Pop icon Lady Gaga was a prime topic of discussion on “Meet the Press” last Sunday, sparking a debate on gay marriage and sexual orientation between host David Gregory and Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty.
According to USA Today, the subject arose in light of a recent interview during which Pawlenty admitted to being a fan of Lady Gaga’s catchy tunes — including her hit single and LGBT pride anthem “Born This Way.” Gregory confronted the conservative candidate about his comment, (one that many considered to be contradictory to his anti-gay political beliefs), and proceeded to drill Pawlenty on his social policy platform.
When asked if he agreed with Lady Gaga’s lyrics and the notion that being gay is a genetic trait rather than a lifestyle choice, Pawlenty chose to simply “defer to scientists” on the issue. After a bit of prodding from Gregory, however, Pawlenty gave a more firm response – and asserted his belief that homosexuality is an individual choice.
As Pawlenty put it, “there’s no scientific conclusion that it’s genetic. We don’t know that. So we don’t know to what extent, you know, it’s behavioral, and that’s something that’s been debated by scientists for a long time. But as I understand the science, there’s no current conclusion that it’s genetic.”
Pawlenty also affirmed his support for traditional marriage and made it clear that, if elected, he would not support measures to ensure equal rights and benefits for same-sex couples.
