The Teen Suicide Epidemic in Michele Bachmann's District
July 27, 2011 10:07 AM   Subscribe

The Teen Suicide Epidemic in Michele Bachmann's District. Minnesota's largest school district, Anoka-Hennepin, has been declared a "suicide contagion area" due to its teen suicide rate. Some point blame at the aggressive anti-gay tactics of Michele Bachmann's allies in the district (coincidentally, Bachmann's husband is an uncertified therapist who runs a clinic offering "reparative therapy" and calls gay people "barbarians" who need to be "disciplined," as previously discussed on MetaFilter). [via]
posted by infinitywaltz (148 comments total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
As there have recently been many high-exposure cases of youth suicide and LGBTQ suicide linked to bullying, I think it's also relevant to link to Bachmann's fairly distasteful stance on bullying:

[T]here have always been bullies, always have been, always will be. I just don't know how we're ever going to get to point of zero tolerance and what does it mean? ... Will it get to the point where we are completely stifling free speech and expression? Will it mean that what form of behavior will there be - will we be expecting boys to be girls?

Cracking down on bullies is stifling free expression, and it's faggy to boot. Great.
posted by entropone at 10:10 AM on July 27, 2011 [58 favorites]


I want to be a gay barbarian. Can I wear a fur bikini and talk like Conan?

But seriously, this sucks.
posted by Tesseractive at 10:12 AM on July 27, 2011 [5 favorites]


Will it mean that what form of behavior will there be - will we be expecting boys to be girls?

No, we will be expecting them to be young men.
posted by escabeche at 10:13 AM on July 27, 2011 [14 favorites]


Looking forward to this woman running next year. Buying stock in Jiffy-Pop as we speak.
posted by Old'n'Busted at 10:18 AM on July 27, 2011 [7 favorites]


I want to be a gay barbarian. Can I wear a fur bikini and talk like Conan?

Yes, yes you can.

Horde of Barbarians Demand To Be Disciplined At Bachmann's Pray Away The Gay Clinic

There has been some talk of a "barbarian bloc" at various protests.

***
And it does suck. I hate what this state has become.
posted by Frowner at 10:18 AM on July 27, 2011 [22 favorites]


Tesseractive: yes.
posted by hermitosis at 10:18 AM on July 27, 2011


Bachmann is representative of the problem, not the cause. This area's school district has been harshly criticized (on the blue even, I think) about their noncommital approach to homosexuality. Basically, they're not allowed to acknowledge that it exists, making it a very unfriendly place for gay kids to come out. My understanding is that most teachers ignore that policy.
posted by Think_Long at 10:18 AM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


Will it mean that what form of behavior will there be - will we be expecting boys to be girls?

Is she implying that girls aren't bullies? I'd have thought looking as polished as she does would require looking in a mirror once in a while.
posted by headnsouth at 10:19 AM on July 27, 2011 [37 favorites]


Aw. Me no post fast enough.

*barbarian sobs*
posted by hermitosis at 10:19 AM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


I want to be a gay barbarian. Can I wear a fur bikini and talk like Conan?

That might just make you a He-Man cosplayer.

Joking aside, I'm with Think_long on Bachmann being more of a symptom than a root cause here.
posted by COBRA! at 10:20 AM on July 27, 2011


Bachmann is gay.

No, really.

It's only a matter of time before he's caught having sex in a seedy hotel with a busboy.
posted by Malice at 10:22 AM on July 27, 2011 [4 favorites]


Is she implying that girls aren't bullies?

Oh, great. Not only is she a homophobic, deeply ignorant, hateful demagog, she has also never seen Mean Girls?

She is the worst!
posted by running order squabble fest at 10:22 AM on July 27, 2011 [7 favorites]


Wait a minute, scratch that. Was that her husband I saw talking? Nevermind........ I thought he was she.
posted by Malice at 10:23 AM on July 27, 2011




Oh, great. Not only is she a homophobic, deeply ignorant, hateful demagog, she has also never seen Mean Girls? She is the worst!

I know, right? Even Palin is familiar with the works of Tina Fey.
posted by infinitywaltz at 10:24 AM on July 27, 2011 [4 favorites]


No, she's seen Mean Girls. She just wont' admit to it. That's why her hair's so big - it's full of secrets.
posted by mrgoat at 10:25 AM on July 27, 2011 [14 favorites]


I guess the election season is officially on.
posted by smackfu at 10:27 AM on July 27, 2011


wait, wait.. If it's wrong to guilt-by-association lump Obama in with Bill Ayers, where's Bachman's role in this ?

MoJo has an axe to grind, given their leanings (and all the links here are MoJo, making it a thin post).. But all this is about "supporters of bachman" and "bachman's allies", with some quotes from her.. What's her role in this ? Not speaking out against it ?

I mean, the lady scares me, but this ? This is grar and rage with no real link.
posted by k5.user at 10:27 AM on July 27, 2011 [5 favorites]


Basically, they're not allowed to acknowledge that it exists,

I'm not sure that is accurate, perhaps you can point me to something that clarifies it. As I understand it, their policy is of over-strict neutrality. They can mention homosexuality, but can't teach about it. It is the only school district in MN with this policy

The district is being sued btw
posted by edgeways at 10:28 AM on July 27, 2011


Marcus Bachmann is obviously yet another self-hating, closeted gay man. And his wife is a crazy-eyed lunatic, obviously in deep denial about hubby. That these people are on the political radar has killed any hope I had for this country.
posted by dbiedny at 10:28 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


I'm not sure that is accurate, perhaps you can point me to something that clarifies it. As I understand it, their policy is of over-strict neutrality. They can mention homosexuality, but can't teach about it. It is the only school district in MN with this policy

That's probably a better characterization of the policy. They're not allowed to bo for it, or against it, but that leaves them in quite a quandary.
posted by Think_Long at 10:30 AM on July 27, 2011


The link homunculus posted states that the "Anti-Gay Ally" in question runs a Christian youth ministry called "You Can Run, But You Can't Hide International."

...Okay, I like to think I was paying attention way back in Sunday School, but I somehow missed the part about Jesus treating all of us like we were The Most Dangerous Game.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:30 AM on July 27, 2011 [26 favorites]


I don't believe in Hell.

Except when it comes to people like Michele Bachman.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:31 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


Here's my favorite story about a gay barbarian: the Tale of Gorgik, by Samuel Delany.
posted by kaibutsu at 10:31 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


Folks... can we keep this somewhat on track? If you can't offer anything except Marcus Bachmann is so gay, or Michelle is so crazy I think you are running off the rails. I dislike the Bachmann, pretty damn intensely, but god damn if your argument is all "closeted gay and crazy" I have no sympathy for what you are writing.
posted by edgeways at 10:33 AM on July 27, 2011 [17 favorites]


a "neutral" policy is an anti-gay policy.
posted by nadawi at 10:33 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


That these people are on the political radar has killed any hope I had for this country.

Really? They're on the radar because she has decided to run for president. Some people support that. She has been elected and re-elected to the U.S. House in the 6th District of Minnesota. So she represents someone. These combine to put her on the political radar. Those two things alone would put pretty much anyone on the political radar of which you speak. Even if she is crazy it doesn't mean the country as a whole is lost. The 6th District of Minnesota might be, but that's hardly the whole country. Anyone who has backing can run for president and crazy has always been with us in the American political system. I mean, good christ, half the damn country once started a rebellion over slavery. Slavery. If this is the nail in your coffin for this country you haven't been paying attention or you aren't serious.
posted by IvoShandor at 10:35 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


Perhaps we could all chip in for a campaign of billboards that remind teens that, at least until Michele Bachman's political career advances, it gets better.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 10:35 AM on July 27, 2011


> "You Can Run, But You Can't Hide International."

Is the guy's name Destro?
posted by feloniousmonk at 10:35 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


a "neutral" policy is an anti-gay policy.

I don't disagree entirely. it doesn't have to be, but this school district has certainly tied itself in knots and dug itself in to the point where their policies are certainly anti-gay in my opinion.
posted by edgeways at 10:35 AM on July 27, 2011


Malice: “Bachmann is gay. No, really. It's only a matter of time before he's caught having sex in a seedy hotel with a busboy.”

You may think this is an insult to Bachmann, but in fact it's an insult to gay people.

And busboys.

And seedy hotels.

posted by koeselitz at 10:38 AM on July 27, 2011 [24 favorites]


It sounds like she is doing an excellent job of representing her district.
posted by Legomancer at 10:41 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


every single thing that marcus bachmann thinks or believes or says reflects directly on michele. this would be true for any politician going for the presidency, but is especially true for the woman who has said on many occasions that a wife must submit to her husband. i still wonder - if she actually believes that why we're not voting for him directly.
posted by nadawi at 10:42 AM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Oh man, from Bachmann's Wikipedia article: "Bachmann grew up in a Democratic family, but she says she became a Republican during her senior year at Winona State. She told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that she was reading Gore Vidal's 1973 novel, Burr: "He was kind of mocking the Founding Fathers and I just thought, I just remember reading the book, putting it in my lap, looking out the window and thinking, 'You know what? I don't think I am a Democrat. I must be a Republican.'"
posted by IvoShandor at 10:43 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


You may think this is an insult to Bachmann, but in fact it's an insult to gay people.

I don't know how to say this in a way that doesn't come off as insulting to gay people, but I sometimes think that closetted gays are the source of the most virulent homophobia in the US.
posted by empath at 10:43 AM on July 27, 2011 [9 favorites]


Not sure what Mother Jones is going for here: are they trying to convince readers not to vote for her? Wouldn't that happen as soon as they saw the (R)?
posted by smackfu at 10:44 AM on July 27, 2011


I mean, Bachmann's life is a fucking tragedy, not just for himself, but everyone whose lives he's touched. He's spent his whole life trying to deny who he is, lying to himself, lying to his wife, lying to his family, lying to society. He's willing to destroy the lives of other people, and stop hundreds of young people from being who they are, stopping them from loving who they want, just to prove to everyone that he's not gay -- something that is only a problem for society because people like him persist in making it a problem.
posted by empath at 10:46 AM on July 27, 2011 [7 favorites]


She told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that she was reading Gore Vidal's 1973 novel, Burr: "He was kind of mocking the Founding Fathers and I just thought, I just remember reading the book, putting it in my lap, looking out the window and thinking, 'You know what? I don't think I am a Democrat. I must be a Republican.'"

Okay, now I really, really want to read some kind of alternative-history story talking about what would have happened if Bachmann had read Myra Breckinridge instead.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:47 AM on July 27, 2011 [10 favorites]


What are the bookie's odds on Michelle Bachmann getting the Republican nomination? Oh please oh please...
posted by Theta States at 10:48 AM on July 27, 2011


While not gay myself, I am an ally of the community. Does that make me Subotai?

I will cry for you.
posted by griphus at 10:48 AM on July 27, 2011 [8 favorites]


but I sometimes think that closeted gays are the source of the most virulent homophobia in the US.

have you ever considered they're bisexual which is why the disconnect? the whole - "when did you decide to be straight" as a gotcha fails to work if you consider the existence of bisexuals - in that case, quite a few probably decided to be straight and think they are fighting their wicked side their entire life. this is what it felt like for me when i was a bisexual teen in a very homophobic, religious area. i assumed everyone felt that way and that they were all just better at battling the demons. even in the local gay-friendly community, i was considered a tourist because i sometimes made out with guys instead of being all the way lesbian.
posted by nadawi at 10:49 AM on July 27, 2011 [15 favorites]


What are the bookie's odds on Michelle Bachmann getting the Republican nomination? Oh please oh please...

9.1%
posted by shakespeherian at 10:51 AM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


It's only a matter of time before he's caught having sex in a seedy hotel with a busboy

Site Offers $10,000 for Proof That Marcus Bachmann is Gay.
posted by ericb at 10:52 AM on July 27, 2011




"You Can Run, But You Can't Hide International."


Who's hiding? Me and my +10 bastard sword of bad ass would like a word.
posted by The Whelk at 10:53 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


In reality nadawi, I'm not sure I personally believe in the constriction of gay or straight labels. I think love and lust are just that, love and lust, regardless of gender boundaries. It's not impossible for a straight man to fall in love with another man, and not impossible for a gay man to fall in love with a woman. So perhaps we're all bisexuals with very strong physical preferences one way or the other? Just a thought.
posted by Malice at 10:53 AM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Dr. Kinsey? Is that you?
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 10:55 AM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Why is it all the right-wingers have lesbian stepsisters?

Newt Gingrich's stepsister, Candace and ...
Michele Bachmann's 'Satanic' Lesbian Stepsister at Obama's Inauguration: VIDEO."
posted by ericb at 10:56 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


empath: “I don't know how to say this in a way that doesn't come off as insulting to gay people, but I sometimes think that closetted gays are the source of the most virulent homophobia in the US.”

If that were true, I think there would be 90% fewer anti-gay bigots in America today.

As tempting as it is to chalk bigotry up to some twisted confusion about one's own sexuality, I'm pretty sure most bigots do it the old-fashioned way – by hating people who are different from them.
posted by koeselitz at 10:56 AM on July 27, 2011 [4 favorites]




To be fair, it does appear that Marcus Bachmann was referring to children as barbarians and not necessarily gays.

Of course, that does sink the hook deeper on the FPP's issue.
posted by pokermonk at 10:58 AM on July 27, 2011


Marcus Bachmann has found the cure for teh gay: suicide.

These folks are a bigger threat to our freedoms than any Muslim terrorist.
posted by birdhaus at 11:00 AM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


pokermonk: “To be fair, it does appear that Marcus Bachmann was referring to children as barbarians and not necessarily gays.”

No, he was specifically talking about gay children. The question was: 'what is your advice to parents of gay children?' His answer was: "Barbarians need to be educated... they need to be disciplined."
posted by koeselitz at 11:04 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]




I still don't understand how an uncertified therapist receives government money. Is this a thing now?
posted by Eideteker at 11:07 AM on July 27, 2011


The only pleasure that Bachmann provides is that she consistently polls higher than Tim Pawlenty, whose presidential aspirations defined his miserable term as governor, and who is using his absurd record of driving Minnesota into an every worsening financial spiral as some sort of badge of conservative pride. He likes to boast that he managed to become governor in a blue state, but is apparently so ignorant of history that he doesn't know that

He bet it all on a presidential run. He was expecting to be McCain's voice pres nod, but was thrown aside for Sarah Palin. Now he's thrown his hat in the ring, and he's being trounced in polls by Palin, who hasn't declared a candidacy, and Bachmann, a madwoman with no record at all to stand on but for pushing her face into whatever camera happens to be nearby, unless it's a liberal holding the camera, and for declaring herself to be the candidate of the Tea Party, even though they can't stand her.

I would also like to see her debate Obama. That would give me pleasure.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:08 AM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


Whoops, didn't completer my thought about Minnesota's governors. 25 of them have been Republican or Independent/Republican. Only 11 have been Democrats or DFL. We're a blue state, except when it comes to electing Governors.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:09 AM on July 27, 2011


The Anoka-Hennepin school district is also under federal investigation for GLBT bullying and those allegations have spawned lawsuits.

Anoka-Hennepin has a long history of GLBT rights issues stemming from out dated and controversial school policies.

The current policy tells staff to be "neutral," which arguably allows bullies to take aim at the GLBT community including kids. The policy states, "Anoka-Hennepin staff, in the course of their professional duties, shall remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientaiton including but not limited to student led discussions."

Minnesota Public Radio, and specifically Elizabeth Dunbar, deserve a lot of credit for shedding light on what's happening in that school district.
posted by Muddler at 11:09 AM on July 27, 2011 [4 favorites]


Bachmann Anti-Gay Ally Sues Rachel Maddow For $50 Million

Bradlee Dean's press release on his lawsuit against MSNBC and Maddow.

Choice quotes:
"Bradlee Dean, a renowned hard metal rocker who came to Christ after suffering a hard life as a young boy, has dedicated his life to this mission, a mission that has been under attack by liberal media since its inception.

... Despite the very clear disclaimer by Bradlee Dean on his ministries website and elsewhere regarding the false accusation that he was calling for the execution of homosexuals, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and others seized on and accused Dean on her show of supporting the killing of homosexuals, as is the practice in some radical Islamic countries. This seriously has harmed Dean and the ministry, who pride themselves on respect and love for all people.

... In an interview earlier this year, MSNBC's president Phil Griffin admitted that the network, to boost its ratings, caters to the so-called 'progressive left'. This explains the malicious attacks on Bradlee Dean and his ministry, which are being used to harm the presidential campaign of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who is a conservative Christian.

In the past, Dean and his ministry have been complemented by presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (who prayed for the ministry) for their work in promoting values for the nation's youth. The left wing media's effort to defame Dean is an obvious way to try to harm Bachmann's presidential prospects, who they fear and despise. Other left wing media outlets have followed MSNBC and Maddow in their slanderous efforts. This suit may just be the first in a series of cases meant to protect the fine reputation of Dean and his ministry.

... The lawsuit is filed by attorney Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, in DC Superior Court and seeks in excess of $50 million in damages. However, money is not the issue. 'This case is filed as a matter of principle' stated Klayman. 'We need more Bradlee Deans in the world and hateful left wing television commentators must be made to respect not only his mission but the law,' he added."
Rachel Maddow segment to which Dean is reacting: Tom Emmer On Anti-Gay Hard Rock Ministry: "These Are Nice People".

Bradlee Dean's Video Reaction to 'The Homosexuals' and Rachel Maddow!
posted by ericb at 11:12 AM on July 27, 2011


Michelle's Fabulous Stylist
"Shopping help comes from another quarter, as well. Before Vice President Dick Cheney's visit this past summer, Bachmann's husband, Marcus, hit the stores -- 'he's got a good sense of style' -- and came home with 'a sleek, simple hourglass dress with a yoke collar in winter white.' He even bought a matching coat and shoes. 'I just slipped it on.'"
posted by ericb at 11:16 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


Bradlee Dean, a renowned **hard metal** rocker

POOOOOOOSER
posted by FatherDagon at 11:17 AM on July 27, 2011 [6 favorites]


Marcus Bachmann Defends Clinic's 'Ex-Gay' Therapy, Claims Tape on Which He Called Gays 'Barbarians' Was Doctored.

Marcus Bachmann Lied; Gay 'Barbarians' Tape Not Doctored: Video.
posted by ericb at 11:18 AM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


I would also like to see her debate Obama. That would give me pleasure.

That would be a complete waste of his time. She has nothing substantial to say.
posted by clockzero at 11:19 AM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


That would be a complete waste of his time. She has nothing substantial to say.

It would be a pleasant use of my time, as I would like to see her humiliated.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:20 AM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


I would also like to see her debate Obama. That would give me pleasure.

I want to see her debate Sarah Palin. Though I doubt I would hear anything through all the dog-whistling.
posted by mrgoat at 11:20 AM on July 27, 2011 [6 favorites]


Whether her husband is actually gay or not misses the point. The point is that it is obvious that Michele Bachmann is a (arguably malfunctioning) T-X sent back in time to provoke the world into viewing extermination by Skynet as a preferred alternative.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:20 AM on July 27, 2011 [7 favorites]


Bachmann is representative of the problem, not the cause.

People like Bachmann are possibly one of the better things to happen to the cause of gay acceptance. I think of it as sort of the reverse of this.

(e.g., "I used to think that conservatives really weren't trying to control anybody but just make sure that society stayed open to the idea of the old-fasioned code of sexual behavior I grew up with. Now I realize they're power-crazed dominionist lunatics who are more or less bent on using the state as a tool to bully people into living by their poorly considered standards." )
posted by namespan at 11:21 AM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]




"Shopping help comes from another quarter, as well. Before Vice President Dick Cheney's visit this past summer, Bachmann's husband, Marcus, hit the stores -- 'he's got a good sense of style' -- and came home with 'a sleek, simple hourglass dress with a yoke collar in winter white.' He even bought a matching coat and shoes. 'I just slipped it on.'"

Oh, COME ON.

Corky St. Clair: "I was shopping for my wife Bonnie. I buy most of her clothes and Mrs Pearl was in the same shop! And it just was an accident you know, we started talking... about panty hose, she was saying... whatever that's not the point of the story but what the point is is that through this accidental meeting... it's like a Hitchcock movie you know where you're thrown into a rubber bag and put in the trunk of a car, you find people. You find them. Something, is is it karma? Maybe. But we found him, that's the important thing. And I got Bonnie a wonderful pantsuit."
posted by FatherDagon at 11:26 AM on July 27, 2011 [6 favorites]


using the state as a tool to bully people into living by their poorly considered standards.")

I forgot to add "or into an early, self-inflicted grave", I suppose.
posted by namespan at 11:27 AM on July 27, 2011


Frowner: "Horde of Barbarians Demand To Be Disciplined At Bachmann's Pray Away The Gay Clinic
"

Capital One's diversity outreach program has taken a hilarious turn...
posted by schmod at 11:28 AM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


He even bought a matching coat and shoes. 'I just slipped it on.'

Have any of Michelle Bachmann's angora sweaters appeared oddly stretched lately?
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:29 AM on July 27, 2011


Transvestism is different from homosexuality.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:31 AM on July 27, 2011 [21 favorites]


ericb: Michelle's Fabulous Stylist

FatherDagon: “Oh, COME ON.”

Faint of Butt: “Have any of Michelle Bachmann's angora sweaters appeared oddly stretched lately?”

Can we stop this right now, please?

Every man (or boy) who likes pink, bunny rabbits, dolls, and wearing dresses is not instantly gay.

Every man (or boy) who likes black, Tonka trucks, guns, and wearing jeans is not instantly straight.

We can decry Marcus Bachmann's hatred without setting our movement back fifty years to do it, people. What we're doing here right now is called burning the village in order to save it.
posted by koeselitz at 11:33 AM on July 27, 2011 [45 favorites]


Or, what shakespeherian said. Thank you, shakespeherian.
posted by koeselitz at 11:34 AM on July 27, 2011


every single thing that marcus bachmann thinks or believes or says reflects directly on michele. ...the woman who has said on many occasions that a wife must submit to her husband
"[Marcus] Bachmann may be dishonest about his practice, but he’s not the one running for president. Yet in describing herself as a small-business owner, Michele Bachmann clearly takes partial credit for Bachmann & Associates, and so its activities reflect on her. Besides, she’s made it clear that Marcus exerts authority over her, telling one church audience that she bowed to her husband’s instructions to study tax law because 'the Lord says be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.' That means his character and beliefs are more germane to her candidacy than those of other political spouses. He’s the head of the woman who wants to be the head of country. He’s also a man with dubious qualifications running a clinic whose counseling techniques can ruin lives."*
posted by ericb at 11:34 AM on July 27, 2011 [6 favorites]


Was it just me that was bothered by the Daily Show's "Marcus Bachman is so gay" piece?

It seemed to me to miss the mark horrendously, sidestepping the "might he be harming others because of his own inner conflicts" issues in favor of "LOOK AT HIM DANCING HE'S SO FRUITY!" cheap shots. Pointing a finger and yelling "FAG!" doesn't really help much, surely?
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:35 AM on July 27, 2011 [8 favorites]


"Transvestism is different from homosexuality."

And anyway, like he would be caught dead in those tired old numbers.

I am so sorry
posted by Eideteker at 11:36 AM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Have any of Michelle Bachmann's angora sweaters appeared oddly stretched lately?

Hey. I know we're generally on the same page, but the snarky comments using crossdressing or transvestitism as in indicator that someone's gay are really stereotypical, wrong and more than a little offensive.

It's just a slip away from using "Nancy boy" as a slur, really.
posted by loquacious at 11:36 AM on July 27, 2011 [6 favorites]


I mean, good christ, half the damn country once started a rebellion over slavery. Slavery

While we're on that topic ...
"Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) became the first presidential candidate to sign a pledge created by The Family Leader, a conservative, Iowa-based Christian group ... With her signature, Bachmann seemed to be implicitly agreeing that black children were better off during slavery.

'Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President,' the document said."*
posted by ericb at 11:40 AM on July 27, 2011


Hey, I know that transvestism isn't associated with homosexuality. I don't know if Marcus Bachmann is gay or not. All I'm saying is that if a man knows exactly what size garments his wife wears, it's probably because he likes to wear them too.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:40 AM on July 27, 2011


Is Stillwater the next Wasilla? -- in defense of the author's hometown of Stillwater; from the in-depth Ripples in Stillwater news-blog.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:41 AM on July 27, 2011


Don't you think she looks tired?
posted by schmod at 11:44 AM on July 27, 2011 [19 favorites]


I think the shopping thing is a bit desturbing. Allegedly, Michelle went into politics because her husband told her to. He picks her career, her clothes, what else? Controlling much?
posted by Garm at 11:44 AM on July 27, 2011


All I'm saying is that if a man knows exactly what size garments his wife wears, it's probably because he likes to wear them too.

That or he knows his wife's size from having been with her for so long and having been her support behind the scenes for busy moments like that. (Or, on preview, he's just a control freak.)

There was a time when men knew these things so they could buy a dress for their wife or partner or even just a date for a special event, or as a gift. It was even considered the mark of a sophisticated and knowledgeable gentleman.

Besides, she's like 5 feet tall. Her clothes probably wouldn't fit him.

And, well, if he happens to like wearing them the point is... what? It's not really hypocrisy, is it?
posted by loquacious at 11:49 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


All I'm saying is that if a man knows exactly what size garments his wife wears, it's probably because he likes to wear them too.

Great, I guess I'm a transvestite! And also probably a homosexual! Thanks for the info.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:55 AM on July 27, 2011 [7 favorites]


He was kind of mocking the Founding Fathers...

While we're on that topic ...
Tea Party Gop Rep. Michele Bachmann Thinks Founding Fathers Ended Slavery.
"Here is Michele...in her own words. And CNN's Anderson Cooper schooling her afterwards."
Michele Bachmann Says John Quincy Adams Was 'One Of Our Founding Fathers'
posted by ericb at 11:56 AM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


I know my wife's garment sizes, all of them. That's because I do the laundry at home.
posted by tommasz at 11:56 AM on July 27, 2011


loquacious, and anyone else I've offended in this thread, I apologize. I went for the cheap and unfair snark about angora sweaters (q.v. Ed Wood), and when I got rightly called out on it I tried to defend myself by digging myself in deeper.

If Marcus Bachmann is gay, or if he's a closet transvestite, it's none of my business. My only concern is the hatred and harm that he and his wife are publicly spreading in the real world.

I'm sorry. I'm going to take a break from MeFi for a little bit and get myself some lunch. Maybe tonight I'll try to learn my wife's clothing sizes so I can buy her something nice.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:57 AM on July 27, 2011 [29 favorites]


You know, I couldn't care less if Mr. Bachmann is gay or not. I really, truly couldn't.

Here's the thing, though. He takes money from the government and troubled people to pray the gay away. And his wife is a bug-eyed, slobbering gay-hater. So, bottom-line, they are haters. And, they brought the homosexuality slant up first - again, and again and again.

So feeling bad or torn about the nudge-nudge wink-wink treatment that Jon Stewart and others have used is misplaced, IMO. We didn't start the war. It beats punching them both repeatedly in the face, which is what they probably really deserve.

Ridicule and calling-out are the only things that work against haters.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 11:58 AM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


Sometimes I can't see the beauty in the world for all of the horror.
posted by seanmpuckett at 12:00 PM on July 27, 2011 [5 favorites]


As much as I find Michelle Bachmann and her "views" extremely distasteful and all around wrong, is anyone looking at other possible causes for the spike? It's almost too pat to just blame MB and her maybe-gay hubby for a suicide epidemic.

Alternately, why on earth give her so much power? She's not able to change history and she certainly shouldn't be able to create a suicide problem.

Just sayin'.
posted by Leezie at 12:02 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


I don't think this thread is a good discussion of Michelle Bachmann, but I don't know how you can have one. She and her positions are a goddamned joke and you cannot have a rational discussion with her or her supporters. Is it possible to have a serious conversation about praying the gay away? Every time she mentions "slavery" or "the founding fathers" she bowdlerizes history, but to her supporters this is a badge of honor. Her questioning Geithner and Bernanke about the constitutionality of the Treasury's actions should have gotten her laughed out of the building, yet it somehow burnishes her conservative credentials. Her husband openly lies about a tape being doctored and pays no price. They're hucksters in the marketplace of ideas.
posted by Challahtronix at 12:04 PM on July 27, 2011 [4 favorites]


Ridicule and calling-out are the only things that work against haters.

that's like perez hilton saying he called will.i.am a fag because it would insult him the worst, not because of how perez hilton feels about gays, but because of how will.i.am feels about gays. it's a lazy justification. "don't use gay as a slur, unless the person is hateful, then it's a free for all!" is a bad place to start from.


also: my husband knows all of my sizes. i know his sizes. are all wives who know what size of levis to buy their husband suddenly lesbians now?
posted by nadawi at 12:06 PM on July 27, 2011 [5 favorites]


Minnesota never used to be this way. When did the effin' whackos take over?
posted by zomg at 12:06 PM on July 27, 2011


that's like perez hilton saying he called will.i.am a fag because it would insult him the worst, not because of how perez hilton feels about gays, but because of how will.i.am feels about gays. it's a lazy justification. "don't use gay as a slur, unless the person is hateful, then it's a free for all!" is a bad place to start from.

I really generally agree with you. But I really think it's one thing to call someone a fag, and an entirely other thing to point out that a man whose sole occupation is "curing" "gay barbarians" and supporting his gay-bashing presidential-candidate-wife is obviously and undeniably effeminate.

It may not be in good taste, but it is asked-and-offered.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 12:14 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


I don't believe in Hell.

Except when it comes to people like Michele Bachman.


Hell is other people.
posted by GuyZero at 12:15 PM on July 27, 2011


... she bowdlerizes history

Not just history.
Bob Schieffer | Face the Nation:
"I want to ask you about something else. A lot of your critics say you have been very fast and loose with the truth.

You know, PolitiFact, which is a website that won a Pulitzer, did an analysis of 23 statements that you made recently. Of these 23, only one they said was completely true. Seven they call 'pants on fire' kind of falsehoods. Four were 'barely true' and two were 'half- true.'
Embedded video of the interview.
posted by ericb at 12:19 PM on July 27, 2011 [7 favorites]


I went for the cheap and unfair snark about angora sweaters (q.v. Ed Wood), and when I got rightly called out on it I tried to defend myself by digging myself in deeper.

It also pains me to see Ed Wood compared to Marcus Bachmann. Wood celebrated the freaks and had many friends who were gay. I doubt Bachmann can claim somebody like Criswell or Bunny Breckinridge in his circle of friends.

But you have apologized, so I won't belabor it. Regardless of whether Marcus Bachmann is gay, he is a homophobe, and that's what's important.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 12:20 PM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


I am so fucking sick and tired of this conversation. At what point are these people going to realize that they are on the wrong side of history? Just like the anti-miscegenation people before them, and the anti-civil-rights people before that, and the anti-suffrage people before that.

To all people still not understanding this:

You are fighting a losing battle, every single time, people come to side with the minorities you are trying to oppress, and every single time, you end up looking like an bunch of ignorant throwbacks who will eventually have to whitewash their histories to hide this shameful past. Please stop it. Please stop making a big deal about something that in all likelihood, doesn't directly affect your personal lives at all, no matter how much you claim to the contrary.

Look back at our nation's history and you'll see it littered with the shameful legacies of people who believed, more than anything, that a certain group was beneath them and needed to be treated differently. In every instance so far, that has proven to be both a falsehood and an embarrassing chapter for the oppressors. You claim to be trying to make the world a better place, but you always fail.

The world has not gotten better because of you, the world has gotten better in spite of you.

Once and for all, go away.
posted by quin at 12:23 PM on July 27, 2011 [22 favorites]


I'm living in Minnesota and Michelle Bachman is known as a nutcase here. She has a very small, but extremely loyal following. So please, please do not think that Minnesota is very anti-gay. Minneapolis has a vibrant gay scene from what I've heard and are pretty open.

But this goes far beyond a political stand point into the US social standings. Drop this bullshit about right and wrong; it's fuckin pathetic at this point. Hate only breeds more hate.

That being said, this is horrific. Nothing else needs to be said. Take action, so these senseless tragedies stop. No one deserves to be bullied like this. My heart goes out to the families.
posted by lpcxa0 at 12:27 PM on July 27, 2011


In fact, according to The Advocate, Minnneapolis is the gayest city in America.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 12:30 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


And I mean right and wrong in terms of if it's moral or not, a choice or not, or however else you want to frame this. It just doesn't matter anymore. When as a nation did we get to this point? We need to stop this, no child deserves to die for their choices (or perceived choices).
posted by lpcxa0 at 12:31 PM on July 27, 2011


You are fighting a losing battle ...

This just in: Bush, Obama Pollsters See 'Dramatic' Shift Toward Same-Sex Marriage.
posted by ericb at 12:33 PM on July 27, 2011


At the risk of digging my own hole here, I want to explain that my referring To Mr. Bachmann as effeminate was not meant to mean that he "acts gay". I mean that he and his wife hold, and operate on, a caricaturized (?) view of gay people, and his demeanor is often part of a gay caricature.

That's the point I was trying to make.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 12:34 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


In fact, according to The Advocate, Minnneapolis is the gayest city in America.

With winters that cold you do whatever it takes to stay warm.
posted by The Whelk at 12:34 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


It also pains me to see Ed Wood compared to Marcus Bachmann. Wood celebrated the freaks and had many friends who were gay. I doubt Bachmann can claim somebody like Criswell or Bunny Breckinridge in his circle of friends.

Oh, dear. I definitely never meant to disparage Ed Wood, whom I admire and who was actually a close friend of a friend of mine. Because of him, though, I think of angora sweaters as the quintessential transvestite garment. Sorry again.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:36 PM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


So is Michelle Bachman the bizarro-world version of John Edwards?
posted by goethean at 12:37 PM on July 27, 2011


In fact, according to The Advocate, Minnneapolis is the gayest city in America.

Jon Stewart's 'The Daily Show': Minneapolis Is the New Gay [video | 04:20].
posted by ericb at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


'You know what? I don't think I am a Democrat. I must be a Republican.'

Yes, those are the only two choices. This woman was destined for idiocy no matter what she read.
posted by adamdschneider at 12:40 PM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


Not just history.

That exchange with Bob Schieffer sums it up: It's Obama's fault she was lying. No looking back, no admitting wrongdoing, just move on to the next lie.
posted by Challahtronix at 12:44 PM on July 27, 2011


Because of him, though, I think of angora sweaters as the quintessential transvestite garment

It does have a tactile sensuality lacking in all other clothing. It's made from specially-bred rabbits that live in the Himalayas.

No, ha ha, I'm not an angora wholesaler.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 12:45 PM on July 27, 2011


All I'm saying is that if a man knows exactly what size garments his wife wears, it's probably because he likes to wear them too.

I know what size my partner wears (much as she knows my waist/inseam and shirt size) because sometimes we are together when shopping for clothes, and because sometimes we talk about our clothing to each other, and because we have been living together for over a dozen years. Or does it make me gay that I don't wait out in the pick-up truck in the parking lot with a irritable scowl on my face while my wife/partner shops? What the hell is the matter with some of you? Are you ten years old? Have you never been in a relationship that lasted more than a week? Are you afraid your cool dude friends will think you're not cool if you know too much about your girlfriend?

Discrediting Rep. Bachmann is like shooting fish in a barrel, and one shouldn't need to devolve to adolescent jackassery to point out her faults and hypocrisies.
posted by aught at 12:45 PM on July 27, 2011 [6 favorites]


She's campaigning a lot here in Iowa right now. RAGBRAI is going on. There's lots of pie being served at the stopping points. Please people, don't waste a wonderful homemade pie on this ignorant twit. Eat the pie. Pie is happy time.
posted by ducktape at 12:52 PM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


Wish I had the time. Public figures, including school board members and other elected officials are fair game for lampooning. Might I suggest that someone(s) in the region under discussion take this on, a la the John Stewart reference. Locals have power; youtube awaits.
posted by Vibrissae at 12:55 PM on July 27, 2011


At what point are these people going to realize that they are on the wrong side of history?

What makes you think the people on the wrong side of history ever realize it? They either bitterly go into obscurity, quietly cursing the other side for the rest of their lives and/or eventually die, and it's the future society that looks back and thinks things like "wrong side of history."

I am nearly certain that no matter what happens, no matter if folks like Bachmann lose elections, no matter if most of the U.S. comes to see the foolishness of the far-right neoconservative and Tea Party and DOMA agendas, no matter if some progressive utopia sweeps into power in the coming decades and makes everyone's life significantly more fulfilled and happy -- you'll never ever see someone like Bachmann (or her fraud shrink of a husband) admit they were wrong.

Think about the studies of demographics of racism and anti-gay bigotry over the decades -- it's not that people are waking up and changing their minds about racism as the years go by. It's that the older racists are dying off and that, proportionally, the young people coming of age are not as racist as the old people who died.
posted by aught at 12:58 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Brief points from the local scene:

Bachmann has had a fairly solid seat in congress because her 6th district was drawn by the DFL legislature after the 2000 census to be a Republican "ghetto". Cram as many Republican voters into the 6th as you can in order to keep surrounding districts competitive.

That said, there are two lobes to the district: the northern exurban one, full of holy rollers, aging bikers, meth labs and starter castles, around Mora and Princeton and Forest Lake. This is the Outer Bachmannistan where I tend to roll up the car windows when driving through.

Then there's the eastern lobe around Stillwater and Woodbury. A certain number of right-wingers over there, too, but Stillwater is a quaint, historic town with antique shops, restaurants, boat cruises on the St Croix, that doesn't really deserve the reputation by association. When a boycott of Stillwater to protest Bachmann was suggested a few years ago, it was pointed out that many persons affected by the boycott would obviously not be in Bachmann's base constituency (like, say, many people in the antiques or restaurant business).

I'd have to look at the map, but I'm fairly sure at least some of the Anoka-Hennepin School District would be in the 3rd Congressional District, represented by that new Republican guy nobody's heard of or cares about. It was represented by moderate Republican Jim Ramstad for years and years until he quit in either 06 or 08.

My representative is Keith Ellison, who is excellent.
posted by gimonca at 1:08 PM on July 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


I really, really feel for you Americans right now. You have such a beautiful country and history in so many ways, and that so many people are this shortsighted and intolerant breaks my heart. I hope the country can pull out of this mess without an all-out civil war. It may sound dramatic but a place so big and so polarized can only be such for so long.
posted by jimmythefish at 1:11 PM on July 27, 2011


Bachmann has had a fairly solid seat in congress because her 6th district was drawn by the DFL legislature after the 2000 census to be a Republican "ghetto". Cram as many Republican voters into the 6th as you can in order to keep surrounding districts competitive.

Ugh. Gerrymandering is awful no matter who does it. Ethically certainly, yes, but as Michelle Bachmann's existence shows us, there are practical problems too.
posted by JHarris at 1:11 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Also, with redistricting season upon us again, it's not totally clear what Bachmann's future in Congress would be. Would she still have a "safe" district? Minnesota came close to losing a seat in this most recent census, had that happened, and if the DFL were drawing the lines, it was almost assured that Bachmann would have been the representative targeted for elimination.

Given the sniping between Republicans and Republicans these days, it's not completely out of the question that the Republican legislature we got might have done the same.
posted by gimonca at 1:14 PM on July 27, 2011


All I'm saying is that if a man knows exactly what size garments his wife wears, it's probably because he likes to wear them too.

Or his wife drops anvil-sized hints every year on her birthday and Christmas so he knows "just in case he needs to know for a present."

And somehow I can see Michelle Bachmann doing that kind of thing.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:25 PM on July 27, 2011


Regarding gay jokes and Marcus Bachmann ...

Comedy Repression Therapy -- "Jerry Seinfeld uses repression therapy to cure Jon [Stewart's] urge to make gay jokes about Marcus Bachmann."
posted by ericb at 1:27 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Bachman:"Will it get to the point where we are completely stifling free speech and expression? Will it mean that what form of behavior will there be - will we be expecting boys to be girls?"

Does this mean boy bullies will be as mentally abusive as girl bullies? From the sound of it, she knows a little bit about the latter.
posted by notsnot at 1:28 PM on July 27, 2011


Kind of surprised to see that the 130+ comments here are mostly about Michelle Bachmann's candidacy and whether or not her husband is gay.

That Mother Jones article is so saddening. These kids are legally required to attend school for half the day, half of the days of the year - for school officials not to tackle bullying, to refuse to start a GSA, it's negligent and brutal.

I look around my little liberal bubble of LGBTQ acceptance and wonder how to reach these kids and let them know that it's not hopeless, that not everyone is so full of hate, that they'll have control of their lives and the option to surround themselves with like-minded people eventually.
posted by danceswithanonymity at 1:51 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Malice: and not impossible for a gay man to fall in love with a woman

What the hell are you going on about? Of course it's impossible, that's never happened.
*coughs, resumes Sondheim playlist and continues IMing with wife*
posted by jake at 2:01 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Kind of surprised to see that the 130+ comments here are mostly about Michelle Bachmann's candidacy and whether or not her husband is gay.

Well, they are connected.

Michelle Bachmann and her husband are part of the far-right culture warrior set, out to save our country from its evil ways. Gays, atheists, reproductive-rights specialists and liberals are all that are standing between our modern Sodom and a resurrected American Paradise.

The problem is, being so concerned with spreading the hate-gospel leaves precious little time to, uhm, actually govern and make life better for everybody. (Not that she'd do anything to help, anyway.)
posted by Benny Andajetz at 2:06 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


Well, they are connected.

Yeah, I get that, and I wasn't trying to wag fingers. I just have a particular interest in adolescent bullying/suicide and was hoping to see more discussion about that directly. I can get people's opinions on the (reprehensible) Bachmanns almost anywhere.
posted by danceswithanonymity at 2:09 PM on July 27, 2011


All I'm saying is that if a man knows exactly what size garments his wife wears, it's probably because he likes to wear them too

That's ridiculous. I knew my ex-wife's size perfectly, and bought her clothes. I like women's fashion because of the way it looks on them, not me (and this is fairly obvious given that she was like less than half my size, so it's not like I _could_ have even worn them).

Straight men can be interested in (womens) fashion too. After all, it's pretty much a given that we like looking at women (dressed or not)....
posted by wildcrdj at 2:34 PM on July 27, 2011


"Think of the children" seems to work so well for conservatives except for when the kids are gay.
posted by WhitenoisE at 3:14 PM on July 27, 2011 [3 favorites]


"Open your eyes, people. Parents, do you really want your children attending a GSA where homosexual behavior is affirmed and celebrated and where children are trained to be advocates for this unhealthy behavior as well as activists for gay rights?"

Yes. Yes I do.
posted by Go Banana at 3:35 PM on July 27, 2011 [6 favorites]


For those MeFites who have only partly been following this spring's fun in Minnesota, you may recall that Bradlee Dean - he of "You Can Run, But You Can't Hide International" and homunculus's link - was the same "pastor" who ignited a furor in May with his opening prayer at the state legislature on the day the anti-gay-marriage amendment was scheduled for a vote (MeFi thread)

It's worth knowing that much of Anoka-Hennepin school district isn't in Bachmann's congressional district; a big chunk of it is in the 3rd congressional district (MN school districts; MN congressional districts - both kinda big PDFs). I think the Mother Jones article blurs those lines in a somewhat irresponsible way.
posted by nickmark at 3:36 PM on July 27, 2011


The biggest political danger of Michele Bachman is that she makes the rest of the Republicans look reasonable.
posted by jonmc at 4:51 PM on July 27, 2011 [5 favorites]


Michelle's migraines, probably come from being perpetually turned down, by her turned off husband. I bet he knows a million and one ways to say no. Her denial desperately protects her miniscule self esteem, hoping that her husband's refusals are really about godliness, rather than her unattractiveness. She can't possibly limn there is some other fundamental reason for his rabid anti-gay stance, and his ridiculous pretenses with regard to professionalism and healing. Tennessee Williams, we have a new heroine for you to write about.

I can't help being catty here, the Bachmanns are so harmful. You know what? I bet she knows, and I bet she prays for his healing. Dinner at the Bachmanns, aaaaauuuggghhhh!!!
posted by Oyéah at 5:26 PM on July 27, 2011


Great, I guess I'm a transvestite! And also probably a homosexual! Thanks for the info.

Oh hey! Me too!

Waitaminute.....
posted by rtha at 5:38 PM on July 27, 2011


I like to wear a lady's swimsuit.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 8:06 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


feloniousmonk: "> "You Can Run, But You Can't Hide International."

Is the guy's name Destro?
"

I'd hang with Destro anytime before I ever came within 10 feet of this jackass. Don't sully the name of the mighty Destro.

Cobra Commander, on the other hand (at least from the cartoon), seems a bit more likely.
posted by symbioid at 9:53 PM on July 27, 2011 [1 favorite]


At what point are these people going to realize that they are on the wrong side of history?

I dunno. Did the Holocaust make it unfashionable to murder left-wingers? To hate Jews for being Jews? To round up and expel Gypsies?
posted by rodgerd at 1:20 AM on July 28, 2011




Cobra Commander, on the other hand (at least from the cartoon), seems a bit more likely.

Oh, buddy, you just earned yourself a whole mailbox full of jack-in-the-boxes with poisonous snakes in them.
posted by COBRA! at 1:36 PM on July 28, 2011 [3 favorites]








ericb: Bachmann: Questions about gay therapy are out of bounds.

What bothered me about her comments there wasn't so much the part where she hamfistedly sidestepped that question. What bothered me was when she said she "grew up with four brothers and no sisters." Pointedly, "no sisters." Which is a pretty bitter thing to say about her stepsister.
posted by koeselitz at 11:10 AM on July 29, 2011












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