Ron Paul Defends Gays In The Military

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said that heterosexual military servicemembers were "causing more trouble than gays" due to their superior numbers in an interview with the Iowa State Daily released Wednesday.

"Well, like I said, everybody has the same rights as everybody else, so homosexuals in the military isn't a problem. It's only if they're doing things they shouldn't be, if they're disruptive. But there's ... men and women getting into trouble with each other too. And there's a lot more heterosexuals in the military, so logically they're causing more trouble than gays. So yes, you just have the same rules for everybody and treat them all the same," he said, according to the paper.

Paul was one of five House Republicans to vote for the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which officially ended in Septmber, and among 15 House Republicans in December. "To discharge an otherwise well-trained, professional, and highly skilled member of the military for these reasons is unfortunate and makes no financial sense," he said in May.

When asked by the Iowa State Daily on his position on gays, he said, "You know I just, I don't think of people in little groups like that. I don't think of people as 'gay' here and 'black people' there, or 'women' over here."

"Everybody is an individual person, and everybody has the same rights as anyone else. The government has no business in your private life, you know, so if one person is allowed to do something so should everyone else. The whole gay marriage issue is a private affair, and the federal government has no say."

Paul voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004, which would have added an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning gay marriage. However, he continues to support the Defense of Marriage Act, which disallows the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions and allows states not to recognize another state's same-sex unions. He has said that the legislation protects a state from having to recognize another state's definition of marriage.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/26/ron-paul-gays-military-dadt_n_1032990.html