'It’s ugly': Tape surfaces of Tulsi Gabbard's 'spiritual guru' spewing antigay slurs

A "spiritual guru" behind a tiny religious group that former Hawaiian Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — Trump's pick for director of national intelligence — belonged to spewed hateful invective and slurs against LGBTQ people, The Daily Beast reported Thursday.

The guru, Chris Butler, headed up the Science of Identity Foundation, a self-described Hindu group in Hawaii and a splinter faction of the Hare Krishna movement.

"Butler, who has taken the name Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa and is addressed as 'Jagad Guru,' is estimated by some former members to have as many as 10,000 followers," reported Daniel Bates and Emell Derra Adolphus. "'Jagad Guru' means 'teacher of the world' and also that he is the ultimate authority to his followers."

The tapes, which date back to a period in which Gabbard was in the group, show Butler calling gay people "perverts," liberally using the slurs "f----t" and "dy-e," and comparing same-sex relations to having “sex with fire hydrants.”

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He particularly raged against anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people.

"You have to go to court and be asked: 'Are you prejudiced against fairies? Are you prejudiced against dy--s? Are you prejudiced against people who have sex with fire hydrants?' You go, 'Oh no, I think it’s perfectly normal, I promise.' Whatever! If you say it’s quite abnormal for a man to have sex with another man, I think it’s sinful, I think it’s ugly, I think it’s unhealthy, I think it’s unnatural. Why? Is there a law against that? As a matter of fact there is!" He went on to describe sex acts in explicit detail and denounced them as not "normal."

Hindu doctrine does not take a firm position either way on same-sex relationships, with some followers and clerics both in support and opposed to acceptance.

Gabbard, who attended a boarding school affiliated with the group and whose father ran a group opposed to gay rights, had an anti-gay platform when she first ran for office as a Democrat. She later disavowed these positions in office. The Trump campaign, asked for comment, has denounced any questions about Gabbard's affiliation with the group as "bigoted."

All of this comes as Gabbard faces deep opposition from national security experts, and even skepticism from some Republicans, over her lack of experience in the intelligence community and her embrace of pro-Russia conspiracy theories. She has tried to assuage GOP fears by reversing her opposition to a key surveillance program.