Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has a staunchly anti-LGBTQ record. Newly resurfaced evidence of his homophobia have LGBTQ Americans concerned about his new position of power.
Mike Johnson Elected Speaker
This week, Republican Representative and Trump ally Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected Speaker of the House, prompting outrage from Democrats and even some moderate Republicans.
Even Republicans Have Concerns
“So we just elected a raging homophobe to speaker? Way to break stereotypes and win over hearts and minds!” conservative Meghan McCain posted on X.
Johnson’s Views Now on Display
Johnson’s views on homosexuality and the LGBTQ “lifestyle” have largely flown under the radar for much of his congressional career, but now that he has been elected Speaker of the House, his opinions have come under fire.
A Long History of Anti-LGBTQ Opinions
In the past couple of decades Johnson has written op-eds and essays detailing his feelings about the LGBTQ community.
Having worked with Alliance Defending Freedom, Johnson has aligned himself with a group working to criminalize homosexuality.
Gay Intimacy “A Distinct Public Health Problem”
Penning an amicus brief in a Supreme Court case, Lawrence v. Texas, in 2003, Johnson said states should be able to make laws criminalizing gay sex.
His argument was based on sex between gay men posing “a distinct public health problem” because of the rates of sexually transmitted disease.
Is Gay Marriage a Slippery Slope?
Johnson also believes that allowing LGBTQ people to live unimpeded by laws governing their sexuality is a slippery slope.
No “Right to Sodomy” in America?
“There is clearly no ‘right to sodomy’ in the Constitution, and the right of ‘privacy in the home’ has never placed all activity within the home outside the bounds of the criminal law,” Johnson said.
Is Gay Sex Criminal? Johnson Thinks So
He went on to compare gay sex to illicit drugs and prostitution. “What about drugs, prostitution, and counterfeiting,” he questioned. “Make no mistake, the Lawrence decision opens the door to the undermining of many important laws.”
“The Redefinition of Marriage”
He said Lawrence v. Texas was “ultimately a strategic first shot for the homosexual lobby’s ultimate prize – the redefinition of marriage.”
Caping for “Traditional” Marriage
In an editorial for The Times in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2004, Johnson wrote that marriage was “civilization’s oldest and most important institution.”
Anything but Straight Marriage “Ultimately Destructive”
He said, “Simply put, sex of any kind outside of the marriage of one man and one woman is ultimately destructive.”
Gay Relationships “Inherently Unnatural”
“Homosexual relationships are inherently unnatural…and are ultimately harmful and costly for everyone. Society cannot give its stamp of approval to such a dangerous lifestyle,” he wrote.
Johnson Calls Gay People “Deviants”
Johnson referred to LGBTQ people as a “deviant group,” saying that “polygamists, polyamorists, pedophiles, and others will be next in line to claim equal protection.
They already are.” He also referred to gay marriage as “the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that could doom even the strongest republic” in a later op-ed.
Johnson’s Consistent Beliefs
Johnson has a history of opposing equality bills, having been in public office since 2015 and Congress since 2016.
He led the charge for the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act to keep queer education out of the curriculum for children 10 and under.
Concerns Mount for the Future of Gay Americans
Political experts like Gabriele Magni from Loyola Marymount University think that Johnson’s stint as Speaker of the House could have negative effects for the gay community.
Anti-Gay Beliefs Could Become “Mainstream”
“These are going to become even more mainstream positions within the Republican Party because they’re not the positions of the minority, but they are the priority of the leadership, someone who is second in line to the presidency,” said Magni, who is also the director of Loyola Marymount’s LGBTQ Politics Research Initiative.
Similar Beliefs to His Predecessors
Johnson certainly is not the first Republican Speaker of the House to be vocally against the LGBTQ community, but there are concerns about how much time and energy he has put toward the matter.
The post Mike Johnson’s Comments on Marriage Equality Ignite Conversations and Calls for Greater Inclusivity first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels / Darya Sannikova. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
