FAMiLY Leader Too Radical For GOP: Even Santorum Doesn’t Think Homosexuality Is Akin To Second Hand Smoke

ThinkProgress filed this report from Iowa City, Iowa.

During a lecture series sponsored by Bob Vander Plaats’ the FAMiLY Leader on Monday, likely presidential candidate Rick Santorum (R-PA) didn’t agree that homosexuality represented a public health crisis, making him the third potential GOP nominee (along with Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann) to publicly break with Iowa ‘king maker.’ Vander Plaats — who is hosting a presidential series with all of the likely GOP contenders — stood next to Santorum during the questioning by ThinkProgress:

VOLSKY: Senator, some groups have called homosexuality a public health hazard, compared it to second hand smoking, do you agree with that?

SANTORUM: Uh, no. I didn’t call it a public health hazard.

Watch it:

Both the Leader and Vander Plaats, a three-time gubernatorial candidate, have argued that homosexuality is a public health hazard akin to second hand smoke and have directed their members to literature promoting discredited ex-gay therapies. In fact, during an interview with ThinkProgress’ Scott Keyes, Vander Plaats said, “If we’re teaching the kids, ‘don’t smoke, because that’s a risky health style,’ the same can be true of the homosexual lifestyle. That’s why I think we need to speak the truth once in a while.”

During her appearance before the group in April, Bachmann didn’t “have an answer” when pressed on the “public hazard” argument and Pawlenty also later distanced himself from the notion, telling ThinkProgress, “Well, we have some evidence to indicate that if you engage in unprotected sex you might increase the chance of getting the HIV/AIDS. But you know, that’s also true, can be true in heterosexual community as well.”