Does Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO-04) think gay and lesbian Americans are faggots?
It's not just a rhetorical question.
CONFERENCE SPEAKER CALLS GAYS "FAGGOTS"
A few weeks ago, Musgrave, who has devoted her tenure in Congress to focusing primarily on anti-gay activism, attended and gave one of the main addresses at a radical right conference in Washington, DC sponsored by the rather homophobic Family Research Council. At that conference, another main speaker referred to gays and lesbians as "faggots" and "sissies," much to the approval of those in attendance who laughed when they heard the phrase, then shortly thereafter gave the speaker massive applause. The entire thing is on tape.
ThinkProgress has the transcript and the audio:
Back in the days when I was a kid, and we see guys that don’t stand strong on principle, we call them “faggots.” … [People] that don’t stand up for what’s right, we say, “You’re sissified out!” “You’re a sissy!” That means you don’t stand up for principles. (ThinkProgress has the audio here.)And a second speaker at the conference said gays were anointed by Satan and that the anti-Christ was in fact gay:
[T]he gay rights movement was inspired “from the pit of hell itself,” and has a “satanic anointment.” The gay rights movement was birthed and inspired by the anti-Christ. He suggested that the anti-Christ is himself gay, citing a verse from the book of Daniel saying the anti-Christ will have no desire for a woman.WHY IS MUSGRAVE SPEAKING AT SUCH RADICAL EVENTS?
Why is Marilyn Musgrave speaking at events where anyone is called a "faggot"? Events where honest, hard-working Americans are compared to Satan - inspired by Satan? Who in America has ever even attended an event - or could even find an event if they wanted to - where a gay man or lesbian is referred to as a "faggot" by one of the invited speakers? (Though now we know exactly where to find such an event, on Ms. Musgrave's dance card.)
I'm serious, I can't name one event, anywhere, where I could imagine one of the invited speakers seriously referring to anyone as a faggot. And I most certainly can't imagine in a million years the audience reacting with laughter and then uproarious applause (listen to the audio, it's clear as day). Yet Marilyn Musgrave didn't just find such a conference, she was one of the keynote speakers.
MUSGRAVE FLIPPED OUT OVER ROSE O'DONNELL'S COMMENTS
Just a month ago, and only a week or two before Marilyn Musgrave was attending the "faggot" event, Musgrave's religious right friends were all in an uproar over comedienne and television personality Rosie O'Donnell, co-host of ABC's "The View." O'Donnell had just said that radical Christianity was as great a threat to America as radical Islam. Unlike their non-reaction to their own speaker who referred to gays as "faggots," this time Ms. Musgrave and her friends in the religious right blew a gasket, demanding that ABC apologize and fire O'Donnell.
But even more interesting, Musgrave herself tried to tie the controversy to her opponent, Democrat Angie Paccione.
Musgrave demanded that Paccione immediately distance herself from O'Donnell, who had given a contribution to Paccione's campaign but had no other apparent ties to the candidate. In words reminiscent of the "faggot" controversy, Musgrave issued a press release calling O'Donnell's comments "an embarrassment," "insulting to millions of Americans," and "entirely unacceptable." Musgrave stated that "voters deserve to know: Does Angie Paccione share Rosie O'Donnell's views?" Musgrave concluded by saying that "Angie Paccione should have the decency to... distance herself from Rosie's extreme views."
WHY IS MUSGRAVE SILENT WHEN HER FRIENDS CROSS THE LINE OF DECENCY?
Turnabout is fair play, and decency is decency.
Certainly referring to millions of Americans as "faggots," and saying that they are "anointed by Satan," is embarrassing and offensive. Does Marilyn Musgrave think these are the mainstream views of Colorado voters? Is this the reason Musgrave was elected - to stop the "faggots" who are "inspired by Satan"?
It's time for Marilyn Musgrave to distance herself from her radical right patrons' extreme views. She knew what she was getting into by going to this conference - she has cavorted with the religious right for years, they are her number one patrons and friends. It is time for Marilyn Musgrave to stop the hypocrisy and apologize for attending and speaking at such a hate-filled gathering.
Or does Marilyn Musgrave refuse to live by the very values she preaches to others?
PS It would also be interesting to know if Musgrave was one of those laughing and applauding the speaker who called gays "faggots."
