Liberal Talk Show Host Thom Hartmann Says It’s Time for Gay 'Reparations'

August 6th, 2010 7:46 AM

It's one thing to have liberal guilt, but this is taking it way too far. 

In a video posted to YouTube on Aug. 5, popular liberal talk host Thom Hartmann, identified what he considered was the appropriate way to cope with this guilt type, specifically that of which came with the issue of LGBT rights. Hartmann hails himself as "the 10th most important talk show host in America, and the No. 1 most important progressive host, in their ‘Heavy Hundred' ranking" according to Talkers Magazine.

Hartmann laid out the reasoning chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker used in an Aug. 4 ruling that overturn California's Proposition 8 gay marriage ban, a ballot initiative approved by over 7 million voters in 2008. Then he added his own unique solution.

"Well yesterday, Judge Vaughn Walker, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, ruled that California's Proposition 8, which said that it was illegal for gays to get married in that state, was unconstitutional," Hartmann said. "He said that he based his ruling, although the right-wing is all over him for being gay himself - he said he based his ruling on the preponderance of scientific evidence that was presented to him in court, which indicated that the children of families of gay couples grew up every bit as normal, and in fact in some studies more normal and healthy, psychologically healthy, as the children of straight families and that gay couples and their relationships are every bit as psychologically, and socially, and economically significant and legitimate as are straight couples."

Hartmann, with his psychological expertise in hand, alluded to the reasoning in Walker's ruling, added that the only basis for such a ban, despite the approval of those people, were "moral and religious views."

"He said that the evidence conclusively shows that moral and religious views form the only basis for the belief that same-sex couples are different from opposite-sex couples," Hartmann said. "Very, very interesting."

To rectify this situation - Hartmann made the incredible call for reparations, singling out the Mormon Church to pay for gay weddings in the California for the next 10 years.

"You know, I - gay people in this country have a long history of discrimination, of hatred, of murder," he continued. "Matthew Shepard, you know - tortured, dragged, dragged you know dragged at the end of a truck, tied to a fence post left to die in the desert sun for example. I think that we should have reparations for gays. I think that the Mormon Church, which contributed a large chunk, maybe as much half of the money or maybe members of the Mormon church, as much as half of the money from out-of-state to fund Prop 8 for the next 10 years should have to pay for every gay wedding in the state of California."

The next step of this case is for it to be heard by the left-leaning Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and then would likely be heard by the Supreme Court to determine whether it violates the 14th Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection" and "due process."