|
By Jesse Monteagudo
Though JEB is one of the most conservative governors of this or any other state, he is smart enough to curtail some of his most extreme followers' enthusiasm and to appear as a "compassionate" conservative. While no friend of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities - he favors Florida's antigay adoption law and has appointed religious extremists - this governor had till recently avoided saying or doing anything that might be construed as homophobic (to his gay followers' relief). For example, unlike his Democratic predecessor Reuben O. Askew in 1977, Bush took no sides in the recent "gay rights" referendum in Miami-Dade County. Had he continued to keep his mouth shut, he would have gotten a respectable chunk of the gay vote next month, just like he did in 1998. JEB made his recent, controversial remarks in his office to a group of visiting GOP legislators and candidates from the Florida Panhandle, admittedly not the most intellectually stimulating audience. The subject was Geralyn and Pamela Graham, the caretakers of Rilya Wilson who were charged with fraud stemming from the investigation into that little girl's disappearance. Though the two women claimed to be sisters, the governor told his visitors that he had "some juicy details" about their relationship: "As [Pamela Graham] was being arrested, she told her co-workers, 'Tell my wife I've been arrested,' Bush said. "The wife is the grandmother, and the aunt is the husband," he explained, using his fingers to indicate quotation marks to emphasize the word "grandmother." "Bet you don't get that in Pensacola," he joked. As if that wasn't bad enough, JEB also said that he has "devious plans" to sabotage a proposed state constitutional amendment that would cap class sizes in public schools, in case the voters approve it. JEB probably wouldn't have made those offensive comments if he knew that a reporter from the Gannett Regional Newspapers of Florida was present at the meeting, recording everything. The next thing he knew, his comments appeared on the pages of the ^Pensacola News-Journal,~ and the proverbial poop hit the fan. Seeking a way out of this mess, Bush told the media that he was just being "sarcastic" when he spoke about his "devious plans." As for his allegedly antigay comments, the First Brother did not dispute the Gannett report but said that he was misunderstood: "I didn't mean any disrespect. I was only passing along what I'd been told, in what I thought was a private meeting," he said. "It was not intended to be derogatory at all." For their part, the politicians present at that meeting, having their own political races to run, avidly backed their governor. This was not enough to satisfy gay activists, Democratic politicos, or the Graham sisters' lawyers. One of them, Joshua Fisher, called JEB's remarks "outrageous" and "disgusting," adding that "he's making jokes when there is still a missing baby here, or doesn't he care?"
Though Reno has since been eliminated, my views on Bush remain the same, which is why I now support Democratic candidate Bill McBride, whose record on queer issues is far from perfect but much better than the incumbent's. Those members of our community who think that this governor is good for gay people must either live under a rock or have "devious plans" of their own. I admit that there are many good reasons to support JEB's re-election, though I don't agree with any of them. You could argue that Bush has improved our public schools, cut down crime, helped the elderly, encouraged business investment or even reformed the Department of Children and Families. You could even argue that he is a good man, an efficient administrator and an effective leader. But if you want to improve the lot of Florida's LesBiGay or Trans people, vote for Bill McBride or Bob Kunst. At the end of the day, we should thank the Gannett reporter, for revealing to us the "real" Jeb Bush.
|
JEB's controversial comments would not be appropriate for this audience 
Executive Director of Equality Florida Nadine Smith: JEB's comments were 'childish' 
Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance author and activist who lives in
South Florida with his domestic partner. You may reach him at