“DeMint said at a church rally Friday that openly gay people and unmarried women who are sleeping with a boyfriend shouldn’t be in the classroom, according to the Spartanburg Herald Journal.

“He made the comments in response to a question about similar statements he made in 2004 about gays and unwed single mothers, for which he later apologized. ‘I answered as a dad with my heart and I did not answer as a Senate candidate. I apologize for making the remark because it distracted from the debate,’ he said at the time.

“On Friday, according to the Herald Journal, DeMint addressed that controversy, saying, ‘[When I said those things] no one came to my defense. But everyone would come to me and whisper that I shouldn’t back down. They don’t want government purging their rights and their freedom to religion.’…

“In an interview, Jimmy LaSalvia of the gay Republican group GOProud said he believed DeMint was reaffirming his 2004 comments on Friday. ‘I don’t know anybody in 2010 who thinks that,’ he added.”

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“WYFF News 4 asked Vinson why the senator would bring it up again.

“‘I think this time around he is much more confident in his national image and reputation; he knows he’s got his conservative base very strongly behind him, so perhaps he feels like its less of a gamble and it will play well with his constituency,’ said Vinson.

“Wesley Denton, the senator’s communications director, said: ‘Sen. DeMint believes that hiring decisions at local schools are a local school board issue, not a federal issue. He was making a point about how the media attacks people for holding a moral opinion.'”

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