As salacious rumours have begun swirling online about a certain republican senator with the initials “LG”, I want to remind everybody that it is absolutely nobody’s business what Lindsey Graham gets up to when he is voting against workplace protections for LGBTQ people in the privacy of his own agenda.
Sure, gossip can be fun, and it’s easy to get caught up in the adolescent thrill of speculating about what elected official known as “Lady G” compared same-sex relationships to polygamy and voted against an inclusive definition of marriage, but the mature thing to do is simply to allow him the dignity to deny gay people’s rights in peace.
Lindsey Graham is a human being who is entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy when it comes to his record of voting against allowing LGBTQ couples to adopt children. What he and other consenting homophobes decide to legislate behind closed doors is entirely their business.
The Republican Senator from South Carolina is clearly the victim of a double standard. The same people who delight in revealing that Lindsey Graham refused to support an immigration bill that included same-sex couples would NEVER go around shaming another politician for voting in favour of gay rights. Think about that for a second.
When you say things like “oh, of course Lindsey Graham stood by the state of South Carolina when they refused to provide benefits to same-sex partners in the National Guard. Most homophobic politicians have terrible voting records on gay issues,” think about the message you’re sending to all the homophobic politicians out there who are too scared to openly vote against LGBTQ rights. They hear your message, and it is hurtful.
So next time some muckraking gossip-monger goes digging into the lurid details of how a politician has consistently stood in the way of LGBTQ equality, do the responsible thing and don’t pay any attention. Especially if it’s about, say, Tom Cotton.
