The New York Blade’s navel-gazing

So our fridge blew a fuse (or something) two days ago and, since I like my morning coffee with some milk, I had to go out and buy a cup of ‘regular’ from the neighbor deli instead of brewing some at home – and get back home before the refrigerator repairman came (yes, if others can navel-gaze, so can I). Saw the Blade’s box at 35^th Avenue and 75^th Street corner and picked up the spanking new issue with the “Blogstar Confidential” cover (a purported look at the city’s gay power bloggers – whoever they are).

Well, damn if I didn’t nearly spit out that first sip’o’java and not just because it was scolding hot: Just below the lead story graphic there was a photo of Fernando Ferrer and a title that read “Primary Results: Did gay votes matter?”

Lead sentence? “When the Democratic Primary smoke cleared, one thing was certain: Endorsements from gay political organizations seem to be the kiss of death when it comes to mayor.”

Huh? Was the Blade implying that Ferrer had no gay political club endorsements? That gay clubs didn’t pull enough muster to keep Ferrer out of the nomination’s reach? That gays didn’t help Ferrer capture the nomination? That Ferrer wasn’t a viable candidate for the LGBT community?

Well, actually: In the article, various political operatives are interviewed at some length about Anthony Weiner, Gifford Miller and C. Virginia Fields and the endorsements they got from LGBT political clubs - which the Blade alleges did not count for much (though they do quote someone as saying that without an exit poll it’s pretty hard to ascertain how gays voted anyway, club endorsement or no endorsement).

This being the lead article on the primary election you would think that they would also talk about the Ferrer campaign and why they won. Strangely enough, the article basically says nothing other than the fact he won (though Baruch College professor Douglas Muzzio is quoted as saying “all of the Democratic candidates for mayor had a legitimate claim to the gay vote”).

Finally, the article also fails to say that Ferrer was actually endorsed by the Out People of Color Political Action Club (OutPOCPAC), which sorta' coulda' gone against the grain of the article’s main argument which could have proven a bit inconvenient, wouldn’t you say?

This has not been Ferrer’s best campaign and the hope is that he can find the fire and clarity of vision in what is left until the general elections. But he does have some momentum on his side, a gay political club endorsement and gay voters who are willing to give him a chance come election day.

If anything, the article betrayed a lack of knowledge of Ferrer’s past history of support for the LGBT community, his long-standing support for same-sex marriage; the fact that while he was Bronx Borough President he hosted the first LGBT community services center at a Bronx city hall office; and that he was among the persons who initiated, supported and marched down the Grand Concourse for the Bronx’ first gay pride parade.

Or simply it betrays the Blade's on-going inability to cover anything or anyone that comes from any borough outside of Manhattan.