On June 16, independent journalist and BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo published a detailed exposé on California’s “gay certification program” in City Journal. The report blew the lid off the progressive state’s initiative to pressure utility companies into awarding $633 million in contracts to businesses officially certified as LGBT-owned — complete with a bizarre state-run process requiring proof of sexual orientation.
To qualify, business owners must submit documents such as same-sex marriage licenses, letters from LGBT organizations, or even affidavits from personal contacts attesting to their sexual orientation, with stiff penalties including up to a year in jail for false claims.
Glenn Beck was astounded by the news.
“It’s insane,” he says.
The California bureaucrats hired to vet the applicants use a “gay certification checklist,” says Glenn’s chief researcher and writer Jason Buttrill.
“One of the checklist items is three letters of reference from personal contacts … who have known … for over one year and can vouch to the status of the individual’s gayness,” he laughs.
Glenn can’t help but laugh at what these types of conversations entail. “I mean what are the questions?” he chuckles.
Buttrill adds that another requirement is “one letter from a recognized LGBT organization attesting to the gay status and signed by the organization leader.”
“Now, you have to go not to a friend but to a sanctioned gay organization, so now they’ve given that gay organization power,” says Glenn. “Wow is that bad.”
Perhaps the strangest item on the checklist is “proof of media coverage, including publications, newspapers, or articles explicitly stating the LGBT status of the owners of the business.”
“You have to be kind of an activist. I mean, because if you’re just a quiet gay couple and you own a restaurant, you know, I guess that’s not good enough. You have to be out in the media, literally out in the media, declaring your gayness,” scoffs Glenn.
Another prerequisite is “a copy of valid municipal or state license, certificate of marriage, civil union, or domestic partnership,” adds Buttrill.
“You don’t need a license or any kind of identification to vote, but if you want to work as a gay person with the state, we have to have all kinds of ID — but gay ID,” laughs Glenn, calling it “ridiculous.”
“I would think the California gay community would be outraged over this. I wouldn’t think that they would want some kind of official list with some kind of certification program with their names,” says Buttrill.
Glenn agrees, highlighting how potentially dangerous such a list could be.
“I mean if things, God forbid, ever went horribly wrong — the Islamists or some crazy religious whatever or just somebody who … just doesn’t like gay people [gets in power], you want a list of people that are gay?” he asks.
“People are so blind and so stupid. … Well, good luck with that, California.”
To hear more, watch the video above.
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