Lieutenant Governor Newsom Demands Apology From Gov. Perry Over Homosexuality, Alcoholism Comparison
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - San Francisco's former mayor Gavin Newsom, who thrust himself on the national stage when he legalized same-sex marriage in the city in 2004, is now demanding an apology from Texas Governor Rick Perry after he likened homosexuality to alcoholism in an appearance at the Commonwealth Club Wednesday.
Perry said he was not qualified to characterize homosexuality as a disorder, but then drew the comparison.
"I may have the genetic coding that I'm inclined to be an alcoholic," Perry said. "But I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way."
RAW VIDEO: Rick Perry On Homosexuality
On Thursday, the lieutenant governor took to Twitter to voice his frustrations with the comments.
That comment was followed up by three more within a couple of hours, including:
Much progress has been made on #lgbtrights but ignorant offensive remarks from @GovernorPerry show how much more work needs to be done
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 12, 2014
Newsom said it was particularly troubling that the comments were made in San Francisco. Pegged to the top of Newsom's Twitter feed, which has 1.2 million followers, is a map of the states where same-sex marriages are now legal.