Rick Perry was confronted over the
weekend about his opposition to gay and bisexual troops serving
openly in the military, the National
Journal reported.
Perry was asked the question by
14-year-old Rebecka Green at a town hall.
After shaking the candidate's hand, the
openly bisexual Green asked the GOP candidate why he opposed repeal
of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”
Why “deny them their freedom when
they're fighting for your rights?” Green asked.
“This is about my faith, and I happen
to think that there are a whole host of sins, homosexuality being one
of them. And I'm a sinner and so I'm not going to be the first one
to throw a stone,” Perry answered. “I don't agree that openly
gays should be serving in the military. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was
working. And my position is just like I told a guy yesterday, he
said, 'How would you feel if one of your children was gay?' I said
I'd feel the same way. I hate the sin, but I love the sinner, but
having them openly serve in the military, I happen to think as a
commander in chief of some 20,000 plus people in the military is not
good public policy. And this president was forced by his base to
change that policy and I don't think it was good policy, and I don't
think people in the military thought it was good policy.”
After the exchange, Green, who attended
the event with her father, told reporters: “I'm openly bisexual and
I didn't want to be told that if I wanted to serve in the military
that I couldn't, and I just think [the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell']
policy is completely ridiculous. Nobody should be able to tell
somebody who they can or cannot love. I just don't agree with it.”
(Related: Rick
Perry heckled over anti-gay ad during Ames appearance.)