Former Pennsylvania Senator and
possible Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he
accepts Bruce Jenner as a woman.
In a two-hour ABC special broadcast
last week, Jenner told Diane Sawyer that he identifies as female.
(Related: Bruce
Jenner says he identifies as female.)
Santorum, a vocal opponent of marriage
equality who in 2011 claimed that the
gay community has waged jihad against him over his views,
discussed Jenner's coming out during a roundtable with reporters at
the South Carolina Republican Party's annual convention.
“If he says he's a woman, then he's a
woman,” Santorum
said. “My responsibility as a human being is to love and
accept everybody. Not to criticize people for who they are. I can
criticize, and I do, for what people do, for their behavior. But as
far as for who they are, you have to respect everybody, and these are
obviously complex issues for businesses, for society, and I think we
have to look at it in a way that is compassionate and respectful of
everybody.”
When asked whether he thinks Jenner
should be able to use women's public restrooms, Santorum answered:
“So these are tough issues. I haven’t got into the whole issue,
and I don’t think the federal government should get into the whole
issue of bathrooms. I think those are things that the business
community and local agencies and organizations should deal with.”