US: Republican lawmaker warns of the dangers of gay anal sex in surreal ‘garbage truck’ letter

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A Republican state representative from South Dakota has written a letter warning of the dangers of gay sex, titled ‘A One Way Alley for the Garbage Truck’.

Steve Hickey, who sits in the South Dakota House of Representatives, sent the 640-word rambling letter to newspaper the Argus Leader.

It reads in part: “Pardon a crude comparison but regarding men with men, we are talking about a one-way alley meant only for the garbage truck to go down. Frankly, I’d question the judgement of doctor who says it’s all fine.

“Gay sex is not good for the body or mind.

“Somehow the message we are presently getting from the medical community is that eating at McDonalds will kill us but the gay lifestyle has no side effects.

“Truth be told it seems self-evident the list of side effects would read far longer than anything we hear on a Cialis commercial.

“Is the science really settled on this issue or is it more the case that you feel silenced and intimidated?

“Historically, homosexuality has been a notable marker of the downfall of past civilizations, not their rise.

 “If you don’t speak up, this issue will be decided by five unelected judges on the Supreme Court regardless of what states like ours have decided by public vote.”

According to Talking Points Memo, Argus Leader journalist Brenda Wade Schmidt said they had yet to publish the letter, as it was over 600 words long, but would consider a revised version

Hickey posted the full letter on his Facebook, writing: “Sent this letter to the Editor off to the Argus Leader. We’ll see if they reprint it. Doubt they use it.”

Referring to the title, he said: “[My wife] Kristen hates the title. You probably will too.”

A lesbian couple from South Dakota announced this week they plan to marry out of state, and legally challenge their state to recognise their union.