Boeing at the Seattle Pride Parade (credit: Michael Hanscom)

Last month, ThinkProgress identified seven U.S. Representatives — all Republicans — who have sponsored or co-sponsored the most anti-LGBT measures in the current Congress.

Reps. Todd Akin (R-MO), Dan Burton (R-IN), Phil Gingrey (R-GA), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), and Donald Manzullo (R-IL) have received a combined $664,894 from ten business PACs — five from otherwise strongly pro-LGBT companies and five from trade associations — since the start of the 2009-2010 campaign cycle.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) publishes an annual Corporate Equality Index, examining how businesses treat gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees. The companies connected to the five business PACs all earned high marks in the 2012 report: Northrop Grumman Corporation earned a 75 score (out of 100), Honeywell International and The Boeing Company each earned 85 scores, and AT&T Inc. and Lockheed Martin Corporation garnered perfect 100 ratings.

While HRC does not evaluate trade associations, the American Bankers Association, American Society of Anesthesiologists, and National Association of Realtors all have non-discrimination policies for LGBT employees. Read more

Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) - The Most Anti-Gay U.S. Representative

The most anti-gay member of Congress has been freshman Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS). As the author of his state’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages and civil unions, during his previous tenure as a state senator, his anti-gay fervor in Washington is not unexpected. In his first 18 months, he has authored an amendment to ban a directive that allows military chaplains to voluntarily solemnize same-sex unions, an amendment to “prohibit the use of funds to be used in contravention of the Defense of Marriage Act,” and a bill to ban the use of military facilities for any same-sex unions. He also co-sponsored three measures to criticize the Obama administration for not defending the Defense of Marriage Act, to direct the Speaker of the House to defend the law instead, and to delay implementation of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal.

Six other House Republicans have each put their name on at least five anti-gay proposals, putting them just behind Huelskamp:

• Rep. W. Todd Akin (R-MO), a sixth-term Congressman who warned in 2006 that “anybody who knows something about the history of the human race knows that there is no civilization which has condoned homosexual marriage widely and openly that has long survived.”
• Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN), a fifteenth-term Congressman who is retiring at the end of 2012 and who has previously opined that “Marriage between a man and a woman has been the foundation of human civilization for thousands of years all around the world.”
• Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), a fifth-term Congressman who has cited God as his reason for supporting an anti-gay constitutional amendment and who said in May “I don’t like the secularism that’s occurring in this country one bit and I think it is incumbent upon those of us [that] stand strong, to stand very strong, in regard to that and say ‘look, [my wife] and I believe that marriage is a sacrament.’”
• Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), a first-term Congresswoman who was spokeswoman for the anti-gay constitutional amendment effort in Missouri and has compared same-sex marriage to pedophilia and letting three-year-olds drive cars.
• Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), a third-term Republican who came under fire for racially insensitive comments that associating with President Obama was like “touching a tar-baby.”
• Rep. Donald A. Manzullo (R-IL), a tenth-term Congressman who recently lost renomination after reportedly telling House Republican Leader Eric Cantor (VA) that the devout Jew was not “saved.”

Fourteen more House Republicans sponsored or co-sponsored at least four of the proposals. Just one Democrat co-sponsored any of the anti-gay measures — Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC), who co-sponsored a proposed constitutional amendment to anti-gay marriage. The other 143 anti-gay activists were all Republicans.

The House Republican leadership has also committed $1.5 million in taxpayer funds to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court. While Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) has downplayed his party’s focus on social issues, preferring to talk about jobs, it’s clear where he and his caucus are really focused.

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In just her first year in office, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) has proven to be one of the most socially conservative members of Congress, and today she demonstrated just how intolerant she is of people who do not share her beliefs. In an interview, she and the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins were condemning the Air Force Academy for creating an outdoor worship space that accommodates “Earth-based” religions. Hartzler said she believes that her rabidly conservative brand of Christianity is “the main religion in our country” and condemned any attempt to accommodate “fringe religions”:

PERKINS: Do you see this as a part of a growing trend that we see that there is really kind of a marginalization of Christianity and almost a promotion of other forms of, I would have to say, fringe religions?

HARTZLER: I agree, I think so. Christianity is the main religion in our country and as a policy for the Department of Defense we need to defend the practice of religion but we do not have to obligate taxpayer funds to facilitate or accommodate it or pay for it.

PERKINS: Is it the government’s role to try to put all religions on the same plane?

HARTZLER: No, it’s not their role at all. Their role is to facilitate basic policy for our country and to not to try to lift up one religion over the other. They should be defending the basic rights that we have, that freedom of religion here, and certainly not facilitating or accommodating fringe religions. It’s crazy.

Listen, via Right Wing Watch:

Hartzler seems to believe it’s OK if the government accommodates her fringe brand of Christianity, as she has pursued legislative options to discriminate against same-sex couples in the military and applauded Speaker John Boehner for defending the Defense of Marriage Act using taxpayer funds. Perhaps she should spend some time with the First Amendment so she better understands how it’s unconstitutional both to establish her religious belief as law and to prevent others from the free exercise of their own beliefs.

Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) continues his quest to impose discrimination upon same-sex couples in the military through the Defense Authorization Act. He and 85 of his House colleagues have called upon the Senate to maintain the amendments he and Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) added, which extend the Defense of Marriage Act to prohibit same-sex marriages from being performed by military chaplains or on military bases:

We recognize that the national Defense Authorization Act is well underway and needed funds for our troops should be expedited without delay. However, we respectfully request that an amendment similar to that passed by the House be included to ensure that this administration follow the law as written and comply with DOMA. It is not the place of any citizen of this country to pick and choose which laws will be obeyed. We expect citizens sworn to defend those laws to set the example in their application.

Akin’s request is an overreach that directly targets servicemembers’ religious liberty. The Defense of Marriage Act defines what is recognized by the government as marriage, but in no way prohibits same-sex marriages from being performed.