In Texas’ State Assembly race, Rep. Norma Chávez just got done apologizing for calling opponent Naomi Gonzalez a lesbian. Critics argued Chávez was trying to smear her challenger with her sexuality. But in Pennsylvania’s House race, Philadelphia’s Democratic incumbent Rep. Babette Josephs is claiming her opponent is, in fact, a heterosexual. And is lying about being bi.
On the campaign trail, Josephs’ challenger Gregg Kravitz, 29, is a proud bisexual man. But Josephs, 70, says that’s just a ploy to attract LGBT voters. And by anyone’s recollection, this might be the first time any major political race has included charges of faking it as queer.
Kravitz says he’s attracted to both men and women, but at a fundraiser at a local pub, Josephs, in addition to calling Kravitz a “trust fund baby,” proudly announced, “I outed him as a straight person … and now he goes around telling people, quote, ‘I swing both ways.’ That’s quite a respectful way to talk about sexuality. This guy’s a gem.”
For his part, Kravitz insists, “My sexuality is not a qualification for office. I bring it up only in the context that it’s important for the LGBT community to have a seat at the legislative table.”
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It would be most interesting if Kravitz were actually straight, and using a bi identity to pull in votes. But what a statement about acceptance of LGBTs that, by itself, would be making.
AlwaysGay
Knowing how low many gay people see themselves I expect to read comments writing how brave, progressive and open-minded it is that a heterosexual wants to be labeled bisexual (in the company of LGBT people). These gay people are desperate for any kind of validation from heterosexuals. They see heterosexuals as being better than them and the arbiters of all things.
The fact is Gregg Kravitz can always go back to his heterosexual self just like David Bowie and Billie Joe Armstrong did. It’s a ploy to ingratiate himself with gay people and at the same time seem progressive enough for heterosexual liberals (remember Kravitz is running as a Democrat) that they wouldn’t turn away from him.
terrwill
@AlwaysGay: Exactly!
hardmannyc
I used to screw girls and I loved it, but I’m a proud, card-carrying fag. I don’t buy this bisexual stuff for a minute.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
And the biphobia continues…. First with softball, now with this.
Guys, bisexuals exist. Deal with it. Smearing him doesn’t help anything. And this nonsense is smearing at its worst.
Rori Raye
The thing is, it seems bi-sexuality is maligned more than anything, because it’s so undefinable. If sexuality is determined by how you love, and who you love – if you’re in a relationship or a marriage – then that negates the whole Klein/Kinsey concept of how your fantasy life and attractions work. I may be attracted to all kinds of people, but, because I’m married (to a man)…I wouldn’t act on those attractions – I wouldn’t have sex with anyone other than my husband, man or woman – so it would be really hard to say what I “am,” except for what I’m doing. We could be labeled all kinds of ways for what we DO – but inside – what if we’re all really bi-sexual in the sense of being able to find pleasure in sex with anyone? If this is all about preference, then how does a bi-sexual person express that preference in a way that’s understandable or recognizable to the rest of us? Will your history with men and with women make that clear? What would this man have to do to be believable as bi-sexual? I personally would like to see us all self-identify and be accepted that way – regardless of what we’re doing. I prefer to think of David Bowie as bisexual no matter who he’s actually, physically having sex with or living with…I also prefer to think that even if it’s 60/40 or 70/30 and not simply 50/50 in terms of who you’re attracted to (and attraction is so mysterious anyway) – that you could still be whoever you want to be, however you think of yourself…and anything that promotes a sense of respect for whatever our preferences (even in the moment) are – works for me…It would be so great if there were no more “closet” necessary for anyone – even the undecided. That said (by me)…it’s hard to imagine being in a situation where talking about your sexual preferences to the world is part of the job requirement. Rori
Cam
LOL!!!
Ok, I think that all the Bi advocates on here, and all the people who don’t believe in bisexuality can all join me in laughing at one thing about this story…. that is….
If this guy REALLY is lying and just claiming to be bi to try to win over the LGBT community….He DEFINITLY did not know that his declaring himself bi in this community is like walking into a minefield! LOL!!!! So if he is really bi, then he was already aware of that and more power to him for his honesty, but if he wasn’t and just trying to say it to win over the community, good luck and any question and answer sessions he has coming up with gay groups. LOL!!!!!!
hardmannyc
^^^ I won’t believe he’s bi until he lets me fuck him.
Sam
Girlfriend has serious gayface. No way she’s not into dick.
Sean Newham
@Sam: I Agree, I’m bi, and he looks bi.
ewe
Will he be hispanic tomorrow?
ewe
I guess i am straight then cause i never met a bi guy that didn’t turn out to be more gay than me. Can’t he just stick to policy?
pavement1762
People in the GLBT community should know better than most that you can’t force people into rigid categories. The notions of sexuality are so complex, and when people dictate who someone can or cannot find sexually arousing it’s ridiculous. Kravitz understand his sexuality better than anyone, so if he says he is bisexual that’s the best insight we’ll ever have
for everyone attacking the idea of whether or not bisexuality is even plausible, get over yourselves
james_cambridge
It may not yet be scientific but this guy has major gay-face going on.
Disgusted American
Met him last week while visiting a friend in South Philly….he was going door to door, we thought he was gay…so this article caughtme by suprise…..either way- he’s cuter in person.
PopSnap
Are you kidding? Of course he’s bi! He looks, to put it as Kurt’s dad from the TV show Glee says, “queerer than a three dollar bill”.
jason
Unlike women, men don’t generally fake their sexuality, including their bisexuality. On that basis, I would give Gregg the benefit of the doubt.
Keep in mind that a man who says he’s bisexual has to break through the male-male stigma barrier. There’s no reward.
In contrast, a woman who says she’s bisexual is often rewarded for it. The people who reward her are often not the least bit interested in GLBT rights but, rather, in the titillation aspect. Just look at “straight” men’s porn. All the women in it are basically “bisexual” as a result of being paid money.
Because of this bisexual double standard, a man who says he’s bi is much more likely to be genuine than a woman who says she’s bi.
Darryl!
“Keep in mind that a man who says he’s bisexual has to break through the male-male stigma barrier. There’s no reward”.
Wrong. In reality, there’s no societal reward for a man to reveal that he is exclusively oriented to guys, that there’s chance of feeling passion for a female. A true bisexual could fit in with the majority if he so chooses.
Darryl!
“Keep in mind that a man who says he’s bisexual has to break through the male-male stigma barrier. There’s no reward”.
Wrong. In reality, there’s no societal reward for a man to reveal that he is exclusively oriented to guys, that there’s NO chance of feeling passion for a female. A true bisexual could fit in with the majority if he so chooses.
jason
Darryl,
In terms of “reward”, I’m simply comparing male bisexuality to female bisexuality. Because of male heterosexual patriarchy, women are rewarded for declaring themselves bisexual whereas men aren’t.
That’s not to say that, compared to a gay man, a bisexual man can’t “hide” amongst the heterosexual mainstream. However, this isn’t so much a reward as it is a convenience.
Darryl!
I used the same credibility standard, and simply went one step further to compare homosexuality and bisexuality. That man will be rewarded by avoiding the negative experience that gays have, while not sacrificing much of anything – nothing at all if he bisexual (rather than polyamarous-bisexaul) and enjoying the convenience of blending into the heterosexual mainstream.
Tony
The only trouble with this guy is that he isn’t old enough to shave. That alone disqualifies him from office.
ewe
@pavement1762: I sense dishonesty. It is not about rigid categories or sexual complexity. More importantly i am at a point that i will stick to my intuition and confront people like you who try to shut down anything not politically correct. People are also having a bit of fun with this. Oh btw, your permission is not needed for that either.
Josh
@pavement1762:
I agree with you in principle and I admire the spirit of what you’re saying but I just find it a little tiresome and annoying that he HAPPENS to have a girlfriend “at the moment.” (How convenient.) And I can seriously imagine them getting engaged right after his election, if you catch my drift… His sexuality really shouldn’t be an issue at all but he’s made it one more than his opponent, which I don’t like.
jason
Gay people are the complete opposite of what they claim to be. They say they are open-minded but they like to categorize people. They say they want to break down the closet doors but then go and establish their segregated enclaves. They sue private clubs like the Boy Scouts to gain admission but then make their gays-only baseball teams that are designed to exclude anyone who isn’t strictly gay.
All in all, we have a community of contradictions.
Rick
He has straightface.
Darryl!
“They say they are open-minded but they like to categorize people”.
So what are you doing differently?
Tessie Tura
Me thinks he’s faking bisexuality to court the female vote. This guy doesn’t only have gay face, he has power-bottom face. He has I-serviced-the-whole-frat face. He has I-get-my-fish-at-Captain-D’s face.
John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)
Don’t you just love it when gay commenters on a bitchy gay club moan abd bitch about how someone has gay face as if they’ve given him/her the worse insult possible?
Crabs in a barrel mentality…
Nice.
ewe
@John from England(used to be just John but there are other John’s): It’s even worse when politicking wannabees use sexuality thinking he’s gonna get a vote. I do not like it when candidates pimp out their 2.5 children for a photo op and i find this no different.
rayy
Josephs’ attacks are mean-spirited and demean us all. For God’s sake she’s 70 and still hasn’t learned what you need to learn from kindergarten!
rayy
@John from England(used to be just John but there are other John’s): I agree that we need to lose the term “gayface”–it’s demeaning.
rayy
@jason: Your remarks are homophobic. I don’t know of any “gay-only” teams that would exclude someone straight that wanted in. The Gay Games, for example, is inclusive of anyone who wants to participate.
I. J.
@jason:
Seriously Jason, what’s your agenda here? All you seem to do here is malign women and their sexuality, particularly if they identify as bisexual. How dare you deny the validity of anyone’s true identity?! You have absolutely NO understanding of what it’s like to live as a woman in society and certainly you don’t understand the scrutiny women experience. Try to change the ivory tower egghead MEN in charge of media and music industries by stopping the exploitation of female sexuality for “titillation” (that three-dollar word you throw around), and stop your tirade against bisexuality in women. You are a perfect example of the internal discrimination within the LGBT community that make people feel so incredibly unwelcome. The comments you write demean us all.
I pity you for the disdain and disillusionment you hold in your heart. Now why don’t you go hide under your misogynistic, self-loathing, and homophobic rock and go troll somewhere else?