PA Rep Kills Violence Bill Over 'Gay Agenda'

A Pennsylvania state representative said he would not apologize for holding up a house resolution to make October "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" because he thought it included language to "advance the homosexual agenda."

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe is bothered by language in the resolution that includes men as the victims of rape and abuse. The document cites statistics that say each year, 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are abused by their intimate partner in the United States.

Metcalfe said, "When's the last time you heard of a man fleeing in the middle of the night with his children in tow, fearing for his life? I think they are doing a great disservice to women."

Rep. John Siptroth said his resolution "doesn't say men are raping men or women are raping women," and that he does not have "a homosexual agenda."

House majority leader Todd Eachus said that Metcalfe has supported identical resolutions each year since 2000. "It is most baffling and disturbing that Rep. Metcalfe has chosen to reverse course this year," said Eachus. "He is standing in the way of an important resolution that seeks to raise awareness of the very serious issue of domestic violence here in Pennsylvania."

According to the Salt Lake City Tribune, Metcalfe also opposed a bill that would have raised the marriage license fee from $3 to $28. The $25 would have been allotted to a fund for victims of domestic violence. His objection was because it "was a slap in the face to family values."