Coburn Aide Creates Stir With Comments About Porn, Homosexuality

Senator Coburn's chief of staff Mike Schwartz created quite a buzz after implying all pornography is homosexual pornography and that pornography leads to homosexuality.

Tuesday, September 22nd 2009, 3:33 pm

By: News 9


By Charles Bassett, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Comments made by an aide to Senator Tom Coburn are creating a stir.

Coburn's chief of staff Mike Schwartz created quite a buzz after implying all pornography is homosexual pornography and that pornography leads to homosexuality.

Schwartz was in Washington, D.C. over the weekend speaking at the Voter Values Summit about homosexuality and pornography when he made the comments. Someone in the crowd had a small camera rolling at the time.

Schwartz's comments can been seen in the video above obtained by ThinkProgress.org.

"It's not genetic. Homosexuality is inflicted on people," Schwartz said during his address over the weekend.

But it was the comments that followed that have sparked controversy. Schwartz implied that any pornography could lead to homosexuality.

"All pornography is homosexual pornography, because all pornography turns your sexual drive inwards," Schwartz said.

Schwartz said he was quoting a friend who he said was gay but had turned straight. Schwartz said it's a good point and a good thing to teach young people.

"And if you tell an 11-year-old boy about that, you think he's going to want to go out and get a copy of Playboy? I'm pretty sure he'll lose interest," Schwartz said.

The video was acquired by the liberal blog ThinkProgress and is now making its way around the net and onto cable talk shows.

State Representative Al McAffrey, (D) Oklahoma City, who is gay, said the comments have no factual basis.

"I was so shocked on it. It made me upset that a person would even make those statements such as that," McAffrey said. "It just shows more hatred and discontent, and we don't need that coming from a senator's office in D.C.

But the conservative Oklahoma Family Policy Council offered some insight into Schwartz's comment.

"Mr. Schwartz was saying that pornography is self-gratifying and that a relationship focused on porn is about me and not about others," said Mike Jestes, Oklahoma Family Policy Council.

A recent study found Oklahoma ranked fifth in the nation for online hits to porn sites. Jestes' group has a program that treats porn addiction, but he stopped short of supporting the statement that all porn is gay porn.

"Whatever your lifestyle, you may not be gay and be into porn. When you're into porn you're hurting your family and others," Jestes said.

Senator Coburn could not be reached for comment.

Watch the video and vote in our poll on whether you agree with the comments.

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