By now we all know that social conservatives will only back a presidential candidate who opposes marriage equality. That is a given.
But Iowa Republican Bob Vander Plaats, a man who previously compared homosexuality to hazardous smoking, is taking his traditional politics to a whole new level: he and his right wing organization, The Family Leader, are asking candidates to not only vow opposition to same-sex marriage, but to Sharia law and infidelity, as well.
From On Top Magazine:
[Vander Plaats] will unveil The Marriage Vow: A Declaration of Dependence Upon Marriage and Family at a press conference on the west steps of the Iowa state capitol building…
According to Fox News, the pledge includes support for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that bars federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples, opposition to gay marriage laws, picking constitutionalists for federal judgeships and opposition to Sharia law. Candidates are also being asked to pledge fidelity to their spouses.
Isn't it clever how social conservatives, aware that national opinion on LGBT rights has shifted left, are now trying to link gay panic to another irrational fear, Islamophobia?