By Ann Rostow–
Still Up for Debate
I know it’s been ten days or so, but I’m only now just coming down off my debate victory high. I was nervous that whole day, having experienced the trauma of Biden’s self-destruction just a few weeks earlier. Subsequently, Harris had been surging, but was it all too good to be true? It felt as if even a satisfactory or good performance would not be enough to sustain her momentum.
But then came the crucible itself. Not only did Harris win the debate, not only did she do extremely well, but she was brilliant and Trump was even worse than usual. My wife and I luxuriated in the post-debate analysis and watched MSNBC nonstop for several days in a row. We always record Nicolle and Stephanie, but we were glued to live television like 20th century children on a Saturday morning. Gradually, however, our frustrations have begun to rise from below the surface.
We are tired of the pet-eating stories and annoyed that Vance and Trump are still being allowed to claim a) that the immigrants in Springfield are illegal, and b) that some people somewhere have actual proof that dangerous Black strangers who don’t really belong in Smallville, Ohio, are killing neighborhood dogs and cats. But Hello, Mainstream Media! This is not a “he said, she said” story. It’s total nonsense!
Further, it’s irritating that Trump is not being called out for two extraordinary debate remarks: first, his refusal to say whether or not he wants Ukraine to win the war, and second, his reference to “the other side” during his discussion of January 6. “The other side,” in this case, was the Capitol Police and members of Congress. Why did these outrageous statements get swept under the rug while we all obsessed on the pets?
And recently comes news of this crazy guy outside Trump’s golf course. It doesn’t seem as if this incident put Trump in any danger, considering the guy never took a shot, had no line of sight position on Trump, and never got within 500 meters of the ex-president. But it’s certainly a distraction and it allows the Trump campaign to drift further away from his debate fiasco and even edge back into victimhood.
Finally, I’m sobering up because I’ve been hoping for some serious polling gaps. Five to ten point leads in the Blue Wall states. Healthy leads in the other swing states. Possible leads in a few of these long shots. Come on, pollsters!
Instead, we’re seeing a point or two turn in our favor. Good news, I guess, but still within the margin of error. Calculating the outcome if polls underestimate Trump’s appeal is not recommended for the faint of heart. The number of Republicans who somehow think Trump will be better than Harris for the economy is extraordinary. Many of these people believe the stock market has dropped under Biden and we’ve been through a recession. Oh, and they think crime is up. Can they not read a chart, google a statistic, check historical data? Even Vance seemed unaware that the United States has the strongest economy in the world—now, not in some Trumpy future.
As for Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports, either American consumers of those imports will pay higher prices, or the importing companies will eat some of the costs. It’s not clear where Trump gets the idea that foreign countries will send money to the United States if tariffs are imposed because that’s not how tariffs work. No, I’m not an economist. But you don’t have to be an economist to figure this out. You just have to read what economists say or listen to their remarks and recognize that the experts make sense and Trump does not.
I could go on, but you get the idea. We’re still in the fun house. The mirrors are still distorting reality but we have to keep moving towards the exit.
Are You Ready?
At least football season is back. Do you remember when Chief’s kicker Harrison Butker told a graduating class that women should aim to be wives and mothers? I think I imagined that the Chiefs, my favorite team, would drop the guy, but that did not happen. Instead, everyone said that Butker was a good teammate and that politics was not discussed in the locker room.
Um, okay, whatever. I am ashamed to report that I quickly abandoned my feminist outrage, left my politics in the parking lot, and was rooting for Butker as he kicked a fifty-something yarder to put Kansas City on top of the Bengals on Sunday. Go, Harrison!
I was also not aware that ex-Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins gave an interview with someone from Focus on the Family last year, and although the subject of GLBT people didn’t come up, we’re guessing that he’s not a fan. It’s a good thing I was not aware of that walk on the wild side when I faithfully supported the Vikings all last year. Happily, he moved to the Atlanta Falcons, so I can still back Minnesota out of loyal friendship and also these days (Oh! Hold my beer, my politics are back!) out of solidarity with our next Vice President.
Don’t worry, dear Readers. The Forty Niners are my second favorite team, but I married a Kansan, as you may recall, so the Chiefs come first. Plus, Taylor and Travis!
Finally, in NCAA news, I see here that Donald Trump has suggested that he might attend the Alabama Georgia game on September 28. I’m sure the Secret Service loves that idea. I’m guessing they’ll ask him not to do this, and I’m guessing he might just defy them much as he defied them on the matter of playing golf in public. Because as long as he’s not hurt, he likes it when people take pot shots at him or roam too close, much as he liked being indicted earlier this year. It makes him the center of attention and lets him strut around with a heroic posture.
Eat Less Chiken
I was going to write about how the attacks on diversity programs in corporations and universities and public services have started to undermine the efforts by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to rank employers according to the criteria of its Corporate Equality Index. I’ve been alarmed to see some high-profile companies, like Ford and Harley Davidson, stop cooperating by deciding to withdraw from the HRC project and stop providing data.
The coverage of this phenomenon, which seems to involve six or seven companies, makes mention of a far-right Tennessee-based activist named Robby Starbuck, who along with his wife, focuses his energies on anti-GLBT efforts of all sorts. But despite the Starbucks campaigns, it looks as if the Corporate Equality Index is just fine. Yes, a few big names have distanced themselves, but HRC says some 1,400 corporations are ranked by the Index; 93 percent of Fortune 500 ban gay and trans bias, while 75 percent provide trans health benefits.
It’s true that some of our champions, like Target and Coors, have taken a step back, but if you’re like me you never quite figured out whether or not Coors was a good company or a bad one in the first place. Likewise with Target. Everyone was mad when they took down some of their Pride gear last year, but they only took down the merchandise that was manufactured by a company that worshiped Satan, so it was okay. Did I get that right? Possibly not, but if so, it’s because it was a long time ago and I didn’t much care.
Speaking of corporations that have gotten on our bad side, here’s an article in The Advocate that asks whether or not we still hate Chick-fil-A. The answer seems to be yes; they’re not making headlines, but they’re still not great. And because Popeye’s made fun of Chick-fil-A in an ad, they are now seen as the gay friendly chicken franchise. Again, I don’t care, although I’m reminded of the time Mel and I joined other gay men and women at a “kiss in” to protest Chick-fil-A’s anti-GLBT donations back in the day. Everything went great. We all kissed. And then eight or ten guys lined up to buy sandwiches earning eye-rolls from every lesbian in attendance! Talk about missing the point of a political protest.
Do the Dew
No column is really complete without a visit from One Million Moms, who are currently upset with Mountain Dew. The latest ad stars the “Mountain Dude,” who has disturbed the Moms with a most inappropriate play on words.
“For example, in one ad,” a Mom tells us, “a man is sitting on a donkey when the Mountain Dude appears and says, ‘Hey, on the mountain, we’ve got a saying: ‘Get off your [sound of donkey braying]!’”
And lest you think this is simply an unfinished or mysterious piece of dialogue, the Moms assure us that the viewer “knows what is being said, even though the animal’s bray covers the final word.” Even worse, the YouTube version of the ad, Mom adds, “does contain the a-word.”
The “a-word!” Is it my imagination or are the Moms scraping the bottom of the barrel in their search for offensive broadcasts? As for YouTube, they’re not even blocking the “a-word” with a bray! They come right out and say it!
Sometimes I imagine that the Million Moms are staffed by a bunch of fun young interns who find these outrages and write up the press releases over French 75s or gin and tonics. At times, they make each other laugh so hard tears come to their eyes. Every two weeks they collect small paychecks from the American Family Association, and every month or so they put on their frocks or suits and conduct polite Zoom calls with their supervisors.
I think I’ve mentioned that I helped write and edit a monthly health magazine for a time, years ago. Both my boss and I smoked, drank to excess, and did not exercise whatsoever. That didn’t stop us from coming up with “Top Ten Tips for Better Health!” or “Lose Five Pounds in Five Days With This Secret!” And yes, tears often came to our eyes as we collapsed in laughter over the phone while proofreading our copy.
(Instead of that fattening pie, why not have an apple for dessert? Park your car at the end of the lot and enjoy a brisk walk to the door! Take the stairs! Is it cocktail time? Order a wine spritzer! My boss also wrote some articles under the persona of a commonsense housewife who was always trying new diets and fitness programs. Fun times.)
Some People!
I don’t really have time or space for a new subject. Did you see that “some people” (Trump and my favorite source) say that Laura Loomer looks like “Jigsaw” from the Saw movies? I can’t see it myself, but that doesn’t mean I like her looks. Mel thinks her lips are grotesque.
Aetna is being sued in federal court in Connecticut for failing to cover facial surgery for transgender patients. These operations can be critical, spelling the difference in some cases between an unremarkable appearance and disfigurement. I haven’t read much of the back story, but these are not tweaks or removing bags under people’s eyes. This is a key step in some transitions.
Over in Nassau County, Florida, a school district must now return three dozen banned books to school libraries as part of a legal settlement. According to NBC News, a far-right group, Citizens Defending Freedom, stripped the libraries of everything from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison to And Tango Makes Three, featuring one of our favorite gay penguin families. The books were targeted and removed without public hearings, as part of Ron DeSantis’ war on woke. Parents, kids, and some of the authors of the banned books filed suit in May, and agreed to settle earlier this month.
arostow@aol.com
GLBT Fortnight in Review
Published on September 19, 2024
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