Mary Cheney expecting baby

Several news sources are reporting the the VP's daughter Mary and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe are expecting thier first child.

You may recall that the Vice President was put in an awkward position by the homophobic stylings of the President and his party; refusing to comment on his positions about gay rights. On gay marriage all he would say is that people "ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to" but refused to comment directly on the President's position.

It was a strange moment when during the debates, when Kerry brought his daughter up. Dick and Lynne were very angry about it. (But were not angry when Republican Alan Keyes a month earlier has called her a "selfish hedonist" for being a lesbian.) She was one of his advisors during the election and moved from Colorado to the east coast to be closer to her family there.

Conservatives have reacted with appropriate horror to the announcement:

• Janice Krause of the Concerned Women of America--"It's very disappointing that a celebrity couple like this would deliberately bring into the world a child that will never have a father."
• Carrie Earll of Focus on the Family--"Just because you can conceive a child outside a one-woman, one-man marriage doesn't mean it's a good idea. Love can't replace a mother and a father."

Sadly, some GLBT groups have also failed to react with support:

• Jennifer Chrisler of Family Pride--"Grandfather Cheney will no doubt face a lifetime of sleepless nights as he reflects on the irreparable harm he and his administration have done to the millions of American gay and lesbian parents and their children."

Thankfully, the HRC's Executive Director is reacting better--"Mary and Heather's decision to have a child is an example that families in America come in all different shapes and sizes. The bottom line is that a family is made up of love and commitment."

My own hope is that the kid grows up with love, which I'm sure it will (the family seems very close) and isn't exploited too much by either side until it's old enough to stand up for itself.