Rick Santorum has said he objects to
gay marriage because it would lead to gay and lesbian couples being
recognized in schools, ABC
News reported.
The 53-year-old Santorum made his
remarks on Monday during a campaign stop at Dordt College, a small
Christian school in Sioux City, Iowa.
When recent graduate Jason Kornelis,
23, said he did not see how marriage equality would “be a hit to
faith and family in America,” a bewildered Santorum asked: “You
can't think of any consequences?”
If legalized, an irritated Santorum
argued, then “their sexual activity” would be seen as “equal”
to heterosexual sex and it would be taught in schools.
“Really-wow-um okay, well let's see
if we can have a discussion. We can flesh out some, well, let's look
at what's going to be taught in our schools because now we have
same-sex couples being the same and their sexual activity being seen
as equal and being affirmed by society as heterosexual couples and
their activity.”
“So what is going to be taught to our
people in health class in our schools? What is going to be taught to
our children about who in our stories, even to little children –
what are married couples? What families look like in America? So,
you are going to have in our curriculum spread throughout our
curriculum worldview that is fundamentally different that what is
taught in schools today? Is that not a consequence of gay marriage?”
Santorum, considered the GOP
presidential field's most vocal opponent of gay rights, insisted that
Kornelis was wrong.
“[I]n fact you have to know you're
wrong, because if we say legally if this type of relationship is
identical to other type [of] relationships then of course more of it
will be taught because this is what the law says.”