Gary Bauer

—Insists Martin Luther King “would have been mortified” by LGBTQ rights advances.

—On supposed historical link to marriage equality: “Our country fought a civil war over the idea that some matters are too important to be decided state by state. Just as slavery was an assault on human dignity, the redefinition of marriage is an assault on an institution at the foundation of successful families and civilizations.”

—Pushes inaccurate science: “More importantly, however, the government has an obligation to promote public policy that is best for the general welfare and to discriminate against behaviors that adversely impact society and public health. Tobacco use is heavily regulated by the state and smoking is strongly discouraged. A major study conducted by Oxford University demonstrated that homosexual conduct is three times more deadly than smoking. Homosexual behavior is fraught with adverse health affects. [sic] Again, this is not opinion, but documented medical fact.”  (*The researchers behind that Oxford study, conducted at the height of the AIDS crisis, have condemned the way folks like Bauer have twisted their findings.)

—Claims gay activists’ ultimate goal is to throw dissenters in jail: “The ultimate goal of homosexual-rights activists is not to legalize same-sex marriage. Rather, it is to silence those who disagree with them and, if necessary, to throw them in jail. In a world in which the biblical viewpoint of marriage is demonized, it does not take a constitutional scholar to predict that soon those who hold that view will find themselves in court.”

—“Ex-gay” advocate against “the tragedy of homosexuality”: “Story after story calls for everything from new hate crimes laws, to same-sex marriage, to pro-homosexual education policies. But policies like these would only compound the tragedy of homosexuality. The message of ex-gay ministries is one of hope and healing. Their aim is to save lives and souls.”

—Says that things like the embrace of “the radical idea of men marrying other men” have increased gang culture, deteriorated the black family.

—Suggests LGBTQ activists want to criminalize Christianity and take kids from dissenting parents: “If we throw up our arms in frustration and surrender the political arena to the left, it will get a whole lot worse. We are headed toward the criminalization of Christianity. Let me explain. If a family were teaching its children that the KKK is the correct model for society, people would rightly be outraged. If Child Protective Services found out, that family would face the possibility of having its kids taken away for psychological child abuse. When it comes to same-sex marriage, the militant homosexual movement and its left-wing media allies have, unbelievably, taken the normal view of marriage and equated it with the kind of raw bigotry I just described. If we stop fighting, in short order you will not be able to teach your children that God intended them to marry someone of the opposite sex.”

—Was behind one of the most mocked ads of the 2012 election cycle, claiming President Obama was going to force gay marriage on everyone.

—Says transgender individuals need to be counseled out of their truths: “In a healthy society, we would be compassionately seeking counseling for people who cannot come to terms with their sex. But in America today, it’s the parents who must come to terms with their children’s transgenderism.”

—In late 1990s, declared himself “immovable” on the topic of gay people needing to “get out” of “a destructive lifestyle”: “I will encourage anybody I can to get out of what I think is a destructive lifestyle. I don’t believe a healthy society can endorse, subsidize, or encourage it. I am sorry if this disappoints you, but again, on this, I am immovable.”