Anti-gay Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum stopped a boy from using a pink bowling ball at a campaign photo opportunity in a Wisconsin bowling alley.
Reuters reporter Sam Youngman quoted Santorum via Twitter as having said ‘You’re not gonna use the pink ball. We’re not gonna let you do that. Not on camera. Friends don’t let friends use pink balls.’
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the US, blasted Santorum for his actions.
“This is another example of Rick Santorum intentionally making ignorant statements that have a real impact on LGBT people,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Vice President of Communications Fred Sainz. “Whether he’s comparing our marriages to inanimate objects, saying our children would be better off with a parent in prison as opposed to two loving same-sex parents, or calling open military service a ‘tragic social experiment;’ he’s proven that he thinks LGBT people are second-class citizens not worthy of dignity or respect. In this case, he’s advancing tired gender norms by implying a boy should be ashamed or embarrassed to use a certain colour bowling ball.”
