The L-Word
by Jessica Wolpert

Do you consider yourself a leftist? Do you vote in your Democratic primary? Do you think the president isn't doing all he can on the economy? Are you now, or have you ever been — a liberal?

That's so gay. And no less an authority than California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will say so.

Last night, in the middle of his address to the Republican National Convention, he said, "To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say, don't be economic girlie men." It wasn't the first time he's called Democratic critics "girlie men," either — jokingly questioning liberals' masculinity is quickly becoming his latest tag line.

And it's not only Arnie who's using misogyny and homophobia as political weaponry. As rumors flew over whether the coronarily challenged Vice President Dick Cheney would be dropped from the ballot, such Republicans as John McCain sought to quell the rumors by taking a sideswipe at John Edwards — unlike Edwards, he said, Cheney is not "just another pretty face." Kerry is tarred with the same brush, despite participating in combat, one of the last male-only pursuits in America — and one of the "manliest," being (in theory) an activity taken up by heterosexual men only. Yet he is constantly challenged with a slew of effeminate stereotypes: that he speaks French and that he likes to get manicures.

The reason that the Republicans score using these attacks is that they address a fundamental truth about the Democratic base. Yes, the party appeals more to women, gays and lesbians. In a perfect world, the response to what is, at heart, playground gay-baiting would be a resounding "So what?"

But nothing's perfect, and there are enough people who feel threatened by the concepts of feminism and equality for gays and lesbians that these types of attacks are effective. The Democrats themselves are part of the problem. The Democratic Party, eager to defend itself from the Republicans' name-calling, tries to deflect these attacks by distancing itself from the very voters who are most loyal to them. Like high school wannabes, the candidates are perfectly willing to ditch their less acceptable friends in order to chase after people who may or may not give a rat's ass for them in the end. One of the few firm planks in Kerry's otherwise vague platform is that the candidate is against gay marriage. And at a convention where speakers routinely hinted at — gasp! — government intervention in economic policy, and even turned up some old chestnuts like the Equal Rights Amendment, there was a noticeable silence on one issue — abortion rights. Women's and gay rights draw on the principles of the Democratic party, but apparently the Democratic National Committee doesn't want to admit it.

Of course, the Democrats can't be blamed for wanting to present a smiling face to the world. The Democrats know that the odds are that anyone with an interest in lesbian and gay rights, or anyone who can pronounce the word "feminism" without adding "hairy-legged" as a prefix, is already solidly in the Democratic corner, out of survival instinct if nothing else. For many of these supporters, the Kerry ticket is a lesser of two evils — Kerry may be against gay marriage, but he's not out to ban it nationwide like Bush is. Kerry may not seem as strong on the abortion issue as he could be, but at least he's not actively attempting to overturn Roe v. Wade, as Bush is. The Democratic party doesn't need to appeal to these potential voters with a forward-looking agenda — the specter of Bush is enough to make them vote for any Democrat to keep what they've got.

But by distancing themselves from their own voters, the Democrats really do become the wimps that their enemies accuse them of being. Republicans routinely accuse Democrats of basically closeting themselves, saying that behind that smiling, New Democratic mask is a liberal loon who wants to queer the American marriage.

And you know what? I want the Republicans to be right. At least one prominent Democrat shouldn't jump away when the Republicans make that accusation, pulling the political equivalent of a fifth-grade "Not gay!" Instead, they should meet the Republicans with a yes. Yes, they are OK with gay marriage. Yes, they are OK with abortion. Go ahead, Democrats, say the real L-word. You're here, you're liberal, get used to it.

E-mail Jessica Wolpert at jessica dot wolpert at gmail dot com.

— photo Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc. from Sharon Farmer