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."
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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.
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