Santorum’s Afraid of Gay Soldiers

The former PA senator and GOP presidential candidate has harsh words for gays in the military

Former PA Senator and presidential contender Rick Santorum is still upset about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, but not for the reasons you might expect. During a recent interview on Fox, the conservative politician admitted that one of his biggest concerns about the repeal is that gay and straight soldiers will have to…shower together.

“The problem is that sexual activity with people who you are in close quarters with who happen to be of the same sex is different than being open about your sexuality,” Santorum said on Fox News Sunday. To that, host Chris Wallace asked Santorum if he’s somehow suggesting that gay soldiers would “go after” fellow servicemen.

“They’re in close quarters, they live with people, they obviously shower with people,” Santorum said. He suggested that openly gay and lesbian soldiers would have a negative effect on retention and recruitment.

Tell that to the militaries around the world that have had openly gay and lesbian soldiers serving for many years without consequence. Using Santorum’s logic, LGBT people would be forced into a segregated society for fear that they would entice and force themselves upon heterosexuals. Does that also mean that gay students should be forced into gay-only schools? Gay criminals be sent to gay-only prisons? Gay co-workers hired in gay-only offices? It’s not so hard to see where bullies get their ammunition when one of this nation’s leaders is suggesting that gay and lesbian people are somehow a danger to others.

During the show, Wallace shared a quote – “The army is not a sociological laboratory. Experiments…are a danger to efficiency, discipline and morale and would result in ultimate defeat” – and asked if the senator agreed with the statement. He did. Wallace then revealed that the quote came from a World War II colonel whose comments were made in opposition of racial integration in the military. Santorum then said that while racial discrimination is wrong, anti-gay discrimination is acceptable.

“You are black by the color of your skin. You are not homosexual, necessarily, by the color of your skin,” he said.

See for yourself: