CNN is out with a new report that says House Speaker Mike Johnson previously worked with an organization that pushed so-called conversion therapy, the widely discredited — and widely banned — practice of trying to force LGBTQ people to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
After he won the speakership, Johnson’s anti-LGBTQ positions have been well documented. Progressive Christian writer Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons noted several of them in a recent piece for MSNBC, including Johnson’s past support for criminalizing gay sex and his vehement opposition to same-sex marriage protections.
CNN’s reporting appears to add to that track record. In the report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, the outlet said Johnson worked for a right-wing legal advocacy group that collaborated with Exodus International, an organization that promoted conversion therapy worldwide, for several years in the 2000s before he entered politics.
Founded in 1976, Exodus International was a leader in the so-called “ex-gay” movement, which aimed to make gay individuals straight through conversion therapy programs using religious and counseling methods. Exodus International connected ministries across the world using these controversial approaches.
The group shut down in 2013, with its founder posting a public apology for the “pain and hurt” his organization caused. Conversion therapy has been widely condemned by most major medical institutions and has been shown to be harmful to struggling LGBTQ people.
Citing Johnson’s past media appearances, CNN also reported that he partnered with Exodus International on an anti-gay annual event known as the “Day of Truth.” CNN said Johnson didn’t respond to its request for comment.
Democrats are already using the report to highlight how extreme Johnson is.
I’m fascinated by the potential fallout for Republicans after they elected Johnson.
For the GOP, in theory, one upside to having a staunch ideologue as House speaker is that he leaves no confusion about where he stands on matters. It’s almost always far, far to the right. And Republicans have seemed gleeful about that.
But, to quote a popular song, you can’t always get what you want. Or, perhaps better put: You shouldn’t. There’s a reason parents tend not to let their children gorge on all of their Halloween candy in one night. Sometimes, overindulging in the things you want most can ultimately hurt you.
And similarly, there are reasons why political extremists aren’t ideal House speakers. One seemingly obvious reason is that making such a person a face of your party risks backlash.
Republicans may have thought they found their man in Mike Johnson. But because he is soideologically extreme, it seems he’s had no problem flaunting his most revanchist views throughout his not-so-far-in-the-past life before politics. Which means Johnson is something of an open book … a book full of oppo research that Democrats can — and almost certainly will — use as they try to win back the House.
DICKINSON — Titans fans … you thought that game against Killdeer last week was tense? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
This Saturday’s Class A state semifinal is certain to present some major challenges for Dickinson Trinity starting at roughly half-past-noon, but the game offers the team the chance to salve a sore that might still be raw from last-year’s 36-13 exit from the quarterfinals. Playing at Velva-Drake-Anamoose also offers the team a way, also, to achieve a feat not seen since the beginning of the Millennium: A spot in the state finals and the opportunity to take home that top prize of a Class A title.
“I think the biggest thing is just stressing to the kids to just control what you can control; this is obviously a really solid opponent with a matching record to ours that kind of spanked us last year in the playoffs,” Trinity head coach John Odermann said. “But that’s also something that I think we’ve been focusing on: It’s a little bit of a dragon we have an opportunity to slay here, and we get to do it in their own cave.”
In 2022, the team traveled to Velva-Drake and were down 6-0 at the half before the game went haywire in the second half, with lessons that are sure to be sticking with the team through this installment of what is becoming an annual and traditional playoff rivalry.
As it turns out, Odermann and his twin brother, Jacob, played on the back-to-back state-title winners in 2000 and 2001, but they don’t belabor the subject and are far-more interested in seeing the current version of the team reach those lofty heights. As the subject didn’t come up in conversation, it’s obvious the present-day is more present in the minds of the team, its staff and the fans of the team.
“What I can saw about our kids is that they’re having fun on both sides of the ball and that’s definitely been a plus and has been an advantage for us all year,” Odermann said. “The kids are just flying around and having a good time and that’s really ultimately the goal.”
Dickinson Trinity move past the playoffs in conquering fashion, defeating the Stanley BlueJays 42-0.
Josiah C. Cuellar / The Dickinson Press
He added, “I think the biggest part of our success is that these guys are brothers from the coaching staff-down and we look at it, like, we’re a family and family goes to war with each other and have each-other’s back and we’re going to continue to do that on Saturday.”
After ripping through Stanley to the tune of 42-0 in round one, and following that up with last-week’s 35-15 thriller — which was far closer than the score would indicate — the undefeated Titans have been battle-tested and come away with a playoff season any team could be proud of, but they know they lack that final step.
To achieve it will require a measure-of-discipline and a “singularity-of-focus” that has been a drumbeat for the team all season. What is most-obviously distinctive between this Titans team and those of the past can is its defensive presence. While the offense has routinely been the glittering jewel of the program, the defense this season has been responsible for not one, nor two, or even three … but four shutouts — Bishop Ryan in Week 2 (47-0), Beulah in Week 4 (42-0), Heart River in Week 8 (46-0) and Stanley in the first round of the playoffs — and three other games where the opposition was held to 10 points or less.
“They (Velva-Drake) definitely have some weapons on the offensive side of the ball that we’ve got to be ready to account for and I like the way our defense has been playing the last several weeks — especially the last couple of weeks — and I think we saw some things against Killdeer that were really exciting and gave you a little bit of hope,” Odermann said. “But if ‘ifs’ and buts were wishes and nuts we’d all have a Merry Christmas, so you’ve gotta make sure that you execute.”
In fact, when taken as a whole, the 11-0 Titans have outscored the opposition 442-92 in 2023 and some of those games weren’t even that close despite only allowing more-than 20 points on two occasions. It’s been more a case of the team outlasting their opposition when necessary, and having to come from behind a couple of times — Des Lacs-Burlington and Bowman County — has left the squad capable of maintaining its sight on the goal and objective each week.
With a 50-2 home win at the Biesiot Activities Center on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, the Trinity Titans become the first team to end a season undefeated for the school since 2009 and are headed to the playoffs with a likely home game during at least week 1 of the postseason.
Gaylon Wm. Parker / The Dickinson Press
That data is easy to rely upon for the numerologist, fan and outside observer, but when it’s win-or-go-home time, it’s necessary to address the Aggies and their abundant superlatives. For example, the lopsided nature of Velva-Drake’s games are similar in style and substance to Trinity’s … as the 11-0 Aggies have piled-up 538 points on the season. But even with two shutouts of their own, the Minot-area team has given up 129 points for the year. That said, they haven’t given up more-than 20 points a single game in 2023, so it’s easy to see why the burgeoning rivals will most-likely create a game that will last in the minds of all the players on both sides, forever.
“I think this is an opportunity for our kids to not get payback — because playoff-football is playoff-football and somebody’s gotta win and somebody’s gotta lose — but I think it’s an opportunity for them to maybe get a little vindication for what happened last year,” Odermann said. “This is an opportunity to play hard, play a physical brand of football as we have the last couple of weeks and just do what we can to compete against one of the best teams in the state.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Class A semifinal bracket, the two undefeated teams — Kindred (10-0) and Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich (11-0) — will be in a slugfest of their own, as Langdon has three shutouts to boast and didn’t allow more than 14 points on this-year’s calendar while Kindred owns a similar record with three shutouts and allowing 20 points only once in 10 games.
The semifinal games will begin at precisely the same time on Saturday in both locations and Trinity’s game will be broadcast on KDIX, 100.7 FM with NDAPSSA hall-of-fame broadcaster Rod Kleinjan.
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Gaylon is a sportswriter from Jensen Beach, Fla., but has lived all over the world. Growing up with an athletic background gave him a love of sports that led to a journalism career in such places as Enid, Okla., Alamogordo, N.M., Pascagoula, Miss. and Viera, Fla. since 1998. His main passion is small-town community sports, particularly baseball and soccer.
