Demagogue

First, it was Phyllis Schlafly's son. Then Dick Cheney's daughter. Now, it turns out that the daughter of another high-profile conservative Republican has a sexual orientation to which the parent (and the GOP in general) has been quite hostile.

The Associated Press is reporting:

The daughter of conservative Republican Alan Keyes referred to herself Monday as a "liberal queer" and urged support for gay and lesbian young people who have been deserted by their families.

Maya Marcel-Keyes, 19, addressed a rally sponsored by the gay-rights group Equality Maryland, saying she was motivated to speak out because of her rocky relationship with her parents and the recent death of a (gay) friend who had fallen ill after being thrown out of the house by his family.

Marcel-Keyes told several hundred supporters that her sexuality had created a rift in her relationship with her parents.

"Things just came to a head. Liberal queer plus conservative Republican just doesn't mesh well," she said. "That was making my life a little bit turbulent."

Later, Marcel-Keyes told CNN her parents "were not too pleased" when they learned she was a lesbian, but she said she loves them "very much, and they love me. They can't support my activities."

Her father, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois last year, created a stir in August when he said during an interview that homosexuality was "selfish hedonism" and that Vice President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter was a sinner.

In a statement issued Monday night, Keyes said: "My daughter is an adult, and she is responsible for her own actions. What she chooses to do has nothing to do with my work or political activities."

Maybe so, Mr. Keyes. But what you choose to do has everything to do with the quality of life she is likely to enjoy.

If you want to castigate gay people, that's your right. But don't try to write off the significant impact that your words and actions will have on the lives of your daughter and millions of other gay people.