Did Ted Cruz Really Say That “There Is No Place For Gays or Atheists In My America”? (Spoiler: No He Didn’t)

This meme has been endlessly propagated all over social media for almost a month now. Because it’s untrue and dishonest, I wish we could shut it down.

That’s somebody‘s idea of “satire,” but everywhere I’ve seen that picture and quote, they led to earnest hand-wringing and/or angry denunciations of Cruz. Even within the Facebook group where the meme originated, most members and followers don’t seem to understand that Cruz never said this, that it’s a [cough] joke.

Here, via the Washington Post, is the transcript of Cruz’s remarks. PolitiFact unmasks the hoax here.

So, add StopTeabaggers (a.k.a. “Stop the World, the Teabaggers Want Off”) to the list of disreputable internet hangouts, right alongside Natural News, the Freedom From Atheism Foundation, the Daily Mail, and Infowars.

If it even matters, I don’t like Cruz, and that’s putting it mildly. I wouldn’t vote for him under any circumstances. But I’ll gladly defend him — and any other political candidate, no matter his or her party affiliation — from unadulterated bullshit and naked smears.