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By Jack Nichols
 I've always wondered why goose-steppers in the Christian Reich fail to see what so many others notice: that fundamentalist fanatics have allowed themselves to be led by some very prissy homophobes. These men, in almost every instance, could possibly be repressing their own natural urges to copulate with other males.
The "homosexual panic defense," as the Harvard Law Review puts it, "is premised on the theory that a person with latent homosexual tendencies will have an extreme and uncontrollably violent reaction when confronted with a homosexual proposition." The former director of the Christian Coalition, Ralph Reed, was widely perceived in gay circles as a person suffering this very malady. Today, the Family Research Council's effete Gary Bauer, prissy and prudish, is often believed to be a man possibly secretly desirous of same-sex contact. Only Bauer's hypothetical psychiatrist knows for sure. But others quickly notice how his obsession with homosexuality is well… obsessive. T.J. Walker, a spokesperson for Americans for Religious Liberty describes Gary Bauer as: "The Pied Piper of Puritanism in American politics. He represents a sex-obsessed band of extremists who are on a mission to persecute women who want to control their own bodies and gays who want to be left alone." Albert J. Menendez calls Bauer the Religious Right's "man to watch". He writes:
Bauer's Family Research Council, explains Menendez, "fiercely opposes abortion rights, supports vouchers and other forms of tax aid to private and religious schools and opposes civil rights legislation protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment and housing. "The group even sarcastically denounces hate crimes legislation because these legal proposals 'threaten to penalize individuals with religious and traditional family values.' (Since its founding a decade ago FRC seems obsessed with gay-related issues, opposing every initiative that would lessen discrimination and 'exposing' gay members of the Clinton Administration.)" Bauer's group has been an enthusiastic co-sponsor of "Ex-Gay" ministries newspaper and TV ad campaigns wherein scientific opinion has been blithely ignored and bogus "Christian" counseling sessions set up for gay males and lesbians. Such unhappy gays, brought up in fundamentalist environs, become easily confused by the Religious Reich's rhetoric. Is Bauer's "final solution"-- namely converting gay men and lesbians into Bible-thumping heterosexuals-- a reflection of a battle he may be fighting with himself? President Bauer in 2000?
Describing his speech on foreign policy at Harvard University, Bauer bemoaned how university students had ignored his foray into foreign policy and had instead decried his anti-gay rhetoric. Patting himself on the back for having the prerequisite courage when other speakers dare not fight the dreaded homos, he wrote: "May 8, 1998 "Dear Friend: "Early last month, I went to Harvard to give a speech on morality in foreign policy. It ended with an exchange on morality in domestic policy—an exchange I would like you to read. "The moral issue I am talking about is one most public speakers fear -- homosexuality. They fear it for a variety of reasons, some good and some not-so-good. No one wants to be heckled or shouted down on a college campus by homosexual activists -- people who answer even the mildest criticism of their agenda with rage, personal attacks, and often violence." (editor's italics.) What violence? Has Bauer ever been beaned? Bauer--He's Just So Brave: "Fear of that kind of response is understandable. But many public speakers, including government officials, refuse to speak out for less understandable reasons. It isn't the vocal outrage of the activists they fear, but the scorn of the cultural elite -- Hollywood, the media, and academics -- whose favor they curry. And so they conceal their convictions, not only weakening themselves but actually inviting the ridicule of the activists who confront them." Bauer's Bigotry Doesn't Fly in Cambridge, Massachusetts:
"So I went to Harvard, knowing that in ultra-liberal Cambridge, Massachusetts, a confrontation was possible, even if the reason for my visit was topics like Saddam Hussein, not same-sex marriage. Sure enough, as soon as my remarks were over, student after student approached the microphone not to protest my views on China and religious persecution, but to challenge what I have written and said elsewhere about the sadly misnamed 'gay' lifestyle."
Bauer Goes Name-Dropping: "Believe me, I was tempted to ignore these questions and there was a graceful way to do it, too. My hosts at the Institute for Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government had invited me there to talk about the missing dimensions of human rights and moral values in U.S. diplomacy." Bauer pretends he doesn't like to talk about homosexuality:
"When the first question came from a young man who asked me how I could support 'persecution' of homosexuals, my first urge was to dismiss it and say something like, 'Thank you, but my subject today is the relationship between the vision of people like George Marshall and Ronald Reagan and America's role in the world today. If your question is on other issues, that's a debate for another day.' "
Bauer doesn't want his followers to think he'd flee at a crucial moment: "Something inside told me, however, that this was not the time for the easy response. Harvard is one of those cultural temples on whose thresholds too many conservatives now tremble. The homosexual creed is now well-established there. Though born in the early 17th century as a Christian institution dedicated to the spread of biblical wisdom, Harvard has deteriorated into a place where a same-sex wedding ceremony in the university chapel is seen as 'natural.' In short, Harvard is precisely the kind of place where men and women who believe as I do must be willing to speak clearly." Sticks and stones will break his bones… But Names….? : "Let me be plain. (Ed. Note: You Are, Blanche, you are!) What I faced at Harvard was possible name-calling and likely bad press, but it was not more than that. Thanks to the support of people like you, my job as President of the Family Research Council is not at risk and my immediate future is secure. There are other people who, by speaking out about moral truths and their application to 20th-century America, risk their reputations and their very livelihoods."
 Is it a Green Bay "Fudge" Packer Who's Caught His Eye?
"Take Reggie White of the Green Bay Packers. Reggie has built a stellar career as an All-Pro defensive lineman. He helped lead 'the Pack' to victory in the 1997 Super Bowl and to near-victory in this year's game. In the off-season, Reggie doubles as associate pastor of the Inner City Church in Knoxville, Tennessee." Reggie Won a "Whizzer" Award: "In both these roles, Reggie has won great fame for his compassion and community leadership. He won the National Football League's Byron "Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award in 1992 for "service to team, community, and country." In 1996, the Simon Wiesenthal Center gave him its Tolerance Award for his "commitment to fostering tolerance and pursuing his vision of a better America." CBS Doesn't Know His Reggie Like Gary Bauer Does: "Now CBS television has decided that Reggie White is an unfit spokesman for its pro football broadcasts. Why? Because the Rev. Reggie White had the nerve to stand in front of the Wisconsin legislature and speak his mind about homosexuality. Reggie's hour-long speech covered a football field's worth of controversial topics, from condom distribution (he's against it), to abortion (he's for the sanctity of human life), to spanking (he defends it)." Bauer Says Reggie White's Racial Stereotyping is A-OK: "Reggie also shared his thoughts about racial issues. He tried to argue that each race is "gifted" in a different way, and that the fullness of God's love is shown through this mosaic of gifts. This section of Reggie's speech also drew criticism, but, as he said afterward, his aim was not to stereotype or to denigrate any race. Indeed, if Reggie had used more of the buzzwords of modern social discourse -- praising "diversity" and celebrating "differences" -- these comments would have passed with little notice." Reggie & Gary Always Hate the Sin & Screw the Sinners: "What drew the ire of legislators and media elites alike was Reggie's bold application of the word sin to homosexuality. In his speech, he posed the question of why America is 'pushing God out,' and he argued that the answer was 'sin' and the desire of many people to profit from sin. 'Let me explain something when I'm talking about sin,' Reggie said, 'and I'm talking about all sin. One of the biggest ones that has … really [come under] debate in America is homosexuality.' " 'Sometimes,' he went on, 'when people talk about this sin they've been accused of being racist.' White said that he was 'offended' by this. 'Any man in America deserves rights, but homosexuals are trying to compare their plight with the plight of black men or black people. … Homosexuality is a decision. It's not a race.' "
 When Reggie Fell from Grace-- Bauer Embraced Him:
"The echoes of the speech had hardly faded away in the Wisconsin legislature when the firestorm began. White's remarks went out over the Associated Press wire and the cable news networks. Press releases from homosexual and liberal groups condemning his words were blast-faxed to newsrooms across the country. Members of the Wisconsin General Assembly rushed to the microphones to announce Reggie White's fall from grace." The Homos Are Persecuting Bauer's Beloved: " These groups were not content to stop there. Instead, they went after Reggie White's livelihood. They immediately pressured CBS Sports not to hire White as a commentator. They went after his existing contracts with Campbell's Soup and Nike, urging them to dump White. Elizabeth Birch of the Human Rights Campaign, a militant gay rights political action group, accused White of "ignorance" and said, "[I]t would send a chilling message if he were allowed to continue as a spokesman for the Campbell's Soup Company." Reggie Does It Better Than Howard: "To what should be their everlasting shame, the people at CBS Sports collapsed in the face of this pressure. They announced that Reggie White, an eloquent and engaging speaker, was no longer under consideration by the network. Keep in mind that this is the same network that, in the same week, announced it is bringing "shock jock" Howard Stern to television. At a press event on April 2, announcing the new show, Stern said, "We'll have a lot of nudity and lesbians. We plan to have a lot of drunken dwarfs on the show. I don't know why it gets ratings, but it does." Bauer Bangs His Bible:
"To date, neither Nike nor Campbell's Soup has broken off its work with White, but the cultural message is clear. Criticize this lifestyle and you risk your livelihood. There is a deeper reality here as well. To speak the truth is always to run a risk, and if that truth reflects either biblical teaching or commonsense morality, expect the risk to be multiplied."
Bauer: "They're Out to Destroy Me!" "What an irony it is that the self-proclaimed forces of tolerance and moderation will seek to destroy any man or woman who contradicts their point of view! In this way, the stakes in our modern debate over homosexuality -- and over so many other issues -- become clear. In public life, one point of view or the other will dominate. Social order seeks a "social good." For homosexual activists and their allies, that "good" is not tolerance but the enforced public acceptance of homosexuality as a positive lifestyle." About Embracing Reggie White: "At day's end, our culture will either hold up as heroes men like Reggie White who exemplify a high personal standard of morality and public service, or it will enshrine men like Howard Stern, who base their careers on vulgarity and sexual exploitation. It will embrace Reggie White's code of hating the sin but loving the sinner. Or it will embrace sin, and heap abuse on any person who calls the sin what it is." Bauer Had Long Admired Reggie White: "In the days after his speech in Wisconsin, I spoke to Reggie White several times. I had not known him before, but I had long admired him. In the wake of his remarks, Family Research Council rose to his defense publicly -- and proudly. Reggie thanked me for our support and told me he would not retreat. I wrote to you last month about boldness. Reggie White is nothing if not bold. He is standing four-square behind his words, four-square for his faith." Reegie Inspires Bauer Not to Tremble: "Frankly, his words inspired me as I stood on that podium at Harvard. I addressed those young men who confronted me as I would my own son. I told them what I believe and why I believe it, and why the truth will set them free. Whether their minds were changed or their hearts were touched, I do not know, but I do know that the confrontation I might have feared never really came. I hurt for these young men, but they did not hurt me; they heard me out, and when they saw that I would not tremble or change, they left the microphone." Bauer's 'Dire Need' for Reggie White: "I pray that God will give them the moral courage it takes to change their lives. I pray that God will continue to grant the Reggie Whites of this world, few as they are, the courage to proclaim their convictions. Our world has dire need of such courage, and all of us who care about the future of our nation must band together and work and pray to meet that need. Sending Bauer a Gift? He Says: "It Would Mean So Much": "As the summer months approach, contributions to nonprofits like Family Research Council typically decline. If you could find it in your heart and within your means to remember us with a gift this month, it would mean so much to our work. As always, thanks for reading my letter this month, and may God bless you and your family. "Sincerely, "Gary Bauer, President"
Evan Lobel, in a letter to the New York Times reflects wisely on Bauer's years of anti gay crusading and the obvious connection of such crusades to the murder of Matthew Shepard: "Can he be so disingenious as to think that instructing people not to accept others who are gay causes no backlash against them, physical or otherwise? Gee, homosexual teenagers have the highest suicide rate of any subgroup in the population, but I don't see any corelation there; and the rising incidence of gay bashing?, No correlation there either. Let's tell parents not to accept their gay children for who they are and see what happens." Last week eight persons picketed a Bauer bigotry banquet in Melbourne, Florida. (See GayToday, October 28, Top Story).
The picket signs said: "Gary Bower: 'Murderer' by Proxy" and "Stop the Christian Reich's Sexual Witchhunt!".
The Baptist-Fundamentalist Republican-gentry at this banquet— carefully manicured husbands and wives—drove past in their Caddy's giving the "finger" to the pickets. These bourgeois boneheads hoped to be perceived as philanthropists but were instead tarred with unwanted controversy. A local newspaper noted the picketer's "Christian Reich" signs—as the pickets had hoped, and the pious reputations of Bauer's Baptists were, in some quarters at least, sullied. Bauer for President? Please. Bauer for Biggest Bigot. That's more like it. |
Gary Bauer 
Reggie White stays close to his wife as Bauer's loins boil. © 1997-98 BEI