Rick
Santorum is bringing his increasingly vitriolic campaign to Washington
State today, the same day Governor Christine Gregoire is signing into
law historic marriage equality legislation. Santorum’s archaic anti-gay
rhetoric stands in stark contrast to the momentum for marriage that has
swept the state in recent months. Just two weeks ago, Santorum told
a gay man in Missouri that he didn’t deserve the “privilege” of
marriage because same-sex relationships didn’t “benefit society like a
marriage between a man and a woman.”
“Today is a
historic day in Washington State, and it’s reflective of the growing
support for marriage equality we’re seeing across the nation –
regardless of one’s religion or background,” said HRC President Joe
Solmonese. “Rick Santorum’s sideshow is purely a political maneuver
designed to draw attention to a campaign that is dramatically out of
step with the values of mainstream Americans.”
Washington’s marriage equality legislation passed with bipartisan support. Nationally, polling
shows over 50 percent of Americans support marriage equality. Santorum
has seen first-hand how increasingly archaic his messages are – his
anti-gay rhetoric has been met with boos and challenges at times on the campaign trail.
According to the Seattle Times,
Santorum will hold a meeting today at an Olympia church before a 7pm PT
event at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma.
Santorum doesn’t have just policy
differences with LGBT equality advocates – instead, he often goes after
LGBT people on a more insidious level. He has compared marriage equality
to polygamy and inanimate objects like cars, trees, and basketballs.
Santorum also has criticized LGBT families and adoption by saying it is
preferable for children to have a father in jail instead of two gay
parents. He’s called the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) a
“tragic social experiment.” Santorum’s legislative work also was aimed
at making life difficult for LGBT Americans – he voted against both hate
crimes protections and workplace equality legislation.