Kathy Griffin: “My New Target” Marcus Bachmann “Seems…” (Video)

Comedian Kathy Griffin, who has a very large gay following, essentially told Craig Ferguson last night that she thinks Marcus Bachmann is gay. Without saying it exactly…

“Marcus Bachmann is one of my new favorite targets… Okay, he’s very anti-gay and LGBT rights, but it’s odd, because if you look at him on YouTube, it’s almost as if he himself is ah… or it’s as if… it’s as if…”

To which Craig Ferguson responds, “Be careful Kathy!”

“I would say that Marcus Bachmann reminds me of a lot of the type of men who come see my live shows…And he wants people  to ‘pray the gay away’ and so I was going to call the special ‘Pray the Gay Back'” but Bravo changed it to ‘Pants Off’.”

 

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Now, I know a lot of folks think this is funny — and I can appreciate that — but I have to ask again, is making fun of Marcus Bachmann because you think he’s gay similar to, say, when Chelsea Handler makes fun of Chaz Bono?

Consider: Marcus Bachmann: I’m Not The Only One Who Thinks It’s Not OK To Say “He’s Gay”, and Marcus Bachmann: Is It OK To Make Fun Of Him Because You Think He’s Gay?, where I wrote,

But, absent any proof, or circumstantial evidence, is it OK to call Marcus Bachmann “gay?,” as if it were a bad thing? Isn’t that what the LGBT community has fought against for decades, and more recently, effectively, with campaigns such as the It Gets Better project, GLSEN and the Ad Council’s 2009 ad campaign from thinkb4youspeak​.com, “That’s So Gay,” and all the anti-​bullying initiatives that have finally been embraced by the federal government?

Right-​wing extremists recently have turned the tables on our community, claiming they are “victims,” that gays are “bullies,” and guilty of “hate crimes.” Doesn’t calling Marcus Bachmann “gay,” because he may sound a bit effeminate, feed into their anti-​gay hatred meme?

I don’t know if Marcus Bachmann is gay — and neither do you. If he is, the media one day will uncover evidence and he will reach the depths of disgrace, joining the ranks of Ted Haggard, George Rekers, Bishop Eddie Long, etc., etc., etc.

Now, let me be clear: Marcus Bachmann deserves to be vilified — for his anti-​gay bigotry and hatred, for mixing his special blend of “Christian counseling” and claiming it’s therapy, for using and possibly mis-​using state and federal funds for his Bachmann and Associates business, for even trying to turn people straight who are gay, for his 2005 presentation, titled, “The Truth About the Homosexual Agenda,” which culminated in three people claiming Bachmann had “cured” their homosexuality.

But when gay people and our allies start calling someone gay because he speaks with a lisp, or walks “funny,” or dances “strangely,” how are we any better than the school yard bullies — or the right wing extremists — who use the word “gay,” as a slur, like “f*g,” or the “n” word, or other ethnic or minority-​focused rhetoric?

We all love a good laugh, and wow, could I use one right now! But is making fun of Marcus Bachmann OK?

What do you think?