07/28/2008
McCain's Family Values: Let Children Suffer, Don't Let Gays Adopt
John McCain would rather children suffer without families rather than have gay parents adopt them. In an interview with George Stephanopolous on This Week, McCain, who recently said he was against gay adoption, then backtracked on it, is now back to his original position.
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...
STEPHANOPOULOS: What is your position on gay adoption? You told the “New York Times" you were against it, even in cases where the children couldn’t find another home. But then your staff backtracked a bit. What is your position?
MCCAIN: My position is, it’s not the reason why I’m running for president of the United States. And I think that two parent families are best for America.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, what do you mean by that, it’s not the reason you’re running for president of the United States?
MCCAIN: Because I think — well, I think that it’s — it is important for us to emphasize family values. But I think it’s very important that we understand that we have other challenges, too. I’m running for president of the United States, because I want to help with family values. And I think that family values are important, when we have two parent — families that are of parents that are the traditional family.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But there are several hundred thousand children in the country who don’t have a home. And if a gay couple wants to adopt them, what’s wrong with that?
MCCAIN: I am for the values that two parent families, the traditional family represents.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re against gay adoption.
MCCAIN: I am for the values and principles that two parent families represent. And I also do point out that many of these decisions are made by the states, as we all know. And I will do everything I can to encourage adoption, to encourage all of the things that keeps families together, including educational opportunities, including a better economy, job creation. And I’m running for president, because I want to help families in America. And one of my positions is that I believe that family values and family traditions are preserved.
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 8:00 AM EST by Andy in Gay Adoption, John McCain, News | Permalink
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C'mon people give the guy a break. He's just being tactful and trying not to say what we all know is true...Does anyone actually know a gay couple that is stable enough to raise a child in a healthy manner???
Posted by: Jerry | Jul 28, 2008 8:10:29 AM
McCain: "Traditional values!.....two-parent families only!.... values!...tradition!...grumble grumble...."
George S: "But hundreds of thousands of kids with no homes...."
McCain, fingers firmly in ears: "I can't hear you! La la la la la la! Traditional values!! Two-parent families!! La la la la!"
George S: "But......"
McCain: "La la la la la la!"
Posted by: JeffRob | Jul 28, 2008 8:14:14 AM
So he is for "two parent families." Does that include two gay men or two lesbians? He has been a politician too long. Just say what you mean already.
Posted by: voet | Jul 28, 2008 8:17:19 AM
@ jerry - stop ur comment baiting!!!
Posted by: bading | Jul 28, 2008 8:21:54 AM
Voet - that is exactly the question that George Stephanopolous should have asked. What the hell is wrong with these American political commentators? McCain would never have got away with an ambiguous phrase like "two parent families" in a British interview - Jeremy Paxman would have forced him to clarify. Isn't there anyone in American journalism who will do that?
Posted by: Sasha | Jul 28, 2008 8:29:16 AM
All I hear is "I'm old! Can I have a pudding cup now?"
Posted by: Iko | Jul 28, 2008 8:29:59 AM
Sasha
NYT just did a study that showed the US media being much more favorable in its coverage of Mccain than Obama.
The oldster shouldn't have whined last week about coverage because people are actualy studying it now and finding it to be opposite to what he claimed.
Corporate media wants the repub tax break gravy train to continue for theiroverlords.
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Jul 28, 2008 8:41:35 AM
Mc Cain sounds like a broken record. George S. asks his a question and he parrots out an answer.
The thing that amuses me is that George S. is a Republican and Mc Cain can't even talk to him.
Posted by: PJ | Jul 28, 2008 8:43:26 AM
Does he mean like the rock solid two parent family with values that produced Timothy Mcvhee, or the one that produced Ted Bundy? I agree with Sasha. "Traditional Family Values" is neither a question nor an answer and should never be allowed to stand as such.
Posted by: Robert | Jul 28, 2008 8:51:32 AM
Stephanopoulos -- and the rest of the press -- really needs to call McCain out on his phrase "family values." What does he ACTUALLY mean by it? Fundies and the LGBT crowd, we know it means an anti-gay platform, but the non-fundy, non-LGBT folks aren't as up on the lingo and think it's actually pro-family, not anti-gay.
"He keeps using that [phrase] -- I do not think it means what [he] think[s] it means."
Posted by: tjc | Jul 28, 2008 8:52:30 AM
Why the fuck don't these media types call him on his hypocracy?
Do "traditional family values" include leaving your wife for someone else?
Seems it does for McCain.
Posted by: Wade | Jul 28, 2008 8:54:34 AM
Another simple question NOT answered by the simpleton. Does McCain really believe that this will help him in the polls?! I would hope that the performance of the simpleton currently pretending to be President would force voters to realize that a vote for McCain would simply perpetuate the dumbing down of America. Time for me to move back to Europe.
Posted by: Alex | Jul 28, 2008 8:59:54 AM
Another simple question NOT answered by the simpleton. Does McCain really believe that this will help him in the polls?! I would hope that the performance of the simpleton currently pretending to be President would force voters to realize that a vote for McCain would simply perpetuate the dumbing down of America. Time for me to move back to Europe.
Posted by: Alex | Jul 28, 2008 9:01:05 AM
I'm convinced now that John McCain is an idiot (he ranked 894/899 in his class at the Naval Academy). Obama can run intellectural circles around McCain. (Obama ranked first in his graduating Harvard Law class.) Do you want the top student or the bottom student as President? We already know the disaster that the latter brings. Why would we do it again?
Posted by: Anonymous | Jul 28, 2008 9:01:13 AM
Any homo who would vote for McCain is a fool.
Posted by: Strepsi | Jul 28, 2008 9:02:54 AM
McCain's "traditional family values" included fucking Cindy while married to his first wife. No thank you.
Posted by: homer | Jul 28, 2008 9:26:39 AM
Does he really buy what he is saying or is he just pandering to the right? Obama is against gay marriage or basically that he wants to stay out of it. I suspect he is for it but wants the moderate vote. I wish they would just say what they mean.
Posted by: Jen | Jul 28, 2008 9:30:38 AM
"Does he really buy what he is saying or is he just pandering to the right?"
Why is there an assumption that he isn't from the right and is simply pandering? It's not like he's actually a moderate. The guys a hard-core conservative. Sure, he may not be Pat Robertson or John Hagee crazy, but the man does not occupy the middle. He's consistently voted against gay folks HIS ENTIRE CAREER. He has consistently voted against the rights of women HIS ENTIRE CAREER. He has consistently voted against the rights of people of color HIS ENTIRE CAREER. Same for the not rich.
And war? There's never enough!
This guy is not some kind of well-meaning moderate nice guy who's just pandering. He's hard right and always has been.
Posted by: MAJeff | Jul 28, 2008 9:41:47 AM
Yeah, Jerry, I do. It's me, my partner of 14 years, and his wonderful 4 year old boy. We're plenty stable, and I'm an awesome influence on him if I do say so myself.
McCain's a douchebag and a pussy. I don't like bigots, but if he's gonna be one, I'd prefer it if he were able to at least own his own opinions.
Posted by: The Milkman | Jul 28, 2008 9:49:46 AM
Amazing! My question would have been, "Did somebody tell you to repeat the words 'two parent family' and 'family values' and 'traditional family' and never say the words 'gay' or 'lesbian'?"
He's obviously been coached, and he's following the script, but it really makes him sound like a broken record. Is there a human in there? If this is how he answers a simple question, can you imagine him making important policy decisions as President? Scary.
Posted by: Kevinvt | Jul 28, 2008 9:53:03 AM
I am MojoJojo because MojoJojo I am...
Posted by: J.P. | Jul 28, 2008 10:04:28 AM
"Does anyone actually know a gay couple that is stable enough to raise a child in a healthy manner???"
Yes, I do, Jerry. Some of them even comment on Towleroad. You're an idiot.
As is McCain. His scripted evasiveness is so incompetent it would be funny if it weren't so scary. 14% people: do you really want this man as your President? He is truly pathetic.
Posted by: Ernie | Jul 28, 2008 10:07:49 AM
Jerry-I'm not sure what kind of life you have or where you live, but lots of gay and lesbian couples are raising children. I not only know several, my partner and I are raising a healthy child who otherwise would have been in foster care.
This is a reprehensible comment. And for those gays who can overlook this because of they are Republicans "fiscally", I say you might want to reconsider that position.
Posted by: Brian | Jul 28, 2008 10:15:55 AM
PJ, since when has Stephanopolous been a Republican? He's been a Democrat his whole political life. He supported Dukakis, Gephardt and Clinton during his political life.
Posted by: what | Jul 28, 2008 10:28:44 AM
McCain is using "family values" as a code word for heterosexual couples. He's a Republican with a LONG history of opposing gay rights. Period.
The gay repugs try to repackage McSame as experienced, blah, blah, blah. But what it comes down to is that many of them just don't care about other gay people. They have money or live in liberal states where there are laws that protect them. Others are just kinda racist and either feel more comfortable with McCain's white skin or repulsed by Obama's brown skin.
The modern Republican Party is about selfishness, greed, and Social Darwinism disguised as individualism with a healthy dose of theocracy with a healthy injection of disdain for the Rule of Law.
Face facts. There is no excuse for voting for John McCain, whose alleged superior knowledge of international affairs leads him to believe that Iraq borders Pakistan and Czechoslovakia still exists.
So, this is where some idiot comes out and says to blather about just because he's gay that doesn't mean that he has to vote for the other guy. No sh@t, Sherlock. But, that is not an excuse to vote for someone who acts against the interest of GLBT people as a whole.
(P.S. I don't agree with the ageist slams against McCain. It's not about age, it's about keeping up with the times and willingness to learn. McCain just stopped caring to understand the world. Other seniors embrace change; they actually understand it's "Google" and not "the Google."
Being 70 years old does not mean that someone suffers from dementia, like Reagan who had Alzheimer's and should not have served a second term. Many of us have grandparents or parents who are older and are just as mentally agile as ever. They also learn to let go of old prejudices unlike McCain.)
Posted by: Noah | Jul 28, 2008 10:37:32 AM
A few weeks ago I said McCain was "likeable"--now he's not. At times he even seems incoherent. If the American people don't vote in a Democratic Administration with accomplished public servants from the Democratic Party....well, we'll know there's only one reason why. "...then I wish I was Dixie....away, away...."
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jul 28, 2008 10:49:56 AM
Are you kidding me, Jerry? I know about a dozen same sex couples who are MORE than stable to raise children. Wow, your comment was atrocious.
Posted by: David | Jul 28, 2008 12:08:45 PM
JERRY, as tempted as I am to answer your question (I certainly could) and be drawn into your attempt to hijack the thread by lobbing troll bombs I will refrain from doing so. I would encourage others to refrain from responding to him as well. He either followed a WingNutDaily link or the McCain troll clearinghouse link to this site. They have been showing up in droves lately so it's clear that Towleroad is on their watch lists.
Starve a troll and he will die a lonely, miserable, painful death; just as nature intended.
Posted by: Zeke | Jul 28, 2008 12:23:37 PM
Does he consider divorce part of the traditional family? Two parents living together to raise the kids?
Posted by: TroyTooner | Jul 28, 2008 1:16:09 PM
I think McCain answered the question clearly. I also think it is a very tough question for anyone to answer- can any of you imagine what it would be like to be the child of Thomas Beattie? And by our very nature, are gay people best suited to rear children, or are many of us just doing it as a political action at the risk of the children? I know too many gay couples in Los Angeles who've accessorized with Gaybies, and are now stuck with the living, breathing equivalent of a Von Dutch trucker hat. Call me old-fashioned, but I long for the old days when gays were freed from the obligations of family to create art and music and culture. What would we have today if Michelangelo or Tenessee Williams were knee-deep in diapers? Don't bother answering- we already have it: Miley Cyrus.
Posted by: dc8stretch | Jul 28, 2008 1:17:16 PM
DC8STRETCH:
But there have been gay people raising children forever. About a fourth of the gay men I know raise kids, and half of the Lesbians.
With the drug problem in many American communities, I wouldn't be surprised if many gay people have had to take over the raising of nieces and nephews. Somebody should point that out to McCain.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jul 28, 2008 1:29:05 PM
My partner and I have adopted two children. And are raising them quite well. So, Jerry, you want to see a gay person who is stable enough to raise children, come on over for dinner some time.
And as far as John McCain. He's not tactful or educated. He's an idiot. And his stance on this coupled with this his compassion for his ex-wife and family that he dumped proves he's a selfish prick and pathetic.
Posted by: Bart | Jul 28, 2008 1:39:05 PM
Fortunately, he'll have no impact on adoption laws one way or the other.
Posted by: anon | Jul 28, 2008 1:44:30 PM
Jerry and DC8STRETCH, have you even looked at the research on gay parents or are you just pulling crap out of your ass...wait, we already know you've never done the former; your flailing clearly demonstrates the latter.
Posted by: MAJeff | Jul 28, 2008 1:56:33 PM
WOW- a lot of hate out here for just a difference of opinion.
Posted by: dc8stretch | Jul 28, 2008 2:05:51 PM
NO, DC8, you're insulting people possibly even more than McCain did - at least he's a dumb politician, what's your excuse?
There are plenty of us who are not the least bit artistic or talented who would love to be able to have a very quiet and boring life raising a couple of kids. Shocking, eh? I'm as liberal as they come, I don't drink or smoke, I've a great body and I believe in monogamy - I am totally and utterly boring even though I probably should be a circuit twink. And I want to raise kids, who will hopefully be decent members of civil society.
If other gay guys don't want families, that's not an issue for me at all - so why is it an issue for you if the rest of us do?
You aren't old-fashioned, you're an ignorant prick.
Posted by: SexyBack | Jul 28, 2008 2:48:30 PM
DC8STRETCH: I don't hate that you have a different opinion. I'm bothered by the lack of logic you appear to use to form your opinion. First of all, what do you mean by "our very nature"? Do you mean that two men or two women cannot "naturally" reproduce? If so, then I guess you also think that straight couples who are unable to reproduce are not naturally "suited to raise children." Second, while there may be gay men and lesbians who accessorized with Gaybies, they are not alone. There are just as many, if not many more, straight couples in LA and everywhere else who are accessorizing with Gaybies. That's an issue- consumer culture - that impacts but extend well beyond the LGBT community. As MAJEFF said, look at the research on gay and lesbian adoption (google scholar will give you a variety of sources - academic journals and books). Similarly, there are countless examples of straight parents who have used the media in the same way as Thomas Beattie.
Posted by: GMT | Jul 28, 2008 2:50:20 PM
I would respect McCain more if he just acted like a freaking man and said it. Nothing worse that an evasive, sniveling punk ass who can't cop to a platform. Its not like we don't *already* know how he feels about the situation.
Posted by: Derrick | Jul 28, 2008 2:57:09 PM
DC8Stetch - I don't hate you, I don't hate anybody. But I do think you are sorely lacking in logic, critical thinking, or basic intelligence. You knowing too many gay people in LA that "accessorized" with children? Well, I live in LA, have two children and find is repulsive that you would consider them accessories. They are my children. My family. I love them more than anything else in the world. Hard work? Sure. But they are the most amazing, wonderful, joyous gift I've ever been blessed with. And you know what, I know plenty of gay parents who feel the same way about their children. Tells me more about you than it does about gay parents.
Oh, by the way...I'm also a novelist, screenwriter, playwrite. Produced in all medium multiple times. Guess that makes me an artist too. Damn, if some of gay people can't multi-task, you know be artists and raise a family. Wow, just like some straight artists.
Dude, face it, you're comments were just dumb.
Posted by: Bart | Jul 28, 2008 3:02:38 PM
I will respond to D8STRETCH because I know that he isn’t a surf-by flame throwing troll.
DC8STRETCH, read YOUR comment again and then TRY to put yourself in the place of a gay man, his husband and their 13 year old child; a FAMILY unit that is the fulfillment of two men's lifelong hopes and dreams and a wonderful family environment in which a happy, healthy and well adjusted child has been raised since his birth.
My family is NOT a political statement or a fashion accessory, it is the absolute manifestation of my (and my husband’s) dream, which just so happened to be the same dream as my straight brother, my parents, my cousins, my friends and just about 90% of all the people I’ve ever met in my life. Straight and/or anti-gay people my whole life told me that MY dream was unreachable or should never be attempted because it was unchristian, unholy, silly, uppity, an abomination, rebellious, unfair to my child, dangerous, selfish etc. Then gay people LIKE YOU have told me my whole life that MY dream was inappropriate, unreachable, stupid, selfish, elitist, conformist, conservative, anti-gay, anti-feminist, etc. In my life, gay people and straight people agreed on one thing and one thing only; that my dream of having a husband, a family and a “traditional” life was silly, unattainable and just plain WRONG. Well it’s a damn good thing that this stubborn Mississippi redneck NEVER looked for other people’s approval of or permission to pursue MY damn dream.
Think about how gay parents like myself feel when they read your "differences of opinion" with my life and family choices and the way you CHOSE to express your “difference of opinion.” Can you honestly read your comment from my point of view and think that it is "kind", "thoughtful" and "inoffensive"? You REALLY don't see any "hate" (intended or not) when you slam me, MY FAMILY and MY CHILD by comparing our son to a Van Dutch trucker hat that we selfishly added to our must-have fashion accessories? There's no "hate" in demeaning and degrading gay men who want to have families and those who already have families by questioning our worthiness and abilities to raise children, questioning our motives for forming a family and having children and accusing us of simply wanting to make a political statement or latching on to the latest "in" life-accessory.
I noticed you pointed out that you “I know too many gay couples in Los Angeles who've accessorized with Gaybies, and are now stuck with the living, breathing equivalent of a Von Dutch trucker hat”, yet you didn’t mention if you knew any straight people who had children for the wrong reasons or had children that they didn’t want or had children that they didn’t take good care of. Do you not know any of these people or is it that you do know them but don’t have an issue with them? If your answer is the former then I would have to say you’re either blind or a fool and if your answer is the latter I would have to question why you have different standards for different parents.
Read YOUR words again:
"And by our very nature, are gay people best suited to rear children, or are many of us just doing it as a political action at the risk of the children? I know too many gay couples in Los Angeles who've accessorized with Gaybies, and are now stuck with the living, breathing equivalent of a Von Dutch trucker hat."
and then YOU say, “WOW, a lot of hate out here for just a difference of opinion?”
I sincerely hope that you wrote your comment without putting a whole lot of thought into what you were saying, or who would read it and how it would make people feel who have sacrificed for and dedicated themselves 100% to their families and to their children, not because they were driven by politics or vanity but because they had a dream that they were just too impassioned about to ignore and too stubborn to give up on. I fully understand that this way of life may make no sense to you and many others (straight and gay) but just understand that it doesn’t have to make sense to you to be important and fulfilling to someone else. I hope you will learn to appreciate the variety of life-expression within the GLBT community. Allow people to pursue their dreams without chastising, ridiculing or questioning them.
I hope that you and everyone else here has been as happy and satisfied in the pursuit of their goals and dreams (whatever they may be) as I have been with mine. Additionally I hope that NO gay person will ever allow their dreams to be shot down by straight people who think that being gay is an insurmountable roadblock to a world of infinite possibilities OR by gay people who believe that being gay requires a person to sign a :tradition non-conformist pact” or to ghettoize himself into “gay appropriate” or “gay acceptable” ways of living.
Sorry for the rant. Touchy subject.
Posted by: Zeke | Jul 28, 2008 4:05:44 PM
Querido Zeke, That was not a rant; but, rather an impassioned, compassionate, and articulate statement of your beliefs and behaviour in the face of ignorance and arrogance. Your commitment to your son, husband, and your own integrity as a gay man is an inspiration and example for all of us. It is because of deeply moral people such as you that all gay men--whether fathers or not--will one day secure our basic human rights.
Perhaps my only regret in a long and fulfilling life is that my partner of thirty years and I are not parents. I admire your courage and skill in raising your son to be a happy and well-adjusted male, especially in light of pervasive ignorance, as most recently expressed on this comment thread. Besos y abrazos to all gay fathers. You are doing one of the most important and difficult jobs in society. Te quiero muchisimo, Eziquel!
Posted by: rudy | Jul 28, 2008 4:38:46 PM
DC8STRETCH is typical of self-loathing homosexuals. He sees himself and other gays as silly and irresponsible. When faced with gay folks who demonstrate strength, intelligence and maturity (i.e. raising a family in the face of prejudice), DC8STRETCH and his ilk become intimidated and fearful. They simply can't cope with the reality that gay men and women have been and continue to raise families successfully. Thus his only recourse is to label childen of gay parents "gaybies" and nothing more than fashionable accessories. Why bother to educate himself and rent All Aboard: R Family Vacations when its so much easier to wilfully stay in the dark and ridicule. His spit in the collective face of these families is simply a "difference of opinion" as he states. No surprise there since it's the only argument available in DC8STRETCH's sad and miserable world.
Posted by: John in Manhattan | Jul 28, 2008 5:15:39 PM
I am so going to vote for McCain. He supports my family! We were licensed as foster parents as a two-parent family and we adopted our son as two parents, husband and husband. I'm so glad to hear that he'll be running for president to support our family. Or, maybe that's not why he's running for president. Um...wait. What was the question again?
Posted by: David R. | Jul 29, 2008 1:38:14 AM
Two gay men or women are a two parent family. Fuck sake.
Posted by: raymie | Aug 3, 2008 10:21:32 AM