DeMint: Gays Shouldn't Teach

Addressing a group of conservative voters on Friday, Sen. Jim DeMint, reiterated his belief that openly gay people and unmarried straight women who sleep with a partner shouldn't teach children.

The South Carolina senator made a 45-minute speech at the Greater Freedom Rally in his home state regarding a range of issues, including the economy, social issues like abortion, and his support for conservative candidates, the Spartan Herald-Journal reports.

DeMint said he was cast as a pariah in Washington for once saying that openly gay teachers and women who have sex outside of marriage should not teach in a classroom.

"[When I said those things,] no one came to my defense," he said, according to the report. "But everyone would come to me and whisper that I shouldn't back down. They don't want government purging their rights and their freedom to religion."

DeMint is up for reelection against Democrat Alvin Greene.