Gays
Stage Protest as Cracks Appear in Santorum Support
365Gay.com,
April 24, 2003
By Paul Johnson, Washington Bureau Chief
Washington, D.C.—Small cracks
have begun to appear in the tacit support Republicans have shown by their
silence about Sen Rick Santorum’s anti-gay statements this week.
Four days after an interview the Pennsylvania Republican
gave to the Associated Press in which he equated homosexuality with incest,
polygamy and incest, two GOP senators have spoken out.
In the AP interview, Santorum called gay sex
“deviant” behavior that threatens to “undermine the basic tenets of our
society and the family.” (story)
Thursday afternoon more than 200 people demonstrated in
Philadelphia’s Center City to protest against Santorum’s assessment of
gays.
The protest staged by gay rights organizations, the
National Organization of Women (NOW) and Parents, Families and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) demonstrated at the intersection of Broad and
Chestnut streets.
Following publication of the story Republicans refused to
comment, and Santorum maintained he would not issue an apology. . (story) One
of Santorum’s few public supporters was Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
(R-Tenn). Wednesday he said Santorum is not a homophobe but would not comment
on the interview.
Thursday marked the first open rebuke of Santorum. Sen.
Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) called the remarks “unfortunate” and said they
“undermine Republican principles of inclusion and opportunity.”
Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-Rhode Island) released a similar
statement Thursday.
“I thought his choice of comparisons was unfortunate
and the premise that the right of privacy does not exist—just plain
wrong,” he said. “Senator Santorum’s views are not held by this
Republican and many others in our party.”
Santorum is chairman of the Republican Conference, the
GOP’s No. 3 Senate post.
Snowe and Chafee are both moderates within their party
but their comments are nonetheless noteworthy. With the story now being
covered on a daily basis by mainstream media, including the Washington Post
and CNN, Republican pollsters are trying to determine which way the national
wind is blowing.
The GOP analysts are concentrating their questions on
America’s large swing vote. The undecided voters are said to be key to
Republicans staying in the majority of both houses in Congress. If the numbers
show a large number of people “uncomfortable with Santorum’s remarks you
will see more strident criticism by more in the party,” said one GOP source.
The party operative pointed to the silence that at first
greeted Sen. Trent Lott’s racist remarks last year. “As soon as the party
realized mainstream America was outraged the leadership moved to remove him
from a position of power.”
Lott resigned as Republican leader in the Senate last
December after he praised the 1948 presidential candidacy of Strom Thurmond,
whose campaign advocated racial segregation.
Meanwhile, a Mormon sect that practices polygamy has
demanded an apology from Santorum for linking homosexuality with the practice
of having more than one spouse.
Owen Allred, who heads one of Utah’s largest polygamist
sects, says the practice of one man marrying several women is a moral and
religious tradition dating back to Abraham.
Allred says that when Santorum compared the practice to
homosexuality and incest, he defiled polygamy as “immoral and dirty.”
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