HRC responds to Foley controversy
HRC [Human Rights Campaign, Washington DC - Press Release] | 06.10.2006 05:59
Dear Friend,
With all that’s going on in Washington this week, I felt it was important to update all of you on the role that HRC has played in this unfolding story concerning Mark Foley.
With all that’s going on in Washington this week, I felt it was important to update all of you on the role that HRC has played in this unfolding story concerning Mark Foley.
Congressman Mark Foley’s sexually-charged communications with young congressional pages was reprehensible and we have strongly condemned it. We have also been equally quick to condemn some in the GOP for their attempts to blame this scandal on the GLBT community.
Just hours ago, following Speaker Hastert's press conference, I sent a letter to him expressing outrage at the efforts of some in his party to scapegoat gay people for this unfortunate situation.
At the beginning of the week, I issued the following statement to the press:
“Gay or straight, Democrat or Republican, it is completely inexcusable for an adult to have this kind of communication with a minor. Congressman Foley brought shame on himself and this Congress by his horrible behavior and complete lack of judgment. We strongly condemn his behavior.”
On Tuesday, we issued a press release condemning the Republican leadership for avoiding responsibility and for trying to blame our community.
On Wednesday, HRC Vice President, David Smith, appeared on MSNBC to combat Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research Council. Her group has been saying that the House Republican leaders were afraid to investigate the Foley matter because they were afraid of being labeled “homophobic.” That’s right! - the same members of Congress who have been trying to write our community out of the Constitution were supposedly unwilling to stop Foley because they were worried about their image as gay bashers. This is some of the most convoluted nonsense out there. David did an excellent job of going after FRC’s illogical and inflammatory statements.
Yesterday, I also submitted an editorial to Huffington Post, the popular online website run by Arianna Huffington. We need to get the focus of this debate back on topic. It has nothing to do with Mark Foley’s sexual orientation and everything to do with the fact that the pages were teenagers entrusted to the care of Foley and the entire House of Representatives.
Last night, I continued HRC’s full-on offense against the scapegoating and half-truths permeating this debate, when I appeared on CNBC’s “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” Donny had an excellent show looking at how the media continues to perpetuate and exacerbate the more outlandish excuses for the scandal. (Foley was molested as a child; he was in the closet; and, so on. All of these issues are beside the point.)
Keep up-to-date on developments and HRC’s aggressive response to the smearing and vilifying of our community by visiting www.hrc.org and please feel free to forward this message.
Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese
President, Human Rights Campaign
Just hours ago, following Speaker Hastert's press conference, I sent a letter to him expressing outrage at the efforts of some in his party to scapegoat gay people for this unfortunate situation.
At the beginning of the week, I issued the following statement to the press:
“Gay or straight, Democrat or Republican, it is completely inexcusable for an adult to have this kind of communication with a minor. Congressman Foley brought shame on himself and this Congress by his horrible behavior and complete lack of judgment. We strongly condemn his behavior.”
On Tuesday, we issued a press release condemning the Republican leadership for avoiding responsibility and for trying to blame our community.
On Wednesday, HRC Vice President, David Smith, appeared on MSNBC to combat Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research Council. Her group has been saying that the House Republican leaders were afraid to investigate the Foley matter because they were afraid of being labeled “homophobic.” That’s right! - the same members of Congress who have been trying to write our community out of the Constitution were supposedly unwilling to stop Foley because they were worried about their image as gay bashers. This is some of the most convoluted nonsense out there. David did an excellent job of going after FRC’s illogical and inflammatory statements.
Yesterday, I also submitted an editorial to Huffington Post, the popular online website run by Arianna Huffington. We need to get the focus of this debate back on topic. It has nothing to do with Mark Foley’s sexual orientation and everything to do with the fact that the pages were teenagers entrusted to the care of Foley and the entire House of Representatives.
Last night, I continued HRC’s full-on offense against the scapegoating and half-truths permeating this debate, when I appeared on CNBC’s “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” Donny had an excellent show looking at how the media continues to perpetuate and exacerbate the more outlandish excuses for the scandal. (Foley was molested as a child; he was in the closet; and, so on. All of these issues are beside the point.)
Keep up-to-date on developments and HRC’s aggressive response to the smearing and vilifying of our community by visiting www.hrc.org and please feel free to forward this message.
Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese
President, Human Rights Campaign
HRC [Human Rights Campaign, Washington DC - Press Release]
Homepage:
http://www.hrc.org
Comments
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What equality? Whose rights?
06.10.2006 14:55
Until 29th September 2006 Mark Foley was the deputy whip for the Republican Party in Congress. He has played a key role in pushing through anti-democratic and anti-constitutional legislation like the Patriot Act for the Bush administrations ‘War on Terror’.
Mark Foley called speculation about his sexuality by the gay press in 2003 "revolting and unforgivable". See Mark Meenan, “Is He Gay or Not? U.S. Rep. Mark Foley calls press to say he won’t talk about his sexual orientation”, Gay City News, May 30, 2003
Now Mark Foley has been outed by his defence lawyer David Roth on CNN on 2nd October 2006. His lawyer also claimed Foley had been sexually abused by a priest for the first time on the same occasion. However, neither claim had been made by Foley before the scandal broke on 29th September 2006.
Why was it ok for the gay press to speculate about Foley's sexuality in 2003, but when the mainstream media speculates about Foley's sexuality in 2006 it is a witch hunt against gay people?
Would HRC be defending Foley's sexuality if he had been a heterosexual hitting on a teenage girl working at the Senate?
BB