What's A Gay Republican's Duty?

Why did an openly gay Republican Minnesota state senator, Paul Koering, refuse to vote in favor of marriage rights for same-sex couples?  He thinks it's a waste of time, and not why his constituents voted him to office.  The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan called this view "learned helplessness," and wonders why Koering couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time. A dissenter called it "smart politics." But Koering's office is very sensitive to the criticism. Ken Swecker, a legislative aide to Koering has a composed a form letter that he's sending to critics. In it, he calls marriage rights a "pointless" issue.  (The full Swecker letter, along with an e-mail from a gay Republican, are after the jump.)

"He here to represent the interests of his rural Minnesota constituents who voted him into office. As a constituent of his myself, I am happy to see him take non-personal votes on several issues. After all, I would not want another politician taking another vote that would serve his or her personal interests more so than the People's, would you?"

This suggests a very different reason for Koering's vote: that he wanted to prove to his constituents that he wasn't somehow hijacked by the concerns of gay rights activists, and that he might have deliberately voted against his own personal interest...perhaps because he felt it was the right thing to do, or perhaps we wanted something to brag about. 

What's new about this debate is that it is public; this is one of the first times that an openly gay legislator against a gay rights bill, and the political language to describe his vote is limited. He's either brave or self-hating. A more general question: should a gay legislator always vote in favor of gay rights legislation, even if he thinks it's distracting, even if he thinks it'll accomplish nothing?  What if, as Swecker writes, a majority of the district opposes it? Does the gay legislator have a duty to his district? To the gay rights movement? To closested gays? To national politics? To his conscience?   What do you think?

From: "Sen.Paul Koering"
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:27:30 -0500
To:
Subject: Re: From a fellow gay Republican

My name is Ken Swecker, Senator Koering's Legislative Assistant.  Senator Koering and I both would like to respond to the e-mails we've been receiving regarding his intention to not vote in favor of Senate File 120.  I am currently responding to the e-mails to give you the Senator's home phone number so that you might call him over the weekend and speak with him personally on the matter.  This much he asked me to do.

To add to that, as a personal statement, is to say that SF 120 is something that the majority of the People of Senate District 12, the People that he was elected to represent, do not favor this piece of legislation.  In case you have forgotten, we are a government of the People, by the People, and for the People.  He was not elected serve his personal interests.  I personally believe that instead of sending e-mails full of threats and hateful words you should take his example to heart and congratulate him on being a legislator who cares more about what the People of his district want than what he may want personally.  You and I both know that this is a rare quality to find, and just because this is contrary to how you wish for him to vote, you must remember and respect he is here to represent the interests of his rural Minnesota constituents who voted him into office. As a constituent of his myself, I am happy to see him take non-personal votes on several issues.  After all, I would not want another politician taking another vote that would serve his or her personal interests more so than the People's, would you?

I can testify all day long about how much Senator Koering cares for the People of Senate District 12.  He ran three consecutive times, being defeated the first two, and why did he put himself through so much hard work?  Do you think it was because he needed another job?  Absolutely not!  He did it because he believed he was the best person to serve the People that he calls neighbors, friends, and family.  And especially now, in a time like this, we are being bogged down with this completely pointless issue.  There are People in Morrison and Crow Wing Counties, and across the State who are losing their jobs, their homes, their insurance, and were you to ask them if this is an issue that should take one second of precedent over these conditions they're facing every day, do you believe, do you honestly believe that they would say to you, 'Yes, please, waste the time of the State Legislature with a piece of legislation that will not help, but in fact, overshadow the current situation we're living in?  Please, waste their time with this piece of legislation while I tell my son and daughter that mom and dad aren't hungry tonight?'

I know very well that you will respond to this e-mail of mine with some probably quirky, snide, and very thoughtless comment that will make me out to be a bad person and threaten the Senator even more just as most of the absolutely tactless and disrespectful e-mails we've received have been written, but really, don't waste your time.  We'll just put your e-mail where it belongs, in the trash.

The Senator's home number is
218-829-0544

He's free on the weekends.

Very Sincerely, every word of it,
Ken Swecker

P.S.
I hope you do not believe that this e-mail was written specific to the one that you sent, this is a blanket e-mail, being sent to everyone who has e-mailed us on this issue and I've already wasted too much time in responding to you.  Good day.


Senator Paul Koering
District 12
131 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155-1206
Phone:651-296-4875

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>>> "[REDACTED] 2/18/2009 12:34 PM >>>
Dear Senator Koering-


I was saddened today when I read that you were going to vote against
legislation that would give gay Americans equal protection under the
law.  Whether you want this responsibility or not, as a gay republican
elected official you are a symbolic figure and when you take a position
on gay issues the result reverberates far beyond your Senate district.
When an openly gay Republican votes against gay marriage you offer those
who oppose our rights a rhetorical crutch.  They can continue to speak
out with bigotry and homophobia and when challenged on their opposition,
they can now say that even a gay elected official opposes gay marriage,
how dare you criticize my position.

I can't speak for you, but I know that I want to be able to live the
rest of my life with the person that I love and shout from the rooftops
without shame or embarrassment or worry, that this person is my partner
in marriage for life.   Actions like yours have created a big setback in
that quest.   I hope that some day you will have the courage to admit
that you were weak or you were wrong and enunciate your support for
equal rights without fear of reprisal.  It would be a much more
courageous stand if you didn't wait until after your political career
was over to take such a stand.

I truly hope that for my sake and the sake of millions of gay Americans
that you will reconsider your position and realize your responsibility
to tell the world that gay people are just like everyone else and we
deserve the same protection under the law.



All the best,

[REDACTED NAME OF GAY REPUBLICAN]

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/02/whats-a-gay-republicans-duty/847/