Then you are missing the point about hypocrisy.

In the words of Barney Frank, himself a closeted gay politician for the first 15 years of his career: "I think there's a right to privacy. But the right to privacy should not be a right to hypocrisy. And people who want to demonize other people shouldn't then be able to go home and close the door and do it themselves."

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)

"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

Although I know that I might be blasted for this comment, you have to understand that most people on here are considered blue democrats. With that said, many people, particularly the "Religious Right" vote based on "values." (I am not arguing for or against that by the way). Nonetheless, many feel that a person's sexual preference does influence their way of handling political policy, and I think their opinions should be respected as well.

First of all its not only about politicians (see below) but to your point..

How about support for the Tennessee Marriage Protection Amendment?
(link...)
This amendment was supported by most prominent republicans in Knox county.

It was also supported by the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville and many protestant churches.
Anyone remember a certain former Bishop of Knoxville who went on to Palm Beach, FL, only to be forced to resign in 2002 for seducing male students at the seminary he used to head in MO?
(link...)

Also, how about censoring LGBT websites from Knox county school computers?
(link...)

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)

"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

Jesus, this is more sordid and bloody than I ever thought it could get here in Knoxville.

Quoting from Redmondkr's article linked above:

As the East Tennessee Bureau Chief for Out & About Newspaper, Beth Maples-Bays picked up on the Barker story after Wilhoit left the publication. She has a long memory of other noteworthy Knoxville “gay” crime cases, instances where apathy and privilege seemingly circumvented justice, where the perpetrators of brutal violence against gay men were never apprehended, or were caught but never punished. There was the suspiciously timed murder of gay club owner Joseph Weir circa 1981; the slaying took place shortly after Weir notably refused to give up the lease to his Europa club downtown in the interest of “cleaning up” the center city in preparation for the 1982 World’s Fair, and remains unsolved to this day. There was the murder of James Fleenor, a UT nursing school student apparently slain in the mid-1980s by someone he picked up at the Carousel, the long-running Fort Sanders gay bar; and that of Frank “Francine” Wilson, a white collar worker by day with a nighttime gig as a drag queen, the suspected killer of whom managed to disappear despite having been arrested and arraigned.

And worst of all, there was Joe Camber, a local gay activist who was choked to death in the looming shadow of the University of Tennessee’s Carolyn P. Brown University Center by a strikingly handsome young man he met at the Carousel. The perpetrator, Chad Conyers, was the scion of a well-heeled family, and received judicial diversion and what amounted to a suspended sentence. When he eventually left Tennessee for his family home in Virginia Beach, even his supervised probation was jettisoned because a Virginia court refused to recognize Tennessee’s right to enforce it.

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)

"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

Couldn't resist posting this. Don't know if it has exerpts from the Metropulse or not.
(link...)

Camber’s body showed that he had struggled prior to being strangled to death. Camber had cuts and abrasions on his arms, hands, and back. Skin underneath Camber's fingernails was shown by DNA testing to belong to Conyers. The Knox County district attorney chose not to prosecute Conyers at trial for any crime. Though initially charged with murder, Conyers reached a plea agreement on manslaughter that eliminated his serving any time in prison. After 15 years, his criminal record would be expunged.

The office of District Attorney Randy Nichols made asinine statements to the press that because Camber was gay, that office could not determine whether Camber’s death was premeditated, an act of rage, or just a part of normal gay sex that somehow went too far. A man was murdered, his body lay in a parking lot, and the ignorant District Attorney and his staff could not find the wherewithal to prosecute the confessed murderer?

Obviously, the fact that Joseph Camber was gay played a significant role in the district attorney’s decision not to pursue criminal prosecution. Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist Frank Cagle summed it up best when he wrote at the time, “Attention all homophobes. It appears that it is open season on gay men in Knoxville. . . . [W]here is the outrage? . . . . Considering the lack of an outcry over this case, one can only conclude that the district attorney general's office knows its community. But it is worrisome when prosecutions depend on the lifestyle of the victim, (and) the degree of public interest. . . . Any homophobes in Knoxville who plan to carry out an assault on a gay man should take note: If there is a chance he will die, have sex with him first.”

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)

"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

No I can't.

Maybe if we stopped electing conservative republicans, or conservative republidems we could get one to show up?

Maybe if we had elections in the city that actually identified candidates by political party?

Maybe if we more aggressively went after local politicians who support anti-queer policies, or have turned a blind eye to the many cases (partially chronicled above) of murder, violence and discrimination?

In the case of the latter, I think its less about "winning" on the issue/election than about winning the argument and drawing more people to our side. Take a stand, show some courage and more people will rally around queer issues.

Or we could do what my gay neighbor does and hide, saying things like "Well I don't think we should be able to marry."

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)

"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin