FAMiLY LEADER's Bob Vander Plaats Doesn't Hate Gays, He Just Loves Fag Jokes

Some surprisingly candid video from Think Progress yesterday showing FAMiLY LEADER CEO Bob Vander Plaats, who wants you to know that he totally doesn’t hate gays, whooping it up over a fag joke. Because fag jokes are hilarious, that’s why.

VANDER PLAATS: You wouldn’t believe how many people call us who grew up in Iowa or have Iowa ties [...] and they say that they’re the butt of a lot of jokes, around the office place (?) about “Iowa, you know how those guys are.” …

[Oddly eager laughter from one attendee]

VANDER PLAATS: So, uh…

ATTENDEE: You know what my wife says? She says: Iowa, the state where you can’t smoke a fag, but you can marry one.

[Laughter]

VANDER PLAATS: Oh shoot, that’s pretty good, that’s pretty good. Oh shoot.

Oh shoot, indeed.

None of this comes as a big surprise, by the way. After all, FAMiLY LEADER is officially associated with the anti-gay Focus on the Family and certified hate group Family Research Council, and last year partnered with certified hate group American Family Association as well as the hate group watch-listed National Organization for Marriage to get three Iowa Supreme Court Justices kicked off the bench for ruling in favor of civil rights.

The question now is whether major media will pick up this story or let Vander Plaats, a three-time gubernatorial candidate in Iowa with some political clout in the state, pretend it didn’t happen next time his group becomes newsworthy.