There are certainly occasions in one’s life when one wishes for a different outcome. Yesterday was one of those days.
Most of the day was just fine. Dan headed upstate to see his father and I was left with vacuuming duties. I walked the dog, made calls, wrote my blog. I enjoyed the beautiful spring morning sitting outside Mud cafe drinking their pungent coffee.
I sat in the steam room with Brendan and his buddy. Ian turned up for tea at 4 and we watched a little of the Kentucky Derby festivities on the roof of Soho House. Women in large hats and men is suits with white carnations pinned to their lapels.
After a short nap I changed into a very slimming Helmut Lang suit and headed up town where I met my friend Zack, his friend David and Austin. We ate huge New York steaks for dinner. The conversation centered largely around new incidence of HIV infection, our irrational fear of contracting AIDS and what these fears really mean. Remember, I was convinced in 1985 that I was dying of AIDS. I was so certain that the doctors who were giving me the negative results were lying to me that I ended up having three or four tests a week in clinics all over London.
I ended up in The Henderson Hospital in Sutton, Surrey. A total wreck.
The conversation shifted to how gay men in the USA tend to just fight for the issues that directly affect them and not for the community of gay men with all its various needs. It infuriates me that a) the gays are constantly worried by what their enemies are thinking about them. b) they are frightened to be seen to fight for their rights. c) The gays who are shaping whatever equality legislation is being shaped are so arrogant that they can’t begin to accept any outcome other than the one that they have defined. Gay MARRIAGE for instance. Nothing less will do…even if it means nothing at all.
After dinner Austin’s husband Jake turned up looking great and we all headed over to Ken Mehlman‘s apartment. Why? Birthday party.
Austin and Jake had the right idea, they left immediately. I waded into a vat of fascist molasses.
The level of discomfort I felt is almost impossible to articulate. 200 gay men who usually wear suits now dressed in overly tight tee shirts, chinos rolled up to mid calf and brightly colored accessories.
In the very heart of this wasps nest I saw Herndon Graddick a creepy representative from the absurd, self-congratulatory, gay organization GLADD. Another smug, gay clique that gives out awards to straight people for being our friends. Why do we give straight people awards for being our friends? Because we are so damned grateful. Thanks straight people.
Anyway, when I arrived there was Herndon Graddick sucking up to Ken Mehlman. Apparently I had fallen out with Herndon years ago. I couldn’t remember why. Apparently I sent him nasty text messages. He probably fucking deserved them.
Ken Mehlman’s apartment was so devoid of personality I thought maybe it was being staged for sale. His sterile bedroom was decorated in brown and beige and the bed looked like it was cast in concrete. Like him, his environment was hostile and ugly.
He is perhaps one of the most repellent individuals ever to come out as gay…apart from The Penguin. It made my blood boil that he had selfishly put his self-serving career ahead of his own needs as a human being or the needs of others (like the Penguin) and cruelly turned his back on his gay community, the same community that now sat around drinking his vodka served by a grumpy straight boy.
Ken Mehlman is morally bankrupt yet, because he has money, these vile, insipid queens flock around him with gay abandon. Ignoring that he betrayed every one of us.
He is like a Jew who relished throwing other Jews into the ovens at Auchwitz.
To my knowledge he has never apologised, he has never acknowledged his part in the ongoing homophobic carnage during his tenure as chair of the RNC.
True, this vile man acknowledged that, had he come out of the closet earlier, he could have impacted Republican efforts to pass state initiatives and referenda banning same-sex marriage. Fuck you Ken Mehlman.
NOT ALL CLOSETS ARE CREATED EQUAL!
His guests were just as disgusting.
Met this small, Jewish man who works for some gay rights organization. He was so fucking naive. He told me in all seriousness that they had found out through a ‘study’ that most straight people site ‘love and relationship’ as the reason for getting married and not (as the gays are always demanding) for rights and benefits. Hey buddy, tell your gay friends to start asking for their love to be recognized rather than a bunch of nebulous rights and we may very well get our message heard.
He was trying to persuade me that his mission was to get Ken to convince George W Bush to come out in favor of gay marriage. Think about that for a moment… think about it.
The same dwarfish, Jewish kid mocked the British for their Civil Unions. I was simply appalled. What a CUNT. I should have punched him.
As we left Zack and I decided to say goodbye to Ken and thank him for having us. Zack said, “You are my hero.” Ken made him repeat the line three times.
We left the party. Headed over to some deserted bar. Met up with cute boy from last night. I was so fired up by the inequity of the evening that I walked home, took dog to park and went to bed.
8 replies on “Fuck You Ken Mehlman”
Damn , your on a roll today, funny! Keep in mind, if you don’t like what someone else is doing, sometimes you gotta do it yourself xx
Great Blog and I admire your honesty. I don’t see that in many blogs I read!
Does Jewish as an adjective have a meaning I don’t know about Duncan? I understand that the dwarfish short guy was annoying you, naive, whatever. But why mention his religion twice, as if to imply something nefarious on top of his already odious nature? I love your blog, I appreciate your take on just about everything, but lumping all Jews and Jewish people into the same category and with all the same qualities is what you despise when people do that with gay people.
Jews are individual and different and stereotypes that piss you off about being gay, work the same way with Jewish people. We aren’t all alike, we argue and differ greatly just as fiercely as you did that night with the other gay men you judge and lump together as one.
Interesting interview:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/bush-campaign-chief-and-former-rnc-chair-ken-mehlman-im-gay/62065/
“Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award-winning writer of “Milk,” said, “Ken represents an incredible coup for the American Foundation for Equal Rights. We believe that our mission of equal rights under the law is one that should resonate with every American. As a victorious former presidential campaign manager and head of the Republican Party, Ken has the proven experience and expertise to help us communicate with people across each of the 50 states.”
I’m no fan of Ken Mehlman…but winced…when I got to this part…
“He is like a Jew who relished throwing other Jews into the ovens at Auchwitz.”
Is it possible to make a point without slandering a person’s ethnic heritage or diminishing the scale of the Nazi Holocaust? What would our ‘community’ know about shoving bodies of women and children into the oven to make such an exaggerated comparison?
And just for the record, DOMA, while sponsored by a then Republican Bob Barr, was signed into law by Bill Clinton. Both Bob Barr, now a Libertarian and Ken Mehlman are staunch advocates against DOMA…much to the disdain of the Republican Party’s Evangelical faction.
Did you forget that we too were thrown into the ovens?
As for Ken being a staunch advocate against DOMA…it’s a bit too late. He should have helped where he could when he could.
My point is…he IS a jew and should have been aware that his actions were causing pain and suffering to his own. He kept quiet. He colluded. He is complicit.
Some jews are very eager to remind us of what suffering there was for them 65 years ago but conveniently forget the pain they cause others right now.
I think Bill Clinton’s apology stinks too.
Don’t think for one moment that I believe any of those people in government are on our side. They never will be whilst we remain the litmus test for a liberal or conservative society.
Do we have to kill six million to acknowledge or understand suffering? One young gay man suffering so that he kills himself is enough for me to empathise with the millions who were murdered by Hitler and the german people.
I am British. I have no truc with your corrupt politics. I met Mehlman and thought him odious. Jew or no jew.
I respect your opinion. But…
In the states, we don’t call anyone ‘JEW’. Especially in the context of a political argument. Right up there with ‘Chink’ or ‘Spic’. It’s derogatory regardless of the subject. The culturally acceptable term is ‘Jewish’.
And saying that KEN’s doing an 180 on DOMA is “too late”… is like dissing the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee, to Paul the Apostle.
In any case, I believe the social conservatives will eventually lose their undue influence over the Republican party as Libertarians and fiscal conservatives continue to return the party to its classical roots.
Duncan is right, he is never afraid to state the obvious, I wonder why Americans in general are mortally offended upon hearing what they have been thinking in private themselves.
Duncan , I admire your honesty, your straight speaking and forthrightness.You spoke your true feelings, what’s so awful about that, Those poor human beings WERE thrown into the ovens, we need not ever forget that. If someone is offended,tough! It is a great post when the subject martini is shaken not stirred.
There is no anti semetics in his opinion, after all Duncan is part Jewish.