On the Chase

 “The premise that conservatives will only speak honestly with conservative journalists—it doesn’t say very good things about conservatives,” Whiteside says. “People should be informed about their positions no matter who they talk to.” Whiteside says he respects everyone he speaks with and doesn’t like when Tea Partiers are assumed to be homophobic; he’s more concerned potential interviewees don’t know he’s with New Left Media than whether they know he’s gay.

“The Tea Party represents a movement away from conservative social politics,” he says. “I’ve never heard anyone bring up gays at the rallies, except to say they should be welcome in the Republican Party.”

The only people genuinely concerned with whom Whiteside sleeps with are his growing cadre of gay fans, whose letters he publishes on his website, ChaseWhiteside.com. Answering questions on everything from the future of journalism to his own circumcision, Whiteside offers as much honesty as the Tea Party members he talks to on camera.

In his typically frank manner, Whiteside says he’s grown weary of covering the Tea Party and hopes to transition to long-form filmmaking. Whiteside and Stoll, who is straight, have already made a documentary about the 2009 ballot initiative that ended marriage equality in Maine.

“If I reach a point where I’m known so much that I won’t be able to do the interviews, that’s OK,” Whiteside says. “We’ve had a hard time getting funding for larger projects, but it’s our hope to move on to those as soon as we can.”