Top Santorum Aide Outed As Gay

San Luis Obispo Tribune ^ | 7/15/2005 | Steve Goldstein

[gopgen]

Gay-rights opponent Santorum stands by outed aide

BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN

Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The senior spokesman for Sen. Rick Santorum, R- Pa., Friday confirmed to a web log that he is gay.

According to PageOneQ, an online gay and lesbian publication, director of communications Robert L. Traynham, said that he was an "out gay man who completely supports the senator."

Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate leadership has been an outspoken opponent of homosexual rights and a leading proponent of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Santorum, who was traveling in Pittsburgh, released the following statement:

"Robert Traynham ... is widely respected and admired on Capitol Hill, both among the press corps and among the congressional staff, as a communications professional. Not only is Mr. Traynham an exemplary staffer, but he is also a trusted friend confidente to me and my family. Mr. Traynham is a valued member of my staff and I regret that this effort on behalf of people who oppose me has made him a target of bigotry in their eyes.

"It is entirely unacceptable that my staffs' personal lives are considered fair game by partisans looking for arguments to bolster my opponent's campaign. Mr. Traynham continues to have my full support and confidence as well as my prayers as he navigates this rude and mean spirited invasion of his personal life."

Mark Rodgers, chief of staff at the Republican conference, which Santorum chairs, said, "Robert is a tremendous employee and we're all for standing by him." Traynham's homosexuality was not news to the senator or his staff, he added.

In the online interview, Traynham defended his decision to work with the senator. "Sen. Santorum is a man of principle, he is a man who sticks up for what he believes in. I strongly do support Sen. Santorum.

Asked whether he supported Santorum's views on lesbian and gay issues, Traynham told PageOneQ, "Sen. Santorum is a family man. I have been with him for eight years and I am very proud to be with him."

The two-term senator is up for reelection next year. His expected Democratic opponent is State Treasurer Robert P. Casey, Jr.

Traynham began working for Santorum since 1997 as a press assistant and then deputy press secretary. He was press secretary for the senator's 2000 reelection campaign in Pennsylvania. Just prior to becoming communications director in the Senate office, Traynham served as director of communications for the Senate Republican Conference.

Traynham holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, where he currently serves on the Council of Trustees.

In supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would prohibit gay marriage, Santorum has equated homeland security with the sanctity of traditional marriage. He has referred to gay marriage as "messing with the basic family unit."

During an interview with The Associated Press two years ago about a challenge to the constitutionality of Texas's sodomy law, Santorum said that if the Supreme Court allows gay sex at home (which it ultimately did), "you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."

On the marriage issue, Santorum also said: "In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."

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© 2005, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Visit Philadelphia Online, the Inquirer's World Wide Web site, at http://www.philly.com

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

[Petronski]

What a wee little sniper you are. How pathetic for you.

[wagglebee]

Upon further research, I was incorrect. The sin that is committed IS NOT adultery, it is FORNICATION.

Fornication: The free act of carnal intercourse between persons who are not married but who are free to marry. Fornication is always gravely wrong because it deprives sexual intercourse of the order which the good of the human race demands. It is a substantial inversion of an essential order.
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/ncd03343.htm

[Albion Wilde]

"He's also not qualified. He is not a potential nominee either."


You don't have to be a lawyer or a judge to serve on the Supreme Court.

[goldstategop]

Conservatives can work with people whose personal choices they don't endorse. We do that every day with liberals. And yes we do it with gay people. We even do it with a liberal girlfriend or wife. You can love and respect someone as a human being even when you don't necessarily agree with all of their views. Love the sinner, hate the sin.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Howlin]

Heh.......I use to think the same thing. NO big deal.

[wagglebee]

Thanks anyhow, you forced me to figure out the correct term.

[zbigreddogz]

?!?!?!?!?!?!

So, you have to approve of EVERYTHING SOMEONE DOES and EVERY BELIEF THEY HAVE before you can employ them?

Yah. I'll remember that :extreme sarcasm:

[grey_whiskers]

Once the homosexuals are removed (and their constant march to the rear :-O ) their places will be taken by true conservatives.

Full Disclosure: The theme of the current "Big Tent" Republican Party should be a country song:

I'm a Gay Black Mormon Biker--and I vote Republican! ^TM

Cheers!

[Howlin]

their places will be taken by true conservatives.

And exactly where are all these "true" conservatives hiding right now?

[Brilliant]

Top Santorum Aide Outed As Gay

So?

[Echo Talon]

Then I would be wrong because I believe the above group of what you call minorities should be denied a job, except in prison.

If you would have looked at my post #160 to you,would have also read this..
Now, if someones sexuality like stated above breaks the law, they should be thrown in jail.

[California Patriot]

This will hurt him, because the liberal media will make sure it does.

All he had to do was find a reason not to hire the guy.
It's easy enough to find out if someone's single, and not hard to find out why they're single. Of course, Santorum and his chief of staff may not have had the political skills to do this properly, but that just strengthens my point.

[grey_whiskers]

Fear of anti-gay "hate crimes" for standing up for their political beliefs in certain political circles.

Washington is far to the left of most of the red states, just as is the MSM.

E.g. would any politician of any stripe whatsoever be able to make the remarks about gays that Howard Dean made about Christians, without being expelled immediately from the political debate?

[fatima]

Are you Republican ?

[Howlin]

Fear of anti-gay "hate crimes" for standing up for their political beliefs in certain political circles.

So if it's okay to bash gays, we'll have a lot more "true" conservatives?

[Howlin]

I sure hope not........LOL.

[John Robertson]

"His staff and their PRIVATE life is as PUBLIC as that of Santorum. It's just the way it is."

Says who? Since when? Where is this written? You would find very, very few people who would agree that the lives of the support staff of any public person should be as open as the person him- or herself. It's just the way it ... isn't.

[John Robertson]

"Christians are expected to renounce the self and "die to sin". "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We are taught that "if your right eye offend you, pluck it out" -- meaning, don't let your addiction to any worldly thing stand in the way of observing God's laws. We are also taught that to follow Christ, we must be prepared to renounce the influence of relatives, even our parents, if their ways interfere with following Christ. In doing so, you renounce the sin, but not necessarily the sinner.

The minds of of those who follow God should be stronger than the sentimental ties of emotion in this life."

You give us Christians a bad name.

Put another way: You're not being very Christian.

[fatima]

Well :)It does get funny.

[Delphinium]

Good I am glad we agree about that.

It might sound mean, and even racist to you but I wouldn't want to hire people who have a sexual desire for children, animals, or siblings, even if they claim not to be acting on those desires.