Limbaugh Declares “All The Gay Issues Are Behind Us”

Special Programs LGBTQ

Written by Brian Powell

Published

Rush Limbaugh ignored the various obstacles the LGBT community continues to face, from employment discrimination to the ability to use public accommodations, when he declared that “all the gay issues are behind us” in wake of Wednesday's Supreme Court rulings on marriage equality.

The Supreme Court's decision in Windsor v. United States on June 26 struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denied married same-sex couples the benefits and protections afforded to married couples under federal law.

Limbaugh responded to the news by stating, “With all of today's Supreme Court decisions on all of the gay issues, all the fatwas, we had DOMA, we had Proposition 8, so now all the gay issues are behind us ... So now the gays are free to turn out and support Republicans now.”

Later in his show, Limbaugh claimed, “For all of human history, marriage was that between a man and a woman. And everything was hunky-doory. Everything was fine ... Then all of a sudden one day, homosexuals decided that it wasn't fair. That they couldn't get married. So they began to agitate and stir things up.”

Of course, despite Wednesday's decisions, the struggle for equality under the law is ongoing for the LGBT community, and the status of equality in America is anything but “hunky-dory.” Here are a few of the unresolved challenges gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people continue to face in the wake of Windsor:

  • Federal Law Does Not Prohibit Housing Discrimination On The Basis Of Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity...
  • ...And Over Half Of U.S. States Offer No Protection From Housing Discrimination, Either.
  • Federal Law Does Not Prohibit Discrimination When Providing Access To Public Accommodations Like Restaurants, Parks, Hotels, and Buses.
  • LGBT People Face Discrimination And Other Barriers To Accessing Health Care.
  • Most States Do Not Have Laws Allowing Same-Sex Parents To Adopt Children - Six States Outright Ban Them.

This is by no means a comprehensive list.

Limbaugh's revisionist history and dismissive attitude toward the status of equal standing of his fellow listeners came as many others in the right-wing media sphere decried today's Supreme Court decisions as paving the way for the legalization of “incest and bestiality.”