When Margaret Thatcher became prime minister of the UK, feminists had a debate about whether she was or was not a feminist, or more precisely, whether her taking office was or was not a feminist victory. Most eventually admitted that the fact of a woman taking office changed the way people looked at women and at politics, and the "power relations" between men and women, so that Thatcher's election represented a revolution for feminism. As feminist Zoe Williams wrote in the leftist (UK) *Guardian*:
"... Thatcher did leave a legacy, perhaps not on the women's movement, but certainly - and arguably more importantly - on the practical conditions in which women live, and on our expectations. At the most basic level, the fact that a woman has occupied the most important job in the country has had an impact on the cultural landscape: in that sense alone, Thatcher expanded other women's horizons and did much to break down bigotry about women's work. "You could also argue that, in an indirect and unintentional way, she helped broaden British notions of femininity. When the Spice Girls and their ilk lauded Thatcher for all the empowerment she rolled out, they were talking about more than the fact that she existed. They were talking about the fact that she was bellicose, uncompromising, uncaring and harsh. In the way she carried and presented herself, she might have been careful never to upset anyone's idea of what made a woman (always the fluffy hair, never the trouser suit), but in terms of personality and, chiefly, in terms of policy, she never showed any sign of 'feminine' compunction." Most of us know that prejudice against gays and lesbians has some of its roots in prejudices against women and anxiety about any changes in, or boundary crossings of, traditional gender roles. Little boys are attacked for being too feminine, little girls for being too masculine, on playgrounds across America, and as soon as kids have a glimmer of sexual awareness, the "gender atypical" kid is attacked for being a queer. We all know that there are very feminine girly lesbian women and girls and very masculine athletic gay men and boys. But studies of brain structures and testosterone levels and many other physical characteristics do suggest that gays and lesbians usually have some characteristics intermediate between those of most women and most men. So having a woman candidate, almost whatever her views, run for or be elected to an office women have never held, is itself a revolutionary social change that makes things better for lesbians and gays. And so I think Michele Bachmann's surprising tie with the better funded Mitt Romney in the GOP polls is a good thing for gays and lesbians. <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjhY1Aczpbo/Tgnc--ILHfI/AAAAAAAAAQI/pyNwLydkv1g/s1600/bachmann.jpg> I don't think it actually matters that it is difficult to parse Michele Bachmann's (*Michele Bachmann JD's*) statements on gay marriage, state's rights, and federal authority. I don't think it matters if Hillary Clinton would have done a better job at delivering on gay issues than either Michele Bachmann or President Obama (as opposed to continuing to milk the gay donor cash cow with promises and delays and half-measures). And for the purposes of this discussion, I don't think it matters that the debt tsunami and hyper-inflation and social upheaval coming at all of us, gay and straight, are much more important issues than gay rights (and that Bachmann is probably better on these issues than many other candidates including President Obama). Nor am I endorsing Bachmann (or Palin, whose politicking has clearly helped sweep many women into office, from South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to South Dakota Congresswoman Kristi Noem), as my own preferences lean more to libertarian former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, or Congressman Ron Paul, or the "undiscovered candidate," gay Californian Fred Karger. But I think intellectual honesty, almost an unknown substance inside the Beltway and during Presidential campaigns, requires that we admit the salutary gender politics of Michele Bachmann. I know the gay political class won't be capable of rising to that level of civility -- they will repeat such shameful 2008 episodes as Sandra Bernhard's telling rape jokes about Sarah Palin a few blocks from my home at DC's Jewish Community Center (Bernhard later apologized) (well documented in the upcoming documentary on Sarah Palin, "The Undefeated," which I was lucky to see a rough cut of a few weeks ago). But it's well past time for gays and lesbians to have their own lavender herbal tea party and overthrow those who have been claiming to be their leaders. Bruce Majors blogs at BigHomo (www.bighomocon.blogspot.com) -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
