It should come as no surprise that even in the wake of the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, Republicans have no clue that their politics are actually a part of the problem. That argument can certainly be made about their lack of support for gun safety laws, but it's also true of their continued demonization of LGBT Americans as sinners who are self-interested, harm America, and are trampling on the religious rights of other citizens.
In recent days, Republican lawmakers have started to pull a Jekyll-Hyde routine on LGBT issues. But before Trump positioned himself as the great defender of LGBT people, Romney prayed for us, and Marco Rubio felt moved to perhaps run for office again because the country needs him, here's a reminder of what Republicans were doing, from the New York Times:
More than 150 pieces of legislation were pending in state legislatures that would restrict rights or legal protections for sexual minorities. A Republican congressman read his colleagues a Bible verse from Romans that calls for the execution of gays. Congress was considering a bill that would allow individuals and businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples.
North Carolina is facing a harsh backlash because of a law curtailing antidiscrimination protections for gays and requiring transgender people to use bathrooms that match the gender on their birth certificates. Mississippi’s governor signed a similar bill.
When Anderson Cooper had the gall to note the mind-boggling disconnect between the GOP's anti-LGBT policies and its sudden warm-fuzzy embrace of gays in an interview with marriage equality denier Pam Bondi, Florida's attorney general, she later accused him of "creating more anger and havoc and hatred."
That's pretty spectacular considering that Bondi used every tool at her disposal to delay and deny the right of same-sex couples to marry, including her legal argument that it would "impose significant public harm" on Florida.
Per usual, the Republicans want to blame Orlando's shooting on terrorism motivated by some external force, yet their policies and politics have terrorized LGBT individuals for decades. That's why they couldn't even admit initially that this tragedy was directed at a minority they've targeted repeatedly.
[Florida Gov. Rick] Scott was criticized for failing to mention, in numerous public appearances and interviews, that the victims were apparently targeted for their sexual identities. (He finally did on Wednesday, offering that the Orlando incident was “a clear attack on the gay and Hispanic community.”) Representative Pete Sessions of Texas told a reporter on Tuesday that Pulse, where the attack occurred, “was a young person’s club,” not a gay club. His office later said he misunderstood.
The speaker of the House, Paul D. Ryan, made no mention of gays in his initial statement. No did the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, who did note that the Islamic State beheaded women and crucified children.
Now, that's leadership! It shouldn't come as a surprise—facts are always tough for the GOP and connecting the causation dots between their policies and real-world events has continually been an intellectual exercise that eludes them. But here’s a real stat, regardless of whether their small minds can grasp it:
Gays have surpassed Jews as the minority group most often targeted in hate crimes, according to the F.B.I.
Republicans are as culpable for that statistic as anyone, even as they point the finger in every other direction.