Just in case you missed your copy of the Idaho Statesman yesterday morning, Larry Craig has a new reason to be shocked, simply shocked that any man (make that multiple men) claims to have had sex with him. The august and honorable U.S. Senator from Idaho told everyone but the Statesman that "Like its previous coverage, these latest allegations are completely false and have no basis in reality."A whole new set of men provided details of their encounters with the most assuredly noble, honest and not gay and never been gay Senator.
By coincidence, today's Boston Globe has a lightly amusing piece on Craig by a novelist. It notes in passing that numerous straight adulterers have gotten a much easier ride after their sex acts became known. I think too of comments from gay friends about how difficult it can be for straight-identified men who have homosexual sex to cope.
Nonetheless, perhaps the best takeaways here are oldies. I bet Craig's parents told him to be honest and to correct his blunders. He's done neither and he denies what an Idaho politician friend of mine told me was common knowledge for decades.
On the cynical side, the right and proven PR angle is to admit the problem and do what you can to fix it. This could even have been a Jimmy Carter adultery-in-my-heart moment when he admitted to his needs and was seen as a lusty guy. That too would have been liberating for gay men in general and for those straight-ID guys in particular.
Instead, his voters and we know him as a liar and a coward. That's not pretty, but we can sure he'll never be a model for honesty nor one for gay liberation.
Each of us likely wants to think that adversity will prove our superior inner selves and strength. May we all do better and be better than little Larry.
Tags: massmarrier, honesty, Larry Craig, Idaho, Congress
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