New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says homosexuality ‘a choice’

[Logan13]

This is funny shit.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says homosexuality ‘a choice’
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/t...?blog_id=13750

In an otherwise low-key presidential candidates forum dedicated to gay issues, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson drew gasps from the audience when he appeared to suggest that homosexuality is a choice.

Lesbian singer Melissa Etheridge, one of three panelists for the event, asked Richardson whether he considers homosexuality innate or a choice.

“It’s a choice,” he said.

Etheridge, suggesting Richardson might have misunderstood, then rephrased her question to ask him whether he thinks “a homosexual is born that way, or do you think that around seventh grade, we go, ‘Ooo, I want to be gay.’”

In an expanded response, Richardson noted that he’s not a scientist.

“It’s, it’s, it, you know, I don’t see this as an issue of science or definition,” he said. “I see gays and lesbians as people, as a matter of human decency. I see it as a matter of love and companionship and people loving each other. You know, I don’t like to categorize people. I don’t like to answer definitions like that, that you know perhaps are grounded in science or something else that I don’t understand.”

There is no scientific consensus as to whether homosexuality is innate, but scientists have described it as a natural phenomena triggered by a variety of genetic and biological factors.

After the forum, Richardson’s campaign issued a statement “clarifying” his answer.

“Let me be clear — I do not believe that sexual orientation or gender identity happen by choice,” Richardson said in the statement. “But I’m not a scientist and the point I was trying to make is that no matter how it happens, we are all equal and should be treated that way under the law.”

Human Rights Campaign, which jointly presented the forum with Logo, did not address Richardson’s comment in a press release issued after the event’s conclusion. A spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

But Richardson wasn’t the only Democrat who stumbled during Thursday’s forum.

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, in speaking about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” said that a president “can get rid of” the federal ban on openly gay soldiers, suggesting change could come through executive order.

The ban, sometimes misunderstood to be a policy enacted and maintained voluntarily by the armed forces, is codified in federal law. Congress must take action to allow gays to serve openly in the military. Edwards said he so strongly opposes the ban that he would allow openly gay soldiers even if top military leaders disagree.

“It doesn’t mater,” he said. “I mean, it’s not the job of the generals to make this determination. It is the job of the president of the United States to make this determination. And I can tell you, I am firmly committed to ending ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York noted during an appearance after Edwards that only Congress could allow gays to serve openly, but appeared to misstep when she described the ban as a transitional measure.

“It was a transitional action that was taken back at the beginning of my husband’s administration because at the time there was such a witch hunt going on” to remove gays from the armed forces, she said.

Gay activists have noted that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was never presented to Congress or gay Americans in 1993 as a transitional measure. President Bill Clinton did not revisit the issue before leaving office in 2000. Clinton said she concluded in 1999 that the ban on openly gaysoldiers should end.

“I think, you know, we have moved a long way on this and other issues, but I think it’s important to recall how much of an advance that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was at the time,” she said. “However, it was not implemented appropriately. It was still used to discharge a lot of patriotic men and women who were serving our country, often at great cost, in the middle of a war, where people were being told, ‘We don’t need your services any more,’ including linguists and translators and other specialty services.”

Despite the missteps, the forum gave all six Democratic presidential hopefuls who appeared a chance to court gay voters.

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who does not support marriage equality for same-sex couples, said the word marriage should be “disentangled” from its religious connotations.

He noted that marital rights are conferred by state and federal governments, not religious denominations.

“I don’t think that the church should be making these determinations when it comes to legal rights conferred by the state,” he said. “I do think that individual denominations have the right to make their own decisions as to whether they recognize same-sex couples. My denomination, United Church of Christ, does. Other denominations may make a different decision.

And obviously part of keeping a separation of church and state is also to make sure that churches have the right to exercise their freedom of religion. But when it comes to federal rights, the over 1,100 rights that right now are not being given to same-sex couples, I think that’s unacceptable, and as president of the United States, I’m going to fight hard to make sure that those rights are available.”

Obama also noted that he frequently speaks about gay issues, and not only before gay audiences. He said he referenced marriage equality during a forum of black ministers in Tennessee.

“I specifically talked about the degree to which the notion of gaymarriage in black churches has been used to divide, has been used to distract,” he said. “I specifically pointed out that if there’s any pastor here who can point out a marriage that has been broken up as a consequence of seeing two men or two women holding hands, then you should tell me, because I haven’t seen any evidence of it.”

Other candidates sought to regain ground following earlier gaffes.

Richardson apologized for having used the Spanish word for faggot on the “Imus in the Morning” radio show.

“You know, I’m Hispanic,” Richardson said. “I felt the sting as a kid of being stereotyped. And I apologize, but I meant no harm when I said that. It was one of those exchanges that I was caught off guard. No, I am not backing off. I apologize.”


And when questioned, Edwards apologized for having previously used religion to justify his opposition to same-sex marriage.


“Well, you know, I have to tell you, I shouldn’t have said that,” he said. “My campaign for the presidency is about equality across the board.”

But at the same time, Edwards said he still opposes marriage equality.

“The truth is that my position on same-sex marriage has not changed,” he said. “We’re past the political double-speak about this. I do believe strongly in civil unions and the substantive rights that go with that.”

Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, who both support same-sex marriage equality, also appeared at Thursday’s forum.

[Coop77]

It's a tough subject for these guys. They have to be very careful with their words.

[Tock]

This is funny shit.

I didn't see anything funny.