You can purchase an autographed copy of Anything But Straight by sending a $35 check or money order to:
-------------------------
Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
The biggest misnomer in the Mark Foley fiasco is that his transgressions were caused by the closet. We hear that his career ended in tragedy because living in secrecy warps the mind and leads to sleaze on the sly. This, of course, is often true, as in the case of former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey, but Foley doesn't fit the script.
For one, it seems every gay man in West Palm Beach has at least one Mark Foley story. For someone supposedly on the down low, Foley attended gay parties and was brazen enough, on one occasion, to introduce his longtime partner to a news reporter.
In Congress, if Foley wasn't officially out to the Republican leadership, it was certainly Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The congressman had been "outed" repeatedly in the gay press and rumors swirled on the Internet. It just isn't credible to believe that in the gossip mill known as Capitol Hill, these whispers did not circulate to the top echelons of power.
The former congressman is not a victim of the closet, but of naked ambition and raw opportunism. Foley began his career as a Democrat, but figured his prospects were better as a Republican and switched parties. From the beginning, it was clear he stood for nothing but the attainment of his own personal power. This is why he had little trouble joining a party that was ascending, in part, by embracing an anti-gay "family values" platform. (Of course, by the way House Speaker Dennis Hastert has handled allegations of Foley's impropriety, it appears that the GOP's party leadership is as insincere on "Family Values" as Foley.)
In the same cavalier way he snookered the right, Foley consistently trampled the gay community. He saw no contradiction in parading around with his long-term boyfriend in Florida, while returning to Washington to vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits states from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states. Foley was willing to give second-class status to relationships, including his own, to satisfy his lust for power.
In a final act of monumental hypocrisy, Foley was the co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. He strutted around touting this commendable legislation, while proclaiming, "We track library books better than we do sex offenders...If I was one of these sickos, I'd be nervous with America's Most Wanted on my trail."
Only nine weeks later we come to find that Foley has written more pages than Stephen King. The original online banter was creepy, but not sexually explicit. While newly released Instant Messages reveal a deeply disturbed man who was clearly abusing his authority to try to gain sexual favors from pages.
In an insincere effort to garner sympathy, Foley claims that his moral failures took place because he is an alcoholic. But even if he were a heavy drinker, he was still well aware that pages are high school juniors, making his weak alibi irrelevant.
Make no mistake, Foley's disgraceful fall has damaged the gay community because it perpetuated the devastating stereotype that homosexuals are child molesters. To compound the problem, Foley's lawyer claimed that as a boy Foley was molested, while finally acknowledging that the disgraced former lawmaker is a gay man. By conflating the two subjects, Foley provided fodder for every right wing organization in the nation that claims that gays are the sinful byproduct of abuse or neglect.
The jackals on the right wasted no time exploiting the situation.
"While pro-homosexual activists like to claim that pedophilia is a completely distinct orientation from homosexuality, evidence shows a disproportionate overlap between the two," said Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council.
Of course, Perkins' comments are disgustingly mean-spirited and untrue. A 2000 study by Dr. Michael R. Stevenson concluded, "A gay man is no more likely than a straight man to perpetrate sexual activity on children." A 1994 study by Dr. Carole Jenny found that less than one-percent of the children in her study were abused by a gay man or lesbian. In 1978, Drs. Nicholas Groth and Jean Birnbaum found that none of the 175 molesters in their study had an exclusively homosexual adult orientation.Unfortunately, perception is reality and when Foley-gate is out of the headlines, the damage he wrought will make it difficult for the GLBT community to turn the page.
31 Comments:
When is HBO going to call you to have you on Bill Maher!!!!???? Anyone out there have connections?? Use them & pass along Wayne's name for Foley's sake!!!! Keep up the great work Wayne- hope you are feeling better.
posted by Todd-Seattle, at
10/06/2006 10:28 PM
Unless the next guy up falls on the sword, this will go on for a few more days.
posted by Anonymous, at
10/07/2006 12:39 AM
and, of course, the side effect is that all the brouhaha in Congress, the White House and the Media keeps Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Lybia, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Jordan, the list is endless, off the Front Page!
posted by Lloyd Thoms, Wilmington, Delaware, at
10/07/2006 6:14 AM
Wayne, being officially "in the closet" and ambitious go hand in hand. Both McGreevey and Foley did damage to the gay community due to unbridled ambition, facilitated in part by not having to acknowledge gay identity.
I agree completely that Foley's lawyer did none of us a favor by conflating alleged sexual abuse and homosexuality. His transparent effort to generate sympathy for Mark Foley is indeed an uphill battle.
Just to keep his entire "gay" voting record in sight, after having backed the Clinton-signed Defense of Marriage Act, Foley twice voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment. And he was a backer of abortion rights.
Lloyd Thoms' point is well taken, and one I want to amplify: the Affair Foley generates a far larger scandal than US troops remaining active on Iraq's killing fields with Congress voting nearly unanimously for more money to continue that killing.
The Foley focus provides just the right distraction from the real issues which are US imperialism abroad and war on working people at home. Thank-you big business media.
posted by Bob Schwartz, at
10/07/2006 9:23 AM
I wonder how the arrogant, thugish spoiled brat bush who's used to getting his own way always and everywhere will react when we get a Democratic House AND Senate in November!? He'll most likely have a psychotic meltdown and go back on the booze and nose-candy! To quote John Lennon, "instant karma's gonna get to you...".
posted by Anonymous, at
10/07/2006 2:40 PM
Mark Foley may have squired an adult male lover around to Gay parties, but I think it's clear by now what he turly likes, and it's not adult men. Gay men want men. Foley wants boys. As far as I'm concerned, he is NOT Gay. However, you're right, Wayne, about this scandal hurting Gay people. Many heterosexual folk will fail to see any difference between him and us.
posted by Stuffed Animal, at
10/07/2006 4:10 PM
Foley just wants money, fame, and boys. He doesn't really care about his constituents. He's a liar about everything and now his poor poor excuse is that he was really scared to come out! Hah!!! He knew he was perpetrating a crime and he got caught on one of them. Which special interest group did he get his hand outs from - go after them.
posted by Anonymous, at
10/07/2006 5:25 PM
I appreciate Wayne's comments clarifying the issue. I was not aware that Foley was as brazen as he was. As we all know by now, plenty of conservatives are quite willing to work with (and for) openly--even notoriously--gay politicians as long as they toe the line by a.) voting as they are directed by the Republican leadership, b.) never giving a straight answer (no pun intended) should they be asked directly if they are gay or not, and c.) never uttering a peep of dissent or complaint about Republican fag-baiting. As long as these strictures are upheld they can be as profligate as the Emperor Tiberius on the isle of Capri and no one will really mind.
Being amoral, most top Republicans object to gays only as a matter of taste--not because they really see them as "immoral". This doesn't preclude getting along with gays on a strictly business basis. The "immorality" talk is only used to bamboozle the boobs out in the hinterland.
Of course when all hell breaks loose, silence instantly changes to "I'm shocked, shocked at these goings-on!"
Hypocrisy is the leaven of the Republicans.
posted by Withered Cynic, at
10/07/2006 5:57 PM
Hypocrisy is everywhere. it doesn't just belong to Republicans.
posted by Anonymous, at
10/07/2006 7:25 PM
of course hypocracy is everywhere, but right now, in political circles, Republicans are in the lead. It reminds me too much of the Priest scandal. Ignore it and send them somewhere else, but for Christ's sake don't tell anyone. It's a sad state of affairs.
posted by jekelhyde, at
10/07/2006 8:59 PM
"Hypocrisy is everywhere. it doesn't just belong to Republicans."
Yeah, I know, but like water, hypocrisy tends to collect at the lowest level available; in this case, Republicans.
posted by Withered Cynic, at
10/08/2006 3:07 AM
Isn't Tony Perkins gay? I thought he starred as the mama's boy Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's film "Psycho!" Cue the music: yeet yeet yeet, Yeet Yeet Yeet, YEET YEET YEET! (From Bernard Herrmann's musical score.)
I wonder; was he called 'Master Bates' as a young boy? Do you suppose this is just what Mr. Perkins and the loons at the Family Research Council do when they get all hot n' bothered from obsessively reading about gays all day? Just asking.
posted by Inquiring mind, at
10/08/2006 3:32 AM
Hi Wayne! Please feel better - and REST!
While I agree with most of what you say (in the context of Foley), it's best not to forget that repression DOES cause mental and physical issues for people. I am reminded of a quote by the brilliant Parker Palmer; "True self, when violated, will always resist us, sometimes at great cost". IF Mark Foley did end up repressing his true self, for whatever reason, he's paying a great cost. The saddest thing is that, quite often in these cases, other people pay a price too!
posted by J. David Zacko-Smith, at
10/08/2006 2:26 PM
No excuses for Foley! When are we going to demand that people take repsonsibility for themselves. Remember that serial killers have repressed episodes in their lives too - does that excuse them! NO!
posted by Anonymous, at
10/09/2006 12:08 AM
Wayne, how are Foley's actions any different than your actions toward interns when you worked at HRC???
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