Maybe now we can get rid of the gays. Or at least relegate them to a forever-closeted existence, including the 25 percent of gay couples who are raising children.

That’s what American voters overwhelming said Election Day. Eleven states asked voters to pass constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage. All 11 amendments passed, some by as much as 3-1 and 4-1 margins.

My state, South Carolina, handed Jim DeMint, a newly minted U.S. senator, an almost-landslide victory just weeks after he said gays should be banned from teaching in public schools, echoing a bedrock sentiment present in his party’s platform for at least six years.

This country re-elected a Republican president who has made it his mission to “protect” traditional marriage and who upholds a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that was instituted by a Democratic president.

Who said bitter partisan politics has deeply divided us? We couldn’t be more united on this, the one issue in which religious and secular leaders stand shoulder to shoulder.

A gay bishop may have been recently ordained, but pastors throughout the country freely preach that homosexuality is on par with pedophilia and murder. Many conservative and liberal groups fight against even basic human rights. They don’t want it to be illegal for someone to lose their job or apartment because they are gay, even as more business owners are realizing such discrimination is bad for the bottom line.

So maybe now we can rejoice.

Maybe now God will protect us from the terrorists, knowing at least a few prominent TV evangelists believe we were attacked Sept. 11, 2001, because of a supposed growing gay acceptance.

Maybe we can go on wanting gays to die for us in Iraq as soldiers and protect us from criminals as police officers and calamity as firefighters, as long as they don’t let us know they are homosexual.

Maybe we can even continue mouthing empty platitudes about freedom being the backbone of this country, except when homosexuals actually want to express some of that freedom in public, like holding hands or, God forbid, committing to one another in marriage.

We shouldn’t let all those bitterly partisan political ads created and aired on radio and TV ad nauseam for the past few months fool us. Because, from the pulpit to the podium to the voting booth, this country has proven it is more united than ever.

At least on one issue.