1. Those Pesky Gay Rumors
One persistent attack from the Left that has somehow dogged Breitbart is the on-again-off-again rumor that Breitbart is gay. We saw this in the video from Chicago, where one protester yells out, “I think he’s gay!”
Apparently, the rumor is persistent enough for Breitbart’s own websites to parody it, using the gay slur as a prime opportunity to point out Leftist hypocrisy on homosexuality. On September 22, 2010, a post by Chuck W. at Big Government read:
To be fair, when I first heard Andrew Breitbart speak (on Tammy Bruce’s radio show), I thought he sounded gay too. And later when I met him, I still wondered. Words cascaded too easily from his tongue, sentences poured out too eloquently, too spontaneously. And there was that classic mane of curly gray hair that seemed like something from a past century. With his seductive words, his wicked sense of humor, and his near-clairvoyant knack for speaking truth to power, Breitbart struck me as suburban L.A.’s Oscar Wilde.
But exactly when did being gay become a bad thing, especially for the humanitarians of the Left? Answer: whenever it’s expedient.
Anyone who’s ever been friendly with an avowed ”progressive” knows that what they say in public and believe in private are often very different. One vegan womyn I knew, who wouldn’t dream of using a paper towel, once told me in private that she’d decided not to hire a gay man in her small business because she didn’t want “a gay vibe” around the office.
True, there are many social conservatives who disapprove of homosexuality (though that is changing – and there are just as many gays who are conservative). But the big difference between an anti-gay rightwinger and an anti-gay progressive is that the conservative will tell you to your face – and be willing to listen and debate – while the progressive will hide his or her real feelings behind a perfunctory smile of virtuous solidarity.
In February 2011, smack in the middle of the gays-at-CPAC controversy, Philadelphia magazine featured this paragraph in an article about Ann Coulter’s outreach to gay conservatives:
Andrew Breitbart, however, seems to side with Coulter. As a member of GOProud’s advisory council, Breitbart attended the conference as an openly gay conservative. “The truth is that it is liberals in America who are bent on dividing people, on forcing people into ideological boxes based merely on their race, religion, sex or sexual orientation,” said Breitbart in a press statement. “I applaud GOProud’s strong, principled conservatism and admire their courage to defy the left’s stifling demand for group conformity.”
Big Journalism highlighted the paragraph and demanded a correction — for obvious reasons:
The article is largely a fair assessment of the circumstances surrounding GOProud’s involvement in CPAC, but it’s inaccurate to say that Andrew Breitbart is “gay,” much less “openly gay.” While there certainly wouldn’t be anything wrong with that if he were gay, Mr. Breitbart has a wife and four children.
We kindly request they correct the record.
The article was later stealth-corrected.
Leave it to Andrew Breitbart to turn nasty rumors and innuendos about him into chances to point out Leftist hypocrisy. Good for him.
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Andrew Breitbart has a bit of an eccentric genius vibe to him, with his low-key, California demeanor and his somewhat disheveled, college professor look. In a way, that’s what he is — a sort of mad scientist of the Right. Without fear, and with just a hint of crazy, he faces mobs of protesters. He mocks his detractors by taking their assaults to a whole new level of publicity and notoriety. He calls out the Left on their hypocrisy, and he does so with aplomb.
Only someone like him could be so thick-skinned. A lesser icon would crumble under such vicious attacks, but not Andrew Breitbart. It’s almost like they make him stronger. And strong, fearless men (and women) are what the Right needs right now — people who can fend off the Left with a smirk and an even better comeback. More power to him.
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Chris Queen hails from Covington, GA. Check out his blog, Random Thoughts From The Revolution, and follow him on Twitter.
