Michele Bachmann: Gays Bully Americans, Intimidate Politicians

Michele Bachmann thinks the gay community is bullying the American people -- and she doesn’t like it. That’s what the retiring Minnesota congresswoman told conservative radio host Lars Larson last week during the CPAC 2014 conservative conference in Maryland.

Bachmann is still fuming two weeks after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed SB 1062, an anti-gay bill that would’ve allowed individuals and businesses to refuse service to anyone on religious grounds. Same-sex advocates and their supporters in the business community argued that the bill would discriminate against gays -- even though it didn't mention sexual orientation specifically.

Here’s what Bachmann said on the radio show:

‘Religious Liberties On The Chopping Block’

“This is the thing I want to say, Lars ... Our First Amendment right to religious speech and expression is not for sale. I don’t care what the NFL threatens; I don’t care what the Super Bowl or any commerce threatens, our religious liberties aren’t for sale. That’s what was on the chopping block here. It’s that serious. We want to hear about tolerance, but it’s convenient that tolerance is like a one-way street? Tolerance is a two-way street and the beauty of America is that you can worship the way you want to; I can worship the way I want to; but you don’t have the right to force me to conform to your view.”

There Will Be Nationwide Consequences

“This consequence will have reverberations across the country, this decision in Arizona. Now we are going to see the same effort -- and really it will be, I think by the ‘tolerance community’ -- that’s going to force any state that has this statute to rescind it.”

Gays Bully Americans, Intimidate Politicians

“There’s nothing about gays in there, but the gay community decided to make this their measure. The thing that I think is getting a little tiresome is that the gay community thinks that they’ve so bullied the American people and they’ve so intimidated politicians -- the politicians fear them -- and so they think that they get to dictate the agenda everywhere. Well, not with the Constitution you don’t. The Constitution is immovable unless you change it through a constitutional amendment. If you want to take away my religious liberties, you can advocate for that. But you do it through the constitutional process. You don’t intimidate. And no politician should give away my religious liberties or yours.”