.- According to the pro-family activist Peter LaBarbera, what he calls "big gay money" is becoming a huge force in state and local politics in America. The pro-family activist is urging grassroots conservatives to offset the influence of these contributions that are being used to finance the campaigns of candidates who favor same-sex "marriage" by contributing themselves.
LaBarbera asserts that many Americans are unaware that pro-family lawmakers who support state marriage amendments are being targeted by wealthy homosexual donors. National Public Radio (NPR) reports that last year, wealthy homosexual activists "funneled millions of dollars into dozens of carefully selected campaigns." One of those donors was Denver software magnate Tim Gill, who according to NPR, targeted 70 state-level races in more than a dozen states.
That report says Gill's staff confirmed his launching of an "under-the-radar political giving campaign." It also names another major contributor -- philanthropist and Michigan billionaire Jon Stryker -- who was "inspired" by Gill's efforts. Their goal, according to NPR, was "to elect gay-friendly governors and state lawmakers."
LaBarbera, who is now director of the group Americans for the Truth About Homosexuality, points out that the media appears to have a double standard for covering this admitted outside influence in local and state elections differently than they have in the past.
"When the Christian evangelicals did it -- Ralph Reed and the Christian Coalition years ago -- the media was up in arms about 'Christian right stealth tactics,'" says LaBarbera; "but when the homosexual activists do it, somehow it's okay or they become good citizens when they use stealth tactics to unseat good pro-family, Christian lawmakers."
LaBarbera contends that if Christian activists were employing the same strategy today, members of the mainstream media would be wringing their hands in frustration.
According to LaBarbera, Americans do not like outside forces, especially homosexual activists, influencing local elections. "I don't think a farmer in Iowa is going to be too pleased to know that his pro-family representative was unseated by a homosexual stealth money strategy," he states.
LaBarbera also noted that homosexuals tend have a great deal of disposable time and money for political activity because they do not have children and their partners often provide them with a second income.
