Iowa GOP candidate Jeremy Walters has
apologized for anti-gay comments he made on Facebook, the Iowa
Independent reported.
Walters, who is hoping to unseat
incumbent state Representative Kevin McCarthy, a Democrat from Des
Moines, said he believes AIDS is a punishment from God for being gay.
“homosexual 'GAY' is not of God!!!!”
he wrote on his Facebook wall.
“The Holy Bible says if your 'GAY'
homosexual they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be
upon them. This tells me a lot so should we kill them NO. They Need
to ask God to forgive them of their sins and mean it turn away from
it. They also need to know that when it says that their blood shall
be upon them that tells me it is AIDS. That how I feel.”
One Iowa, the state's largest gay
advocate, called the posting “offensive” in calling for state GOP
leaders to denounce Walters' comments.
Walters initially defended his
statements: “It's offensive to them because they know it's the
truth. Truth does hurt.”
However, he reconsidered after GOP
leaders repudiated his comments and rescinded an invitation to
volunteer at the GOP Iowa State Fair booth.
“I am not against people having a gay
lifestyle, and the statements made on Facebook have been taken the
wrong way. The statement regarding gay homosexuality was not meant
to be offensive and I deeply apologize,” he wrote in an email to
the paper.
He said he was replying to a post from
another user and mistakenly replied from his Facebook page.
“Everyone makes mistakes, please
forgive me,” he added.