Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council filled in for Sandy Rios on her morning talk show last week on the American Family Association’s radio network and had to respond to a caller named J.R. who said that anti-gay activists like Perkins were promoting misconceptions about gays and lesbians while ignoring societal ills. Perkins tried to explain that equality for gays and lesbians has damaging consequences for society, warning that gay rights will end religious freedom and twist public accommodations laws.

He insisted that the Religious Right isn’t overlooking issues like alcoholism and adultery since there aren’t people advocating for “Adultery Pride Month” or “Drunkenness Pride Month” in the same way many recognize June as LGBT Pride Month. Later, another caller agreed with his assessment equating homosexuals with adulterers and alcoholics, and Perkins noted that “when it comes to drunkenness, we have laws that are trying to protect the rest of society.”

Perkins: The month of June is Gay Pride Month. Now, I have not yet seen where they have declared Adultery Pride Month, I have not seen where they have declared the Drunkenness Pride Month. Here’s the issue, J.R. it’s not a matter of whether or not someone can do what they want to do with their lives, God gave Adam and Eve a choice, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.

We’re talking about redefining the rest of culture and making others both embrace, celebrate and subsidize. We’re talking about changing the laws that will influence what our children are taught in schools, it’s already happening in those states that have legalized same-sex marriage or had it forced upon them by the courts. We’re talking about religious organizations losing their religious freedom, that’s already happened, church facilities in New Jersey have lost their tax exemption because they refused to allow their facilities to be used for same-sex commitment ceremonies. We’re seeing issues of public accommodations where because of the passage of these laws people can depending on what sexual orientation they may have at a given time can use whatever public facility they want. So, these are issues, it’s being pushed.

We never asked for this debate, I entered into public office workings on marriage policies to promote marriage but it was the homosexual community that wanted to have this discussion on redefining marriage. So it’s not that these other issues are being ignored or that they’re not important, you’re absolutely right J.R., whether it’s adultery, whether it’s any type of sexual immorality it’s a problem, but we’re not celebrating those other forms as a society, we’re not promoting it and teaching it as normal in our schools. And where they do bring it up, yes, we do address them. This is where the battle lies right now for the future of our country.

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Caller: Most of the problems that Christians have is that you don’t see people that are drunken or adulterers trying to force their beliefs on others, you don’t see them trying to you know instill their ideals on others.

Perkins: In fact, when it comes to drunkenness, we have laws to try to protect the rest of society.