And his anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-NEA rhetoric has lowered standards for political civility.

"We're approaching an election, and the Republican Party fears their base won't show up, so to galvanize and energize them, they're feeding them anti-gay rhetoric."

The anti-gay rhetoric of US conservatives plays on the fear of imagining two men in bed.

Savage describes himself as deeply offended by Bauer's anti-gay rhetoric, and he set out to retaliate.

Yet now, after the murder of Matthew Shepard, these same conservative leaders deny that anti-gay rhetoric has real-life consequences.

I told him that, in spite of the anti-gay rhetoric the church had sometimes promulgated in recent years, I hoped I could re-establish a connection.

The group voted to deny that endorsement because Bush did not denounce anti-gay rhetoric at the 1992 Republican National Convention.

Maybe not - but many heterosexuals do not like anti-gay rhetoric either.

Dean had previously been denounced for anti-gay rhetoric.