Smithsonian Removes Jesus Video From Gender-Identity Exhibit After Right-Wing Outcry

Oh hello, culture wars! A Smithsonian exhibit on gender and sexual identity—in particular an ant-covered Jesus video—has drawn the wrath of the Catholic League, which isn’t unusual. Except now the League has Speaker Boehner’s support, so they’re winning.

A Christian News Service “expose” of the exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery shuddered at the fact that an exhibit on sexual identity would include “male genitals, naked brothers kissing, men in chains, [and] Ellen DeGeneres grabbing her breasts.”

Fameballing provocateur Bill Donahue of the Catholic League, whom last we checked represents a constituency of himself, seized on one video in particular, in which Jesus is represented with ants crawling on him. (It’s excerpted above. It’s sacrilege, apparently, to imply that the crucifixion was anything but squeaky-clean.) But now he has the support of Speaker of the House John Boehner, who’s already shown his openness to hanging out at the extremes of wedge issues. If this sounds familiar, it’s because apparently the Republican takeover means we are doomed to relive the worst parts of the last few culture wars.

Boehner said of the exhibit:

“American families have a right to expect better from recipients of taxpayer funds in a tough economy,” Boehner said…”Smithsonian officials should either acknowledge the mistake and correct it, or be prepared to face tough scrutiny beginning in January when the new majority in the House moves to end the job-killing spending spree in Washington.”

In other words, stay away from the dirty gay stuff and Jesus, or we’ll take your money. Even if the federal government didn’t actually fund the exhibit. But the intimidation is enough, so the Smithsonian has already pulled the offending video in question.

Ant-Covered Jesus Video Removed From Smithsonian After Catholic League Complains [WP]
Smithsonian Museum Removes An LGBT Art Exhibit After GOP Threatens To Defund It [Think Progress]