#1721: Michael Heath

Michael Heath is a former Ron Paul campaign adviser, former director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, and bigot, best known for spearheading the efforts to ban gay marriage in Maine. According to Heath, when the state legalized gay marriage in 2009 (“officials overturned a law of nature, and in its place paid honor to evil and unnatural practices”) God punished Maine with rain and bad weather: “The potato crop is blighted, and corn and fruit fields wither,” and although “[f]ew people would be bold enough to suggest the cause of the endless rain and gloom,” it was pretty clear “that the moral climate in Maine has caused the sun to hide its face in shame.” Yeah, that kind of guy.

He redoubled his efforts in 2012 together with Paul Madore (a truly evil, rotten character), for instance with an effort to get people to use the term “sodomy based marriage” instead of “gay marriage” (Peter LaBarbera was apparently on board) and blaming marriage equality on “demonic force”. Heath also declared “war”, promised “a dirty, nasty fight” and issued the ultimatum “I don’t want you near me unless you are prepared to sacrifice.” The efforts seem to have met with limited success. But you probably don’t need to go too near Mike Heath.

We have to grudgingly admit that we were a bit impressed when he later managed to crank the hysteria up even further. “In 2012 a slim majority of Mainers voted to end civil marriage,” argued Heath (since marriage equality negates the institution of marriage), and said that the gays were planning to conquer the universe. Oh, yes: “Since the developed governments of the world aspire to colonizing planets we have to prepare for the export of sodomy to other worlds – to the entire universe! I think it’s time for us Christians to flip open our communicators. Beam me up Scotty. It’s like satan, a rabid dog, sunk his fangs deep into the donkey flesh of our nation’s government. And now the deranged ass is infecting other nations. What can be done?” Well, you’ve got prayer, Mike. Let us suggest that you stick with the power of prayer and don’t do anything stupid.

More recently he formed the group “Equal Rights, not Special Rights,” with the goal of repealing marriage equality and making homosexuality a crime: “There is conduct that ought to be punished. And Christianity teaches –  has always taught and still does teach – that sodomy is such a behavior,” said Michael Heath. The group’s first goal is to repeal Maine’s nondiscrimination protections (since the right not to be discriminated against is a special right, not an equal right). Heath also affirmed his opposition to any public displays of same-sex affection, hoping a future referendum will force “a behavior that belongs in the closet back into the closet.” (Of course, it should be illegal in the closet as well.)

Diagnosis: Unhinged, hysterical, rabid, raving lunatic. A bit like a cartoon villain, but without the sophistication.