Chris Smith Caught on Tape: Tells Students Orphanages Better than Gay Adoption

Press Release

Earlier today, The Washington Blade broke the story that Representative Chris Smith, while visiting Colts Neck High School in his capacity as a sitting Congressman, suggested to students that children would be better off living in orphanages, rather than in the loving homes of families in the LGBT community.

Hannah Valdes, the student who recorded the exchange, spoke that there was an additional question that was not captured on the tape. "Rep. Smith responded by saying that he does not approve of gay adoption because gay households are not healthy environments for children to grow up in. He then stated that "numerous household studies' show that children that have heterosexual parents have better lives than children that have homosexual parents," Valdes said to The Washington Blade.

Josh Welle was quoted in the article saying: "Chris Smith's out-of-touch views might have flown in 1980 when he was elected, but his time has passed. In 2018, in Central Jersey, it is unacceptable to imply a child would be better off in an orphanage than with a loving LGBTQ family. As a veteran, I fought on the front lines alongside men and women who gave their lives to protect and defend the civil liberties that our Constitution ensures for everyone, not just a few. Chris Smith takes us backwards on inclusion and basic human rights for all."

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