Ken Blackwell: “Homosexuality Is A Compulsion”

Jim Burroway

January 12th, 2009

That’s what the former Ohio Secretary of State told Michelangelo Signorile during an interview at last September’s Republican National Convention:

MS: But you realize people were insulted when you compared [homosexuality] to arson and kleptomania. I would like you to explain that because, how does that get into this whole “choice” issue? I mean, kleptomania is a compulsion.

KB: Well, the fact is, you can choose to restrain that compulsion. And so I think in fact you don’t have to give in to the compulsion to be homosexual. I think that’s been proven in case after case after case…

KB: If in fact you would feel better for me to say to you that, one, I believe homosexuality is a compulsion that can be contained, repressed or changed, and that makes you feel better, then that is what I’m saying in the clearest of terms.

Blackwell is now in the running to become the Republican Party’s chairman with the blessing of fellow ardent anti-gay conservatives, including Focus On the Family’s James Dobson and the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins. Ohio’s GOP all but collapsed in 2006 with Blackwell as the standard-bearer. He’s been largely absent from Ohio politics since then. They say “As goes Ohio, so goes the nation.” Republicans may discover that this saying applies to their party as well.

elaygee

January 12th, 2009

If being Gay is a compulsion then so is being Black. I’d like to see him try to “pray the Black away”.

Ben in Oakland

January 12th, 2009

“They say “As goes Ohio, so goes the nation.” Republicans may discover that this saying applies to their party as well.”

one can only hope that they will continue to give into their compulsions to gay bash, and that they wil eventually move to the fringes of polite society, where they so truly belong.

gar

January 12th, 2009

I think the Tories in the UK have learned that unabashed gay bashing got them no where; if this is the case, then it will only strengthen what will likely be a landslide for them in the next General Election. The Republicans, not so much. . .

Regan DuCasse

January 12th, 2009

I get more than offended at how straight guys like this pontificate on the nature of homosexuality.
As if it’s heterosexuals ALONE who can assume, judge, define and explain it.

Leaving of course, gay people out of the discussion AND equation to actually make a FAIR comparison.

It bears ridiculing that all manner of NEGATIVE and offensive comparisons and analogies are made, except the obvious one.

That homosexuality and heterosexuality have the most similar values and inherency.

I feel, sometimes, like the only one who bothered to go to the best school there is on the subject: experience and from the best teachers. People who are gay.

What’s remarkable is it doesn’t take any courage and opportunity is EVERWHERE to really know.

It takes some exceptional cowardice to be THAT afraid to learn what I have learned. And AVOID learning it.

God gave us curiosity too. Quite a gift. How can such a gift be SO repressed in this crowd?

Rick

January 12th, 2009

I am compelled to respond by saying I believe this man is full of codswallop.

Gary

January 12th, 2009

Thirty years ago mental health doctors declared that gay men and women did not suffer from any mental disease or disorder as the basis of their gayness. Blackwell now asserts the contrary. I suppose he holds other archaic notions such as the earth is flat.

Jon

January 19th, 2009

What? Is he serious? The sad part here is that people really don’t choose to be gay, but people DO choose to be republican.

Sexuality is not reserved for the enjoyment of straight men, which seems to be what these archaic beliefs imply. I very much dislike that this nation strokes the ego of the straight male so often, and suppresses all others. Are straight men the only group that should be allowed to have self-esteem? The only group that deserves respect? Are the rest of us all second class citizens?

Maybe we should ask Mr. Blackwell to suppress his so called heterosexuality. Come on Mr. Blackwell, you can conform and be gay! So what if you don’t enjoy sex with other men or have any desire to engage in it. You can learn how to like it!! How ridiculous is that? ITS THE SAME THING!!

Leave A Comment

All comments reflect the opinions of commenters only. They are not necessarily those of anyone associated with Box Turtle Bulletin. Comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

(Required)
(Required, never shared)

PLEASE NOTE: All comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

 

Latest Posts

The Things You Learn from the Internet

"The Intel On This Wasn't 100 Percent"

From Fake News To Real Bullets: This Is The New Normal

NC Gov McCrory Throws In The Towel

Colorado Store Manager Verbally Attacks "Faggot That Voted For Hillary" In Front of 4-Year-Old Son

Associated Press Updates "Alt-Right" Usage Guide

A Challenge for Blue Bubble Democrats

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance

Featured Reports

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.