GOP presidential candidates Michele
Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty were challenged by a gay teen at the Iowa
State Fair on Friday.
At The Des Moines Register's
“soapbox” venue, 17-year-old Gabe Aderhold asked Pawlenty, the
former governor of Minnesota, when he was going to support gay
marriage.
“I thought the country was about
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for everyone, no
exceptions,” he asked. “Tim Pawlenty, I want to know: When will
you stand up for me?”
Pawlenty responded: “The relationship
between a man and a woman in a traditional marriage is important to
our country, our society, our culture. I think it should remain
elevated, not just in our words, but under our laws – that's why
I've supported laws, in fact have authored laws, to maintain marriage
as between a man and a woman.”
The scrappy teen, however, continued,
asking, “Why is government getting involved in our marriages?”
and “Do you think I'm a second-class citizen?”
“We're just going to have a
respectful disagreement, sir,” Pawlenty replied. (The video is
embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Aderhold also heckled Minnesota Rep.
Michele Bachmann, who spoke for only 3 minutes and did not take
questions.
“You treat me like a second-class
citizen,” he shouted. “Shame on you.”
“You can't pray away the gay,” he
screamed at Bachmann's husband, Marcus Bachmann, a reference to
allegations that the couple's Christian counseling centers run by
Marcus attempt to “cure” gay people.