Mar 30th, 2002
Rosie’s Out. Surprised?
Rosie O’Donnell’s official coming out was met with little more than a yawn by some GLBTA folks who have wanted her to do it for years. But to millions of people across this country, it’s BIG NEWS. These are people who think they don’t know anyone who is gay — People who think of Rosie as a friend who visits them in their living room every weekday afternoon.
Rosie’s coming out brings attention to a 1977 Florida law that prevents gay people from adopting. It has taken a celebrity and an amazing gay-parent family to make broader society aware of this repressive law, and the people who perpetuate myths that GLBT parents are unfit.
One of those people is Florida State Representative Randy Ball who opposes adoption by gay parents under any circumstance. Following his on-air interview on Prime Time Live, he set up an auto-reply email to respond to the deluge of messages sent to him in protest. In the message he stated:
Placing a child into a homosexual household is like placing a child into a whirlwind of sexual partners, disease, and depression.
Rep. Ball is unwilling to meet just one of the many carpool-driving, lullaby-singing, homework-helping, tax-paying households of which he speaks. This is just the type of politician who haunted my nightmares when I was a child.
Rosie has been criticized for the seemingly convenient timing of her coming out which coincides with the release of her new book and final season of her highly successful talk show. Regardless of her motivation or strategy, Rosie’s coming out marks a significant milestone in mainstream awareness of gay issues.