Life is often full of ironic situations that make us laugh. One such instance is the fact that ultra-conservative Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu, who was elected on anti-corruption and immigration platforms, is accused of threatening his gay, Mexican ex-lover with deportation.
There are a lot of aspects to this issue, many of which are still being sorted out through an independent investigation. These aspects range from allegations of misuse of power to human rights violations.
And while the most serious of questions involve whether or not Babeu faces legal repercussions, or the ethics of an elected official releasing nude photos of himself on the Internet — the fact that Babeu is gay is not an irrelevant detail.
The Arizona Republic columnist, E.J. Montini, has written more than once on the subject since the Phoenix New Times released its investigation.
Montini wrote, “It isn’t a gay thing,” and says the truth is Babeu was “in a messy relationship that spilled over into his very public life and has raised questions about his judgment.”
Montini points out that this situation is no different from former state Sen. Scott Bundgaard’s mishap, when his (very) public altercation with a girlfriend called his personal character into question, and eventually led to his resignation.
By no means is an official’s sexual orientation an excuse for unethical, wildly embarrassing and possibly illegal misconduct. But it’s important to ask: Would this have happened if Babeu had been involved with a woman?
It is fair to assume that if these allegations are true, then Babeu resorted to abusing his power as sheriff to silence a former lover for one obvious reason — to prevent the disclosure of the fact that he is gay.
As revealed by the Phoenix New Times’ report, his multiple profiles and raunchy behavior on Internet dating websites show Babeu is less-than-shy about expressing his sexuality. His reluctance to come out publicly could only be for the sake of his career.
In other words, Babeu knew that being gay might jeopardize his good standing with Arpaio, his nationally recognized clout with Republicans and his bid for U.S. Congress.
I would love to think our country has reached a point where Babeu being gay really doesn’t have a place in discussion surrounding this subject. But the truth is, Babeu is an elected official in a party that runs on a platform of bigotry toward the LGBT community at large.
It’s understandable that Montini and others would be cautious to talk about how Babeu’s orientation played a role in this scandal. In an ideal world, it shouldn’t matter.
But let’s not forget — gay people are still treated as second-class citizens in this country. They do not have the right to marry or to have joint-adoption in most states and they aren’t covered under many anti-discrimination laws.
So yes, instances like these are opportunities to join the discussion concerning where gays stand in this country — not to put it on the back burner and pretend it plays no part in why a formerly heterosexual sheriff threatened his ex-boyfriend with deportation.
As for Babeu, his career could be far from over. Arizona has a surprising record of electing openly gay politicians in all levels of state government, many of which are Republican.
That is, of course, if he can clear his name in an independent investigation first.
Reach the columnist at damills3@asu.edu
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