Recently, I read an article in which the author attempted to explain the reasons for which Senator Larry Craig has been insisting he is not gay.

Now while the Craig-debate is pretty much stale, I was more affected by the central argument of the article. Essentially, it boiled down to the fact that Senator’s denial of any existence of alternative sexuality within him was based on the age-old stereotype that gay = sissy.

The article implicitly asks: Who in their right mind would wish to be considered a "sissy"? Certainly not Larry Craig!

Senator Craig has made a career of proudly wrapping himself in the Judeo-Christian "family values" flag of the Republican Party. Sissy likely doesn’t mesh well with the Senator’s particular job description, as he understands it.

That said, it is not far-fetched to suggest that the potential inner conflict posed by the clash between the Senator’s sexual desires and Faith might have something to do with Craig’s seemingly outright fear of be perceived as gay.

It could then be argued that "internal homophobia" is one of the reasons for which Senator Craig – and men like him who insist they are homosexuals but most definitely not gay, or men who are on the down-low who’ve managed to convince themselves that the penis in their mouth doesn't make them at all appear gay -- is adamant about not having the gay label stick to him.

Rather than accepting the fact that he possesses both a masculine and feminine energy, the male internal homophobe lives in fear that even a drop of his feminine energy might escape. He thus subjects himself to a miserable life of what essentially consists of incessantly trying to force down a lid onto a boiling pot of water.

The eventual result of this double-life being that at some point, so much pressure has accumulated that the lid blows right off… often with disastrous consequences.  In fact, prior incidents of similar behaviour on Craig's part, indicative of other moments he just could not keep the lid down, have come to light since the whole "wide-stance" affair broke out.

Senator Larry Craig's story is sadly not unique. Since 2004 alone, Ed Schrock, Mark Foley, Joey DiFatta, Bob Allen, and Ted Haggard have all had their public images tarnished as a result not being able to keep their beast at bay. As if the sexual hypocrisy was not enough, certain of these incidents had the players involved adding a hint of prostitution and a soupçon of drug use to the mix, just for good measure.

The damage to public trust caused by these people is bad enough; imagine the devastation faced by their unwitting spouses and children as a result of the "collateral damage" which occurs when such events make the evening news.

Most, if not all of these individuals, also have something in common other than their dalliances. They’ve actively acted or campaigned, to deny advancement of rights for homosexuals. This would lead a bit more credence to the internal homophobia argument.

Self-loathing among homosexuals, men in particular, has been well-documented and is one of the primary causes of self-destructive behaviour in our community. In the USA and in Canada, homosexuals are second only to the American Indian or Aboriginal peoples, when it comes to statistical rates of suicide, teen suicide, as well as alcohol and drug abuse.

Self-hatred and the devastating behaviours which go along with it may even explain, to a great extent, the reasons for which there is a resurgence in HIV infections and STDs within the male gay population in North America; a community that had long been at the forefront of preventive and educational efforts.

It may also go a long way to explain why it is that HIV infections are increasing among women -- when their allegedly 100-per-cent-non-gay partners are out handling their business on the down-low, who knows what they are bringing home?

There IS a reason one hears during Gay Pride Parades throughout North America the chant: Two, four, six, eight, is your boyfriend really straight?

That said, all of this may be mere speculation. At the end of the day, the reason for Senator Craig's seemingly implausible denial of being gay might be ridiculously simple.

In this whole debacle, Senator Craig has shown that not only does he enjoy playing footsies, he also likes to play with words. As is the case for most politicians, semantics are everything. A very telling incident would be that Senator Craig announced his "intent to resign", but now refuses to do so.

Oh, he expressed his intent alright... he simply never actually made a commitment to resign. Politicians sure must not need lube; they're slippery enough as it is.

Perhaps Senator Craig's adamant refusal to admit he is gay is due to the fact he actually does enjoy sexual relations with women and therefore is bisexual. Given the Senator's penchant for playing with words, one could assume that if the question: Are you bisexual? has not been specifically asked of him, then technically in the same way that his "intent" to resign was not a lie, he's also not lying about "not being gay".

It could be THAT simple.

With much respect,

Douglas Connors

Mr Leather Ottawa-Outaouais 2003