In tonight's Youtube debate, candidates took video questions from the viewing audience. Stephen Hill, a soldier currently stationed overseas in Iraq, said that he's gay and had to lie about who he was in order to serve his country. He then asked the candidates if they'd "circumvent the progress" that has been made on open service, would they reinstate the DADT policy?
The Tea Party audience decided to boo him for being a gay soldier. Republicans have always been proud to support our men and women in uniform but I guess that's changing.
Watch:
Here's a longer one:
UPDATE 1: GOProud:
“That brave gay soldier is doing something Rick Santorum has never done – put his life on the line to defend our freedoms and our way of life. It is telling that Rick Santorum is so blinded by his anti-gay bigotry that he couldn’t even bring himself to thank that gay soldier for his service.
“Stephen Hill is serving our country in Iraq, fighting a war Senator Santorum says he supports. How can Senator Santorum claim to support this war if he doesn’t support the brave men and women who are fighting it?”
UPDATE 2: Andrew Sullivan.
UPDATE 3: Luke Russert on Twitter:
Luke Russert (@LukeRussert)
9/22/11 10:17 PM
Wow, Fox News #GOP debate crowd booed gay soldier asking question from Iraq.
UPDATE 4: LA Times:
A gay soldier's question about the end of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy elicited boos from the audience at Thursday night's Republican candidate debate, and a promise from Rick Santorum to reinstate the policy if elected.
UPDATE 5: The Hill:
Some members of the GOP debate audience booed a gay soldier who asked via video whether the Republican candidates would reinstitute the recently repealed "don't ask, don't tell" policy of banning openly gay soldiers.
After Stephen Hill, who is serving in the army in Iraq, asked his question, a handful members of the audience booed loudly. None of the Republican candidates responded to the audience's reaction.
More to come..
UPDATE 6: The Advocate.
UPDATE 7: Huffpo.
UPDATE 8: Washington Blade.
UPDATE 9: Washington Post:
— A YouTube question from Stephen Hill, a soldier serving in Iraq, generated some boos from the audience when he asked if the candidates would “circumvent the progress that has been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military.” The audience cheered former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who said he would reinstate the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and opposed social experimentation with the military. “Keep it to yourself whether you’re heterosexual or homosexual.”