Minn. State Rep Steve Simon brought the Legislature to a pause this week with these remarks about God and gay life that have gone viral on video.
According to the Associated Press, Simon, a Democrat, spoke out against Republican efforts to set up a vote next year to lock a ban on gay marriage into the state constitution.
In the recording of a Capitol hearing on Monday, the St. Louis Park Democrat asked, “How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?”
That line brings applause and once order is restored, Simon continues to say that, as he sees it, sexuality and sexual orientation are not a choice but an innate “gift from God.”
CAPTIONBy Glen Stubbe, AP
So, if humans are sometimes, as Lady Gaga would say (Simon didn’t) “born this way” — then what? Simon suggests to his colleagues that they go home and think harder on another question:
How many gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether people living their lives as they wish, as long as they don’t harm others, is a Godly and holy and happy and glorious thing…I’m comfortable with a society and a tradition that bends toward justice, fairness, openness and compassion…
Simon concluded that generations in the future will view anti-gay legislation harshly.
– continue reading at USA Today.
Related articles
- Minnesota Democrat Steve Simon’s pro-gay speech racks up YouTube views (miamiherald.typepad.com)
- Minnesota Rep. Steve Simon: Being Gay Is A Gift From God (ontopmag.com)
