Chris Kelly

The problem with these “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” hearings is the problem with the entire country’s discourse about homosexuality: it’s still debated like there are two sides to the issue. Like there are people who support gay rights and are entitled to their opinion, and people who don’t support gay rights, and are entitled to theirs.

NO.

This must change. FOXNews would not allow a Senator on their network to talk about how African Americans are immoral and tearing apart the foundations of this country without instantly dismissing him or apologizing for his insane, hurtful remarks. CNN would not bring someone on their network for a “different take on things” if their “different take on things” was that women should be banned from serving their country because they will distract the real soldiers.

Yesterday, during John McCain’s embarrassing, pathetic attempt to create new reasons to block the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, someone - anyone - should have spoken up and told him that he was being a bigot. Wouldn’t that have been so refreshing? Sure, there is being a gentleman. Sure, there is conduct. But it would have been so nice to hear someone politely - yet firmly - say, “At this point, Senator McCain, this comes down to bigotry. You are bigoted against a group of people and you are holding the entire country back. These are human beings you are talking about.”

Because watching McCain talk, and LAUGH condescendingly, at military leaders as they explained that DADT should be repealed was disgusting. Can he even IMAGINE what it must be like for us gay people, sitting at home, to watch elected officials like him talk about us like we’re some sort of other? It was hard for me, and I feel pretty damn good about myself, so I can’t fathom how hard it must have been for teenagers still uncomfortable with their sexuality to watch it. McCain laughed so derisively and so degradingly about the very notion of us being allowed to serve like “regular” people, that it honestly looked like he was responding the the military brass’ suggestion that millions of rats be unleashed into army barracks, effective immediately.

“Rats? (laughing) In the barracks with our soldiers? (laughing) But uh, won’t that cause… PROBLEMS? (laughing, eye roll) I mean, with all do respect, RATS!?!?!?!?”.

Senator McCain, you fucking disgust me. We are human beings, we gay people. We are literally just like you. Only our faces are made out of skin and not some sort of weird dough that was left out to rise.

When I was home last year with my dad, he said something along the lines of, “Even though we disagree on the gay issue, I am always willing to have a nice debate about it with you.”

NO.

Because that’s the problem. This is NOT A DEBATE. It’s not “There Should Be Middle-Class Tax Cuts” vs. “No There Shouldn’t Be”. It’s “There’s Something Wrong With You As A Person That Makes You Fundamentally Less Than Me” Vs. “No There’s Not”. And, frankly, I am not having that debate anymore, regardless of how polite or civil it is. And neither should the news networks or anyone else.

So FOX, CNN, MSNBC: stop letting homophobic crazies on your shows. Or if they’re on, tell them flat-out that they’re wrong. Don’t say “now a lot of people disagree with you”, say, “You are a bigot and you are spending time out of your life to make the lives of others more miserable.” Because when you go home for Thanksgiving, and you accidentally get stuck at the end of the table with your racist step-uncle who, oh look, maybe has what looks like a swastika peeking out one of the sleeves of his t-shirt, you don’t interview him openly and honestly about his opinions on things, you pretend you don’t see him and then parody him a month later in a sketch show.

Thank you for your time,
Chris Kelly

P.S. Rachel Maddow, please invite me on your show to talk about this because I want us to strike up a fun rapport where you say something funny and then I say something funny and then we can hear the crew laughing off camera.