Another Anti-Gay Activist Warns About Gays in the TSA
Just when it seemed the controversy over high-tech body scanners and 鈥渆nhanced鈥� pat-down procedures at airports couldn鈥檛 get weirder, along comes Eugene Delgaudio, a Loudoun County, Va., lawmaker who claims federal transportation officials were motivated to implement the new procedures by the 鈥渉omosexual agenda,鈥� not concerns about terrorism.
Delgaudio, a Republican elected to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in 1999 and re-elected twice, made that and other comments Nov. 20 in he sent in his capacity as president of the conservative non-profit group Public Advocate of the United States. Calling the U.S. Transportation Security Administration鈥檚 (TSA) non-discrimination hiring policy 鈥渢he federal employee's version of the Gay Bill of Special Rights,鈥� Delgaudio warned that 鈥渢he next TSA official that gives you an enhanced pat-down could be a practicing homosexual secretly getting pleasure from your submission.鈥�
Not only that, but any TSA employee who operates what he called聽 鈥減orno scanners鈥� 鈥� new high-resolution scanners that can produce an image of a passenger鈥檚 body beneath his or her clothes 鈥� could be 鈥渓usting after the image on his screen.鈥� That thought 鈥渕akes me sick,鈥� he said. He exhorts readers to call their senators and tell them that any unsolicited touching 鈥渋s assault.鈥�
Answering his own question as to whether the new procedures were needed to combat terrorism, Delgaudio scoffed, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 hogwash, and I won鈥檛 stand for it!鈥�
Delgaudio鈥檚 claims, which he reiterated in subsequent media interviews ( and ) are strikingly similar to , president of the anti-gay Americans for Truth about Homosexuality (AFTAH). LaBarbera would like all gay TSA employees barred from performing pat-downs, since they might get "turned on" while patting down a member of the same sex. AFTAH has been listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Sarah Horowitz, a TSA spokeswoman, said in an E-mail to Hatewatch Wednesday, that 鈥減at-downs are an important tool to help 鈥� detect hidden and dangerous items, such as improvised explosive devices like the one we saw in the attempted Christmas Day bombing that are concealed on an individual and do not contain metallic components.鈥� She said all passengers have the right to request private screening and TSA officers are trained to work with parents to 鈥渆nsure a respectful process for the entire family.鈥� Horowitz did not comment on Delgaudio's statements.
On Saturday, Delgaudio donned the persecuted hero鈥檚 mantle in responding to critics in a follow-up E-mail. 鈥淭he Homosexual Lobby鈥檚 lackeys in the media hate me鈥� for taking a stand, he wrote. 鈥淵ou see, the Homosexual lobby HATES it whenever anyone challenges their agenda.鈥�
Delgaudio has a with Public Advocate, a group that that generally don't garner much attention. In 2006, for example, Public Advocate conducted "Kennedy sobriety checkpoints" on Capitol Hill as a way to demonize Ted and Patrick Kennedy. In 2009, group members , and demanded that the president stay away 鈥渇rom our kids.鈥� Delgaudio claims President Obama's speech represented a federal takeover of education. He has also performed a 鈥渕an and donkey wedding鈥� at a protest in support of the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Though he calls his work with Public Advocate a 鈥減rivate job鈥� that's separate from his employment as a public official, Delgaudio has brought his anti-gay comments and sentiments to work as a County Supervisor. In a board meeting earlier this year, he referred to transgender people as 鈥渋t鈥� and 鈥渇reaky, bizarre, and fruity,鈥� in reaction to adding LGBT people to the county's equal opportunity policy. Delgaudio's statements brought him lots of negative publicity, including a lambasting by , and .
The criticism hasn't fazed Delgaudio, though, and he makes a nice living from both jobs. he earns $40,000 annually as a supervisor, and $150,000 a year with Public Advocate. He also says voters who have elected him three times are aware of his 鈥減rivate job鈥� with Public Advocate.
