At this weekend’s Meet the Press/Facebook presidential debate, candidates Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney displayed some incredible oratory acrobatics by claiming to oppose discrimination against the LGBT community while still opposing gay marriage and adoption rights. We give them a “8” on difficulty and a “0” on morality.
But NBC’s Andy Hiller turned the question of LGBT equality into a very personal one, by asking Santorum what he would do if one of his sons came out to him (at 2:54 mark).
“I would love him as much as I did the second before he said it,” the former Senator answered. “And I would try to do everything I can to be as good a father to him as possible.”
Of course in Rick’s mind, being a good father means he’d:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
a. send him son to reparative-therapy camp to get to his “root.”
b. give him some tough love by not paying for his college tuition or health care.
c. pay for him to see a prostitute and “get all this sorted out.”
We can’t help recalling a scene from the twisted black teen comedy Heathers:
Photo: NBC News
Chuck Anziulewicz
Ever since Massachusetts becames the first state in the nation to allow Gay couples to legally marry, hundreds of thousands of Gay couples across the United States have either gotten married or registered their civil unions or domestic partnerships. These are law-abiding, taxpaying Gay Americans who have made a solemn pledge to one another before family and friends.
But now along comes Rick Santorum and HIS pledge to forcibly DIVORCE those hundreds of thousands of couples. Santorum has made it abundantly clear that under HIS administration there will only be one law governing marriage in the United States, and that law will NOT apply to Gay couples. Santorum has unapologetically insisted that he wants all those legal marriages and civil unions and domestic partnerships to be declared null and void.
While Rick Santorum may prefer to focus on the economy as we get closer to November, anyone who loves and supports their Gay friends, family members, and co-workers needs to take a hard look at the theocratic road Santorum intends to take us down.
Robert in NYC
This is the same Santorum who, though from Virginia, had big government pay for his children’s home schooling after moving to Pennsylvania. He also served as a trustee of a hospital that condoned exorcisms for autistic children. This man is dangerous, extremely dangerous.
the other Greg
Damn, if a son of his DOES turn out to be gay, think how screwed up the poor kid will be.
First thing, of course, he’ll need to change his name.
David Ehrenstein
I was hoping you’d use that Heathers clip!
Most appropriate when discussing Brit Hume. But in the case of Frothy Mix it’s clear that two or more of his brood of offsprings will be gay, and being that they’re his kids they’re very much at risk for suicide.
Bryan
Fingers crossed that never happens, I wouldn’t wish that fate on any child. The poor thing will probably be so repressed and get caught sucking off his best man on his wedding night.
Daniel
Actions speak louder than words. He has voted against human rights protection for gay people everytime. Gay children have died and continue to die while he has based his politician career/ambitions off violating their human rights. He is unfit to be a public official.
Kylew
How he can say his love wouldn’t change, when he clearly considers that homosexuals are not deserving of the same rights and considerations as heterosexuals, I do not know.
I find it truly disturbing that anyone in the Republican party has allowed him to even receive their support. To my (very sketchy) knowledge, the US has thus far largely managed to avoid the kind of national religious extremism that has marred Europe so many times, but if this man gets into power, I truly think that the US will be entering a new dark age of religious intolerance, and I am not using hyperbole to say that it will be a tragic time for a country that seems to be losing civil liberties faster than it is gaining them at the moment.
Red Meat
As long as he attends the ex-gay camp during summer and therapy every other day. Oh and swear to not actually commit homosexual acts.
Riker
@Daniel: Forget a public official, he is unfit to be a human being. If his version of God gave him free will and higher reasoning abilities, said diety must be so sad to see him not even using them a little bit.
B
No. 7 · Kylew wrote, “How he can say his love wouldn’t change, when he clearly considers that homosexuals are not deserving of the same rights and considerations as heterosexuals, I do not know.”
Easy question to answer – he’d say the same thing if a son of his became an alcoholic or was convicted of murder.
If he did have a gay son, the family discussions would probably sound like those in a Star Wars film. “I feel the good in you, father …”
B
No. 7 · Kylew wrote, “I find it truly disturbing that anyone in the Republican party has allowed him to even receive their support.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/10/MNVG1MNK6K.DTL&tsp=1 has the New Hampshire results – Santorum and Gingrich both got 9% of the vote, with Romney getting 39%, Ron Paul getting 23%, and Jon Huntsman getting 17%.
A good chunk of Santorum’s 9% is probably due to people who hadn’t payed much attention and were fooled by campaign literature, and a percentage point or two could be due to people who pushed the wrong button or checked off the wrong name.
As I predicted, he (and, it seems, the “pro heterosexual marriage / serial adulterer” Gingrich) are going down in flames.
Kylew
@B: Yes, I noticed that. It’s quite heartening. I don’t undestand how he was in a state election last week, and a regional election this week. Does this regional one end his career? Could you explain the way it works please?