Montana tea party gets mired in attacks on gays

HELENA, Mont. — Tea party leaders stung by turmoil over anti-gay rhetoric from their ranks acknowledge the publicity over the issue hurts the movement but hope the rancor will be short-lived.

The Big Sky Tea Party Association was splintered at the top when it canned its president after learning of his part in an online anti-gay discussion. Some backed the president, Tim Ravndal, forcing the board to revisit the sticky issue before deciding to stick with its decision to remove Ravndal from leadership while making it clear he remains a member of the group.

The episode marks the first public setback for a new movement that has attracted throngs of supporters angry over federal spending and other issues.

"I'm not sure that we know for sure what the impacts are going to be," said Jim Walker, chairman of the Helena-area group. "I suspect there is going to be some negative impact within the tea party group here in Montana. I am not sure it will have adverse effects on the groups outside of Helena."

Some members left the group after the decision, arguing it should back Ravndal, who was fired for comments he made in an online Facebook discussion that appeared to joke about the 1998 Wyoming beating death of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student. Ravndal claims he did not understand what his online friend was talking about.

The situation opened the group up to criticism that its leaders have intolerant, extremist views, especially given other online postings made recently by other Montana tea party activists.

Political observers said the tea party, a political movement still in its infancy and without much central organization, has to be careful delving into social issues. In Helena, the group is opposing a proposed sex education plan and other leaders have also said they oppose gay marriage.

"I think they are outside of the stated concerns of the tea party," said political scientists Jim Lopach. "The tea party success has come from their ability to tap into some real concerns of the electorate, and those concerns do not deal with gay rights but they deal with the size of government and the function of government and the openness of government to citizen concerns."

Lopach said the staunch opposition to gay rights does not mix well with the message of individual freedom that often resonates with Montana voters.

"It clouds the message. It raises ambivalence. It makes its message ambiguous, thereby it raises ambivalence in the public. They wonder 'what are they really getting at?'" Lopach said.