Harper’s new Senate appointment says being gay is a choice

One of the two new senators announced by Stephen Harper on Dec 20 told Xtra in a 2008 interview he thinks being gay is a choice.

Rev Don Meredith, of the GTA Faith Alliance, and Larry Smith, a former CFL commissioner, will fill two vacancies in the Senate, giving the Conservatives an outright majority in the unelected body.

^{(Jenna Wakani)}

Back in early 2008, Rev Meredith spoke to Xtra during his by-election run for the Toronto-Centre seat vacated by long-time Liberal MP Bill Graham.

To a question about his personal position on same-sex marriage, the Conservative candidate replied, “It’s the right of individuals to choose their orientation,” and when asked if he thinks being gay is a choice he answered, “Individuals have chosen.”

He also answered questions on the age of consent for anal sex, funding AIDS vaccine research and was asked if he thought homosexuality is a sin. Rev Meredith ducks the sin question, though he concedes, “We do the same physiological things — we need to eat, we need to sleep, we need food, we need shelter, we need good healthcare — that’s the crucial thing.”

Read the whole interview here.

Rev Meredith lost the by-election with only 12.5 percent of the vote.