Presumed Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s recent remark that being gay is a “lifestyle” generated news headlines that a similar comment from President Obama less than two weeks ago did not.
CBS News, the Associated Press, Time and BuzzFeed all published stories on Huckabee’s interview, centering on what he said about having gay friends.
“People can be my friends who have lifestyles that are not necessarily my lifestyle,” Huckabee said Sunday on CNN. “I don’t shut people out of my circle or out of my life because they have a different point of view. I don’t drink alcohol but, gosh, a lot of my friends — maybe most of them — do. I don’t use profanity but believe me I’ve got a lot of friends who do. Some people really like classical music and ballet and opera, it’s not my cup of tea. I’d like to think there’s room in America for people to have different points of view without screaming, shouting and wanting to shut their businesses down.”
News headlines on the interview paid special attention to the portion where Huckabee referenced alcohol and swearing. “Mike Huckabee compares being gay to drinking, cursing,” read the CBS News headline. “Huckabee compares being gay to using alcohol, profanity,” said the AP’s. “Mike Huckabee: Gay marriage is like drinking,” was Time’s interpretation.
Obama was asked about gay marriage in an interview following his State of the Union address in late January.
“I think people know that treating folks unfairly, even if you disagree with their lifestyle choice, the fact of the matter is, they’re not bothering you,” Obama said at the time. He went on to offer support for same-sex marriage, which Huckabee opposes, he says, for religious reasons.
Even so, referring to homosexuality as a “lifestyle choice” is widely seen as offensive among gay-rights groups.
The gay-rights group GLAAD deems “lifestyle choice” as a term the media should avoid.
“There is no single lesbian, gay or bisexual lifestyle,” says the GLAAD media reference guide. “Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are diverse in the ways they lead their lives. The phrase ‘gay lifestyle’ is used to denigrate lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals suggesting that their orientation is a choice and therefore can and should be ‘cured.’ ”
After Obama’s interview, some conservative websites and one gay magazine noted that his gay supporters and the most of the national media ignored the “lifestyle” comment.
“Obama gets pass on describing being gay as ‘lifestyle choice,’ ” said an article in the Washington Blade, a gay-centric, Washington, D.C.-based magazine.
Speaking with the Washington Examiner on condition of anonymity, one White House reporter who is gay theorized that Obama didn’t receive the same coverage for Huckabee did because he has a long history of affirming that sexual identity is not chosen. “Obama has said for years that he does not think being gay or transgender is a choice,” the reporter said.
Obama does have a history of making such statements. In 2010, he said, “I don’t think it’s a choice [being gay]. I think people are born with a certain make-up.”
