David Barton, an evangelical and social conservative well known for his somewhat revisionist history and appearances on Glenn Beck’s show, yesterday took the opportunity on his radio show to ask that age-old question: “Why don’t we regulate homosexuality?”
Barton was talking about the government’s involvement in the health of the American people: “We have a Department of Health and Human Services; we have health care bills; we have health insurance and we’re trying to stop all unhealthy things so we’re going after transfats and we’re going after transparency in labeling to make sure we get all the healthy stuff in there.”
He continued:
So if I got to the Centers for Disease Control and I’m concerned about health, I find some interesting stats there and this should tell me something about health.Homosexual/bi-sexual individuals are seven times more likely to contemplate or commit suicide. Oooh, that doesn’t sound very healthy.
Homosexuals die decades earlier than heterosexuals. That doesn’t sound healthy.
Nearly one-half of practicing homosexuals admit to 500 or more sex partners and nearly one-third admit to a thousand or more sex partners in a lifetime.
So, he concluded: “I mean, you go through all this stuff, sounds to me like that’s not very healthy. Why don’t we regulate homosexuality?”
Full transcript and audio here.
Barton, as we’ve reported, is president of WallBuilders, a group that pushes a Christian-themed interpretation of American history. He appeared as an “expert” witness in the Texas Board of Education textbook hearings. He is a frequent guest on Glenn Beck’s program, and was even one of the “professors” at Beck University, Glenn Beck’s online university, where he talked about the influence of clergy members in the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
But he’s got some pretty strong roots in politics as well. He served as the chair of the Texas GOP, campaigned with Florida Senate nominee Marco Rubio (R), launched an effort with Newt Gingrich on behalf of Sharron Angle in Nevada, and stumped for John McCain in 2008.
Rick Green, his co-host on the radio show and a fellow WallBuilders advocate, is a former Texas legislator who ran (and lost) in the primary for the state’s Supreme Court this year.
h/t Right Wing Watch.
Jillian Rayfield
Jillian Rayfield is a Reporter/Blogger for TPM, and started as a News Intern in May 2009. She graduated from Cornell University in May 2008 with a degree in Film, and worked as a Research Assistant for a market research firm in London in between.