Matt Barber

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{{hatnote|Not to be confused with the {{wpl|Matt Barber (actor)|British actor of the same name}}.}}
{{Christianity|1}}
'''James Matthew "Matt" Barber''' is a right-wing [[United States|American]] hack who spends an enormous amount of time spreading hatred towards [[Homosexuality|gay]] people.<ref>[http://wonkette.com/521409/wingnut-matt-barber-vows-he-will-not-get-gay-married-even-if-it-means-death-camps-and-jail One such example]</ref> He was Associate Dean for Career and Professional Development at [[Liberty University]] from about 2013-2015,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131208212245/https://www.liberty.edu/law/?PID=17261 J. Matt Barber, Associate Dean for Career and Professional Development, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law] ''Liberty University'' (archived from December 8, 2013).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150919115024/https://www.liberty.edu/law/?PID=17261 J. Matt Barber, Associate Dean for Online Programs, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law] ''Liberty University'' (archived from September 19, 2015).</ref> which is oddly not mentioned on his LinkedIn profile. His LinkedIn profile rather oddly has a gap in his activity from 2000-2011, from his graduation from law school until starting his own website, BarbWire.com.<ref>[https://archive.ph/idwp9 J. Matt Barber] ''LinkedIn'' (archived from 26 Nov 2023 18:55:23 UTC).</ref> BarbWire.com seems to have gone belly-up sometime in 2019.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190216060945/https://barbwire.com/ BarbWire.com] Archived from February 16, 2019.</ref> and was basically a [[Huffington Post]] wannabe with his twisted views. He is also a columnist for [[WorldNetDaily]].<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/author/mbarber/ Matt Barber] ''WND''.</ref>

He has a law degree from [[Pat Robertson]]'s [[Regent University]]. He has worked with the Christian legal advocacy firm [[Liberty Counsel]] as their Director of Cultural Affairs and also helped run [[Concerned Women for America]] (because the women concerned need a man in charge, obviously). 

==Homophobia==
Imagine walking up to a happy gay or lesbian couple wandering through your nearest shopping mall and then delivering a barrage of hateful, homophobic statements. Give Matt Barber a radio microphone or a column on a conservative website and that's basically what he'll do.

He describes the loving and consensual relationships between gay men as "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it 'love'", while lesbians are "awkwardly mimicking natural procreative relations".<ref name="AFTAH_goproud">[http://americansfortruth.com/2009/12/15/liberty-counsel-may-lead-pullout-of-cpac-if-homosexual-group-goproud-remains-as-co-sponsor/ Liberty Counsel May Lead Pullout of CPAC if Homosexual Group GOProud Remains as Co-Sponsor]</ref> Barber claims that the push for gay rights—or "a tyranny of sexually deviant rights" as he refers to them—is specifically designed to undermine the Constitution, as the "LGBT agenda and Constitutional rights cannot exist in harmony".<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barber-lgbt-agenda-harmony-constitution Matt Barber: 'The LGBT Agenda and Constitutional Rights Cannot Exist in Harmony'], RightWingWatch</ref> Same-sex marriages are, according to Barber, "counterfeit".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130408231959/http://ww2.onenewsnow.com/legal-courts/2012/12/04/marriage-a-legitimate-state-interest-says-judge Marriage 'a legitimate state interest,' says judge], OneNewsNow</ref> He also believes that gay people don't ''really'' want to get married, they just want to do so in order to destroy marriage and destroy religious freedom.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121119165002/http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/3barber-gays-want-to-use-gay-marriage-as-weapon-against-religious-free-speech/politics/2012/11/15/53860 Barber: Gays Want To Use Gay Marriage As Weapon Against Religious Free Speech], The New Civil Rights Movement</ref> He also believes that AIDS is a punishment for the sin of having gay sex.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121216005352/http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/aids-is-suffering-of-sin-says-liberty-counsel-leader-on-world-aids-day/news/2012/12/03/55199 AIDS Is ‘Suffering Of Sin’ Says Liberty Counsel Leader On World AIDS Day], The New Civil Rights Movement</ref><ref>[http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2012/11/and-now-lets-end-this-week-with-a-liberty-counsel-attorney-calling-aids-the-wages-for-lgbt-sin.html And now let's end this week with a Liberty Counsel attorney calling AIDS the wages for LGBT 'sin'], Good As You</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120610013826/http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/06/07/barber-family-member-got-what-he-deserved Barber: Family Member Got What He Deserved], Dispatches from the Culture Wars</ref>

Barber believes that homophobic and transphobic violence is just made up in order to advance the gay agenda: "What’s happening is they’re using this specter of some kind of notion of ‘mass violence’ committed against homosexuals, they do the same thing here in the United States, ‘mass discrimination,’ something where there is no evidence of course against people who are engaged in these behaviors".<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/matt-barber-says-there-no-evidence-anti-lgbt-violence-discrimination Matt Barber says there is 'No Evidence' of Anti-LGBT Violence, Discrimination], RightWingWatch</ref> [[wikipedia:Violence against LGBT people|No evidence? ''Riiiight.'']]

Barber believes the result of gay people being allowed to get married and adopt children is... "an androgynous America",<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barber-progressive-movement-seeks-create-androgynous-america Barber: The Progressive Movement Seeks to Create an 'Androgynous America'], RightWingWatch</ref> therapists will be forced to tell children who have suffered sexual abuse that they are gay or transgender,<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barber-ca-law-will-tell-minor-victims-sexual-abuse-theyre-gay-or-transgender Barber: CA Law Will Tell Minor Victims of Sexual Abuse That They're Gay or Transgender]</ref> where (gasp) children will be encouraged to talk to people of different races and backgrounds.<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/liberty-counsel-opposes-doesnt-understand-mix-it-day Liberty Counsel Opposes, but Doesn't Understand, 'Mix It Up Day'], RightWingWatch</ref>

When the Conservative Political Action Conference decided to allow a Republican LGBT group, [[GOProud]], as a co-sponsor, Barber spoke out against it and pulled Liberty Counsel and Liberty University's participation from the event.<ref name="AFTAH_goproud" />

Perhaps Barber's tackiest piece of anti-LGBT activism was "An open letter to gay kids" published on the suitably bonkers website [[WND]], where he told LGBT youth that "Adult homosexual activists with a political agenda are using you as a pawn to achieve selfish goals in a dangerous political game" and that "it won't "get better"."<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/an-open-letter-to-gay-teens/ An open letter to 'gay' teens]</ref> His empowering message to gay teenagers is: you aren't really gay, except if you are, in which case you are a broken and flawed human being and you need Jesus not equal rights. Lovely.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130227033303/http://freethoughtblogs.com/amilliongods/2013/02/24/matt-barber-an-open-letter-to-gay-teens/ Matt Barber – An Open Letter to Gay Teens], A Million Gods</ref> This only narrowly won out over his legal attempt with [[Liberty Counsel]] to prevent children from being able to see a gay parent in custody issues.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140924172949/http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2009/06/23/liberty-counsel-take-kids-away/ Liberty Counsel: Take Kids Away From Gay Parents]</ref>

His argument for maintaining California's [[Proposition 8]] is that a process known as "Marriage Extinction" will magically result if the [[Supreme Court]] rules it unconstitutional (whether this means that all American married couples will instantly vanish in puffs of pink smoke is left up to the fevered imagination of the reader of this article).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150416235406/http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2013/03/26/matt-barber-and-the-power-of-the-gay/ Matt Barber and the Power of the Gay] Dispatches from the Culture Wars</ref>

He asserted that tolerating [[Homosexuality|T3H 3V1L GAY]] and "all forms of sexual deviant behavior" is "a cancer that brings down societies".<ref> [http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barber-tolerance-homosexuality-cancer-brings-down-societies Barber: Tolerance of Homosexuality Is 'a Cancer That Brings Down Societies',] Right Wing Watch</ref> He's also under the impression that gay marriage was a trigger for [[Noah's Flood]] - a strange theory that was advanced earlier by the equally strange [[Scott Lively]].<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/lively-wedding-songs-homosexual-marriage-flood-end-times Scott Lively Warns 'Wedding Songs to Homosexual Marriage' are Responsible for Noah's Flood and End Times,] Right Wing Watch</ref>

His taste in humor might be considered a bit suspect, since he tweeted a fairly rank cartoon of a gay man tricking a [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scout]] into having sex.<ref> [http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/matt-barber-tweets-homophobic-cartoon-gay-men-tricking-boy-scout-sex Matt Barber Tweets Homophobic Cartoon of Gay Man Tricking Boy Scout into Sex,] Right Wing Watch</ref> He's also under the impression that a push to legalize gay marriage was actually an effort by Satan to get the United States to officially embrace sin.<ref> [http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barber-satan-trying-get-government-approve-sin-through-gay-marriage Barber: Satan Is Trying to Get the Government to Approve Sin Through Gay Marriage,] Right Wing Watch</ref> A little later, he doubled down on his strange assertion and even declared cross-dressing an indication of UTT3R EV1L, which must make watching ''Some Like It Hot'' at the Barber residence an interesting experience.<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barber-satan-behind-obama-administrations-gay-rights-efforts-bringing-america-back-days-noah Barber: Satan Behind Obama Administration's Gay Rights Efforts, Bringing America Back to Days of Noah,] Right Wing Watch</ref>

Barber's obsession with demonizing efforts at LGBT-friendly inclusiveness doesn't merely ''verge'' on the unintentionally comical; he completely lost it over a voluntary Department of Justice pamphlet circulated to management concerning.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130609130202/http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2013/05/21/barber-lies-about-doj-pride-pamphlet Barber Lies About DOJ Pride Pamphlet,] Dispatches from the Culture Wars</ref> Add yet another reference to cross-dressing and you get the feeling he'd go into palpitations over 5 minutes of ''Victor/Victoria''.

==Other things==
In the few minutes of every day that Matt Barber isn't thinking about hunky gay studmuffins taking it up the ass, he can be found complaining about the full range of right-wing talking points.

President Obama: a Marxist, Communist Stalin-style figure? Obviously.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130206091911/http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2013/02/04/wingnuts-2012-election-was-marxist-coup/ Wingnuts: 2012 Election Was Marxist Coup], Dispatches from the Culture Wars</ref> Defending [[Rush Limbaugh]] for calling [[Sandra Fluke]] a slut for wanting to have birth control covered by her health insurance? Duh.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120316033343/http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/03/13/matt-barber-lies-his-ass-off Matt Barber Lies His Ass Off], Dispatches from the Culture Wars</ref> Perhaps most entertaining is the attempt Barber made in September of 2012 to pass off a photo of an Obama campaign speech from May 2008 as actually being of a Romney speech in 2012, and then using said fake photo as evidence of a conspiracy by the media to claim falsely that support from Romney was dropping.<ref>[http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2012/09/exclusive-conservs-like-jmattbarber-trying-to-pass-off-obama-rally-as-a-romney-rally.html Exclusive: Conservs (like Matt Barber) trying to pass off Obama '08 rally as a Romney '12 event], Good As You</ref> Whoops.

Then there is his obsession with - you guessed it - the [[New World Order]] and [[Communism]]. Specifically, Barber thinks that there is widespread conspiracy of Communists dedicated to exterminating Christianity. Specific organizations involved in this are the [[ACLU]], the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]], People for the American Way, and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barber-pfaw-aclu-ffrf-au-are-communists-engaged-religious-cleansing#sthash.UhmtrSCq.dpuf PFAW, ACLU, FFRF, & AU are Communists Engaged in 'Religious Cleansing']</ref> Of course, it links right back to homosexuality; supremacy of the homogay is a goal of this conspiracy.<ref>http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barber-lgbt-agenda-harmony-constitution</ref>

He also was responsible for a strange screed on [[WND]] entitled "Liberals and conservatives, unite!" which accomplished nothing of the sort and also drew a sharp reply from ''Buffalo Beast'' editor Ian Murphy, largely due to Murphy being referenced in the screed for all the usual 
batshit delusional
 wrong reasons.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140728070037/http://buffalobeast.com/world-net-daily-believes-in-dragons-claims-im-in-denial-of-obamas-patently-evident-neo-marxist-socio-political-worldview/ World Net Daily: believes in dragons, claims I’m in “denial of Obama’s patently evident Neo-Marxist socio-political worldview”,] Buffalo Beast</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.glaad.org/cap/matt-barber GLAAD Commenter Accountability Project: Matt Barber]
*[http://americanloons.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/13-matt-barber.html Encyclopedia of American Loons]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091011141407/http://twitter.com/jmattbarber His Twitter profile]

==References==
{{Reflist|2|90%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Matt}}
[[Category:Anti-LGBT bigots]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Political pundits]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:Purity culture]]
[[Category:Sexists]]

Categories: Anti-LGBT bigots, Homophobes, Living people, Political pundits, Right-wing activists, Purity culture, Sexists