There are several easy answers to this question, and there is one that is more difficult to come by. The easy answers? Mr. Crist is the esteemed and, among many of his constituents, the honorable Governor of the State of Florida. He is the man who was on John McCain’s short-list for Vice President during the most recent Presidential Campaign… until all of those on that list were replaced by a political embarrassment named Palin. He enjoyed the speculation and his fifteen minutes of fame as provided by the national media. During those days of speculation he married, and Florida had a beautiful new First Lady.
Then, there are the more difficult questions that only the governor and those who have been “closest” to him can answer.
For as long as I have lived in Florida I have heard rumors and innuendo regarding this Governor’s sexuality. Then, the documentary “Outrage” was released. (It did not play in my town at a theatre near me. But it was released on DVD, and HBO picked it up and ran with it.) “Outrage” spoke for the Gay/Lesbian Community against politicians who are gay, closeted and use their power to do harm to those in the gay community who are attempting to live their lives openly, honestly and with dignity. It exposes politicians who have, in effect, been caught with their pants down while either passing or attempting to pass laws that prevent homosexual people from attaining the full rights of citizenship that are enjoyed by their heterosexual brothers and sisters.
As a general rule, I do not approve of, nor do I support the indiscriminant “outing” of any person. Coming out is a difficult process that begins with coming to terms with who one is and developing a sense of self- respect and pride. One should not be forced into the light until he or she is ready to be seen by the world as the wonderful man or woman he/she is meant to be. That is the general rule I like to see followed.
There is one exception to this rule, and the exception to this rule is as follows…
That exception applies to those members of the GLBTI Community who have power and use that power to harm, belittle or prevent the self-actualization of their gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or inter-sexed constituents. If a person is a part of this community and uses their political power against his/her brothers and sisters they should not only be outed, they should be torn out of their closet and forced to confront themselves in the most public way possible. They should be made to confront their own self-loathing. They should be made to see and “benefit” from the damage they have done to so many persons while they enjoyed the power and prestige they attained while living their lie.
Charlie Crist was featured in “Outrage.” Evidence is presented in the film, but to my knowledge, Mr. Crist has not taken the time to address the content. Yet, although the Governor seems to be a fairly nice man on some levels, I am totally behind the efforts to “out” him. During a recent campaign in the “Sunshine State,” there was a campaign to pass an Amendment to the State Constitution forbidding same-sex marriage. This amendment was not a sure thing, since it was really over-kill in a State where there were several laws already on the books that reserved marriage rights for the heterosexuals among us. The purveyors of this particular example of homophobic bigotry had the fear that laws could be over-turned but a Constitutional Amendment would likely last forever. Initially Mr. Crist voiced opposition to this change. But the wind shifted and the ultra conservatives in his party and the Christian Fundamentalist churches began to exert pressure, and like a straw in the wind, Charlie buckled and bent. He turned his coat and came out in favor of the Amendment, thus securing the enshrinement of second class citizenship for lesbians and gay men in the Florida Constitution.
In this State, nationally and on the Internet there is very frequent speculation as to whether Charlie Crist is, in fact and in spite of his recent marriage, a closeted gay man. There is a hell of a lot of smoke out there if there is no fire generating it. There is even speculation that the real reason the GOP divorced itself from supporting this former Republican star is because of the suspicions of the party’s conservative elite. There is no way one can really know unless the Governor himself comes forth… or perhaps if one of his “lovers” decided to speak.
I cannot say that I am happy about speculation concerning what the Governor does or has done in his bedroom. I am not happy, but I do believe it is fair and that if the rumors have a basis in fact, Governor Crist has acted the part of a coward in supporting the anti-homosexual constitutional amendment and other anti-gay legislation extended or perpetuated by the Conservative branch of the Florida Republican Party.
I saw the film and like you, I don’t agree with “outing” anyone, but I too agree with the exception you mention … Florida is a thorn in my ass, since they allowed the election of GW …. and then there are the pythons, don’t get me started … but many many “married” men who need to present a public image and will do anything to keep it going, including selling out their souls … I have my thoughts about Mr. Crist and I am pretty sure his political life is coming to an end .. I hope that at some point in his life, that he can address this issue and make amends .. even if it is after he could have made a difference …
It must be difficult to be a legislator. The primary obligation is to represent the will of the constituents, although there is not always a solid majority, nor does the majority always make wise choices. Ideally, a contender for office campaigns on the basis of what s/he wishes to produce and is voted in according to public agreement. In the era of statesmen, in which i would include Harvey Milk, the personal lives were not nearly as important a denomination as the ability to make fair and equitable policies. This is no longer the case.
What we have now is a society that places its judgment calls personal life-styles. One must be happily married; preferably with one or two rosy-cheeked children; be drug free, and have no scandals in the background such as secret relationships or an alliance with unpopular entities. What they look for is “model” families, not model leaders. This is extremely unfortunate as the public then forgets that their electives are human, not demigods and that their legislation should be based fair and honest practice, not the catering of special interests.
We live in a nation of cowards; cowards who will not admit their own weaknesses, deny their own inner convictions and will not take an unpopular stand against popular discrimination. Henry David Thoreau said, “If we and our conscience, believe the majority to be wrong, we must go against any government or legislation that goes against who we are as human beings.” When a heterosexual votes against legislation that recognizes the basic human rights of a homosexual, one can at least reason that the opposing member is still ignorant of basic human rights concepts, is influenced by environment and culture or has a religious conflict. We may not find their reasoning palatable, but at least we can understand it. But when a person passes judgment on who s/he is, persecuting his or her own human nature as guilty, then tries to cover it up so as to appear flawless to the public, the actions tell a far more disturbing story. Here is a person who will not stand up for the human rights of others if his or her convictions will not win popular support. Charlie Crist should be outed.
While “outing” someone is generally distasteful to me, I feel that in the case where someone is rabidly going after the very group they belong to they need to be outed. This would not be an issue if Crist or others like him were quietly homosexual and fair. However the fact is he has be active in denying adoption, domestic partnership, etc., while at the same time seemingly covering up his own sexual prefrence.
He is not alone as we are finding out daily. These men and women who work against themselves and their community in order to hide are committing treason to their sexuality, their constituents and themselves and this should be aggressively addressed.
hi, what a great site, very well written and inspirational