Department of Kiss of Death

'I can't believe I'm with Barney Frank on this one. But I am,' says Andrew Sullivan about the ENDA row here, and yet somehow most of the rest of us seem to have no problem whatever believing it. In the same piece, Sullivan talks about the notorious Aravosis piece in Salon here and entirely fails to mention Aravosis' gratuitous sneers at transwomen let alone his colossal distortion of history. Somehow to point out the historical fact that transpeople have always been part of the queer community and of any political queer movement that was going anywhere is to be on the extreme left in Sullivan's life as is to ask for common courtesy of the kind Aravosis refuses. Part of what has upset Sullivan is Susan Stryker's excellent piece in Salon here a piece which makes clear what is at stake. What should be worrying Barney Frank is the people who are defending his stand - gay Republicans like Sullivan and Aravosis whose attempt to trim their sexuality to fit the cut of their politics will always end up in betrayal.

In case people haven't seen them, there are usually updates on the ongoing war of words and the relevant news stories in gene_home's excellent posts.