Republican Congressman: Obama is ‘obsessed’ with promoting gay rights

PinkNews logo on a pink background surrounded by illustrated line drawings of a rainbow, pride flag, unicorn and more.

A Republican congressman has claimed that Barack Obama is ‘obsessed’ with promoting gay rights.

Chris Smith, who represents New Jersey’s 4th district in the US House of Representatives, made the comments while appearing on the radio show of the anti-gay Family Research Council.

He said: “I do think that unfortunately there’s been an obsession by some within the administration — and that goes for the president himself — to promote the abortion agenda and the LGBT agenda in our foreign policy.

“These issues are what drives this administration in much of our foreign policy in Africa. Many of these countries deeply resent it because they are profoundly pro-marriage and profoundly pro-life.

“But when your foreign aid is being limited or conditioned on those two issues, there are some, but thankfully not many, in these governments who begin to weaken.”

Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, said previously that clergy who want to marry same-sex couples don’t deserve “true religious freedom”.

He said: “Here’s a test of what is a true religious freedom, a freedom that’s based on orthodox religious viewpoints. It has to have a track record, it has to come forth from religious orthodoxy.

“There is no place, there is nothing for them to stand on and say that same-sex marriage has standing in the orthodox Christian faith.”

Perkins and his group were condemned by the Jewish Anti-Defamation League in June, after he likened gay rights laws to the Holocaust.