Gay Groups Ask Senate GOP to Reconsider Santorum Post After 'insensitive' Remarks

AP ^ | 4/21/03 | Lara Jakes Jordan

[Jean S]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Gay-rights groups, fuming over Sen. Rick Santorum's comparison of homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery, urged Republican leaders Monday to consider removing the Pennsylvania lawmaker from the GOP Senate leadership.

A coalition of groups in Washington and Pennsylvania compared Santorum's remarks to those by those last December by former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott about Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist campaign for the presidency. Shortly afterward, Lott was forced to resign as Republican Senate leader.

Santorum is chairman of the GOP conference in the Senate, third in his party's leadership, behind Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee and Assistant Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

"We're urging the Republican leadership to condemn the remarks. They were stunning in their sensitivity, and they're the same types of remarks that sparked outrage toward Sen. Lott," said David Smith, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay advocacy organization. "We would ask that the leadership reconsider his standing within the conference leadership."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Santorum criticized homosexuality while discussing a pending Supreme Court case over a Texas sodomy law.

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything," Santorum, R-Pa., said in the interview, published Monday.

Santorum's spokeswoman did not have an immediate comment to the criticism from the gay rights groups. The White House did not immediately return a call seeking comment, and a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Frist declined comment.

Lott resigned his post in December after making remarks at a 100th birthday celebration for Thurmond that were widely considered racially insensitive and condemned by the White House. Lott later apologized.

Among the groups condemning Santorum's remarks were the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, the Pennsylvania Log Cabin Republicans, OutFront, and the Pennsylvania Gender Rights Coalition.

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On the Net:

Sen. Rick Santorum: http://santorum.senate.gov/

Human Rights Campaign: http://www.hrc.org/

AP-ES-04-21-03 1715EDT

[Cicero]

It's just not worth trying to make nice with these people. How many votes will it get? Rick Santorum is one of the few really honest, decent, reliably pro-life leaders in the Senate.

[AndrewC]

Among the groups condemning Santorum's remarks were the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, the Pennsylvania Log Cabin Republicans, OutFront, and the Pennsylvania Gender Rights Coalition.

So?

[Salvey]

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything,"

He's probably right.

[RAT Patrol]

Okay, everyone who thinks gays want attention from the GOP just so they can support our tax policies and other conservative issues, what do you have to say now?

[Ingtar]

He said this? Bravo to Santorum. If one of these "alternate lifestyles" is legal, they all are.

[RAT Patrol]

I am very encouraged to read that Santorum said those words. If he backs down, I'll be mad.

[Doomonyou]

Rick Santorum is one of the few really honest, decent, reliably pro-life leaders in the Senate.

And that is the reason the Dems have him in thier crosshairs.

[Caipirabob]

If these groups are going to consider themselves conservative, they are going to have to grow some thicker skin. Along with being conservative is the ideal you possess at least a minute amount of maturity and personal responsibility. Also the ability to see beyond yourself and what is truly best for the advancement of conservative ideals, not a means of improving the quality of your Glory-hole rendevous (pardon my French!)

[Adder]

They were stunning in their sensitivity,

Good! Glad you are stunned. Now sit down and shut up. Better yet, crawl back into your closet.

[RAT Patrol]

They are not truly conservative. That's the problem. They are one issue people -- and oh what an issue.

[ElkGroveDan]

Meanwhile, the Flat Earth Society joined criticism of Santorum for using the insensitive phrase "the other side of the globe" implying that the world is some kind of three dimensional round body.

[RAT Patrol]

LOL! I love that.

[Kuksool]

Ping!

[Keith]

I think Santorum should tell these people to shove it somewhere...after all, I hear they enjoy that.

I would expect I may get a Freeper spanking for that one...if so...it was worth it...and my two year old child made me do it.

[onyx]

Santorum forgot to add PEDOPHILIA!

[onedoug]

He's on solid ground:

Why Judaism Rejected Homosexuality

The acceptance of homosexuality as the equal of heterosexual marital love signifies the decline of Western civilization as surely as the rejection of homosexuality and other nonmarital sex made the creation of this civilization possible.

[Cordova Belle]

Yes. It bears repeating:

Rick Santorum is one of the few really honest, decent, reliably pro-life leaders in the Senate. --Cicero

[The_Pickle]

How dare these people try to silence the senators "right to free speech" Their are acting in a very McCarthy-esk manner and denying him his constitutional rights (/sarcasm off)

The Senator should ask if Mr. Robbins would like to speak about free speech on his behalf. (/uber sarcasm off)

[Remedy]

Sen. Rick Santorum's comparison of homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery, urged Republican leaders Monday to consider removing the Pennsylvania lawmaker from the GOP Senate leadership.

Looks like Santorum is trying to flatter the homos.