(Published October 7‚ 2004)

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim DeMint has backed off a bit on which people he would prefer not serve as teachers in our schools. It seems, however, that openly gay people still make the list.

During Sunday's debate with Democratic opponent, S.C. Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum, the candidates were asked about a state Republican Party platform item that says gays should not teach in public schools.

"I don't think they should," DeMint replied, adding that government should not endorse particular behaviors. "We need the folks that are teaching in schools to represent our values."

Tenenbaum disagreed: "To say that a homosexual can't teach in a public school is really a bad thing, and it's just un-American."

Several gay rights groups objected to DeMint's comments. But he drew more fire after elaborating on those comments during an interview Tuesday with the Aiken Standard.

Asked about his objections to hiring openly gay or lesbian teachers, he responded: "I would have given the same answer when asked if a single woman, who was pregnant and living with her boyfriend, should be hired to teach my third- grade children."

Wednesday, he backtracked, saying it was a mistake to use the example of unwed, pregnant teachers to defend his earlier comments about gays.

"So as my wife often reminds me, sometimes my heart disengages from my head and I say something I shouldn't and that's what happened yesterday," said DeMint, a father of four. "I clearly said something as a dad that I just shouldn't have said. And I apologize."

He stressed, however, that this was not an apology to the gay rights groups who objected to his original comments.

Even with this half-hearted mea culpa, we have problems with his view that public school teachers need to "reflect our values." Whose values? Jim DeMint's? His values, as expressed in this case, strike us a somewhat narrow-minded.

We wouldn't approve of any teacher, gay or straight, wed or unwed mother, endorsing particular sexual behaviors in the classroom. That would be inappropriate under any circumstances.

And the notion that schools should adopt something akin to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy for homosexual teachers seems impractical. It doesn't reflect what's happening in the real world.

We can guarantee Mr. DeMint that gays and lesbians are teaching in South Carolina schools, that, in many cases, fellow teachers know they are gay or lesbian and that many of them are excellent teachers. And we don't think they should be denied the right to teach.

While the congressman says he would not work for a ban on hiring openly gay teachers, we wonder if he would support one if it were proposed in the Senate.

These statements may not hurt DeMint with core supporters who would bar homosexuals from the teaching profession. Others, we hope, will agree with Tenenbaum's assessment: It's un-American.

IN SUMMARY
DeMint hasn't disavowed platform plank to deny homosexuals the right to teach.