A recent 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll asserted that 50% of Americans would accept an openly gay President. Predictably, those pro-family, hysterically anti-gay Family Research Council bigots, through their twisted hyperbolic prism suggested that President is, in fact, Obama. My response to FRC's latest plea for donations to help them fight the gay agenda: Gay President? *yawn* Been there, done that.
James Buchanan - the 15th President of the United States (1857-1861), is widely believed to have been totally 'mo. The life-long bachelor (wink, wink) had a live-in BFF (or just BF) - William Rufus King, who was referred to as "Aunt Fancy" by that era's Beltway crowd. Apparently, Buchanan's sexual orientation was so widely rumored around Washington, that King was called "Mrs. Buchanan." Had the Family Research Council existed in 1857, they would have had no time to harass poor President Buchanan and Aunt Fancy, they would've been solely focused on holding onto their slaves. The priorities of self-righteous bigots of that time was keeping their free labor force, not subjugating 'mos.
The ambitious Buchanan had his sights on the presidency for many years before he actually attained the office. He tried for the White House in 1844, 1848, and 1852 before finally achieving his goal in 1856.
But this isn't necessarily a feather in our collective gay cap, because under his leadership the Confederacy (which, in 2010, Virginia's governor wants to celebrate) began forming, and Buchanan, apparently, did nothing to stop it.
Ironically, just before he began his successful campaign, Buchanan (who sided with the pro-slavery southern Democrats), said - "Before many years the abolitionists will bring war upon this land ... It may come during the next presidential term." He was only off by one term, and, possibly, who brought war on whom.
From a 21st century perspective...
Its difficult to understand what same gender loving people went through in the mid 19th century - when African Americans were still in chains, when abolitionists like John Brown clashed violently with pro-slavery forces, when the Supreme Court told Dred Scott (a slave who sued for his freedom) that "neither he, nor any person of African ancestry, could claim citizenship in the United States." In a country so morally and politically broken, how powerful could Buchanan (with 'Aunt Fancy' by his side) have been when his orientation was widely rumored? What is known is that under his Presidency his own party split apart, and soon after - as Lincoln entered the White House and Buchanan faded into obscurity - so did the country. ~
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