Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced her support for same-sex marriage on Monday, March 18 in a video posted on the website for the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for LGBT rights. Shortly after the announcement, American Family Association radio host Sandra Rio suggested that Clinton was a lesbian. According to Huffingtonpost.com, Rio “claimed Tuesday [March 19th] that the former Secretary of State’s recent announcement of support for same-sex marriage might hint at Clinton’s sexual identity.”
Rio believes Clinton is a lesbian because she supports gay marriage. According to Rio’s definition of what makes a person a homosexual, I would be gay because I support gay marriage. I have never had a desire to be in a relationship with another man, so I do not think Rio’s definition of what makes a person gay is correct. I doubt that gay people are the only ones supporting gay marriage.
This is not the first time Rio has suggested someone is gay and has expressed anti-gay opinions. Last November, during Rio’s show, she and her guest read a tweet by United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, which read, “We will not allow the remarkable progress the UN has made on LGBT issues in the last four years to be rolled back.” According to Right Wing Watch, Rio replied, “Is she straight?” I do not know why Rio thinks her question is so vital. Rice’s sexuality does not matter. You do not have to be gay to want equality for members of the LGBT community. Anyone, straight or gay, can hope for equality for people in our country.
From what I can gather, Rio sees homosexuality as a negative trait. I do not see why she, or anyone, would see homosexuality as a bad thing. It may not be seen as the norm for sexuality, but that does not mean homosexuality is wrong. It’s different but different is not always a terrible thing.
Rio is not the only one who has questioned Clinton’s sexuality. According to The Daily Beast, Rick Morris, who worked closely with Bill Clinton in the past, “suggested … that Hillary Clinton was a closet lesbian.” According to Huffingtonpost.com, “In her salacious 1995 tell-all about a sexual encounter with Bill Clinton, Gennifer Flowers made a similar suggestion [about Hillary Clinton’s sexuality].” According to Michael Musto of The Village Voice, “whisper campaigns are claiming that Hillary Clinton is Gayle King-ing her aide de camp, the glamorous Huma Abedin,” implying that Clinton is attracted to Abedin. I do not see why all of these people are so interested in Clinton’s sexual preference. If she were gay, it would not change anything. She has worked hard over the past few years as senator and secretary of state, and has fought for women’s rights in other countries.
Even if Clinton were gay, it does not mean she could not do her job. Just look at Anderson Cooper; he is openly gay and has led a successful career in journalism working for CNN, ABC and Channel One. Ellen DeGeneres is another influential gay person who has a successful daytime talk show and has been in several television shows and movies, including “Finding Nemo,” where she voices Dory. Neil Patrick Harris has also had a successful television and movie career, well known for his role in “How I Met Your Mother” as Barney Stinson and Douglas “Doogie” Howser in “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and is also open about his sexuality. Being gay does not affect their careers, nor would it affect Clinton’s.
Clinton has gone on record saying that the rumors are false. According to CNN, in an interview with The Advocate, she said, “It’s not true, but it is something that I have no control over. People will say what they want to say.” Clinton brings up a good point. I can write about how people should stop worrying about Clinton’s sexuality, but I cannot stop people from talking about it. All I can say is that I do not see what all the fuss is about.
Jake Koniszewski can be reached at jake.koniszewski@spartans.ut.edu