Presidential candidate Michele
Bachmann's comments about gay rights have been praised by Chris
Barron, chairman of gay GOP group GOProud.
The Minnesota congresswoman faced a
barrage of gay rights questions on the Sunday morning talk show
circuit, a day after winning the Iowa straw poll in Ames.
During an interview on CNN's State
of the Union, Bachmann told host Candy Crowley that as president
she would work to reinstate the policy that bans gay and bisexual
troops from serving openly, which is set to expire on September 20.
“The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy
has worked very well,” Bachmann said.
“I would be in consultation with our
commanders, but yes, I probably will reinstate the ban,” she added.
And during an interview on Meet the
Press, she objected to host David Gregory's line of questioning.
Gregory started the segment by playing
a 2004 clip in which Bachmann is heard saying, “It's a very sad
life. It's part of Satan, I think, to say that this is 'gay.' It's
anything but 'gay.' It leads to the personal enslavement of
individuals. Because if you're involved in the gay and lesbian
lifestyle, it's bondage. It is personal bondage, personal despair,
and personal enslavement. And that's why this is so dangerous. We
need to have profound compassion for people who are dealing with the
very real issue of sexual dysfunction in their life, and sexual
identity disorders.”
“That is the view President Bachmann
would have of gay Americans?” Gregory asked.
“My view on marriage is that I
believe that marriage is between a man and a woman and that's what I
stand for. But I ascribe honor and dignity to every person no matter
what their background. They have honor and they have dignity,”
Bachmann answered.
Gregory pursued with: “Do you think
gay Americans hearing quotes like that from you would think that
that's honor and dignity coming from you about their circumstance?”
“I'm not anyone's judge,” she
responded. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Chris Barron ostensibly does believe
Bachmann's statement. The chairman of the gay GOP group tweeted on
Sunday to his nearly 3,000 followers: “Bravo to Rep. Bachmann this
morning for her comments about the honor & dignity of gay
people.” Barron's tweet included the hashtag #tcot, which stands
for “top conservatives on Twitter.”