RALEIGH — Democratic Gov. Mike Easley endorsed presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton today in a ceremony on the campus of North Carolina State University.
Easley said there was “nothing I love more than a strong powerful woman,” and said Clinton’s campaigning “makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy.”
The “pansy” remark has gotten the Governor in quite a bit of a mess, as activists and bloggers spent the day taking the traditionally Democratic-controlled state’s top leader to task on his use of a gay slur.
John Aravosis of AMERICAblog outlined dictionary definitions of the word, which describe it as a “disparaging term for a man or boy who is considered effeminate” or a “disparaging term for a homosexual man.”
Durham, N.C., blogger Pam Spaulding of PamsHouseBlend.com noted Easley’s past support of an anti-gay marriage amendment in the state and scolded Clinton for not saying anything about the “pansy” remark.
“Note that Hillary, who was right there with the NC gov, said nothing about his remark,” she wrote in a blog post. “Of course Easley infamously received the endorsement of Equality NC in his re-election bid, then in a debate said he’d sign a marriage amendment if it hit his desk, so why should we be surprised. And who is Hillary trying to court here — the ‘traditional Southern conservative.’ Take the homo money and run, as it were.”
The Democratic-controlled North Carolina House of Representatives has staved off the constitutional ban on marriage recognition for three years in a row. Recently, the state also expanded hospital visitation rights to same-sex couples.
Both the Clinton campaign and Governor’s Press Office were contacted by Q-Notes for comment. Neither returned our request.
QPoll
Read Editor Matt Comer’s take on the situation at his staff blog, InsideSource
Don’t blame Hillary for Easley’s Remark although Hill should’ve opposed that term
I have to say: I’ve seen a lot of nonsense come out of the LGBT “community” in recent years, but this absolutely takes the cake.
Can’t you fools find something important and useful to do to advance rights for all of us?
Read more about Hillary Clinton’s History of Support for LGBT Issues:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/lgbt
THIS WEEK’S EVENTS FOR LGBT AMERICANS FOR HILLARY:
TakeoverHillary in Charlotte, THURSDAY NITE.
at The Forum (College & Sixth Street Downtown)
6pm. Free Admission. Live Musical Guest, Star of Broadway and ABC’s “Pushing Daisies”, Ellen Greene. Cash Bar. No Cover / Free Admission.
AIDSWALK CHARLOTTE on SATURDAY MORNING
register online for Hillary Clinton 2008 Team.
Or just meet us at Gateway Villary Uptown at 8am!
http://www.aidswalkcharlotte.org
AFTERPARTY & RALLY for HILLARY on SATURDAY NITE
at Liaisons. Check out http://www.charlotte4hillary.com for more information on all of these events. Call Nathan @ 704-606-7268 with questions or to RSVP.
I’m a regular visitor to Pam’s House Blend and overall I think Pam does a great job capturing the spirit of the LGBT community. BUT, the quote used in this article is purly political. Pam’s remarks about Senator Clinton trying to take “homo money and running” not only shows how out-of-touch Pam is on Senator Clinton’s policies & positions, it’s an extreme last-minute attempt by an Obama-supporter to sure votes.
The truth is, Senator Clinton has been an avid supporter of LGBT people – in WORD and DEED. Her record speaks for itself. It’s as clear as glass.
Obama, on the other hand, has been caught fish-tailed in controversy surrounding his LGBT policies & positions. Need I remind you, Pam, that your choice for President represented our community by having one of the most radical mouth-pieces for the ex-gay movement at several campaign events. Donny McClurkin used the platform to condemn gays & lesbians and to further spread a message that is sickening and wrong.
The controversy about the “pansy” remark first appeared on Q-Notes and was then trailed on the wider blogosphere. Using media influence, Q-Notes added weight to words and used them as a political play that should have never been made. Governor Easley did not use the words to condemn LGBT people. He was using an anology to show how strong he felt Senator Clinton was as a leader.
Ed. Note: Reporting on Gov. Easley’s “pansy” remark did not first appear on Q-Notes. We aren’t quite sure who first commented on the “pansy” remark as it relates to the LGBT community, although we saw it first on AmericaBLOG and Pam’s House Blend. We appreciate open and honest conversation in our comment threads. Thanks. — Matt Comer