{"id":505966,"date":"2017-01-06T14:41:09","date_gmt":"2017-01-06T14:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glaad.logalt.net\/tap\/dan-coats\/"},"modified":"2023-04-21T22:29:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T22:29:48","slug":"dan-coats","status":"publish","type":"gap","link":"https:\/\/glaad.org\/gap\/dan-coats\/","title":{"rendered":"Dan Coats"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2014Claimed<\/a> openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual army personnel would \u201cseriously undermine the effectiveness, the normal discipline [and] the good order\u201d of the military.<\/p>\n

\u2014Was one of the authors of military’s discriminatory \u201cdon’t ask, don’t tell\u201d policy and a vocal opponent of its 2010 repeal, saying that<\/a> gay service members’ \u201cbehavior lifestyle can’t be such that it interrupts the morale of the fighting unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Co-wrote a letter<\/a> (with notoriously anti-LGBTQ Senator Strom Thurmond) threatening to pursue further legislation if the Clinton administration did not pursue \u201cdon’t ask, don’t tell\u201d-related discharges aggressively enough.<\/p>\n

\u2014Opposes<\/a> marriage equality: \u201cI think marriage is between a man and a woman and that’s the way it has always been defined…. I don’t think we have to interfere with someone who chooses an alternative lifestyle, but I just don’t think it falls under the category of marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Called<\/a> the marriage equality debate itself \u201can indication of deep moral confusion in our nation that we are even having this debate\u201d and called his opposition to marriage equality \u201ca matter of self-preservation in our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Said<\/a> of same-sex couples: \u201cWhen we prefer traditional marriage and family in our law, it is not intolerance. Tolerance does not require us to say that all lifestyles are morally equal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Voted against<\/a> LGBT-inclusive Employment Nondiscrimination Act.<\/p>\n

\u2014Claimed<\/a> a lesbian public official’s support for making the Boy Scouts an inclusive organization was \u201can example of a radical agenda that is outside the mainstream of civil rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Notorious anti-LGBTQ activist James Dobson endorsed and described<\/a> Coats as \u201ca consistent leader of pro-family causes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":343,"featured_media":505967,"template":"","categories":[138754],"tags":[],"region":[138565],"hashtag":[138632,138634],"class_list":{"0":"post-505966","1":"gap","2":"type-gap","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"category-gaps","7":"region-national","8":"hashtag-politics","9":"hashtag-trump"},"aioseo_notices":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t