Dean ‘vulnerable’ on same-sex unions

Same-sex civil unions are a political vulnerability for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, because he signed the first state law allowing such unions as Vermont governor and continues to push the issue that most Americans oppose.

The front-runner for the Democratic nomination stirred the pot further this week by suggesting that God could not condemn homosexuality because he created homosexuals.

“Dean is especially vulnerable on this, given that he helped orchestrate the passage of [same-sex] civil unions in Vermont and ushered in one of the most radical pro-homosexual governments seen in any state,” said Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute, an affiliate of Concerned Women for America.

“This is out of step with the American people, and [Mr. Dean] will be unable to finesse this, especially if the GOP is smart enough and moral enough to stand firm against counterfeit marriage,” he said.

Polls have found that the majority of Americans oppose legalizing same-sex “marriage” or civil unions, which affords same-sex couples essentially the same benefits as married couples.

In an interview reported by The Washington Post yesterday, Mr. Dean said his decision to sign the Vermont legislation legalizing civil unions for homosexuals was partly because of his Christian views.

“The overwhelming evidence is that there is very significant, substantial genetic component” to homosexuality, Mr. Dean said. “From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people.”

Mr. Knight called Mr. Dean’s statements “explosive” and said they show his “profoundly twisted interpretation of God’s intent and purposes.”

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said Mr. Dean is “having enough difficulty on taxes and Iraq, he should stay away from theology.”

Diane Knipper, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, said talking about homosexuality defeats the purpose of Mr. Dean’s recent flurry of efforts to highlight his religious beliefs.

Such appeals to Christians would be important in next week’s primary in the District, where the black church plays a major role in Democratic politics. For example, the District’s mayoral office has a religious and faith adviser.

“If Howard Dean wants to talk about religion with most Christian Americans, and in fact most religious believers, then homosexual unions is not the issue he wants to talk about,” she said. “He is espousing issues that only a tiny minority of the church support, and he’d be better off not talking about religion.”

She said Mr. Dean gets himself in trouble when he tries to make such a theological argument, because most churchgoers attend churches that teach that homosexuality, or at least homosexual behavior, is a personal choice.

“If you want to use religion to connect with people then it needs to be one people respect or recognize or identify with, and Mr. Dean’s theological views only represent a tiny minority of American Christians,” she said.

Story Continues →