Last week, the Sun Sentinel had an interesting article on Mark Foley, a congressman from Florida who is running in the Republican primary to compete for Senator Graham's position.
Foley, R-West Palm Beach, is the perfect Republican primary candidate except for one aspect of his voting record: gay rights. He has a terrific record on gay rights, better than many Democrats.Foley is clearly uncomfortable talking about gay rights in this campaign. His speech slowed and his face darkened when asked a question about it during a half-hour interview this week.
It is easy to see why Foley would be uncomfortable discussing this issue. Many Republicans are Christians who believe that homosexual acts are sins. They would not be comfortable voting for a candidate that supports special rights for homosexuals.
However, Taegan Goddard led me to an article that better explains why Foley was uncomfortable discussing this issue. Apparently Foley supports special rights for homosexuals because he is a homosexual. According to the New Times, this is an open secret in the media even if the public is largely unaware of it. In my opinion, the main issue is not whether or not the Republicans are ready for a gay senator. The issue is whether or not the Republican voters have a right to know the sexual orientation of their candidates. The Foley campaign is clearly trying to hide this.
While Foley refused to be interviewed for this column, his chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, spent roughly 30 minutes off the record trying to persuade me not to write it. Fordham, who has been working for Foley since 1994, wouldn't confirm or deny that his boss is gay.
This is a tough issue. Where do you draw the line between personal privacy and public information? However, if Foley actually is a homosexual, as appears to be the case, this fact better explains his voting record than any of Foley’s public reasons. And if his personal orientation is impacting public policy, the public has a right to know. That is where I draw the line between a politician's right to privacy and the public's right to know. If it impacts public policy, it is a public issue.
