Of Gays and Government

I was surprised that the First Gentleman’s spokesperson described GMA’s (aka Ginoong Mike Arroyo’s)  detractors as follows:

Santos said, “Only cowards and gays destroy people’s reputations with lies and intrigues.” (emphasis mine; as reported in INQ7)

I guess it sounds better in Tagalog (”Mga bakla at duwag . . . “) but what intrigues me is that it doesn’t seem to be politically incorrect in this country to make a disparaging reference to homosexuals.  I mean, if he said “only cowards and (choose one: Muslims, Igorots, Mangyans, Military Men, Lawyers from UP, etc.), he’d be in deep doo-doo.

This reminded me of a scene in Angels in America where Roy Cohn speaks about homosexuals and political power. He says being gay isn’t about sexual preference but clout — men have it and gays don’t.  So, by his definition, he’s not gay, he’s a man who sleeps around with other men. 

Gays in this country have no political power — or at least, they’ve never tried to establish a political base.  Gays may inhabit the highest levels of government and business but they’re deep within their closets.  For this reason, they cannot affiliate themselves with the “Gay Movement.”

Things may change (or maybe the process has already started) and one day, homosexuals will be defined more than an annual debaucherous parade in Malate.

BTW, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not a homo-phobe.  In fact, I was once a fag hag.