Michele Bachmann: The gay community is a big mean bully
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Never mind that nine in 10 gay students report being bullied because of their sexual orientation. Forget that gay teens are more than three times as likely to commit suicide than their peers. And completely ignore that one-fifth of LBGT employees say they've been discriminated against when it comes to hiring, pay, and promotions. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) wants you to know who the real bullies are when it comes to gay rights: the gay community itself.
In a recent interview with conservative radio host Lars Larson, Bachmann claimed that Arizona's recently vetoed anti-gay law — which would have allowed businesses to refuse service to gay couples on ostensibly religious grounds — had nothing to do with gays. And its defeat, she argued, was another sign of how the all-powerful "gay community" had bullied lawmakers into accepting its agenda.
"The gay community decided to make this their measure," she said. "And the thing that I think is getting a little tiresome is the gay community, they've so bullied the American people, and they've so intimidated politicians — the politicians fear them — and so they think they get to dictate the agenda everywhere."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Keep in mind, Bachmann is the same legislator who, a decade ago, framed the debate over gay marriage as a dire Biblical prophecy come true.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published