Creeping homophobia

Let me take you back, briefly, to 2004. I lived in Washington D.C. that summer and the political tensions were palpable. Perhaps our country never recovered from the divisiveness this election brought. Karl Rove unpacked his bag of political tricks, Michael Moore released a conspiracy-laden attack on the Bush administration, 527 groups came to prominence, the media and intelligence communities were still reeling from the administration's outing of an active CIA agent one year earlier. And, on top of all that, there was much focus on one of the right wing's favorite scare tactics: Boys kissing.

In a politically convenient moment, President Bush pushed forth The Marriage Protection Act, which acted to block challenges to a previous act, the Defense of Marriage Act. The Marriage Protection Act passed in the House before the election, but eventually died in the Senate. But the right-wing media forces were able to use that legislation to prop up Christian right zealots like Tony Perkins and James Dobson. They mobilized the Christian right quite successfully and it wasn't solely on the issue of gay marriage. That topic was just a launching pad to give Christian America something to rally behind. A reason to start voting the same way. Once Christians were convinced that gay marriage was a threat, it was easy for the right to present slippery slope arguments on what would happen to our country if Senator John Kerry was elected president. Christian culture, they seemed to suggest, was about to topple and crumble across America unless you vote for George W. Bush. Bush won a very narrow victory.

Homophobia works as a great scare tactic for right wing politicians. On the left, openly homosexual politicians like Barney Frank admit who they are and move on with their careers. On the right, homosexuals are encouraged to suppress any information about their sexuality. Ever wonder why that is? Well, isn't it clear? The right wing can't use homophobia as a tool anymore if it's exposed that there are a number of gay republicans in Congress. So, when outed, gay republicans are asked to step down and continue denying their sexuality.

Cut to 2010. Even though it's not a presidential election, it's a big election year. Republicans hope to see another 1994, when they took the House and the Senate (incidentally, it was that House and Senate under Republican control that would pass the original Defense of Marriage Act of 1996). You may be interested to know that Congressman Bob Barr, who authored the act was also staunchly anti-abortion, but that didn't stop him from procuring an abortion for his wife, who he would (in a show of respect to traditional marriage) soon divorce. And even Barr eventually came out against DOMA and now favors a 2009 bill that would at least provide same-sex partners to receive federal benefits. It should come as no surprise that Barr is no longer with the Republican party. He now considers himself a libertarian.

But here we are with another election on the horizon and what do we see splattered across our front pages? Gays, gays, gays. The growing Tea Party movement (which makes me shudder to admit their popularity) is running hard on the Bush/Rove model of homophobia. Of course, there's Delaware's Christine O'Donnell's well-publicized campaign to 'cure' homosexuals. Then there's the recent debacle over Don't Ask Don't Tell. Nevada's Sharron Angle is battling adoption by gay couples. However, the Tea Party's endorsement of established Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, who was all tied up in the C Street scandal last year, shows their true colors. They're not a new wave of conservative libertarians. They're the same old Republicans, just more religious and more nuts. This week DeMint defended comments he made in (say it with me) 2004 condemning both homosexuals and unmarried women as unfit to teach in a public school classroom. He now thinks he's taking the high road by standing up for his 'moral opinion' even if the media doesn't like it. You can bet that plays well to conservatives.

Here we are, six years later and the Republicans, the Tea Party who claim to be the 'new conservatives,' break out the same old bag of tricks, from the same old people. The same old, I'm just like you, my morals are straight outta the Bible, mom, football, apple pie, traditional family, gays are sinners, easily understood, thought-terminating clichés.

And it's not just me saying so: A new poll out today explains exactly who these teabaggers are: The Christian right.