The Supreme Court Didn't Cure Republicans of Homophobia

As we see clerk's of court refusing to perform their duties and politicians - always Republicans - condemning gays and same sex marriage we continue to see hate and bigotry fueled by religion and a desperation on the part of Christofascists to impose their ugly religious beliefs on all.  Sadly, Republicans are only too happy to prostitute themselves to such selfish, self-centered, nasty individuals who have become a cancer within the Republican Party base.  Unless and until this ugly element is driven from the GOP, we can expect more homophobia and the dissemination of anti-gay lies.  A piece in The New Republic looks at the homophobia that continues to grip the GOP.  Here are excerpts:

It’s tempting to imagine that the abrupt end to the fight for marriage equality will ultimately prove to be a godsend for frustrated Republicans. Same-sex marriage enjoys the backing of a huge, youthful political movement, and, before the Supreme Court made it legal nationwide, it was becoming the kind of issue that could seal a politician’s fate with a huge swath of voters. In settling the debate by fiat, the Court might also have saved Republicans from having to wage the alienating opposition to marriage equality for several more years.

Though the Court had the power to end that fight mercifully, it could do nothing about the fact that many conservatives opposed marriage equality because they believe gays and lesbians are inherently defective . . . 

If you believe that banning gay people from Boy Scouts “protects children,” then you either believe discredited caricatures of gay men as child predators or you believe homosexuality and homosexuals are unsavory things that children should be “protected” from categorically, like drug addiction or verbal abuse.

The movement to make the Boy Scouts a more tolerant organization may not be as large or public facing as the movement to force states to recognize same-sex marriages. But it’s still a big staging ground for the more diffuse fight over how our society should treat gays and lesbians generally. And because the question at hand doesn’t touch on the nature of the Boy Scouts as an institution, it’s much harder for conservatives to disguise deprecatory views of LGBT people themselves behind an alleged concern for institutional continuity.

Which is all to say, Republican politicians will still have plenty of opportunities to treat gays and lesbians like aberrant miscreants. . . . the issue won’t disappear anytime soon.

Sadly, the author is correct - the issue of Republicans demonizing gays will not go away anytime soon.  Not until more of the population walks away from religion and being anti-gay becomes a sure fire loser in general elections.   That tipping point is getting closer, but we are not there yet - or anywhere close in red states.