Tea Party Turns on Gay Families

At first they were all about taxes, but now the Tea Party is starting to turn on gay families.

A Tea Party rally in Iowa focused on calls to prevent gay couples from accessing rights like hospital visitation, shared child custody, and inheritance.

Not surprisingly, the call came from Republican lawmaker Kim Pearson, who was present to deliver a speech at the rally.

It's a particularly sensitive time for such talk in Iowa. In 2009, the state Supreme Court unanimously recognized that bans on gay marriage were unconstitutional. But in this past election, voters ousted some of the judges who reached that decision. Pearson had called for their impeachment.

In addition to opposing marriage, speakers also called for limits on women's reproductive autonomy.

Meanwhile, in Montana, a Tea Party leader claimed that gay marriage "is a violation of the constitution and my rights." On Facebook, his friends chimed in with calls to "hang up" "fruits," with references made to Matthew Shepard's death.

Roy Moore, who made headlines as the Ten-Commandments Judge, spoke at another Tea Party event. Moore has argued in favor of removing children from gay parents, and advocated for prohibiting homosexuality by imposing "physical penalties, such as confinement and even execution."

At the event, Moore told the crowd, "go forth armed."

A recent study shows that the Tea Party is identical the the Republican Party when it comes to gays, with 52 percent of both groups opposing marriage equality. In addition, the poll found that the Tea Party is significantly more likely to oppose even a minimum level of recognition with civil unions.