Man + Horse ≠ Marriage

by Michael Jones · 2010-03-15 08:41:00 UTC
Topics:

JD HayworthWhoa, Nelly!

Remember when former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum made news years ago for his "man on dog" comment when talking about same-sex marriage? Well, it looks like there's one Arizona politician who wants to top Santorum.

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, the Tea Party member challenging incumbent Sen. John McCain in this year's GOP primary for one of Arizona's U.S. Senate seats, spoke to radio station WORL in Orlando this past weekend. And boy, did Hayworth let loose when it came to the subject of gay marriage. He's not only still angry with the Massachusetts State Supreme Court for bringing marriage equality to the forefront of American politics, he's blaming the Massachusetts State Supreme Court for paving the road to sex with horses.

"I mean, I don't mean to be absurd about it, but I guess I can make the point of absurdity with an absurd point -- I guess that would mean if you really had affection for your horse, I guess you could marry your horse. It's just the wrong way to go, and the only way to protect the institution of marriage is with that federal marriage amendment that I support," Hayworth told WORL.

The word "absurd" is used three times in that quote. I can't think of a more fitting adjective to describe Hayworth or his comments.

It seems a little weird that in 2010, we still have to argue with lawmakers that gay marriage is not about establishing rights for people to marry their pets. Sure, it might make for an episode of Family Guy, but the Massachusetts State Supreme Court certainly wasn't paving the way for man on horse, man on dog, man on octopus, man on porcupine or man on flying squirrel relationships.

The Massachusetts State Supreme Court simply affirmed what we all know: that two people who love each other, regardless of their gender, can share the same level of intimacy as J.D. Hayworth and his wife. And in the time since the Massachusetts State Supreme Court ruling? Well, four other states plus the District of Columbia have established same-sex marriage, agreeing that nothing separates the dignity of gay and lesbian relationships from the dignity of heterosexual relationships, at least in the state's eyes.

And even more interesting? Massachusetts maintains the lowest divorce rate of any place in the entire country. In fact, Arizona's divorce rate is fourteen times higher than the state of Massachusetts. Maybe if Hayworth were so concerned about the sanctity of marriage, rather than demonizing gay and lesbian couples, he should look in his own backyard first.

Hayworth actually stands a very decent shot at knocking off Sen. John McCain in the GOP primary. Neither one of them are beacons for LGBT rights. But having a Sen. Hayworth? Well, that would be like having another Sen. Santorum inside the Beltway. Left, right, independent or green, one thing's for certain: that's the last thing we need in Washington.

Photo credit: J.D. Hayworth for U.S. Senate

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Gay Marriage and Italy
NEXT STORY:
On Aeroflot's Birthday, Russian Activists Condemn Company's Anti-Gay Record. And You Can Help.

COMMENTS (5)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.