Mary Cheney Compares Drag to Blackface

The out daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney is apparently no fan of RuPaul.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

Read Full Bio

Neal Broverman

January 30 2015 6:32 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

Nbroverman

Sorry to interrupt...
But we wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading. Your support makes original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Help us hold Trump accountable.

One-time Monthly

$19.67 $50 Other

$5 $19.67 $50

Conservative icon Mary Cheney seems to believe drag and blackface are one in the same, according to a Facebook post of hers viewed by CNN.

"Why is it socially acceptable -- as a form of entertainment -- for men to put on dresses, make-up and high heels and act out every offensive stereotype of women (bitchy, catty, dumb, slutty, etc.) -- but it is not socially acceptable -- as a form of entertainment -- for a white person to put on blackface and act out offensive stereotypes of African Americans?" she asked. "Shouldn't both be OK or neither?"

Cheney made sure to draw a difference between transgender women and men who dress in women's clothing, according to CNN (the Facebook post is private).

Cheney, a one-time gay and lesbian outreach coordinator for the Coors Brewing Company, is no stranger to controversy. To the anger of many LGBT activists, she remained mum during the 2004 election when her father and President Bush campaigned for a federal marriage amendment that would have constitutionally banned same-sex marriage nationwide. And while Cheney, married to wife Heather Poe, obviously supports marriage equality, she donated $2,500 to marriage equality opponent and presidential candidate Mitt Romney in his 2012 campaign.