Why does Lindsey Graham care so much about whether anyone cares if he's gay or not?

[DFW]

On National Coming Out Day (I didn't know, either), Chelsea Handler apparently mocked him for not coming out. Instead of just laughing it off, Graham had to come out swinging. No, he isn't gay (OK, fine, so you're not).

But no, that didn't go far enough. “These comments … I don’t know how this makes us a better country.” Fer Pete's sake, WHO CARES OTHER THAN YOU????

One comment showed up on Raw Story, with a very predictable--under the circumstances--Shakespeare quote: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." I agreed:

Much too much, indeed. To think of what a hero he could have been to the Log Cabin Republicans, too. I can't stand them politically, but I applaud their loyalty to their identity, and as a US Senator, Graham could have been their proud leader.

Wouldn't that have ultimately been more satisfying to Graham than being Trump's pet poodle?

(Well, obviously not, but I had to pose the question)

If he's not gay, well, fine and dandy. But why does he react like he's been stuck with a fully charged cattle prod every time someone brings it up? I think he's been hanging around a few so-called "Christians" longer than is good for him.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Look at the piece of shit party filled with troglodytes that he belongs to. nt

[DFW]

2. Well, admittedly, there IS that part.........

[pwb]

3. Because he represents the Carolinas?

[DFW]

8. Maybe. I guess?

The only part I visit regularly is Charleston, SC, and that's for a yearly thing where probably our closest gay friend is always there. So I subconsciously never equate the Carolinas with intolerance and anti-gay bigotry, and I suppose I should open my eyes more to the rest of the area.

[cwydro]

18. Huh?

He represents one of them.

Good lord, do some research.

[pwb]

49. I don't see much difference between the two.

Like the Southland in your profile. Most of us get it your from the south without doing research.

[yardwork]

24. South Carolina. NOT "the Carolinas."

We've had some horrible senators in North Carolina but Lindsey belongs to South Carolina.

[janterry]

4. Edit to delete the post

This post was confusing and just a mess.

I am self-deleting it because, I've had a hard day and shouldn't be posting at all.
I am not being clear and there is no point in trying.

Carry on!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. I'm confused. Who are you referring to? nt

[janterry]

7. I don't support Chelsea Handler's 'outing'

(can you out someone if you don't know their sexuality?)
of someone. She has a pattern of this behavior, and I am not supportive of doing so. She has done this in very 'salty' terms (very derogatory terms - at least in the past).

I am glad she is supportive of the democratic agenda. But I am not a fan of her behavior.

I'm not a fan of Graham, but for different reasons.

Sorry for being unclear. I guess the premise is that her outing is okay? I suppose I'm not on board with that.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

12. Oh, I didn't know she served in the military. Don't know much about her (as obviously

demonstrated). But what I've seen of her comedy. It's meh..... And yeah. If people want to come out. It's up to them. With maaaaaybe the exception of the ones who legislate "against themselves" if you will. Like Graham. But even then. I guess it's not up to others to bring his lame ass out of the closet.

[tblue37]

11. I think the poster's "she" refers to Handler, not to the poster who said Handler

outed someone derisively.

I think, anyway, but the post is pretty confusing. Whose husband? Served with whom? Who did the outing?

[janterry]

13. I've had a hard and confusing day

I may be lost on this one and might just delete it.

(I do have a point, but there is no point in finding it! I mean that. Hard day for me
Mea culpa

[Turin_C3PO]

14. I get what you mean!

[janterry]

16. TY

[tblue37]

21. Let me know if I am reading your post correctly: a DU poster's husband served with Handler

(was Handler military?). The poster said that according to her husband, he was there (or otherwise knowledgeable) when Chandler outed someone derisively in the past, and also that until relatively recently, Chandler's comments about LBGTQ people were much more mocking and negative than they are now.

If that is what you meant, or close to it, feel free to copy it to your post with whatever changes you need to make so you don't have to mess with the original. I teach college writing courses, but even I sometimes produce confusing prose if I am stressed, exhausted, and posting on the run.

I also see in my students and in the writing I sometimes edit for professors a tendency to forget that other people don't know what they* know. When using pronouns, that tendency to overestimate what the readers or audience know can lead to confusion about whom or what a pronoun refers to.
-----------
*Notice the ambiguous "they*." Does it refer to the writers or the readers and audience? Considering the context, it is more likely that it refers to the writers, but it is not absolutely certain. Still, sometimes the reference is clear enough, even if not absolutely certain.

[DFW]

41. I totally understand hard days

Yesterday, I was in Sprout City, and went to the South Station, from whence my train home was to start. A sign said it wouldn't, and I had to go to the North Station. So I got on the commuter train that takes 9 minutes, and hoped I was in time. It took 20 minutes, but my train wasn't there, yet. A new electronic departure table said my train was delayed by half an hour. Then 45 minutes, then an hour. It finally arrived, and we left 80 minutes late, got into Köln 100 minutes late, and my connections were all missing because there had been a major fire aboard another train that morning. Instead of getting home at 6:45 PM, I got home at 8:45 PM. EVERY single evening transport home in the last two weeks has been like that. 50 minute flights delayed for over an hour (even in Switzerland!). 100 minute flights delayed by two hours. Thalys trains from Paris to Sprout City delayed for a period as long as the trip itself.

Murphy is enforcing his law with me almost on a daily basis. I know about the hard day syndrome!

[DFW]

6. After growing up in the South

I then lived in Spain for a while, and even under Franco, Barcelona had a large gay scene. Then after one year of hell at Andover, I went to college in Philadelphia, where I knew so many of gay people, and it was a perfectly normal thing to me by the time I was 20. So when I see a hypocritical public personality making a big deal out of it, I just shake my head in resignation. It's like Whoopi Goldberg protesting that she's not black, or something. Save your breath. It DOESN'T MATTER.

[janterry]

9. Well, it's true

he certainly has been a BIG hypocrite (*especially* in the last month)

[Autumn]

33. I must have missed Whoopi Goldberg "protesting that she's not black, or something."

When did that happen?

[DFW]

42. I was making an "as if" analogy. She never said that.

Graham's the lame case here, not Whoopi.

[Autumn]

44. "Graham's the lame case here yet" you post that a proud black woman was

"protesting that she's not black, or something." You should be more clear with your "as if " analogies.

It's like Whoopi Goldberg protesting that she's not black, or something.

Grahams not afraid of being outed as gay. He's afraid of people finding out and it being proved he's been bought and paid for and doing Putin's bidding. The optics of a sitting US Senator being on Russia's payroll looks a bit like treason.

[grantcart]

34. Been there, done that

[Turin_C3PO]

10. Probably

because he knows it would sink him with the mouth-breathers. The GOP would probably primary him for coming out. I don’t know about his personal life but I do know he’s a Trump bootlicker and that’s enough for me to dislike him intensely.

[Bucky]

15. Regardless of his personal orientation,

He depends for reelection on support from a party full of racists and virulent, violent homophobes

My guess is that, like most Republicans, Lindsey Graham is a raging Plutophile

[Hortensis]

17. Don't know if Graham's gay, but SOME refuse to live that

orientation out of religious principles. NOT hypocrisy in the least. They believe it's a sin, so they accept the burden and live as they believe god wishes them to. Some enter into heterosexual marriages.

Others, like a cousin of some neighbors here in the deep south Bible belt, remain single. He's known within his family and among locals he grew up around as homosexual, but just as an explanation of why he's single. He's a very decent man who lives a life of dignity and worth, and deeply felt principle, and he's not alone because he belongs to a close family and has lots of friends.

I despise Graham for many reasons, but Handler's way out of line. What he does with his genitalia is no more her business than it's appropriate for him to stick his nose into hers.

[WeekiWater]

19. I think it's all poor form and bigotry.

I’ve enjoyed some of Handlers work an interviews but there are a number of things she says that society could do without. One of those things is questioning the sexuality of others. The guy is straight. He tells you he is. Move on. Most piece of shit Republicans are straight white males.

[cwydro]

20. So sick of this shit on DU.

Did not expect it of you.

[pnwmom]

22. Unfortunately, it is an issue if Russia and/or Trump is blackmailing him about it.

An old RNC server got hacked by the Russians at the same time the DNC's was hacked. According to the GOP, it wasn't really in use anymore except by John McCain and Lindsey Graham.

If he had something blackmail-worthy on that server, it would explain his about face since a couple years ago.

And for a politician in his state, being gay could be used as a weapon against him.

[IluvPitties]

23. The only thing I know is that Lindsey is a true piece of dung.

[DeminPennswoods]

25. Doubt S Car GOP voters would take too kindly

to voting for an admitted gay man. It's the south. It's South Carolina. 'Nuff said.

[tableturner]

26. If he admits to being gay, he admits to lying to his constituents for decades.

[Power 2 the People]

28. +1

He knows what the truth is. Everything gets revealed eventually.

[Blue Owl]

27. I don't remember askin' him a goddamn thing

n/t

[blue cat]

29. Everyone already knows

That’s not what he is afraid of people finding out.
It probably something illegal more likely.

[Progressive Jones]

30. He would lose the votes of the fake evangelical christian cult if they knew he was gay. nt

[elocs]

31. My House rep, Republican Steve Gunderson, was outed on the House floor by Robert Dornan in 1994.

He confirmed he was gay later that year in October just before he was easily reelected, then he retired and didn't run again when that term was up. But he was the first openly gay Republican member of the House.
He was the only Republican vote against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, but he could do that because he wasn't running again. Evidently the GOP is still not welcoming of gay members of their party in congress and Graham knows this.

[Blueman13]

32. Graham has bigger problems

such as still trying to figure out which public bathroom he is able to use.

[irisblue]

37. What are you meaning? Thx

Welcome to DU

[redstateblues]

35. He could come out then agree to undergo conversion therapy

Maybe with Michelle Bachman's husband. The deplorables would love him for that!

[BigDemVoter]

36. WHY?

Look at his goddamned political party. It's full of raging racists and homophobes. Lindsey himself is a self-loathing, latent queer man who is just as much of a homophobe as the rest of this colleagues in that goddamned party. Miss Lindsey obviously thinks as little of gays as do his colleagues in the repig party. I hate them ALL. What a disgusting bunch of losers.

[no_hypocrisy]

38. I dunno why Evangelicals would split hairs over Graham being gay.

He gave them their tax cuts.

He got them *two* USSC justices on the Bench.

He's separating "illegal" parents from their children with deportation.

His nose is firmly in Trump's ass.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

39. I remember when Mark Foley was the Congressman for WPB

The fact that he was gay was the worst kept secret in Florida. I remember one of his campaign brochures. Mark in front of a flag with a nice looking woman and a child. Everyone presumes Mrs. Foley & their child. However, radio hosts (Randi Rhodes may have been one - IDR) pointed out that the woman was his sister and the child was the sister's child. Everyone knew, and frankly few would have cared if he'd come out. They did care when he was caught with a page.

This should serve as a tale for Graham - better to be out than let a cloud hang over you.

[oberliner]

40. Why do people make jokes about his sexuality?

[DFW]

43. I can think of one reason only

Because he makes such a big deal of it himself.

All he would have to laugh and say, "oh gimme a break!" and it's forgotten.

Whatever defenses Nixon offered for himself, the one people remember most is "I am not a crook."

[NurseJackie]

46. You are correct. (He's a Kinsey-Scale "5")

My son thinks he's "hedging" and playing word games with his "I am not gay" denials.

As my gay son describes it to me: Maybe Graham thinks of himself as "bi-sexual" for some reason. Maybe he sees himself as being a "5" on the Kinsey Scale. Maybe, having had ONE heterosexual experience in his life, Graham may believe that to be justification for considering himself "not 100% gay". In his mind, Graham justifies his lie.

And even though I'm sure much of this is subjective and will vary from person to person based on their personal life experiences... I'm inclined to believe what my son says.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinsey_scale

[Polybius]

48. Probably because he's single, never married, and rarely if ever goes on dates

I agree people shouldn't speculate based on those three things alone. I can relate because I'm the same, although I'm only on my 40's.

[peekaloo]

45. I laughed when he recently called himself a "single white male".

it made me think of that horrid movie with Jennifer Jason Leigh, "Single White Female" wherein she's a loathsome character who tries to be something/someone she is not.

Paging Dr. Freud.

[mulsh]

47. Chelsea didin't out anyone, Lindsey was outed back in the W's days. He's a confirmed bachelor.

is gay. Here's a 2007 article from Charleston City Paper. My bad he's just a confirmed bachelor and a loner.

[link:https://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/is-lindsey-graham-gay/Content?oid=1111370|