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Watch: Viciously Homophobic Florida Candidate Gets Skewered Trying to Defend ‘Gay Is a Choice’ in Interview

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Says ‘Philosophy’ of Homosexuality is Being ‘Forced’ on Local Residents

St. Petersburg city council candidate Chico Cromartie was unable to defend his claim the being gay is a choice, which is a key component of his campaign, messaging, and even policy proposals, during a local Florida radio interview Thursday (video below.)

Cromartie, a strong Trump supporter who is becoming known as the “to hell with gay pride” candidate, based on his vicious remarks on social media, had plenty to say. But when asked specific questions about his anti-gay beliefs, just could not offer any valid answer to support them.

By the end of the interview it was clear Cromartie, who repeated over and over his false belief that being gay is a choice, thinks men can stop being gay if they just stop choosing to have sex with men. He also calls it “alarming” that people are “afraid” to oppose homosexuality, and wrongly calls homosexuality a “philosophy” that is “forced on a lot of residents.”

The candidate, who has not publicly shared much about his background, claims the Black community in St. Petersburg is suffering because of the local LGBTQ community.

“There appears to be that there’s a disparity in resources being allocated by the city administration,” he said, apparently suggesting, based on his platform, the LGBTQ community is better supported financially that the Black community.

“It appears to favor one segment of the population,” he told “Drew Garabo Live” on 102.5 The Bone.

When confronted with the fact that St. Pete Pride brings in tens of millions of dollars to the city’s economy, all he could say in response was, “the media does say that.”

The interview then moved to his anti-LGBTQ platform.

“The fact that people are afraid to disagree with homosexuality is alarming to me,” Cromartie told listeners, claiming the city council membership “that’s predominantly homosexual, so the philosophy is kind of forced on a lot of residents.”

Three of the eight city council members are gay.

Cromartie went on to discuss his views on homosexuality.

“I believe, and a lot of Americans do, that it’s a choice. They can wake up one day and say, ‘I don’t want to do that anymore.’ It’s not like, ‘Oh, I got to sleep with the same sex.’ I don’t think that people are compelled to do it to that extent.”

Asked if he could wake up and want to sleep with a man, Cromartie said, “No. never.”

And asked if he chose women over men, Cromartie said: “I think every man does.”

When challenged, he clarified, his fists clenched, saying it’s “physically a choice,” and adding, “I’m not judging anybody, I’m just saying it’s a choice.”

“It’s kind of strange to me that people would think my views on homosexuality are in the minority of the modern population.”

His views, in fact, are in the minority.

Toward the end of the interview a caller who identified himself as someone who is gay but grew up “self-hating,” blasted Cromartie, for thinking that being gay is about sex and not understanding that it’s about who you love.

Asked to respond, Cromartie could only say, “That’s what he chose to be.”

“Sex is always a choice. I mean, you could choose to have sex or not,” Cromartie insisted.

Watch:

 

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BIGOTRY

Support for Same-Sex Marriage Falls Across the Board as GOP Leans Into Anti-LGBTQ Rhetoric

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While support for same-sex marriage remains high overall, it’s been dropping over the last three years following GOP attacks on the LGBTQ community.

According to a new Gallup poll, overall support for same-sex marriage is at 69% among Americans. While that’s strong, it’s down two percentage points from 2022, when support hit a record high of 71%.

same-sex marriage gallup poll

Gallup’s data on Americans’ approval for same-sex marriage over time.

The dip can be seen across the political spectrum. When asked if marriage equality should be legal, Republicans’ support fell to 46% from a high of 55% in 2021 and 2022. But support even fell among Democrats and independent voters asked the same question.

READ MORE: WATCH: Moms for Liberty Chapter Chair Flips Out at Drag Queens in Viral Clip

While both demographics still overwhelmingly support marriage equality, it’s started to fall over that same period. In 2022, a record high percentage of Democrats, 87%, thought same-sex marriage should be legal. That fell 4% to 83% this year.

As for independents, in 2023, a record 77% supported marriage equality. But this year, it’s dipped 3% to 74%.

Gallup’s data on Americans’ approval for same-sex marriage over time broken out by party affiliation.

The percentage of Americans who think homosexuality is morally acceptable has also fallen since 2022’s record high. In that year, 71% thought it was morally OK to be gay, but that fell to 64% last year, and held steady at that lower number this year.

Unlike marriage equality, when the question was broken out by political affiliation, the percentage of Democrats rose since last year. In 2024, 81% of Democrats felt homosexuality was morally acceptable, an increase from 2023’s 79% — but still down from 2022’s high of 85%. Independents fell 6% to 68% when compared to last year, while Republicans only fell a single point to 40% over the same period.

The poll was conducted via phone last month. It has a sample size of 1,024 adults, and has 4% margin of error.

While Republican politicians generally have not been pro-LGBTQ, attacks against the community have increased in the last few years. Republicans have banned Pride month displays at U.S. embassies and on public infrastructure. Former President Donald Trump says if he’s re-elected, he’d end protections for queer students.

Right-wing figures like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito have framed the fight for equal rights as being anti-religious. Many states have attempted to pass drag bans. And the conservative majority of the Supreme Court has signaled it may repeal the Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

 

 

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WATCH: Moms for Liberty Chapter Chair Flips Out at Drag Queens in Viral Clip

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moms for liberty california chapter

The chair of the Moms for Liberty California chapter went viral in a video clip harassing drag queens in the lobby of a Hawaiian hotel on Sunday.

The clip was first posted by Hawaii-area drag queen Marina del Rey to her Facebook profile. In the two-minute long clip, the woman, identified as Beth Bourne, begins recording video with her cell phone and starts berating drag queens that were in the lobby of the Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach.

The clip opens with her asking for someone to call the police, before launching into her tirade.

READ MORE: Drag Queen Story Hour Interrupted by Neo-Nazis Seen in Terrifying Video

“I’m sorry, but this is — I paid to be a customer at a hotel where I thought you believed that women were real. That because you put on makeup, because you’re wearing high heels, because you have a Barbie outfit on, that you don’t think this is degrading? This is misogyny,” Bourne says.

She says that if the hotel refunds her money, she will leave, but she’s “not going to have my children come down from the 30th floor and see what’s happening here.” A hotel representative tries to calm her down, but then she starts accosting one of the drag queens.

“Are you in the hotel? Are you dressed up? Are you a man? Are you a man pretending to be a woman?” she asks the queen, who says they’re not “pretending to be anything.”

“What do you think about my son, who might think that he can put on makeup and put on fancy clothing and high heels and have his penis cut off and take estrogen so he can grow fake boobs like those?” she continues.

She keeps yelling at the hotel representative, announcing she paid $3,000 to stay in the hotel and that the sight of the drag queens is “degrading.” The queens start to chuckle at the awkward situation, which sets her off again. She starts asking for the drag queens to identify themselves and tell her “why you think it’s okay to put on a clown costume and do this to young children.” It should be mentioned, no children can be seen in the clip.

She again asks to speak to the police — and she apparently got her wish. Del Rey says that Bourne was handcuffed and escorted out of the hotel for causing a disturbance. Bourne was not actually arrested or charged, del Rey said, but the hotel did trespass her from the property.

In another post, del Ray said that the queens were there to record a video for a pageant. The premise of the video was that the drag queens were posing as hotel staff while in full drag.

“This woman saw us filming and came to a slow burn and then she popped off. Her rant went on and on – possibly with the attempt to get a riled angered response. She didn’t get one. In this video – you see my perspective. In her video – u will see three drag queens surrounded by staff and guests – just sitting down,” del Rey wrote.

She also had kind words for the real hotel staff and the witnesses who “extended compassion of which I’m very very grateful.”

Bourne herself reposted the queens’ video to X. She says that “several other Alohilani hotel guests told me they also found it offensive so I spoke up to the manager yesterday.” She also posted her own video, showing the queens sitting in the lobby.

Her video shows the beginning of the conversation, which starts calmly, with her attempting to debate the queens. But she gets more and more angry — one of the queens even points out that Bourne is “shivering.” Bourne also films the concierge desk so “everyone” will know what the hotel is.

“I paid $3,000 so I can believe in biological reality! I am a real woman! You are fake!” Bourne says.

“I know!” the queen fires back.

The last minute of Bourne’s video overlaps with Marina del Rey’s video, providing the context. In the clip, we can clearly see the drag queens acting calmly.

Bourne is the chair of the California chapter of Moms for Liberty, which has been designated a far-right extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Her bio on X describes herself as a “Mom questioning gender ideology in CA schools,” and clarifies that her views are her own, “not my employer, UC Davis where 1/22 kids is trans.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told Hawaii News Now that he was “proud” of the drag queens.

“The video was upsetting, no question. I am proud of the performers from Hawai’i’s LGBTQIA community who maintained their dignity and integrity in the face of such a hostile attack. This type of behavior is unacceptable. It is not aloha, and we will not tolerate it from anyone,” Green said.

Bourne’s employer, UC Davis, released a statement later on Tuesday, condemning Bourne’s actions.

“We are aware of a widely circulated video in which a university employee makes a number of offensive statements. We condemn these statements as deeply hurtful. While the employee’s comments are protected by the First Amendment, they do not reflect the values of respect and belonging that form the foundation of our campus community,” the statement read.

“To the LGBTQ community, UC Davis is a place where you should feel seen and supported. June is when the nation celebrates Pride Month, and at UC Davis we’re committed to making sure this community has every opportunity to thrive and flourish on our campus.”

Update (6/25/2024, 7:30 p.m. ET): This story has been updated to include UC Davis’ statement.

Featured image taken from a screenshot of Marina Del Rey’s video.

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Rep. Tim Walberg Tells Uganda to ‘Stand Firm’ on ‘Kill The Gays’ Law Ted Cruz Called ‘Horrific’

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Tim Walberg Uganda Kill The Gays Law

Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI) delivered a speech in Uganda to defend the country’s President Yoweri Museveni and the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, better known as the “Kill the Gays” law.

Walberg traveled to Uganda in October to attend a national prayer breakfast organized by the Fellowship Foundation, also known as The Family, which also covered the cost of his trip, according to TYT. In the speech, transcribed by the blog Take Care Tim, he told the attendees to “stand firm” in the face of criticism.

“Whose side do we want to be on? God’s side. Not the World Bank, not the United States of America necessarily, not the UN. God’s side,” Walberg said. “I think as we go on here, it says, ‘So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.’ – Who’s gonna do that? God is gonna do that. Your esteemed President, his excellency, President Museveni needs a nation that stands with him and says, though the rest of the world is pushing back on you, though there are other major countries that are trying to get into you and ultimately change you, stand firm. Stand firm.”

READ MORE: Mike Johnson Once Agreed to Speak at ‘Kill the Gays’ Pastor’s Conference – Until an NCRM Report

Walberg made it clear he knew his view would be unpopular in the United States.

“Now, this will probably get back to the national media in the United States, and I expect some pushback, but I’m not gonna give in to them. … I know that your President is a warrior. I like that about him. We’re in a battle, folks. We are in a battle,” he said.

Though Uganda has had homophobia enshrined in its legal code since it was a British protectorate, the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 is a drastic escalation. Previously, homosexuality was punished with life in prison, according to the Advocate. The new law allows the death penalty for those convicted of “aggravated homosexuality.” It also bans “promotion of homosexuality,” much like Russia bans queer “propaganda”.

The law is so draconian that Republican Senator Ted Cruz—no ally to the queer communitycondemned it. In May, shortly after Museveni signed the law, Cruz called the law “horrific” on X, formerly Twitter.

This Uganda law is horrific & wrong. Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ is grotesque & an abomination. ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse. #LGBTQ,” Cruz tweeted.

Attempts to pass a similar bill to the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 started in 2014, with a bill also called the “Kill the Gays” law. That form of the bill was built by anti-LGBTQ activist Scott Lively, who previously claimed then-President Barack Obama was secretly gay.

While it didn’t go into effect then, the bill and ones like it kept popping up on Uganda’s parliamentary agenda. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden threatened to cut nearly $1 billion in annual aid to Uganda if the bill passed.

A previous version of this story credited Salon with the initial reporting; Salon had republished the article from TYT. The sourcing has been corrected; NCRM regrets the error.

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