Does McGreevey's book tour help or hurt gay politics?

[KurtNYC]

Jim McGreevey who resigned after putting his lover on the payroll of NJ has just released a book and is doing all he can to promote it and cash in. I caught part of his shtick on Larry King last night and I was cringing. A caller asked 'if you knew you were gay at 6 why did you get married twice and have children?' McGreevey stumbled around for an answer while I'm thinking the answer is simple: "I may have suspected or known I was different but like so many others in this homophobic world, I did not accept it."

He was also asked why if he believes that being gay is okay, did he go into therapy. His answer was "to deal with the trauma" A better answer would have been "The therapy wasn't needed because I was gay, it was needed because I had fought for 40 years against being gay." He went on to compare being gay to alcoholism (!)

While I know everyone deals with the challenge of growing up gay in their own way, overall I think McGreevey is a terrible spokesperson for the GLBT community. He told King that he embraced the GLBT community "out of necessity" ?! So McGreevey is all about McGreevey and cashing in on his book at the expense of both gay politics and the Democratic party. The only reason I can see that he came out of the closet is because he was forced out by a scandal of his own creation and now he is trying to play himself off as a victim.

What is going to move gay politics forward IMHO is people who have integrity simply asking to have their lives and unions respected. McGreevey comes from the other end of the spectrum.

[William769]

1. IMHO, I would say helps.

It is society that pretty much made him make the choices he made. The more society has it thrown in their faces that they are the ones responsible I say more power to him.

[sui generis]

3. I agree - AND I understand

We are so eager to make "spokespersons" out of every famous face, and heroes out of every person who's finally come out that they don't have any room to turn before they've fallen off that pedestal.

We are the ones who grew up without role models; we really shouldn't be looking for them any more at this point.

Now we are old enough, we're allowed to be those role models ourselves. We don't need celebrities and politicians and scandalous coming-out tales. We should not have to place an expectation of leadership on someone else just because we recognize their name; they have the same right to living their lives and making good or bonehead decisions that the rest of us do.

Plus, how can we ask someone to represent us perfectly if we're not perfect ourselves?

[DURHAM D]

2. Jim seems like a light weight who just wants/needs money.

I watched the King interview last night and cringed several times at his responses.

However, I don't think he is generally offensive and think of how many women can listen to him and then say "Oh my God, that is what is wrong with my marriage - I feel so much better - it wasn't me."


On edit: Given how personally homophobic Jim was, it is a real surprise that he was not a crazy right wing Repug.

[KurtNYC]

4. Interesting point re: homophobic -- > repug

You saw the bit about how his mother reacted just fine. I would like to be the guy's media coach because I really think he needs to talk more about how this was an internal struggle (and perhaps still is). I think that would reasonate with more people. He grew up in a post-Stonewall world and yet internally he seems to have been living in the early 1950s. His expectations for his parents' reactions was very low prehaps because he was projecting his own self-loathing onto them. There is an ancient saying that "the oppressed oppress" and in many cases they oppress themselves. I would much rather have him put some light on that.

[DURHAM D]

5. He needs to spend a little time with David Brock.

Homosexual homophobia is a real issue and often hard for healthy gays and most heterosexuals to understand.

It is important to remember that it took David a long time to grow up and if the Repugs had not attacked him he might still be in their camp/closet.

[mitchtv]

6. That could have been me on in that Photo

with the nun. I grew up Irish Cathoic like him, and went through many of the heartaches he went through. only I gave up trying much earlier on. The guilt and shame are killing , and I am lucky to be alive today. for several distinct reasons. I forgive the guy.I just hope his ex wife does.

[cwydro]

7. I don't like him

gay or not....he put an obviously unqualified person in a high position...when he got called on that, he paid the guy to be an "aide", some $110,000 a year. He's just another crooked politician and I resent his jumping on the "Gay American, Waahh, I'm just a victim bandwagon..." what a phony