The Invisible Library

Mary Cheney’s baby finds a strange defender in the form of Dan Savage:

it feels strange to rush to the defense of Mary Cheney, the useless dyke daughter of our malevolent vice president. But I knew I had to speak up after Janice Crouse of Concerned Women For America called Cheney’s pregnancy “unconscionable.” A few thoughts for you, Janice:

First, because Christianists like you can’t come out and say they oppose Cheney’s pregnancy because it says right there in Leviticus that Mary Cheney should be put to death (along with all adulterers, rebellious slaves, and lobstermen), they’re condemning Cheney for creating a “fatherless” child, a child that will have no masculine role models. Have you gotten a good look at Heather Poe, Mary Cheney’s partner of 15 years? My son has two fathers, but Heather Poe’s left labial lip is butcher than both of us put together. Even if Mary and Heather planned on raising their child on a deserted island somewhere, their kid wouldn’t want for masculine role models. And if things get too girly at Mary and Heather’s place, Grandpa Dick can always take the kid hunting.

Second, fathers are great—my son couldn’t agree more, Janice. And guess what? A lesbian couple can’t have a child without one. For all we know, Mary and Heather, like so many other lesbian couples, used a known gay male sperm donor—Ken Mehlman? Mark Foley? Ted Haggard?—and this kid is going to have a father in his life.

Third, Concerned Women For America doesn’t think Mary Cheney should have a baby. Great, fine, whatever. But Mary Cheney’s uterus belongs to Mary Cheney, Janice, and she can do whatever the fuck she likes with it. She can have babies with it or keep her car keys in it or fill it up with potting soil and plant tulips in it. It’s her fucking uterus, Janice, not yours. And if you keep inserting yourself into it, people are gonna think you’re a dyke too, or Heather Poe is going to show up on your doorstep and beat the holy living hell out of you.

Fourth, Concerned Women For America and the Christian Coalition and Mitt Romney and Pat Robertson have all made it clear that they think it’s wrong for lesbians to have children. Would someone in the media please ask them the obvious follow-up question: How the fuck do they propose to stop lesbians from having children? Post two members of the National Guard at the entrance to every lesbian vagina in the country? Forced sterilizations at women’s music festivals? Mandatory abortions for every lesbian who does manage to get herself pregnant?

Fifth, up in Canada—sane, sane Canada—a bill to reopen, and possibly reverse, the decision to legalize gay marriage failed by a wide margin in Parliament Thursday, December 7.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 13th, 2006 at 9:07 pm and is filed under News, Culture War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.