1 Boring Old Man

O’Donnell Argued Gays Suffer From An ‘Identity Disorder’
ThinkProgress
September 20, 2010

Despite having a lesbian sister, Delaware GOP Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell has long history of taking hateful and ignorant positions against gay people, as ThinkProgress has noted in our report on the former anti-sex activist. For example, O’Donnell has said she “cannot understand” why gay people are offended by homosexuality being called a “deviant sexual orientation,” and has claimed that gay people are “attacking the very center of what is America — freedom to have different views.” But in a 2006 quote uncovered by the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent, O’Donnell took an even harsher stance, calling homosexuality an “identity disorder:”

“People are created in God’s image. Homosexuality is an identity adopted through societal factors. It’s an identity disorder.”

As Sargent writes, “O’Donnell’s suggestion that gays suffer from a psychological disorder is far worse than other comments about gays that have already gotten media attention.” Indeed, until 1973 the American Psychiatric Association considered homosexuality to be a disease, causing tremendous problems for gay men and women who were labeled mentally ill. Now, the APA states firmly that “homosexuality is not an illness, a mental disorder, or an emotional problem,” and that “human beings cannot choose to be either gay or straight.” O’Donnell has claimed that her views have “matured” since she was in her 20s, but the recency of this homophobic remark raises serious questions about how much her extremist beliefs have actually evolved.

• She attended her university’s commencement ceremony in 1993 but did not receive a degree. O’Donnell later said the degree was withheld due to unpaid tuition. In 1994, Fairleigh Dickinson University sued her for $4,823, winning a judgment for the entire amount according to court documents. The debt was paid in 2003. After O’Donnell completed a required course in the summer of 2010, Fairleigh Dickinson awarded her a bachelor’s degree in English literature…
• In 2003, O’Donnell moved to Delaware to work for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute in Hockessin, and bought a house in Wilmington. She registered a gender discrimination complaint against ISI with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, after which she was fired in 2004. She then sued ISI in federal court for $6.9 million for wrongful termination claiming gender discrimination and that she had been fired in retaliation for filing the EEOC discrimination complaint. She said ISI’s actions caused her mental anguish, and that she had lost future financial earning power because ISI’s actions delayed her education. ISI defended its action by alleging that she had conducted a for-profit public-relations business while on their time. O’Donnell dropped the suit in 2008, stating she could no longer afford an attorney.
• In 2008 O’Donnell defaulted on the mortgage for her Wilmington house and the mortgage company obtained a judgment against her for $90,000. The house was due to be sold at a sheriff’s auction in August 2008 when she sold it the month prior to her campaign’s lawyer.
• The IRS filed a lien in 2010 that said that O’Donnell owed $11,000 in back taxes and penalties from 2005, according to public records. O’Donnell said that it was a mistake and a computer error, and noted that the IRS agent handling the matter claimed he was perplexed by the agency’s actions.
• Because of financial difficulties, she moved to a Delaware townhouse, where she paid half the rent with campaign funds because she also used separate quarters in the residence as her campaign headquarters for her 2010 Senate run. Between 2007 and 2009 the Federal Election Commission cited her eight times for failing to supply contributions reports on time… Her 2008 campaign ended with $23,000 in debt. As of March 2010, O’Donnell owed payments to staffers, consultants, and volunteers from the 2008 campaign, according to a former employee.