In case you hadn't heard, there is an openly gay man running for the House of representatives out of Rhode Island. According to an article published at CNN.com, the current mayor of Providence, David Cicilline, is the front-runner in the House race.
So why did this story make national news? It is probably not because the mayor of a large, capitol city is now furthering his career by running for a seat in Congress. In fact, men and women run for office and move up the chain of politics all the time.
The article is published simply because the front-runner candidate happens to be homosexual. And if you read the article, you will quickly learn that his homosexuality is not preventing him from gaining supporters.
"Ultimately, voters vote for candidates who are going to help improve their lives, said Robin Brand, deputy executive director of the non partisan political action committee, Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. "It doesn't matter if you're gay or lesbian," she said. "If you've demonstrated that you've helped improve people's lives on the issues they care about, our research shows that being openly gay or lesbian is really secondary to that."
I find it so interesting how this article seems to be defending not only Mayor Cicilline but every other gay politican running for office. Throughout the article, there are incorporated quotes from political supporters who have no issue with the candidate being gay. Well isn't that obvious?
If Mayor Cicilline is up by double digits in the polls, isn't it obvious that his homosexuality is not preventing him from getting supporters. It is as though the author of the article is defending something that needs no defending. And If sexuality really isn't an issue when it comes to electing a politican, then why bring it to light by publishing an article that's only purpose is to point out the fact that the man is gay?
It's quite clear that the issue of gay rights is trending right now in all aspects of society. But, is it really necessary to publish an article entirely based on a man's sexuality just because it fits in the category of a trending topic?
Very interesting observations! Too often people get caught up in the personal lives of political candidates, rather than whether or not those candidates can adequately fulfill their duties. It is articles like these that encourage such ignorance. At the same time, however, I do recognize that political elections represent change and progress to a large extent (as was most notable about the most recent presidential election). Perhaps the author of this article is trying to make a social statement about the future of our country through the story of this candidate—an insight into the future that might otherwise go unnoticed if people were to separate the candidate from his personal life.
ReplyDeleteVery much of politics is about the personal lives as candidates. We could argue if that is right or not, but regardless of the morality of such a fact it is true. I'd like to think the author wrote the article simply because he wanted to beat other journalists to the punch.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Alysse. Whenever politicians are running for office, the breaking news often concerns their religion, family, or personal background. Think back to Sarah Palin and her pregnant teenage daughter and then the controversy with Obama's religious decisions. I think knowing their personal lives almost makes them seem like actual human beings who people can relate to. I personally find it very interesting.
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