Rep. Chris Smith Blames Hollywood For Growing Acceptance Of Gay People

In an interview with the National Catholic Register, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) acknowledged that Americans — particularly young people — now favor marriage equality. But Smith attributed the growing acceptance to Hollywood movies and Obama’s human rights policy — which, Smith claimed, is now dominated by the “homosexual agenda”:

There’s something of a disconnect, perhaps because of the way Hollywood has portrayed the homosexual agenda. Both Obama and [Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton are pushing the gay-rights agenda in all of our foreign policy. It is integrated into our human-rights reporting and human-rights data calls.

Polling indicates that the increased visibility of gay people in the media has, in fact, increased tolerance for gay relationships. More Americans now personally know someone who is gay or lesbian and are thus far less supportive of policies that strip family members or friends of their rights and liberties. This growing acceptance has translated into domestic, and yes, foreign policy. As President Obama indicated in his LGBT pride declaration, “Because we recognize that LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration stands with advocates of equality around the world in leading the fight against pernicious laws targeting LGBT persons and malicious attempts to exclude LGBT organizations from full participation in the international system.”

So yes, gay people are more prevalent in Hollywood and gay causes are now priorities in foreign policy. But this is not because of any “disconnect.” The growing cultural and political acceptance of gay people reflects the changing values of modern society. That, after all, is what democracy is all about. [HT: On Top Magazine]