Walker campaign refuses to say whether Scott Walker believes children need to be ‘protected’ from LGBT Americans

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released the following statement after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign refused to answer a question from a Washington Post columnist about whether Walker “thought children needed to be protected from gay men.” According to the story, Walker’s spokesperson “did not respond.”

HRC’s Director of Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof released the following statement:

“Scott Walker claims to be a new face on the national stage, but he’s introducing himself to a national audience with an outdated and offensive idea.  He and his campaign should answer this simple, straightforward question: Does he think we pose a threat to the health and safety of children? Yes or no?  His campaign’s attempt to duck this simple question is unworthy of a candidate who is seeking an office that is responsible for representing all Americans – including LGBT people.”

Yesterday, Walker asserted that he supports the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)’s current discriminatory policy that bars gay, lesbian and bisexual adults from serving as employees and troop leaders because it “protected” children.

Earlier this year, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) President and former Secretary of Defense under both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, (under George W. Bush) Robert Gates characterized BSA’s discriminatory policies as “unsustainable.” The Boy Scouts of America last year began allowing openly gay youth to participate in the organization as scouts, thanks in large part to grassroots work by Scouts for Equality and its executive director Zach Wahls, and advocacy by supportive scouts, scout leaders, and scouting parents.

Highlights on Walker’s Anti-LGBT Record:

Overview: While Scott Walker may claim that he doesn’t want to campaign on issues like marriage as a potential presidential candidate, the reality is that he has a history – both as governor, and in prior offices – of working to obstruct and even roll back basic rights for LGBT Americans. [Citations/Full Research Brief]

Marriage: Walker has consistently opposed marriage equality. He supported the original constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage in Wisconsin, supported an appeal that would have prevented same-sex marriages, and affirmed his opposition to marriage equality in a letter after they were made legal in Wisconsin. [Citations/Full Research Brief]

Discrimination: As County Executive, Walker opposed even basic rights for LGBT couples, like visitation rights. As governor, Walker tried to roll back the state’s domestic partner registry by dismissing the state attorneys hired to defend the program. Walker said that the U.S. House should take up a vote on ENDA, which would give LGBT Americans explicit protections from discrimination in the workplace. But he repealed a bill that protected state workers from wage discrimination based on sex. [Citations/Full Research Brief]

Harmful Rhetoric: Walker proposed eliminating an HIV/AIDS prevention program by saying that HIV/AIDS prevention was not a “core function” of government. Walker campaigned on his opposition to creating a basic domestic partner registry for LGBT residents, and then later said that voters were not demanding marriage equality. [Citations/Full Research Brief]