Posted on 07/16/2005 12:12:46 PM PDT by gopgen
Gay-rights opponent Santorum stands by outed aide
BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The senior spokesman for Sen. Rick Santorum, R- Pa., Friday confirmed to a web log that he is gay.
According to PageOneQ, an online gay and lesbian publication, director of communications Robert L. Traynham, said that he was an "out gay man who completely supports the senator."
Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate leadership has been an outspoken opponent of homosexual rights and a leading proponent of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Santorum, who was traveling in Pittsburgh, released the following statement:
"Robert Traynham ... is widely respected and admired on Capitol Hill, both among the press corps and among the congressional staff, as a communications professional. Not only is Mr. Traynham an exemplary staffer, but he is also a trusted friend confidente to me and my family. Mr. Traynham is a valued member of my staff and I regret that this effort on behalf of people who oppose me has made him a target of bigotry in their eyes.
"It is entirely unacceptable that my staffs' personal lives are considered fair game by partisans looking for arguments to bolster my opponent's campaign. Mr. Traynham continues to have my full support and confidence as well as my prayers as he navigates this rude and mean spirited invasion of his personal life."
Mark Rodgers, chief of staff at the Republican conference, which Santorum chairs, said, "Robert is a tremendous employee and we're all for standing by him." Traynham's homosexuality was not news to the senator or his staff, he added.
In the online interview, Traynham defended his decision to work with the senator. "Sen. Santorum is a man of principle, he is a man who sticks up for what he believes in. I strongly do support Sen. Santorum.
Asked whether he supported Santorum's views on lesbian and gay issues, Traynham told PageOneQ, "Sen. Santorum is a family man. I have been with him for eight years and I am very proud to be with him."
The two-term senator is up for reelection next year. His expected Democratic opponent is State Treasurer Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Traynham began working for Santorum since 1997 as a press assistant and then deputy press secretary. He was press secretary for the senator's 2000 reelection campaign in Pennsylvania. Just prior to becoming communications director in the Senate office, Traynham served as director of communications for the Senate Republican Conference.
Traynham holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, where he currently serves on the Council of Trustees.
In supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would prohibit gay marriage, Santorum has equated homeland security with the sanctity of traditional marriage. He has referred to gay marriage as "messing with the basic family unit."
During an interview with The Associated Press two years ago about a challenge to the constitutionality of Texas's sodomy law, Santorum said that if the Supreme Court allows gay sex at home (which it ultimately did), "you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."
On the marriage issue, Santorum also said: "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."
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© 2005, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Visit Philadelphia Online, the Inquirer's World Wide Web site, at http://www.philly.com
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
The left's homosexual agenda doesn't really have anything to do with giving more rights to homosexuals. It is about the destruction of American Judeo-Christian values. Remember these are the same people who were running around in the 60's and 70's trying to eliminate marriage altogether, when they saw that that wasn't working, they just found another way to devalue it.
I hear he's a good staffer... :D
That didn't take long (see post #3).
Seems like the MSM thinks Santorum will fire the guy cause he's gay? WTF....
Since I do not believe a conservative can support homosexuality, this makes me doubt Sen. Santorum's conservative credentials.
However, a libertarian Republican can support ignoring individual sexual choices.
It helps me explain some of what I've seen in Santorum.
THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT! HE'S AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE! NOT AGAINST HIRING GAYS FOR WORK! LOL
Remind me not to vote for you. Santorum is against Gay Marriage, Are you saying Gays shouldn't have jobs?
Yeah, I know. Five seconds, I believe.
(steely)
"Since I do not believe a conservative can support homosexuality, this makes me doubt Sen. Santorum's conservative credentials."
IMO Santorum is not supporting the homosexual lifestyle.
It's quite probable that the discussion of this man's sexuality never took place between Santorum and his aide. Why should it? As long as an employee is not "in your face" about it, and does a good job, why should it matter?
There are lots of ways for an individual to sin. Should all sinners be disqualified from gainful employment?
I don't recall mentioning employment. Did I?
I doubt his conservative credentials. I suspect he's more a libertarian Republican.
Is there something there that talks about employment????
How do you suppose it is that a group of people who seem to have no trouble straining the concept of supporting the troops, yet being opposed to everything they stand for, can't grasp the simple concept of loving the soul of the sinner, while hating the sin?
A conservative who supports man/woman marriage does not have to hate homosexuals. Supporting man/woman marriage means it is the basic unit of a stable long range growth and savings society. That unit deserves the special status of marriage as it is our economic engine, main savings and investment unit and produces the most healthy children to continue all of society.
Supporting marriage does not mean hating homosexuals. They can live and work among us and be left alone as long as they do not flaunt their life style in our living rooms, front yards or in schools where our children are educated. They even can have their "dykes on bikes" parade as long as we get notice and we can then take the kids away to the zoo that day. Both life styles can co exist with some modest accommodations.
Conservatives can still have moral reasons to not promote homosexuality without hating or attacking those that are of that persuasion.
Homosexuality would make a staffer a good candidate to be a "Trojan Horse"--err, Sh*tland Pony...
The staffer would have means and opportunity to ferret out information on Republican legislative initiatives, parlimentary tactics on upcoming votes, etc., and give them to Democrats in order to allow them a more effective counter...
I mean, look at it this way. How many Conservative Christians does Hillary Clinton have on her broomstick staff?
Full Disclosure: If we do devastate the Republican Party infrastructure by removing avowed homosexuals, the most likely result is that the GOP would stop trying to be "liberal light."
Cheers!
Yeah, what you said.
Rated 25% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)
# Voted NO on background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
# Voted YES on loosening license & background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
Rated 0% by SANE, indicating a pro-military voting record. (Dec 2003)
dont look to bad to me. issues
"Is there something there that talks about employment????"
Yes. In the original article.
Santorum is being criticized for employing a homosexual.
How could anyone be considered 'loyal', 'supportive' or even 'loving'--to go with the times and fashion--and to turn a blind eye to the fact that in the next life after this one, after judgement is passed as promised, there will be hell to pay quite literally, by those who insist in doing what has clearly not been allowed for thousands of years, written and warned about a number of times of sacred scripture. True, homosexuality backed up it's physical/carnal acts are not the only sins. But it is chief among them.
But I supposed for an atheist or a libertine or someone hip and with the times, this would really mean nothing.
So, in otherwords, we should automatically assume that all homosexuals vote Democrat?
But a lot of people here (not this thread, necessarily, but FR as a whole) do not want gays even walking among us. One woman was agahst that I was living down the street from a gay couple. Like I should have run them out with torches and pitchforks!
"...homosexuality backed up it's physical/carnal acts are not the only sins. But it is chief among them."
I disagree. God is offended by all sin.
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