The Year in Quotes: Targeting Gay People

The religious right’s relentless demonization of gay and lesbian Americans got only worse in 2009. More quotes from the past year:

“We believe to have ‘fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness’ for the sake of political expediency, or any other reason for that matter, is to offend a holy God, from whom the blessings bestowed upon this country flow. . . . For that reason, sir, the Grand Prairie Republican Club holds strong to our Christian heritage and will take no part in knowingly excepting [sic] or promoting any immorality (by attending or promoting your organization) that may hasten the death of the American Government.”

— Cylynda Caviness, president of the Grand Prairie Republican Club near Dallas, in an e-mail responding to an invitation to attend a meeting of Log Cabin Republicans, an organization of gay and lesbian Republicans, Dallas Voice, March 12, 2009

“America is on the verge of destruction. You, beloved, are the hope.”

— Rev. Rick Scarborough, head of the Lufkin (Texas)-based Vision America, preaching — in typically apocalyptic form — at a rally in Virginia about the dangers of loosening sexual mores. He warned that gay rights and hate crimes legislation could be used to silence pastors who preach that homosexuality is a sin. Roanoke Times, June 26, 2009

“There’s a cultural war going on in our society today. I feel that homosexual behavior is an affront to the family values of one man-one woman, and homosexual behavior, to any society that’s embraced it, has led to the extinction of that society.”

— Dave Wilson, longtime anti-gay activist, in a mail piece to voters regarding Houston mayoral candidate Annise Parker’s sexual orientation, Houston Chronicle, November 19, 2009 (Parker won a mayoral runoff election in on December 12.)

“I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question. And then God was in my head and in my heart saying, ‘Do not compromise this. You need to stand up for me and you need to share with all these people . . . you need to witness to them and you need to show that you’re not willing to compromise that for this title of Miss USA.'”

— Miss California, Carrie Prejean, speaking on James Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio program, explaining why she said she opposes same-sex marriage when questioned about it at the Miss USA pageant in April, U.S. News and World Report, May 11, 2009

“The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction. Reaffirm the great Lutheran heritage of allegiance to the truth and authority of Scripture. Turn back from distorting the grace of God into sensuality. Rejoice in the pardon of the cross of Christ and its power to transform left and right wing sinners.”

— Minneapolis pastor John Piper, suggesting God sent a tornado to warn the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America against relaxing its teachings on gay and lesbian issues, DesiringGod.org, August 20, 2009

“The noose has tightened around the necks of Christians to keep them from speaking out on certain moral issues. And it all was embodied in something called the Hate crimes bill that President Obama said was a major victory for America. I’m not sure if America was the beneficiary. […] We have voted into office a group of people who are opposed to many of the fundamental Christian beliefs of our nation. And they hold to radical ideology, and they are beginning put people sharing their points of view into high office. And not only that, they not only have control of both houses of Congress.”

— Pat Robertson, speaking last week on the Christian Broadcasting Network about recently passed hate crimes legislation, Christian Broadcasting Network (video clip on ThinkProgress), October 29, 2009

“I think there are Christians who struggle with the sin of homosexuality — but proud homosexual Christians? That’s an oxymoron to me in the same way as I would say proud adulterous Christians. And so, I think we have to be very careful because I see the tactic of the Emergent Church and the Christian left is to start talking more and more about ‘gay Christians,’ and what they end up doing is demonizing the so-called ‘religious right’ and saying that the religious right is all wrong in the way it has talked about homosexuality.”

— Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, saying he believes researcher George Barna speaks “too cavalierly” about “homosexual Christians,” OneNewsNow, June 29, 2009

“I found it offensive that she repeatedly brought it up. By the fourth time she mentioned it, I felt God wanted me to express how I felt about the matter, so I did. But my tone was downright apologetic. I said, ‘Regarding your homosexuality, I think that’s bad stuff.'”

— Peter Vadala, a Massachusetts man who says he was fired from his job after he told a female colleague he thought her impending marriage to another woman was wrong, FOX News, November 9, 2009