Ken Blackwell, a candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee, said that and more to gay columnist Michelangelo Signorile in September.
On his blog, Signorile comments:
It’s a far cry from the days when the RNC was led by the 38-year-old “bachelor” of questionable sexual orientation, Ken Mehlman, but, according to The New York Times, Blackwell, a failed Ohio gubernatorial candidate who compared homosexuality to arson and kleptomania at the height of the campaign, may well be the RNC’s next chair.
Signorile has posted audio from the complete 13-minute interview along with transcribed excerpts.
Here are some selected clips:
Ken Blackwell: What I said is that, in that regard, you can choose, people choose to be who they are, as they choose to break civil law and God’s law…I think you can choose not to be homosexual…
Michelangelo Signorile: Did you choose to be heterosexual? Did you wake up one day and say I want to be heterosexual?
KB: The answer is that I’ve never had to make the choice because I’ve never had the urge to be other than a heterosexual, but if in fact I had the urge to be something else I could have in fact suppressed that urge.
***
MS: But you realize people were insulted when you compared [homosexuality] to arson and kleptomania. I would like you to explain that because, how does that get into this whole “choice” issue? I mean, kleptomania is a compulsion.
KB: Well, the fact is, you can choose to restrain that compulsion. And so I think in fact you don’t have to give in to the compulsion to be homosexual. I think that’s been proven in case after case after case…
***
KB: Where you and I disagree is that I do not think homosexuality manifested in behavior is a behavior that should in fact make us change the laws of this land.
MS: But many laws have been changed already. The Supreme Court says that homosexual behavior is not illegal. Arson is a crime. If somebody burns your house down, that’s hurting you, hurting other people. The Supreme Court has said if it’s in your bedroom it’s not hurting anybody else.
KB: If in fact you would feel better for me to say to you that, one, I believe homosexuality is a compulsion that can be contained, repressed or changed, and that makes you feel better, then that is what I’m saying in the clearest of terms.
Blackwell’s factually challenged opinions are clear and direct — free of the obfuscation and deliberate confusion that Exodus International practices. Like Exodus’ leadership, however, Blackwell essentially denies the existence of sexual orientation and equates all sexuality with behavior, not romantic or physical attraction.
Blackwell’s prescription for America: Be celibate and unromantic for life — or marry someone to whom you’re not attracted and then fake a romantic and sexual relationship until your spouse demands a divorce.
Blackwell’s position regarding human relationships is anti-family, inhumane, egotistical, and disconnected from reality. In short, it’s an embarrassment to the GOP.
An appointment of Blackwell to lead the Republican Party could be very good news for the Democratic Party at a time when its base is beginning to question the party’s own commitment to “change.”
Homosexual behavior, like any other behavior, is a choice. You can choose to do it or you can choose not to do it. I’m a happily married heterosexual husband, and while I may be tempted to have sex with someone other than my wife, I choose to not do so. Just because you desire something doesn’t make it a good thing to do. And yes, homosexual behavior does affect society because of the increased medical costs that result from abusive and destructive behavior.
Is this Joe Davidson serious? LOL pa-leeez Joe- go play your bigoted violin somewhere else…another hetero who thinks he’s GOD’s gift to women everywhere..and ONLY by his self control can he “keep himself from having sex with them” sounds like Ol’ Rev.Warren…he says “homosexual behavior does affect society because of the increased medical costs that result from abusive and destructive behavior”??? REALLY? can you prove it Joe? Unlike all those hetero John’s who seek out prostitutes right? You sir are full of s**t…and for some reason have a facination with gay (men) since you like to comment on sites such as this.
Joe,
Homosexual behavior IS a choice like heterosexual behavior is a choice. But just like heterosexuals, homosexuals do not choose the feelings that lead up to those actions.
Homosexuals do not have those same feelings for the opposite sex. It is unnatural for a homosexual to engage in heterosexual sex or form a relationship with the opposite sex, against their will and nature.
Homosexual behavior affects society because of increased medical costs that result from abusive and destructive behavior?
What abusive and destructive behavior? I spent thousands of hard earned money on reparative therapy tried to kill myself after reparative therapy because it was that harmful to me. What keeps you from seeing THAT abusive and destructive behavior?
Also, how is it destructive? Does it hurt your brain to think about what adults do in their private lives? If so, just stop thinking about it and stay away from homosexuals if you feel so strongly against homosexuality.
So much talking, so little knowledge. Every mental health organization in the United States says homosexuality (thoughts and feelings AND expressing those feelings) is natural for a minority as heterosexuality is for the majority.
I dated so many girls and no matter how much, I realized that the only way I could be happy is with another guy. Stop trying to make me do things that are unnatural for me.
And yeah Joe,
There is no way for me to PROVE to you that homosexuality is not a choice, just like there’s NO WAY that I’m going to let YOU tell me that it is!
It looks like we’re at a deadlock! Whad’ya say we just ignore each other???
Now Ken Blackwell keeps saying, “You and I disagree.”
No, Ken does not disagree with HER, he disagrees with FACT. Such an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence that homosexuality is normal for a minority of people.
So, the right thing to do is wake up next to your opposite sex spouse each morning and wish he/she were of the same sex. When realizing this was happening, as it does each morning, put up a wall of denial.
Then, each night, you attempt to make love to this spouse that you supposedly care about, while thinking of the same sex.
Yes, people can do this. But, it is hardly healthy, nor is it fair to the person being used. It is amazing that anyone would make such an unethical, unnatural choice.
I’ll tell you what really is a choice: religion. It is so easy to chose to be one religion or another. My grandfather converted to Roman Catholicism so that he could marry my grandmother in her church. If the reason that we respect others’ religious beliefs is because we as a society have chosen to protect the rights of others to follow their conscience, then why can’t this logic be applied to homosexual behaviors?