Rick Santorum Bemoans Gay Soldiers Who 'Shower With People' (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum doubled down on his recent comments opposing allowing gay soldiers to serve in the U.S. military, invoking the image of soldiers showering together to explain his support for reinstating the discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

"The problem is that sexual activity with people who you are in close quarters with who happen to be of the same sex is different than being open about your sexuality," Santorum said on "Fox News Sunday."

Fox host Chris Wallace pushed back, asking Santorum if he was suggesting gay soldiers would "go after" their colleagues.

"They're in close quarters, they live with people, they obviously shower with people," Santorum said, saying the presence of gay soldiers could have an adverse "effect on retention and recruitment."

Wallace played a clip of Santorum insisting during a recent Republican primary debate that the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" was an improper injection of "social policy" into the armed forces. Wallace then presented a quote from a former military official to Santorum and asked whether he agreed with its basic idea: "The army is not a sociological laboratory. ... Experiments ... are a danger to efficiency, discipline and morale and would result in ultimate defeat."

Santorum, looking uncomfortable, said that he did agree with the general idea of the statement. Wallace then revealed that the quote was from Colonel E.R. Householder, a World War II-era official whose comments were made in opposition to the racial integration of the military.

Santorum responded by attempting to distinguish between racial discrimination and discrimination based on sexual orientation, denouncing the former, while insisting the latter is an acceptable condemnation of inappropriate "behavior."

"It's not the same thing," Santorum said. "You are black by the color of your skin. You are not homosexual, necessarily, by the color of your skin."

Comments

[Justin Werner]

06:38 AM on 12/02/2011

Does Santorum *ever* stop thinking about gay people and gay sex? Because as a gay man, most of the time I'm more focused on things like the engineering requirements document that's due tomorrow, whether or not to bother making the bed, deciding how long I can play with my dog, getting my checkbook to balance, and how great it would be if my neighbor decided to clean up her yard. I think about the cereal I had for breakfast, the spices I put on the chicken I had for dinner, and whether or not to have a glass of wine tonight, or wait until tomorrow night. I think about getting the tires on my car rotated, getting that new 1T drive for my computer, and maybe watching a "Fringe" episode. What I do *not* spend a lot of time thinking about is "gay" people, or "straight" people, or.... you get the idea. Rick, buddy, you are just every so slightly OBSESSED. There are treatments for that. Look into it, please?

[retromega]

12:23 AM on 11/27/2011

Poor Ricky Santorum! Imagine sitting around all day imagining all the horrible consequences of military personnel taking all those showers day in and day out! While America's defenders will certainly be the cleanest army to ever take the field santorum is concerned that they will be morally corrupted by their exposure to other naked soldiers who are also clean physically.

Two observations are probably in order here: First, while cleanliness is an admirable quality, troops defending their country do not typically spend much time in the showers because they are too busy making war against their enemies! It must be noted that they have much more on their minds than corrupting their immortal souls because they are busy trying to stay alive while making the other side pay with their lives. Second, what possesses a grown man like Rick Santorum that he has decided to spend his time worrying about showers being taken in the military rather than all of the real problems that exist in our world? He is stuck in a distinctively adolescent day-dream when there are many real problems that demand adult attention!

[Bob Kellerman]

03:48 AM on 11/08/2011

WHY IS THERE NEWS COVERAGE OF THIS DISGUSING EXCRETION OF A PERSON?

(other than on Fox, I mean)

[Jordan Hunnicutt]

11:04 PM on 10/17/2011

This also proves that Santorum is a possible closeted racist.

[Thomas J Williams]

11:29 PM on 10/17/2011

Uhm ... I don't think there is anything "closeted" about it.

[Phineas Reams]

02:00 AM on 10/18/2011

He agreed with the statement from the racist!

[bessielil]

07:58 PM on 10/17/2011

People who shower with people.....save water.

[Burt Burleson]

06:56 PM on 10/17/2011

I'll bet dollars to pennies this guy is as gay as a Glee episode. Quite a few politicians who were so outspoken and openly opposed toward gay rights have accidentally fallen out of the closet in some type of scandal. I'll just sit back and wait on Santorum's to surface.

[Jordan Hunnicutt]

11:01 PM on 10/17/2011

You have a great point. I never thought about that.

[dvsinla]

04:59 PM on 10/17/2011

so he wants a world where "gays" don't interact with real "people"?... maybe there should be a camp or someplace he'd be more comfortable putting these gays to keep them away from "people".

[Phineas Reams]

01:47 AM on 10/18/2011

Like say an internment camp?

[Justin Werner]

06:40 AM on 12/02/2011

I'm surprised he hasn't openly advocated for it.... yet. He's crackers, completely, totally Looney-Tunes and off his rocker.

[MDean]

09:29 AM on 10/16/2011

The only thing that should matter is whether the individual can and will carry out their duties while in service of our country.

[aHazMatHoney]

06:26 PM on 10/15/2011

Dear Mr. Santorum-

1. Gay men and "straight" men have "showered together" in the military, since we've had showers. Before that, they river-ed and "laked together." How do recent changes in military policy affect anything?

2. I'm going to have to disagree with your theory about the differences between discrimination relating to racism, as opposed to discrimination relating to sexual orientation. Note to reader: I am now typing very, very slowly, so as not to lose Mr. Santorum's tiny powers of focus and intellect:

The general consensus on "race" is that we are "born this way." Regarding sexual orientation, there's just as much evidence to suggest that it's genetic as not. As for your argument that "one's skin color doesn't necessarily make them gay," Huh?! Anyway, I want you to think of the darkest black person you've ever known: Uncle Remus, perhaps? Now, do you honestly think, that in addition to being black, Uncle Remus would also have chosen to be a flaming homosexual? Aren't black people's lives hard enough?

3. Though the characteristics of both race and sexual orientation, in particular, are most likely genetically programmed, the biggest DIFFERENCE, which is so simple, I"m surprised that even you didn't think of it, Rick, is that a black man may be able to "hide" his "gayness," but unless he is lighter than Halle Berry (the hot-blooded Negress in "Monster's Ball), he can't hide his blackness. Got it? (They only give me 250 words, man).

[AudreyLee]

07:09 PM on 10/13/2011

"You are black by the color of your skin. You are not homosexual, necessarily, by the color of your skin."

Just...wow. Satorum outdid himself there. On the Idiot Scale of 1 to 10, that was about a 15.

[Jordan Hunnicutt]

11:16 PM on 10/17/2011

If he were President think of the totally awesome quotes we'd get from this guy. They'd be way better that Bush's.

[Phineas Reams]

01:49 AM on 10/18/2011

Yeah imagine the snl sketches!

[AudreyLee]

04:05 PM on 10/20/2011

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert would have a blast, no joke.

[lambdin1]

10:58 AM on 10/13/2011

This man must have a high regard of his naked body..

[JTR55408]

10:45 AM on 10/13/2011

Does he honestly think that those gay servicemembers did not have sex during their entire tour of duty while serving in the military? Just like their straight counterparts, I'm quite certain that some gay servicemembers engaged in intimate relations. Santorum simply exposes the depth of his inanity when he makes preposterous suggestions like those 'shared' in the Wallace interview. And exactly why is it that Mr. Santorum believes gay servicemembers will not be able to control themselves should they find themselves in a situation where they would have to shower with straight servicemembers? Again, it's a clear indication that he 1) does not understand gays at all, and 2) he does not equate gays as being regular, well-balanced and well-behaved human beings. That's fine. He's free to believe whatever he likes. Just as I'm free to believe that he's a small-minded, bigoted, preening homophobe who, if I didn't know better, has some secret fantasies of having one (or some) of those gays who he has so soundly 'dissed' decide to get-back at him and force themselves on him and "take him." Oh, Rick ... you dirty little man. ;-)

[sergal stew]

10:38 PM on 10/12/2011

People who think he is wrong..then answer me this..why should men and women be separated? I would never join the military but if I did I would stink because I would not shower with gay people.

[Toni Early]

11:22 PM on 10/12/2011

Why, are you afraid you might get hot for one of them?

[sergal stew]

12:04 AM on 10/13/2011

Why? Well if it's not a big deal then I will start going in women's rest rooms,locker rooms,dressing rooms. What they got to worry about?

[JTR55408]

10:50 AM on 10/13/2011

My guess is that the overwhelming majority of gays would be more than happy to give you a wide berth. Ugliness, even that which is spoken and not displayed, is telling in many ways. And most gays would be able to "see" your ugliness from a mile away, and steer clear.

With regard to your question about why men/women should be separated: Well, history has shown us that, unlike their gay counterparts, when some straight members of the military come within close proximity of each other, they're not always able to control themselves. Don't believe me? Remember "Tailhook?"

[MarxEngelsLeninTrotsky]

12:30 PM on 10/12/2011

Me thinks Rick Santorum would of been a member of the Third Reich in his day.

[92102]

11:17 AM on 10/12/2011

Poor Ricky must have dropped the soap one too many times.

[aviandonn]

07:12 PM on 10/13/2011

And not gotten what he was hoping for.