Reaping What You Sow

The Chicago Free Press did both a front page article (see cover photo on left) and an editorial on the Governor's anonymous attack on Reps. Feigenholtz, Harris and me.

I wrote about the whole incident last week, so there's no real point in rehashing it here. But both the Free Press article and editorial are worth reading in their entireties.

Here are a few tidbits from the editorial.

The Chicago Pride Parade June 24 brought out record crowds to watch the familiar assortment of fabulous floats, dancers, twirlers, community organizations, businesses and politicians.

Unfortunately, it also attracted a mean-spirited attack directed against some of the GLBT community’s members and allies.

We’re not talking about the handful of anti-gay protesters who always show up. We’re talking about the ham-handed, cowardly actions of members of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s staff...

But wait, there's more:

Whatever—Blagojevich is free to posture all he wants. But having his aides use our Pride Parade to falsely attack three of our community’s strongest allies was a petty stunt that demeaned his office and incorrectly assumed that GLBTs in Chicago aren’t smart enough to know better.

Further, for the governor’s office to threaten HIV/AIDS organizations that get state funding made the action even more despicable.

Let’s make it plain—Feigenholtz, Fritchey and Harris are deservedly held in the highest regard by Chicago’s GLBT community. They’ve been there for years for us—on HIV/AIDS, GLBT rights and any other issue of importance to us.

And as always, they were also proudly there to march in our Pride Parade June 24, while the governor was nowhere to be found.

But then again, that’s one of the oldest tricks in the book—a ringleader having his henchmen commit the crime while he stays far away from the scene. Feigenholtz, Fritchey and Harris deserve better. So does Illinois.

Now mind you, the GLBT community have been staunch supporters of the Governor in the past, which is what makes the Governor's move that much more ill-conceived.

It just goes to make the title of my previous post, Burning Bridges, all the more poignant.

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