Burnt Orange Report

Chris just lost alot of support in the GLBT community because of his big flip flop last week on gay marriage. What a disappointment. I was at a party last night (Houston) with one of his biggest, long-time gay supporters (who gave big bucks in Chris' previous runs) and he is furious. This is a guy whose opinion will influence many of those in the community who previously Chris could count on for money and help.

From Republican to Democrat. From challenger of Black candidates to the savior of minority rights. From gay supporter to gay basher. Bell gives flip-flopping a bad name. They should rename it "Bell-y flopping."

Chris Bell is the only Democrat in this race--declared, undeclared, drafted, or free agent -- who has come out 100% against the gay marraige amendment. He's done this before the Stonewall Democrats in Dallas and in interviews with the Dallas Voice. Someone ask other Democrats being talked about for governor where they are on equal rights for gays and lesbians. See if they have the moral courage to stand up against hate.

Quote from Jason Stanford

For further reading check out what the Dallas Voice had to say:

Dallas Voice August 5th 2005.

And...

July 22nd 2005

Also you can check out how Congressman Bell stood on the issues including gay and lesbian rights when he was Congressman:

On The Issues

David, what flip-flop are you talking about? Bell has always said he supports civil unions and opposes gay marriage, which is basically the standard Democratic position on the matter. (We can debate whether that is actually a meaningful distinction or a sensible position, but that's another debate altogether.) He also has come out against the discrimination amendment. That isn't a flip-flop, and that sure as hell is a lot better than Perry's position on the matter.

Your youthful enthusiasms drive the rest of us to such mirth.

Guess WHAT, I got a FEVER, and the only prescription is... mooooooore Chris Bell! ROFL :-D

...just watch how much money he doesn't raise in Houston's GLBT community....

Who would you suggest that they support David?

This is pathetic. Chris Bell has been one of the best friends the gay community could ever hope to find; he takes the same position as the presidential candidates we all supported last time and now you want to criticize? Grow up.

Chris Bell visited the largest university in the country today. He kicked off his campaign at the home of more than 50,000 students. And he was much more concerned with what video games we're playing than with how much we're paying for school.

He rails on Grand Theft Auto more than on tuition dereg. Memo to Chris: We like Grand Theft Auto. I know you feel you have to reach out to "values" voters, but calling for the censorship of video games is no way to attract libertarian minded folks, like most Texans.

As a young guy without any children, I don't really see how I fit into Bell's vision for Texas. His ENTIRE speech focused on his "Pact with Parents." Well I don't have any little ones. I'm a single dude just trying to get by without health insurance, a job, or much hope.

As Democrats we always ask, "Can't we do this better?” Now I ask you, can't we do better than Chris Bell? The stakes are just too high to settle.

Since Chris Bell's years in city council, he has ALWAYS been against anti-gay ballot initiatives, ALWAYS for civil unions and ALWAYS been against gay marriage. That may not be a perfect enough record for people living in an alternate Texas political universe, but it has always been 100% consistent. In Congress, he was one of the leading Members fighting with Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin AGAINST the vicious, anti-gay contstitutional amendment. They counted on him to whip moderate members across the country. And he did that while he was single-handedly taking on Tom DeLay, the biggest anti-gay biggot in Washington!

And that is why the GLBT community in Houston is not just his supporters, we are his FRIENDS and part of his family. He has never ducked a fight, regardless of the political consequences and he never will. He has always been there for us. We have been the there for him and his family in the best of times and in the worst of times. And we will ALWAYS be with him.

Don't let mischief makers fool you!

Would it have killed them to take the bottled water out of the cartons and iced it down?

Gee...it didn't seem to be a big deal for Kinky to say he supported gay marriage....you think he has less a chance of dunking Gov Bighair than Chris? I doubt it. There are a thousand ways Chris could have responded to the question other than saying he didn't support gay marriage. How about: "Why are we worried about that when our state legislature can't even fund education?" or, "Gee, based on Republican Carole Whatever Her Last Name is Now, Texas ranks at the bottom of every First World metric, and all the Lege can worry about is gay marriage?" Whatever he really thinks about gay marriage, he didn't even have to voice it, but merely turn it back to the real issues. He didn't however, have to sell out all his long time friends in the GLBT community that helped him get where he is. Does he really have something against gay marriage? What would that be?

This "great debate" began when Human Rights Campaign honored Chris Bell by giving him the first John Walzel Political Equality Award in 2002 at which time he also flip-flopped on the subject of gay marriage. Giving him a "political equality" award when his position was opposite that of Human Rights Campaign seemed a little odd at the time. It still seems a little odd. True equality is true equality. Not something less than. Not something settled for instead. Not something merely talked about.

The debate continued when he then refused to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Permanent Partners Immigration Act. He signed on only after a lot of outrage was expressed over his refusal to do so until he "studied it further" which some took to mean until he studied the ramifications to him politically. He was honored by Human Rights Campaign and yet had hidden his association with Human Rights Campaign when he ran for Congress. That raised questions about his "committment" to the gay community as did his refusal to sign on as a co-sponsor to Permanent Partners Immigration Act. The bottom line was, and is, that if he really believed in "political equality," he would have been one of the first to sign on as a co-sponsor. Not one of the last. And signed on voluntarily. Not as a result of pressure from the gay community.

How do you spell hypocrite? Many in the gay community spell it Chris Bell.

The GLBT must support Kinky Friedman. He is the only candidate who openly supports gay marriage.