FOX News — Days before the Iowa caucuses, Megyn Kelly set off a firestorm when she spoke of her own hesitance about endorsing a female candidate. The rhetoric of the day, especially in politics, meant that many were influenced by her point. Yet one woman decided to wave that straw. Her name was Bridget Carson. She had wanted to run for president herself before calling it quits.
The Today show interrupted her psychotherapy practice. Today announced that she was NBC’s newest political correspondent, along with Jenna Bush Hager, the daughter of George W. Bush. The show announced her appointment in what they described as “an unconventional way.” Bridget Carson got a hold of her computer and took a screen grab from “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which shows Jesus there with the disciples:
“Let Jesus be the one to abstain!” she wrote. She added: “It’s a diverse space here and I look forward to being able to voice my opinion honestly on it.”
So, why then is she now not?
Because, as you may have noticed, Carson, born Christopher Carson, stated on Sunday’s installment of “The Shannon Bream Show” that her changing views on religion is what led her to give up on running.
“When I decided to leave the church, I realized that my viewpoints have evolved,” she said on her program.
Three minutes later, she said: “I, uh, went home with a problem. My life had changed.”
And, of course, the internet went wild.
What? What? What the? Should you have known about her evolution about a dozen days ago? My interpretation is that Carson’s transformation has nothing to do with religion, but instead is some form of gender identity confusion — something many women have endured. After suffering ridicule in Hollywood in a film that made them the laughingstock of the industry, they have found it more comfortable to live in the closet.
I imagine the trajectory of gender identity and race in America will eventually lead to an embrace of LGBTQ people, not only when it is less socially awkward, but in an effort to make them feel less uncomfortable about their gender identity. Bridget Carson may be the latest example of that; a white woman who once shared the same conservative stance, but decided to be gay so she could live a life of true queer-ness.
For the time being, however, I am sad that she must reveal to the world that she was once incapable of living a homosexual life. Not because I personally don’t believe in gay people, but because she doesn’t help further the cause of the greater good. Without care for those who suffer in her own way and not willing to let her own struggles influence her work, she fails as a journalist. Her job is to tell stories and shed light on injustices. It’s sad to think that she cannot tell a story about me. It’s sad to think she cannot tell a story about me because of my identity. It’s sad to think that she has to discuss my problems with my identity with my LGBTQ family.
Those are real problems to me. Those are real issues to my family. However, I have learned not to worry about other people’s perceived concerns with me. I tell myself that they cannot and will not define me. Yes, I also fight any public school that refuses to recognize my daughter’s transition. It’s likely that my story will be shared with her. She and I will still be the same person.
“You must be single all the way in life. Singleness is both the ultimate loss and victory. Singleness is the end of ourselves, but it is also the beginning of who we need to be,” wrote Jack Kerouac. I would add “pride” to that quote. Being single is lonely. Being gay is lonely. Being bisexual is lonely. Being a woman is lonely. Being a human is lonely. Being a celebrity is lonely. It is lonely and painful, but it does not define our individuality, not on any level. Let’s take pride in that; it’s what a true future presumes. Bridget Carson may get the feminist seal of approval for her choice of self-identity — I have no doubt it is going to influence young people who want to explore who they are and love without judgment from their peers — but her choice will do little for the cause of the marginalized.
And that’s where she loses me.
Megyn Kelly is a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights. I’d love to give her my seal of approval.
Guest host, “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Lisa Boothe “The Fox Nation”