Mike Johnson Mentioned Similar-Intercourse Marriage Would Result in Individuals Marrying Their Pets, Wished to Sentence Abortion Medical doctors to “Exhausting Labor”

By now you’ve doubtless heard that Consultant Mike Johnson—the congressman Republicans lastly elected as the brand new Speaker of the Home after 22 days of chaos—performed a major function within the plot to overturn the 2020 election, a lowlight on his résumé that’s clearly deeply regarding for the way forward for democracy. Additionally extraordinarily worrisome? Johnson’s wildly bigoted remarks about homosexuality through the years, and the truth that he supported criminalizing homosexual intercourse between consenting adults.

CNN’s KFile stories that previous to his profession in politics, Johnson wrote a collection of deeply homophobic editorials in his function as an legal professional for the socially conservative authorized group now often known as Alliance Defending Freedom. In a single, he wrote:

“Gay relationships are inherently unnatural and, the research clearly present, are in the end dangerous and dear for everybody. Society can’t give its stamp of approval to such a harmful way of life. If we modify marriage for this tiny, fashionable minority, we must do it for each deviant group. Polygamists, polyamorists, pedophiles, and others will probably be subsequent in line to say equal safety. They already are. There will probably be no authorized foundation to disclaim a bisexual the correct to marry a accomplice of every intercourse, or an individual to marry his pet.”

In the identical op-ed, Johnson—who now has probably the most highly effective jobs within the federal authorities—added that permitting same-sex {couples} to marry would “place our complete democratic system in jeopardy by eroding its basis.” In one other, he argued that “your race, creed, and intercourse are what you’re, whereas homosexuality and cross-dressing are belongings you do. This can be a free nation, however we don’t give particular protections for each individual’s weird selections.” He additionally individually deemed “same-sex deviate sexual activity” to be a public well being concern, and the next yr, he advised that “gay marriage is the darkish harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that might doom even the strongest republic.”

Johnson didn’t simply write hateful op-eds for the hell of it; he additionally wrote an official opposition to Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Courtroom ruling that overturned state legal guidelines criminalizing gay exercise amongst consenting adults. Final yr, as a member of the Home, he launched a invoice seemingly modeled after Florida’s bigoted “Don’t Say Homosexual” measure. In line with Punchbowl Information, Johnson took situation with the truth that Tom Emmer, whose candidacy for Home Speaker was in the end doomed, voted to codify same-sex marriage in 2022. (As for the place Johnson got here down on that vote, we’ll offer you a number of guesses, however you’ll positively solely want one.)

Oh, and never surprisingly, Johnson’s tackle abortion is nearly as horrifying as his tackle homosexual folks: