You know members of the Religious Right — the people who have very little to say about Donald Trump‘s personal ethics — are eagerly looking to discredit the Democratic presidential candidates for any and every perceived problem as if they’re all existential threats to Christians everywhere. It’s hardly surprising that they’ve selected Pete Buttigieg for special condemnation because he’s openly gay, happily married, not ashamed of it, and rapidly rising in the polls.

Dr. Michael Brown was especially appalled that Buttigieg and his husband Chasten appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. How could that be?! Why are they so normalized?!

Brown has some theories about why Buttigieg so popular right now — and it has everything to do with advancing some fictional gay agenda. Stick around for the last one.

How then has he surged up in the polls? Why has he become the darling of the left? It’s because he is gay. And he is “married” to his partner. And he is a professing Christian. And he is challenging sacred biblical and church traditions. What more could the left ask for? But there’s a nuance to this that we cannot miss. Mayor Pete and his partner are the perfect poster boys for the gay activist agenda, a culmination of years of messaging and marketing. They seem like really nice guys (and might well be). They seem wholesome. They are churchgoing. They care about the poor. To the best of our knowledge, they are not frequenting gay bars looking for anonymous sex encounters.

“To the best of our knowledge.” Because part of Brown firmly believes you’re not a True Gay™ unless you actively cruise for anonymous sex at gay bars.

Let’s make this even simpler for him: Buttigieg is in a happy marriage. That’s two fewer marriages than Trump. He’s also paid none of the hush money. He’s not running or doing well because he’s gay, but he’s not going to act like it’s a deal breaker, and progressives have been receptive to that.

Brown doesn’t understand any of this, because he can’t get a sentence out that doesn’t come infused with faith-based bigotry.

It could well be that Pete and Chasten are really nice guys. That they’re really committed to each other. That they would be very nice neighbors. But…

There’s more to that sentence but you know exactly what it sounds like.

Brown just can’t accept the idea that stories about Buttigieg aren’t all about how he needs to renounce his homosexuality and find the right kind of Jesus. The fact that Buttigieg has a fighting chance in this race is driving the Christian Right crazy. And why not? Buttigieg is tearing apart the carefully crafted narrative that the Religious Right has been trying to sell for decades about how all gay people are promiscuous, incapable of monogamy, and eager to convert your children.

The rest of us have long known that’s not accurate and Buttigieg is blowing the myth of of the water.

