Congressman Louie Gohmert is no stranger to outlandish antigay rhetoric, but the Texas representative reached a new low when he not-so-subtly implied that allowing openly gay youth to participate in Boy Scouts will invariably lead to older gay youth raping young boys.
Gohmert's latest antigay tirade took place Friday on the right-wing Family Research Council's radio show, Washington Watch, hosted by noted homophobe and FRC president Tony Perkins.
Right Wing Watchcaptured audio from the segment, which also featured Texas governor Rick Perry saying that God will hold the Boy Scouts of America accountable for its decision.
Gohmert, however, didn't bother with abstract concepts of divine retribution, opting instead for lurid descriptions of imminent sexual assault.
"I was just so brokenhearted over the vote with the Boy Scouts," Gohmert told Perkins. "You're going to allow a situation where a 17-year-old guy that's sexually attracted to other guys gets in a little tent with an 11-year-old new rookie Boy Scout and they spend the night together, night after night at camp? I mean, come on. I thought we were making progress. All I can figure is -- I was an Eagle Scout, we share so much of the love of scouting -- when you hear what happened, the people I talked to are, 'Well, just think, there are so many corporations that are holding up their donations, and if we will just do this, all of that money is going to flow to Boy Scouts.' Are you kidding me? Is money the most important thing in life? Gosh no. You're blessed so much more if you follow the teachings in the little old rulebook we call the Bible."
Apparently, Gohmert didn't get the message that pedophiles -- including those historically leading Boy Scout troops -- overwhelmingly identify as heterosexual. Gohmert's not alone in his erroneous association, though. Check out these six Scout supporters who contend that gay men are pedophiles.
Just last month, Gohmert made headlines for an incoherent rant on a right-wing radio show where he linked marriage equality with bestiality and then somehow connected the whole thing to gun regulation efforts.
This isn't the first time Gohmert has imagined sexual assaults resulting from the presence of out gays in an organization. Back in 2010, Gohmert testified against the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell," policy, since he believed gay soldiers would be unable to control their "overt feelings of homosexuality" and end up assaulting fellow soldiers. In 2009, Gohmert argued that enacting the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr., Hate Crimes Act would provide legal shelter for pedophiles and those who enjoy sex with animals and corpses, reports ThinkProgress.