Mary, Mary Quite Contrary...

Quite the piece of work, the Cheney family. I'm talking specifically about Dick Cheney the Vice President, his wife Lynn and their daughter Mary. I'm sure you've heard the news, that Mary Cheney, an openly lesbian woman, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, are expecting a baby. Mary is the one who is pregnant and it seems that she and her parents are resenting to the media comments and controversy stirred up by thiswondrous event. Mary, as you may know, worked on the Bush/Cheney campaigns and is a staunch Republican and supporter of the Bush administration. This despite the Republicans working with right-wingChristianist groups like Focus on the Family to strip every right that gay and lesbian Americans have.

First Dick Cheney, proud grandpa, rebuffs Wolf Blitzer on CNN when Blitzer brought up the controversy. Mr. Cheney said Blitzer was out of line when asking about the controversy being talked about by evangelical Christians like James Dobson in speaking out against Mary Cheney's pregnancy. Then, with hypocritical, fuzzy logic,Mary dissed Dobson and stated: "This is a blessing from God. It is not a political statement. It is not a prop to be used in a debate by people on either side of an issue."

Well Dan Savage in his blog, SLOG, couldn't have said it better. Like him I have no sympathy for the Cheneys at all. They started this debate by campaigning to ruin the lives of lesbian and gay citizens in this country. In many states they have been successful in enshrining hatred in the form of anti-same-sex marriage amendments to state constitutions. They enabled anti-gay/lesbian laws such as the one in Virginia (Mary Cheney's state of residence by the way) forbidding any contractual agreements between unmarried couples of any gender. This means that Mary's partner, Heather Poe, will have no rights to the child they are having as adoption is forbidden and she would not be able to inherit from Mary or have any legal responsibility for their child. Very ironic.

I agree with Dan also in that Mary put herself in the middle of the debate by working with Repbulicans and allowing the Christianist right-wingers to take over their party. She getting it from both sides. Most people in the gay community are furious at her. She's seen as worse than Bush himself because she is a traitor to us. I feel really sorry for her baby, first being born into that awful family and having to grow up in the nasty environment that his/her mother and grandparents have created for us all. I'd hate to have to explain to this child the role that his family played in making sure that his mothers have no rights toward each other and one mother toward the child. Fostering hate like this has only made it easier for the redneck world to harass, bash and even kill gay/lesbian people. Nothing feels worse than having "faggot" shouted at you or being openly discriminated against. Matthew Sheperd died because of this environment of hatred.

I'm normally a very polite and reserved person but I agree whole-heartedly with EVERY word of Dan Savage's scathing article. Mary Cheney, I blame you especially for being a second-class citizen in my own country. Shame on you for what you've done to our community. I'm sorry your child has to suffer, but you and your family have reaped what you've sewn. You made your bed, now you'll have to lie in it.