Gay Politicians Need to Stand Up For All Human Rights
Happy Pride everyone! I know this is coming right at the end of the month, but have you ever noticed that “Pride Month” usually happens in just the first week? We are claiming the last few days of Pride for the gays too - it’s tactical, and definitely not procrastination.
A little peek behind the curtain at the Milwaukee Beagle, I am a trans, but I am also white. As a white I’d like to invoke the grand tradition of “stealing things from black culture” really quickly to borrow a phrase. Instead of “not all skin-folk are kin-folk,” I want to say that “not all gay folks are Gray-t-folks.” (Or maybe Not all trans-folks are frans-folks, and not all Lesb-folks are… pleb folks?)
It is a shame too, because you would hope that someone coming from a marginalized identity would internalize their own struggle, and then humbly engage with others who are downtrodden, but that is sadly not the case. You may remember Kyrsten Sinema being touted as the first openly bisexual member of the senate. You may further remember her voting against locking in a Biden nomination for the National Labor Relations Board (among others.) However you don’t have to be a nationally-recognized piece of shit to be a traitor to your entire community, sometimes you can have a bad record on human rights locally.
Alderman Peter Burgelis
Police funding is tricky for a politician with no moral compass, and its popularity ebbs and flows with public sentiment. Whatever small wins we have made towards making Milwaukee any less of a police state have always been a pittance, and Peter Burgelis is always there to make sure that is the case. When given a mandate from his electorate, and even a coalition to work with, he is consistently on the wrong side of this human rights issue.
From June 2022 to August 2023 six people died in the MKE County Jail, and the public was ready for action. What we needed was a coalition of County Supervisors to have used the moment to demand action from the county and to decarcerate. As a member of the County Board, Peter Burgelis bravely said “No” when County Executive Crowley suggested a $1 increase for corrections officers. He then cowardly said that they actually deserve closer to a 10% raise.
At some point, Peter decided he would be more comfortable on the Common Council instead of the County - potentially so he didn't have to talk to Patty Logsdon, so fair enough. Serving in that role since 2024 he has been given ample opportunity to simp for the MPD. While we will never not take the opportunity to point out that our terrible mayor fought tooth and nail to get cops back into schools, we have to concede that it couldn’t have worked without the help of Peter Burgelis. The man loves his cops. And those cops do not care about Queer community.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway
Speaking of Queer communities, have you ever been to Madison? There are gays leaking out of every orifice - it’s awesome. Last year they elected an appropriately gay woman named Satya Rhodes-Conway. In 2020 she was proud to support efforts to provide public oversight on police presence, and yet when she was elected mayor snapped at the first opportunity to cut programs designed to do just that.
Allegedly these cuts came at a time of a $22 million budget shortage, though that was shored up with a referendum, and the gay mayor suggested that perhaps that money could be better spent on a library. Now the Milwaukee Beagle loves a good library, but if we are struggling to fund services that people actually want we should ignore the half-million dollar budget item, and look to take from the $91 million Madison Police budget right next to it. (Also while you are at it, bump up that $10.3 million for public health.)
Senator Tammy Baldwin
The first openly gay woman in the Senate, this yass queen slays as she takes money from AIPAC and refuses to support an arms embargo with Israel. She is not silent on the issue, but when it comes to legislative efforts she consistently votes to give Netanyahu more power leading some to call her “Backhanded Baldwin.”
Baldwin can comfortably slot herself in with Sen. Warren and Sanders in an attempt to push Biden into recognizing Palestine as a non-militarized state, and then vote present when the Senate attempts to block arms sales to Israel. It’s a real gay slap in the face to try and speak like a progressive on an issue, and then vote a different way, but perhaps that is the deal she struck with AIPAC?
Baldwin is also terrible on immigration! She has joined many Democratic voices supporting immigrants picked up by ICE when Trump was in office. However just one year ago she was parading around “bi-partisan legislation” to give Republicans everything they wanted to fund ICE and lock up the Southern Border.
But What About The Good Things They Have Done??
Yeah? What about them? Do we seriously need to pretend that politicians have a finite amount of “do good things” coupons? And then when they run out they have to start governing like fucking freaks? No.
This isn’t about how perfect a politician is, but rather the unique position that openly Queer politicians occupy. One where they posture on human rights while their presence at the table is treated as an inherent victory, then turn around and shut the door on other vulnerable people behind them. If you are a politician, gay or otherwise, who gives pride speeches and makes a point to celebrate queerness but you do not stand up for people being bombed in Palestine, or care for the thousands brutalized by our racist policing apparatus, then I retain every right to doubt your sincerity on any human rights issue.
