Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Saying goodbye to Congressman Kolbe
U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe (R) will be retiring next month and has taken the opportunity to talk with Washington Blade about his experience being the only openly gay Republican in Congress.
From Southeastern Arizona, Kolbe came out in 1996 after voting for the Defense of Marriage Act, afraid that he would be outed by the media or certain organizations *ahem*. Since then, he's been an avid supporter of LGBT rights, earning him a perfect "100" from the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard this past year. But you can read all about that in the article. The real question is: how did this man become a visible supporter of LGBT equality? Could it be that his expediated coming out helped Kolbe support LGBT rights?
The inevitable answer is yes. Coming out of the closet gave Kolbe the confidence to become a vocal advocate for LGBT rights. Kolbe even says:
To that I say: COME ON JIM! You already admitted you would not have come out without the pressure that we at blogACTIVE and others like us provide. You've said that it was a huge personal relief to come out. It obviously didn't hurt your political career. Instead of condemning us you should be thanking us. We both know there are a lot more closeted Republicans in political power who continue to fight against LGBT rights. Congressman Kolbe, you should be joining us in calling for these hypocrites and liars to come out of the closet so that they can experience the joys of honesty that you have.
And on a different level, I want to personally thank Congressman Kolbe for his strength and tenacity. It takes enormous courage to become the first openly gay Republican in Congress. We must never forget the incredible service that Congressman Kolbe has done for the LGBT community. I only hope that others may see him as a role model and follow in his footsteps.
From Southeastern Arizona, Kolbe came out in 1996 after voting for the Defense of Marriage Act, afraid that he would be outed by the media or certain organizations *ahem*. Since then, he's been an avid supporter of LGBT rights, earning him a perfect "100" from the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard this past year. But you can read all about that in the article. The real question is: how did this man become a visible supporter of LGBT equality? Could it be that his expediated coming out helped Kolbe support LGBT rights?The inevitable answer is yes. Coming out of the closet gave Kolbe the confidence to become a vocal advocate for LGBT rights. Kolbe even says:
“My strongest contributions were simply standing up and talking about these issues on the floor, in caucuses and when it came up for debate. There’s something to be said for speaking up for equality.”Kolbe had nothing to lose from speaking honestly; he was already known to be gay. He also said about coming out:
“It was the most gratifying thing that’s ever happened to me. It was a huge burden that was lifted from me.”Still, Kolbe denounces groups like blogACTIVE and Proud of Who We Are for their outing of politicians, despite the obvious beneficial impact it had on him personally.
To that I say: COME ON JIM! You already admitted you would not have come out without the pressure that we at blogACTIVE and others like us provide. You've said that it was a huge personal relief to come out. It obviously didn't hurt your political career. Instead of condemning us you should be thanking us. We both know there are a lot more closeted Republicans in political power who continue to fight against LGBT rights. Congressman Kolbe, you should be joining us in calling for these hypocrites and liars to come out of the closet so that they can experience the joys of honesty that you have.
And on a different level, I want to personally thank Congressman Kolbe for his strength and tenacity. It takes enormous courage to become the first openly gay Republican in Congress. We must never forget the incredible service that Congressman Kolbe has done for the LGBT community. I only hope that others may see him as a role model and follow in his footsteps.
By: Radikal Insight
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