The leader of a Wisconsin-based anti-gay organization has acknowledged being attracted to members of the same sex, calling it "part of the maturation process," in a new interview.

Described by The Capital Times as "the most important social conservative in the state," the Wisconsin Family Action's Julaine Appling tells the publication that same-sex attraction is a universal fact.

"I would submit there’s not a person alive who hasn’t said, 'Well, I wonder,' because of the culture we live in, the time we live in," Appling, 60, told the Times. "It's a natural part of the maturation process. It's not a life sentence."

Appling, who was reportedly behind a successful campaign six years ago to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, also said she believed sexual orientation could be changed. "You have to make a decision and you may need help to make this decision," she said. "People have left gay lifestyles by the droves successfully."

She went on to note, "I believe they need to talk to people, maybe they need to speak to both sides, but they at least need to speak to the side that says you can go in another direction."

Noting that her "worldview is fixed firmly in one source, and that is Scripture," Appling also spoke frankly about her take on President Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage last week.

"I believe that at the core he believes in it, but I believe the timing of it was purely politically and financially driven," she observed. "I would submit that [Obama’s announcement] was the culmination of decades of the media and education sending a message that “marriage is whatever I want it to be, marriage is about my personal happiness, it’s about me!"

Take a look at other statements about the LGBT community made by conservative pundits below:



PHOTO GALLERY Right-Wing Pundits' Ridiculous Statements