Texas Gov. Rick Perry Quotes: Possible 2016 Presidential Candidate 'Stepped Right in It' With Insensitive Gay Comments
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is once again eating his words after making some comments regarding homosexuality at a conference in San Francisco last week, Politico reports.
Perry, who is one of the suspected candidates to run in the 2016 presidential election, took the podium at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins hotel to discuss a number of issues with the Commonwealth Club of California.
Eventually the conversation shifted to the issue of homosexuality. The Texas Republican Party has recently thrown its support behind the scientifically discredited process of "reparative therapy" for gays and lesbians. When Perry was asked a question about whether he believed homosexuality was a disorder.
"Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not, you have the ability to decide not to do that," Perry replied. "I may have the genetic coding that I'm inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way."
Since then, several politicians and celebrities have criticized the governor for his response, leading Perry to once again apologize with what is looking to be the governor's new catchphrase.
"I got asked about an issue and instead of saying, 'You know what, we need to be a really respectful and tolerant country and get back to talking about whether you're gay or straight you need to be having a job, and those are the focuses I want to be involved with,' instead of getting -- which I did, I readily admit, I stepped right in it," said Perry.
Perry also told reporters he "stepped in it" when he infamously lost his train of thought during a 2012 political debate and could not remember what government departments he said he would eliminate as president.
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