Blowing up innocent civilians, blowing innocent civiliansâwhat's the difference?
Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association has a pretty active fantasy life, a fantasy life so fixated on gay sex that you can't help but wonder who's lifting his luggage. Which reminds me: Charles Blow had a great column in Saturday's NYT about the number of Americans who perceive gay and lesbians relationships are "morally acceptable" passing the 50% mark for the first time. Also for the first time ever: more men say that same-sex relationships are morally acceptable than women. One of the reasons? Call it the Rekers' Effect:
Virulent homophobes are increasingly being exposed for engaging in homosexuality. Think Ted Haggard, the once fervent antigay preacher and former leader of the National Association of Evangelicals, and his male prostitute. (This week, Haggard announced that he was starting a new âinclusiveâ church open to âgay, straight, bi, tall, short,â but no same-sex marriages. Not âGodâs ideal.â Sorry.) Or George Rekers, the founding member of the Family Research Council, and his rent boy/luggage handler. Last week, the council claimed that repealing âdonât ask, donât tellâ would lead to an explosion of âhomosexual assaultsâ in which sleeping soldiers would be the victims of fondling and fellatio by gay predators. In fact, there is a growing body of research that supports the notion that homophobia in some men could be a reaction to their own homosexual impulses. Many heterosexual men see this, and they donât want to be associated with it. Itâs like being antigay is becoming the old gay. Not cool.
So straight men are telling pollsters that they're okay with gay relationships because they don't want people thinking they're gay or anything. That kind of homophobia I can live with.