HOW SHE SEES IT Putting a noble spin on a scandal

By JILL PORTER
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
The overblown gay flap that has us all preoccupied is pre-empting another gay controversy, one that's far more serious.
The former has to do with Sen. John Kerry's reference to Mary Cheney's homosexuality, during the final presidential debate last week.
While Kerry's remark was gratuitous, the incident is a meaningless interlude. Gay leaders see it for what it is: grist for the Republican propaganda mill.
Far more lamentable is the fact that former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey made his first appearance recently before a gay-rights organization -- and was enthusiastically embraced as a hero.
I wish these astute gay leaders would see McGreevey for what he is: a disgraced politician who exploited his own sexuality to save his skin.
I'm not sure what Kerry had in mind when he invoked Dick Cheney's daughter when asked whether being homosexual was a choice or a genetic determination. Whatever his intent, he seemed insensitive, or worse.
He's been pilloried for his remarks ever since.
But gay leaders didn't lose sight of the big picture: that it's Bush and right-wing Republicans who promote anti-gay policies such as a constitutional amendment opposing gay marriage.
Kerry may have his foot in his mouth, but his heart is in the right place on gay issues, from opposing such an amendment to endorsing openly gay enlistees in the military.
Warped perception
Then why do savvy gay leaders have such a warped perception of Jim McGreevey?
Why are they allowing this disgraced public official to restore his reputation on the back of their cause?
Does anyone believe that having McGreevey publicly embrace his homosexuality in such tawdry circumstances advances gay rights? Apparently -- and unfortunately -- so.
Last week, McGreevey attended the annual banquet of the Empire State Pride Agenda, one of the largest gay-rights groups in the country. It was his first public appearance before a gay organization since Aug. 12, when he announced he is gay and would resign from office.
He was welcomed at last week's dinner with "rousing applause, smiles, handshakes and hugs," according to a New York Times story. People came to his table to offer support. He was "showered with cheers" when Sen. Charles Schumer welcomed him from the podium.
This for a politician who was forced to abandon his office because he appointed his lover to a public job for which he was unqualified -- or sexually harassed an employee, depending on which version of the story you believe.
Coming out as gay is admirable. But not if the door you use is an escape hatch from a worse fate.
Self-exploitation
The fact is that McGreevey exploited his own sexuality to put a noble spin on the scandal that forced him from office.
His declaration that he was a "gay American" was an attempt to divert attention from his conduct in office.
And, judging by the reception he got last week, it worked.
Instead of being chastised and marginalized as a disgraced politician, his willingness to exploit his sexuality has turned him into a hero.
Gay advocates argue that if he could have been openly gay, he might have conducted his public life differently.
Well, there are legislators, if not governors who are openly gay. And presumably there are closeted gay officials who don't use their secret homosexuality as a reason to abuse the prerogatives of office.
Jim McGreevey did what politicians do with such skill these days: He repackaged reality so that it reflected well on him.
His embrace by homosexual leaders is far more troubling to me than the other gay controversy that's preoccupying our country these days.
XJill Porter is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.