Newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnson has defended calling homosexual relationships ‘inherently unnatural’ and same-sex marriage ‘the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy’ in his first sit-down interview.
The Louisiana Rep. was pressed on remarks he made 15 years ago, where he hinted that cross-dressing is a ‘bizarre choice’ that doesn’t ‘deserve protection’ and that a same-sex union is a ‘moral lapse’ that could ‘doom even the strongest Republic’.
Fox News’ Sean Hannity asked about the 51-year-old lawmaker’s work as the spokesman for Alliance Defense Fund, where he called homosexuality ‘sinful destructive’ and stated there was ‘no clear right to sodomy in the Constitution.’
‘Go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it – that’s my worldview. That’s what I believe, so I do no apologize for it,’ Johnson said.
He claimed he didn’t remember some of his statements, and insisted: ‘I also genuinely love all people regardless of their lifestyle choices. This is not about the people themselves. I am a Bible-believing Christian.’
Johnson was elected to lead the House majority on Wednesday, earning all 220 votes from Republicans on the floor. He has since been heavily scrutinized for his stance on abortion and same-sex marriage.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sat down with Sean Hannity on Thursday for an interview at the Capitol
Johnson was asked to explain his previous comments on same-sex marriage. ‘I wanna know exactly, you know, where you stand,’ Hannity said
The father-of-four, pictured here with his family, worked as an attorney and spokesperson for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian advocacy group
The 51-year-old Louisiana representative was elected on Wednesday, concluding a tumultous 22-day search for a new Speaker
In his defense, Johnson insisted that he was in an elected official tasked with upholding the defense of marriage.
‘I was a litigator that was called upon to defend the state marriage amendments,’ he said, describing how people in over 30 states went to the ballot to amend state constitutions in the early 2000s. ‘I was a religious liberty defense and was called to defend those cases in the courts.’
While working for Alliance Defense Fund, Johnson authored his opposition to the Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, which overturned state laws that criminalized homosexual activity between consenting adults.
In September 2004, the lawmaker voiced his support of a Louisiana amendment banning same-sex marriage.
‘Homosexual relationships are inherently unnatural and, the studies clearly show, are ultimately harmful and costly for everyone,’ he wrote.
In another column from the same year, Johnson described same-sex marriage as a ‘moral lapse,’ adding: ‘Experts project that homosexual marriage is the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that could doom even the strongest republic.’
His most recent comments came in a 2005 op-ed, where he stated: ‘Your race, creed, and sex are what you are, while homosexuality and cross-dressing are things you do. This is a free country, but we don’t give special protections for every person’s bizarre choices.’
In the interview, Johnson explained that he was a ‘religious liberty defense’ who was called to defend cases in states that opposed gay marriage
The newly-elected speaker added: ‘But I also genuinely love all people regardless of their lifestyle choices’
Johnson, pictured here with wife Kelly (left), entered Congress in 2017 and is serving his fourth term
Johnson was unanimously selected as Speaker after 22 days, thirteen failed candidates, four nominees and four floor votes.
The Louisiana Republican is a father-of-four who entered Congress in 2017 and is serving his fourth term.
Before dipping into politics, he was a partner at Kitchens Law Firm and a chief counsel for the nonprofit firm Freedom Guard.
Johnson described his legal career as focusing on ‘defending religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and biblical values, including the defense of traditional marriage, and other ideals like these when they’ve been under assault.’
From 2004 until 2012, Johnson served as a trustee of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Then, for one term, Johnson was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for the 8th district from 2015 to 2017.
He decided to run for Congress in 2016 to replace outgoing Republican Rep. John Fleming.
The Louisiana lawmaker is a staunch Trump supporter, having earned the former president’s backing in his reelections since 2016 and attended multiple rallies.
He opposed the certification of the 2020 presidential election results and took the lead in filing a brief in a lawsuit that sought to overturn Biden’s victory. The congressman was also a member of Trump’s impeachment defense team.
Johnson is already in leadership in the House as Vice Chairman of the Republican Conference.
He serves as an Assistant Whip and is a member and former Chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee. Johnson also sits on the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees.
Following the Lewiston, Maine shooting that left at least 18 people dead, the new Speaker said: ‘This is a this is a dark time in America. We have a lot of problems and we’re really, really hopeful and prayerful. Prayer is appropriate at a time like this.
‘So, that’s the statement this morning on behalf of the entire House of Representatives. Everyone wants this to end, and I’ll leave it there.’