New House Speaker Mike Johnson Called Same-Sex Relationships A ‘Bizarre Choice’

Newly elected House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who finally filled the speakership after it remained vacant for three weeks, has a long history of homophobic remarks.

He has written editorials, submitted amicus briefs and drafted laws, aimed at targeting marriage equality.

One such example includes a national version of the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, similar to the one implemented in Florida in 2022.

Johnson’s history of homophobia goes back further than previously reported. In 2003, Johnson actively opposed LGBTQ rights as a lawyer for Alliance Defending Freedom, which has been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.

In an op-ed, Johnson wrote that allowing same-sex couples marriages would “place our entire democratic system in jeopardy by eroding its foundation.”

In another article, he stated, “Your race, creed, and sex are what you are, while homosexuality and cross-dressing are things you do. This is a free country, but we don’t give special protections for every person’s bizarre choices.”

Johnson defended Louisiana’s proposed ban on same-sex marriage in court in 2004 and even insulted opposing counsel John Rawls, calling him a “homosexual,” which upset Rawls. Rawls corrected Johnson, stating that he is a “gay man” and no one should use derogatory terms.

Johnson supported a “Day of Truth” in 2005 organized by far-right Christian groups, which protested same-sex marriage as a threat to religious freedom.

When pamphlets were distributed denouncing gay love as “sinful” and “evil” at Harvard, Johnson argued in court that it was only fair for the Christian perspective to be heard if the other side was allowed to express their view.

He called same-sex relationships sinful and destructive. A decade later, in 2014, Johnson defended a statewide ban on gay marriage in Louisiana before the courts.

In a 2020 interview, he unsuccessfully argued that the matter of marriage equality was one of states’ rights.

Article by Maria Fox