California’s first Latino senator

[BoSoxGal]

This is pretty touching video of Governor Newsom asking Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State, if he’ll serve as Senator of California:




Another wonderful recent immigrant story reflected in the halls of Congress.

[Bicycle Bill]

I suppose I need to ask .... at the end, the voiceover remarked that Alex Padilla becomes 'the first gay male to become Senator'.

Why is that such a big deal?  Unless he intends to buttfuck someone or give them a blowjob on the Senate floor, what difference does it make who or what he gets his jollies with?

Just keep your sex lives to yourself, people.  Really, the rest of us don't need to know because it's just none of our goddamned business.

-"BB"-

[Joe Guy]

Padilla isn't gay. If that's what that guy said, he's wrong - unless Alex just now thought it over and decided to be gay.

[Bicycle Bill]

Padilla isn't gay. If that's what that guy said, he's wrong - unless Alex just now thought it over and decided to be gay.

Listen to the clip, starting around the 2:05 mark.  It comes at about the 2:17 or 2:18 point.  I know my eyes aren't the greatest any more, but my ears are still pretty good.

But what I said still holds.  It shouldn't matter who or what you do in private; that's why it's CALLED  "in private".

-"BB"-

[Joe Guy]

Listen to the clip, starting around the 2:05 mark.  It comes at about the 2:17 or 2:18 point.  I know my eyes aren't the greatest any more, but my ears are still pretty good.......

Yeah, he did say that. I was just pointing out that he isn't gay. Or if he is, it's not a well known fact.

And no, it shouldn't matter, but we live in a time where a lot of people want you to think that it should.

[BoSoxGal]

He isn’t gay, he’s married to a woman with whom he has 3 kids. They’re cofounders of a mental health advocacy organization as her mother is a lifelong sufferer of serious mental illness.

Heterosexual people are generally very up front and open in their sexuality and I see no reason why homosexual people shouldn’t be as well. It is nevertheless noteworthy when an openly gay person assumes a position of authority in our nation because there is still so much homophobia in our country, as evidenced in this thread.

I wanted to share a YouTube video of the exchange I had seen on CNN because YouTube is easier to embed here. I hadn’t watched the very end so I apologize for sharing misinformation it wasn’t intentional. Whoever posted this clip might have confused Padilla’s being first Latino California senator with the recent announcement of Mayor Pete’s cabinet post where being openly gay is also groundbreaking.

I’m sorry for you Bill, that you have such a reaction to something that shouldn’t cause any upset at all.

[MajGenl.Meade]

First, Bill wasn't exhibiting homophobia but criticizing the unknown voice for feeling the need to claim this chap as the first homosexican senator from California rather than just accepting people for who they are and not broadcasting it as some kind of triumph.

Second, this chap was not being "open" about his sexuality, no matter which side of home plate he bats from - it was an anonymous commentator erroneously claiming that as a fact

Third, commentators on videos have never (AFAIK) made a point of claiming that so-and-so is heterosexual, as if that word was important.

Fifth, I'll have a bottle of decent bourbon please

IMO

[Bicycle Bill]

First, Bill wasn't exhibiting homophobia but criticizing the unknown voice for feeling the need to claim this chap as the first homosexican senator from California rather than just accepting people for who they are and not broadcasting it as some kind of triumph.
.....
Third, commentators on videos have never (AFAIK) made a point of claiming that so-and-so is heterosexual, as if that word was important.

Thank you, Meade.  You saw where I was coming from and made the point far better and more succinctly than I could have.

And to take it one step further — it's not just commentators on videos, either.  Even individuals themselves — especially in sports, the arts, and popular entertainment — are making public announcements, whether it's in the traditional press or on social media such as Twatter or the Book of Visage, that they are 'coming out' as gay or trans-sexual or 'gender-fluid'.  And the ⃥p⃥a⃥p⃥a⃥r⃥a⃥z⃥z⃥i⃥  'press', the fans, and the bloggers that cover these make sure that this information is broadcast far and wide.

-"BB"-

[Guinevere]

Spoken like a couple of privileged white males, who have never been subject to systemic suppression because of your immutable identity. Sorry boys, the non-white, non-male, non-heterosexual world is no longer staying silent and suppressed. Once every human is treated equally, and given the same opportunities as you had for centuries, then maybe we can stop commenting. Until then, get used to it.

[Bicycle Bill]

Spoken like a couple of privileged white males, who have never been subject to systemic suppression because of your immutable identity. Sorry boys, the non-white, non-male, non-heterosexual world is no longer staying silent and suppressed. Once every human is treated equally, and given the same opportunities as you had for centuries, then maybe we can stop commenting. Until then, get used to it.

Putting it bluntly, what difference does it make to anybody, whoever or whatever they happen to be, whose pussy someone licks or whose dick someone takes — and when, and where, and how often?

Answer: it doesn't.  And THAT'S the point I was trying to make.  It has nothing to do with being a 'privileged' heterosexual white male.

-"BB"-

[MajGenl.Meade]

Guin, I cheer your support for advancing false claims about other people

[Gob]

Heterosexual people are generally very up front and open in their sexuality and I see no reason why homosexual people shouldn’t be as well.

I have never, that I can honestly remember, felt the need to be "upfront" about my sexuality. When I was interviewed in the local press recently, I didn't feel the need to tell them that "I'm heterosexual".

[ex-khobar Andy]

Because Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Kamala Harris (who replaced Boxer) have been Senators since 1992, Padilla is the first male US Senator to represent CA since 1992.

I look forward to the day when the gender or race or sexuality of someone who is a Senator or a judge or an astronaut or who buys Brand X in a TV ad is about as interesting as the color of their hair. I don't suppose I shall see it.

[BoSoxGal]

Heterosexual people are generally very up front and open in their sexuality and I see no reason why homosexual people shouldn’t be as well.

I have never, that I can honestly remember, felt the need to be "upfront" about my sexuality. When I was interviewed in the local press recently, I didn't feel the need to tell them that "I'm heterosexual".

One of the very first things that struck me about you when I met you on CSB 15+ years ago was how often you threw sex and references to sex and references to the kinds of sex you were having with Hen and how you bonded over your mutual kink into various threads on various topics all over that board.

So I call bullshit.

[BoSoxGal]

Because Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Kamala Harris (who replaced Boxer) have been Senators since 1992, Padilla is the first male US Senator to represent CA since 1992.

I look forward to the day when the gender or race or sexuality of someone who is a Senator or a judge or an astronaut or who buys Brand X in a TV ad is about as interesting as the color of their hair. I don't suppose I shall see it.

Probably not; for very good reason identity politics is here to stay for a good long while I’m sure.

It’s going to take a bit of uncomfortable time for some folks while the very many folks who’ve been oppressed by the dominant culture for centuries get their moment to stand loud and proud and demand a reckoning and acknowledgement of what they’ve endured and an admission from those that benefited from dominant culture. We are only at the very beginning of that process witness the massive backlash of the Trumpism/Brexit era.

But the world is trending brown, no way round it - and America is at a reckoning. May our better angels prevail.

[Joe Guy]

Meanwhile, in the city by the bay, the racist mayor says, if you ain't the right color, you don't deserve the job...

London Breed: Alex Padilla's Senate appointment 'unfortunate' and a 'real blow'

San Francisco Mayor London Breed does not approve of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla's appointment to the United States Senate seat currently held by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

During a virtual press conference Tuesday a couple hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the appointment, Breed called it an "unfortunate situation," hoping to see a Black woman appointed to replace Harris.

"The sad reality is [Harris] was the only African American woman in the Senate at this time, and when you think about the history of this country and the challenges that exist for African Americans especially ... this is a real blow to the African American community, to African American women, to women in general," Breed said. "I think it’s really challenging to put it in words."

Breed was apparently taken aback by the pick despite Padilla being the reported front-runner for quite some time.

"It was definitely a surprise and it's an unfortunate situation as we are trying to move this country forward in making sure that Black lives truly matter and that African Americans have a seat at the table, especially African American women," she said.

Breed's remarks are similar to those made by former S.F. Mayor Willie Brown, who had called for Newsom to appoint one of Reps. Barbara Lee or Karen Bass. Brown previously declared, "There's no way that Gavin Newsom should allow anyone other than a Black woman to fill the seat of Harris," and, "Racial minorities should know they should not try to fill each other's vacancies."

After Tuesday's announcement, both Lee and Bass were gracious and congratulated Padilla, who will become the state's first Latino senator.

"I congratulate Secretary of State @AlexPadilla4CA on his historic appointment to fill VP-elect @KamalaHarris’s seat in the United States Senate," Lee tweeted. "[Padilla] has a track record as a skilled legislator and a steadfast advocate for justice, and I believe he will be a powerful voice in the Senate for those who continue to be denied our country's promise of equality. I look forward to working with him on behalf of all Californians to address the economic and public health crises we are facing, and to create a brighter future for our state and for communities across the country."

"I want to congratulate Alex Padilla -- someone I've known dating back to when he served our city as the youngest-ever President of the Los Angeles City Council," wrote Bass. "... Today, our state gains yet another champion following a distinguished line of individuals who have shattered glass ceilings and hurdled obstacles in their way. After then-Senator Harris’s historic election in 2016 as the first woman of color to represent California, we now have another historic barrier shattered as Alex will be the first Latino to serve California in the United States Senate."

[Scooter]

Putting it bluntly, what difference does it make to anybody, whoever or whatever they happen to be, whose pussy someone licks or whose dick someone takes — and when, and where, and how often?

I refer you to Pete Buttigieg's story of being 17 years old when James Hormel became the first out gay man to nominated for an ambassadorship, and how the opposition to his appointment was explicitly couched around his sexual orientation and how it would make him unsuitable for the role, and how that makes Buttigieg think about the 17 year old LGBT kids of today watching his nomination unfold and seeing that their sexual orientation or gender identity doesn't have to be a bar to what they can achieve.

Representation matters. It may not matter to you, who has never had to think about it because you have always seen people like you in positions of leadership, but it certainly matters to those who grew up never having had that experience.

And yes, it absolutely has EVERYTHING to do with your white male heterosexual privilege, that no matter how many people attempt however many times to explain it in however many different ways, that you have not and probably never will get it.

[Gob]

One of the very first things that struck me about you when I met you on CSB 15+ years ago was how often you threw sex and references to sex and references to the kinds of sex you were having with Hen and how you bonded over your mutual kink into various threads on various topics all over that board.

So I call bullshit.

I call bullshit, talking about sex was not about "being upfront about my sexuality" it was discussing a subject I enjoy. Try again.

[Scooter]

And I call bullshit on your call of bullshit. In a world where the mere mention that someone is LGBT elicits a response of:

Just keep your sex lives to yourself, people. Really, the rest of us don't need to know because it's just none of our goddamned business.

which is something that, if he is honest, he would NEVER had said to you in relation to the far more explicit commentary you provided about your heterosexual sex life, that there is an obvious double standard at work is a matter of indisputable fact. Heterosexual public figures can speak matter of factly about the existence a significant other in their lives without generating any sort of controversy. If they are LGBT and do the same, they are told to "just keep quiet about it". Which is why, at least for the foreseeable future, it is important that they speak up about it regardless of the inevitable backlash from the knuckle draggers who would demand that they "just keep quiet about it".

[Gob]

which is something that, if he is honest, he would NEVER had said to you in relation to the far more explicit commentary you provided about your heterosexual sex life,

Which has nothing to do with my predilection to discussing sex.

that there is an obvious double standard at work is a matter of indisputable fact.

Agreed, but again, nothing to do with me discussing sex, nor anything to do with my "being upfront about my sexuality".