The Bachmann scam

Today the TVNZ midday news carried a report from ABC (US) News investigating the anti-gay scam being run by Marcus Bachmann, the husband of leading US Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. She’s the frontrunner to win the Iowa Caucuses. This video, from ABC’s Nightline programme, expands on the earlier report, and is built on the excellent work of Truth Wins Out.

There’s no such thing as an “ex gay” because “change” of one’s sexual orientation is impossible and the attempt to do so is harmful— sometimes driving people, especially gay youth, to suicide. Anyone, like Marcus Bachmann, who practices the scam of “reparative therapy” is a vile and despicable fraud.

This is nothing new, of course. The anti-gay bigotry of the Bachmanns has been known for years, and only now is the mainstream news media paying attention. Still, I’m glad they’re finally reporting on this—sunshine is the ultimate disinfectant, and all that. I would hope, though I’m not very optimistic, that this will be the start of a societal push to put “reparative therapy” with all the other discredited quack remedies. I would also hope that this, ultimately, leads to the final defeat of Michele herself. Democracy will be the better for it once she’s no longer an elected official of any sort.