GOP official Dave Agema engaged in gay bashing again

Dave Agema, leader of the Neanderthal wing of the Michigan Republican Party, has struck again with another round of venomous gay-bashing.

One of two Michigan representatives on the Republican National Committee, Agema told a GOP gathering in Berrien County last week that gays pushed for health care reform because many are dying of AIDS at a relatively young age.

When the Republican State Central Committee meets this weekend in Lansing there will be calls for Agema’s resignation.

According to a story published over the weekend in the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Herald Palladium, Agema told the Berrien County GOP: "Folks, they (gay people) want free medical because they're dying (when they're) between 30 and 44 years old. To me, it's a moral issue. It's a Biblical issue. Traditional marriage is where it should be and it's in our platform. Those in our party who oppose traditional marriage are wrong."

The response has been quick and sharply critical. Paul Welday, a highly respected party official, has been inundated with emails from fellow Republicans who want Agema to go, signaling that the former state representative has again created a “political firestorm.” One LGBT organization is demanding his ouster. And one GOP activist is making his second attempt within the past several months to force out Agema.

Of course, Agema is the same guy who earlier this year was loudly denounced after putting up a Facebook post that referred to the “filthy lifestyle” of gays and compared them to alcoholics.Citing statistics without any factual basis, Agema claimed that gays were responsible for half the murders in New York City.

Calls for his resignation from within the GOP faded at that time as the tea party rallied to his defense and key Michigan Republican Party officials remained mute.

In an email, to Republican leaders and activists Welday gingerly addressed the topic. The 14th Congressional District GOP chairman said that “it can be argued” that biblical issues should be left to the churches and clergy.

“Agema has every right to his opinion.  But -- right or wrong -- given his
position he is presumed to represent the Republican Party,” Welday wrote.  “While many GOP activists and candidates support traditional marriage, the tone,tenor and veracity of how this issue is pursued is very important to how this is issue is approached.”

Compare that response to the outrage expressed by Equality Michigan, an advocacy group for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and the transgendered. The LGBT advocates said in an email that the GOP National Committeeman is “comfortable spewing lies about real people in a pathetic attempt to use fear to deny fundamental rights to families in Michigan."

According to the Gongwer News Service, Equality Michigan’s email did offer some diplomatic language:

"Republicans have made tremendous strides over the past year in reaching out to its LGBT constituents," the email said. "The next obvious and necessary step Republicans must make to show that they stand on the side of reason is to rid themselves of Dave Agema, a venomous committee member whose hate speech and fear tactics have become an embarrassment to not only their party, but everyone in
Michigan."

Dennis Lennox, a party activist from Grand Traverse County, is reprising his campaign against Agema with another round of letter-writing that calls for the GOP leadership to force out the National Committeeman. As he did following Agema’s homophobic Facebook post, Lennox has written to all 168 members of the RNC and more than 100 members of the State Central Committee denouncing Agema’s “hateful and unabashed bigotry.”

“Enough is enough. This must end -- and it must end now.
“… The continued silence (of) our party's central governing body here in Michigan can no longer be defended nor tolerated.”

While the committee does not have the authority to remove Agema from his RNC post, it could pass a resolution urging him to step down.

Agema, who has routinely defended his views about the gay community, has one thing going for him. At the session on Saturday, the committee already plans to deal with another one of their bad apples.

Committee member Doug Sedenquist of Escanaba, who has been tied to a number of criminal charges, will be a topic of discussion. The tea party favorite apparently will face a motion for censure.

A talk-radio host, Sedenquist is awaiting sentencing after engaging in an armed standoff with police in Wisconsin in March. In addition, he was recently charged in the Upper Peninsula with extortion, stalking, computer crimes and drug possession.

Agema may be a bad apple but, compared to Sedenquist’s escapades, Agema’s comments may seem like small potatoes.