Rep. Peterson Said What????

Rep. Ken Peterson has been strongly criticized for the way he’s run the House Judiciary Committee, of which he is the chair.

Today, he wasn’t just criticized for how he runs the committee, he was also criticized for his bizarre comments to the Missoula Independent.

In an article about Sen. Facey’s bill that seeks to remove unconstitutional language from our criminal code; language criminalizing homosexual acts, Rep. Peterson attempted to defend his opposition to removing this language. He argues that despite the court ruling, the law is still enforceable in certain circumstances.

First, he believes gays and lesbians are attempting to “recruit” heterosexual people. He told the Missoula Independent:

“Homosexuals can’t go out into the heterosexual community and try to recruit people, or try to enlist them in homosexual acts,” Peterson says. He provides an example: “‘Here, young man, your hormones are raging. Let’s go in this bedroom, and we’ll engage in some homosexual acts. You’ll find you like it.’”

Peterson also believes that public displays of homosexuality are considered a felony. He said:

“In my mind, if they were engaging in acts in public that could be construed as homosexual, it would violate that statute. It has to be more than affection. It has to be overt homosexual acts of some kind or another… If kissing goes to that extent, yes. If it’s more than that, yes.”

Unfortunately for Rep. Peterson (who is a lawyer) his legal analysis has been roundly refuted by all legal experts, who say both the Montana and U.S. Supreme Courts have ruled this statute and similar statues unconstitutional.