In its heart, the GOP establishment knows that it needs to change its views on LGBT issues, and young Republicans really know that the party has to change its views. At this point, silence would be a step forward. A few Republicans, mostly governors who see marriage equality as inevitable, have taken that route.
But does the rest of the party follow their example? Nooooo. What we get instead is an endless series of moronic outbursts by Republicans intent on proving the party can be as homophobic as ever. Here are five recent nutty statements that prove that the party would make a quantum leap forward if it could just keep its collective trap shut.
1. There are no gays in heaven. Rep. Steve King, who has already warned America that gay marriage breeds socialism, has applied his massive intellect to matters theological and come to the conclusion that there are no gay people in heaven. King, who thinks he has a more direct line to God than the pope, was asked by an Iowa paper for his view on the Vatican synod that flirted with the idea that gay people might actually be human. King, of course, disagrees.
“I think that I’ll not comment on that part,” King told the Jefferson Herald. “I’ll just say that what was a sin 2,000 years ago is a sin today, and people that were condemned to hell 2,000 years ago, I don’t expect to meet them should I make it to heaven. So let’s stick with that principle.”
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.
Good thing that King made his entrance into heaven conditional. We wouldn’t want to take bets on it.
2. Same-sex massages worked in ancient Greece, but not in today’s military. Rep. Louis Gohmert, another of the supernovas in today’s GOP, is still arguing for the return of the ban on gays in the military by resorting to an interpretation of history that would embarrass most middle-schoolers.
“I’ve had people say, ‘Hey, you know, there’s nothing wrong with gays in the military. Look at the Greeks,'” Gohmert said during a radio interview. “Well, you know, they did have people come along who they loved that was the same sex and would give them massages before they went into battle. But you know what, it’s a different kind of fighting, it’s a different kind of war and if you’re sitting around getting massages all day ready to go into a big, planned battle, then you’re not going to last very long.”
We could argue that last point.
Gohmert did acknowledge that “people have said, ‘Louie, you have got to understand, you don’t even know your history.’ Oh, yes, I do.”
Oh, no, you don’t.
3. The South should secede from the Union and establish a gay-free republic. Douglas MacKinnon, an advisor to President Reagan in the ’80s (the 1980s, just to be clear), thinks the proper response to the spread of marriage equality is for Southern states to split from the Union and form a “traditional values country.” As a reminder, this didn’t go so well for the South the last time they tried it, although MacKinnon believes that the Confederate states left the Union “legally,” and it was just that nasty old Abraham Lincoln who made everything so difficult.
“If you happen to make a donation in favor of traditional marriage, you can lose your job,” MacKinnon said during a radio interview. “If you happen to refuse to bake a cake for a gay couple because it goes against your religious beliefs, you can be driven out of business. If you’re a football commentator and you happen to just say, innocently, that you know maybe I wouldn’t have drafted a gay football player because I wouldn’t want to deal with the distraction, many people on the left will try to drive you out of your job as well.”
MacKinnon, who has written a book promoting this very idea (for want of a better word), has the perfect name for the new country: “Reagan.”
Memo to MacKinnon: your country’s namesake wasn’t quite the paragon of homophobia that you think he was, so apparently he wouldn’t rate citizenship in the nation named after him.
4. We’re gremlins. South Carolina GOP nominee Ron Culler believes God asked him to run for Congress. God also apparently asked him to prove his idiocy by making nonsensical comparisons between gays and Gremlins. In a Facebook post that is a triumph of twisted syntax, Culler went for the most obscure argument against marriage equality ever.
“Do not buy the ‘cuteness’ and ‘What will it hurt?’ arguments whispered in your ears and marketed to our children,” he scribed. “Same-sex couples that seek to destroy our way of life and the institution of marriage are NOT cute and cuddly but rather (for those of you that are old enough to remember the movie), Gremlins that will only destroy our way of life.”
The kindest interpretation of Culler’s remarks is that he has a Zach Galligan crush.
5. The answer to the gay agenda is to flee Michigan. Jordan Haskins is a 24-year-old Republican running for an open seat in the state House of Representatives. He is so adamantly opposed to all things gay that he thinks homophobes should leave the state in protest.
“If the state wants to trample religious freedom, we go somewhere else where our values are welcome,” Haskins wrote on Facebook. “Michigan loses tax money, economic performance, jobs, etc. if they choose to be entrenched with the homosexual agenda, it’s time for conservative christians (sic) to vote with their feet and their dollars.”
Two problems with that idea: where would they go? And if they did go, who would vote for Haskins? (Okay, maybe that last one isn’t such a problem.)
Haskins is a unique candidate, even by today’s GOP standards. He has a felony conviction for breaking into cars at the Saginaw County Mosquito Control for purposes of sexual satisfaction.
“Jordan would remove the spark plug wires and sit in the car and masturbate while the motor was sparking and making noises,” according to a police report.
The kid has a bright future ahead of him in today’s GOP.
Photo credit: t0msk
Virge
I’m in one of the most conservative states and can can tell you for sure that at the grass roots level except for the fringemental christians things are changing fast. ONLY one candidate so far has mentioned gay marriage in a speech before this election and since word came out that if they decide to take their ban on marriage to the Supreme court and lose they’ll end up having to pay close to 10 million to the pro gay legal team… people are taking a new look at the issue and saying it’s not worth that much money to make a fuss over. It should be legal here before summer with or without the Supreme Court.
It was just a matter of hitting them in the pocketbook.
Also the fundamentalists are really losing their ground FAST. I’ll try to come back with stats and links about it.
Cam
You can’t have a national party be successful when the theme of the party seems to be that there is no room for anybody different. They are attacking regular republicans calling them RINO’s (Republicans in Name Only) if anybody deviates from anything.
So if they keep doing that the party will continue to shrink and eventually become a permanent minority party.
1EqualityUSA
How many of tees guys are being support by Mark Zuckerberg?
1EqualityUSA
These…I have two dogs in my lap
CoachS
I believe in small government, lower taxes, more accountability in government, a stronger military – all those good Republican values. I also believe in a clean environment and keeping government out of the matchmaking business. I left my Republican affiliation behind about 6 years ago. Couldn’t stand sitting in meetings with people like King, Gohmert, and MacKinnon. I don’t know the other two but those three are the kind of people that have made us northeastern Republicans extinct.
Cam
@CoachS:
I know, and the problem is, that you can’t find any GOP member of Congress that believes in accountability, and as for smaller govt. tripling the military expenses while not having any change in troop size shows that much of the budget is a taxpayer giveaway and trying to have the govt. regulate and force prayer into schools mandating religious bigotry etc… all go against smaller govt. So much of the party doesn’t even subscribe to what they claim are their own values anymore.
AtticusBennett
amen. to all the gay republicans out there – wise up, “your way” of changing hearts and minds has not worked. at all. as long as you support the people who hate you, they will never be forced to come around. wake up, grow some balls, and invest in a spine.
CoachS
@Cam: And therein lies the problem these days. The wing nut Republicans have forced the debate out to the edges. It’s happened on the other side of the aisle too. Unfortunately, money and volunteer hours in campaigns are driven by activists… and activists operate at the ends of the spectrum. Those of us that put the “center” in “center-right” or “center-left” have long given up party loyalties. It certainly doesn’t help bring sanity to DC… so people like the five above become the poster children for a broken system.
CoachS
@AtticusBennett: We’ve had this discussion on here before. My problem is that I’m solidly in the center. The other team hates me – not because of who I sleep with… but because of the other stuff I believe in. Irony is there are a lot like me out there; people without a political “home”.
AtticusBennett
@CoachS:
that’s not my problem. oh darn, you side with the people who continue to work to oppress you. i don’t have that problem, because i’m not a complete idiot.
CoachS
@AtticusBennett: Nooo… you’re just a guy who likes to call people names apparently. Let me tell you what a complete idiot actually is: a person who votse AGAINST 80% of his or her interests for the sake of 20% of his or her interests. An immeasurable ego maniacal idiot is the person who doesn’t believe in the fact that there are acceptable ways of thinking other than their own. Actually it’s the politicians who support my right to marry another dude that tend to really oppress me by trying to spend the money that I earn as THEY see fit. Yeah Iknow… I know… anonymous and all that. I’ve heard it all before from you.
AtticusBennett
yeah, well, if the cowardly dumbass shoe fits…..
like i said, i see your problem, but it’s not a problem i have because unlike you i’m not a complete idiot with no testicles.
lower taxes for whom? the middle and working class? nope. the GOP favours only lower taxes for the wealthiest americans. ten bucks says you’re not one of them, and never will be.
“smaller government”? you mean like a government so small it can fit into a woman’s vagina and seek to deny her right to choose, or force her to undergo an invasive and unnecessary ultrasound before allowed her to terminate an unwanted pregnancy? or government so small it comes into your home, into your bedroom, into your church, and tells you that you cannot marry simply because enough Right Wing Bigots have a belief that is different from yours?
your problem is not that you have other interests, your problem is that (like most of your kind) you have no actual idea what you’re talking about
but like i said, i don’t have that problem. because i’m not a complete idiot.
CoachS
@AtticusBennett: Maybe the reason that you are so hell bent on others and our anonymity is because your ego is the size of a small nation and us being public would justify your over saturation of the airspace?
Idiots are people who cling to a single minded view of the world. I get that you have a hard time accepting your awful childhood and all the ridicule that you took from bullies… but unlike you, I am not a victim or mindless.
Yes. Stopping anyone from terminating third trimester pregnancy? That’s something I believe in.
Yes. Letting people who make a million bucks a year keep more than 3/5ths of that? Check.
Marriage equality is something I have dedicated time and money to. I have NEVER been represented by or voted for a Republican who would deny me that right.
YOUR problem is that you have no intention of engaging in dialogue – you only want to browbeat people as you regurgitate your tired old manifesto. It’s funny you mention oppression frequently. YOU are the oppressor on here. When someone has an opinion that contradicts your own psychologically tweaked view of the world, you attempt to get them to go away by calling them names. A bully by any other definition….
I am, in my own small part of the world, out and public. Unlike you, I don’t wish to receive more than my allotted 15 minutes of fame.I’ve tried to watch your “videos”. Really dude – I wanted to be a fan. Truth is, despite your own view of the “self”, you bore me. Go away. Your hour and 15 is up.
AtticusBennett
that was lovely, you proved me right. you don’t know what you’re talking about.
CoachS
@AtticusBennett: And you proved me right by trying to have the last word… and no real supported opinion. Blah blah blah. AtticusBennett flops his lips with the keyboard again. As Gomer Pyle would say: “Surprise… surprise… suuurrrprissse”.
Aires the Ram
I was born & raised into a very conservative Republican family in a very Republican state in the mid-west. I came to understand some 10 years or so ago, that the true Republican party of my Grandparents and Parents, and what I thought was mine, didn’t exist any more. The OLD Republican party was indeed for less taxes, strong foreign policy/military, getting gov’t out of our lives, etc etc, but some 25 years or so ago, the party was taken over by the Southern Baptists of the Jerry Falwell ilk, and other radical conservatives. The republicans catered to them to win elections then, because it was an “in” to win the South, which it had never done since the end of the Civil War. Sadly enough, the bible-clutching nutcases got more and more influence within the “Republican” party, and transformed it into what you see today, which is in my opinion nothing more than a mouthpiece supporting a Theocracy. Never mind the Constitutional implications of THAT.
I now live in the Northeast in a blue state, and for the last 10 years or so I have voted straight-ticket Democrat, no matter what. I don’t always agree with the Democrats, but I will not vote for a party of bible-clutching idiots who want me and my brothers/sisters dead. I miss the OLD Republican party, but it is gone, thrown into the dustbin of history.
Charli Girl
@Virge: what state are you in?
Saint Law
@CoachS: Ooh somebody got stung!
CoachS
@Saint Law: Much stung… really…. Why can’t anyone have an adult dialogue with facts and graphs and a small bit of sanity on here?
unreligious
Well Joedan certainly gives new meaning to the term autoeroticism. Strange that he would get so bent out of shape, over others sexual practices.
tjr101
I would love nothing more than seeing the GOP continue to oppose same-sex marriage and gay rights. I hate the GOP and would love to see it become a small regional party were it eventually dies. There is nothing, fiscally responsible with that party. It’s a party for the straight, rich white male.
E T
@AtticusBennett: There’s nothing more manly than being polite, so since you brought up testicles, you might try giving it a shot. He doesn’t even align himself with today’s conservatives, so you’re putting words in his mouth. The problem isn’t that he’s a Republican (because he isn’t) – it’s that he isn’t marching lockstep in YOUR version of democratic politics (which is actually fascism, not democracy). I am a liberal democrat, which means that I want everybody’s voice to be a part of the picture – I don’t understand the need to force others to share your opinion. But, we’ve had this conversation before, and I don’t suspect it’ll go any better this time around.
teddy55
@CoachS: you’re nuts.
E T
@CoachS: To clarify, what specific era do you feel Republicanism was good?
Also, are you pro-life? Or was that only about third trimester pregnancies? I’ll assume the latter for now. Personally, I believe that the medical community should be responsible for determining where to drawn the lines. I would expect that this falls in line with your desire for smaller government, anyways.
I think it’s important to note that women have historically had their bodies regulated and controlled by men. And that’s where womens rights intersect with LGBT rights, as we, too, have a history of having our bodies controlled by men. Anyways, that’s just my two cents for now.
aliengod
@CoachS: I share your beliefs regarding government. I’m neither Democrat or Republican. I suppose I align more with Libertarian or Independent. So many LGB people blindly align themselves with the Democrat party based solely on their beliefs with LGB issues. You’ll find that it’s a waste of time attempting to argue with people such as @AtticusBennett or @Saint Law. Their lives completely revolve around being gay; it’s what makes them. I have trouble relating to that sort of mentality because my life doesn’t revolve around the fact that I’m gay. There are bigger issues for me than my sexuality.
SteveDenver
Haskins — not to be mistaken for a very handsome musical theater actor from Pittsburgh — looks fat and mean with horrible dental hygiene… a young male version of Maggie Gallagher.
Kangol
@aliengod:
“So many LGB people blindly align themselves with the Democrat party based solely on their beliefs with LGB issues.”
First, it’s the Democratic Party.
So LGBTQ people are supposed to align themselves with the GOP, which has had a terrible, horrible, embarrassingly bad record on LGBTQ rights and issues? Or the Libertarian Party and people like Rand Paul, who as soon as the anti-gay nuts start crowing turns on a dime and supports anti-gay legislation?
You may have “bigger issues” than your sexuality, but if for work or family issues or both you have to move to a US state where you could be fired for being gay or even being thought to be gay, being denied housing, being denied custody of your children (which you may or may not have), etc., and so on, do those bigger issues trump your sexual orientation?
Danny
Politicians of both parties pander to the prejudices of their constituencies;it’s just what they DO. If they don’t, they don’t get re-elected. That said, more GOP pols do seem to make worse statements about LGBT issues than do Dem pols, but they are playing to a different base. Remember, it was only a couple of years ago that President Obama was still “evolving” on marriage equality (meaning, the polls were not there yet). I don’t THINK a new constitutional amendment passed since then to invalidate DOMA (Initially introduced in May 1996, DOMA passed both houses of Congress by large, veto-proof majorities and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in September 1996), which CLEARLY was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment AND Article 4 of the Constitution, “Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.”
Just give the Republican pols a few more years, and those who don’t “evolve” will be defeated, problem solved.
CoachS
@E T: Thanks. Refreshing to see someone who welcomes the discussion as opposed to repeating a mantra. I am pro-choice first trimester, case by case second trimester, vehemently against late term abortions. I certainly don’t subscribe to the religious “life at conception” ideal… but, at some point the life becomes viable and the discussion becomes about “regulating” the baby’s life rather than regulating a woman’s body.
@teddy55: Is that “nuts” as in caring about my bank account as much as my love life is odd to you… or “nuts” as in I’m expecting a civil discussion on Queerty? Both perhaps?
@aliengod: Yes… I’ve had discussions with both gentlemen before. I feel like I’m in the movie “Groundhog Day”. I’ve been described as “having a very strong Libertarian streak” before myself.
@Danny: Totally agree. Two choices for the Republican Party… or any other business brand for that matter: Adapt to the market or perish. I can see signs of adaptation… and shake my head at those who would rather die on their own shield.
Cam
@CoachS: said….. “@AtticusBennett: Nooo… you’re just a guy who likes to call people names apparently. Let me tell you what a complete idiot actually is: a person who votse AGAINST 80% of his or her interests for the sake of 20% of his or her interests.”
__________________________
The problem with your Statement to Atticus, Coach is that you are making an equivalence between being allowed to live and having human rights, with people who pass sidewalk zoning regulations that you like.
That other stuff that you claim is 80% of your interests that you claim that GOP supports, is meaningless if the part that you consider the 20% doesn’t exist. i.e. lower taxes don’t mean anything to you if you can be legally fired for being gay, and landlords can legally deny you housing, and Real Estate Agents can deny you and a partner a contract on a house.
So again, the right to live, work, and legally be in a joint financial relationship with another person is really the ability to live here in this country and function. Claiming that that is somehow smaller than other issues you claim that the GOP supports is disingenuous at best.
CoachS
@Cam: I preface this by saying what I have said before many times: I am lucky to live in Massachusetts – the state that literally led the way on marriage equality, so I haven’t been touched by those issues as much as others (though growing up as a closeted young athlete, I have certainly faced discomfort because of my sexuality). That said, I feel as if the right to keep the money that I earn and to spend it as I see fit is certainly an important one. I would see it as fundamental, as is my right to love whom I love.
I’ve never said that the GOP supports those things really. I have said that their default positions are closer to my default positions. In fact, I think I’ve been very clear that neither Party serves my needs. I am actually saying that people should keep an open mind and address their votes from School Committee all the way up to POTUS with a certain modicum of intellectual curiosity.
To pretend that you know what I think and to put words in my mouth is truly disingenuous. I believe that a culture of freedom – freedom of religion, of expression, freedom to fondle my guns, my money, my bible or my boyfriend all lead to a more open culture. “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness – “certain inalienable rights” – lead to a more open society.
Having a liberal politician who believes that they can take all of those other rights from me and “bestow upon me from on high” the right to marry the love of my life is not a good trade off either way. You seem to believe that “rights” come to us from government. I do not. I believe that we are all born with them (“created”, if you will). Pols who blow hot air about my right to marry, while at the same time, want to spend my money or take my guns are the worst kind of disingenuous. It’s not a “zero sum gain”. I am free to demand it all from those who “represent” me.
CoachS
As a political side note from a Bostonian: RIP Mayor Thomas “Mumbles” Menino. He might not have said enunciated it well but he always said it with clarity that he supported LGBT rights. He seemed to personalize the issue within his own battle to be heard as an Italian in a predominantly Irish city. One of his last acts in office was to go head to head with Chik-fil-A and tell them that they had no room in the city for bigots. His city will miss him.
1EqualityUSA
CoachS, As you, “said-enunciated,” settle on being a percentage to keep your guns and money. WTF do I care what is important to you. Just stay out of our way and be sure to reap the benefits of our fight when it is over.
CoachS
@1EqualityUSA: And another voice heard from who picks on a typo instead of having a cogent argument. You care because you probably spend all of your time complaining that you don’t get enough of my tax dollars to support your desire to sit at home and be an activist. I give my money and time to causes that I believe in. Marriage equality is one of them. Making sure that you can leech off of me is not one of them. You have a great day.
1EqualityUSA
What did you pull in last year, Coach, 80 k? Money is not my problem. Republicans are.
1EqualityUSA
oh, and it wasn’t a “typo” I was “picking on” it was your inane attempt at appearing more intelligent than you really are by changing, “Said” to “enunciated.” but forgetting to remove your first word. Go away.
1EqualityUSA
Cam, I smell a Mormon. I have got to go finish my project. Take over for me, will you?
manjoguy
Mouthing stupidity is not confined to Republicans. Democrats have said some gems:
“Don’t let anybody tell you it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs!” ~ Hillary Clinton (D) New York. Some people think this woman is fit to run for president in 2016?!
“There is no reason the nation of Africa cannot, and should not, join the ranks of the world’s most prosperous nations.” ~ Joe Biden (D) Delaware. Yeah, Joe, Africa is a country, not a continent.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Called “Whore” by Democrat challenger Vincent Sheheen…
Obama said talking to a group (on the subject of early voting): “You can vote all week – I mean, any one time this week – you can only vote once though, this isn’t Chicago.” Our president cracks this “joke’?!!
“I believe that gays and lesbians deserve to have the same rights as homosexuals.” – Rev. Al Sharpton in 2002
I think the focus of “nuttiness” should be directed at individuals and not a political party. Not all Democrats are going to call their opponents “whores.” Not all Republicans are anti-gay (In fact, here in Massachusetts we have Rich Tisei , Republican, running for Congress who is gay).
1EqualityUSA
I could take the time to find the comments from YouTube special George W, our “breast n’ brightest,” or Governor Ultra Sound, Bob McDonnell, or Sarah Palin, setting a whole chapter set aside for her, however, but what it all comes down to is who they will appoint to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court.
Scalia, Alito, Roberts, and their pet mute, Thomas are making it really difficult for Democrats to maintain power, by gutting the Voting Rights Act, Citizens United, and taking on Unions. They want another conservative to occupy their court and will coerce it with the Laws they pass while in power.
It is beyond me how a gay person could vote for a Republican, given the climate they’ve created against our community. John Weeping Boehner hired his own lawyer, with our tax dollars, to defend marriage between and man and a woman. He appointed Princeton’s Robert P. George to spread his special brand of religiosity via U.S. Commission On Religious Freedom, an appointed about which The Becket Fund (scary) was thrilled. Robert P. George started NOM. Here’s a quote of Bobby G’s while speaking to a spurious cult with no historical nor archeological basis:
“Just as the nation could not endure half slave and half free but eventually had to go all one way or all the other, we will not be able to get by with a situation in which some couples are married in one state, not married when they move to or travel through the next, and married again when they reach a third.
If same-sex marriage is legally recognized in a small number of states, it will spread throughout the nation, either through judicial action under the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause or by the working of informal cultural pressures. Some states – Utah would be one – may try to hold out, but sooner or later they will be whipped into line.”
–Robert P. George, Chairman,
National Organization for Marriage,
speaking at Brigham Young University,
October 28, 2008
So, though it’s fun to read in print all of the weird things politicians say on both sides of the political spectrum, the ones that really make me listen in are the nut jobs, such as NOMster, Bobby G. It is the Supreme Court Justices that can make life very hard for us, if we allow another Republican President to ever attain the office again.
sesfm
American politics: My choice is between a party that hates me for being gay and non-Christian, and a party that hates me for being white and male. And yet people think it’s insane to vote third party?