Feminist Looking Glass

Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina (do I have to say that he is a Republican?) might be the most bigoted person in the Senate.  Of course he has some stiff competition, but look at these examples of his bogotry.

• Last year, when asked about how he would feel about a gay president, he said that “”It would be bothersome to me just personally because I consider it immoral.”

• And what does he think about same-sex marriage?: “Governments should not be in the business of promoting a behavior that’s proven to be destructive to our society.”

• Who should not be allowed to teach in public schools?  In 2004, he said that “practicing homosexuals” and unmarried pregnant women shouldn’t be allowed to teach in public schools.

• I was actually surprised that I couldn’t find any quotes from Demint to infer that he is also a racist.  But this blog in the Daily Kos wonders about Demint and racism.  And, going back to the allegations of racism in the right-wing’s opposition to health care reform, would it be any wonder if Demint is a racist?

And here’s the latest.  Demint is holding up the confirmation of D.C. Superior Court nominee Marisa Demeo, which, according to the National Law Journal, seems to be “based on her strong legal advocacy work on Hispanic and LGBT issues.”  Or putting it in a way that might make more sense, given Demint’s history, is that he is holding up the confirmation because Demeo is a Latina and openly gay.  In addition to her work in the Department of Justice, she has worked for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, has been a member of the Human Rights Campaign, and has been co-president of GAYLAW.  Superior Court judges are “’usually approved by the Senate without generating controversy,’ but Demeo is now the Obama judicial nominee facing the longest confirmation delay.”  (DeMint also opposed Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination for the Supreme Court, saying that he didn’t like her using the term “wise Latina” and was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to “decide cases based on the law and not her personal views.”)

As a final kicker, in 2009 he was the only member of the senate to earn a perfect rating from the American Conservative Union, which has given Demint its highest accolade as “Defender of Liberty.”  (Yes, really.)

Filed under: GLBT, Same-sex Marriage Tagged: | Bigotry, Jim Demint, racism