Even as Republicans who voted for the anti-gay discrimination bill in Arizona now admit they made a serious mistake, some religious-right activists are doubling down in their hate campaign. In fact, some just seem downright obsessed about gay people. Case in point: Jonathan Saenz at Texas Values, the lobby arm of Plano-based Liberty Institute.
At times Saenz’s Twitter feed appears to be almost a constant stream of posts about LGBT people, from his defense of discredited “research” about gay parenting to support of government-sanctioned discrimination. On Tuesday, for example, Saenz let loose with a long stream of posts about his frustration with critics of the Arizona bill. The bill would allow any person or entity — including businesses and nonprofit organizations — to offer their religious beliefs as an excuse to discriminate against LGBT people.
Some of Saenz’s tweets sound almost unhinged from reality. And many seem designed to frighten people into believing things that are simply not true. He inaccurately claims, for example, that churches could be forced to perform same-sex marriages if Arizona’s governor vetoes the bill:
He absurdly insists that businesses opposing government-sanctioned discrimination against LGBT people also oppose religious freedom:
He even suggests that they’re bullies because they oppose discrimination:
One of the silliest tweets from this self-described “constitutional scholar” came Monday, when he addressed marriage equality:
We’re sure he thought that was clever.
Saenz’s obsession with gay people and promoting discrimination will likely reach new heights once federal District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio releases his ruling on whether the Texas ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution. However Judge Garcia rules, one thing seems clear: people like Saenz and the hateful rhetoric they use look increasingly like relics from the past. They’ll be with us for a long time to come, no doubt. But more and more people see them for what they are: voices of hate and division, not defenders of religious freedom.
These rightwingnuts are not obsessed ONLY with gays. They are obsessed with sex in general — other people’s sex. I don’t understand why they think somebody else’s personal matters are any of their business. They just need to butt out and mind their own business. They surely must have some business of their own to be minding.
I worked for American Airlines and in the 60’s and 70’s there were many LGBT people working there because they could appear straight as a stick in Dallas and with flight privileges spend weekends in NYC and SFO in private with their gay friends. AA never discriminated against gays. For AZ to allow SB1062 to go into effect would be tantamount to requiring AA to discriminate against gays because it would create an unacceptable work environment in AZ for AA employees.
totally unhinged after today
Saenz can have a large litter of kittens now – Texas’s anti-same-sex marriage law just got struck down.
It appears to me that the Tea Party types are losing big on abortion and LGBT rights, not to mention now losing the faith and respect of the few American people who were stupid enough to lend them an ear in 2010.
Truth is. They need a new issue that will get traction with the American people. I would like to suggest:
“Ban chocolate ice-cream.”
I can hear it now. Ban chocolate ice-cream!!!
B-b-b-but. Why should we do that?
Because chocolate ice-cream is made of the chocolate people, by the chocolate people, and for the chocolate people. So help me chocolate!!!
Saenz needs to stop obsessing about other people’s sex lives and mind his own business. Like it or not, marriage rights apply to all.
Gay advocates want the govt. out of their private lives?
No they don’t. They want equal rights.
And not “gay rights”…
Human Rights.