Did Sarah Palin just endorse gay rights?
Palin retweeted a column endorsing the repeal of the ban on gays in the military. Does that count as supporting gay rights?
During the recent fight over the repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays, one prominent political voice was silent: Sarah Palin. Now, some commentators think she may have lent her endorsement to the pending DADT repeal, or even gay rights in general, with her retweet on Monday of a pro-gay message by conservative lesbian talk-radio host Tammy Bruce: "But this hypocrisy is just truly too much. Enuf already — the more someone complains about the homos the more we should look under their bed." Is Palin signaling her support for gay rights?
Palin has always been gay-friendly: "I do not speak for Governor Palin," says Tammy Bruce in her blog. But I think it's pretty clear that her retweet was a "condemnation" of DADT and other "social ostracizing" of gays and lesbians. Despite what the media and "Gay Gestapo" tell you, Palin isn't a "culture warrior," and has never been a "bigot or homophobe." She's a "live and let live" conservative-libertarian, and her public record backs that up.
"A few brief thoughts on a Sarah Palin retweet"
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People are reading too much into this: I agree with the "prominent Palin fansite" Conservatives4Palin, says Tommy Christopher in Mediaite: The Bruce retweet wasn't some "cryptic" endorsement of gay rights. In fact, though she hasn't addressed the subject in a while, Palin has both "spoken out against the repeal of DADT" and backed a constitutional gay-marriage ban. And even if she's changed her mind, it's unlikely she would take a stand on a "losing issue for her."
"Conservatives4Palin throw cold water on...Twitter support for gay rights"
Only Palin would "come out" for "homos": What the "Sphinx of Wasilla" really meant to convey is anyone's guess, says Max Read in Gawker. "Palin is not, in the context of her party, rabidly homophobic." But if this is her way to "come out" for gay rights, "using the word 'homos,' or quoting its use, even in a vaguely pro-gay rights context," is a pretty unprofessional way to do it. It seems just as likely "she didn't understand the tweet" she passed on to her supporters.
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