Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum cannot be accused of flip-flopping on LGBT issues. He has been unequivocally negative on all issues important to LGBT citizens.
Here in his own words is what the candidate has said on equality in employment, second parent adoption, same-sex marriage, man-on-dog sex and his belief that the U.S. Officer Corp has been brainwashed into accepting the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
RELATED: Romney in his own (contradictory) words https://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=
On same-sex marriage
In April 23, 2003 USA Today/Associated Press interview: "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. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality –" (At this point, Lara Jordan – the reporter – commented, "I'm sorry, I didn't think I was going to talk about 'man on dog' with a United States senator, it's sort of freaking me out", coining a phrase widely used in connection with this incident.)
New Hampshire campaign trail January 2012: Santorum engaged college students who asked about his position on gay marriage, suggesting that allowing gay marriage would lead to the legalization of polygamy and other forms of marriage. The back-and-forth resulted in him being booed at the conclusion of the event. (Bloomberg, Jan. 6)
At another event, Santorum suggested that children would better off having a father in prison than being raised by lesbian parents. (UK Daily Telegraph, Jan. 8)
In a May 22, 2008 Philadelphia Inquirer column by Santorum, he reacted to the California Supreme Court in its ruling allowing gay marriage: "Is anyone saying same-sex couples can't love each other? I love my children. I love my friends, my brother. Heck, I even love my mother-in-law. Should we call these relationships marriage, too?"
On the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Santorum told Chris Wallace of Fox News, April 26, 2011 he opposed ENDA. When asked by Wallace if Santorum would give LGBT people rights as a matter of public policy he said: "It depends what you mean by rights? If you are talking benefits as far as rights, they have the rights to employment… I don't know what you mean by rights? What I am talking about are privileges. Here privileges of marriage, privileges of government benefits is a different thing than basic rights to be able to live their lives as they well should and can as free Americans."
On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
During the Republican primary debates Santorum has said he would work to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. In a CPAC speech on Feb. 20, 2010 he suggested that the U.S. Officer Corp had been indoctrinated: "I'm worried when many people will stand up and say, 'well, whatever the Generals want.' I'm not too sure that we haven't indoctrinated the Officer Corps in this country that they can actually see straight to make the right decisions."
On adoption
May 3, 2011 in Iowa City, Iowa Think Progress Report: "A lesbian woman came up to me and said, 'why are you denying me my right?' I said, 'well, because it's not a right.' It's a privilege that society recognizes because society sees intrinsic value to that relationship over any other relationship."
On Sodomy Laws
Glenn Beck radio show, April 2011 discussing being homophobic after former Republican Senator Alan Simpson called him homophobic: "It's not homophobic, it's a legal argument and it's a correct legal argument. And in fact that is exactly what's happening. We went from Lawrence V. Texas to now a constitutional right to same-sex marriage and they're going into constitutional right to polyamorous relationships. This is the slippery slope that we're heading down and I can't buy it."
