Ever since Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice swore in Mark Dybul as our country’s new Global AIDS Coordinator on October 10, the right wing has been in a tizzy. Not just because Dybul is openly gay, or because his partner, Jason Claire, was at the swearing in ceremony, holding the Bible no less, but also because Claire’s mother was there and Secretary Rice referred to her as Dybul’s “mother-in-law.” Given the reaction of the right wing, you would think the sky had fallen because the Secretary of State had acknowledged the importance of this woman in Dybul’s life, using language commonly used to describe the relationships among couples and families.
Focus on the Family, one of the right wing groups that has been apoplectic over Rice’s “mother-in-law” remark, reports that in response to its inquiry to Rice’s office, Rice’s chief of staff “called to say it was a mix-up. That somebody should have checked this mother-in-law business, didn’t do it, and it got out.” Apparently, it’s only okay to recognize gay families if no one from the religious right is watching.
