Texas Republican Leader: Fight 'Homofascists' With Swords

The leader of the Conservative Republicans of Texas has embarked on what his group calls the Faith Family Freedom Tour, giving fiery speeches in which he claims "homofascists" are trying to take over America.

The conservative firebrand also claims there is a "homosexual manifesto" that will make the hackles "stand up on the back of your neck when you see what they have planned."

Steve Hotze, an influential figure in conservative Texas politics, is a longtime social issues crusader. While politicians seek his favor and ability to fundraise for conservative causes, the wacky kingmaker is also well known for selling his own line of vitamins and his belief in alternative holistic medicine.

Speaking to a half-empty room at a Houston hotel last Thursday, Hotze warned his audience "just like there was a communist manifesto, there's a homosexual manifesto" according to the Texas Observer. Hotze told the room he believed the manifesto is a serious declaration of war on straight people.

Hotze is referring to a satirical essay published in 1987 about a future where gay men rule the world and oppress straight people. The first line of the piece, which explains the essay is a "cruel fantasy," was removed from copies handed out to convention attendees.

Hotze then pulled out a sword and waved it in front of the gathering, saying "Our strongest weapon in the fight is the word of God. The word of God is like any two-edged sword. For thousands of years, men fought with swords. Can you imagine that piercing right through the enemy like this? That's what the word of God does. I've decided, I'm not going to fight the homosexuals with sweet words. I'm going to fight them with God's word."

He went on to claim that "Satanic cults" were behind the push for LGBT civil rights, saying "What you just saw in the homosexual manifesto underscores the evil nature of this battle. It's a spiritual battle, OK? It's against the world forces of darkness and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. You have to put on the full armor of God. The battle takes place in time and space but it's also going on in the heavenly places."

Hotze finished with more calls for violence against LGBT people saying gays "want to make Houston another San Francisco." "Homofascists," he warned, were hell bent on "recruiting" children and described transgender people as "deviant." Houston will soon vote on whether or not to keep a fully inclusive human rights ordinance that protects LGBT people from discrimination. The inclusion of transgender public accommodations protections has become a wedge issue driven by the religious right.

"Drive them out of our city," Hotze concluded. "I don't want them in our city. Send them back to San Francisco." Returning to his militaristic theme for the evening, the conservative leader reflected on World War II and America's fight against the Nazis. "Were they wicked?" he asked. "OK. What did we send our boys over to do in World War II? What did our preachers pray that would happen in World War II? They prayed, 'give our boys victory in battle.' Sometimes you have to do that when people are totally opposed to God like that, and wickedness rises up."

At the end of his tirade, Hotze urged attendees to support the political candidates in the room and asked them to use their mobile phones to donate money to his organization. When some older folks had problems using the technology, he announced he would also take checks and cash, saying "Where are the buckets? We'll take everything."