Rep. Mark Souder: The Latest Anti-Gay Politician To Have an Extramarital Affair

Yes, that headline up there is about as shocking as "sky is blue," or "Meryl Streep nominated for Oscar," or  "Cleveland Cavaliers lose in playoffs." In other words, it's becoming routine for politicians who believe in the sanctity of traditional marriage to conveniently forget about that sanctity while they're sleeping with someone other than their spouse.

You can almost start a professional football team with the number of high profile anti-gay politicos who have waxed on about how gay people threaten marriage, only to then cheat on their spouses. The newest member of this elite team of hypocrites? Rep. Mark Souder, an Indiana Congressman who has touted family values ad nauseam since being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. Someone should get this band of politicians some uniforms.

Rep. Souder announced today that he "sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff. I am so ashamed to have hurt those I love."

Well, not to kick somebody while he's down, but it's hard not to wonder if Rep. Souder is ashamed of his nearly two decade-long career in the U.S. House, where he made denying gays and lesbians certain rights a staple of his legacy. Heck, even on Rep. Souder's own Web site, there's a call to arms to keep marriage the sole domain of heterosexuals: "Studies consistently demonstrate that it is best for a child to have a mother and father, and I am committed to preserving traditional marriage, the union of one man and one woman."

Apparently that commitment stops the second a part-time employee walks into his office.

Rep. Souder joins a lengthy list of individuals who preach one thing, and then do another. (Quite literally.)  There's Gov. Mark Sanford and his Appalachian Trail, Sen. David Vitter and his DC Madam phone numbers, Sen. John Ensign and his attempts to buy his way out of an extramarital affair, former Sen. John Edwards and his love child with a woman not his wife, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and his extramarital dalliances while trying to impeach a President for having an affair, Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons and his alleged affair with a Playboy playmate, and Irish Member of Parliament Iris Robinson's affair with a 21-year-old lover, just to name a few of the more high profile politicians who believe that gay people are a threat to the integrity of marriage. Perhaps these folks should try to hold up the world's largest mirror.

Rep. Souder is now resigning from office, ending a nearly sixteen-year career in the U.S. House where he voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, and against employment non-discrimination laws for LGBT people and hate crimes protections for LGBT people. In all of those votes, Rep. Souder cited family values as reason number one for his vote.

Perhaps someone should encourage Bill Maher to develop a "New Rule" for his show this week: Every time a politician starts using the phrase "family values" to justify supporting discrimination against LGBT people, we ought to be allowed to check their cell phones to see if they're cheating on their own marriage.

Photo credit: Souder.House.Gov