Herman Cain States He Would Employ Homosexuals
Republican Presidential hopeful and businessman Herman Cain responded to a blogger's question about hiring homosexuals who openly proclaim their sexuality by stating he would have no problem appointing an openly gay person to a position in his administration.
“Nope, not at all. I wouldn’t have a problem with that at all,” Cain commented.
Cain, a former pizza chain executive who is touring Iowa this week, had just concluded his remarks to a conservative gathering in the Pella area.
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“I just want people who – I want qualified. I want them to basically believe in the Constitution of the United States of America, so, yep, I don’t have a problem with appointing an openly gay person.”
John Smid, director of Grace Rivers Ministry and the former director of Love In Action, a ministry dedicated to helping individuals find freedom in Jesus Christ from sexual and relational sin, offered his insight into Cain’s comments.
“If any person is qualified to do a job, then yes, they should be hired, as long as their personal agenda does not interfere with their job responsibilities,” said Smid. "I don’t see why sexual orientation, or any orientation for that matter, should make a difference. After all, I assume whoever he hires will be supporting the administration or the company they work for.”
Last March, Cain told a blogger from ThinkProgress.org that he would not appoint a Muslim to his Cabinet or to the federal bench, saying, “there is a creeping attempt, there is this attempt to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government.”
However, Cain’s direct style and “outside of the beltway” experience appeal to many midwestern voters in the Hawkeye state.
Don Thurman, 78, a retired Church of the Nazarene minister, told the Des Moines Register, “I just think we need to curb the homosexual movement in our country. It’s getting out of hand and I think we need to put some restrictions on it and not allow them to be involved in certain things.”
In spite of his differences with Cain on hiring homosexuals, Thurman said he thinks Cain is “an excellent candidate because he’s straightforward, because he makes a lot of sense, because he has a positive attitude of changing our country back right.”
Cain’s comments during yesterday’s appearance centered on the economy and his staunch belief in not increasing the federal debt ceiling. He has been critical of President Obama’s economic policies, saying on his website, “Currently, the federal government taxes too much and too often.”
He considers himself a pro-life candidate, saying, “My position is life begins at conception.” He also affirms traditional marriage.
Cain, who resides in Atlanta, Ga., served as an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta.
