DISQUS

atariageguy · 4 months ago

O crap! I pressed submit and the page burped and my comment posted like 5 times. I'm embarrassed. How can I delete the excess?

threadmonitor · 4 months ago

S'ok, arariageguy. I'll delete the duplicates for you.

atariageguy · 4 months ago

cool, thanks :)

John Aravosis · 4 months ago

Happened to me too, must be a glitch, it's not you.

BlackRabbit · 4 months ago

Aren't people charged with dealing with the Press (ie, a Press Secretary) supposed to be good at public speaking?

Mark · 4 months ago

Not knowing anything about Gibbs' personal views, I can't really comment on what he thinks about the LGBT community. But it's very clear from the way he speaks about the topic that it makes him very uncomfortable. He talks about gay issues as if he were a nervous straight guy taking freshman sociology to fulfill an elective requirement.

michaeltracey · 4 months ago

Thanks for this. I'm glad my story made it up the ranks.

John Aravosis · 4 months ago

Hey, I'm actually not sure what your story is. Care to share it?

michaeltracey · 4 months ago

I originally broke this story for The Nation. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090720/tracey

atariageguy · 4 months ago

Well, that would fit with every other legally relevant statement from the White House on gay matters. Gays are bad. Until something *official* comes from the White House, Gibbs' supposed hatred of gays simply reflects the official policy.

Still waiting for an actual legally binding statement from the President saying otherwise. I'm serious. He's said lots of nice things and then done (officially) something downright vile to the gay community. The minute the President actually puts his official name to something that treats us as equals and not 3/5 persons, I will dance and sing his praises.

Until then, the evidence suggests Gibbs' and he are two peas in a pod.

Which is unbelievably depressing every time I think about it.

timncguy · 4 months ago

I'm not understanding what Gibbs' personal views on LGBT issues have to do with anything. Does the White House Press Secretary's job include having input on policy decisions? I was under the impression that his job was solely to go out in public and say words in response to reporters's questions that provide no more information about the question than the White House wants presented in a public forum. And, if a particularly difficult question comes us, I thought his joh was to pretend to not know anyrthing about the topic and claim he would go get the details for a future spouting of a set of words.

Mark · 4 months ago

I think his views, familiarity, and comfort with the topic are quite relevant. If I owned a widget factory, and needed someone to handle the press, I'd hire someone who could talk intelligently about widgets.

Gibbs' discomfort with the topic suggests to me that the Obama administration doesn't think LGBT issues are very important. Otherwise, they would have hired someone who could talk about it without stammering.

It's just one more signal from this administration that we don't matter.

Jophus · 4 months ago

I feel you, Mark. I don't know what the solution should be though. Every person on this marble, prioritizes issues. No matter who you put up there, they are personally not going to see eye to eye with every interest group.

If he is homophobic, shame on him. I just don't want to jump to that conclusion based on someone else's interpretation who wants to remain anonymous. I don't know that this person doesn't have personal animosity towards Gibbs, and I can see several reasons why he may be acting the way he is (see my post above).

I also wouldn't consider Gibbs' personal attitude or opinion a reflection of Obama's. Remember McClellan's talk show rounds? I am skeptical of what I am saying even, I just want more proof.

We should pick our battles and this one doesn't strike my fancy.

MichaelS · 4 months ago

Listening to Obama talk right now to the NAACP. Why oh why can't he find even 1/20th of that commitment to gay civil rights?!!!

What a fucking hypocrite. And the worst thing is, he doesn't even know it...

stldem · 4 months ago

Jake Tapper, next time ask Gibbs or Obama why Julian Bond and Mildred Loving (Loving v VA) are wrong in their support for same sex marriage.

devlzadvocate · 4 months ago

Just curious. Has RG ever uttered the word "gay" or the words "same sex marriage" in a conference?

Jophus · 4 months ago

Do you have a link to a larger photo of your new icon? Did you change it because Gay.AmericaBlog took your old one?

devlzadvocate · 4 months ago

No, sorry. No link. I don't even remember where I got it. I do have a slightly larger jpeg of it, if you want me to email it to you. Do you like it?

I changed it because I wanted something different. Actually, you motivated me to change it!

ABlog picked up the Rainbow Flag after I changed my icon.

The only change I would make it to put the "Gay" before "AmericaBlog"

Jophus · 4 months ago

Lets see it. Jradkins@gmail.com

devlzadvocate · 4 months ago

I'm on my laptop right now. The jpeg is on my desktop. I'll email it to you the next time I'm on the desktop. Okay?

Don't forget to delete your email from the blog.

btw, my name is Tom

Jophus · 4 months ago

Your not my ex Tom in LA are you? From Indianapolis? Who cheated on that columbian twink with me a few years ago after we were broke up for a while? Is that why you are telling me this? If not my name is Joe. I might just be paranoid from all that cannabis, lol.

I just downloaded some junk file mail advert because I thought it was your photo. It was just a blank email from an aol addy with a file to download. Funny stuff right? I'm glad I'm on a mac otherwise my shit might be sick right now. :-)

offspring · 4 months ago

anyone notice how he looks like he wants to throw up when gay stuff comes up

Jophus · 4 months ago

I haven't been keeping up with the news lately. However, I hope this doesn't become a trend. It is obviously a matter of personal opinion, but I don't want to point fingers and charge people of being "very anti-gay." That is subject to an unknown person's interpretation, to boot. I don't know how inflammatory this person may be. I'd rather approach Gibbs, someone who speaks to POTUS frequently, with as much civility as circumstance allow (also subject to opinion).

Not only do I consider it gossip, but even if it is true, I don't want to scare people and possibly affect them in a way that makes them put their hands up and take a few steps back. Again, I'm speaking of people who may be in a position to help. In my mind it is temporarily pleasing (to us) and harmful in a long-term sense.

For all I know he can personally dislike gays as a group, but consider equality a higher priority. He could be stumbling and acting so strangely because he knows this issue can be lethal if handled wrong, and he doesn't have the ability to personally do anything about it.

Am I wrong? I'm trying to be reasonable and objective. Is it too apologetic?

RonNYC · 4 months ago

I understand your impulse to reasonableness, but I think you are wrong here. At least for me, it's a quack and duck thing, speaking more of Obama than Gibbs, because I'm sure if Obama actually thought highly of gay people, Gibbs's attitude would be different.

It's like the question of Michael Jackson being gay. People have told me they think this is an open issue, or they doubt it. For me, it's not open to much question. Same with Gibbs. He just doesn't seem very warm to us, but again, I think that is more reflective of his boss than his own views.

change1mood · 4 months ago

Robert Gibbs' wikipedia page notes him as Roman Catholic. Does anyone know where he currently and previously attended church? Given the increased focus on his uncomfortable responses to gay questions, perhaps there is something to the priest or community in the churches he attends that would give us more insight into his true stance on this civil rights issue?

offspring · 4 months ago

gibbs is rude