Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Sims is among
the Democrats criticizing Governor Tom Corbett for comparing gay
marriage to incest.
“No one, not even his own party,
would argue that he's an intellectual heavyweight or even a
particularly thoughtful person,” Sims wrote on his Facebook
page. “The larger issue is that despite the fact that the
majority of Pennsylvanians disagree with him, he continues to be the
heaviest hitter in Pennsylvania's anti-equality crusade.”
By mid-afternoon Friday the Republican
governor had issued a statement apologizing for remarks he had made
that morning during an appearance on Harrisburg's WHP-TV.
Corbett was asked about a statement his
lawyers made in a recent court filing to stop a county clerk from
issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The lawyers
argued that licenses issued to gay couples are invalid because such
couples – like “12-year-olds” – can't marry.
“It was an inappropriate analogy, you
know. I think a much better analogy would have been brother and
sister, don't you?” Corbett, a Republican, answered with a smile.
“I don't know,” the anchor
responded.
(Watch
video of the interview at our video library.)
“My words were not intended to offend
anyone,” Corbett said in his written apology. “If they did, I
apologize.”
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, who
chairs the Democratic Governor's Association, described Corbett's
comparison as “absurd,” saying that he had “offended and
demeaned” the “millions of Pennsylvania families he claims to
represent.”
Democratic Congresswoman Allyson
Schwartz, a gubernatorial candidate, called Corbett's statements
“hateful.”
(Related: Gay
marriage bill introduced in Pennsylvania House.)