Lawrence v. Texas be damned!
Apparently, Montana Republicans don’t particularly care about piddly little Supreme Court rulings. Like five judicial activists matter in Montana…pshaw!
But, of course, what the Supreme Court says does indeed matter. In recognition of this basic reality, the Montana Senate recently passed a bill removing obsolete language criminalizing same-sex sexual contact from the Montana criminal code. The bill then went to the House. This should be simple. It should be quick. It should be noncontroversial. We shouldn’t even have to debate it. The Supreme Court says it’s unconstitutional, so it’s fucking unconstitutional. What the hell is so complicated about that?
But wait! Hold up! Not so fast! Of course, it's never that simple when gay people are involved. The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee isn’t convinced.
And so a hearing is held. Witnesses are called. Testimony is heard. Some of which is the vilest, most disgusting speech imaginable – speech equating homosexuality with bestiality and pedophilia (shocker…didn’t see that one coming) and even going as far as to say 100% of pedophiles are either gay or bisexual. Republican Rep. Bob Wagner asks a witness questions intended to portray all gay men as HIV-positive tax burdens. In short, it's a shitstorm of bigotry. Here's just a sample:
After all that, the committee killed the bill today. Not that it's surprising, considering the Montana Republican Party's very platform calls for "keep[ing] homosexual acts illegal." Lawrence v. Texas or no Lawrence v. Texas, it is still technically a criminal act for two people of the same gender to have sex in Montana.
And then Republicans scream that Obama is a traitor unless he defends DOMA in court – because it’s the law of the land. Funny, I thought the law of the land was Lawrence v. Texas…since 2003.
What an embarrassing day for Montana.
