House Speaker Mike Johnson blamed the fall of the Roman Empire on ‘homosexual behavior’, audio clip reveals
- Newly appointed Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson once suggested that the fall of the Roman Empire was partly due to widespread homosexuality
- Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, is known for his critical views on gay marriage and has consistently opposed federal protections
- Johnson was once close to Exodus International, an organization that promoted the discredited practice of LGBTQ “conversion therapy”
The new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, once attributed the fall of the Roman Empire to homosexuality.
Johnson made the comments in a resurfaced audio clip from 2008.
In the excerpt, Johnson suggests that historians might view Rome’s demise as partly related to a societal loss of morality and widespread homosexual behavior that was tolerated during the period.
In the past, Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, has often discredited homosexuality.
But during a radio interview, he was heard advocating the criminalization of gay sex, even going so far as to partially blame it for the fall of the Roman Empire.
Newly appointed Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson once suggested that the fall of the Roman Empire was partly due to widespread homosexuality
“Some have attributed the fall of Rome to not only the deprivation of society and the loss of morals, but also to the rampant homosexual behavior that was tolerated by society,” Johnson said.
One of the main sources of Johnson criticism has been his position on LGBTQ issues, as he has been a consistent opponent of federal protections for same-sex marriage.
Johnson was once closely associated with Exodus International, a now-defunct group that promoted LGBTQ “conversion therapy.”
The discredited practice aimed to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through various means, including prayer and counseling.
Exodus International was a highly controversial ‘ex-gay’ organization that ceased operations in 2013. The group’s former president, Alan Chambers, apologized for the harm it caused to the LGBTQ community.
Antinous was a Greek boy from Bithynia, Turkey and a favorite of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Illustration from the 19th century
Between 2006 and 2010, Johnson served as an attorney for the conservative legal advocacy group Alliance Defense Fund — an organization labeled an extremist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of its longstanding opposition to LGBTQ rights.
While in the ADF, he worked with Exodus International on an event called the ‘Day of Truth’.
The event was created as a counter-protest to the “Day of Silence,” a student-led demonstration aimed at raising awareness about the harassment and bullying of LGBTQ youth.
“I mean, our race, the size of our feet, the color of our eyes, these are things we’re born with and we can’t change,” Johnson said during a radio interview while promoting the event that was held in 2008.
“What these adult advocacy groups like the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network are promoting is a type of behavior. Homosexual behavior is something you do, it is not something you are.’
He has also made statements in the past characterizing same-sex relationships as “inherently unnatural” and “harmful.”
“This has directly harmed LGBTQ youth,” said Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out CNNspeaking about Johnson’s ties to the anti-gay group.
“This is someone whose core was promoting anti-gay and ex-gay views. He wouldn’t give in to anti-gay lawyers, he was the anti-gay and ex-gay lawyer.”