Advocates of ex-gay therapy are out in full force at this year’s Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC, reinforcing the notion that opposition to LGBT equality is rooted in the false belief that sexual orientation is a choice. Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) president Gregory Quinlan is passing out pamphlets at the event, and he told ThinkProgress’ Scott Keyes that families “don’t have to accept” the “lifestyle” choice of homosexuality. He claimed the major Republican presidential candidates agree with his group’s assessment.
Quinlan also condemned efforts to reduce ant-gay bullying in schools, arguing that “the homosexual agenda has used bullying as a wedge issue” to “bully others to promote their lifestyle and to promote their political agenda”:
QUINLAN: They have taken the issue of bullying, misused it, misapplied it, and are now pushing it as a civil rights issue for the homosexual agenda, which I think is totally wrong and ignores the problem of bullying…it’s a political propaganda tool. […]
Just because you have two or three beers doesn’t make you an alcoholic, any more than two or three same-sex experiences make you a homosexual. But they want to label you immediately, even if you have a gesture or an effeminate quality to yourself. It’s no!… This sexual anarchy, homofascism, it’s got to stop. It’s using kids as an experiment and we can’t use kids as an experiment for something a few people in society want to do.
Watch it:
At least one surging GOP presidential candidate almost certainly agrees with Quinlan’s assessment. During an interview with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell last night, Herman Cain doubled down on his claim that being gay is a choice and he — along with the other major Republican contenders — are scheduled to address the summit this weekend.
Update:
After his speech today at the Summit, Rick Santorum also added that he believes “there’s all sorts of studies that are contradicting” on whether being gay is a choice. Of course, there aren’t.