Rick Perry Goes All Out Against Gays In Iowa

After his most disastrous showing at the presidential debates so far, Gov. Rick Perry attempted to worm his way back into the hearts of social conservatives Saturday by attending an event sponsored by Iowa-based evangelical Christian advocacy group the Family Leader. At the Thanksgiving Family Forum in Des Moines, Perry told the audience that, while the federal government has yet to get on board with a ban on gay adoption, gays are not allowed to adopt in Texas. Unfortunately for Perry, however, it’s not true. Gays aren’t allowed to adopt as couples, but they can adopt as single parents.

Equality Texas Deputy Director Chuck Smith explained the logistics to gay publication Dallas Voice:

It is a function of which family law judge people go to, but in virtually all jurisdictions, gay couples can adopt. Unfortunately they’re required to do it in two separate transactions, where each individual person has an adoption transaction. It’s also true that under the current statute, the supplemental birth certificate of an adopted child only has one parent’s name on it if the parents are of the same gender. That’s something we’ve been trying to change and will continue to try and change.

Of course, Perry was just trying to drum up some much needed support for his dying presidential campaign. The latest national polls have him at only an 8% approval rating.

Later in the week, Perry signed The Family Leader’s marriage vow to, among other things, oppose gay marriage. Family Leader announced in July that, in order for a candidate to win its endorsement, the candidate would have to sign the vow, which also asks candidates to promise to keep fidelity in their own marriages, to support a ban on Islamic Sharia law against women, to reject pornography, and to affirm that married couples have better sex. (Seems like that last one would be hard to verify absolutely.) Hey, if they can keep Republicans from having sex with male prostitutes, more power to them.

Most likely Perry’s grandstanding is too little too late, of course. Even media-ignored Ron Paul is ranking higher in some polls than the governor. Paul is tied with candidates Herman Cain, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for first place in Iowa, according to a Bloomberg News poll.

Paul’s outperforming Perry in Iowa, and he didn’t have to resort to discriminating against gay people.