Freedom of the Press: I don’t care whether or not Elena Kagan is gay but….

60+ years ago there was unspoken rule—whatever went on behind closed doors in Hollywood wasn’t discussed. It wasn’t that such tidbits wouldn’t sell; those gems would’ve sold lots of newspapers, and glued many an ear to the radio and eyeballs to the TV. How were secrets kept safe? We’re a nosy society. We want to know if we identify, or if we can’t. The press looks for it all, finds it all, tells it all. If you can’t handle it, don’t put yourself in the limelight.

I'm personally not interested in gawking. As a biographer, I don't like to be sensational. I’m often accused of being too soft on the subjects at the end of my pen. Still, I believe that if you want to be in the limelight, you must realize that comes at a price. With the technology available, there’s no hiding. And there’s no reason to hide. If you can’t stand being at the end of the telescope, stay away from the lens.

Today, this cautionary message focuses on Washington. We have a new Supreme Court Justice nominee, a 50-year old single woman. Never married. There are numbers of reasons why a rumor began circulating that she might be gay. Do I care? I don’t. While being a gay woman, if she is a gay woman, will influence her beliefs, that's human nature. I’d hope that a professional common-sense gay woman’s personal beliefs shouldn’t be any more unduly influencing than, say, a divorced heterosexual woman. Or what if she's a heterosexual woman who's had bad male/female relationships and is not interested in doing it all over again? Should that be up for discussion?

The point isn’t if Elena Kagan is gay, it’s the governmental reaction to that idea. I don’t believe our governing body should direct what is or isn’t put out in the press, or squelch freedom of speech. When the idea that Kagan could be gay was publicized, the United States government, in the form of the White House, strongly “suggested” such things shouldn’t be discussed. Even more, retractions were “encouraged” and media was instructed not to discuss the matter.

I ask—have you heard anything about Kagan’s sexuality from network outlets lately? Again, I don’t care. That sort of thing shouldn’t be part of the political process. But if it becomes the conversation, our government has no right to repress it. This country is founded on freedom of the press and freedom of speech. There’s that saying, paraphrased, “I don’t agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it.”

No one would care about Elena Kagan, sexuality or otherwise, if she weren’t vying for a position with the highest court in the land. That makes her Famous at 50 … not for her sexuality but because she wants to be publicly influential. As a result, the US government has directed the press on her behalf, making a mockery of the very tenets of law this lady would be required to uphold should she get the seat.

REFERENCES:

Andrew Sullivan

KIAH-TV Houston Maggie Flecknoe