Gay rights fund set up in Santorum's name

A fund set up in U.S. senator Rick Santorum's name by Broadway entertainer Seth Rudetsky gives the Pennsylvania lawmaker major donor status at the Empire State Pride Agenda in New York. On May 23 ESPA, a New York City-based gay civil rights advocacy group, released a copy of a letter it sent to Santorum--whose recent comments comparing homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, adultery, and incest inflamed gays and lesbians--informing him of his contribution. The donations were made possible by Rudetsky, who recently set up the Senator Rick Santorum Education Fund, through which 5% of all ticket sales from his off-Broadway comedy, Rhapsody in Seth, are being donated every week to ESPA in Santorum's name. Rudetsky made the decision to set up the fund after Santorum made his antigay comments.

"We do not discriminate based upon sexual orientation,"said ESPA executive director Alan Van Capelle. "We welcome Senator Santorum to the Pride Agenda and are ready to work with him so that he can better understand what it means to grow up as a second-class citizen in this country."