Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State and Mitt Romney surrogate, compared the LGBT community to drug users and polygamists while commenting on the GOP platform’s marriage equality language.
While arguing against an amendment regarding homosexuality, stating “under the constitution, every American gets treated equally under the law,” Kobach bluntly said:
“Our government routinely judges situations where you might regard people completely affecting themselves … like for example the use of controlled substances, like for example polygamy, that is voluntarily entered into. We condemn those activities even though they are not hurting other people, at least directly.”
The equal treatment amendment would have thrown the Republican Party’s support for the Defense of Marriage Act into question, and Kobach felt the need to have a comeback. He wasn’t too careful with his words, and he is now being criticized by the Human Rights Campaign and other gay organizations.
“Kris Kobach’s remarks are offensive and just the latest sign that the GOP platform is being influenced by people who certainly do not speak for the majority of Republicans,” said Fred Sainz, HRC Vice President of Communications. “It’s time for leaders within the GOP to take some responsibility and realize that their outdated platform – and the incendiary and vitriolic language used by some of their colleagues like Kris Kobach – sends a dangerous message and has a very real impact on the LGBT community, particularly youth.”
Receiving heat from HRC is nothing new to Kobach. Almost eight years ago he claimed that HRC and other LGBT organizations supported “homosexual pedophilia.”
Despite Kobach’s remarks, Mitt Romney was delighted. He claimed that he was “so proud to earn Kris’s support” and was pleased to “stand with this true conservative.”
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