Among many gays, “sissy” is a distinction worthy of honor, sort of like the red badge of courage. But among closed-minded straights, it’s a devastating insult, which is why The Advocate bestows the word on the following irritants of 2008.
Palin and McCain
Go to Bed, Old Sissy: John McCain
In a year dominated by news of the presidential campaign, John McCain demonstrated time and again that he wasn’t particularly mavericky about gay rights. Here are just a few examples:
• He sought the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee, a cleric who has said that gays were to blame for Hurricane Katrina; his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, once railed “against the agenda of America’s tortured and angry homosexual population.”
• He told The New York Times he was against adoption by gay people. Then his campaign said he thought the states should decide. When asked again by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, he gave a vague answer about family values and two-parent homes, while also encouraging adoption.
• The McCain camp didn’t like the donation by Jonathan Crutchley, cofounder of the gay hookup site Manhunt.net, much more than the gays did. While McCain said the contribution would be returned, six weeks later, Politico.com’s Ben Smith reported no such refund had been made.
• In August, McCain told The Weekly Standard that he would be open to a pro-choice running mate (like Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman) but not a pro–gay rights one (like Michael Bloomberg). Of course, he wound up choosing neither.
Sissy Moose-alini: Sarah Palin
Oh, Sarah, just when the campaign was getting a little too dry and stuffy, you blew in like a fresh breeze from the Yukon, so very mockable with your folksy fakery and your smiley no-abortions-or-rape-kits-ever ways. We loved watching Tina Fey and Katie Couric take you down a peg, but let’s not forget that Anita Bryant was also a former beauty queen and that a TV-ready smile can hide lots of homophobia.
• As mayor of Wasilla, Ala., Palin made inquiries about banning books from the local library. On the top of her hit list? Pastor, I Am Gay and the kids’ book Daddy’s Roommate.
• As governor of Alaska, she opposed extending benefits to same-sex partners of state employees (though she didn’t contest the state supreme court’s ruling that it must be allowed), expanding hate-crime laws, and same-sex marriage.
• She used the term “San Francisco,” a loaded conservative buzzword, whenever possible during discussions of Barack Obama.
• She thinks homosexuality is a choice and belonged to a church that sponsored a “Pray the Gay Away” event.
• As governor, she refused to sign a proclamation honoring National Coming Out Day in Alaska.
Runner-up Republican Sissies
Dishonorable achievement ribbons to Mike Huckabee -- whose brief run for the White House lasted long enough for him to compare homosexuality to bestiality -- and the Virginia delegation to the Republican National Convention, who canceled an order of Minneapolis–St. Paul guidebooks when they discovered they included a section on LGBT culture and nightlife.
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