Elena kagan gay

This is why the threat of being labeled gay is a common form of gender policing. President Obama believes, as do I, that this is a good thing. As Alex Pareene of Gawker rightfully asks, “Because lesbians are terrible?” Getting angry over “accusations” (now being gay is a crime?) isn’t a very GLBT-friendly approach to dealing with homophobic witch-hunts.

There’s nothing like the “What are you, gay?” line to scare a man or woman back into a traditional gender presentation. Arguing that a Supreme Court Justice’s sexual orientation “doesn’t matter” seems to invalidate queerness as a formative identity, suggesting it is not as important as one’s race, gender, religion, class, etc.

The other way to respond to the speculation is by not responding at all.

Everyone wants to know: “Is Elena Kagan gay?” The suspicion arises from the fact that Kagan is unmarried, does not have children, and while no one would dare admit it, I am willing to bet her short haircut is a part of the equation. Lesbians, like other "sexually abnormal" people, are morally unfit to sit on the Supreme Court. Is a person’s sexual orientation still a personal and private matter when that person happens to be a public official?

Interestingly, the debate doesn’t seem to be as much about whether she is or isn’t a lesbian, but more about the American public having the right to know. Her gender and sexual orientation, however, are fair game for dirty politics. On the other hand, gay blogger Andrew Sullivan from the Daily Dishcontends that it is imperative for society to know the truth, calling the ambiguity “a function of liberal cowardice and conservative discomfort.”  He argues that because Kagan’s sexual orientation could potentially affect her judgment on issues, especially gay rights, the question should be clarified.

These are only a few of the articles out there weighing in on the question of Elena Kagan’s sexual orientation.

Liberals seem to write off the questions about Elena Kagan’s sexuality as just another case of extreme right-wing prejudice.

"So, is she gay?" he wrote in a headline just minutes after Obama announced his pick Monday.

"We have been told by many that she is gay ... Elena Kagan’s gender presentation (namely her haircut) is not overtly feminine, and that alone is enough to raise suspicion for many. There would, however, be complete f***ing radio silence on the idea that her heterosexuality has any effect on her judgment on an issue like same-sex marriage.” Out of 111 Supreme Court Justices, 108 have been influenced by their experience as men and 108 by the experience of being white, and all 111 have been influenced by the experience of being straight (although a couple of them have also been rumored to be gay).

"In a free society in the 21st century, it is not illegitimate to ask."

Sullivan, who does not substantiate who the "many" are, insisted that he's not trying to slander or "expose" Kagan, but said his question is a fair one that ought to be a matter of record.

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