DeMint: Gays should not teach
Candidate says he would not require educators to admit sexual preference
By AARON GOULD SHEININ
Staff Writer
CHARLESTON -- Gays and lesbians should not be allowed to teach in public schools, Republican Jim DeMint said Sunday in a U.S. Senate debate.
The remark came late in the first debate between DeMint and Democrat Inez Tenenbaum -- a testy and acrimonious hour that broke little new ground on their positions on most issues.
DeMint, a Greenville congressman, said the government should not endorse homosexuality and "folks teaching in school need to represent our values."
Tenenbaum, the state education superintendent, called DeMint's position "un-American."
DeMint said after the debate that he would not require teachers to admit to being gay, but if they were "openly gay, I do not think that they should be teaching at public schools."
Tenenbaum later told reporters that "the private life of our teachers should stay private. I was shocked to hear him say that."
College of Charleston political scientist Bill Moore said DeMint's position would be unconstitutional ....
Bert Easter, president of the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement and Community Center, said he was saddened but not surprised by DeMint's remark.
"I'm sorry that we have a leader in this state who would basically fire a person because of their sexual orientation," Easter said. "These citizens who are serving our state should not have their sexual orientation called into question but rather their service.
"We shouldn't follow teachers home to see who they live with and who they love. That's not part of the position."
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