|| News ||
Page 1 of 1

Palin: My Gay Friend "Made a Choice I Would Not Have Made"

For weeks vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has referenced her close gay friends every time she's asked about her conservative stance on gay rights. Tuesday night she got a bit more specific in her second interview with Katie Couric, saying one of her best friends of 30 years is a gay woman who "made a choice that isn’t a choice that I would have made.”


For weeks vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has repeatedly alluded to having many "gay friends" in interviews, even though gay and lesbian residents of Wasilla, Alaska, the small town where Palin once served as mayor, have suggested the governor has been less than supportive when it comes to gay rights.

But Tuesday night, in a second interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, Palin elaborated on the friend she’s so often referred to -- a woman she says she’s been close with for 30 years.

Palin sat down with Couric to discuss, among other things, her conservative stance on several social issues. When talk turned to a church that Palin has frequented sponsoring a conference promoting the "conversion" of gays and lesbians to heterosexuality through prayer, the maverick Republican turned defensive.

“I don’t know what prayers are worthy of being prayed, and I don’t know what prayers are going to be answered, but as for homosexuality, I am not going to judge Americans and the decisions that they make in their adult personal lives.”

Palin suggested the press "got it wrong" when they implied she supported the church's beliefs.

Later, despite acknowledging that one of her best friends is a lesbian, Palin went on to suggest that she believes homosexuality is a choice.

“One of my absolute best friends for the past 30 years happens to be gay ... I love her dearly. She is not my gay friend -- she is one of my best friends. She happens to have made a choice that isn’t a choice that I would have made.”

In talking with Couric as she gears up for her debate with Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden, Palin further clarified her position on abortion. Though she says she strongly believes in counseling young women to choose life, she says jailing a woman for choosing abortion is “not something I would ever support.”

Palin also said that because she believes life begins at conception, she takes issue with the morning-after pill as a form of birth prevention. (Ross von Metzke, The Advocate)

Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter. Page 1 of 1
Reader Comments
  • Name: John D Burke
    Date posted: 10/23/2008 2:21:00 PM
    Hometown: St.Louis

    Comment:

    Sarah Palin is truely and IDIOT! She is an ignorat, uninformed,backwoods ..." Is she serouslsly still believing that being gay is a choice? Prayer changes many things but not skin color, eye color, hair color OR sexual orienetation. She does not know the US Constitution. Back to 3rd grade Barbie, learn the differences between the Executive, Judicial and Legistalitive branches of this govenrment. She seriously believes that as V.P. that she will be in charge of the Senate!!! We simply cannot have this woman who shoots Moose for sport in office.

  • Name: The Threshold
    Date posted: 10/6/2008 12:26:00 PM
    Hometown: USA (Orig. Europe)

    Comment:

    To John and Richard, I personally think that the concept of anti-abortionism would quickly end with the conservative base if a gay gene was found. I don't think thye'd have a problem overlooking abortion when it comes to GLB fetuses. This is because conservatives are two-faced and their precious bible still tells them that GLB people are an abomination, Sure conservatives had children who are deformed, retarded, etc. in the past, but I bet if the chance to abort had been available thye'd be the first in line, because they are always the first to judge and alienate those not like them. These are the same people who laugh at people with deformities even though they were born that way and make retard jokes all the hile claiming they are so much for human rights. Liberals are for human rights and not conservatives. How many conservatives care about genocide and even if they claim to will they do anything about it. Conservatives only care about issues insofar as their religion goes.

  • Name: The Threshold
    Date posted: 10/6/2008 12:15:00 PM
    Hometown: USA (Orig. Europe)

    Comment:

    I don't think personally that any educated, independant women would simply vote for Palin because she's a woman contrary to popular belief. Yes some women voted for Hillary because she's a woman, but she's not conservative, it's a different matter entirely. I voted for Obama during the primaries and not Hillary. I think he can bring more change to the table. I don't know why some people are so surprised Palin's not for GLBT Rights entirely she's a conservative what do you expect. None of the nominees are not even Obama and Joe Biden. They don't want to anger middle America, which is a huge portion of America I might add. To candidate who wants to win will ever be completely on the side of GLBT rights, but one step farther is better than no steps alot or one step backward.

  • Name: The Threshold
    Date posted: 10/6/2008 12:08:00 PM
    Hometown: USA (Ori. Europe)

    Comment:

    As far as I'm concerned Joe Biden wiped the floor with Sarah Palin in the Vice Presidential Debate. Her own performance proved that she is not ready to be a Vice Presidential nominee. She seemed more like she was putting on a show for the cameras. Did you happen to notice those winks he put in every now and then. She didn't seem like she was using her own words and sge didn't know enough about the facts. Whenever she was asked a hard question she ignored it. Which is why it's so ironic that she stated towards the end that she likes answering tough questions. That was a real laugh.

  • Name: Carole
    Date posted: 10/2/2008 7:55:00 PM
    Hometown: MO

    Comment:

    Thanks to Anthony Newsome from Dublin, Ireland for his comments. They should be on the front page of every newspaper in America!

  • Name: Toolie
    Date posted: 10/2/2008 4:16:00 PM
    Hometown: Atlanta

    Comment:

    Why, oh why, would ANY gay person be Palin's friend? Must be a Log Cabiner.

  • Name: Lindon Pearson
    Date posted: 10/2/2008 3:59:00 PM
    Hometown: Atlanta

    Comment:

    This lady is psycho and has the straight "backwoods" mentality and SHE IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE. We cannot let these clowns run our country.

  • Name: anthony newsome
    Date posted: 10/2/2008 2:33:00 PM
    Hometown: dublin

    Comment:

    reading through the comments already submitted, its good to see that gay people in the US are against her, and glad tidings can be had in knowing that Palin is getting a hard time from republicans, in a poll of people in europe today the majority which means 99.99.99% would vote for Obama, Europeans would also not vote for Palin, here in Ireland people see that Obama would get america back on track, it's econemy, employment, security and standing on world affairs, John Kerry should have won the election last time and we all know that Gore did win, Palin has ideas which would create very serious problems in the USA and impact negitively within world affairs, regardless of her gender, Palin is a danger to the fundemental rights of people, banning books, perhaps even burning books, get out and use your vote on November 4th, anto

  • Name: Roger Burr
    Date posted: 10/2/2008 1:17:00 PM
    Hometown: Marble Hill, MO

    Comment:

    Thank you Darren Collins of Toronto, for your most insightful comments. You are certainly right in wanting the last eight years of right-wing tyranny to come to an end. In the unhappy event John McCain IS elected; please save me a place in Toronto, since life in THIS country will have ceased to be worth living.

  • Name: Wallace
    Date posted: 10/2/2008 1:12:00 PM
    Hometown: Baltimore

    Comment:

    It is always funny when straight people say that gay people "chose" to be gay...I always ask them at what point in their lives did the stop considering being gay, and decided to commit to being straight? Who was the person that had you in such a state of confusion?

 PREVIOUS 1 2 3 4 5 NEXT  


More Online Only
  • Commentary What Marriage in Maine Meant for Me

    Dana Hernandez is a straight white married mother of two young children. But in campaigning for No on 1 and reporting Election Night outcomes for Advocate.com, defeat hit her like a ton of bricks.

  • Marriage Equality Video Content Flag Terri White Stages Her Leather Encore

    Last year, acclaimed stage performer Terri White was homeless and living in a public park. On Sunday, she and her partner held a leather-themed commitment ceremony onstage following her triumphant Broadway turn in Finian’s Rainbow. 

  • Music Ghost Story

    Out singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile discusses working with her childhood mentor, coming out publicly, and joining next year's Lilith Fair.

  • News View From Washington: GOP Upheaval

    Now that the only pro-marriage equality candidate in New York's 23rd Congressional district, Republican Dede Scozzafava, has dropped out of the race, Tuesday's election holds any number of political lessons for both the GOP and the LGBT community.

  • Books Hot Sheet: Ditto Knocking 'Em Dead

    This week might not bring anything to the screen other than a Boondock Saints sequel, but there are plenty of reasons to sit at home on the couch or head to your local concert venue.

  • News Features Sailor Speaks Out

    Sailor Joseph Rocha endured years of hazing until he spoke out — then he was discharged for revealing his homosexuality. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old is itching to suit back up.

  • Music Rainbow High

    Busy Broadway heartthrob, gay rights activist, and former Advocate coverboy Cheyenne Jackson chats about his Finian’s Rainbow revival, his politically charged cabaret CD, and laying around in his underpants (pic on page five).

  • Television Another Tough Broad

    After being outed by a Nazi and locking lips with a hook-up three times in one episode, Christine Woods's tough-talking FBI agent Janis Hawk on ABC's FlashForward might just be prime time's best gay offering — who isn't in Glee club, that is.

  • Books Video Content Flag In Sickness and in Health

    Mary Cappello’s memoir Called Back takes readers on a white-knuckle journey through the experience of cancer treatment in America — especially disorienting to navigate as a woman and a lesbian.

  • Books An American Crime

    Best-selling novelist Patricia Cornwell made headlines last week when she filed suit against a New York investment firm for losing $40 million of her money. But she'd much rather talk about her new book, hate-crimes legislation, and Angelina Jolie.

  • Comedy Gilded Lily

    After conquering Broadway, movies, and television, out funny lady Lily Tomlin prepares for the final frontier — Las Vegas.

  • Entertainment News Ricky Martin, No Shirt and a Baby

    Ricky Martin knows how to get the camera's attention. Take a look at the many pictures of Ricky uploaded to his Twitter account in the past three months, always shirtless, frequently carrying one (or both) of his babies.

  • Television Fresh Blood

    With True Blood a bona-fide cultural phenomenon, producer Alan Ball offers tantalizing hints about what to expect on season 3.

Most Popular Stories