yesthattom | Mary Cheney Kept Off GOP Stage

Wednesday, September 1st 2004

NEW YORK--As is customary, Vice President Dick Cheney was joined by his entire family last night after his acceptance speech to the Republican Convention--his entire family except his lesbian daughter Mary. Cheney was joined by his wife, his one straight daughter, his son-in-law, and his grandchildren. But Mary Cheney and her companion, who were seen during the speech sitting in the Vice President’s box, were not included.

One week ago, the Vice President, who has remained silent for the last four years about the issue of marriage equality for lesbians and gays--even while his administration was pushing for a constitutional amendment banning such equality-- announced his daughter’s being a lesbian had shown him “people ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.” He went on to say he disagreed with the proposed amendment.

The Cheney family’s newly found big-tent can’t quite squeeze onto the stage at the RNC.

But the Vice President’s views on freedom haven’t been received well with his “base,” conservative constituents--or the producers of the convention.

The Cheney daughter’s homosexuality sparked a lively media exchange between conservative commentator and Illinois senate candidate Alan Keyes and Mary Cheney’s sister, Elizabeth. When asked at the convention if his denunciation of gays as “selfish hedonists” applied to Mary Cheney, Keyes said, “That goes by definition. Of course she is.” When asked about Keyes’ comments, Lynn Cheney told CNN, “It doesn’t deserve a comment.”