JANUARY 26, 1996 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

SPEAK OUT

How the Right unwittingly helped create the gay movement

by Hastings Wyman, Jr. The achievements of the gay liberation movement in the past quarter-century represent a quantum leap for gay men and women and a social revolution in the greater society. While the progress continues, American conservatism-ascendant in the nation's politics-remains a determined opponent for civil and social progress for gay people.

There are several ironies in this conservative opposition to gays. For one, the rightwing media's attacks on gay political objectives often suffer from the ignorance that intolerance breeds. More ironically, American conservatives have ardently promoted economic capitalism and anti-government individualism-and such conditions have proved hospitable for gay liberation.

Examples of the right-wing's opposition to the gay revolution, can be found in the of Human Events, a weekly journal of pages politics published in the nation's capital that offers, according to its editor, "unvarnished, bare-knuckle reporting that peels back the layers of liberal, politically correct nonsense." And Human Events is not without influence—it is said that Ronald Reagan read it every week during his presidency.

Several recent Human Events articles illustrate the publication's anti-gay point of view. In "Why Are the Media in Bed With the Gay Community?" conservative columnist Cal Thomas blasted coverage of studies by molecular biologist Dean Hamer that indicate a genetic basis for homosexuality. Thomas believes the Washington Post and other media gave the research undue credence by, for example, failing to cite information that would cast doubt on the study. The reason Thomas cites for this bias is that the media wants to buttress the position that being gay is not a choice but genetic, thus deserving of

civil rights protections.

Significant numbers of gay men and lesbians-liberal political activists, in particular-do not accept the genetic argument, in part because they believe such theories lead to eugenic proposals, Nazi genocide being an extreme example. Indeed, the strongestthough by no means sole-support for the genetic basis for homosexuality is among conservative gays.

Second, Human Events and many other commentators ignore that even if homosexuality does result from early childhood experience, virtually no scientists who have studied the issue believe such experience constitutes a "choice." Why, indeed, would children born to Bonos, Gingriches, Goldwaters, Mosbachers, Schlaflys, et al—the list gets longer every year—“choose” to be gay?

Thomas is also concerned with the mainstream media's treatment of gays and gay issues. "The establishment media," he writes, “have developed a relationship with the political objectives of gay rights activism that has shamefully compromised their ability to report objectively and fairly on the issue." This theme was echoed in another Human Events article by staff writer Peter LaBarbera. In "Homosexual Journalists: How Biased Are They?" LaBarbera raises questions about the role and influence of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. Essentially, he asks whether "Gay reporters, with big media support, [are] serving less as newsmen and more as public apologists for homosexuality and the radical homosexual agenda."

But in their discussions of gay journalists, conservative writers fail to acknowledge that all journalists are obligated to write objective copy, regardless of their predispositions. Many journalists have a minority identification of some sort. The theory behind broadening the makeup of the newsroom is that the

media, and ultimately the public, benefit from the knowledge produced by a wider spectrum of experiences. But that doesn't mean all journalists shouldn't aim at the presentation of objective truth.

These conservative writers appear oblivious to gay complaints about the national media, such as not covering gay stories, as was the case with AIDS, and stereotypical coverage-hundreds of thousands of gays in "straight-looking" attire march on the Capitol, but the drag queen gets her picture in the paper.

Human Events also attacked gay Republicans in "Log Cabin Agenda Belies Group's Moderate Image," another article by Peter LaBarbera. His effort to paint the gay Republicans as radical relies primarily on Log Cabin's support for gay "marriage" (his quotations marks), gays in the military, "massive" spending on AIDS, and similar proposals that are part of a “wider, politically liberal, homosexual activist movement."

The irony here is that many gays are opposed to or unenthusiastic about legalized same-sex marriages. The main impetus for the effort to put gays in the military came from lesbians and gay men who want to risk their lives on behalf of their country-hardly a "radical" notion. And AIDS funding has received support from many sources.

But the saddest irony for anti-gay conservatives must be that the movement for freedom and acceptance for gay men and lesbians is a by-product of the kind of system that the American right has been striving to achieve here and abroad.

It's no accident the gay liberation began flourishing in the same capitalist West that Human Events and its ideological allies so ardently supported in the Cold War struggles with the Communist East, where the stodgy and socially conservative state ruled public

life. The old tightly knit, classand religionbased communities where everybody knew everybody else's business and imposed sanctions for nonconforming behavior have broken down. In their place is growing a new, more diverse. more tolerant, and more gayfriendly world.

It is usually the left that is accused of the sin of unintended consequences. But in this instance, it is the right which has unwittingly helped create-in its view-a monster: a free and prosperous citizenry that pursues happiness as it pleases, including making love with whom it pleases.

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