Chuck Hagel Believes “openly" aggressively gays' Can Not be Ambassadors

The speculation is that Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel is going to be the person the president will name. I wish that would not happen.  Now that the President has come out not just for acceptance of the LGTB community but also for their civil rights to get married, serve in the military, in the government and his administration; it would be a mistake to name this former homophobe. I understand that has people open their minds it makes sense not to discriminate.  We need to have acceptance for those that see the light. The problem is to have an active homophobe in the government that publicly humiliated and hurt us and privately the same.


The Dept of Defense still full of homophobes because is full of closeted personnel; some how it goes together. Where ever you have too many people against other people that have done them no harm, there has to be an underlying reason.  The best reason of a homophobe is to be afraid of being a homosexual, which is clearly what the word implies.
I remember well how he opposed the naming of qualified person that  President Clinton wanted in that position. That was the nomination of James Hormel (Family founders of Hormel Foods). James Hormel had the decency and sincerity to be out. How dare he! Nobody had really criticized him while he was just a billionaire, but as an out gay man he was no good, defective, past the expiration date.

 The comments were made during a debate over the nomination of James Hormel to be ambassador to Luxembourg. Hagel had said Hormel was “openly aggressively gay.”

Ha! You see because he was out he was aggressive and I guess an ambassador is disqualified for being aggressive.  Well that is not so. Then it most be that gays were supposed to be passive and this one, this one was alive! This one was not following the rule that gays were supposed to follow on Hagel's book of decency.

On Thursday, the Human Rights Campaign called out the Nebraskan Republican for his comments and said his “consistent anti-LGBT record” in the Senate raised serious question about where he stands on the issues today.

“We are pleased that Senator Hagel recognized the importance of retracting his previous statement about Ambassador Hormel and affirming his commitment to 'don’t ask, don’t tell' repeal and LGBT military families,” OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson said in a statement following Hagel’s apology. “We look forward to learning more about his commitment to full LGBT military equality as this nomination and confirmation process unfolds.”

The White House has had to come to Hagel’s defense twice in the past month. While he has yet to be formally nominated for a Cabinet position, many think he is on the administration’s short list to fill Leon Panetta’s seat as head of the Defense Department. 

I hope that the gay community, including the very young ones that might not been voters or remember what happened during this nomination for just an ambassador to a nice pretty nation, but a nation we don’t hear much about.  I hope there is enough noise from everyone that does not accept homophobes that the president does not nominate this homophobe.

This could be a teaching moment that homophobia has it’s non- benefits and you wont like them if you are going after gays.