At this point, Republicans have made it clear they’re not afraid to run on a platform of hate. We’ve seen conservatives at all levels of government spew anti-queer (and especially anti-trans) rhetoric when it comes to sports, bathrooms, health care, and books. This has been especially true when we consider folks who live with more than one marginalized identity, like trans folks of color or incarcerated queer people. Conservatives want to get their voter base to the polls for the upcoming midterm elections, and they’re far from shy when it comes to using hate to accomplish this goal.
Scott Esk, who is running for a seat in the Oklahoma state House, is getting some media attention just before primary runoff elections in his state. Why so? Well, the Republican candidate is being called out for saying he believes in the death penalty for gay people, as covered by LGBTQ Nation. (Nope, not satire.)
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Esk initially made these comments back in 2013 when commenting on a Facebook post. Esk commented on a post about the Pope encouraging people not to judge queer people with some quotes from the Bible, including a list of sinners believed to be worthy of death. Someone asked him if he thinks gay people should be executed and he replied by saying he thinks “we” would “be totally in the right” to do so.
Later, when a reporter asked him to clarify those comments, he doubled down and said what was done in the Old Testament came directly from God and it was “totally just.”
More recently, he shared a video in which he described the reporting on his comments as a “hit piece.” In the video, he insists that while some people might call him a homophobe, he thinks his beliefs make him a Christian.
“Christians believe in biblical morality,” he states. “Kind of by definition … Or they should. I’m aware of how homosexuality was added in the Old Testament; it was commanded by God to put homosexuals to death.”
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He does manage to admit he is not trying to make homosexuality a death penalty crime in the state of Oklahoma. Which, hey—we can’t take anything for granted. But it’s a very, very low bar. “But the fact remains it’s much more offensive knowing what obscene things homosexuals do for each other than for somebody to hold the view that it is indecent,” he says.
He then says there’s “help” for those “drifting” to “that kind of behavior” who don’t want to go that route. He also implies queer people are “recruiting” those in public schools. Lovely. He also referred to the November 2020 election as an “insurrection” where a “fake president” was installed.
In the most recent update, Esk refused an interview with The Oklahoman on this subject when he was asked if his opinions had changed.
“I’ve stood up for what is right in the past,” he stated. “And I intend to in the future and I am right now. That’s got me in trouble. The media are not my friends, as far as I’m concerned.”
In his most recent YouTube video, titled “Scott Esk sets the record straight the 3rd time,” Esk opens the video by greeting his “patriot friends.” He refers to “hit pieces” yet again, this time covering alleged threats toward a church leader years ago and a past divorce.
Here’s that video.
In a word? Terrifying.
