Kennedy: Still not really an option because his kids were so young. I guess if one showed very early tendencies the family might send them off to Aunt Rose's fate.
Hmm... Definitely a bad mark on JFK's image...
LBJ: Talk about unpredictable. My guess is he bans them from the White House, adds the flak to the pile, but reconciles as soon as he's out of office. Very likely to go to work for gay rights early, probably advancing the cause.
Yeah... I agree with you there.
Nixon: Could cost him the election no matter how he plays it. If he's in office and it happens, he will count on the goodwill of the press to bury the story and they will probably comply. This is actually true of anyone up through Nixon; the press is going to be very accommodating. But post-Nixon the jadedness sets in and nobody gets a pass.
Yep. Nixon could get away with it if he's in office.
Ford: Probably tries for the "no comment" approach but gay rights gets a high-profile ally anyway. People are already uncertain after Watergate and just want to get through the next two years without anything falling off the country. So probably fairly low-impact, all things considered. Ford doesn't win the nomination in '76.
And Reagan goes down to Carter, I think...
Carter: I would hope for better from Carter, but my gut tells me that he's friends with Billy Graham who's friends with some even more unsavory types. I'm guessing they go full-on "gay conversion" on the kid with very unpredictable results. Maybe they can pull off the act for a few years and send all the wrong messages to the world about homosexuality. Maybe it doesn't work and we see a stronger focus on the human rights aspect of homosexuality.
Yes. Carter would be despised by LGBT people, of course...
Reagan: So media slick and probably unwilling to play the dour role of the lordly father, banning his deviant son or daughter. I'm guessing we see the Cheney approach. "I love my daughter privately but don't condone her activities." And in the meantime we might actually get some earlier official support on the right for the position that people are born gay, heck, maybe even some legislative support when it comes to hate crimes.
Hmm... Could be positive.
Bush I: Similar to Reagan with more likelihood of an "evolving" position post-presidency.
Yeah.
Clinton: Stereotyping makes me think he'll do everything cosmetic and nothing concrete to support gay rights. But if Congress sends him DOMA...I just can't see him being that cold-hearted. But if he makes it personal, we could see more Democrats break ranks to overturn the veto. Could be a more vocal proponent of civil rights and non-discrimination but marriage is still going to be an issue for the states. Incidentally Hillary would probably have come on-board a lot sooner. They might even use their media presence to walk a middle line; Hillary clearly pro-gay rights, Bill doing some exploring.
True. Bill would be careful...
Bush II: Compassionate conservatism would encompass a more nuanced Cheney position. If both Bush and Cheney have gay children on the ticket, I think we have a massive issue during his term. I think if the kid is anything like his OTL daughters the paparazzi makes homosexuality a daily presence in the White House briefing room. He probably supports all of the same stuff as Clinton with Laura occasionally out-flanking him on the left with support for marriage. And we could see the president actually go to a gay wedding ITTL while in office. Big split in the anti-gay movement results. If the gay movement doesn't split, he could lose the '04 election, as gay rights were a primary social fear his team used to win the election IOTL.
Hmm... Definitely a better image for Bush. He would be remembered better than OTL.
Obama: Obama's ATL gay kid is unlikely to be of consenting age, but we could see ramped up support for gay rights a little sooner.
He could come out in favor earlier?