OPINION:
On Friday, Oct. 27, just hours after Rep. Mike Johnson was elected speaker of the House by the unanimous vote of the Republican majority, CNN reporters Andrew Kaczynski and Allison Gordon posted the following: “Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has a history of harsh anti-gay language.”
They went on to cite several editorials Mr. Johnson wrote in the early 2000s, when he served as a constitutional attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a coalition of lawyers that has more religious freedom victories before the Supreme Court than any other law firm in the nation.
Here is a smattering of quotes from the new speaker’s editorials that the CNN reporters find problematic.
In September 2004, Mr. Johnson wrote: “The state and its citizens have a compelling interest in preserving the integrity of the marital union by making opposite-sex marriage the exclusive form of family relationship endorsed by the government. Loss of this status will de-emphasize the importance of traditional marriage to society, weaken it, and place our entire democratic system in jeopardy by eroding its foundation. … If everyone does what is right in his own eyes, chaos and sexual anarchy will result. And make no mistake, the extremists who seek to redefine marriage also want to deny you the right to object to immoral behavior.
“Our precious religious freedom hangs in the balance. Homosexuals have the right to live however they choose – but they cannot redefine … our entire society. The stakes are very high in this battle, and it’s not intolerant for us to desire a healthy and prosperous community. … This follows common sense and five millennia of moral teaching. No major civilization in the history of the world has expanded the definition of marriage to include any combination other than man and woman. We shouldn’t be the first.”
In February of the same year, Mr. Johnson wrote another op-ed where he said: “Pro-family advocates are often asked these days, ’Why should you care? Why is same-sex marriage a threat?’ The answer is simple: because we tamper with God’s created order at our peril. If activist judges can reject thousands of years of history and legitimize homosexual marriage, then trans-sexual and group ’marriages’ of every sort must logically follow. If you were shocked by the moral lapses at the Super Bowl, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. … Simply put, sex of any kind outside of the marriage of one man and one woman is ultimately destructive.
“Social science is now confirming what the Bible has always said. Countless studies prove that traditional marriage is unquestionably the best, healthiest, and most satisfying relationship for everyone. Children in stable, traditional, two-parent homes have less physical and emotional problems, do better in school, and are less likely to live in poverty, get into trouble, or be victims of physical or sexual abuse. The stakes are very high … and it is not ’intolerant’ to desire [what’s best for our children and our culture].”
In another editorial in July 2005, Mr. Johnson said, “There is good reason why neither Congress nor any federal court has authorized civil rights’ status’ based on ’sexual orientation.’” He went on, “As my colleague Jan LaRue, chief counsel for Concerned Women for America, put it, ’Creating a special civil rights status for employees based on bedroom behavior is an insult to true minorities. Who will be next, adulterers?’
Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece Alveda King said it equally well: ’I’ve met ex-wives and former homosexuals, but I’ve never met a former African American.’ Our government [should] never provide its stamp of approval or special legal sanction for behavior patterns. … Your race, creed, and sex are what you are, while homosexuality and cross-dressing are things you do. This is a free country, but we don’t give speciation protections for every person’s bizarre choice. Where would it end? This is one Pandora’s box we shouldn’t open.”
Finally, in 2003, Mr. Johnson wrote an amicus brief in the case of Lawrence v. Texas in favor of states “proscribing deviate sexual intercourse” because of “public health concerns,” which include the “exponential spread of STDs, HIV, safety, morals and the promotion of healthy marriages.” Mr. Johnson concluded that “sexual anarchy could doom even the strongest republic.”
So, basically, what these CNN reporters are saying is this: They are stunned that the newly elected speaker of the House affirms over 5,000 years of cumulative Judeo-Christian common sense and moral clarity and that everything he’s been warning of was right.
• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host.
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