Todd Starnes covers “culture war news” for Fox News and has become quite a prominent mouthpiece for conservative Christians through his radio broadcasts and written commentaries. On Friday, he demonstrated his ability to stir dissension when he took up arms against President Obama for supporting LGBT athletes who might compete in the Olympics in Russia. Starnes concluded that Obama must favor gay athletes over straight athletes:
It sounds like the president is suggesting a litmus test for membership on the U.S. Olympic team.
The president also suggested that Olympic teams without gay or lesbian athletes are somehow weaker than heterosexual athletic teams. […]
Why can’t President Obama support all of our Olympic athletes — regardless of who they choose to love, regardless of their sexual orientation?
Starnes also tweeted repeatedly on the topic, asking, “What about heterosexual athletes?” As he has demonstrated a penchant for suggesting in the past, Starnes felt it important to imply that Obama must be gay himself for being so supportive of LGBT issues.
Obama was simply pointing out that teams that are inclusive have a greater chance of success, because they can recruit from a wider pool of talent. By claiming such a remark was anti-straight, Starnes proved that he can transform any story into another in his litany of anti-gay positions.