Steve Bannon once oversaw the distribution of LGBT films, a pro-John Kerry documentary

Stephen K. Bannon.
(Image credit: Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

Steve Bannon has swiftly made his way from being the executive chairman of Breitbart News to the chief executive officer of the Donald Trump campaign to the future chief strategist and senior counselor in Trump's White House. That most recent appointment has made some critics bristle — "[Bannon is] anti-Semitic; he's anti-black; and he's anti-women," Howard Dean recently railed, although he has hardly been the first to level such accusations.

But oddly enough, Bannon has a past that might make his most ardent supporters and critics a little confused:

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.