I went to the Gay Pride parade in 1999 as a straight supporter. I went back in 2010 as a congressional candidate. In 2017, I went to the Los Angeles parade as a journalist — and by then, the whole thing had become coldly partisan. They rebranded the Pride parade as “Resist,” and it was all about hating Trump, not standing up for tolerance and for sexual liberation and all that.
I have many thoughts about the whole Pride phenomenon. In college, my friends were the Jews, the blacks, and the gays. I lived (randomly) in Harvard’s gayest dorm, and went to the gay student group’s parties, which were the most free-spirited. At the same time, I remember finding it odd, during a visit to San Francisco in 2001 or so, that they had rainbow flags on all the lampposts on Market Street. It seemed strange to me to celebrate a private preference as civic virtue.
Fast-forward to today. I have many gay friends and some transgender acquaintances in my social circle. My wife and I enjoy (or used to enjoy, before the pandemic) clubs in West Hollywood, L.A.‘s gay neighborhood. Yet I share the common rejection, among conservatives, of the transgender ideology that seeks to undo the basic idea of male and female, and to impose it on children — not for “grooming” (I never bought that) but for long-term political indoctrination.
I see the military, among other institutions, tweeting Pride images. I get that it’s good for recruitment (or is it? How many traditional, Christian, tough-guy recruits are we losing?). I just don’t see what it has to do with the military — or, more to the point, whether it means we have lost the raw, essentially masculine, martial virtues that are necessary in an effective fighting force.
I’m cool with whatever kinky stuff people are into, as long as it’s safe and consensual among adults. I’m cool with people deciding to identify as whatever gender they want to, though I don’t think they should expect that the rest of society must adjust to their shifting preferences (and I draw the line at plural pronouns for individuals). I would like to think there’s room for debate, but the LGBT[…] movement, which used to be about tolerance, has become the most intolerant of all.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
