Rick Santorum Denies Comparing Homosexuality to Bestiality
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is denying he ever compared homosexuality to bestiality.
Huffington Post reporter Matt Bieber approached Santorum spokesman Bill Boyd recently in Manchester, N.H., during one of Santorum's recent "Faith, Family, and Freedom" town hall meetings. Bieber says he asked Boyd how Santorum hoped to reach Americans on gay rights issues, considering he aggressively opposes gay marriage. Boyd told Bieber that Santorum is tolerant of opposing views and that he hopes Americans will extend the senator the same respect.
"But the senator has compared loving homosexual relationships with bestiality," Bieber argued. Boyd apologized, saying he was not "informed about that quote."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Bieber is referring to a 2003 interview Santorum gave USA Today, where he expressed his view on the definition of marriage.
"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," the then Pennsylvania senator said.
According to Bieber, as the event wound down, he asked Santorum the same question he directed at Boyd, but Santorum interjected: "Read the quote." The staunch conservative and father of seven denied Bieber’s claim, and continues to argue he was not comparing homosexuality to bestiality.
When Bieber further pressed the issue, Santorum again told him, "Read the quote," the Huffington Post reported.
Santorum was approached with the same argument from CNN’s John King recently, but responded, "Hold on one second, John. Read the quote. I said it's not. I didn't say it is. I did not connect them. I specifically excluded them."
