Mary Cheney with her longtime partner, Heather Poe, with whom she is raising a child.
While Liz Cheney busies herself with defending her father’s pro-torture policies, Mary Cheney — his openly lesbian daughter — is engaged in another destructive exercise: supporting anti-gay candidates!
What’s more, she’s doing this by injecting herself into a race where the Republican has an established anti-gay record and both Democrats have very pro-gay records — and right here in Ohio!
According to Raw Story:
Mary Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and onetime gay outreach director for Coors Brewing Company, gave $1,000 to a Republican Senate hopeful who voted against same-sex marriage and allowing gay couples to adopt children in the District of Columbia.
Cheney, 40, has a two-year old son with her partner of 17 years, Heather Poe. The donation to former Rep. Rob Portman (R-OH) was made in May. Portman is seeking the Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) when he retires in 2011.
Portman voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004, an anti-gay attempt that Republican Ohio Reps. Hobson and Pryce and all of Ohio’s Democratic representatives opposed.
The Democratic candidates, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, support all LGBT equality efforts, up to and including marriage equality.
It’s too bad that Mary Cheney, like her father, can claim to be supportive of LGBT equality, but is unwilling to take the steps needed to bring her party along on the issue.
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Chris Geidner is the award-winning senior political editor at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, The American Prospect, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. In 2011, he received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his coverage of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
“[V]ery pro-gay records…”? What’s the difference between a “very pro-gay record” and very pro-gay rhetoric? Ted Kennedy had a “very pro-ay record”… I would argue (and, I’m VERY much a fan of JB) that the two Democratic candidates for the Ohio Senate seat, have something less than that.
To me, this isn’t about semantics. It’s about really giving credit where credit is due. Obviously, Fisher and Brunner would be more progressive on gay issues than Portman… but I just think it’s a stretch to say they both have “very pro-gay records”. Just my thoughts. Thanks for the post, Chris!
James, I don’t think that Chris’ characterization of Fisher and Brunner’s records as “pro-gay” is necessarily a stretch. Both candidates have come out in support of gay marriage, Brunner especially.
Even if you don’t call their records “pro-gay” I don’t feel it would be a stretch to call Portman’s record “anti-gay,” and it’s disappointing that Mary Cheney would choose to support him.
I do wish that I could get an explanation of Ms. Cheney’s reason for donating to his campaign, with the hope that she might use her position to engage him in a discussion of LGBT equality.
Yes, James, the two Democrats have less of a pro-gay record than Ted Kennedy. Most everyone in the country does. You’ve created a distinction that, for purposes of this post, is without a difference. Both candidates are on the record with completely pro-LGBT positions and their record in government gives no suggestion that they are anything less than genuine in holding those positions.
Yes, there are questions to be asked about how the candidates will advance LGBT equality in the U.S. Senate (a discussion in which I have engaged and will engage again), but that doesn’t take away from the reality of this race: The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Ohio is the most pro-gay primary election choice we’ve ever had in Ohio.
And Mary Cheney is supporting the anti-gay Republican opponent of these two.