fab magazine is not known for its astute political insight and renowned Canadian playwright Brad Fraser is no Don Newsman or Mike Duffy. In issue #319 however, Fraser goes after the PM and his environmental toady, John Baird. If this post introduces a few people to fab and Fraser, I’ll be happy.
Fraser writes:
“For example, until his promotion, Baird was primarily known (according to The Globe and Mail) as the “first consort to the first lady”— this roughly translates to “Laureen Harper is his fag hag.” From Harper’s point of view, Baird was the queer who would do the cultured things with his wife that any red-meat-eating conservative heterosexual loathes— like theatre, opera and dress shopping. But when the populace made it clear that the government was completely out of step with our concerns, who did Harper turn to? One of his heavy hitters, like the socially-retarded Jason Kinney, the “eating himself from the inside out” Stockwell Day, or the woman-hating Peter MacKay? No, he chooses the guy whose greatest accomplishment to date is gushing over Mrs. Harper’s accessories. Add to this the PM’s well known stance against equal rights for gay people and we should all be asking ourselves what the real message is.
“Would a party head (I can’t call him a leader) put someone he deems less deserving of equality because of their sexuality in charge of anything he thought was truly important? Does Harper do or say anything without examining how it will reflect on him and his party? Would his government ever make life difficult for the oil cartels? Of course not. The Conservatives’ sudden concern with the environment is a ploy for votes and Baird is the kind of clichéd stooge the gay community disavowed decades ago. Let’s not be fooled.”
I don’t accept Fraser’s argument that the PM gave Baird the environment assignment because he doesn’t consider it a priority worthy of one of his heavyweights, but it’s a interesting hypothesis. Fraser’s statement that Baird is an out gay politician warrants challenge. Maybe in social circles in Ottawa it is well known that Baird is gay but i have never heard him admit it publicly. A recent edition of Outlooks magazine showing Baird and a couple of cutie-staffers partying in Ottawa is the closest thing I have seen to an outing, notwithstanding The Globe and Mails frequent reports of Baird and Ms Harper both being cat lovers and hence perfect opera partners. If he were close to being out, the Globe wouldn’t be writing in code.
The PM’s contempt for the environmental portfolio is demonstrated, in my opinion, not by placing a gay political in charge, i.e. someone of low net-worth on the PM’s assessment scale. Rather, by placing a closeted gay politician in charge, someone who has mastered cover-up and deceit, Baird and the PM reveal that their environmental portfolio and the government’s agenda demand these skills.
Yes, Baird is a tough talker and really knows how to rip in to the Opposition and environmental critics with the ethics of a drunken drag queen who has just spotted another wearing the same dress, BUT when he appears on TV or in the Commons, I see a liar, a weak and contemptible man who doesn’t have the courage or integrity to acknowledge his sexuality. The louder he yells, the less, I know, he has to say. There were reasons in the 1950s and 60s for gay politicians to hide, but it’s 2007 and Baird represents an urban constituency and could certainly withstand any small storm his coming-out would cause.
Nothing would do more for Baird’s and the government’s credibility than for Baird to come out and proclaim that “yes, the PM trusts me with his wife because he knows I’m a harmless poffter", and then get on tackling the environmental portfolio with renewed vigor. I feel confident in presuming that honesty is no more a part of the government’s environmental agenda than it is of Barid’s personal political agenda.
[anyone who wants more Brad Fraser can go to www.bradfraser.net]
Fraser writes:
“For example, until his promotion, Baird was primarily known (according to The Globe and Mail) as the “first consort to the first lady”— this roughly translates to “Laureen Harper is his fag hag.” From Harper’s point of view, Baird was the queer who would do the cultured things with his wife that any red-meat-eating conservative heterosexual loathes— like theatre, opera and dress shopping. But when the populace made it clear that the government was completely out of step with our concerns, who did Harper turn to? One of his heavy hitters, like the socially-retarded Jason Kinney, the “eating himself from the inside out” Stockwell Day, or the woman-hating Peter MacKay? No, he chooses the guy whose greatest accomplishment to date is gushing over Mrs. Harper’s accessories. Add to this the PM’s well known stance against equal rights for gay people and we should all be asking ourselves what the real message is.
“Would a party head (I can’t call him a leader) put someone he deems less deserving of equality because of their sexuality in charge of anything he thought was truly important? Does Harper do or say anything without examining how it will reflect on him and his party? Would his government ever make life difficult for the oil cartels? Of course not. The Conservatives’ sudden concern with the environment is a ploy for votes and Baird is the kind of clichéd stooge the gay community disavowed decades ago. Let’s not be fooled.”
I don’t accept Fraser’s argument that the PM gave Baird the environment assignment because he doesn’t consider it a priority worthy of one of his heavyweights, but it’s a interesting hypothesis. Fraser’s statement that Baird is an out gay politician warrants challenge. Maybe in social circles in Ottawa it is well known that Baird is gay but i have never heard him admit it publicly. A recent edition of Outlooks magazine showing Baird and a couple of cutie-staffers partying in Ottawa is the closest thing I have seen to an outing, notwithstanding The Globe and Mails frequent reports of Baird and Ms Harper both being cat lovers and hence perfect opera partners. If he were close to being out, the Globe wouldn’t be writing in code.
The PM’s contempt for the environmental portfolio is demonstrated, in my opinion, not by placing a gay political in charge, i.e. someone of low net-worth on the PM’s assessment scale. Rather, by placing a closeted gay politician in charge, someone who has mastered cover-up and deceit, Baird and the PM reveal that their environmental portfolio and the government’s agenda demand these skills.
Yes, Baird is a tough talker and really knows how to rip in to the Opposition and environmental critics with the ethics of a drunken drag queen who has just spotted another wearing the same dress, BUT when he appears on TV or in the Commons, I see a liar, a weak and contemptible man who doesn’t have the courage or integrity to acknowledge his sexuality. The louder he yells, the less, I know, he has to say. There were reasons in the 1950s and 60s for gay politicians to hide, but it’s 2007 and Baird represents an urban constituency and could certainly withstand any small storm his coming-out would cause.
Nothing would do more for Baird’s and the government’s credibility than for Baird to come out and proclaim that “yes, the PM trusts me with his wife because he knows I’m a harmless poffter", and then get on tackling the environmental portfolio with renewed vigor. I feel confident in presuming that honesty is no more a part of the government’s environmental agenda than it is of Barid’s personal political agenda.
[anyone who wants more Brad Fraser can go to www.bradfraser.net]
