When you’re in the mood for some bizarre anti-gay behavior to marvel at, the Virginia fringe never disappoints.
According to AJ Kiefer, advertising director for the Minneapolis/St.Paul magazine The Rake, the Bill Bolling campaign cancelled its order of a guide to Twin City attractions published by the magazine. The guides were intended to be gifts for Virginia delegates to the Republican National Convention.
The problem? The 220 page guide includes a six page section of GLBT community resources.
Here is the text of the cancellation request, sent from Bolling’s political director to Tom Bartel of The Rake:
I am so terribly sorry to do this, especially when the both of you have been so “out of your way” helpful, generous and easy to work with. But, we need to cancel the order for 150 of the “Secrets of the City” guidebooks.
Thanks for sending a copy to me so expediently, Tom. Upon looking at it, though, having a section dedicated solely to GLBT will be a BIG problem for many of our folks. We simply can’t hand them out.
Please still bill us for the copy sent along with shipping, though.
Again, I’m so sorry.
One has to wonder what the BIG problem would have been. Would the Virginia delegates have fallen over in a dead faint upon learning that there are GLBT people in Minneapolis/St. Paul, too? That would, understandably, present a problem. Or, perhaps the concern was that some of the attractions would be a little too attractive. Another incident involving some poor closeted (but absolutely, definitely, NOT gay) Larry would indeed be a problem. No sense in tempting fate, I suppose.
Really, I’m at a loss here. What plausible “BIG problem” could justify exposing our state to ridicule? Information, please.
Meanwhile, Box Turtle Bulletin reports that more Republican delegates support either marriage equality or civil unions (49%) than oppose any legal recognition of same sex couples (46%). The New York Times poll cited did not provide breakdown by state.
As for The Rake, they have appropriated the Commonwealth’s humiliating moment as a selling point:
You’ve heard about it on TV, on the radio and in the newspaper! The Rake’s new guide book that was rejected by the Virginia republican delegation for 6 pages of GBLT content is yours to own for a mere $12.95 (plus shipping and handling of course).
Sales, no doubt, are up. Glad we could help.
Shh…don’t tell the VA delegation about the McCain campaign’s nice acceptance of the Log Cabin Republicans endorsement. They might have a collective aneurism.
LCR has made endorsements before, but acceptance by a campaign spokesman at a public event is a first. From Roll Call:
“The Republican National Committee gave us space for events, a hotel room block, credentials for members — all unprecedented for Log Cabin,” the group’s president, Patrick Sammon, said in an interview. “We have a booth in the exhibition hall where delegates can go throughout the week. It’s a very significant increase in presence for us.”
It kind of undercuts the transparent pandering to the James Dobson set with the otherwise curious selection of Palin, doesn’t it? Maybe they won’t notice…