Rick Santorum once sat on the board of
a gay-friendly hospital management company, RedState.com
reported.
Santorum left the board of Universal
Health Services (UHS) in June, about the same time he formally
announced his candidacy for president. After months of non-stop
campaigning in Iowa, Santorum is expected to be rewarded with a third
or possibly even second place finish in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses.
The Fortune 500 UHS, which is based in
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, runs the 25-year-old PRIDE
Institute in Minnesota.
The institute is “the nation's first
and leading provider of mental health service to the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender community.” It focuses on providing
substance abuse treatment in a gay-supportive environment.
According to the institute's website,
overcoming society's built-in bias against gay people, referred to as
heterosexism, plays an important factor in the recovery of the gay
addict.
“Heterosexism is defined as the
stigmatization of nonheterosexual forms of emotional and affectional
expression, sexual behavior or community. Negative covert and overt
messages about the gay and lesbian lifestyle as well as incidents of
hate in the form of threats, acts of humiliation, emotional abuse,
and even murder occur frequently. … Heterosexism can contribute to
internalized homophobia, shame and a negative self-concept.”
In pledging to fight against marriage
equality, Santorum signed a controversial 14-point document that
suggests in footnotes that being gay is a choice that may have a
negative impact on public health. He also backs the reinstatement of
“Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the recently ended policy that barred
gay and bisexual troops from serving openly.