Opinion :: Editorial
Senator Tisei has much to be thankful for by Sue O’Connell
co-publisherTuesday Nov 24, 2009 Senator Richard Tisei didn’t come out in the pages of Bay Windows, or the Advocate, or even his hometown newspaper. He wasn’t outed by a hungry press or a disgruntled acquaintance.
What Senator Tisei did is quietly become "openly gay" in the body of a Boston Globe story on Nov. 20. The article highlighted the leading candidates to join Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker’s ticket as lieutenant governor.
Buried in the story was this gem: "Tisei, who is thought to be the leading candidate, is an only-in-Massachusetts character: a Republican leader who publicly disclosed yesterday that he is gay."
I was not privy to the lead-up discussions the Baker campaign staff had with Tisei. I can, however, imagine the handlers assessing the "gay factor" and determining the best way to get it out there is to bury it in a Globe story the weekend before Thanksgiving. No big "coming out" interview with the gay media or a personal editorial on the op ed pages of the Globe. Just get it out there, make no comment, and move on.
The great news about this strategy is that Tisei being a gay Republican is more interesting than his being a gay candidate. Add that our fine state leads the nation on LGBT civil rights and it’s practically a non-story. Tisei, whose gayness was an open secret on Beacon Hill, had the luxury of remaining in the closet during the same-sex marriage battles. Other lawmakers have felt compelled to come out when issues demanded a declaration of solidarity -- Senator Cheryl Jacques, Senator Stanley Rosenberg, and Representative Cheryl Coakley Rivera -- but Tisei (and a few other closeted souls) stayed silent.
The bad news is, obviously, that Tisei didn’t -- or couldn’t -- come out sooner. His "Yup, I’m gay," announcement came the same week the FBI reported that 2008 showed an 11 percent increase in victims of hate crimes based on sexual orientation in 2008 -- the third year in a row showing a rise in lesbian and gay hate crimes. Even in Massachusetts, we have members of our community who, when given the choice, would rather not be "openly" gay. When the totality of the cost of being gay is assessed, who can blame them?
So welcome, Senator Tisei, to the honor roll of openly gay and lesbian elected officials. Our state is home to the very first openly gay public servant -- one Elaine Nobel (1974, State Representative from Cambridge) -- and we’re proud to add another. The Baker campaign, Senator Tisei, and our community can give thanks this week that yet another Republican candidate for lieutenant governor is openly gay, and it’s no big deal. Let’s also wish that the world continues to evolve so that the next candidate will feel secure enough to come out a week before announcing. Baby steps, baby steps.
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