When the smaller government you support doesn’t do what you want, what to do? Earlier this week in Tennessee, the Republicans in the state House provided an answer: you pass a state law nullifying the city law you don’t like. Nashville Metro Council recently passed an anti-LGBT bias ordinance, requiring any business contracting with the city to agree not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. So the state House voted, 73 to 24, in support of a bill that bans such ordinances.
Denying any anti-LGBT bias, Rep. Glen Casada (R), said, no doubt with an entirely straight face: “This bill is about creating jobs and making things homogeneous across the state. This flippant attitude of ‘Well, you comply with my morality or you won’t do business with my city’ – that’s the reason I’m bringing this bill.’”
Right. It’s a my-morality-trumps-yours jobs bill. That’s homo-genius thinking, that is.
Also from the Volunteer State: Called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its opponents, last week it advanced out of the Tennessee Senate Education Committee. Via ThinkProgress:
The bill would prohibit teachers from discussing (sic) of any sexuality except heterosexuality in grades K-8, ‘even with students who may be gay or have gay family,’ according to Ben Byers of the Tennessee Equality … (Project) … .
Sen. Stacey Campfield (R) is passionate about this legislation, which he previously sponsored unsuccessfully in the state House for six years. In 2009, Campfield explained that he’s not homophobic; it’s just that the issue is ‘complex.’ He clarified this past September that he supports promoting tolerance, but not acceptance ….
He also thinks teachers don’t have enough time to teach core subjects: ‘If I can take one thing away and say, hey, you don’t have to teach about homosexuality to your second-graders, you can spend more time on arithmetic.’
How about combining Arithmetic and Homosexuality for Second Graders? 1 man + 1 woman = marriage. 1 man + 1 woman + 2 innocent children = a real family. 1 homosexual + 1 homosexual = way more than you can handle, but I’ll bet the kids can.
Homo-genius thinking isn’t limited by state lines, of course. In Montana, for example, Rep. Ken Peterson (R), thinks felony charges should be filed against homosexuals who “recruit.” Via Timothy Beauchamp:
“According to Peterson, chair of the House Judiciary Committee,” one such “prosecutable offense, … punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine,” is described thus: “Homosexuals can’t go out into the heterosexual community and try to recruit people, or try to enlist them in homosexual acts.” I’m actually a bit surprised that he distinguishes between “recruiting” and “homosexual acts.” He provides an example of felony “recruitment”: “Here, young man, your hormones are raging. Let’s go in this bedroom, and we’ll engage in some homosexual acts. You’ll find you like it.” Okay, I’m a lesbian, not a gay man, but still, I’m thinking that as a pick-up line, this isn’t likely to be successful.
By the way, Peterson is careful to say he’s never actually witnessed anything like this: “I don’t associate with that group of people at all. … I’ve associated with mainstream people all my life.”
The recent DOMA debate has provided so many options, it’s hard to choose. First, a very selective summary: Obama decided to stop defending DOMA. Boehner hired a law firm, King & Spalding, to do the job. Lots of unhappiness, in and out of the firm, and the case is dropped, but Paul Clement, the partner at King & Spalding who took the case, leaves and takes it with him to another firm, Bancroft PLLC. A series of homo-genius eruptions result.
Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barbar argued that defense of DOMA is necessary by comparing marriage equality to counterfeit money. Via RightWingWatch: / “If gays are allowed to get married, who knows how many straight people are going to get duped into getting gay-married because it will be impossible to tell the two apart.” Just think about that one for a moment.
Also from RightWingWatch, we hear about the ever dependable Pat Robertson’s “outrage: “This law says marriage … is between a man and a woman. … Are we going to knuckle under to the pressure of homosexuals? … Are they going to destroy people? The answer is yes. They are very well organized and very vociferous.” I’m fairly certain he meant “yes” to the “destroy” comment, not to “knuckling under.”
As dependable for homo-genius talk is Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association. He appeared on Houston’s Fox affiliate to talk about the Fox program, Glee, in particular the “gay relationships” on the show. Also via RWW, http://tinyurl.com/3srwr7e Damali Keith, the anchorwoman, asked Fischer about the “homosexuality storylines.” He is “deeply concerned … because what these television programs are doing is glamorizing homosexual behavior.” Keith responds: “And we all know about product placement. You throw a soda in a movie and within a few seconds later everyone in the theater is thirsty for that particular brand.” Keith can hold her own in the homo-genius realm.
Not DOMA, but still about marriage, California’s Prop 8 also produced some recent illustrative comments. From Keen News:,
Proponents of Proposition 8 filed a motion Monday, April 25, in federal district court, seeking to vacate the August 2010 ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker that the initiative is unconstitutional, citing Walker’s recent disclosure that he is gay and has been in a relationship with a man for 10 years. …
“Given that Chief Judge Walker was in a committed, long-term, same-sex relationship throughout this case (and for many years before the case commenced),” states (Charles) Cooper (lead attorney, Yes on 8), “it is clear that his ‘impartiality might reasonably [have been] questioned’ from the outset.” …
Lambda [Legal]’s (Jon) Davidson said that reasoning, if applied, would presumably disqualify any judge -straight or gay. …
Counterfeit money. Product placement. Very vociferous destroyers. Felony recruitment. They who must not be named. Homo-genius ideas really are all the same kind of thing …
Comments are closed.