Though he can be excused for the mistake, as gays do have a certain propensity for naming themselves after members of the animal kingdom…

In a New Yorker profile of Michele Bachmann, her husband, Dr. Marcus Bachmann, whose Christian Counseling Clinic has been sort of in the news lately, was caught on an airplane openly worrying that when people called him a “silver fox,” that they were calling him gay in some way.  Worry not, Marcus:  when people call you gay, they’re just going to come right out and call you gay.  Anyway, here is the key exchange:

Marcus Bachmann plopped down on the seat next to me, in the back of the plane. He pointed at my laptop and asked if he could take a look. “All I want to know is what they’re saying about me,” he said. “Newsweek came up with the word ‘silver fox.’ Tell me what ‘silver fox’ means.”

“Do you want me to tell you honestly?” I asked.

“Oh, don’t tell me it’s something gay!” he said. “Because I’ve been called that before.” Marcus is a psychologist who runs a clinic that employs people Michele described in 2006 as “Biblical world-view counsellors,” who “reach out and try to bring the medicine of the Gospel to come and heal people.”

I explained that “silver fox” probably had more to do with the color of his hair.

“O.K., I can handle that,” he said. Tera, the assistant, assured him that it was a positive term.

“It’s better than Porky Pig,” Marcus said, with a laugh.

Ha ha ha!

The section that comes directly after is just freaking weird:

Marcus announced that he would now analyze everyone around him.

Okay, McCreepy!

He asked for three characteristics that a close friend might use to describe me. I demurred. He kept pushing: “So reporters are not that vulnerable?” “Maybe it’s a man thing.”

I tried to change the subject by asking him about the similarities between psychologists and journalists. But he would have none of it. “You are still asking questions about me!” he exclaimed. “That’s a trademark. Ai-yi-yi!”

“Ai-yi-yi”? Must be a “silver fox” thing.

I gave in and told him a story about one of my young sons. Marcus delivered his psychological verdict: “He takes after his dad: smart, perceptive—has a little control need at an early age.”

Marcus moved on: “O.K., earliest childhood memories. Not the safe one, just the first one.”

Suddenly, his face appeared on Fox. “Look, you’re on TV,” I said.

“It’s the Silver Fox!” he exclaimed as we descended into Manchester.

Look, there he is! On the teevee!

Later in the profile, we find out that Marcus packs a lot more heavily than Michele does and refers to himself as “high maintenance.”  Pray away the gay, y’all!

The rest of the profile is interesting, but is mostly about Michele, and I didn’t feel like reading all of it because I’m a bit tired of her.  But if you feel so inclined, go for it!