Thirty years ago, Russia (in the form of the Soviet Union) was the evil empire to conservatives who railed against its godless Communism. My, how times change.
Today, Russia is the beloved of the religious right because it has embraced the right’s homophobia and its spokespeople with open arms. Virtually the entire who’s who of who’s nuts has been shouting from the rooftops how much they love the repressive, totalitarian regime of President Vladimir Putin because he hates gays as much as the American right does. Here is a rundown of some of the most egregious examples:
Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association appeared on Voice of Russia, the state-sponsored radio network, as an expert in all things gay. “Russia is not being homophobic, it’s homorealistic ,” Fischer declared. “The Russian government is trying to take the issue into consideration and establish public policy to contribute to public health, as this lifestyle is not to be promoted, endorsed or granted special legal protection.”
Bill Owens, religious liaison for the National Organization for Marriage, emailed the Coalition of African-American Pastors to “applaud Russia for taking a stand for children” and for “attempting to stem the tide of moral decay in ‘their’ country.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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In a column, Pat Buchanan praised Putin’s crackdown on the LGBT community as proof that the country was returning to its religious roots. “Putin is trying to re-establish the Orthodox Church as the moral compass of the nation it had been for 1,000 years before Russia fell captive to the atheistic and pagan ideology of Marxism.” Buchanan added, “Anyone ever heard anything like that from the Post, the Times or Barack Hussein Obama?”
Writing on the Daily Caller website, Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, goes out of his way to insist the Russians are just trying to protect children and that really, everything else is just hunky dory. “Right now you can Google “Gay Moscow” and see a few dozen bars and restaurants and dance clubs that cater openly to a gay clientele,” Ruse proclaims. “Putin is not shutting them down and when Harvey Fierstein visits for the Olympics, he can visit them all without fear.”
And let’s not forget (try as we might) Scott Lively, the Johnny Appleseed of homophobia. Years before he helped foment anti-gay fever in Uganda, Lively conducted a 50-city tour of Russia to warn of the perils of the lavender menace. In an open letter to the Russian people released when he completed the tour, in 2007, Lively predicted that Russia could become a model of “pro-family values.”
“If this were to occur, I believe people from the West would begin to emigrate to Russia in the same way that Russians used to emigrate to the United States and Europe,” Lively said.
As much as we would love Scott et al to become Muscovites, we don’t want to contribute any more pain to our LGBT family in Putinland. All we can do is apologize for the U.S. making homophobia its main export to Russia.
Jared MacBride
Wonder which of these clowns would be the first one picked up with a rent boy and a Moscow shakedown/sting operation.
hephaestion
Foolish Scott Lively thinks Russia is becoming the ultimate “pro-family” country thanks to its suppression of gays. I wonder what he’ll say when he realizes that the average Russian woman has 10 abortions in her lifetime?
Polaro
Now we just need to make sure their comments in Russia are publicized in the US to make sure everyone knows what these sniveling organizations and people tied to the republican party are really about.
2eo
You can tell the quality of a law by the standard of people who loves it.
Daniel-Reader
Hundreds of millions of people now know who the top human rights violators are in this situation who are harming gay children.
BJ McFrisky
Do you guys even read what you write? “All we can do is apologize for the U.S. making homophobia our main export to Russia.”
What? Seriously? We’re exporting homophobia to Russia? Um, isn’t it the other way around? Isn’t Russia the homophobic one? With this logic, I suppose killing Bin Laden was the U.S.’s way of exporting Islamophobia to Pakistan, right?
Stop blaming the U.S. for all the world’s ills. That tired old trope got old back in the 60s.
Jayson
Just another day at the Harper Valley P.T.A.
ChiChi Man
Yet none of these conservatives mention the rampant prostitution and sex trafficking in Russia. Surprise!
erasure25
…and these people call us communists? Next thing, they’ll be saluting with their arm outstretched and slightly raised (and still call Obama “Hitler”).
2eo
@erasure25: Erm.. they already do in Russia, the orthodox christian church has recently adopted fascism as its core tenet.
Mr-DJ
Already knew they were Neo-Nazis, but if they are proud to “come out” and shout it from the rooftops, more power to them. Maybe they’ll even have thier own little pride parade. Haven’t seen the ‘goose-step’ in a while anyway!
Charli Girl
Pat buttcannon…Putin would like to put it in!!! BAHAHAHA
pauleky
@BJ McFrisky: Wow – someone has reading comprehension issues. I believe the author was talking about the people in the article, not the U.S. as a whole. In your zeal to, again, rip Queerty a new one, you’ve overshot on this one.
deanpierce
I think they should spend a few days in Russia…if they really like it, pack up and move. I’ll throw the ‘good-riddance’ party after their flight departs.
Billysees
@BJ McFrisky: 6
Good comment —
” Stop blaming the U.S. for all the world’s ills. That tired old trope got old back in the 60s. “
Billysees
Hatred has a way of making itself appear worthy.
It’ll take a while before the kinds of comments in the article will be no more.
scoobydube
Of all the people named in this article I only recognize Pat Buchanan’s name, the others have ‘escaped’ my ‘radar’. It’s ‘nice’ to know that that NEANDERTHAL Buchanan is STILL out there and doing what he does BEST; namely making a complete IDIOT of himself. By ALL means let’s send him on a ‘fact finding mission’ and have him ‘report’ what he finds. A SIX months tour WOULD be nice. FIRST STOP: SIBERIA ROTFLMFAO ……..