Ken Blackwell Compares Gays to "Arsonists and Kleptomaniacs"

· Ohio's largest LGBT rights group has demanded an apology from Republican gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell after he compared gays to arsonists and kleptomaniacs. The religious conservative and current secretary of state made the comments in a Sunday interview with The Columbus Dispatch.

Blackwell—this election year's second black gubernatorial candidate running as a Republican—was asked if homosexuality is a sin and can be cured. Blackwell said, "I think homosexuality is a lifestyle, it's a choice, and that lifestyle can be changed. I think it's a transgression against God's law, God's will. The reality is again ... that we make choices all the time. And, I think you make good choices and bad choices in terms of lifestyle. Our expectation is that one's genetic makeup might make one more inclined to be an arsonist, or may make one more inclined to be a kleptomaniac. Do I think that can be changed? Yes."

Gays activists are outraged. "Ken Blackwell is a serious obstacle to equality for LGBT people in Ohio," says Bo Shuff of Equality Ohio. "Ohioans need officials who lead with vision—not division."

· It's no coincidence that Blackwell's vicious anti-gay comments were made on the same day the results of a devastating new poll were released. Democrat Ted Strickland leads Blackwell by 20 percentage points.

· Meanwhile, the Ohio Republican Party is attacking Strickland with gay innuendo. The Toledo Blade reports the state party's newly hired "social conservative coordinator" e-mailed voters and conservative activists talking points on Strickland, a southeast Ohio congressman and ordained Methodist minister. "It alleged Mr. Strickland and his wife of nearly 20 years live in different states - and linked to an Internet posting that questions whether Mr. Strickland is gay."

Finally, at least some good news for gays in Ohio. Almost half of the 10 largest employers in Cincinnati area offer domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples. A new report says major employers such as Procter & Gamble, Health Alliance, Toyota and Ashland offer benefits to gay employees. Unfortunately, several public universities in Ohio and Kentucky have been criticized for doing the same.

Comments

[Derrick from Philly]

The man's an idiot. But isn't it strange (or maybe not) how the Democrats rarely nominate a black person for statewide office, except my beloved Obama in Illinois (whatever he really stands for). It's always these wacko black Republicans who end up puttin' on a state wide monkey show.

[taylor Siluwé]

And now there's this asshole.

It's beginning to seem like people are just jumping on the Jesus bandwagon to win votes.

But history will look back on them as fools and bigots. Gov. George Wallace's "Segregation forever!" racist tirade will forever taint his memory.

Someone should inform Mr. Blackwell of that.

[ReggieH]

Gay-bashing again appears to be high on the Republican Playlist. Note this from the Baltimore Sun:

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. had already told the black Baptist preachers many of the things he thought they'd like to hear: more money for education, juvenile justice improvements, more African American judges, a bigger share of the state's contracts to minority entrepreneurs. "Oh, one other thing," Ehrlich remembered. "The institution of marriage is under attack," Ehrlich said, from gay activists who want the right to marry. "We're now at the mercy of the courts." The issue seemed a bit disconnected from the Republican governor's recitation of goals and accomplishments last week, but the reasoning was not hard to understand. While Maryland Democrats as a whole are about evenly divided on the gay marriage question, blacks in the party are overwhelmingly opposed....in his overwhelmingly Democratic state, Ehrlich can't win without picking up converts wherever he can find them....

[dude999]

http://www.thefinalanswertoeverything.com/
Republicans are destroying this country, they are secretly trying to form the North American Union, we must not let that happen.

[andrea]

I thought you might like to know about a new blog we started called http://www.happyagenda.com. It follows the extremist fundamentalist influence in Ohio politics - especially with a hotly contested governor's race the entire nation is watching.

thanks,
andrea

[KBJr.]

Mr. Blackwell's comments were not "gay-bashing". He simply stated his opinion that homosexuality is a choice, and he views it as a bad choice. Hardly "gay-bashing". He then made the common mistake of bringing "God's law" into the argument; which no doubt automatically illicits resentment against whatever it is he's fixing to say anyway. Look, Blackwell's view on homosexuality is misguided, BUT...the man has the right to an opinion. And while most gays automatically want to embrace the Democratic candidate Ted "Do-Nothing" Strickland...he's against gay marriage as well. Only he's like every other spineless Democrat when it comes to the issues that affect gays...he's covert about it.