Republican Congressional candidates and their homophobia

Ron Kirkland, a Republican congressional candidate in Tennessee, said at a Tea Party forum last week that when he served in the Vietnam War that gay soldiers "were taken care of" in ways he couldn't say. Kirkland is critical of the Obama Administraiton's intention in repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Another conservative candidate for the House of Representatives, Randy Smith, was also at the Tea Party event and said he "wouldn't want to share a shower with a homosexual".

The Associated Press reported:

Kirkland, a Vietnam veteran, said of his time in the military: "I can tell you if there were any homosexuals in that group, they were taken care of in ways I can't describe to you." [Randy] Smith, who served in the first Iraqi war, added: "I definitely wouldn't want to share a shower with a homosexual. We took care of that kind of stuff, just like (Kirkland) said."

Kirkland and Smith believe overturning the policy is simply due to "political correctness", which would make soldiers lives more stressful. Whatever.

Regardless, the Jackson Sun reported that the two candidates received a backlash over their remarks:

Comments Republican congressional candidates Dr. Ron Kirkland and Randy Smith made about gays being "taken care of" in the military at a forum Thursday night in Paris prompted a backlash against the two on Friday, with an official from a state gay rights group saying the candidates should apologize.

When the Associated Press asked the Tennessee Republican Party had no comment.