Jim DeMint Criticized Over Comments on Gay and Sexually Active Teachers

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., speaks to the Values Voter Summit, held by the Family Research Council Action, Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, in Washington.

/ AP

Gay and women's rights groups are criticizing Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina in the wake of comments he reportedly made concerning whether sexually active single women and gay people should be teaching.

DeMint said at a church rally Friday that openly gay people and unmarried women who are sleeping with a boyfriend shouldn't be in the classroom, according to the Spartanburg Herald Journal.

He made the comments in response to a question about similar statements he made in 2004 about gays and unwed single mothers, for which he later apologized. "I answered as a dad with my heart and I did not answer as a Senate candidate. I apologize for making the remark because it distracted from the debate," he said at the time.

On Friday, according to the Herald Journal, DeMint addressed that controversy, saying, "[When I said those things] no one came to my defense. But everyone would come to me and whisper that I shouldn't back down. They don't want government purging their rights and their freedom to religion."

Asked whether DeMint stands by the comments, DeMint communications director Wesley M. Denton said that "Senator DeMint believes that hiring decisions at local schools are a local school board issue, not a federal issue."

"He was making a point about how the media attacks people for holding a moral opinion," he added.

In an interview, Jimmy LaSalvia of the gay Republican group GOProud said he believed DeMint was reaffirming his 2004 comments on Friday. "I don't know anybody in 2010 who thinks that," he added.

"Jim DeMint's comments can only be described as outrageous and bizarre," GOProud's Christopher R. Barron added in a statement. "The idea that someone who says they believe in limited government would support the government weeding out gay teachers and unmarried sexually active female teachers simply defies logic."

The Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, said in response to the comments that "What matters in the workplace is your ability to do your job, yet you can be fired for your sexual orientation in 29 states and for your gender identity in 38. I can't imagine what people think is 'moral' about job discrimination."

The National Organization for Women, meanwhile, hammered DeMint for the comments.

"Sexist bigots like Sen. Jim DeMint don't belong in the United States Congress," said NOW President Terry O'Neill. "He thinks gay women and men and sexually active single women should be banned from teaching, but he said nothing about sexually active, single straight men."

An aide to DeMint stressed that the senator had made the initial comments as a father, not a legislator. The aide noted that DeMint has not taken any legislative action on the issue, and said DeMint was expressing a personal opinion, not a legislative agenda.

DeMint, who has emerged as something of a kingmaker for Tea Party-aligned candidates, is heavily favored in his reelection bid against surprise Democratic nominee Alvin Greene.

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Brian Montopoli is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of his posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[detroitgrass]

I think we have all forgotten the real issue. Homosexual sexual promiscuity is a learned behavior. Teachers do have a heavy influence on our precious children. I personally believe if any teacher is pushing sexual promiscuity in the classroom or publicly they should be fired. Unfortunately, for teachers, they are held to a higher standard and their out of classroom activities do have consequences. Demint is not saying all single teachers should be fired. The reason he focused on women is that their has been cases where female teachers are flashing her boobs at mardi gras type public parties and pictures have been showing up on the Internet. As an adult, you might not care. But when your six year gets a hold it from a friend, you should.

We overpay our school systems for mediocre teachers. There is a large supply of quality people that want to be teachers. We can do better.

[AAndrewD]

You sure stir up a lot of rhetoric to drive emotion nowhere in a negative way. You said it yourself, teachers are held to a higher standard, so why on earth would they risk pushing their views or what they do on their own time to their children in the classroom? If a teacher does something on a Saturday night- that's her business, she needs to be more vigilant with her conduct or make sure that she's around people she can trust and use privacy filters on FB. If you're a gay teacher? That shouldn't matter- period! Homosexual anything being a learned trait is just absurd; promiscuity is probably the only thing learned and guess who children learn the most from? Their parents! And when it comes to children finding pics of their teachers on the web, parents need to snuff that out and apply parental controls as to where their kids visit on the web. This is simply externalizing the blame and not realizing that everyone needs to take accountability here. We can do better, but limiting who gets to teach and who doesn't when there's already a national shortage of good teachers only puts the US lower on the int'l rankings in Ed. Who ultimately pays? The children, because adults are acting like children, judging and pointing fingers at each other!

[ScottLWest]

Tom Clements is one of three candidates on the ballot for U.S. Senate from South Carolina. He's a credible candidate and has been getting lots of local press. Clements would do well in a debate against the incumbent, if DeMint wasn't too busy fundraising to stay in SC.

A day after breaking the DeMint story, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal ran a lengthy interview with Tom Clements: "Clements criticizes DeMint on gay teacher issue; Opponent for Senate blasts incumbent for stance on who is fit to teach" can be read here: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20101005/ARTICLES/10051011/1083/ARTICLES?p=all&tc=pgall

In the article, Clements takes issue for DeMint's religious tests, his bigotry, and his lack of a fiscal policy. DeMint made statements at the Value Voter's conference suggesting that government programs should be replaced by private religious charity work.

Since late August, Clements has been profiled in the Post and Courier, AP, WFAE in Charlotte and interviewed by SCETV Radio's The Big Picture. In the most September 28 print edition of The Nation, columnist John Nichols calls for SC Democrats to support Clements. This week an interview with Mr. Clements is on the front page of the Columbia City Paper, the major weekly of the capital city. Links to these articles follow.

* P&C: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/sep/18/18clements/
* P&C: http://archives.postandcourier.com/archive/arch10/0910/arc091810593929.shtml
* AP: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20100915/ARTICLES/100919813
* WFAE: http://www.wfae.org/wfae/1_177_311.cfm?action=display&id=6499
* SCETV: http://www.scetv.org/index.php/the_big_picture/radio/08_20_10/
* The Nation: http://www.thenation.com/article/154601/greene-green-sc.
* City Paper: http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/2010/10/06/and-in-the-third-corner/

The campaign may be contacted via these websites:
http://clementsforsenate.com/
and...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Clements-for-US-Senate/128952760459672.

[xiaolong1977]

That's a pretty crazy and nasty proposal

[rmonroe401]

Are all Republicans bigots?

[RealBatman]

Yes many of them are bigots and some of them are not of the highest intelligence. Some children have more sense than politicians

[CraigS70]

I wonder how he feels about married male congressman sleeping with their boyfriends? As a resisdent of SC, I can say that Jimbo has done little for the state, other than increase our position as a laughingstock of the nation. Unfortunately, he does represent the majority of folks down here.

[RealBatman]

If he does not represent the majority of folks in SC then how did he get elected by a majority?

[nearl451]

I guess this means that he wants most SC high school girls to either get married or leave the classroom.

Good dog, Jim, good dog.

[earlysaid]

Demint has been behind the tea party going to the right wing fringe for candidates. He wants people who are as simpleminded as he is. Demint has been a major part of obstructing the Senate from doing their work for the American people. Republicans have been anti-government and very unpatriotic since we had the presidential election. The most horrible republicans in our government include Demint.

[BillJ4321]

Stay classy, DeMint.

ALWAYS stay classy.

[liberalme]

Back to the 50's Mr Demint? Back then EVERYONE had their dirty little secrets but they were hidden.
Ok everyone, raise your hands if your first thought is to wonder if your childs teacher is gay or a sexually active single female.

Loooordie to be a southern bigoted, hypocritical christian (?)!!

[liberalme]

Judgement day is EVERYDAY for his "kind"!

[not_fooled_by_Righties]

My guess is that he is really a closeted gay woman.

[kevjustice]

HE IS A M.F.S.B.(I DON'T MEAN THE ROCK BAND MOTHER,FATHER,SISTER,BROTHER).

[documemts]

Yeah. Aren't they always.

[MerrellObrian]

People must ask: Do I want my state to look like South Carolina? I mean record poverty, illiteracy and obesity! That's what you get from one of the most backwater States in the Union, and this guy is perfectly South Carolina. The most ignorant, blatantly bigoted, anti-progressive, throwbacks in the entire USA!
And these a$$clowns run about in full regalia going, "Look at me! I'm an idiot! Listen to the stupid, religiously crazy junk I can say!" ...and the stupid follow them.

[sfopine]

Thank you for giving me a full belly-laugh, Merrell. "Look at me, I'm an idiot!" Completely hilarious!