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Bush Candidate For Federal Court Compares Homosexuality To Necrophilia, Bestiality
by Paul Johnson
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau Chief
May 2, 2003
12:01 a.m. ET/+5GMT/-3PT
(Washington, D.C.) An Alabama lawyer, nominated by President George W. Bush to the federal court has filed a brief with the Supreme Court comparing homosexuality to "prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography, incest and pedophilia."
The 'friend of the court' brief by Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor was filed in the Texas sodomy case currently before the court. (story)
The document is dated Feb. 18, two months before Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum used virtually the same language in an interview with the Associate Press. (story)
Pryor, the lead writer on the brief also signed by attorneys general of South Carolina and Utah, wrote that the Texas' sodomy law forbids only homosexual acts, not sexual orientation. Pryor argues the Constitution protects orientation but not homosexual acts, which he contended are "historically recognized as a wrong."
"Petitioners' protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, a constitutional right that protects 'the choice of one's partner' and 'whether and how to connect sexually' must logically extend to activities like prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography, and even incest and pedophilia (if the child should credibly claim to be 'willing')," he wrote.
Alabama, South Carolina and Utah are among the 13 states whose bans on homosexual sodomy could be overturned if the Supreme Court overturns the Texas law.
Bush nominated Pryor to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The nomination must be ratified by the Senate.
"If his personal views are going to in any way influence the way he passes judgment on cases before him, I would be really nervous if I was a gay or lesbian person who had an anti-discrimination case where Pryor was the judge," said Cathy Renna, spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
GLAAD and other gay organizations including the Log Cabin Republicans are opposing the nomination.
"Clearly the arguments put forth in his amicus brief reflect a true misunderstanding of a large segment of the American family in gay and lesbian relationships," Patrick C. Guerriero of LCR said.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) a member of the Judiciary Committee that will consider Pryor's nomination, called the brief "another red flag for a nominee who is starting out with a troubling record."
"It's hard to believe that, in the entire state of Alabama, the administration can't find a conservative to nominate who isn't out of the mainstream and doesn't make incendiary comments," Schumer said.
Pryor's confirmation hearings have not yet been scheduled.
Meanwhile, a second Bush controversial appointment to the federal bench is getting support from a gay advocate in the Senate. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Thursday he will support the nomination of U.S. attorney Mike Mosman.
Mosman came under fire for having written memos in 1986 as a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court justice Lewis Powell urging Powell to uphold Georgia's sodomy law.
Following meetings with area LGBT organizations, Basic Rights Oregon and the Human Rights Campaign said they are satisfied that Mosman is not biased against gays.
©365Gay.com Ltd® 2003
[Don't let any of the PR or spin doctors make you think differently, Bush hates gay people.]