Sins of the fathers

It seems like it’s becoming a trend – children breaking away from their parents in terms of ideology. The latest: Presidential daughter Barbara Bush coming out (no pun intended) in an ad campaigning for the right of gays and lesbians to marry. The ad, meant to be aired in New York, is a short twenty second or so-spot that’s pretty simple. It’s a head and shoulders shot of a blue-bloused Bush, and she says a couple of sentences about New Yorkers and marriage equality. The most sensational aspect of the ad, Barbara’s split-in-principle from her father, isn’t even really incorporated in the ad.

Of course, we probably don’t need to be reminded about George W. Bush’s stance on this volatile issue. The ex-President wasn’t exactly a supporter of marriage between his fellow cowboys, having pushed for a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Almost duplicating this strange scenario was former Vice-President Dick Cheney and his daughter, Mary. Dick Cheney had to toe the line and support George W in the Republican position against gay marriage, and meanwhile there Mary was, unwed, hitched to a park ranger named Heather, getting pregnant and giving birth to first, a son, and then, a daughter (both kids surnamed Cheney). Mary has also publicly broke ranks with her father on this issue of gay marriage, and well she should, given all she is and what she’s done. 

But that’s not even scraping the barrel yet. Meghan McCain, daughter of Republican Senator and former Presidential candidate John McCain, is also at odds with her pater. John is on record as supporting the proposition that marriage is only between a man and a woman, and Meghan is also right there preaching to the public about the exact opposite. In her 2009 column, she wrote: “I believe that people who fall in love should have the option to get married. Lest we forget, our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, grants the same rights to everyone in this country—“All men are created equal.” If you think certain rights should not apply to certain people, then you are saying those people are not equal.”

With all these precedent-setting disagreements between Presidential-material and their daughters, it’s a good thing Obama will not be risking an estranged relationship with his daughters on this issue (unless of course they grow up into fine young women firmly perched on the other end of the political spectrum.)

Over by our side of the Pacific, the inimitable Lee Kwan Yew of Singapore has said that if his grandchild turns out to be gay, Lee will still accept him. Well, not exactly accept him, but he wouldn’t throw the grandson out. Aww, what a sweet grandpapa, but there’s still no word, however, on what the views are of his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the presumed father of that hypothetical-for-now gay grandchild.

In his recent interview, Lee in fact pointed to Dick Cheney, who publicly proclaimed his love for his daughter as well as his sprung-from-the-loins-of-a-lesbian grandchildren. Lee confessed that he would act pretty much the same as Dick did, who said he would love his child, ‘full stop”. (A case of Lee sees Dick, Lee does Dick?)

With all this turmoil caused to families by the simple fact of two people wanting to marry, maybe it’s time to reflect on what’s happening in our own society. And, as nothing’s been happening, time’s up. This issue just isn’t high on our political or societal agenda. And this state of affairs probably won’t change for the next few years, in the absence of active voices clamouring to be given that right.

 If at all, Filipinos just go elsewhere. We’ve recently seen reports of Filipino gay couples who’ve had to travel abroad and marry in other jurisdictions. Our local news stations, in their effort to provide ‘balanced’ coverage, then carry interviews from the polar opposite that is the Catholic Church, who of course come out and condemn the marriage unto eternal damnation.

 It’s too bad President Noynoy has no daughter who can pick up the cudgels for gay rights. Or even better, a gay son to badger him into allowing a marriage with Lee Kwan Yew the Third. 

Perhaps, we’ll have better luck with the next President. (Maybe he’ll even be gay himself).

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