Everyone remembers Senate Bill 245 from 2004, the anti-gay marriage amendment that came about as a result of Daniel Mongiardo’s extreme case of Gay Panic [TM]. SB245, as Mongiardo’s campaign lackey Lee Murphy said to me in a Facebook message last week:
As you recall …in 2004 the Bunning crowd accused Daniel of being gay because he was 45, dressed well and not married.
Came to be because Mongiardo was referred to as limp-wristed by then-opponent Jim Bunning in the race for U.S. Senate. (Like that made it okay to gay-hate?)
Conservatives came out in epic numbers to support Mongiardo’s amendment, thereby contributing heartily to the loss of several Democratic candidates who otherwise would have won with ease.
And now Daniel Mongiardo wants you to forget everything he brought about that year.
So let’s take a trip down the Gay Panic [TM] worm hole…
On March 11, 2004 discussion of SB245 in the State Senate was what could only be described as insecurity at its worst. Let’s take a look at a bit of that discussion.
The floor opened with Vernie “McGayHater” McGaha blabbering all kinds of garbage about how marriage was under attack, all kinds of talk about “Massatooshetts,” and how we needed to protect our neighbors children from the gays and activist judges.
Peep the rest, including Gary “Tapp Tapp” Tapp and Ed Worley after the jump…
Gary “Tapp Tapp” Tapp, the only man in the Commonwealth of Kentucky who is more obsessed with homosexuality than Martin Cothran, repeated most of what McGaha had to say. He accurately pronounced Massachusetts and went on and on about activist judges and the tradition of “stable marriage.” Conveniently didn’t bother to mention Kentucky’s insane divorce rate, mind you.
Ed Worley spoke in support of SB245, saying gay marriage had nothing to do with the fight for interracial marriage. He said SB245 was not an anti-gay or discrimination bill and hammered on liberal judges ruining the Lord’s prayer in school, “pledge to the ‘legiance’”, complained that the framers of the Constitution wouldn’t be happy with the gays. He based nearly everything he had to say on the definition of the word “marriage” that he got from an old dictionary he owns.
Ernesto Scorsone spoke passionately against SB245. Unfortunately, Daniel Mongiardo stood in the background of Scorsone, laughing and chatting during his speech. He and his pals occasionally looked at Scorsone and giggled. Scorsone is the only person who had the guts to truly stand up against the harmful legislation and was the only person who had the nerve to suggest bigotry and ignorance were prevailing. We’re only publishing a portion of the Scorsone footage because it serves almost no purpose at this point… and because you pretty much know what he had to say.
I know, I know– it’s not like me not to beat a dead gay horse. But we’re giving Daniel Mongiardo the opportunity to answer a lot of tough questions. And believe me, there are a lot of them.
Part 1:
Part 2
Just thought it’d be prudent to remind readers about what Democrats Daniel Mongiardo and Ed Worley and Republicans Vernie McGaha and Gary Tapp started in 2004 and what they stand behind today. They can’t backtrack their way out of this mess without a serious community-wide heart-to-heart. Don’t forget it. Any of it.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Optimistic Dem // Feb 20, 2009 at 5:36 pm
I am very anxious to see the rest of that video Jake……hurry up! :-)
2 JMeador // Feb 20, 2009 at 5:40 pm
All of these hacks (the exception being Scorsone) won’t last the coming demographic shifts that have only just begun in this country. By the time many of the people who elected these jokers are pushing up daisies, the multicultural, open-minded electorate of tomorrow – even ours in Kentucky – will weed these atavistic bastards out once and for all.
3 Picture This // Feb 20, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I for one appreciate Senator McGaha’s comments, and thought it was especially appropriate for him to quote scripture to justify this piece of legislation.
I only wish the amendment had been modified to also outlaw garments made of both linen and wool, prohibited the consumption of shellfish, and of course, required the death penalty for adultery. I mean, if we are going to write civil law in accordance with scripture, why only go half way?
Of course, if we were to enforce the death penalty for adultery, the ranks of the General Assembly would be significantly thinned out.
4 jake // Feb 20, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Picture: I concur!
Isn’t there some scripture about raping and pillaging, as well? Let’s do that, too.
5 jake // Feb 20, 2009 at 8:30 pm
There, final clip is uploaded. Give it a few more minutes to process and click the clicky to play.
6 Joe Sonka // Feb 20, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Funny how pulling off repugnant shit like this for short-term political gain can come back to bite you in the ass once society progresses a bit. Time for comeuppance….
7 Mike Bailey // Feb 20, 2009 at 11:04 pm
And yay, verily, I spoke unto Thee, Thank God for the YouTubes.
A decade ago these jackasses could get away with this kind of crap and never get called on it. Now the video can be shoved right up their… uh… noses.
8 Bruce Maples // Feb 21, 2009 at 7:35 am
Ernesto Scorsone is one of those rare people who actually brings honor to his office, rather than the other way around. Anyone making fun of him needs a reality check.
That bill, and its debate, was one of the all-time low points of Kentucky politics. We wrote hate and prejudice into our state constitution. And now it’s being used to promote more hate and prejudice.
It will eventually go the way of Plessy v Ferguson. The only question is when.
(And by the way, for all you history folk, the one dissenter in Plessy/Ferguson was a Kentuckian. Would that we had more John Marshall Harlans in our midst.)
9 Polar // Feb 21, 2009 at 7:52 pm
By sponsoring that POS amendment, Mongiardo gave this state’s votes to Bush, thus ensuring the present recession. He played into the GOP “drive out the Reicher vote) gameplan. For that reason, Mongiardo should not be the Democratic nominee for any office, let alone Senate, at a time when we have an honest chance with a good candidate to drive out “Alzheimer Jim” Bunning.
10 Richard // Feb 23, 2009 at 6:16 am
I find it interesting that anyone would criticize Lt. Gov Mongiardo of being a gay hater considering that he was accused of being gay by our great State legislator Elizabeth Tori. Well that was in jest but seriously I have to laugh at that assertion
11 jake // Feb 23, 2009 at 8:21 am
Uh, right, Lee Murphy.
Laugh all you want.
But pay attention before leaving fucking retarded comments.
Daniel Mongiardo helped author and sponsored Senate Bill 245 in 2004, dubbed the Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment. And every legislative session since, he’s pushed pledges on House & Senate members to declare they don’t support gay rights, gay marriage or civil unions.
So suck on that.
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