In Quinn’s Loss, Questions About Role of Gender and Sexuality
12th September 2013
Ms. Quinn never blamed her problems during the race on sexism or homophobia. Still, her inner circle debated how to grapple with the question of gender.
Note the dog that didn’t bark: nobody is talking about her qualifications or her ability to do the job compared to the other candidates. It’s all a matter of how many boxes she can check on the Political Fashion Bingo Card and whether she can outscore the other candidates who are doing the exact same thing.
This is identity politics come home to roost. And it won’t ever get any better because a losing candidate can always say, “Well, we didn’t get our groups out enough” and off they go to prepare for the next attempt.