Shortly after Mitt Romney’s new gay foreign policy spokesman, Richard Grenell, was announced, he wasscrubbing his caustic tweets about women and the media from his Twitter feed amid much attention to them. Among the women Grenell had insulted was MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, whom he ridiculed for looking too manly: “she needs to take a breath and put on a necklace.” He also she said looks like Justin Bieber.
It was the kind of crack many people would expect from a homophobic straight guy. Why would a gay man make a homophobic comment about a lesbian? Actually, it’s all too common. And much of it (but certainly not all) comes from gay conservatives, often Republican, who seem to be embarrassed by much of the LGBT community as they try to blend into society’s idea of what good gays should be like.
The Power List
How to measure a person’s power? In a world in which we have inexpensive tools to reach billions, it may seem that the globe truly is flat, and we’re all on an even playing field. But a few exemplary individuals manage to influence the way others live — either through their public personas, politics, or wealth — and affect cultural and social attitudes.
