Video: Sending Mel to tony neighborhood

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04/14/2009

by Jeremy Hooper

Just as with the Telegraph, we would've preferred it had CNN not cut off the following James Dobson quote mid-sentence. However, we'll overlook that point for now, since Mel and Tony's subsequent debate is nice and hearty:

Ya know, of all the far-right reps who speak to the media, Tony Perkins might just annoy us the most. That's because those of us who monitor Tony's work know what a seismic disconnect there is between his public persona and his daily anti-gay grind. On a regular basis, Tony condemns us with the hottest of fiery fires, brazenly condemning gay folks for so much as humming "Here Comes The Bride" (or for causing Nadya Suleman's octo-birth). For every millimeter the LGBT community gains, Tony seeks a ten mile push back. He (and, presumably, his ghost writers) have never met hyperbole too offensive, nor do they ever seem to stop and give even a moment's consideration to the true feelings or well-being for LGBT people.

But then he goes on these shows, with his hair in a perfect part and his smile in a practiced smirk, and presents himself as a bastion of love and compassion. We've never heard anything that comes out of his mouth match what we have seen him put on paper, nor have we ever witnessed one of his televised talking points that matches the intensity of his internal email blasts. And in terms of overall effect, nothing he ever gives to the Anderson Coopers of the world ever matches the massively disturbing anti-gay pride parade that Tony assembles every year under the "Values Voters Summit" heading. There are two Tony's: One that wants to rally a mob, and one that seeks to keep a "nice" mask on queer bias.

On the contrary, Mel is Mel. You see Mel on "AC" -- he's Mel. You see him on "The Amazing Race" -- he's Mel. Whehter it's a documentary, press release or eulogy, you're still going to hear the same words from the same Mel! And that, dear friends, is one of the most fundamental differences between the pro-equality and "pro-family" movements: The ease with which the former maintains a refreshing consistency vs. the ease with which the latter shape-shifts the palatability of their message in order to fit the audiences' varying levels of reception (a point highlighted within this very piece, via the highly duplicitous Rick Warren situation).

The truth is that Mel has something genuine to gain (equality), while Tony has a construct to maintain (a profitable, connected political movement). While one can fake it for a while, most every artifice eventually cracks.

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