By L.A. Williams, M.H. Cavanaugh
Christian Action League
November 11, 2022
A rainbow wave — that’s what the LGBTQ Victory Fund is calling the mid-term elections, touting that a record number of LGBTQ candidates won their races (400 or so this year as opposed to 334 in 2020). Even so, many incumbents who refused to back down in the face of LGBTQ activism were able to keep their seats. So it really wasn’t a rainbow wave anymore than it was a red wave for Republicans.
Most notably on the national scene, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt were all reelected, as was Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.
“We reject woke ideology,” DeSantis told the crowd on election night. “We will never ever surrender to the woke agenda. People have come here because of our policies.”
The Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, commended candidates who stood up for conservative values, even as many faced attacks from LGBTQ organizations such as Agenda PAC.
Earlier this year, DeSantis ruffled LGBTQ feathers by signing a law that prevents teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with their pupils in grades kindergarten through third grade. Abbott has made no secret of his belief that gender-affirming therapy that pushes adolescents toward a trans identity qualifies as child abuse. And Stitt has also been outspoken in upholding conservative views.
“We’re going to respect parents’ rights and protect their say in their children’s education in our state. We’re going to focus on teaching kids and not indoctrinating them,” Stitt told supporters as returns came in on Tuesday night. Some Oklahoma laws he has supported include banning biological males from competing on girls’ teams and preserving the practice of designating babies as either male or female on birth certificates.
Also, a notable defeat for the LGBTQ was that of Jim Obergfell, who ran as a Democrat for the Ohio House of Representatives. Obergfell is the gay man behind the U.S. Supreme Court case, Obergfell v. Hodges, which resulted in the redefinition of marriage from one man and one woman to two adults.
Obergfell ran against a Republican Representative, D.J. Swearingen. Swearingen trounced Obergfell with 61% of the vote and Obergfell with only 38%. Yet, Obergfell spent twice as much money on his campaign than Swearingen and was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign.
Obergfell vowed to fight efforts to remove pornified books in public schools and libraries. One of his promises was to work to amend Ohio’s state constitution to support abortion-on-demand and same-sex marriage. He promised to work to make “gender identity” on equal par with race, sex, and religion. He also expressed his disdain for Christians who had religious objections to participating in same-sex marriage ceremonies.
Swearingen held just the opposite view. He ran an anti-abortion campaign, which received the endorsement of Ohio Right to Life. While serving in the Ohio House, Swearingen introduced a Parents’ Rights measure requiring parents to be notified before showing sexually explicit materials.
“When it comes to LGBTQ+, despite how well conservatives did this election, I think matters may worsen before getting better. Nevertheless, they will improve. I am not just whistling Dixie here. I wholeheartedly believe this issue will be revisited, and ultimately, the Court’s rogue decision will be overturned. Like Roe v. Wade, the Oberfell v. Hodges decision by the High Court was an act of judicial tyranny which has given LGBTQ+ lots of unfair momentum and steam they wouldn’t have otherwise. Chief Justice John Roberts was right in his dissent when he asked, ‘Just who do we think we are?” He said the Court’s decision was an imposition of the judges’ own will rather than a legal judgment. He said such questions should be left to the people of the states, and the constitution leaves no doubt to this,” said Rev. Creech.
Closer to home, in North Carolina, the LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed Rep. Deb Butler for House District 18 and Marcia Morgan for Senate District 7. Butler, an incumbent, kept her seat, but Republican Michael Lee defeated Morgan. Amy Block DeLoach, a Democrat candidate for House District 20 who had campaigned with Butler and Morgan on a “Trust Women” platform, was defeated by incumbent Ted Davis.
Several LGBTQ candidates in North Carolina had no competition.
“Uncontested races don’t benefit our democracy in any way,” Creech says. “More than ever before, it’s important for us to vote, to support Christian candidates, and even to be willing to run for office ourselves if the opportunity presents itself.”
Now that the election is over, the egregious wrong of same-sex marriage will likely take center stage in the lame-duck session of Congress.
The “Respect for Marriage” legislation, which would codify same-sex marriage into federal law, would also force every state in the union to recognize any twisted definition of marriage that a state, territory, or even “possession” of the federal government can envision.
Liberty Counsel has warned, “Make no mistake about where this bill will end up. The goal is to abolish marriage by deconstructing it. If this bill is passed, a minor strikethrough of ‘2’ will force polygamy and polyamory on the states.”
North Carolina’s U.S. Senator Thom Tillis says he supports the legislation.
