Montana's Republicans Want to Arrest Gay People

Ah, the year 2010. Some say it's the year of Lady Gaga. Others say it's the year of Glee. And a few folks think it's the year of Betty White. But alas, while all three have had very good years, it's another group taking the trophy for garnering such widespread attention: Republicans in the United States who want to criminalize homosexuality and arrest and jail gay people.

We saw this a few weeks ago when the 2010 Texas GOP party platform was released. The party of Lincoln, it seems, has been turned into the party that fears sodomy. Per their platform, the Texas GOP wants to recriminalize sexual activity between adults of the same gender, and wants to arrest any straight person who helps two people of the same sex get married.

But proving that the homophobia of the Texas GOP doesn't exist in a vacuum, word comes now that the 2010 party platform of the Montana GOP also calls for criminalizing homosexuality and arresting gay people. Towleroad broke it yesterday, quoting the Montana platform word for word: "We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal."

Yes, that's right. The Montana GOP wants to insert a telescope into the bedroom of every Montana resident, and each night check and make sure the fine folks of Montana aren't going to bed with someone of the same sex. And gay marriage? Well, forget that. The Montana GOP is pretty clear that relationships ought to only be between people of the opposite sex. Relationships between senior Republican lawmakers and shady lobbyists are OK, too.

We all know that the Republican Party has leaps and bounds to go when it comes to embracing LGBT issues. Slowly but surely, some in the party are getting there. Whether it's Dick Cheney or Laura Bush, Elisabeth Hasselbeck or David Brooks, prominent Republicans are coming around on issues related to LGBT rights, and specifically same-sex marriage.

It's just a shame that this sentiment isn't filtering down to statewide party platforms. Can these parties get away with openly calling for the arrest of people solely on the basis of their sexual orientation?

Of course, while Texas and Montana have pretty appalling GOP party platforms, perhaps we should be grateful that neither state is Minnesota. There, in the land of 10,000 lakes, the Minnesota GOP is willingly partnering with a rock band, known as You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, that calls for gay people to be executed. Rep. Michele Bachmann has embraced them. GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer has embraced them, too, and given them money. And the state GOP gave You Can Run But You Cannot Hide a donated booth at their last party convention.

Here's hoping these things only come in threes, with Minnesota, Texas and now Montana. Because if one more state GOP starts spouting off about how gay people should be arrested, detained or (gulp) murdered, it'll be time to wonder whether the GOP has been taking lessons from Uganda.

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