Professional tattoo artist et in Arcadia ego on the Rigorous Intuition Discussion Board calls our attention to this item from a conservative site.

Even worse, there are plans to change the Republican Party to make it just as Gay-friendly as the Democrats. If George Bush selling us out on illegal immigration isn’t bad enough, there’s more betrayal ahead. A recent article reports “Charles Francis, a homosexual activist and friend of President George W. Bush, regularly briefs Bush senior advisor Karl Rove on his group’s effort to end the GOP’s opposition to homosexuality, according to a National Journal report. Francis heads the Republican Unity Coalition (RUC), a year-old organization that seeks to make homosexuality a ‘non-issue’ in the Republican Party. The RUC has the backing of several prominent Republicans and Bush backers — including senior White House aide Mary Matalin, who is pictured prominently on the group’s Web site attending a 2000 fund-raiser for the Coalition. Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson (Wyoming) has taken a public role as the RUC’s honorary chairman, chastising Republicans who oppose homosexual behavior.”

So, Charles Francis is a "friend" of George W. Bush. Enquiring minds want to know: just how close a friend? Regular readers of this blog will perhaps remember my "Is George Bush Gay?" links section, which I eventually took down, as part of a largely unsuccessful attempt to get this blog out of the gutter. Still, the Bush administration does seem to be fairly gay-friendly for a conservative born-again administration. Ken Mehlman is widely believed to be gay. There have been rumors about Karl Rove. But the President--born again, conservative Republican, married with two daughters--he couldn't be, could he?

The Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas apparently does not rule it out, according to this story from 1998.

The oldest son of former president George Bush, the Texas governor has social and business connections to gay friends and colleagues that date back to his days as a Yale University undergrad. Indeed, gay men are a significant part of the society in which Bush travels.

Most of those people, however, remain in the closet, even though they are widely known to be gay. While Francis has gone public about his orientation, there are still some things he won't talk about. In an interview with The Advocate, Francis declined to speak in detail about his friendship with Bush, saying he did not "feel comfortable in the spotlight."