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Allen West: Gays Shouldn’t Change Their ‘Choice’ Any More Than I Should Stop Eating Ice Cream
MEDIAITE ^ | 08/12/2011 | Frances Martel

Posted on 08/12/2011 8:04:40 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Rep. Allen West has made a bold statement in the defense of LGBT rights, sort of. The Tea Party-backed Republican Congressman known for some controversial views explained local paper South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he believed that “everyone has the same basic rights,” but “people can change their sexual behavior” like any other behavior, not that he wanted them to do that.

“I can’t change my skin color,” he explained to an off-camera interviewer, “[but] people can change their sexual behavior– I’ve seen people do that.”

He explained that, growing up in Georgia, he had a “very different perspective on human behavior” that made him believe homosexuality was a choice. That said, he didn’t think it was a choice that should limit the rights people have in society.

“Everyone has the same basic rights, and no one is telling people in the gay community that they don’t have the same basic rights that any American has,” he noted. What’s more, he elaborated that while he believed it to be a choice, he did not think it an inferior one that should be changed. “No, I don’t think that!” he cried upon being asked.

“I like chocolate chip ice cream,” he said by way of analogy. “I will continue to like chocolate chip ice cream, there’s no worry about me changing to vanilla.” He’s not about to trade in his motorcycle for a scooter, either, because “I’m not into that.”

Not exactly the sort of riveting progressive statement the LGBT community is used to, nor did Rep. West explain how those beliefs translate to his position on gay marriage– or when he chose to like chocolate chip ice cream.

The clip from the Sun Sentinel below:

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: allenwest; gays; homosexualagenda; homosexuality
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To: laweeks

Yup. He was trying to walk a fine line betwixt and between and he fell off.


21 posted on 08/12/2011 8:30:26 AM PDT by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: mick; Mrs. Don-o; wagglebee; little jeremiah

Caring about how a politician views homosexual behavior is not in the slightest “superficial,” because a whole array of public policy decisions follow from what might seem like an irrelevant personal opinion.


22 posted on 08/12/2011 8:34:04 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Do you know why I love reptiles? It's because they don't play guitars.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Representative Allen West is not my congressman and is not running for president. However, I admire him and don't find much fault in his position on homosexuality. We can't control anyone's sexual proclivities and I'm glad that West defined 'homosexuality' as a behavior, not some immutable organic trait that can't ever be changed, such as skin color. That fallacy (same-sex attraction is immutable) has driven the 'gay' movement and using it, as if the regular practice of same-sex sodomy were the same as being black or Hispanic, Italian, Polish, Swedish, whatever, has garnered 'gays' legal protections unavailable to those who are not practicing homosexual behavior as a 'lifestyle' and an almost 180 degree turn in public perception of 'gays', from pariahs to 'victims' deserving of 'respect' for their 'choice of who to love'. (Cue violins here.) Just hope it isn't you
23 posted on 08/12/2011 8:35:49 AM PDT by Jim Scott ( "Game On!" - Sarah Palin)
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To: cvq3842
"I’m not sure what he is saying with the rest of his statement..."

Me either.

24 posted on 08/12/2011 8:36:12 AM PDT by Spunky (WAKE UP AMERICA!)
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To: mick

Jeezz....give the guy a break......how superficial can you people be.

Sorry, Can’t do it and there is nothing superficial about it.


25 posted on 08/12/2011 8:39:58 AM PDT by Bitsy (!)
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To: ClearCase_guy

The Boehner debt ceiling “deal” will result in Supercommittee deadlock or establishment Republicans giving in. Either way, the defense budget will be gutted. I have to wonder what committee or support West was offered to go along with this. I’m extremely disappointed, but the lesson is and always will be not to put your faith in man.


26 posted on 08/12/2011 8:41:14 AM PDT by trubolotta
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To: PetroniusMaximus
What's your point?

The man believes that homosexuality is a bad choice and just became a little tongue tied in his responses.

It is very superficial to base one's support of a solid American patriot and conservative on one little comment. This is sound bite thinking and very stupid to say the least.

Is that clear enough for you?

27 posted on 08/12/2011 8:41:58 AM PDT by mick (Central Banker Capitalism is NOT Free Enterprise)
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To: SeekAndFind

Pathetic response, Mr. West.


28 posted on 08/12/2011 8:44:29 AM PDT by John Leland 1789
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To: mick

West is not 100% pro-life.
West sees homosexuality as a lifestyle choice, and not necessarily a bad one.
West joined the Congressional Black Caucus.
West voted against defunding ObamaCare.
West voted for the Pigford black farmer reparations.
West voted repeatedly to raise the debt ceiling by trillions of dollars.

Maybe one or two of those points might be “no big deal” but taken together, they tell me that West is not for me.


29 posted on 08/12/2011 8:45:42 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (The USSR spent itself into bankruptcy and collapsed -- and aren't we on the same path now?)
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To: Lancey Howard
Homosexuality gives most normal people the creeps...

True.

...and normal people have the right to not be creeped out.

Not true. There are more than enough leftists agitating to enshrine not being offended as a civil right, without conservatives helping them out.

30 posted on 08/12/2011 8:49:28 AM PDT by Interesting Times (WinterSoldier.com. SwiftVets.com. ToSetTheRecordStraight.com.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Fair enough. But based on his life and experiences I think he is an asset to conservatives in Congress. The sum total of the man is what attracts me to him. Not for president maybe, but as a fundamentally decent, conservative and pro American congressman. There comes a time when we all need to accept that we have to have many bricks in the house we are building...and some may be better than others


31 posted on 08/12/2011 8:52:15 AM PDT by mick (Central Banker Capitalism is NOT Free Enterprise)
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To: SeekAndFind
“Everyone has the same basic rights, and no one is telling people in the gay community that they don’t have the same basic rights that any American has,” he noted. What’s more, he elaborated that while he believed it to be a choice, he did not think it an inferior one that should be changed. “No, I don’t think that!” he cried upon being asked.

So it's all good, to him. He's dead to me.

32 posted on 08/12/2011 8:53:32 AM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: laweeks

Actually, he said something that gays hate to hear: that they can change. He said he wasn’t urging it, but he said that it was possible.

Their whole “movement” is based on this being something they are born with, like a genetic defect, but it has been shown time and again that much of the behavior is the result of circumstances around them (a weird family, some event such as being molested as a child, etc.) and can be changed.


33 posted on 08/12/2011 8:55:56 AM PDT by livius
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To: ClearCase_guy

All of the above are why he is dead to me.

Too bad, I had hopes that he would turn out to be a true conservative.

Now I see that the word “conservative” means as little as “Republican”.

“Constitutionalist” is now what is valuable - someone who adheres to Constitutional principles and sees government in that way; anything else is handbasket to hell, a bit slower or a bit faster, no matter what the label or party.


34 posted on 08/12/2011 8:57:55 AM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: SeekAndFind

This must be West’s wide stance, straddling the ol’ fence on this issue.

(Is this satire, by the way?)


35 posted on 08/12/2011 8:58:50 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (It's the Tea Party's fault!)
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To: Interesting Times; Lancey Howard

Normal people have the right to not associate with homosexuals or have them teach in schools, be forced into contact with them in the military, attend “sensitivity” training about them, etc.

IOW, homosexuals should, by natural law, go back into their freaking closets.


36 posted on 08/12/2011 9:00:14 AM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: KarlInOhio

OK, MEEEchelleO.


37 posted on 08/12/2011 9:00:32 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (It's the Tea Party's fault!)
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To: livius
Actually, he said something that gays hate to hear: that they can change. He said he wasn’t urging it, but he said that it was possible.

Sorry, but he just bought the ranch with his stupid statement!

38 posted on 08/12/2011 9:03:50 AM PDT by laweeks
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To: mick
Superficial?

It hasn't ocurred to him yet that a culture of disordered disease-vector sex derangement --- directed purposefully and strategically at our kids --- is more serious than a choice of chocolate or vanilla?

Who's superficial here?

39 posted on 08/12/2011 9:08:39 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Hmmm ... tough one....)
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To: livius

[ Actually, he said something that gays hate to hear: that they can change. He said he wasn’t urging it, but he said that it was possible. ]

I think his response is quite shrewd, because it is about behavior.

It pretty much says, the goverment should not tell you what ice cream to eat and how much, or who you can’t snog and how much snoggign you can do. But it can have dire health consequences. While being a glutton today is “socially unacceptable”, then why not other behavior that has negative health consequences? This opens the door to put it back into the “Social Stigma” category where it belongs.


40 posted on 08/12/2011 9:10:59 AM PDT by GraceG
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