Not that long ago, Mitt Romney was the governor of Massachusetts. I was a college kid in Boston at the time, and I remember having a convo with a Mass. native classmate, which went something like this ... Me: "This is a really liberal state. Why do you have a Republican governor?" Him: "A Republican governor balances us out. Keeps us in check!" Uh-huh. But I'm positive that's not how many felt about Gov. Romney when he made countless decisions that reflected his insensitivity to the LGBT community. Now, a new story has come to light that illustrates just how insensitive he was (and likely still is).
In the latest issue of Boston Spirit magazine, David Wilson and Julie Goodridge -- plaintiffs whose case led to the legalization of marriage equality in Massachusetts -- describe meeting with Romney in 2004. What they experienced is nothing short of seriously unnerving.
David Wilson explains:
People were sharing touching stories, stories where you’d expect recognition in the other person’s face that they at least hear what you're saying — that there’s empathy. He didn’t even shake his head. He was completely blank. ... It was like talking to a robot. No expression, no feeling.
Okay, we've all heard how he can come off like a Robo-Politician. So, wait, there's more ...
Although the plaintiff's stories -- like Julie Goodridge's story about how her then-partner, Hillary, was denied hospital visitation following the precarious birth of daughter Annie -- had been covered extensively and nationally before this meeting occurred, Romney seemed CLUELESS. The most cringe-worthy illustration of that? Wilson said Romney remarked to the group at one point, "I didn't know you had families." Whaaaatttt??!!
Of course, after that, Goodridge was dumbfounded and irate. She recalls:
I looked him in the eye as we were leaving. And I said, "Governor Romney, tell me — what would you suggest I say to my 8-year-old daughter about why her mommy and her ma can’t get married because you, the governor of her state, are going to block our marriage?"
According to Goodridge, Romney responded by saying, "I don’t really care what you tell your adopted daughter. Why don’t you just tell her the same thing you’ve been telling her the last eight years."
WOW. As if that weren't bad enough, then, Romney told the press that the meeting was "pleasant." Goodridge remembers the encounter quite differently ...
I really kind of lost it. I’ve never stood before someone who had no capacity for empathy. It went behind flat affect. It was a complete lack of ability or motivation to understand other people.
Well, if this incident went down as Wilson and Goodridge report, it sure says a helluva lot about just how much Romney understands and cares about millions of LGBT people and -- yes, Governor Romney -- their families! But hey, okay, say those words didn't really come out of Romney's mouth? Doesn't matter. His discriminatory policies and beliefs -- and by the way, his wife, Ann's scheduled speech at an anti-gay "Values Voters Summit" -- speak volumes about how he truly feels and how he would act if he were elected anyway.
How do you feel about Wilson and Goodridge's stories and Romney's policies that affect parents like them?
Image via Adam Glanzman/Flickr
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Comments 29
Careful, I have always provided proof or someone else provides proof as well. There is nothing to back up what this woman is saying. There is no proof. And you dont find it funny that she all of a sudden came out with this 8 years later? I call bullshit, until she provides audio or video proof. In fact, I will call bullshit on each side, when they claim, someone said something, until proof is provided.
For those who call bullshit, perhaps he said what he said BECAUSE he wasn't being video taped or recorded. I do not like either of the candidates, let me just put that out there. I can completely see this man, who is openly against gay marriage and probably gay people in general, saying something like this.
And billsfan, you did not really say without audio or video it didn't happen. I know from previos posts you are a Christian. A huge part of christianity is that you do not have to see the lord to know he is there. Come on now. And stop with the name calling already. It is not becoming and does nothing to further your argument.
And as for the name calling, are you going to lecture the other person who called me a beast and is telling people to ignore me and telling me to shut up? I guess you want.
@ mustbeGRACE - Given that gay marriage has been adopted by several states in the last five years and it's been on the table in several others, I'd say that most of the country DOES care about this issue. Saying YOU don't care doesn't mean everyone else doesn't.
I really think the US needs to get its head out of its ass and just adopt gay marriage across the country. We're so far behind. And don't give me that "it's a religious issue" crap. Israel universally recognizes (if not performs) same-sex marriages, and Mexico performs same-sex marriages in Mexico City and the license is recognized in all 31 Mexican states. These are countries who are far more relgious than the US. It's not a religious issue. It's a superiority issue. It doesn't hurt any heterosexual couple to allow gay marriage. It doesn't make your marriage any less legitimate by allowing gays to marry. We talk about teaching children not to be bullies and to be tolerant of children who are different from them. What kind of example are the adults in this country setting by treating an entire demographic like second-class citizens and defaming them at every turn? For this issue and several other reasons, Mitt Romney does NOT have my vote in November.
@Glowworm, good points. Here in good old holy catholic ireland, civil union is legal, and gay marriage is on it's way. If we, one of the most catholic nations in the WORLD can do it, it defies me that the US is so hell bent on digging its heels in.