op-ed
Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD.
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October 14, 2004

Lynne Cheney unleashed a fiery rebuke of Presidential candidate John Kerry after he acknowledged her lesbian daughter in last night's debate.

"Now, you know, I did have a chance to assess John Kerry once more and now the only thing I could conclude: This is not a good man," she said.

"Of course, I am speaking as a mom, and a pretty indignant mom. This is not a good man. What a cheap and tawdry political trick."
[Lynn Cheney Upset With Kerry Over Remark - AP - 10-14-04]

Lynne's indignation was over the following:

KERRY: We're all God's children, Bob. And I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as.
[3rd 2004 Presidential Debate - John Kerry - Transcript - 10-13-04]

God's children? My lesbian daughter? Not in the house of Cheney! By her own definition, "cheap and taudry" would best characterize Lynne Cheney's novel about lesbian cowgirls, Sisters. Cheney's response illustrates the difference between liberals and conservatives in America over the issue of gays. Cheney views her daughter as a dirty embarrassing secret never to be seen or mentioned. Conservative policies that strip gays of equal rights, deny benefits and publicly smear gay families all flow from this regrettable shame and ignorance.

Lynne Cheney doesn't mind when John Edwards directly acknowledges her daughter in debate. Coincidentally, her husband openly thanked John Edwards for his acknowledgement of his daughter. Dick Cheney also acknowledged their daughter as a lesbian with Lynne at his side in Davenport.

EDWARDS: "Now, as to this question, let me say first that I think the vice president and his wife love their daughter. I think they love her very much. And you can't have anything but respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter, the fact that they embrace her. It's a wonderful thing. And there are millions of parents like that who love their children, who want their children to be happy."

CHENEY: "Well, Gwen, let me simply thank the senator for the kind words he said about my family and our daughter. I appreciate that very much."
[2004 Vice Presidential Debate - John Edwards - Transcript - 10-05-04]

Thanks Senator? Lynne might want to learn a thing or two from her husband about projecting family values and accept her own daughter, Mary Cheney.