Foley case upsets tough balance by Capitol Hill’s gay Republicans

Posted on Sun, Oct. 08, 2006
Foley case upsets tough balance by Capitol Hill’s gay Republicans
The New York Times

WASHINGTON — For gay Republicans in political Washington, reconciling their private lives and public roles has required a discreet, heads-down existence. But in the past week, the Mark Foley scandal has upset that careful balance.

Since the Floridian resigned his House seat over sending sexually explicit electronic messages to male pages, gay Republicans here have been under what one describes as “siege and suspicion.”

Some conservative groups blamed the episode on the “gay lifestyle” and the gathering force of the “gay agenda.” Others equated homosexuality with pedophilia, a false link that has long outraged gay men and lesbians.

Conservative blogs and Web sites pointed out that gay staff members played principal roles in investigating the Foley case, suggesting the party was betrayed by gay men trying to hide misconduct by one of their own.

Some gay activists even began circulating a document known as “The List,” a roster of gay congressional staff members and their Republican bosses.

“You can see where it would be easy for some people to blame gays for something that might bring down the party in Congress,” said Brian Bennett, a gay Republican political consultant. He was a longtime chief of staff to former Rep. Robert K. Dornan, R-Calif., who regularly referred to gays as “Sodomites.”

The presence of homosexuals, particularly gay men, in key staff positions has been an enduring if largely hidden staple of Republican life for decades, and particularly in recent years. They have played decisive roles in passing legislation, running campaigns and advancing careers.

Some have suggested the leadership’s response to Foley was borne of a squeamishness in dealing with a so-called gay issue. As the blame from the Foley case has been parceled out in recent days, some Republican staff members worried that any gay men caught up in the scandal would be treated unfairly.

“I’m just waiting for someone in a position of authority to make this a gay issue,” Bennett said of the Foley incident.

Gay members of both parties describe the Foley scandal as something that could jeopardize the role that gay men and lesbians have assumed in Republican politics.

One gay Republican campaign strategist said he feared that conservatives would “play to the base” and redouble their efforts to vilify homosexuals.

“It’s one of the places the party goes when it’s in trouble,” he said. “A lot of us are holding our breath to see how this plays out.”