[ad_1]
"I mean, orphanages are still a possibility for some kids," said Chris Smith in a recording, answering a student's question as to whether his gay sister would be less a legitimate parent than one. heterosexual person. | Getty
For the second consecutive election, a Republican congressman from New Jersey is under fire for his criticism of homosexuals.
The Washington Blade, a newspaper serving the LGBTQ community of Washington, DC, released a recording Wednesday in which Rep. Chris Smith has trouble answering a high school student's question about whether his gay sister would be less a legitimate parent the person.
History continues below
In the recording of a minute and eight seconds released by the Blade, Smith, who faces a reelection challenge in the 4th Congressional District, says that legally, the girl's sister would be free to 39; adopt. But when the student, identified in history as Hannah Valdes, asks why Smith thinks his sister should not be able to adopt a child, the congressman does not respond directly by saying who can get a child "and that" waiting times are extremely long ".
Another student, who is not identified in the story, asks Smith what makes these people "more legitimate" than the sister of Valdes.
"In my opinion, a child needs all the possibilities of," says Smith before cutting himself. He then starts again saying, "You know, you mentioned – somebody mentioned orphanages before. I mean that orphanages are still a possibility for some children.
The unidentified student continues to insist that Smith prefers children to stay in orphanages rather than homosexual parents. Smith's response is inaudible before the audio is cut off.
A spokesman for Smith, who was first elected to Congress in 1980, did not answer a phone call and an e-mail asking if the congressman's office had registered on May 29 at Colts High School. Neck of Monmouth. A school receptionist said that the school had not recorded the event.
It's unclear how the Washington Blade got the registration.
Smith, a fervent Roman Catholic, is known for his socially conservative views, but more for his anti-abortion positions than for the rights of homosexuals. He has, however, made controversial remarks about homosexuals before. In 2015, the human rights campaign condemned him for stating during a hearing that he "does not interpret gay rights as human rights." # 39; man. "
This is not the first time that a Republican member of the New Jersey Congress delegation is criticized for his remarks about homosexuals.
The alleged remark of US representative Scott Garrett to his colleagues in 2015 that he would not contribute to the Republican National Committee of Congress because he supported homosexual candidates was probably the following year for Democrat Josh Gottheimer. Garrett had represented the district for nearly a decade.
Garrett's district, though Republican, was considered more friendly to Democrats than Smith's central district, which stretches from the Jersey Shore to the Delaware River.
This year, Smith, who has been representing the 4th District for almost 40 years and is preparing to be reelected with only one symbolic challenge, will this year face a well-funded opponent in Navy veteran Josh Welle. Yet in a year when most New Jersey Republicans are considered vulnerable, Smith is widely considered the safest.
"Chris Smith's views may have gone away in 1980 when he was elected, but his time is up," Welle said in a statement. "In 2018, in central Jersey, it's unacceptable that a child is better in an orphanage than with a loving LGBTQ family." As a veteran, I fought sides of the men and women who have given their lives to protect and defend the civil liberties that our Constitution guarantees to all, not just to a few Chris Smith brings us back to inclusion and fundamental human rights for all .
United States Representative Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Whose district is adjacent to Smith, also condemned these remarks.
"I am deeply scandalized and offended by Congressman Smith's fanatic views on LGBTQ adoption," Pallone said in a statement. "Congressman Smith should know that LGBTQ parents are just parents. They are parents who bring a lot of love and care to their heterosexual neighbors. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Congressman Smith has rejected the rights of LGBTQ Americans. He should apologize.
Source link
