Hugh Hefner, who died Wednesday at 91, declared victory as the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy in the sexual war against conservatives in 2016.
In an article written by Hefner, he pointed to increased tolerance towards the LGBT community by Christians as proof of the victory since conservatives are no longer trying to “ban any lifestyle or preference that doesn’t fit into their Christian crusade to eliminate all sexual activity that doesn’t lead to procreation.”
Hefner also pointed to the defeat of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) as a major sign that the “sexual revolution” had finally hit the Republican Party — a victory in the eyes of Hefner:
And yet despite Cruz’s fanatical fixation on our sex lives, he failed to win the Republican nomination. Polls show that voters found Cruz too conservative and failed to embrace his views on sex, women’s rights and gays. Instead, voters nominated Donald Trump, a thrice-married New York entrepreneur who once owned the Miss USA pageant, over Cruz, the son of a pastor. It’s a sign of the massive changes in the “family values party” and proof of what I’ve watched building over the past several months: a sexual revolution in the Republican Party.
Hefner’s insinuation that Cruz lost the GOP primary because of his views on sexuality is not accurate; statisticians specifically noted before the 2016 presidential campaign even began that religious and social issues were not the most important issues on people’s minds.
The article was featured in the magazine’s “Freedom Issue,” which featured no conservative authors and showcased no black models in what was described as “perhaps the most left-wing” edition of the magazine “since Playboy dropped nudity.”