Underneath a graphic of a man digging himself into a hole, SFist called gay pride in San Francisco being "neither being bold nor taking a risk," and then the website called the San Francisco Gay Pride Committee press release unnaming
Bradley Manning a Grand Marshal "bizarre" — but that was
only the beginning:
...With all due respect to Gay Pride as an institution, this reeks of
some seriously straight-up bullshit. Understandable. But still. Too much
money on the line for them to act with a conscience.
On S.F. Pride's official Facebook page, locals reacted with outrage. David Waggoner writes, "Roy Cohn and J. Edgar Hoover would be proud!" While Mark Taylor adds, "Lisa Williams you are a sad person and I'm ashamed of Pride for the above statement. Bradley Manning is a HERO." And Brian Mccaig notes that he won't bother attending Pride this year, saying, "Yes,
and we broke the law way back in the Stonewall era. Pride is running
scared of their big sponsors and government agencies, and I...and my
friends won't be supporting Pride from now on."
Presumably, the S.F. Pride committee will fill Mr. Manning's empty
slot with either a heterosexual celebrity, a Kaiser executive, or a
local politician seeking higher officer. Way to go, San Francisco Pride.
Shitstorm TK.
I think naming Manning was a choice bound to upset some people. Gay people were denied security clearances for many reasons in the past. Some of the reasons were susceptibility to blackmail, purported higher susceptibility to being seduced, and a belief that gay people were inherently mentally unstable.
ReplyDeleteI believe that some members of the gay community (e.g. people retired from law enforcement, defense, and intelligence) view him as a flaky, mentally ill, traitor. Others view him as a hero. I tend a little more towards hero. I do understand the grave reservations some would have about Manning possibly being perceived as being held up as a model gay person.