Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry insinuated that the state’s lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) war veterans should leave the state if they are unhappy with a recent anti-gay marriage amendment introduced there, according to a release from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).
During a news conference held in a Fort Worth church, Perry was asked what he would tell Texas gay and lesbian war veterans returning home from war about the law. Gov. Perry responded, according to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, by saying that ‘Texans made a decision about marriage and if there’s a state that has more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that’s a better place for them to live.’
SLDN joined the Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby of Texas in asking Perry to apologize. ‘More than 66,000 lesbian and gay veterans make their home in Texas,’ said Sharra E. Greer, SLDN’s director of law and policy. ‘Their service has defended the freedom of every Texan, including Gov. Perry.’
Colonel Paul W. Dodd, a retired Army Chaplain and SLDN honorary board member who now lives in Texas, also called on Perry to apologize.
SLDN reported June 9 that Perry issued a statement welcoming all veterans to Texas.