Bob Vander Plaats, head of the Iowa Family Leader, which is just about what youād expect from its name, has good news for all the heterosexuals out there. Being gay is a health threat, but itās not the same as second-hand smoke. As you may recall, Vander Plaats is the man behind the stop-gay-marriage pledge that all the GOP candidates rushed to endorse (except for Mitt Romney, who is apparently still trying to figure out how to have it both ways so that he can eventually reverse himself on yet another issue).
In a Q&A with Time, Vander Plaats was asked for the evidence for his past statement that being gay was a public health risk. āYouāre talking about how it was compared to second-hand smoking?ā Vander Plaats asked. āIt was never this organizationās intent to say that if Bob is gay and Alex is not, Bob is going to be a health risk to Alex.ā
Not the intent, perhaps, but definitely the effect.
Having established his credentials as a public health officer, Vander Plaats then goes on to suggest that gayness is connected to the national debt becauseā¦well, weāre not really sure why. Maybe all that stuff we bought at Barneyās was charged to the U.S. Government by mistake. Unfortunately, itās not the first time weāve heard that argument and given the way the GOP campaign is going, probably not the last.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
So whatās the scariest part of the Q&A with Vander Plaats? The headline: āBob Vander Plaats, Iowaās Social Conservative Kingmaker.ā Given the role that Iowa plays in the GOP campaign calendar, Vander Plaats will have an outsized say in who gets a boost to the nomination. As the Iowa caucuses draw nearer, expect a lot of ring-kissing (and kissing elsewhere) from the candidates.
Photo viaĀ wikimedia commons
Wies
dear idiot, welcome on planet earth! beware of verbal lynching! š
Curtis
Mitt Romney wasn’t the only GOP candidate not to sign the pledge. Ron Paul also didn’t sign it. But, going by all the snarky ass comments you and your staff have made about Dr. Paul in the past, I’m not surprised you left him out. Do you secretly work for Fox News? Is this blog owned by Rupert Murdoch?
Michael in San Jose
The question should be is It Safe for Us to Inhale Next to hate mongers who’s sole purpose in life is to stir up hate and discontent. Doesn’t sound like the teaching of Jesus to me seems more in line with the evil one. Go figure!
TMikel
Vander Plaats is a disgrace to the fine state of Iowa and does NOT speak for the majority of Iowans. The man is a benighted troglodyte and misogynist. One wonders what scared his mommy when she was pregnant to have his see so many boogey men all around him. Or was there a scount counselor or coach who took a “special interest” in little Bobby to make him turn out so hateful?