place – something which is true for everyone, whatever their sexuality.” Details on the other two dead men from The Scotsman: John Carter, 44, died after being found unconscious in Leith, at 3:30am on Sunday, Feb 27. Friends of Mr Carter said he left a Leith pub with two men hours before he died. Another man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found dead in his home in Pilton, also on Feb 27. He is understood to have suffered stab wounds. A man aged 26 has been charged with the death. Just a reminder that Xtra has been following the murder investigations of Alan Lanteigne, Chris Skinner, Ross Magill and David Buller. We’re also following a handful of other cases.
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