- Mary Cheney
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Mary Cheney 
Mary CheneyBorn March 14, 1969
U.S.Children Samuel David Cheney
Sarah Lynne CheneyParents Dick Cheney
Lynne CheneyMary Claire Cheney (born March 14, 1969) is the second daughter of Dick Cheney, the former Vice President of the United States, and his wife, Lynne Cheney. She is openly lesbian, has voiced support for same-sex marriage, and has been credited with encouraging her father to support same-sex marriage as well. [1]
Contents
Early life
Cheney attended McLean High School in McLean, Virginia, graduating in the class of 1987. Following that, she attended Colorado College, her mother's alma mater, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and graduated in 1991. She earned a graduate business degree from the University of Denver in 2002.
Career
In 1993, she became one of the first employees of the Colorado Rockies baseball team, working in Promotions when the team began playing in Denver.[2] Thereafter, she was a Public Relations Manager for the Coors Brewing Company and worked as a Gay and Lesbian Outreach Coordinator, helping to end a national gay boycott of Coors.[3]
She has been one of her father's top campaign aides and closest confidantes. In July 2003, she became the Director of Vice Presidential Operations for the Bush-Cheney 2004 Presidential re-election campaign.
Cheney is a Vice President for Consumer Advocacy at AOL.[4]
Personal life
Mary Cheney has been in a long-term relationship with Heather Poe, a former Park Ranger and UPS Manager.[5] In December 2006, Cheney was reported to be pregnant with her first child.[6] On April 4, 2007 Dick Cheney reported that he was expecting a grandson. "I'm looking forward to the arrival of a new grandson."[4] On May 23, 2007, Mary Cheney gave birth to Samuel David Cheney in Washington, D.C.[7] In October 2009, Cheney was reported to be pregnant with her second child.[8] Mary Cheney delivered her second child, Sarah Lynne Cheney, November 19, 2009.[9] Cheney, Poe, and their children currently live in Great Falls, Virginia.
2000 Presidential campaign
In 2000, the Bush-Cheney Presidential campaign freely discussed Elizabeth Cheney's marriage and children, but they treated Mary Cheney's private life as off-limits.[3] Nevertheless, Cheney's sexual orientation was publicly known, and some considered her presence during the campaign as bolstering, providing the Republican ticket with a "compassionate conservative" image.[10] During an interview with Lynne Cheney, Cokie Roberts brought up the topic of Mary Cheney's having declared herself a lesbian. Mrs. Cheney responded by stating that her daughter had "declared no such thing,"[11] and criticized Roberts and the media for their interest in the story.[11]
In 2002, Cheney joined the Republican gay-straight alliance Republican Unity Coalition and said that sexual orientation should be "a non-issue for the Republican Party," with a goal of "equality for all gay and lesbian Americans."[12] Cheney resigned from the RUC's board and in July 2003 became the director of vice presidential operations for the Bush-Cheney 2004 Presidential re-election campaign.[10]
Federal Marriage Amendment
In 2004, public attention focused again on Cheney's sexuality when the Bush administration supported the Federal Marriage Amendment, a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would limit marriage to heterosexual couples and also ban civil unions and domestic partnership benefits. Cheney did not publicly express her opinion of the amendment at the time. In her 2006 autobiography Now It's My Turn, Cheney stated her opposition to the amendment. However, at the time, she remained silent to support Bush's re-election bid. In August 2004, Dick Cheney reiterated the position he took in the 2000 Presidential campaign: that the issue should be handled by individual state governments. He added, though, that Bush determined his administration's policies and his policy supported the Federal Marriage Amendment.[13]
2004 Presidential re-election campaign
During the 2004 Presidential re-election campaign for the Bush-Cheney administration during which Cheney served as her father's director of vice presidential operations, the subject of her sexual orientation arose again.
Both Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and vice-presidential candidate John Edwards mentioned and praised Cheney's openness with regard to her sexual orientation when questioned regarding gay issues. Some commentators viewed these remarks as a cynical appeal to residual homophobia among blue-collar voters in key swing states.[14]
The 2004 presidential election debates included mentions of the same-sex marriage debate and referred, initially indirectly, to Cheney.
During the Cheney-Edwards Vice-Presidential Debate, moderator Gwen Ifill asked a question to the Vice President in which his daughter was indirectly mentioned:
“ I want to read something you said four years ago at this very setting: 'Freedom means freedom for everybody.' You said it again recently when you were asked about legalizing same-sex unions. And you used your family's experience as a context for your remarks. Can you describe then your administration's support for a constitutional ban on same-sex unions?[15] ” Dick Cheney reiterated his position of four years prior, stating the issue should be left to the states but that he supports the Bush administration. He did not mention his family nor his daughter in his immediate response to the question. In response, Edwards said:
“ I think the vice president and his wife love their daughter. I think they love her very much. And you can't have anything but respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter, the fact that they embrace her. It's a wonderful thing. And there are millions of parents like that who love their children, who want their children to be happy. ” Although he was given 90 seconds to respond to Edwards' comments, Dick Cheney responded succinctly, "Well, Gwen, let me simply thank the senator for the kind words he said about my family and our daughter. I appreciate that very much." Ms. Ifill followed up: "That's it?" The vice president replied, "That's it," effectively ending the discussion of his daughter's sexual orientation.[15] At the end of the debate, Mary Cheney appeared on the podium with her partner and the rest of the family.
During the third and final Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate, moderator Bob Schieffer asked, "Do you believe homosexuality is a choice?" John Kerry replied, "If you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as."[16] This prompted an angry response from Dick Cheney, who stated, "You saw a man who will say and do anything in order to get elected. And I am not just speaking as a father here, though I am a pretty angry father."[17]
2006 interviews and autobiography
Mary Cheney left the public spotlight after the 2004 election until May 4, 2006, when she gave an interview with Diane Sawyer for ABC News' Primetime program.[18] Cheney did the interview to garner publicity for her autobiography titled Now It's My Turn. In the biography, Cheney discusses how she came out to her parents, noting her father's initial reaction: "You know, look, you're my daughter and I love you and I just want you to be happy." She also discusses her relationship with her partner, Heather Poe.
Gay rights advocates criticized her for waiting until after the 2004 election to voice her disapproval of George W. Bush's positions on gay rights. Noted gay columnist Dan Savage referred to her in his column as a "useless dyke." During Mary Cheney's May 19, 2006, appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Letterman addressed some of the issues raised by the gay community. He questioned Cheney on why she waited two years after the 2004 election to speak publicly about gay marriage and rights. He also asked whether she had any input on her father's administration regarding gay issues. Cheney responded that she did not, and that it is not her job to do so.[19]
Pregnancies and births of children
In December 2006, Cheney was reported to be pregnant; circumstances surrounding the conception were not reported.[6] Cheney and Poe were said to be "ecstatic" about the baby, due in late spring 2007. "The vice president and Mrs. Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation to the arrival of their sixth grandchild," spokesman Lea Anne McBride said on December 5. Some conservatives were critical, however. The Concerned Women for America called the pregnancy "unconscionable."[20]
On January 31, 2007, in a forum by Glamour Magazine at Barnard College of Columbia University, Mary Cheney stated that: "This is a baby... This is a blessing from God. It is not a political statement. It is not a prop to be used in a debate by people on either side of an issue. It is my child."[21]
Cynthia Leive, the editor in chief of Glamour, asked Cheney if she had anything to say to critics like Dr. James Dobson. Cheney accused Dobson of distorting the research he cited and added: "Every piece of remotely responsible research that has been done in the last 20 years has shown there is no difference between children raised by same-sex parents and children raised by opposite-sex parents; what matters is being raised in a stable, loving environment." She also said that Dobson was entitled to his opinion, "but he's not someone whose endorsement I have ever drastically sought."[21]
Mary Cheney gave birth to her second child, daughter Sarah Lynne Cheney, on November 18, 2009.[22]
Bibliography
References
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110201/ts_yblog_theticket/breaking-with-her-father-barbara-bush-voices-support-for-gay-marriage
- ^ USA Today. (October 15, 2004) Cheney's gay daughter involved, but behind the political scenes USATODAY.com. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Cloud, John. (August 1, 2000) Why Nothing About Mary? CNN.com. Accessed May 28, 2007.
- ^ a b Perry, Simon. (April 5, 2007) Mary Cheney Expecting a Boy, Her Dad Reveals People.com. Accessed May 28, 2007.
- ^ "Cheney lesbian daughter pregnant". BBC News. December 7, 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6217056.stm.
- ^ a b Argetsinger, Amy; Roberts, Roxanne. (December 6, 2006) Mary Cheney and Partner Are About to Be Moms The Washington Post. Accessed May 28, 2007.
- ^ CNN. (May 23, 2007) Vice President Cheney's legacy grows by one grandchild The CNN Wire. Accessed May 29, 2007.
- ^ http://trueslant.com/kateklonick/2009/10/06/mary-cheney-pregnant-with-second-child/
- ^ http://trueslant.com/level/2009/11/19/mary-cheney-and-heather-poe-welcome-healthy-baby-daughter-into-the-world/
- ^ a b Miller, Mark; Rosenberg, Debra. (February 23, 2004) Something About Mary Newsweek. Accessed May 28, 2007.
- ^ a b Dave Cullen and Daryl Lindsey. (August 1, 2000) Gays blast Lynn Cheney's denial about her daughter Salon.com. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ Morman, Todd. (May 22, 2002) Gay Baiting with the N.C. GOP republicanunity.com. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ CNN. (August 25, 2004) Cheney describes same-sex marriage as state issue CNN.com. Accessed May 28, 2007.
- ^ Taranto, James (October 14, 2004) Opinionjournal.com Best of the Web. Accessed June 1, 2007.
- ^ a b Ifill, Gwen. (October 5, 2004) The Cheney-Edwards Vice Presidential Debate transcript Case Western Reserve University. Cleveland, Ohio. Accessed May 28, 2007.
- ^ Schieffer, Bob. (October 13, 2004) The Third Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate transcript Arizona State University. Tempe, Arizona. Accessed May 29, 2007.
- ^ CNN.com. (October 15, 2004) Spinning Semantics Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ Sawyer, Diane. (May 3, 2006) Mary Cheney Considered Quitting 2004 Campaign Over Gay Marriage Issue ABC News. Accessed May 28, 2007.
- ^ McIntee, Michael Z. (May 19, 2006) Late Show with David Letterman: The Wahoo Gazette, Show Recap: #2559 CBS.com. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ BBC News. (December 7, 2006) Cheney's lesbian daughter pregnant BBCNews.com. Accessed September 3, 2007
- ^ a b Mooney, Alexander. (February 1, 2007) Cheney's daughter: My baby 'is not a prop' CNN.com. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ ABC. (November 19, 2009) Cheneys Welcome Seventh Grandchild ABCNews.com. Accessed July 24, 2011
External links
- Mary Cheney's 2004 political involvement - from USA Today, October 15, 2004
- Hank Stuever (October 19, 2004). "What Everybody Doesn't Know About Mary Cheney". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43375-2004Oct18.html.
- Mary Cheney and guest Heather Poe, attendees at dinner in honor of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall - White House press release, Office of the First Lady, November 2, 2005
Categories:- 1969 births
- Cheney family
- University of Denver alumni
- American businesspeople
- LGBT people from the United States
- Living people
- Colorado College alumni
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