Family Research Council President Tony Perkins was asked after speaking to the National Press Club whether or not he would disown any of his children if they came out as gay. Perkins claimed that this was a ‘gotcha question’, but went on to claim that he would continue to love his child even if they were gay, but would inform them that their ‘lifestyle choice’ damages them and society.

Perkins continues to believe, despite evidence to the contrary, that people choose to be gay. Research has shown that the large bulk of lesbians and gays are thus due to a combination of genetics and maternal hormone mixtures inside the womb. Evidence has also shown that marriages between gay men and straight women or lesbians and straight men cause significant harm to the children that they produce.

Towleroad was kind enough to provide a transcript which reads:

“If we [parents] really love them, we’ll be willing to tell them the truth that the choices that they have made, continuing what they’re doing, are both destructive to them personally and society as a whole. And so while I would disagree with my child getting involved in that lifestyle, I would not in any way — nor would I ever encourage a parent — to disown a child because of something like that that occurs. Love them compassionately, pray for them, but don’t condone and enable that behavior, whatever it might be.”

“That’s not to say that those whose children may have ended up in homosexuality were not good parents. We can’t guarantee that. We can do our very best job as a parent and still something may happen, whether they end up in drugs or whether they end up in some other lifestyle that they end up.”