(Cheneys with Samuel David Cheney, 2007)The Blade syndicate of gay rags has a new writer onboard, Rebecca Armendariz, and she's quite busy posting up a storm of messages on the paper's blog and I like her feistiness and rather demanding style.
For instance, in her recent post on Mary Cheney and Heath Poe new son, Armendariz orders the lesbian parents to release a photo of themselves and their baby.
From the Blade blog:
Poor Samuel David Cheney. Not only is he cursed with that dreadful last name, but anytime anyone Googles him for the next, oh, six months or so, they'll unfortunately have to stare upon his grandfather's beak before cooing at his tiny baby face.
Who gave birth here, anyway? . . . Are we supposed to be forgetting that this baby was born into a loving, long-term lesbian relationship by overshadowing him with the umbrella of Dick's profile?
I want to see a photo Samuel and his two mommies . . . Pose away, Mary and Heather!
Sure, there's a valid point here, that being the oddity of no photos of the proud parents holding their son and sharing the image with the world. But by Googling for shots of Cheney and his newest, sixth, grandchild, I saw that the White House is being consistent in at least one aspect of informing the public, and sharing photos of new Cheney offspring, when one of the Cheney chicks gives birth.
We've all seen the photo from last week of Dick and Lynne smiling and showing off Samuel David Cheney, but how many of us have looked at the photos of the Second Couple in similar poses, one where they're cradling Richard Jonathan Perry, born in July 2006, and another one in which the couple show off Philip Richard Perry, born in July 2004? The boys' parents are Liz Cheney and her hubby Phil Perry.
If the White House won't release photos of Liz and Phil with their newborns, I see no reason why they should grant Mary and Heather special privileges, like having them pose with Samuel David Cheney and issuing a courtesy photo to the public of the lesbian moms and their kid. Maybe it just is not the White House's job to release photos of either Cheney daughters with their respective partners and newborns, and Armendariz should simply chill out.
This is not to say I don't want to see a photo of the Cheney/Poe clan in the near future. I really do want this all-American lesbian family to give us photos, which I predict most likely will turn up in the pages of People or a newsweekly of higher news value.
Since Mary was paid handsomely for her boring bust of a memoir, illustrating how she's can be persuaded to share of herself private self, when the price is right and it's on her terms.
So Mary, why not do like other celebs, get a deal to have pictures snapped of you, Heather, Samuel, sell it for a nice chunk of change, then donate to a good cause. Perhaps a nonprofit agency helping gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parents birthing and adopting and raising kids?
(Cheney's with Philip Richard Perry, 2004)
(Cheney's with Richard Jonathan Perry, 2006)
I think the photo of Sam with Dick and Lynne is quite potent -- witness the breathless reaction of the wingnuts. It communicates a sense of credibility - here's just another baby and two proud grandparents -- to a broader audience in a way that pictures of the two mommas with baby would not.
ReplyDeleteWhen my partner and I had our son, it was my parents reaction of acceptance of him as another grandbaby, one of their own, that opened up my extended family to greater acceptance of my "gay" family.
The eleder Cheney's open acceptance and love for this baby IS a powerful and affirming message for gay families. The right knows this, that's why they are squawking so loud. Sure, it would be better if the Cheney's were way more open and supportive of gay rights, and we should steadfastly oppose Cheney where we disagree on policy. But I think some in the gay community are overlooking a good thing when they see it. And this is it.