Homophobic Surgeon General Nominee Reveals Bush's Plan to Recess Appoint Him

Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress at 11:00 AM on November 14, 2007.

This post, written by Amanda Terkel, originally appeared on Think Progress

President Bush's controversial Surgeon General nominee, Dr. James Holsinger, has resigned from the board of trustees of the Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY. From a seminary e-mail:

From: Communication Office [at Asbury Seminary]

To: ATS Info, Staff News, Faculty News

Subject: Announcement from the Board of Trustees

November 12, 2007 3:53PM

The Asbury Theological Seminary Board of Trustees met on November 12, 2007. The board discussed the resignation letters submitted by Dr. James Holsinger and Mr. Phillip Connolly. Following this discussion and prayer, the board voted unanimously to receive these resignation letters with regret.

We realize from time to time board members resign before the end of a their term, however we have a deep appreciation for the many years of service, dedication and commitment of Dr. Holsinger and Mr. Connolly. The board of trustees wishes them both all the best in their future endeavors.

The Board of Trustees

Holsinger is resigning before the end of his term. A source in Wilmore tells Bible Belt Blogger that Holsinger is resigning because he expects to be recess appointed as Surgeon General:

Holsinger's nomination, opposed by several leading Democrats, has stalled in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. But Holsinger is telling people the president plans to appoint him to the post anyway once the Congress goes into its holiday recess.

Holsinger has come under intense criticism for his long history of prejudice toward gays and lesbians. He founded a church that "ministers to people who no longer wish to be gay or lesbian" and "opposed a decision to allow a practicing lesbian to be an associate pastor" in the United Methodist Church. In 1991, he also authored a graphic document arguing that gay sex is "intuitively" unnatural and can lead to "lacerations, perforations and deaths."

Last month, ThinkProgress noted that three months after his July hearing, Holsinger has still not responded to a Senate health committee follow-up questionnaire. Without his answers, the committee has not scheduled a vote on his nomination. Looks like the committee might never receive a response from Holsinger now.

Tagged as: health care, bush administration, holsinger, healthandwellness

Amanda Terkel is Deputy Research Director at the Center for American Progress and serves as Deputy Editor for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.